- Daily Briefing

- Front Page

- India

- Delhi Confidential

- Opinion

- UPSC-CSE Key

- Explained

- Business

- Tech Review

Daily Briefing

- Daily briefing: LAC talks to ‘narrow down differences’; archer Sheetal Devi at 2024 Paris Paralympics; and more

- Daily Briefing: Mamata Banerjee stirs another storm; President Murmu on Kolkata rape-murder; and more

Daily briefing: LAC talks to ‘narrow down differences’; archer Sheetal Devi at 2024 Paris Paralympics; and more

In today's edition: Sebi chief Madhabi Puri Buch on role of complainces; Dis/Agree column on Indigo airline's new feature that allows women passengers to avoid sitting next to men; and more

Written by Ayesha Jain , Vibha B Madhava

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 09:19 IST

Top headlines - August 30

Good morning,

🚨Big Story:

On Thursday, India and China held the 31st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC). In what came as a thaw in the long-standing impasse along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh, both sides exchanged views to “narrow down the differences” and “find early resolution of the outstanding issues”.

Let’s recap: The standoff at the LAC has been a flashpoint in the relation between both nations for more than four years now, with over 50,000 troops stationed on both sides of the border. The expression “narrow down the differences” has been used for the first time in the bilateral talks on the situation.

On the other side: Pakistan on Thursday said that it has invited India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) Council of Heads of Government meeting to be held in October. Last year, India hosted the SCO Summit virtually which Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif attended online.

Also read: Chile’s Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren’s conversation with the Indian Express about emerging investment opportunities for India in his country, balancing between China and other powers, and India’s role in the Russia-Ukraine war.

________________________________________________________________________________

⚡Only in the Express:

“Isolating women is not the solution..”

“A thumbs up for listening to consumer pain and devising solutions..”

India’s Indigo airline recently rolled out a feature that allows women passengers to avoid sitting next to men, in a bid to make flying safer for them. In our fortnightly column ‘Dis/Agree’, we ruminate on if this is the right, or wrong way out.

📰From the front page:

On July 10, the Indian Express had reported that the circle rate in Ayodhya had remained stagnant despite an increase in land transactions and its soaring market value ever since the Ram temple verdict in 2019. Now, almost two months after that, the circle rate in Ayodhya is set to increase after a gap of seven years.

‘Low hum in the background’: In her first public appearance since featuring in the Adani-Hindenburg saga, Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch spoke about the “ultimate objective” of the market regulator: ensuring compliance is simply a low hum which goes on in the background, in every entity it regulates.

Semiconductor dreams: The Centre has a blueprint for the second phase of its ambitious semiconductor manufacturing incentive policy. After having committed nearly all of the $10 billion (about Rs 1000 crore) in subsidies, it could now increase the outlay of the programme to $15 billion (Rs 1500 crore), offer capital support for raw materials and gases used in chip manufacturing, and reduce subsidies for plants, The Indian Express has learnt.

________________________________________________________________________________

👉Must Read:

Artist’s view: President-founder of Dastkari Haat Samiti Jaya Jaitly wants 400-odd artisans who created a set of art installations for one of the new Parliament building’s galleries to be able to view their works. In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, she has sought permission for the craftspeople to be allowed inside, in small groups if needed, when the House is not in session.

“Whoever has encroached will face the long arm of Hydra”

Film stars, industrialists, politicians across party lines – Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Monitoring and Protection Agency (popularly known as Hydra) has spared no one in its demolition spree. In just two months of its existence, the body has razed 166 illegal structures and recovered 44 acres of encroached lake land with “no partiality or targeting”.

Here’s the way: You’ll find almost 300 of the once-extinct northern bald ibis bird (a.k.a Waldrapp in German) in Central Europe today. The reintroduction credits goes to scientist “foster parents” of an Austria-based conservation group Waldrappteam. They helped these birds which do not instinctively know where to migrate to in winter. How? With a strategy inspired by the 1996 film Fly Away Home in which the protagonist pilots a tiny airplane to show orphaned geese their migratory path.

________________________________________________________________________________

📌And Finally:

In Paris… India’s Paralympics campaign got off to a great start, with Para archer Sheetal Devi leading the way. , With a sensational 703 out of a possible 720 in the qualification rounds, she was just one short of a new world record. What makes the 17-year-old Devi even more remarkable? Born with a rare congenital disorder, she competes in the discipline without arms.

Delhi Confidential: BJP leader Aparajita Sarangi posted an interesting photo on social media in which she stands out. “In the company of Men… With esteemed members of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) today. It is my privilege to be part of this prestigious parliamentary committee. Grateful,” Sarangi wrote after the committee meeting on Thursday. She is the only woman in the 22-member parliamentary panel that audits the revenue and expenditure of the government.

🎧 In the latest episode of our ‘3 things’ podcast, Apurva Vishwanath discusses the Supreme Court verdict granting bail to Telangana MLC K Kavitha. Next, Abhishek Angad explores the reasons behind senior Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Champai Soren’s decision to join the BJP, and Vikas Pathak then tells us more on how the saffron party typically handles members who speak out of line, ft. Kangana Ranaut. Tune in!

Until tomorrow

Ayesha Jain and Vibha B Madhava

Business As Usual by E P Unny (August 30)

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

Daily Briefing: Mamata Banerjee stirs another storm; President Murmu on Kolkata rape-murder; and more

In today's edition: Ruchir Sharma on India’s growth story; India’s chances at Paris Paralympics; The Killer movie review; and more

Written by Ayesha Jain , Sonal Gupta

August 29, 2024 09:12 IST

Top news on August 29, 2024

Good morning,

Big Story

With protests and politics over the alleged rape and murder of a trainee doctor embroiling West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has stirred yet another storm.

She said that the “fire” the BJP wants to start in her state “will not spare” Assam, Bihar, Manipur or Odisha. The chief ministers of the respective states accused Mamata of inciting violence and indulging in divisive politics.

‘Enough is enough’: In her first comments over the rape-murder case, President Droupadi Murmu said it is time for India to wake up to the “perversion” of crimes against women. She flagged the need to counter the mindset that sees women as “less powerful, less capable, less intelligent”.

Why does the alleged rape and murder of a doctor become a flashpoint but that of a nurse in Uttarakhand goes unremarked on? Perhaps, it’s the idea of the “ideal victim”. In our Opinion section, Paromita Chakrabarti speaks of selective outrage, the power asymmetry in sexual assault cases, and all the things we don’t talk about when we talk about rape.

Only in Express

Talking point: What’s stopping India’s currency from strengthening and interest rates lowering? Global investor and fund manager Ruchir Sharma reckons that India’s polity cannot carry out reforms that can spur growth in the range of 9-11 per cent. “We still don’t give our people enough economic freedom… Government still plays a pretty interventionist role in this country.” Read all that Sharma had to say in the latest edition of Express Adda.

From the Front Page

Two years ago, an Indian Forest Service officer was removed as the head of Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand after the High Court took note of illegal tree felling and construction there. The officer has now been appointed the head of the Rajaji reserve—despite requests of reconsideration from the Forest Minister and Chief Secretary—thanks to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Bail is rule, jail exception: The legal principle will apply even in cases registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), the Supreme Court reiterated Wednesday. In doing so, the court has ruled that when applying Section 45 of PMLA, which imposes absolute restraint on the grant of bail, Article 21 of the Constitution (the right of life and personal liberty) should take precedence.

A push and pushback: The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday unveiled a new digital media policy that allows the state government to pay up to Rs 8 lakh per month to an empanelled influencer to publicise its schemes. It also empowers the government to initiate action if “any such content, video tweet, post, reel is anti-national, anti-social, indecent or hurts the sentiments of various sections of the society”. In its almost immediate response to the move, the Opposition has called it a way to control the content on social media.

Must Read

Meanwhile, in Himachal, the Congress government passed a law to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Himachal Pradesh Amendment) Bill, 2024, was passed yesterday by voice vote in the Assembly, with the Opposition BJP neither supporting nor opposing it.

So what happens next? How will the Bill’s amendments to a central law come into force? And more interestingly: why is the Congress party surprised by its own legislation? We take a look.

🚀🚀🚀: What connects a two-wheeler dealership in Delhi, a saree depot based in Kolhapur and a 25-bed hospital in Bharuch? The companies behind each of these entities are part of a market boom that has seen small and medium enterprises making a beeline for the bourses — and retail investors lining up to lap up their shares. But market experts have raised eyebrows at the listings: seeing them as a spillover of investor frenzy, especially at a time when the mainboard IPO market is buzzing.

Metal hopes: With 19 medals at the Tokyo Paralympics three years ago, India’s contingent set a heady benchmark: 19 medals. What are its chances in Paris this time around? From Tokyo record-breaker Sumit Antil to archer Sheetal Devi, we take a closer look at India’s top medal contenders.

And Finally…

“A genre master replaying his greatest hits..”

The Indian Express’ Rohan Naahar reviews John Woo’s remake of his 1989 Hong Kong classic ‘The Killer’, which, he says “boasts personality that has become all but absent in the streaming era.”

Delhi Confidential: Before the JJP’s seat-sharing deal with Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) was finalised for the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections, the latter was also in talks with the Congress for an alliance. The talks never materialised, with the grand old party exuding confidence that it can win a simple majority on its own.

In the latest episode of our 3 Things podcast, we discuss the Gujarat floods. While in Gujarat, we also have a segment on Jay Shah’s elevation to the chairman of the ICC. Tune in!

That’s all for today.

Until tomorrow,

Sonal Gupta and Ayesha Jain

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

- After 7 years, Ayodhya land circle rates set to rise — by 50% to 200%

- A G Noorani (1930 – 2024): ‘Fearless, straightforward… more of a lawyer outside courtrooms’

- Mystery over deaths of two UP girls: Police say suicide, kin deny, 2 youths from village booked

- Minister claims Uttarakhand CM Dhami didn’t overrule others on Rajaji posting, but records show otherwise

- LAC talks: India, China for ‘intensified contact’ to ‘narrow down differences’

- More Malayalam actors named in sexual abuse cases; pressure grows on CPI(M) to remove legislator

- Compliance should become a ‘low hum in the background’ of regulated entities: Sebi Chairperson

- Uttarakhand CM Dhami overrules Minister, Chief Secy to post ousted Corbett chief as head of Rajaji reserve

- From Delhi bike dealer to Kolhapur saree depot, small IPOs lift mood in the market — and raise eyebrows

- Digital media policy: Up to Rs 8 lakh for online push of UP schemes, action if content negative

- SC underlines: Bail is the rule, jail exception even in PMLA cases, Article 21 higher right

After 7 years, Ayodhya land circle rates set to rise — by 50% to 200%

The proposed rates are mostly 50 per cent to 200 per cent higher than the prevailing rate which has been in force since August 2017.

Written by Shyamlal Yadav

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 10:40 IST

The deadline for receiving suggestions is September 4 and the rates will then be finalised and notified.

After a gap of seven years, the circle rate of land in Ayodhya is set to increase. On Thursday, the District Magistrate put out a list of proposed circle rates and invited public feedback.

The proposed rates are mostly 50 per cent to 200 per cent higher than the prevailing rate which has been in force since August 2017.

The deadline for receiving suggestions is September 4 and the rates will then be finalised and notified.

On July 10, The Indian Express reported that the circle rate in Ayodhya had not been revised for seven years despite a surge in land transactions and the soaring market value of land ever since the 2019 ruling of the Supreme Court which cleared the decks for the construction of the Ram temple.

District Magistrate Chandravijay Singh did not respond to phone calls from The Indian Express for comment on the proposed rates.

The Uttar Pradesh Stamp (Amendment) Act, 1997, which was amended in 2015, states that the “District Collector, as far as possible, in every August month, will determine Rs per square metre minimum value of Agriculture/non-Agriculture land” and other immovable properties considering use of land, irrigation facilities, distance from road, market, bus station, railway station, factories, educational institutions, hospitals and government offices; its location within urban, semi-urban or rural areas; and other possibilities like distance from developed areas.

The list circulated shows that in certain areas, the proposed hike in rate is 200 per cent. For instance, in Tihura Manjha where the circle rate for ‘agriculture’ land since August 2017 ranges from Rs 11 lakh to Rs 23 lakh per hectare, the proposed rates range between Rs 33 lakh and Rs 69 lakh per hectare. This is a village where the House of Abhinandan Lodha has purchased land.

The UP Avas Vikas Parishad, which proposed a township spread over nearly 1,800 acres, had acquired nearly 600 acres until March this year in villages such as Shahnawaz Pur Majha, Barhata Manjha and Tihura Manjha. The remaining acquisition process is underway.

In the Lok Sabha elections this year, SP candidate Awadhesh Prasad defeated the sitting BJP MP to take the Ayodhya (Faizabad) seat. The Milkipur (SC) Assembly seat, vacated by Prasad, will be going to polls later this year.

Ayodhya is among 54 districts of Uttar Pradesh where the circle rate was last revised in 2017. In 21 districts, it was revised in 2023. The rates were also revised in districts adjoining Ayodhya such as Barabanki, Ambedkar Nagar, Gonda and Basti and Sultanpur.

The circle rate is the district administration’s assessment of land value in its jurisdiction, based on which stamp duty is fixed on sale or purchase, and based on which the administration acquires property from land owners, including farmers.

One of the farmers, Durga Prasad Yadav, had sought a hike in circle rate and approached the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on October 5, 2021. The matter is yet to be listed.

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

Shyamlal Yadav

Shyamlal Yadav is one of the pioneers of the effective use of RTI for investigative reporting. He is a member of the Investigative Team. His reporting on polluted rivers, foreign travel of public servants, MPs appointing relatives as assistants, fake journals, LIC’s lapsed policies, Honorary doctorates conferred to politicians and officials, Bank officials putting their own money into Jan Dhan accounts and more has made a huge impact. He is member of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). He has been part of global investigations like Paradise Papers, Fincen Files, Pandora Papers, Uber Files and Hidden Treasures. After his investigation in March 2023 the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York returned 16 antiquities to India. Besides investigative work, he keeps writing on social and political issues. ... Read More

A G Noorani (1930 – 2024): ‘Fearless, straightforward… more of a lawyer outside courtrooms’

From the Ram Janmabhoomi issue to the annexation of Hyderabad to India, from Kashmir constitutionalism to the RSS, Noorani’s scholarship extended to several areas.

Written by Apurva Vishwanath , Omkar Gokhale

Mumbai, New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 09:29 IST

A G Noorani (1930 - 2024)

He wrote — and wrote fearlessly — on the Emergency, on Kashmir, on the Babri Masjid. A leading voice on constitutional law and issues of Kashmir and Indian Muslims, Abdul Ghafoor Abdul Majeed Noorani, or A G Noorani, rarely minced words when he argued his case — both as a senior lawyer practising in the Supreme Court and Bombay High Court and in his writings. On Thursday, Noorani, scholar, lawyer, commentator and author, passed away in Mumbai at the age of 93.

“He was a man of conviction and wrote fearlessly… He called a spade a spade. During the Emergency, his book on Kashmir saw him getting arrested. Then, many members of the Bombay Bar had stood up for Noorani against the restrictions placed on him. Noorani also openly wrote about the Babri Masjid issue. He was a secularist to the core,” said senior advocate Yusuf Muchhala, who practised for over four decades in the Bombay High Court, from where Noorani began his career.

From the Ram Janmabhoomi issue to the annexation of Hyderabad to India, from Kashmir constitutionalism to the RSS, Noorani’s scholarship extended to several areas. His 2013 book on Kashmir, The Kashmir Dispute 1947-2012, which traces the complex history of the region, was submitted to the Supreme Court in an annexure as essential reading during the 2023 case challenging the abrogation of Article 370.

It is learnt that Noorani was working on a book on the Supreme Court’s Ayodhya verdict of November 2019. Lawyers involved in the case recollected that Noorani would call them up seeking papers for the book.

Born in Mumbai in 1930, Noorani studied law at the Government Law College in the city. While he practised in the Bombay High Court and defended several high-profile clients, including Sheikh Abdullah, N T Rama Rao and J Jayalalithaa, Noorani was known more for his work outside the courtrooms.

“He was more of a lawyer outside the courtrooms. His scholarship and journalism were meticulous. He was a leading political commentator for decades. He did not just give his opinion, it was rigorous research that informed his views,” senior advocate Shyam Divan told The Indian Express.

As a young lawyer, Noorani went to Dharamshala as legal help to the Dalai Lama. He only returned when his mother came to visit him and found the weather too harsh for her son to live there.

“He was a man of great intellectual integrity. What stood out was his courage and absolute fearlessness. It is important, especially in a day and age when the number of fearless lawyers has diminished. His scholarship and erudition are of the highest quality,” said senior advocate Navroz Seervai.

Many in the legal fraternity refer to Noorani also as a journalist, given this off-court persona.

“His passing away is a great loss to society. He was a great lawyer, journalist and was a man of integrity, character and honesty and was straightforward,” said senior advocate Muchhala.

Those who knew Noorani say he had “many admirers and only a few friends” and talk mostly of his scholarship than the man himself.

“That is how, he would have wanted to be remembered. His work had integrity and never compromised on his views for advancing his career,” advocate Warisha Farasat said.

“Even when I tried to talk to him about his personal life, the man remained steadfast in not talking about himself. We have lost one of our finest and most fearless constitutional thinkers. He was a true nationalist and stood up against communalism,” senior advocate Raju Ramachandran said.

Even personal anecdotes regarding Noorani are about aspects of his scholarship — a special chair on which he spent long hours writing, his long-hand style of writing, researching without the internet and keeping meticulous files of newspaper clippings of issues he was interested in. Among his cherished friends was Mithilesh, an employee of the Delhi bookstore Bahrison’s, who would send him book suggestions and ship them to Mumbai, while Noorani would promptly send a cheque back.

“He remained single and was surrounded by his books till his last days,” Ramachandan added.

In his book, Men And Women In My Life, author Khushwant Singh wrote that Noorani once told him that he had only two interests — “vakalat and siyasat (law and politics)”.

Condolences poured in from political circles too.

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and MP from Hyderabad recollected Noorani’s love for food and how he always had recommendations across cities for the best chai, paaya, samosas and biryani. “He never accepted any civilian awards and even refused to allow me to take pictures of him. I requested him to allow me to interview him so his views are recorded for posterity but he refused,” Owasi told The Indian Express.

In a message on X, Owaisi said, “A G Noorani, a giant among scholars has passed away. I learnt a great deal from him, from the Constitution, to Kashmir, to China & even the art of appreciating good food. May Allah grant him maghfirah.”

“Sorry to hear about the demise of A G Noorani Sb earlier today. Noorani Sb was a man of letters, an accomplished lawyer, a scholar & a political commentator. He wrote extensively on matters of law and on subjects like Kashmir, RSS and the Constitution. May Allah grant him the highest place in Jannat,” former J&K CM Omar Abdullah said in a post on X.

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

Mystery over deaths of two UP girls: Police say suicide, kin deny, 2 youths from village booked

On Thursday evening, the father of one of the girls filed a complaint, and hours later, police booked two youths on charges of abetment to suicide.

Written by Maulshree Seth

Farrukhabad | Updated: August 30, 2024 10:41 IST

On the night of August 26-27, they were found hanging from two ends of the same dupatta. (Representational File)

Days after the bodies of two Dalit girls, aged 15 and 18, were recovered in Uttar Pradesh’s Farrukhabad, police have booked two youths from the village, even as the case remains mired in mystery.

Though police maintain the two girls died by suicide, their families insist this is not possible. On Thursday evening, the father of one of the girls filed a complaint, and hours later, police booked two youths on charges of abetment to suicide.

“We are sure that things will become clear by tomorrow,” Alok Priyadarshi, Superintendent of Police, Farrukhabad, told The Indian Express on Thursday evening.

The two girls, their families say, were inseparable. In fact, the younger of the two would mostly stay at the older girl’s home, which is right next door. Both were out of the schooling system. The 15-year-old’s father cited her mother leaving as the reason, while the older girl’s family said she dropped out during Covid and never resumed her education.

On the night of August 26-27, they were found hanging from two ends of the same dupatta. “Yeh hatya hai (this was murder),” said the father of the younger girl.

Standing inside their small, unplastered home where one room is used for storage and the other has just a single khat and a stove, he said that when his wife left him, the girl was just one year old. He sent the child and her brother to stay with their aunt.

The aunt said she never thought of sending her to school since that would have meant “taking risks”.

“My husband died and, along with five children of my own, I was given the responsibility of these two siblings. The best I could do was to feed them; school was never an option,” she told The Indian Express. The girl’s brother was sent to Delhi to become an electrician.

The girl returned home just a year ago, and would spend most of her time at the 18-year-old’s residence, coming back only to cook for her father.

Her father said he last saw the two girls going for a Janmashtami function, around 9 pm, but did not worry since many girls from the area were there. When they did not return, the families looked for them at night, before their bodies were discovered in the morning, he said.

At the home of the elder girl, which has bigger rooms, her mother said between sobs: “Atmahatya toh nahi hai (this isn’t suicide).”

“There was never a fight at home, nor were they scolded. Why would two happy girls, going to a celebration, suddenly hang themselves?” she said.

Asked why the family did not file an FIR earlier, her father said they were busy with the last rites, and got confused by the post-mortem report. The girl’s father, who spoke even as policemen in plainclothes stood next to him, said, “Police have informed us about conversation records between the girls and two boys from the neighbourhood, including that night. We never knew about it.”

Their families had little to say about what the girls aspired to do or become. The elder one had a sewing machine at home, and had learnt how to stitch, and the younger girl had picked up the skill from her.

Both would use their parents’ mobile phones since they had none.

Since the incident, the neighbourhood has been abuzz with talk of not letting young girls out of home. Hardly four homes away, the only girl from around 120 households to have a college degree said she dreams of joining the police force one day, but might never be allowed to leave the village.

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

Minister claims Uttarakhand CM Dhami didn’t overrule others on Rajaji posting, but records show otherwise

In January 2022, the Uttarakhand High Court directed the state government to take action against officials responsible for the illegal felling and construction inside Corbett.

Written by Jay Mazoomdaar , Avaneesh Mishra

Dehradun, New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 09:28 IST

On Facebook, Chief Minister Dhami posted a video clip of Uniyal’s remarks, and said the Forest Minister had rejected the report in The Indian Express while making clear that the appointment decision had been unanimous. (File)

Uttarakhand Forest Minister Subodh Uniyal claimed Thursday that the decision to post Indian Forest Service officer Rahul, who was ousted from Corbett Tiger Reserve (TR) after illegal tree felling and construction allegedly under his watch, as director of the Rajaji TR was taken unanimously by him and Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami.

Referring to the report in The Indian Express, Uniyal told news agency ANI: “There is this news today in a prominent newspaper that the Chief Minister bypassed the minister, Chief Secretary and others to appoint the Rajaji (National Park) Director. This is wrong information. All the decisions were taken unanimously after mine and the CM’s consent.”

On Facebook, Chief Minister Dhami posted a video clip of Uniyal’s remarks, and said the Forest Minister had rejected the report in The Indian Express while making clear that the appointment decision had been unanimous.

Official records, reviewed by The Indian Express, show otherwise.

Forest Minister’s note asking the CM to reconsider posting

As reported by The Indian Express, the first step to get Rahul, the officer ousted from Corbett, back in charge of a tiger reserve took place on July 18 when Minister Uniyal, with approval from the Chief Minister, proposed his appointment as Rajaji director on July 18.

But the Forest Minister himself resubmitted the file to the Chief Minister on July 24 seeking his approval to maintain status quo with Rahul and also proposed the name of another officer for the Rajaji post.

This was after a note routed through the Principal Secretary and the Chief Secretary sought to reconsider the decision to post the officer in Rajaji “in view of an ongoing disciplinary proceeding” against him, a “CBI probe” and a “case in the Supreme Court” regarding the illegal activities inside Corbett.

Disregarding these submissions, file notes show, Chief Minister Dhami reiterated the decision to post Rahul in Rajaji through a handwritten note on August 8.

Asked about this letter signed by him on July 24 in which it was recommended that the decision to appoint Rahul on the post be reconsidered, Uniyal told The Indian Express Thursday that he had taken the file, personally, to the Chief Minister and they had a discussion after which it was decided that Rahul’s posting to Rajaji should continue.

However, the sequence of events, according to official records, is this:

July 1: The Civil Service Board chaired by the Uttarakhand Chief Secretary proposed transfers of 12 IFoS officers. This included shifting the then-director of Corbett TR to the office of CCF (Kumaon) and posting the then-director of Rajaji TR as the director of Corbett TR. The Board did not propose a replacement for director, Rajaji TR.

July 18: A note by the Forest Minister, with approval from the Chief Minister, modified the proposed transfer list. One of the additions was to appoint Rahul, then CCF (Monitoring, Evaluation, IT & Modernisation) as director of Rajaji TR.

July 22: File notes routed through the Principal Secretary (Forest) and the Chief Secretary sought reconsideration of the decision “in view of the ongoing disciplinary proceedings against Rahul, the CBI probe and the case in the Supreme Court regarding illegal felling and construction work for Pakhro tiger safari inside Corbett TR.”

Proposing giving the additional charge of the Rajaji director to an eligible officer serving in the adjoining areas, the note sought approval to maintain the status quo with Rahul.

July 24: The Forest Minister forwarded the proposal to keep Rahul at his post and give the additional charge of Rajaji TR to CF (Bhagirathi Circle) for the Chief Minister’s approval.

August 8: A handwritten note by Chief Minister Dhami reiterated approval for Rahul’s posting as Rajaji director: “The appointment of CCF Rahul in Rajaji director’s post, vacated by the posting of Rajaji director to Corbett, was proposed and the same has been approved. Issue order accordingly.”

August 9: The state issued the order to post Rahul as Rajaji’s director.

In January 2022, the Uttarakhand High Court directed the state government to take action against officials responsible for the illegal felling and construction inside Corbett. In April 2022, the state suspended two forest officers and removed Rahul from the post of Corbett’s director. He was attached to the office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) in Dehradun.

In a written statement issued Thursday, the state government said the case related to the irregularities in question is being investigated by CBI/ED in accordance with the order of the High Court.

“There is no such provision in the rules related to disciplinary action promulgated by the Central Government/State Government at present, under which if any investigation proceedings are pending against an officer, then he cannot be given posting. It is only noted that posting cannot be given at the place of posting where a complaint of irregularity has been made in the past, pending investigation,” its statement said. It added that the final outcome of the CBI probe will determine if action is warranted against Rahul.

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

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

LAC talks: India, China for ‘intensified contact’ to ‘narrow down differences’

The expression “narrow down the differences” has been used for the first time in the bilateral talks on the border standoff and, in diplomatic parlance, indicates progress in the negotiations.

Written by Shubhajit Roy

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 09:30 IST

The Ladakh standoff began in May 2020. (File Photo)

Signalling some progress in diplomatic negotiations to resolve the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops that began in May 2020 along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh, India said Thursday that the two sides had a “frank, constructive and forward-looking” exchange of views in Beijing on the situation along the LAC to “narrow down the differences” and “find early resolution of the outstanding issues”.

The two sides, according to the Ministry of External Affairs, also agreed on “intensified contact through diplomatic and military channels”.

The expression “narrow down the differences” has been used for the first time in the bilateral talks on the border standoff and, in diplomatic parlance, indicates progress in the negotiations.

It assumes significance given that the Kremlin said two days ago that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “confirmed his readiness” to take part in the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, in October. It will provide the Prime Minister and Chinese President Xi Jinping an opportunity to meet on the summit sidelines.

The MEA, in its statement, said, “The 31st meeting of the Working Mechanism for Consultation & Coordination on India-China Border Affairs (WMCC) was held on 29th August 2024 in Beijing. Gourangalal Das, Joint Secretary (East Asia) from the Ministry of External Affairs led the Indian delegation. The Chinese delegation was led by Hong Liang, Director General of the Boundary & Ocean Affairs Department of the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.”

“In line with the guidance provided by two Foreign Ministers’ meetings in Astana and Vientiane in July 2024 to accelerate their discussion, and building on the WMCC meeting held last month,” it said, “the two sides had a frank, constructive and forward-looking exchange of views on the situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) to narrow down the differences and find early resolution of the outstanding issues”.

“For this, they further agreed for intensified contact through diplomatic and military channels,” it said.

After the WMCC meeting in July, the MEA had said that both sides agreed to “maintain the momentum” through established diplomatic and military channels. This time, “intensified contact” has been underlined, suggesting a sense of urgency in the negotiations.

“In the meantime”, the MEA statement said, “they decided to jointly uphold peace and tranquillity on the ground in border areas in accordance with relevant bilateral agreements, protocols and understandings reached between the two Governments. It was reiterated that restoration of peace and tranquillity, and respect for LAC are the essential basis for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations.”

After the July meeting, the MEA had said that restoration of peace and tranquillity, and respect for the LAC are “an essential basis” for restoration of normalcy in bilateral relations. This time, the statement said that respect for LAC is “the essential basis” – giving a more definitive tone to the statement.

The leader of the Indian delegation also called on the Vice Minister in the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the MEA said.

The July meeting of the WMCC was held in New Delhi.

Usually, Corps Commander-level talks take place between two WMCC meetings. But it did not happen this time, indicating that the diplomatic track is being pursued currently, rather than the military talks.

The remaining friction points along the LAC in eastern Ladakh primarily include legacy ones such as Depsang Plains and Demchok. The last formal disengagement along the LAC took place in September 2022 when both sides pulled back troops to disengage from Patrolling Point-15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs area of eastern Ladakh.

Friction points such as Galwan Valley, north and south banks of Pangong Tso and the Gogra-Hot Springs area have seen some amount of resolution since the beginning of the standoff with the creation of buffer zones along the LAC.

The two sides have each deployed around 50,000-60,000 troops along the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

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

More Malayalam actors named in sexual abuse cases; pressure grows on CPI(M) to remove legislator

A woman actor had on Monday accused actors Mukesh, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, and Maniyanpillai Raju, as well as film production controller Noble and Congress-affiliated lawyers association leader V S Chandrasekharan, of sexual misconduct.

Written by Shaju Philip

Thiruvananthapuram | Updated: August 30, 2024 07:13 IST

Siddique (left), CPI(M) legislator M Mukesh and Ranjith. (File Photos)

More Malayalam actors, who were accused of sexual misconduct in the wake of the Justice Hema Committee report’s release, were booked by Kerala Police on Thursday, including CPI(M) MLA M Mukesh.

A woman actor had on Monday accused actors Mukesh, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu, and Maniyanpillai Raju, as well as film production controller Noble and Congress-affiliated lawyers association leader V S Chandrasekharan, of sexual misconduct. They were all booked Thursday.

Mukesh has denied the allegations as “blackmail tactics”.

Director Ranjith, who was booked by police earlier this week after another woman actor accused him of sexual misconduct in 2009, faced yet another allegation Thursday by a man from Kozhikode.

The man filed a police complaint against Ranjith in Kozhikode. Speaking to the media afterwards, he claimed that he had approached Ranjith for an acting opportunity and the director called him to a hotel in Bengaluru in 2012. The man, who claimed he was 21 at the time, claimed he was sexually abused.

Ranjith did not respond to The Indian Express’s requests for comment.

Meanwhile, as calls for Mukesh’s resignation as MLA intensified, Kerala’s ruling Left alliance, the LDF, said there was no need for him to quit as two sitting Congress legislators are also accused in sexual assault cases.

Later on Thursday, Mukesh got a reprieve after the district sessions court in Ernakulam stayed his arrest for five days.

LDF convener and senior CPI(M) leader E P Jayarajan said that the two Congress legislators with sexual assault cases against them “should resign first before asking for Mukesh’s resignation”.

Referring to the pending cases against Congress MLAs M Vincent and Eldhose Kunnappilly, the LDF leader said, “Had they resigned, then Mukesh too would have to resign. The law is applicable equally to all legislators.”

On being told that some CPI leaders, including Annie Raja, have sought Mukesh’s resignation, Jayarajan said: “Anyone can demand anything.”

Senior CPI(M) leader K K Shailaja said that if Mukesh has committed a crime, then he is not eligible to continue as MLA. “But, right now, we are in the initial stages of the investigation, and we cannot say whether he should resign or not,” she said.

The Special Investigation Team constituted to look into allegations has begun collecting evidence and statements of witnesses in the cases pertaining to actor Siddique and director Ranjith.

Police examined the check-in register and documents at Mascot Hotel in Thiruvananthapuram, where, according to a woman actor’s allegations, Siddique had allegedly sexually assaulted her.

A case of sexual assault was also registered against documentary director Vineeth, and movie reviewers Santhosh Varkey, known as Arattu Annan, Alin Jose Perera, and two others based on a complaint from a 34-year-old transwoman, who alleged that she was sexually assaulted by them in April this year.

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

Compliance should become a ‘low hum in the background’ of regulated entities: Sebi Chairperson

The statement comes as many companies have raised concerns over an increase in the number of compliances in the past few years.

Written by Hitesh Vyas

Mumbai | Updated: August 30, 2024 07:42 IST

Sebi chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch. (File Photo)

Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch on Thursday said compliance should become a ‘low hum in the background’ for every entity it regulates.

“This is our ultimate objective in SEBI that every entity we regulate, compliance should simply be a low hum which goes on in the background. It is like each one of us is just breathing, and we are not having to think about breathing,” Buch said while addressing the Global Fintech Festival.

The statement comes as many companies have raised concerns over an increase in the number of compliances in the past few years.

This was the first public appearance of Buch after the Hindenburg Research’s recent allegations against her. Earlier this month, US-based Hindenburg Research had alleged that Buch and her husband, Dhaval Buch, had stakes in obscure offshore funds used in the Adani money siphoning scandal. The Buch’s have strongly denied the “baseless allegations and insinuations” made in the Hindenburg’s report.

At the Fintech event, Buch further said that the role of the regular, regulations and compliances is to protect consumers or investors in the case of markets. Equally on the business side, regulations and compliances are important as they foster trust in the system, she said.

Illustrating an example of small and medium Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs), she said when the concept was launched by Sebi, the response from industry players was positive and they to be regulated.

“They were operating in an unregulated environment, and they were suffering from the fact that investors did not have faith and trust in their products and services because it was unregulated. They weren’t sure that the organisers, the organisations, would follow any rules,” she said.

Compliance is important not just for the investor but also for the business as both of them benefit from the requirement of protection of the consumer, she said.

Buch said Sebi is using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to speed up approval processes for various applications. It is also using AI to strengthen its supervision processes.

The regulator has put in place 16 different working groups to work on ease of doing business or compliance. Sebi has received 317 recommendations from various people and it is at different stages of implementation, she said.

Buch said the capital market regulator also does a lot of consultation before issuing any circulars or regulations. On the consultation paper of Futures & Options (F&O), which was issued last month, Sebi has received 6,000 responses. She said since the processes are automated, Sebi can collate these responses speedily and assess the market’s feedback in terms of the nature of compliances needed.

On July 30, Sebi, in a consultation paper, proposed a series of short-term measures to curb speculative trading in index derivatives, including restricting multiple option contract expires, raising the size of options contracts and intraday monitoring of position limits.

Uttarakhand CM Dhami overrules Minister, Chief Secy to post ousted Corbett chief as head of Rajaji reserve

Records show that Dhami conveyed his decision to appoint Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Rahul, an Indian Forest Service officer who uses only his first name, as director of Rajaji Tiger Reserve on August 8 through a handwritten file noting.

Written by Jay Mazoomdaar

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 07:25 IST

Records show that Dhami conveyed his decision to appoint Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Rahul, an Indian Forest Service officer who uses only his first name, as director of Rajaji Tiger Reserve on August 8 through a handwritten file noting.

Ignoring a request from his Forest Minister and Chief Secretary to reconsider the appointment, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has handed charge of the Rajaji Tiger Reserve to an officer who was removed two years ago as head of the Corbett Tiger Reserve after the High Court took note of illegal tree felling and construction there.

Records show that Dhami conveyed his decision to appoint Chief Conservator of Forest (CCF) Rahul, an Indian Forest Service officer who uses only his first name, as director of Rajaji Tiger Reserve on August 8 through a handwritten file noting.

On August 9, the officer, who had been holding a non-field posting at the Monitoring, Evaluation, IT & Modernization division of the Forest department, was officially given charge of the new post, the records show.

Part of the Shivalik tiger landscape, Corbett and Rajaji are the only two such reserves in Uttarakhand.

Dhami did not respond to an email from The Indian Express seeking comment. When contacted, Rahul said he would not comment on his “own posting”.

A senior official of the state Forest department said Rahul did not figure in the CBI FIR in the case of illegal tree felling and construction at Corbett. “He faced departmental action but it has been over two years now,” the official said.

Since he was removed from Corbett, Rahul held non-field postings in Dehradun. Records show the first step to get him back in charge of a tiger reserve took place on July 18 when the Forest Minister, with approval from the Chief Minister, modified a proposed transfer list of 12 IFoS officers, including the then director of the Rajaji reserve. One of the additions in the modified list was Rahul’s new appointment.

However, the file was resubmitted within a week after a note was routed through the Principal Secretary, Chief Secretary and Forest Minister. It sought reconsideration of the appointment “in view of the ongoing disciplinary proceedings against Rahul, the CBI probe and the associated case in the Supreme Court regarding illegal felling and construction work for Pakhro tiger safari inside Corbett”.

Proposing that status quo be maintained with Rahul, the note recommended that additional charge of Rajaji be given to an eligible officer serving in adjoining areas. On July 24, the Forest Minister forwarded the amended proposal, which gave additional charge of Rajaji to the Conservator of Forests (Bhagirathi Circle), to the Chief Minister.

It was at this juncture that Dhami put his foot down and reaffirmed Rahul’s appointment with this handwritten note: “The appointment of CCF Rahul in Rajaji director’s post… was proposed and the same has been approved. Issue order accordingly.” Within a day, the government issued the appointment order “in the public interest”.

In December 2021, The Indian Express reported how the state government had started work on a tiger safari in Corbett before receiving Forest clearance from the Centre. The report highlighted how the state embarked on a construction spree worth at least Rs 157 crore – six times the approved project cost — without legal, administrative or financial sanction.

In January 2022, the Uttarakhand High Court directed the state government to take action against officials responsible for the illegal activities. In April 2022, the state suspended two forest officers and removed Rahul from the post of Corbett’s director. He was attached to the office of the Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (PCCF) in Dehradun.

In 2023, the issue reached the Supreme Court. This March, the apex court came down heavily on the Uttarakhand government and ordered that a committee be set up to suggest ways for repairing the ecological damage.

A month earlier, in February, the Enforcement Directorate searched multiple premises belonging to Uttarakhand’s former Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat in connection with alleged illegal activities inside Corbett. Earlier this month, the CBI questioned Rawat and also sought the state’s nod for questioning Forest officers allegedly involved in the case.

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

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

From Delhi bike dealer to Kolhapur saree depot, small IPOs lift mood in the market — and raise eyebrows

At a time when the mainboard IPO market is quite active, market experts view the listing of SMEs on the NSE and BSE as a spillover of investor frenzy.

Written by George Mathew

Mumbai | Updated: August 29, 2024 14:25 IST

Last week, amid a jump in the number of SMEs raising funds through IPOs, the NSE introduced additional eligibility criteria for listing on NSE EMERGE.

What’s common between a two-wheeler dealership in Delhi, a saree depot based in Kolhapur and a 25-bed hospital in Bharuch? The companies behind each of these entities are part of a market boom that has seen small and medium enterprises making a beeline for the bourses — and retail investors lining up to lap up their shares.

At a time when the mainboard IPO market is quite active, market experts view the listing of SMEs on the NSE and BSE as a spillover of investor frenzy. But with some of these primary market offerings getting oversubscribed by up to 900 times, they are also raising regulatory concerns.

The key worry, according to them: These offerings are from relatively smaller entities in a small market, and hence may be open to manipulation at the IPO and trading levels. Moreover, these small IPOs are not directly regulated by SEBI but by the NSE and the BSE.

Market regulator SEBI on Wednesday said that, post listing, some of the SME companies and/or their promoters have been resorting to certain means that project an unrealistic picture of their operations. Such companies/ promoters have been seen to make public announcements that create a positive picture of their operations. These announcements are typically followed up with various corporate actions such as bonus issues, stock splits, preferential allotments, etc, it said in a statement.

Cautioning investors, it said actions like these create a positive sentiment amongst investors, inducing them into purchasing such securities. Simultaneously, this also presents an easy opportunity to the promoters to off-load their holdings in such companies at elevated prices, it said.

SEBI asked investors to be careful and watchful of the aforesaid patterns and exercise caution while investing in such securities. “Further, investors are advised to not rely on unverified social media posts and not to invest based on tips/ rumours,” the regulator said.

According to listing norms for SMEs, companies with minimum post-issue capital of Rs 1 crore and a maximum of Rs 25 crore are eligible for an SME IPO. These companies are allowed to raise funds and get listed at the exchange by the BSE SME and NSE Emerge platforms.

Some of the recent high-profile entries on these platforms:

* Delhi-based Resourceful Automobiles came out with an IPO of Rs 11.99 crore with the issue getting oversubscribed 418-fold, drawing bids for close to Rs 5,000 crore on Monday. The bike dealership has just eight employees and two showrooms under “Sawhney Automobile”. The company made a profit of Rs 1.52 crore on a turnover of Rs 17.23 crore for the period ended February 2024.

* Kolhapur-based Saraswati Saree Depot, manufacturers and wholesalers of women’s apparel, came out with a Rs 160-crore IPO which was oversubscribed 107 times in August 2024. Against the IPO issue price of Rs 160, its shares were listed at a premium of 21.25 per cent at Rs 194.

In the issue prospectus, the company listed transactions and balances outstanding with 37 entities, including directors and key managerial personnel. It said 34 entities form part of the promoter group. Moreover, it said, 17 people related to chairman Shankar Dulhani, 11 persons related to MD Vinod Dulhani and 10 persons related to Executive Director Rajesh Dulhani are among the promoters. The company made a revenue of Rs 603 crore and a net profit of Rs 22.9 crore for fiscal year 2023, as per the offer document.

* Broach Lifecare Hospital recently came out with a Rs 4.02 crore IPO at a price of Rs 25 per share. The firm’s Bharuch hospital has 25 ultra-luxury in-patient beds and is equipped with diagnostic devices for various tests. The firm reported a turnover of Rs 2.60 crore and a net profit of Rs 69.76 lakh for the year ended March 2024. Its share is now quoting at Rs 47.

* Earlier this month, West Bengal-based Aesthetik Engineers came with an IPO of Rs 26.47 crore and received 705-fold subscription. It got bids worth over Rs 18,000 crore. The company is engaged in planning, designing, manufacturing and installing facade systems, aluminium doors and windows, railings and stairs, and glass fibre reinforced concrete. The share was listed at Rs 110.20 as against the IPO price of Rs 58. The company made a net profit of Rs 5.02 crore and a turnover of Rs 60.79 crore for the year ended March 2024.

* Vadodara-based Magenta Lifecare’s Rs 7-crore IPO in June was subscribed 983-fold. Incorporated in 2015, Magenta Lifecare manufactures mattresses and pillows. It is currently quoted at around Rs 33 as against the IPO price of Rs 35.

* In August, Delhi-based Brace Port Logistics came out with a Rs 24.41-crore IPO. The issue was subscribed 657 times, getting bids worth Rs 16,000 crore. The service-oriented logistics company primarily offers sea freight logistics services for various industries. The share was listed at Rs 152 as against the IPO price of Rs 80. In FY24, the company reported a net profit of Rs 4.89 crore and its revenue from services stood at Rs 55 crore.

* QVC Exports’ IPO of Rs 24.07 crore came out last week at a price of Rs 86 per share. The IPO received bids worth Rs 12,800 crore, an oversubscription of 535-fold. The Kolkata-based company’s net profit and revenue from services stood at Rs 3.92 crore and Rs 446 crore, respectively, in FY24.

Apart from these at least six IPOs are slated to hit the SME listing platform in the coming week.

Since April 1 this year, as many as 108 SME IPOs have hit the market, mobilising around Rs 3,903 crore, according to data from the NSE and BSE. Of these, 99 were listed at a premium and only six at a discount. In 2023-24, NSE data shows, there were 138 SME listings that raised Rs 4,622 crore through the Exchange’s platform. At same time, the mainboard IPO market was also quite active with companies raising Rs 29,609 crore in the calendar year 2024, according to PRIME Database.

Market analysts, however, feel that the massive oversubscription witnessed in some of the SME IPOs is “suspicious” as “they are unknown entities with weak governance structure”. “Why would retail investors lap up shares of companies which are unknown and with weak fundamentals?” said an analyst with an investment firm.

“SME IPOs need to be closely monitored in terms of who are the participants. Is a close-knit group bidding and causing frenzy in terms of subscription figures and listing, and then eventually selling the shares to gullible retail investors?” said Pranav Haldea, managing director, PRIME Database Group.

A significant number of them are first time entrants to the capital market, he said.

SEBI has already raised the red flag on the possibility of price manipulation in SME IPOs and trading. “In terms of actual price manipulation (in the SME segment), both at the IPO level and the trading level, we are working to evidence that, and we do see signs. The reality is that these (SMEs) are relatively small entities, the market is small, the free float is small, it is relatively easy to manipulate both at the IPO level and the trading level,” Sebi Chairperson Madhabi Puri Buch had said in March.

Last week, amid a jump in the number of SMEs raising funds through IPOs, the NSE introduced additional eligibility criteria for listing on NSE EMERGE. “The company/ entity should have positive Free Cash Flow to Equity (FCFE) for at least 2 out of 3 financial years preceding the application,” the NSE said in a circular. The new additional criteria will be applicable for all draft red herring prospectus filed on or after September 1, 2024.

FCFE is a measure of equity cash usage, and calculates how much cash is available to the equity shareholders of a company after all expenses, reinvestment and debt are paid.

The NSE, meanwhile, has also put an overall cap of up to 90 per cent over the issue price for SME IPOs, effective July 4, 2024, in order to standardise opening price discovery/ equilibrium price across exchanges during the special pre-open session for IPOs for its SME platform.

Digital media policy: Up to Rs 8 lakh for online push of UP schemes, action if content negative

The policy, which defines influencers and content creators under four categories based on subscribers and followers, makes it clear that payment will be made “solely on the basis of the views”.

Written by Maulshree Seth

Lucknow | Updated: August 29, 2024 10:44 IST

The order issued Wednesday cited the need for the government to disseminate information via digital media platforms about various developmental, public welfare, beneficial schemes, achievements in the state and the benefits to the people.

The Uttar Pradesh Digital Media Policy 2024, unveiled Wednesday by the state government in an official order, allows it to pay up to Rs 8 lakh per month to an empanelled influencer to publicise its schemes.

The policy, which defines influencers and content creators under four categories based on subscribers and followers, makes it clear that payment will be made “solely on the basis of the views”.

It also empowers the Information Director to initiate action and stop payment if “any such content, video tweet, post, reel is anti-national, anti-social, indecent or hurts the sentiments of various sections of the society”.

The officer can also take action if “the content is based on wrong facts or presents government schemes in a wrong manner or with wrong intention”.

With the Opposition calling it an attempt to control content on social media, Shishir Singh, Director, Information, clarified: “How can there be any provision of providing punishment in any such policy? Under the policy, the Director, Information, has been authorised to take legal action under the relevant provisions of law against any anti-national, anti-social, derogatory posts. It may range from lodging FIR under the relevant law, getting that post deleted, revoking empanelment or discontinuing the advertisement.”

The order issued Wednesday cited the need for the government to disseminate information via digital media platforms about various developmental, public welfare, beneficial schemes, achievements in the state and the benefits to the people.

Under the policy, pages, channels, account holders, operators, digital media influencers, content writers or their related agencies and firms will be empanelled in the department and advertisements will be issued as per requirement and utility.

To be empanelled with the Information Department, minimum functioning of two years is mandatory. Influencers will have to give an affidavit that there is no criminal case registered against them or their firm.

Different platforms of digital media i.e. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, X etc will be listed by the Information Department in four different categories on the basis of subscribers, followers.

For example, in the case of Facebook and YouTube, categories A, B, C and D will be based on those with minimum subscriber numbers of 10 lakh, 5 lakh, 2 lakh and 1 lakh, respectively. Whereas, in the case of X and Instagram, it will be categorised according to minimum subscribers or followers of 5 lakh, 3 lakh, 2 lakh and 1 lakh, respectively.

Payments will be defined for each social media segment and category – for “video, reels and podcast” on Facebook and Instagram, a maximum of Rs 5, 4, 3 and 2 lakh per month respectively under four categories. In the case of a written post on Facebook, X or Instagram, it will be Rs 10,000, Rs 8,000, Rs 6,000 and Rs 5,000 per post and maximum up to Rs 50,000 per month, Rs 40,000, Rs 30,000 and Rs 20,000 per month.

The maximum amount will be given under the YouTube category where it will be Rs 1 lakh for displaying each video advertisement given by the government and Rs 2 lakh for those developing their own content on the topic given by the government. This amount can be maximum up to Rs 8 lakh, Rs 7 lakh, Rs 6 lakh and Rs 4 lakh per month under the A category, B, C and D categories.

With Soumyarendra Barik, New Delhi

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

SC underlines: Bail is the rule, jail exception even in PMLA cases, Article 21 higher right

The apex court also says confessions made to an investigating officer will not ordinarily be admissible as evidence in Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) cases.

Written by Ananthakrishnan G

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 08:21 IST

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan said that section 45 of the Act, which lays down twin conditions for bail, does not rewrite the legal principle to mean that deprivation is the norm and liberty is the exception.

The Supreme Court reiterated Wednesday that the legal principle “bail is the rule and jail is the exception” will apply even in cases registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002.

Granting bail to Prem Prakash, named as an accused by the Enforcement Directorate in a PMLA case in Jharkhand, the bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan referred to the Supreme Court’s ruling in the July 27, 2022 ruling in Vijay Madanlal Choudhary and Ors. Vs Union of India and Ors, upholding the constitutional validity of PMLA, and the powers of the ED under it.

Writing for the bench, Justice Viswanathan said in the Madanlal Choudhary judgment, the Court had “categorically held that while Section 45 of PMLA restricts the right of the accused to grant of bail, it could not be said that the conditions provided under Section 45 impose absolute restraint on the grant of bail”.

He said “these observations are significant and if read in the context of the recent pronouncement of this Court dated 09.08.2024” granting bail to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the CBI and ED cases against him, “it will be amply clear that even under PMLA, the governing principle is that ‘Bail is the Rule and Jail is the Exception’.”

In the Sisodia case, the Court had said that “on account of non-grant of bail even in straightforward open-and-shut cases, this Court is flooded with a huge number of bail petitions, thereby adding to the huge pendency. It is high time that the trial courts and the High Courts… recognize the principle that ‘bail is the rule and jail is the exception’.”

The bench, in its ruling Wednesday, said, “all that Section 45 of PMLA mentions is that certain conditions are to be satisfied. The principle that, ‘bail is the rule and jail is the exception’ is only a paraphrasing of Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which states that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to the procedure established by law. Liberty of the individual is always a Rule and deprivation is the exception. Deprivation can only be by the procedure established by law, which has to be a valid and reasonable procedure”.

“Section 45 of PMLA, by imposing twin conditions, does not rewrite this principle to mean that deprivation is the norm and liberty is the exception. As set out earlier, all that is required is that in cases where bail is subject to the satisfaction of twin conditions, those conditions must be satisfied,” it said.

The bench said that as has been held in many cases, “where the accused has already been in custody for a considerable number of months and there being no likelihood of conclusion of trial within a short span, the rigours of Section 45 of PMLA can be suitably relaxed to afford conditional liberty”.

It said that as held in the Sisodia judgment, “keeping persons behind the bars for unlimited periods of time in the hope of speedy completion of trial would deprive the fundamental right of persons under Article 21 of the Constitution of India and that prolonged incarceration before being pronounced guilty ought not to be permitted to become the punishment without trial”.

It said while applying Section 45 of PMLA, “Article 21 being a higher constitutional right, statutory provisions should align themselves to the said higher constitutional edict”.

In Vijay Madanlal Choudhary, the Court held that the prosecution must establish at least three foundational facts. “First, that the criminal activity relating to a scheduled offence has been committed. Second, that the property in question has been derived or obtained, directly or indirectly, by any person as a result of that criminal activity. Third, the person concerned is, directly or indirectly, involved in any process or activity connected with the said property being proceeds of crime”.

Wednesday’s judgment said “in view of the importance of the three basic foundational facts that the prosecution needs to establish, the counter/response to the bail application in the original Court is very significant in PMLA bail matters”.

It said “in cases where the Public Prosecutor takes a considered decision to oppose the bail application, the counter-affidavit of the Investigating Agency should make out a cogent case as to how the three foundational facts set out hereinabove are prima facie established in the given case to help the Court at the bail application stage to arrive at a conclusion within the framework laid down in Vijay Madanlal Choudhary. It is only thereafter the presumption under Section 24 would arise and the burden would shift on the accused”.

“The counter to the bail application should specifically crystallize, albeit briefly, the material sought to be relied upon to establish prima facie the three foundational facts. It is after the foundational facts are set out that the accused will assume the burden to convince the court within the parameters of the enquiry at the Section 45 stage that for the reasons adduced by him there are reasonable grounds to believe that he is not guilty of such offence,” it said.

The bench also said, “We have no hesitation in holding that when an accused is in custody under PMLA irrespective of the case for which he is under custody, any statement under Section 50 PMLA to the same Investigating Agency is inadmissible against the maker. The reason being that the person in custody pursuant to the proceeding investigated by the same Investigating Agency is not a person who can be considered as one operating with a free mind. It will be extremely unsafe to render such statements admissible against the maker, as such a course of action would be contrary to all canons of fair play and justice”.

It said “a person in judicial custody, being not a free person, cannot be summoned and any statement to be recorded will be after obtaining the permission of the Court which has remanded him to the judicial custody in the other case”.

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

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

India

- JMM MLA Ramdas Soren takes oath as minister, replaces Champai Soren in Jharkhand cabinet

- Manipur CM promises full peace in 6 months, says no question of him resigning

- Over 35% of 3,885 doctors, mostly women, feel unsafe during night shifts: IMA study

- ED attaches Emaar India and MGF Developments land worth Rs 834 cr in PMLA case

- Now, women travellers in Bihar can get police to track their journey

- ‘India is an economic powerhouse, time has come to see it more active in Latin America’: Chile Foreign Minister

- 3 indigenous Mpox testing kits get manufacturing nod

- TMC’s Mukul Sangma is LoP in Meghalaya House

- ‘Let us see our own creations’: Artisans behind new Parliament’s gallery seek access, appeal to Om Birla

- After ‘no MP to contest’ stand, Congress in-charge says anyone can be CM

- India gets second nuclear submarine with commissioning of INS Arighaat

- Give nod for quarrying: Kerala Minorities Commission to environment authority

- Ahead of polls, J&K govt publishes draft roll extracts of Kashmiri migrants

- Former envoy to Bangladesh is expert at Explained event today

- Ethanol distilleries can buy 23 lakh MT rice from FCI: Govt

- Rajasthan: Ex-CRPF officer detained for manhandling Congress chief whip

- Tripura govt declares entire state ‘Natural Calamity Affected Area’ after floods cause widespread damages

- Kangana’s Emergency could face ban in Telangana, says CM, as Sikh delegation raises concerns

- Protesters block NH-8 in Tripura for hours to demand release of 5 people accused of arson

- SC rebukes Revanth over Kavitha bail comment: ‘Do we pass orders after consulting political parties?’

JMM MLA Ramdas Soren takes oath as minister, replaces Champai Soren in Jharkhand cabinet

Ramdas Soren was inducted into the state cabinet after Champai Soren resigned as a minister and an MLA on Wednesday. He is scheduled to join the BJP this afternoon.

By: PTI

Ranchi | Updated: August 30, 2024 11:25 IST

Screengrab of Ramdas Soren taking oath. (Photo: PTI)

JMM legislator Ramdas Soren on Friday took oath as a minister in the Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand.

The Ghatshila MLA replaced former chief minister Champai Soren in the state cabinet.

Governor Santosh Kumar Gangwar administered the oath of office and secrecy to Ramdas Soren at a function in Raj Bhavan here in the presence of Chief Minister Hemant Soren, senior leaders of the JMM-led alliance and several government officials.

Ramdas Soren was inducted into the state cabinet after Champai Soren resigned as a minister and an MLA on Wednesday. He is scheduled to join the BJP this afternoon.

Champai Soren, who had taken oath as a minister in the Hemant Soren cabinet last month, also quit the JMM on Wednesday, claiming that the state government’s “present style of functioning and policies” compelled him to leave the party he served for many years.

Champai Soren became the chief minister of Jharkhand on February 2, shortly after Hemant Soren resigned as the CM before being arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in a money laundering case.

Champai quit the post on July 3 and Hemant took oath as the CM again on July 4, after he was released on bail.

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

Manipur CM promises full peace in 6 months, says no question of him resigning

In an interview with PTI Videos here on Thursday, Singh revealed for the first time that he has appointed an emissary to hold talks with Kuki-zo and Meitei leaders.

By: PTI

Imphal | August 30, 2024 11:23 IST

Manipur CM N Biren Singh (File Photo)

With ethnic violence gradually subsiding, Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has promised to fully restore peace in the state in six months with the Centre’s help, and also ruled out stepping down, saying he has neither committed a crime nor spawned a scandal.

In an interview with PTI Videos here on Thursday, Singh revealed for the first time that he has appointed an emissary to hold talks with Kuki-zo and Meitei leaders. The clashes between the Kuki-zo and Meiti ethnic groups since May 2023 has left 226 dead, according to official count.

“All this can be solved with dialogue. Dialogue is the only way,” Singh said. He identified the emissary as Dinganglung Gangmei, a Naga MLA and the chairman of the Hill Area Committee.

Asked what kind of a deadline he has fixed for himself to restore peace, Singh indicated that along with dialogue, the Central government’s involvement — either through the home ministry or other agencies — will be critical in bringing peace.

“I don’t think it will stretch long. Within 5-6 months peace should return. It is our hope and I am also confident,” said Singh, who is a Meitei and remains largely mistrusted by the Kukis.

During the interview he repeatedly emphasised that he does not want to identify himself as a Meitei when he is sitting on the official chair. “I am a CM for all”.

While the Meitei-dominated Imphal appears fully normal, with streets buzzing with traffic and shops doing brisk business, the hills surrounding the capital’s flat valley terrain remains out of bounds for all except its Kuki inhabitants.

Singh said the origins of the conflict go back to his first term as chief minister in 2017-2022 when he cracked down on illegal drug trade and migration from neighbouring Myanmar, whose border is only about 100 kilometres from Imphal.

He implied that those hit by his crackdown conspired to destabilise his government and the state by fomenting Kuki-Meitei clashes. Kukis are mostly hill- dwelling Christian tribes while Meiteis are Hindus living in the plains and valleys. Kuki tribes are also found in Myanmar.

During the interview, conducted at his office, Singh showed satellite images to make the point that areas that were largely uninhabited in 2001 were teeming with population 15 years later. He said the pictures were evidence of illegal settlements, which were changing the demographics of the state.

Singh said a Manipur High Court decision in March 2023 recommending scheduled tribe(ST) status to Meiteis further fuelled anger among Kukis who felt their rights were being diluted, although the court order was not implemented by Singh’s government.

But by then agitations by Kuki student groups had begun, and soon it turned into all out violence. The High Court itself withdrew the paragraph on ST status from its order in February this year.

The conflict has also extracted a political cost on Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has been criticized by the opposition and his critics for not visiting Manipur to help soothe the people.

“PM coming or not coming has been made an issue by people. The PM may not have come but he has sent his home minister. And PM has so often spoken about Manipur, even from Lal Quila on Independence Day … and whatever is being done here in terms of security, funding etc, is under his leadership only. In a complex situation a PM coming was not necessary,” Singh said.

He also made it clear that he will not tolerate pro-Meitei militant outfits, such as Arambai Tengoll, which has openly advocated violence against Kukis.

“I told them you will not do any anti-national or communal act. You have to support the government. There should be no communal word from you. I gave clear warning ‘you will not say anything.’ Not one word has come from their mouth in 5 months. I will not let them be extremist, anti-national,” he said.

Blamed by Kukis for fanning violence against them, Singh described Arambai Tengol as a cultural outfit which was forced to take up arms to protect the Meiteis when violence first erupted due to initial absence of central and state police forces to deal.

Singh, whose move to resign was dramatically foiled by his supporters who snatched and tore his resignation letter in full public view during the peak of the unrest last year, said he has no intention of quitting now.

“Why should I resign? Have I stolen anything? Is there a scandal against me? Have I worked against the nation or state? I have saved the state from illegal migration, illegal poppy cultivation. My job is to protect Manipur and people of Manipur. There is no question (of resigning),” he said.

He also rejected the demand of Kukis for a separate administration.

“Manipur is a small state, hardworking state. Our forefathers have a history of 2000 years. Many sacrifices were made to make this state. This state can’t be broken or have a separate administration. We will not allow this,” he said.

However, one can look at what can be done through the autonomous councils with focus on development, he said. He added that it is very important to develop hill areas for which he will request the central government to give a special package.

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

Over 35% of 3,885 doctors, mostly women, feel unsafe during night shifts: IMA study

The survey findings, compiled by Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, Chairman, Research Cell, Kerala State IMA, and his team, have been accepted for publication in IMA's Kerala Medical Journal October 2024 issue.

By: PTI

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 11:10 IST

People take part in a candle light vigil to protest against the alleged rape and murder of a Kolkata's trainee doctor, in Amritsar, Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. (PTI Photo)

An IMA study has revealed that one-third of its respondent doctors, majority of them being women, felt “unsafe” or “very unsafe” during their night shifts, so much so that some even felt the need to start carrying weapons for self-defence.

A duty room was not available to 45 per cent of respondents during night shifts, found the online survey undertaken by the Indian Medical Association (IMA) to evaluate safety concerns during night shifts among doctors in the backdrop of recent alleged rape and murder of a trainee woman doctor at the state-run RG Kar Medical College and Hospital in Kolkata.

With 3,885 individual responses, it is the largest study from India on this topic, the IMA claimed.

The survey findings, compiled by Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, Chairman, Research Cell, Kerala State IMA, and his team, have been accepted for publication in IMA’s Kerala Medical Journal October 2024 issue.

The respondents were from over 22 states with 85 per cent of them being under 35 years while 61 per cent were interns or postgraduate trainees.

Women constituted 63 per cent, aligning with the gender ratio in some MBBS courses.

“Several doctors reported feeling unsafe (24.1 per cent) or very unsafe (11.4 per cent), totalling one-third of the respondents. The proportion of those feeling unsafe was higher among women,” the survey findings showed.

Doctors of age 20-30 years had the lowest sense of safety and this group largely consists of interns and postgraduates.

A duty room was not available to 45 per cent of respondents during night shifts. Those with access to a duty room had a greater sense of safety.

The survey found that duty rooms were often inadequate due to overcrowding, lack of privacy and missing locks, forcing doctors to find alternative rest areas and one-third of available duty rooms did not have an attached bathroom.

“In more than half the instances (53 per cent), duty room was located far from the ward/casualty area,” the findings stated.

“Nearly one-thirds of the available duty rooms did not have an attached bathroom, which means that the doctors needed to step outside during late hours to access these facilities,” it said.

Suggestions to enhance safety included increasing the number of trained security personnel, installing CCTV cameras, ensuring proper lighting, implementing the Central Protection Act (CPA), restricting bystander numbers, installing alarm systems and providing basic amenities such as secure duty rooms with locks were given by the doctors.

“The online survey was sent to doctors, both government and private, across India through a Google form. There were 3,885 responses within 24 hours,” said Dr Jayadevan.

Doctors across the country, particularly women, report feeling unsafe during night shifts, the study said, highlighting there is substantial scope for improving security personnel and equipment in healthcare settings.

Modifications to infrastructure are essential to ensure safe, clean and accessible duty rooms, bathrooms, food and drinking water.

Adequate staffing, effective triaging and crowd control in patient care areas are also necessary to ensure that doctors can provide the required attention to each patient without feeling threatened by their work environment, it stated.

Several additional factors were highlighted by doctors who participated in the survey.

The lack of sufficient numbers of trained security personnel, inadequate lighting of the corridors, absence of CCTV cameras and unrestricted entry of unauthorised individuals into the patient care areas were among the most frequent remarks, the study said.

Some doctors indicated the need to start carrying weapons for self-defence.

One doctor admitted that she always carried a foldable knife and pepper spray in her handbag because the duty room was located at the far end of a dark and deserted corridor.

Doctors who worked in casualty reported verbal and physical threats from people who were drunk or under the influence of drugs. Another doctor reported that she repeatedly experienced bad touch or inappropriate contact in a crowded emergency room.

The situation is worse in some smaller hospitals where there is limited staff and no security.

Several doctors reported apathy from the administrators when security concerns were raised, a common excuse being that the seniors also had endured similar working conditions.

Violence is predominantly experienced by junior doctors, who, being on the frontline, are particularly vulnerable but have limited involvement in administration or policy-making.

Senior faculty members bear the responsibility of implementing policies to improve patient care delivery as well as enhancing security measures, thereby creating a safer work environment for the junior doctors.

Doctors across the country have called for a Central Protection Law to prohibit violence in all healthcare settings and enforce airport-like security measures, ensuring a safer working environment and better patient care.

Such a law would standardise security arrangements across the sector, ultimately benefiting patients as well as doctors, the study stated.

“The survey findings have significant implications for broad policy changes, some of which have already been addressed by the Government of India in response to the Kolkata incident,” the IMA said.

The Supreme Court of India took suo motu cognisance, assuring that “doctors and medical professionals shall stand assured that their concerns are receiving the highest attention from the highest court, with input from a diverse range of experts”. PTI

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

ED attaches Emaar India and MGF Developments land worth Rs 834 cr in PMLA case

Emaar and MGF are being probed for money laundering in connection with a license obtained from the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) for residential plotted colonies in Gurgaon.

By: Express News Service

August 30, 2024 09:57 IST

According to the spokesperson, the ED investigation also revealed that the acquisition of land for HUDA was “never the real intent”. (File)

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said on Thursday it has attached immovable properties worth around Rs 834 crore belonging to Emaar India Ltd and MGF Developments Ltd in connection with the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

According to a statement released by an ED spokesperson, of the properties worth Rs 834 crore, Rs 501.13 crore belongs to Emaar India Ltd, and Rs 332.69 crore belongs to MGF Developments Ltd. The properties attached are in the form of land, located in 20 villages in Gurgaon, Haryana, and Delhi.

Emaar and MGF are being investigated for money laundering in connection with a license obtained from the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) for residential plotted colonies in Sectors 65 and 66 in Gurgaon, said the spokesperson. According to the spokesperson, ED initiated the investigation based on a First Information Report (FIR) registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and Prevention of Corruption Act against Bhupinder Singh Hooda, the then chief minister of Haryana, Trilok Chand Gupta, then director, DTCP, Emaar, MGF Land Ltd, and 14 other coloniser companies.

“The case involves cheating various landowners, the public at large, and the state of Haryana/HUDA, by getting issued notification under section 4 of the Land Acquisition Act, 1894 (LA Act) and subsequently under section 6 of LA Act for the acquisition of lands of respective landowners which compelled landowners to sell their land to the coloniser companies at a lower price than the prevailing price before the notification under Section 4 of LA Act,” the spokesperson alleged.

“They also fraudulently and dishonestly obtained Letter of Intents (LOIs)/licenses on the notified land, causing loss to the respective landowners, the public at large, and the state of Haryana/HUDA, while wrongfully gaining for themselves,” he alleged.

“On June 2, 2009, the Haryana government had issued a notification under section 4 of Land Acquisition Act 1894 on 1417.07 acres of land comprising Sectors 58 to 63 and 65 to 67 of Gurugram. Subsequently, notification under Section 6 was imposed on approximately 850.10 acres of land out of 1417.07 acres of land on May 31, 2010. During the period from June 2, 2009, to May 31, 2010, nearly 600 acres of land was released in patches from acquisition proceedings by the Haryana government for grant of LOIs/Licenses,” the spokesperson said.

“ED investigation revealed that Emaar and MGF had executed 6 ante-dated development agreements with farmers for land measuring 27.306 acres claiming that the said development agreements were executed in April 2009 but in reality, they were executed in March 2010. The investigation further revealed that the so-called collaboration agreements were ante-dated and fabricated and wrongly shown to have been entered into before the notification u/s 4 was issued so as to avoid any complications in getting the license from the DTCP. Emaar and MGF generated proceeds of crime in the form of license on land measuring 25.887 acres having a present value of Rs 1229.17 crore,” the spokesperson said.

According to the spokesperson, the ED investigation also revealed that the acquisition of land for HUDA was “never the real intent”. “It was only a scheme so that farmers who may or may not have sold their lands to builders otherwise, were forced to give it to builders under the disguise of one or other agreement due to impending fear of acquisition proceedings.”

“Later on, M/s EMAAR MGF Land Limited was split into M/s EMAAR India Limited and M/s MGF Developments Limited having 60.11% and 39.89% share in combined properties. So, the immovable properties to the extent of Rs 501.13 crore in respect of EMAAR India Ltd. (60.11% of the remaining PoC) and Rs 332.69 crore in respect of M/s MGF Developments Ltd. (39.89% of the remaining PoC) has been provisionally attached,” the spokesperson added.

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

Now, women travellers in Bihar can get police to track their journey

Instituted under the emergency 112 number, the Safe Travel initiative is meant to ensure women travellers’ safety ahead of festival season. This makes Bihar the third state to launch such a system

Written by Santosh Singh

Patna | Updated: August 30, 2024 09:29 IST

"We have observed that 25 percent of callers under our emergency service of Dial 112 are women,” Bihar Additional Director General of Police (Technical and Wireless) Nirmal Kumar Azad told reporters, adding that the Safe Travel initiative would be available round the clock.

Women travelling alone on the roads of Bihar can now get the police to track their movements with just a call to ensure their safety. With festival season looming, the Bihar Police have started a new safety initiative for women travellers – a monitoring system that would help the police track a woman traveller’s movements from start to finish, both physically and digitally.

According to the police, the “Safe Travel” initiative would be part of the state police’s emergency services under the telephone number 112. All women need to do is dial the number to get the police to monitor their journey.

This would make Bihar the third state after Telangana and Haryana to institute such a system, which is limited to road journeys. The initiative would begin as a pilot project in six districts — Patna, Gaya, Muzaffarpur, Bhagalpur, Begusarai and Nalanda – on September 5 and eventually be extended to all 38 districts from September 15.

“We have observed that 25 percent of callers under our emergency service of Dial 112 are women,” Bihar Additional Director General of Police (Technical and Wireless) Nirmal Kumar Azad told reporters, adding that the Safe Travel initiative would be available round the clock.

The immediate reason for the initiative, according to the police, is the onset of festival season starting with Durga Puja from October 9 to 13. It also comes at a time when the rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata has caused national outrage and once again led to a debate on women’s safety.

Although the incident has no direct bearing on Bihar Police’s decision, sources from the CM House said that the safety initiative was an extension of the state government’s policy of “zero tolerance against crime”.

How the initiative works

According to Azad, a police team will take down details of the vehicle the woman caller was travelling in and track it throughout her journey. The woman can also share her live location with the police.

Meanwhile, local police stations will be kept on alert. For this, police teams have been given special training.

“The (police) team will also call the woman traveller at regular intervals and if her phone is out of reach, an emergency response vehicle will physically track down the vehicle,” the officer said.

The initiative will “boost the confidence” of women travellers, Azad said, adding: “As there could be late night travels during the coming festive season, the initiative could come in handy”.

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

‘India is an economic powerhouse, time has come to see it more active in Latin America’: Chile Foreign Minister

Alberto van Klaveren talks about the possible investment opportunities for India in lithium and copper deposits in Chile, exports of mangoes and medicines from India, balancing between China and other powers, and India’s role in the Russia-Ukraine war.

Written by Shubhajit Roy

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 09:29 IST

Chile's Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren

On a three-day visit to India, Chile’s Foreign Minister Alberto van Klaveren held a meeting with External Affairs minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday and discussed bilateral cooperation in trade and investment, agriculture, critical minerals, defence and space among other issues. In an interview with Shubhajit Roy, van Klaveren talks about the possible investment opportunities for India in lithium and copper deposits in Chile, exports of mangoes and medicines from India, balancing between China and other powers, and India’s role in the Russia-Ukraine war. Edited excerpts:

On his meeting with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar

I had not had the opportunity to meet him before, so obviously, I was very impressed by his personality, and we had a very good meeting, concentrating on bilateral issues. We expressed our interest in strengthening ties with India. And we also took notice of India’s interest to strengthen relations, not only with Chile but also to mark its presence in Latin America in general.

Areas of cooperation between India and Chile

India is a very attractive and relevant market for Chile. We are already increasing our trade with India, especially in two sectors — which are very characteristic of our economy — minerals, especially copper, and agriculture. We are exporting several agricultural products to India, especially nuts, wines and some other agricultural products. But we want to increase the variety of our products in India.

We also had a meeting with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and we expressed our interest in deepening our commercial ties with India.

With the External Affairs Minister, we also talked about cultural exchanges, defence relations, science and technology, and space. So it’s a variety of issues which we touched upon.

Cooperation on lithium and copper

We explained our national strategy for lithium, which was adopted last year, and we also explained the possibilities for Indian investments in the lithium sector, especially participating in tenders of the new lithium deposits, which are being opened by the government.

Obviously India expressed interest in lithium, which is considered a critical mineral, and which also plays a very important role in terms of the plans for electromobility in India and also for the fabrication of EVs (electric vehicles), especially smaller EVs. I think that’s also an area in which both countries can cooperate much more.

Our copper deposits are open for investment. So there is a possibility of Indian companies participating in the tenders, which are being presented by the government.

Agriculture cooperation and India’s presence in Chile’s medicine market

We talked about the possibility of cooperation in the agricultural sector. Chile is advanced in some areas in agriculture and those are possible areas of cooperation between both countries.

India exports specially manufactured products and medicines. There is a possibility of expanding the Indian presence in the medicine market in Chile. There are also some joint ventures in the pharmaceutical sector between the Indian and Chilean companies. India could expand its presence in terms of medicines in our market as part of trade negotiation.

So, on one hand, we could expand our agricultural offer in India, and on the other hand, India could also win from better market access for its medicines.

And from the Chilean side, the products we are looking at, beyond nuts and wine, are fruits in general. We have the advantage of being an off-season exporter because of the difference between our seasons — we are in the southern hemisphere. So there are several fruits which could be exported… Also from India to Chile, mango, for instance, and other more tropical products which are not produced in our country (can be exported).

On defence cooperation

There is interest. There is a very dynamic defence industry in India, and probably more can be done to promote the Indian defence industry in Chile. We invited our Indian colleagues to promote the participation of the Indian defence industry in the different defence fairs, which take place in Chile, and also to develop a more direct relationship between our ministries of defence.

Chile’s ties with China

We have a very good relationship with China. We very much value our relations in the area of trade with China; it is the main market up to now for our exports. We also have very close relations with other big markets and big powers like the United States, obviously, and Europe, especially through the European Union. So we try to have diversified international relations, especially in the economic sphere, and also in the political sphere. And we don’t want to be caught in the tensions between the major powers. We define our interests autonomously, and we try to keep a certain balance between our different relations. We think that India can also play a very relevant role in that respect.

India’s outreach towards Latin America after being a late-starter

Well, we hope that will change. We would very much like to see more Indian presence in Latin America… Especially in this context of increasing multipolarity, India plays a positive role in the international system. And it’s an economic powerhouse; I think the time has come to see India more active in Latin America. This year, in November, the next G20 leaders’ summit will take place in Rio in Brazil. And I think that could also be an opportunity for Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi to have contact with Latin American leaders who participate in the meeting.

Russia-Ukraine war

We view the war between Russia and Ukraine as a war of aggression on part of Russia. We see Russia’s actions in Ukraine as a war of conquest, and we have condemned Russian actions in Ukraine in a very clear way. It’s a cause for concern for us, because we think that in the 21st century, use of force should be prohibited, and we think that many principles have been affected in that war.

India’s role in the Russia-Ukraine war

We see it in a positive way. I must say it was not a part of our conversation with our Indian colleague, but in general, we think that India can play a very positive role in terms of mediating in that area, precisely because of its good relations both with Russia and with Ukraine.

On CEPA (Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement) negotiations

We are talking about the possibility of initiating a negotiation, but we understand that internal consultations are still to take place between the different internal actors here in India. We are very interested in advancing in our CEPA negotiations, but right now, we are still in the preparations of the negotiations. So we understand that all the studies for the negotiation have been concluded, but still there is a political decision on the Indian side which has to be taken. We are absolutely ready to start the negotiation but we need that the two parties agree about the beginning of the negotiation.

Key takeaways from the visit

Well, I think there is a great potential for the strengthening of relations between Chile and India. And that’s precisely the reason why I am here trying to promote that strengthening of the relations.

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

3 indigenous Mpox testing kits get manufacturing nod

These kits are developed by Siemens healthcare, Transasia diagnostics, and JITM C Genes.

Written by Anonna Dutt

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 09:29 IST

The approval criteria was a sensitivity and specificity of over 95%, the drug regulator said.

The Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) has approved the manufacturing of three indigenously developed kits for detecting mpox (previously known as monkeypox). The approval criteria was a sensitivity and specificity of over 95%, the drug regulator said.

These kits are developed by Siemens healthcare, Transasia diagnostics, and JITM C Genes.

“These RT-PCR kits use fluid samples from pox rashes to examine the virus. These kits were validated by the ICMR, but there’s no commercial manufacturing, as it is not required,” a Health Ministry official said.

These three approved kits are among the six validated by the ICMR to detect the viral infection.

The ICMR had put out a call for companies to develop diagnostics and vaccines in 2022, when the first mpox cases were reported in India. The approval process for these detection kits was revived after the World Health Organization (WHO) earlier this month declared mpox to be a PHEIC (Public Health Emergency of International Concern) for the second time in as many years; the outbreak between July 2022 and May 2023 was also declared as PHEIC. India has reported 30 mpox cases since 2022, with the latest recorded in March 2024. The infection was initially recorded in people with a history of international travel, but later among others too.

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

TMC’s Mukul Sangma is LoP in Meghalaya House

Lyngdoh was the Leader of Opposition but lost his eligibility for the position because of this development.

By: Express News Service

Guwahati | August 30, 2024 03:47 IST

The TMC has five MLAs in the state and earlier this week, Sangma staked claim to the position of LOP and received support from Lyngdoh.

Former Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mukul Sangma has been recognized as the Leader of Opposition in the Meghalaya Legislative Assembly.

The path to this development was paved when three of the Congress’s four MLAs jumped ship to the National People’s Party on August 19, leaving Ronnie Lyngdoh as the sole Congress member in the legislative assembly. Lyngdoh was the Leader of Opposition but lost his eligibility for the position because of this development.

The TMC has five MLAs in the state and earlier this week, Sangma staked claim to the position of LOP and received support from Lyngdoh. With Lyngdoh’s support, the Opposition number under Sangma’s leadership is six MLAs, which is one-tenth of the strength of the 60-member house.

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

‘Let us see our own creations’: Artisans behind new Parliament’s gallery seek access, appeal to Om Birla

Shilp Gallery in the new Parliament building has eight installations by these craftspeople. Over a year after the new Parliament building was inaugurated, these artisans have not been able to visit the gallery despite several requests, said sources.

Written by Divya A

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 09:35 IST

Jaya Jaitly, president-founder of Dastkari Haat Samiti

SAYING THAT the 400-odd artisans who created a set of art installations for one of the galleries in the new Parliament building have not been able to view their works, Jaya Jaitly, president-founder of Dastkari Haat Samiti, has sought Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla’s intervention. Besides seeking permission for these craftspeople, Jaitly has also suggested that guided tours could be arranged for the public, in small groups, when Parliament is not in session.

Shilp Gallery in the new Parliament building has eight installations by these craftspeople. Over a year after the new Parliament building was inaugurated, these artisans have not been able to visit the gallery despite several requests, said sources.

In a letter to Birla dated August 27, Jaitly, who brought these artisans together for the project, sought permission for them to be allowed inside the gallery, in small groups if needed, when the House is not in session.

Sources confirmed that the Speaker’s office has received her letter.

Saying that the Dastkari Haat Samiti was commissioned “thework of enriching the Shilp Deergha for the new Parliament by the Ministry of Culture through the IGNCA”, Jaitly wrote that the craftspeople associated with the organisation “are extremely proud they are represented so strongly in such an esteemed institution”.

However, while they were earlier “told that some arrangements will be made in the future to have public viewings”, she wrote, “even I have not been allowed to take a professional photographer to take pictures of our fully finalised gallery although we had created and mounted all the artworks”.

“All the participating creative communities have been very eager for the artworks in Parliament to be seen by the general public of India who are represented inside Parliament. Even the makers of these works are not able to see the results of their exercise,” she wrote.

“As the president of the Dastkari Haat Samiti and creator of all the art installations at the Shilp Deergha in the new Parliament, and on behalf of all the participating karigars, I am very pleased to offer you our booklet detailing all the works in the gallery. We hope you will appreciate the high level of skill shown by our craftspeople who created works according to our themes and guidance,” Jaitly wrote.

“Recently, we noticed on social media that some ladies’ groups were taken around by a person claiming to be the curator. Many different artists and entities worked on the art and craft works. There was no single curator, and no one who could explain the meanings and special features of all the artworks. Many people have also complained that viewing of artworks is not easily permitted, if at all, unless someone has influence,” Jaitly said in her letter.

Requesting the Speaker “to consider the possibility of arranging carefully guided, informative tours for viewing the unique artworks and gallery spaces in the new Parliament, only when Parliament is not in session,” she proposed that “groups in well-controlled and limited batches of 20 persons, accompanied by a trained guide”, could be considered.

Shilp Gallery is one of three galleries dedicated to the arts in the new Parliament building. The others are the Sangeet Gallery for dance and music traditions of India, and the Sthapatya Gallery, dedicated to the country’s architectural heritage.

For the Shilp Gallery, about 400 artisans, specialising in diverse craft traditions, were roped in from across the country — from Srinagar to Aligarh, Kutch to East Midnapore — to create the installations under themes assigned by the Ministry of Culture like gyan (knowledge), prakriti (nature), aastha (faith), ullas (happiness), parv (celebration), swavlamban (self-reliance) and yatra (journey).

From using traditional forms of storytelling like the kavad to showcase the country’s festivals, or calligraphy to present the different scripts of India through poems and shlokas, the gallery is a rich layering of India’s numerous crafts.

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

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

After ‘no MP to contest’ stand, Congress in-charge says anyone can be CM

Asked if the option of becoming CM is open for those who won’t contest the Assembly elections, Babaria said: “Yes. Anyone can throw their hat in the ring provided they have support.”

Written by Asad Rehman

New Delhi | August 30, 2024 03:40 IST

Babaria has been handling the Haryana Congress affairs since June 2023 after he replaced Shaktisinh Gohil following the latter's appointment as the Gujarat Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) chief. (X/@BabariaDeepak)

A day after AICC in-charge for Haryana Deepak Babaria said that the party will not allow its MPs to contest the Haryana Assembly elections, the leader did some damage control saying that “anyone who has the support of the MLAs and blessings of the party high command can be in contention for the chief minister’s post”.

“It is possible… Any person can present themselves as the CM face provided they have a support base among the MLAs and have the Congress high command’s blessings. You can check the history. There are several examples where someone who is not associated with elections can be made the leader of the MLAs,” Babaria said.

Asked if the option of becoming CM is open for those who won’t contest the Assembly elections, Babaria said: “Yes. Anyone can throw their hat in the ring provided they have support.”

Babaria was speaking with reporters in Delhi after the party’s screening panel, headed by Ajay Maken, met in the capital to discuss names for Haryana’s 90 Assembly seats. The committee has held several meetings so far and will meet again on Friday. It will then submit a tentative list of candidates to the high command for final nod.

On Wednesday, Babaria had said that the Congress will not allow its MPs — both from the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha — to contest the October 1 Assembly polls in Haryana.

The remarks had come at a time Sirsa MP Kumari Selja and party Rajya Sabha member Randeep Surjewala have expressed a desire to contest the elections.

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

Asad Rehman

Asad Rehman is with the national bureau of The Indian Express and covers politics and policy focusing on religious minorities in India. A journalist for over eight years, Rehman moved to this role after covering Uttar Pradesh for five years for The Indian Express. During his time in Uttar Pradesh, he covered politics, crime, health, and human rights among other issues. He did extensive ground reports and covered the protests against the new citizenship law during which many were killed in the state. During the Covid pandemic, he did extensive ground reporting on the migration of workers from the metropolitan cities to villages in Uttar Pradesh. He has also covered some landmark litigations, including the Babri Masjid-Ram temple case and the ongoing Gyanvapi-Kashi Vishwanath temple dispute. Prior to that, he worked on The Indian Express national desk for three years where he was a copy editor. Rehman studied at La Martiniere, Lucknow and then went on to do a bachelor's degree in History from Ramjas College, Delhi University. He also has a Masters degree from the AJK Mass Communication Research Centre, Jamia Millia Islamia. ... Read More

India gets second nuclear submarine with commissioning of INS Arighaat

INS Arighaat will join its predecessor INS Arihant strengthening the country's nuclear triad — the ability to fire nuclear missiles from platforms in the air, land and sea.

Written by Amrita Nayak Dutta

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 07:37 IST

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during the commissioning of INS Arighaat in Visakhapatnam on Thursday. (ANI)

India Thursday got its second nuclear submarine with the commissioning of INS Arighaat into the Navy, a move that will significantly boost the country’s deterrence capability.

The discreet commissioning ceremony of the Arihant-class vessel in Visakhapatnam was attended by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. He said in his address that INS Arighaat will “enhance nuclear deterrence, help in establishing strategic balance and peace in the region, and play a decisive role in the security of the country.”

INS Arighaat will join its predecessor INS Arihant strengthening the country’s nuclear triad — the ability to fire nuclear missiles from platforms in the air, land and sea.

The 6,000-tonne nuclear-propelled submarine will be armed with indigenously made K-15 missiles which have a range of over 700 km, and have undergone extensive trials over the last few months. Like INS Arihant, it is powered by 83 MW pressurised light-water reactors which allows it to remain submerged for longer periods when compared to conventional submarines. Being difficult to detect, the nuclear submarines will strengthen India’s ability to carry out retaliatory strikes when necessary.

The INS Arihant project was initiated over three decades ago, involving Russian assistance, private companies and the research establishment. The first-in-class vessel was commissioned into the Navy in August 2016 and had conducted its first deterrence patrol in 2018, thus completing the establishment of India’s nuclear triad. INS Arihant had also carried out a successful launch of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) in October 2022.

While INS Arighaat was commissioned Thursday, two larger ballistic missile submarines are currently being built.

At the ceremony, Defence Minister Singh applauded the Indian Navy, DRDO and the industry for their hard work and synergy in achieving this capability, stating that the country’s industrial sector, especially MSMEs, have received a huge boost through this project, and more employment opportunities have been created.

A Defence Ministry statement issued on the development said the construction of INS Arighaat involved the use of advanced design and manufacturing technology, detailed research and development, utilisation of special materials, complex engineering and highly skilled workmanship. “It has the distinction of having the indigenous systems and equipment which were conceptualised, designed, manufactured and integrated by the Indian scientists, industry and naval personnel,” it said. The technological advancements undertaken indigenously on this submarine make it significantly more advanced than its predecessor Arihant.

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

Give nod for quarrying: Kerala Minorities Commission to environment authority

In its June 26, 2024 order, A A Rasheed, the Commission chairman, asked the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) to provide an environmental clearance certificate for operating a quarry to one Mathew J within a month and to submit a report to the Commission.

Written by Ananthakrishnan G

New Delhi | August 30, 2024 03:15 IST

In its June 26 order, the Commission said, Mathew had furnished all necessary documents for getting the certificate and directed the SEIAA to issue him the same within one month of the receipt of the order and to submit a report.

Do minority rights have anything to do with quarrying rights? Yes, if an order of the Kerala State Minorities Commission is anything to go by.

In its June 26, 2024 order, A A Rasheed, the Commission chairman, asked the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) to provide an environmental clearance certificate for operating a quarry to one Mathew J within a month and to submit a report to the Commission.

Mathew had approached the Commission after he failed to get the clearance for stone quarrying on his land in Vellad village, Kannur, and sought its intervention to ensure that he, a member of the minority Christian community, gets protection and equal justice envisaged by the Constitution.

The applicant contended that while his land also fell in the ‘medium hazard’ zone,  the application of another quarry owner who moved the SEIAA the same day as he did and whose land also fell in the ‘medium hazard’ zone was recommended for clearance without objection.

In its June 26 order, the Commission said, Mathew had furnished all necessary documents for getting the certificate and directed the SEIAA to issue him the same within one month of the receipt of the order and to submit a report. Sources in the SEIAA, told The Indian Express that the Authority has decided to seek legal opinion on the order to decide the future course of action.

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

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

Ahead of polls, J&K govt publishes draft roll extracts of Kashmiri migrants

Kashmiri migrant voters can also check them on the website www.jkmigrantrelief.nic.in and visit the website (ceo.jk.gov.in) of CEO, Jammu and Kashmir UT, for more details.

By: Express News Service

Jammu | Updated: August 30, 2024 04:55 IST

To make voting easier for Kashmiri migrants, the ECI has also set up 19 special polling stations in Jammu, one in Udhampur and four in New Delhi. All these polling stations are aligned with the registered zones of residence for Kashmiri migrants, the statement said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Election Department published the draft electoral roll extracts of Kashmiri migrants on Thursday, to provide “an inclusive and hassle-free scheme” for Kashmiri migrants to cast their votes, the Chief Electoral Officer said.

Pointing out that there will be at least one special polling station in every zone, the statement said the “draft electoral roll extracts have been generated from actual Voter lists and published for information of Kashmiri Migrants to submit any claims of omission of names, or opting to vote at their original polling station in Kashmir valley, or opting for voting through Postal ballot”. The rolls were published after mapping 19 special polling stations in Jammu to camps and zones. They have now been placed at all zonal offices and the office of Relief & Rehabilitation Commissioner (Migrants), J&K.

Kashmiri migrant voters can also check them on the website http://www.jkmigrantrelief.nic.in and visit the website (ceo.jk.gov.in) of CEO, Jammu and Kashmir UT, for more details.

All the voters in the draft electoral roll extract, and those whose name doesn’t figure in the list, can approach the Office of the Assistant Returning Officer, Migrants, Jammu or their respective Zonal Officers (Nodal Officers)/ Booth Level Officers (BLOs). Voters can also call or WhatsApp regarding queries on 9484320655 and 948432065.

To make voting easier for Kashmiri migrants, the ECI has also set up 19 special polling stations in Jammu, one in Udhampur and four in New Delhi. All these polling stations are aligned with the registered zones of residence for Kashmiri migrants, the statement said.

Like it did in the Lok Sabha elections, the ECI has also decided to do away with the process of Form-M for displaced people from Kashmir valley residing in Jammu and Udhampur. Migrants in other areas who will continue to submit Form-M have been authorised to self-attest the certificate attached to it, removing the hassle of getting this certificate attested by a Gazetted Officer.

Meanwhile, enforcement agencies across the UT have seized Rs 5.71 crore in cash as well as contraband such as drugs and liquor since the Assembly poll was announced, the CEO said. The cash and other freebies that were seized were meant for influencing voters, according to the statement.

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

Former envoy to Bangladesh is expert at Explained event today

In the chaos, there were targeted attacks against leaders and supporters of the Awami League, and members of the Hindu minority. This put the country in a state of chaos and political crisis, after which the Army-backed interim government stepped in to normalise the situation.

By: Express News Service

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 07:39 IST

A former member of the Indian Foreign Service (1977 batch), Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty honed his expertise on Bangladesh over two stints — as Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh (1999-2002) and later as High Commissioner (2007-2009).

After ruling for more than 16 years, Sheikh Hasina was forced out of power — and Bangladesh —  on August 5 by a massive popular uprising.

In the chaos, there were targeted attacks against leaders and supporters of the Awami League, and members of the Hindu minority. This put the country in a state of chaos and political crisis, after which the Army-backed interim government stepped in to normalise the situation.

The lack of a strong and stable government led to people taking the law into their hands, and there were targeted attacks against those associated with the previous regime, which included political leaders, ministers, journalists, activists and intellectuals aligned with the ousted Hasina government. Minorities including Hindus have also come under attack.

As the Army-backed interim government finds its feet, demands have begun for the return of Hasina, who is currently sheltering in India.

What went wrong with the Awami League government? How did a student protest against job quotas end with a regime change? Why are Hindus being targeted in Bangladesh? And what happens now — for Bangladesh and Hasina, and in India-Bangladesh relations?

To answer and explain some of these questions, Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, former Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, will be the guest on Friday at

6 pm on August 30 at a session of Explained.Live titled “What after Hasina in Bangladesh”.

He will be in conversation with Shubhajit Roy, Diplomatic Editor of The Indian Express.

A former member of the Indian Foreign Service (1977 batch), Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty honed his expertise on Bangladesh over two stints — as Deputy High Commissioner of Bangladesh (1999-2002) and later as High Commissioner (2007-2009). In February 2024, he published a book on India-Bangladesh relations, titled Transformation: Emergence of Bangladesh and Evolution of India-Bangladesh ties.

Explained.Live is a series of explanatory conversations that The Indian Express hosts.

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

Ethanol distilleries can buy 23 lakh MT rice from FCI: Govt

As per the order, the decision to allow distilleries to participate in the auction of FCI was taken by the “Competent Authority”.

Written by Harikishan Sharma

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 04:56 IST

The FCI has supplied over 24 lakh MT rice to distilleries for making ethanol since December 2020 till July 2023.

Allowing the Food Corporation of India (FCI) to sell rice to distilleries for ethanol production, the Centre Thursday said that a maximum 23 lakh metric tonnes of rice may be allowed for lifting to ethanol distilleries.

In an order, the Department of Food and Public Distribution said, “The distilleries may be allowed to participate in e-auction and lift the rice during Aug-Oct 2024 as per the final auction rate of rice every week.”

“The rice may be allowed for lifting subject to allocation of ethanol to the concerned distilleries by OMCs using FCI rice as feedstock,” it said.

A “maximum of 23 LMT rice may be allowed for lifting to ethanol distilleries,” it said.

As per the order, the decision to allow distilleries to participate in the auction of FCI was taken by the “Competent Authority”.

As per the Food Ministry order, the distilleries can buy rice under the FCI’s Open Market Sale Scheme (OMSS).

In July last year, the Centre had halted supply of the FCI rice to distilleries for ethanol production.

The Ethanol Supply Year spans from December 1 of a calendar year to November 31 the following year. In March 2020, the Centre had decided to supply FCI rice to distilleries for production of ethanol at a rate of Rs 2,250 per quintal under the Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic). The rate was reduced to Rs 2,000 per quintal in December 2020, and it has continued supplying at the same rate since.

The price of rice supplied for ethanol was much lower compared to the economic cost incurred by the FCI on procurement and storage operations: these were Rs 3,939.26 per quintal in 2020-21; Rs 3,562.49 in 2021-22; Rs 3,858.19 in 2022-23 (revised estimates); and Rs 3,918.05 per quintal in 2023-24 (BE).

The FCI has supplied over 24 lakh MT rice to distilleries for making ethanol since December 2020 till July 2023.

The Centre had also suspended supply of FCI rice to states last year. Earlier this month, Food Minister Pralhad Joshi announced that states can directly purchase rice from Food Corporation of India (FCI) under the Open Market Sale Scheme (Domestic) (OMSS [D]) without participating in the e-auction from August 1st, 2024. Under the OMSS (D), the states can buy rice for Rs 2,800 per quintal (excluding the cost of transportation). He also said that the sale of atta and rice under the ‘Bharat’ brand will continue.

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

Harikishan Sharma

Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister’s Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More

Rajasthan: Ex-CRPF officer detained for manhandling Congress chief whip

Former CM Ashok Gehlot condemns attack, flags 'deteriorating law and order situation' in state

By: Express News Service

Jaipur | August 29, 2024 22:34 IST

Khan was about to leave the residence and sit in his car when Jakhar allegedly grabbed the MLA's collar, the officer said.

A former CRPF officer was detained here Thursday after he allegedly tried to assault Congress MLA Rafeek Khan outside the latter’s residence, police said.

Vikash Jakhar, 38, who alleged that the MLA had been harassing his wife, was caught and thrashed by people present at Khan’s residence.

A Shaurya Chakra recipient, Jakhar was stopped by the people as soon as he started attacking Khan, who is the MLA from Adarsh Nagar constituency and the chief whip of the Congress in the Vidhan Sabha.

SHO of Sadar police station Balbir Kaswan said that Jakhar, a former assistant commandant with the CRPF, reached Khan’s residence in Banipark where the MLA was holding a meeting. Khan was about to leave the residence and sit in his car when Jakhar allegedly grabbed the MLA’s collar, the officer said.

Khan said that the attack was abrupt and Jakhar “tried to choke me – there are videos and you can see for yourself.”

The MLA said he doesn’t know the reason behind Jakhar’s actions and that only a person with a criminal mindset can do such an act.

SHO Kaswan said that no complaint has been received from either side and Jakhar, who took VRS from CRPF, has been detained for breach of peace. Officials said that Jakhar has claimed that the MLA was allegedly harassing his wife, a nursing officer, through government employees.

“Strongly” condemning the attack, former chief minister Ashok Gehlot said that there is no place for violence in democracy. “This kind of attack on an MLA is the result of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. The person behind this attack must be punished. The state government should ensure the safety of all public representatives so that they can work in a fear-free environment.”

A native of Jhunjhunu, Jakhar was awarded the Shaurya Chakra by the President in April 2018 for his role in combating Maoists in Jharkhand’s Latehar district in November 2016.

Jakhar has been in the news in the past too for speaking up on various issues, especially unemployment. In December 2021, he claimed that he had “resigned” from the CRPF as he was saddened by the irregularities in recruitments under the Ashok Gehlot government. He had also written a letter to Gehlot with several demands regarding the 2021 Rajasthan Eligibility Exam for Teachers (REET), including an investigation by the CBI. The recruitment is currently being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate.

In January 2022, he sat on a hunger strike to protest the irregularities. In July last year, he had reportedly joined the Aam Aadmi Party in Jaipur.

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

Tripura govt declares entire state ‘Natural Calamity Affected Area’ after floods cause widespread damages

Stating that very heavy rainfall from August 19-24 caused unprecedented floods in Tripura, the emergency operations centre said the water level of the Gomati river at Sonamura is slowly going down but is still above the flood level.

Written by Debraj Deb

Agartala | August 29, 2024 22:13 IST

Stating that very heavy rainfall from August 19-24 caused unprecedented floods in the state, the emergency operations centre said the water level of the Gomati river at Sonamura is slowly going down but is still above the flood level. (File)

The Tripura government on Thursday declared the entire state as a ‘Natural Calamity Affected Area’ considering the aftereffects of massive rainfall and subsequent flooding which led to loss of human lives and public and private properties.

An official of the state government’s Relief Rehabilitation and Disaster Management Department said a total of 32 people have lost their lives due to rainfall-related reasons, including drowning and landslides. Meanwhile, two others were injured and one person is still reported to be missing.

As on date, 346 relief camps are operational across the state which are sheltering around 52,906 people across all eight districts of Tripura. The district administrations are providing necessary relief, including food, drinking water and medical help. The authorities are also ensuring the toilers at these camps are regularly cleaned, bleaching powder and disinfectant are sprayed around the camps and the overall hygiene is maintained in order to prevent the spread of water-borne diseases.

Stating that very heavy rainfall from August 19-24 caused unprecedented floods in the state, the emergency operations centre said the water level of the Gomati river at Sonamura is slowly going down but is still above the flood level. The flood situation is being closely monitored at the highest level, the official added.

Meanwhile, an Inter Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) led by MHA Joint Secretary B C Joshi arrived in Tripura on Wednesday and held a preliminary meeting with the state government officials.

A team went out for on-spot damage assessment in the affected areas of south Tripura and Gomati districts.

Meanwhile, doctors have held 1,867 health camps and treated 43,887 persons till now in the wake of complaints of water-borne diseases and snake bites.

The Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has issued a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) relating to solid waste management, wastewater management, and safe sanitation practices aimed at mitigating the risk of water-borne diseases.

As on date, power supply has been restored in all areas of the 18 power divisions of the state while supply has been reinstated in 70 per cent of the areas in rest of the six divisions which are located mostly in South Tripura, Gomati, and Sepahijala districts where extensive areas are still submerged due to waterlogging.

Power supplies are expected to be normalised in these areas as well in the next two to three days, if the water level comes down, said an official of the Power department.

Apart from losses in the agriculture sector, infrastructure damages, including road, power transmission network, and buildings, have been badly affected due to the floods, resulting in loss of livelihood and income.

The state government’s Labour department has decided to provide a one-time financial assistance of Rs 4,000 from the labour cess funds to every registered worker.

The decision would benefit 42,981 registered construction workers of the state. The government will shell out Rs 17.2 crore for the purpose.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) maintained a yellow alert in Tripura along with several other states of the country in its Thursday bulletin.

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

Kangana’s Emergency could face ban in Telangana, says CM, as Sikh delegation raises concerns

The delegation alleged that the film depicts Sikhs as terrorists and anti-nationals, and said this was offensive and damaging to the community’s image.

Written by Sreenivas Janyala

Hyderabad | August 29, 2024 21:48 IST

Poster of film Emergency; Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. (X/@KanganaTeam)

After a delegation of Sikh community leaders raised concerns, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday promised that his government would consider imposing a ban on the release of the film Emergency, starring BJP MP Kangana Ranaut, in the state, officials said.

An 18-member delegation from the Telangana Sikh Society, led by former IPS officer Tejdeep Kaur Menon, met Adviser to the Telangana Government (SC, ST, OBC & Minorities) Mohammed Ali Shabbir at the Secretariat in Hyderabad, expressing deep concerns over the film’s portrayal of the Sikh community.

The delegation alleged that the film depicts Sikhs as terrorists and anti-nationals, and said this was offensive and damaging to the community’s image. The Sikh community makes up 2 per cent of Telangana’s population.

Shabbir said, “The delegation highlighted that nearly 12 per cent of the nation’s military forces comprise Sikhs, many of whom have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty to protect the country. They conveyed the anger, especially among the Sikh youth, over the film’s promotional material.”

The film Emergency, directed and produced by Kangana Ranaut, is set for release in early September.

According to former IPS officer Tejdeep Kaur Menon, the pre-release trailers show the Sikh community in a disparaging manner, depicting them in a way that creates a negative narrative. “This is highly objectionable,” she said.

Shabbir then formally requested CM Revanth Reddy to consider banning the film in Telangana. He emphasised that the film’s content is offensive to the Sikh community and could potentially lead to unrest. He met the Chief Minister later, said that Reddy assured that he would take a decision on the matter after taking legal advice.

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

Protesters block NH-8 in Tripura for hours to demand release of 5 people accused of arson

Tripura Transport and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, who is also the local MLA, visited the spot of agitation and tried to pacify the agitators.

Written by Debraj Deb

Agartala | Updated: August 29, 2024 21:39 IST

State Transport and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, who is also the local MLA, visited the spot of agitation and tried to pacify the agitators.

Three days after sixteen houses were set on fire by miscreants in West Tripura’s Kaitorabari village following the defacement of an idol in the area, a large group of people on Thursday blocked the National Highway 8 at Ranirbazaar area of the Jirania subdivision for hours. The protesters also raised slogans against the arrest of five people in the case.

Speaking to the media, an agitator from Ranirbazaar area, who led the group of protesters, said, “The idol was defaced late on August 25. Some of us had gone to the temple to enquire when people from another community attacked us with machetes, leaving many of us injured. However, the police have arrested five of us. We demand immediate release of the arrested.”

State Transport and Tourism Minister Sushanta Chowdhury, who is also the local MLA, visited the spot of agitation and tried to pacify the agitators. He was seen appealing to the protesters to withdraw the agitation saying the law must take its own course.

He said the agitators are BJP supporters and should stay away from protests that disturb public life. “The police have done their job. Now, we shall look into the matter in a legal way,” he said.

Addressing the agitators, he said, “You are not supporters of the opposition parties. You cannot engage in a movement in their way by disturbing public life. The law must take its own course.”

West Tripura Superintendent of Police Kiran Kumar and other police and administrative officials also rushed to the area and convinced the protesters to lift the agitation after hours of blockade.

West Tripura SP Kiran Kumar told the media, “We have arrested five persons in connection with the case. Further investigation is on and more legal action will be taken.”

The protest was held even as the West Tripura District Magistrate Vishal Kumar has imposed prohibitory measures on public movement under section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) in the entire Jirania subdivision in the aftermath of the idol defacing and subsequent incidents of arson.

The local administration has deployed a large contingent of the Central Reserve Police Force, the Tripura State Rifles (TSR) and Tripura Police to maintain law and order situation.

In his latest order, the West Tripura district magistrate said, “…..as per information received from the Superintendent of Police, West Tripura, there is still an apprehension of breach of peace and tranquillity, danger to human life and property, obstruction and injury to persons under Jirania subdivision. I am satisfied that there are sufficient grounds for imposing further restrictions on movement of people to prevent any untoward incident and to prevent a breach of public peace and tranquillity and imposition of prohibitory order under Section 163 of the BNSS, 2023 is urgently required in the entire Jirania subdivision till August 31.”

Meanwhile, police sources said apart from 16 houses, three others sustained minor damages apart from a few small vehicles owned by locals at the Kaitorabari area of Ranirbazaar late at night on Sunday. A suo motu case was registered at the Ranirbazaar police station in the wake of the arson.

Both CPI(M) and Congress raised allegations against the ruling BJP of utilising the incident for their political gain while BJP state general secretary Amit Rakshit rejected the allegations. He also urged opposition parties to abstain from “cheap politics” by politicising a sensitive issue, that too at a time when the floods have caused widespread damage to life and properties of the people of Tripura.

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

SC rebukes Revanth over Kavitha bail comment: ‘Do we pass orders after consulting political parties?’

On August 27, a bench of Justices Gavai and Viswanathan had granted bail to Kavitha in the CBI and ED’s cases of alleged corruption and money laundering linked to the Delhi excise policy.

By: Express News Service

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 04:55 IST

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy made the comments on Thursday. (File Photo)

The Supreme Court Thursday took strong exception to Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s comments suggesting a “deal between BRS and BJP” following the bail to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha in the Delhi excise case.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai, P K Misra and K V Viswanathan voiced its displeasure while hearing a plea seeking transfer of trial in a 2015 cash-for-vote case against Reddy from Telangana to Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. “We are not bothered about politicians, or if anybody criticises our orders or not. We do our duty as per our own conscience, as per our oath,” said Justice Gavai.

On August 27, a bench of Justices Gavai and Viswanathan had granted bail to Kavitha in the CBI and ED’s cases of alleged corruption and money laundering linked to the Delhi excise policy.

In the post-lunch hearing, the reference to Reddy’s remarks came up. Justice Gavai told senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, who appeared for Reddy: “The manner of the statement he made… Just read what he has stated today morning… that sort of statement by a responsible Chief Minister, that might create an apprehension in somebody’s mind… do we pass our orders in consultation with a political party?” The judge said “that” alone “should be a ground on which your proceedings should be transferred”.

Rohatgi apologised on behalf of Reddy and said: “Let me make amends and keep the matter on Monday.” Justice Viswanthan too questioned the remarks and asked if it is the kind of statement to come from a responsible person, who is holding the office of CM. He underlined the importance of mutual respect and said: “Look at the statement! Maintain arm’s length, but have respect”.

Reddy, while interacting with the media on Wednesday evening, had reportedly said: “It is a fact that BRS worked for the victory of the BJP in the 2024 LS polls. There is also talk that Kavitha got bail because of the deal between BRS and BJP.’’

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

Delhi Confidential

- Delhi Confidential: Standing Out

Delhi Confidential: Standing Out

BJP leader Aparajita Sarangi posted an interesting photo on her social media handles on Thursday.

By: Express News Service

Updated: August 30, 2024 03:38 IST

A member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) — one of the most significant parliamentary panels that audits the revenue and expenditure of the government – Aparajita attended the PAC meeting earlier in the day.

BJP leader Aparajita Sarangi posted an interesting photo on her social media handles on Thursday. A member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) — one of the most significant parliamentary panels that audits the revenue and expenditure of the government – Aparajita attended the PAC meeting earlier in the day. “In the company of Men… With esteemed members of the Public Accounts Committee today. It is my privilege to be part of this prestigious parliamentary committee. Grateful,” wrote Sarangi, the only woman in the 22-member committee, alongside the photograph of her standing with the other members. The PAC has 15 MPs from Lok Sabha and seven from the Rajya Sabha.

Fitness Goals

Officials at the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying celebrated the National Sports Day in a unique way. They took a pledge to make physical activity and sports an integral part of their daily life. The pledge was administered by MoS, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying S P Singh Baghel. Thereafter, the officials participated in a walkathon. Alka Upadhyay, Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, was among the officials who participated in the event.

Capping It Off

ITBP Director General Rahul Rasgotra has approved a “side cap” for all retired personnel (Himveer) of the force after it was observed that there was no formal cap for the veterans to give them a distinct identification in formal functions and public gatherings. The side cap was proposed and designed by one IG-rank officer who showed it to DG Rasgotra, who in turn approved it and requested the retirees to wear it “on different occasions along with miniature medals with complete uniformity”. The ITBP has issued an order and is circulating it through different social media modes so that everyone gets aware of the new addition for the recognition of veterans in formal functions.

Opinion

- August 30, 1984, Forty Years Ago: Two supporters abandon N T Rama Rao-led TDP

- What’s wrong if women want to escape Mr Space Hog on a flight?

- Once again, Supreme Court underlines that jail is the exception, bail is the rule

- Derek O’Brien writes: Between 2012 Delhi rape and R G Kar, little has changed

- Women-only airline seats won’t solve problem of male misbehaviour

- The right to disconnect: Leisure is endangered, it must be protected

- On RG Kar case, Mamata Banerjee must step up, not play victim

- R G Kar case is not about violence against a healthcare worker — it is violence against a woman

- When cringe works: Why everyone dances to ‘Lovebomber baby’

- A Uniform Civil Code should expand rights of women and young, not restrict them

- From Salim-Javed to Kamala Harris, the fantasy of the infallible ‘Ma’

- Bail for K Kavitha: Time to review PMLA’s draconian provisions

- AAP’s Saurabh Bhardwaj writes: Offices of governor and L-G must be abolished

- August 29, 1984, Forty Years Ago: Sikh Convention

- Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes: Uncharted territory for India’s governance matrix

- In Good Faith: How to ensure that our boys grow into good men

August 30, 1984, Forty Years Ago: Two supporters abandon N T Rama Rao-led TDP

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on August 30, 1984, Forty Years Ago.

By: Editorial

August 30, 2024 08:41 IST

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on August 30, 1984, Forty Years Ago.

Two Abandon NTR

The majority group in the Telugu Desam led by former chief minister N T Rama Rao suffered a severe jolt when two of its principal supporters — the Speaker, T Satyanarayana and Deputy Speaker A Bhim Reddy — joined the cabinet of Chief Minister N Bhaskara Rao. Shankar Dayal Sharma was sworn in as the 13th Governor of Andhra Pradesh at the Raj Bhavan.

Charan Singh’s Party

Two separate groups of Janata Party dissidents, led by Raj Narain and Subramaniam Swamy respectively, and the Lok Dal decided to forge a new political party, the name and constitution of which is to be decided later. The new party will be led by Charan Singh, who will retain the Lok Dal flag and symbol. An eight-member committee has been set up to assist Charan Singh in finalising the details.

Governor-NTR Talks

The new Andhra Pradesh Governor, S D Sharma, is likely to invite shortly the dismissed chief minister, N T Rama Rao, for discussions on the current political situation in the state. Sharma is expected to talk over the telephone with Rama Rao, who is in Nellore as part of his statewide tour to mobilise public support for his cause.

New Labour Act

Workers will be entitled to 100 per cent wages where a labour court or tribunal reinstates him, and the employer prefers proceeding against the award in higher courts. This is one of the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Amendment Act, 1982, which has come into force with immediate effect. According to the Act, during the pendency of the period of such proceedings, full wages last drawn, including maintenance allowance as admissible, will be paid to the workers.

What’s wrong if women want to escape Mr Space Hog on a flight?

Forget the gender politics, women-only seats offer the joy of not having to battle an entitled man for the arm-rest

Written by Rama Bijapurkar

Updated: August 30, 2024 10:23 IST

We have women-only compartments in trains. What’s wrong with extending the concept to aircrafts?

Thank you, Indigo, for your customer sensitivity.

Safe Harbour Clause: For all men reading this, the caveat is “present company excluded”!

Indigo Airlines’ latest offering enabling women fliers to select seats next to other women is utterly welcome. Forget the gender politics, it’s the joy of not having to battle an unthinking, entitled man for your share of the armrest that is just so appealing. Also, since the average male flier seems to have more body volume than the average female flier, who has also been taught through years of conditioning to “sit properly”, the men tend to occupy more “airspace” around their seats. Many women avoid taking even the most convenient flight, if only a middle seat is available. Many of them also choose aisle seats despite being bumped into by service carts and people and risking brain damage from carelessly opened overhead luggage bins. It’s not that they don’t yearn for a quiet window seat with a place to rest their heads and sleep after a long work day before they head home for a second shift of family seva. It’s just that if there is a Mr Space Hog in the next seat, you don’t have the aisle to spill over into, unless you have an aisle seat. Battling on both sides is too stressful.

Truth be told, this space-hog behaviour of the male flier stems from an uncontested, automatic sense of entitlement, conditioned behaviour, rather than any desire to harass anybody. Men reading this may think — are probably thinking — she’s overbraining and over analysing this. But trust us, we women have to have antennae continuously on high alert to help us through the complicated machinations needed to take care of ourselves even in everyday situations, like commuting or walking in crowded — or lonely — public spaces.

We have ladies coupes in trains, ladies compartments in locals, ladies special buses and ladies-only toilets for the many reasons that don’t need to be enumerated. So what’s wrong with extending the concept to aircrafts? Of course the devil is in the details and one is not sure exactly how this will work. Since there’s no free courtesy that Indigo extends to anyone, as in the other forms of seat selection, additional fees may be levied for this too, in the spirit of adding value to customers and extracting value from them. Women will be free to trade off benefits and costs and choose between a seat with more leg space next to a man and a normal seat next to a woman. Whether this will be women-only rows or not is unclear, but Indigo algorithms will figure out how to efficiently get the job done. What if men use the new visibility of gender data when selecting seats to travel next to women and say to them (as they likely may) “Don’t protest about my hogging space, go travel in the pink seats or shut up”? Well Indigo, with your “girl power” focus, find us a solution. The airline has been very good at disciplining us so far. In exchange for efficiency, they have got us to stand in straight lines, board in sequence, stand uncomplainingly in caged buses on hot tarmacs waiting for aircraft cleaning, dispose of our own garbage etc. So maybe they will handle this behaviour too.

Execution also reflects the difference between a good idea and a commitment that is built into the DNA of the brand. Pink colour coding for women-occupied seats? As a friend pointed out, it signals the patriarchal, stereotypical idea of the weaker sex needing protection, not empowerment via choices. As we know, purple is the new pink and maybe royal blue would work just as well.

Before other businesses rush to do the same in the name of “new trend”, here are two cautionary anecdotes. One is about a five-star hotel chain that offers a “women-only” floor. “For your safety” said the young women at the check-in counter. Until then, it had not occurred to me that a five-star hotel was unsafe for a woman. Surely, it was the hotel’s problem to keep me safe and not put me in a “zenana”. But worse, when I needed electrical help at midnight, a burly bearded electrician appeared. They hadn’t thought through the plan, clearly!

And then there was the iconic chairman of an iconic Indian company who wanted to address a European board director’s struggle to follow the discussion when his Indian colleagues animatedly talked at the same time. So, he, like Indigo, created a systemic solution to a cultural problem. He designed a conference room where one speaker’s microphone had to be switched off before another’s could come on. The result was everybody focusing on being the “fastest finger first” to jab their microphone and no one was listening to anyone else! So, from my perch as an evangelist of customer-centricity, Indigo gets a thumbs up for listening to consumer pain and devising solutions.

As far as how the solution will work in our “we are like that only” world, the jury is still out.

The writer’s most recent book is Lilliput Land: How “Small” is Driving India’s Mega Consumption Story

Once again, Supreme Court underlines that jail is the exception, bail is the rule

It has sidestepped a narrow reading of the law and strengthened procedural safeguards. Now, it must review its own 2022 ruling

By: Editorial

August 30, 2024 08:12 IST

On bail, too, the Court has, in recent cases, side-stepped a narrow reading of the law.

While granting bail to an accused in a money laundering case, Prem Prakash vs Enforcement Directorate, the Supreme Court has underlined that the legal principle “jail is the exception, bail is the rule” will apply even in cases registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The underlining of this established principle is welcome — it recognises that prolonged pre-trial incarceration is a punishment in itself. The verdict by two judges who are in line to be Chief Justice of India is a significant signal that on bail, the thinking of the apex court has been shifting for some time now. That shift is welcome — and overdue. Two years ago, in the consequential Vijay Madanlal Chaudhary v Union of India ruling, the SC had upheld the stringent provisions of the PMLA. That ruling came amidst disquiet caused by a surge in the Centre’s use of the Enforcement Directorate against political opponents — the court of last resort seemed to brush aside the fears of misuse. The Vijay Madanlal Chaudhary ruling is still the law of the land. However, since then, several small but significant rulings by the Court have taken the sting out of the verdict.

In October 2023, a bench of Justices A S Bopanna and P V Sanjay Kumar held that informing the grounds on which a person is arrested in writing “would be necessary, henceforth” for the ED. The court directed that a copy be furnished to the arrested person, without exception, as a matter of course. This was a departure from the Vijay Madanlal ruling, which had said that the sharing of the ECIR with the accused, akin to an FIR for the ED, was not mandatory. Again, in July, while granting bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case, the SC raised crucial questions over the ED’s vast powers to make arrests. Even as it referred the case to a larger bench, the Court held that the ED official’s “reasons to believe” that a person is “guilty of the offence” in order to make an arrest must also be given in writing to the accused. A written record allows the accused to challenge an illegal arrest in court. These safeguards are especially crucial since the law imposes a high bar for granting bail.

On bail, too, the Court has, in recent cases, side-stepped a narrow reading of the law. In granting bail to Manish Sisodia, it said that delay in trial had to be read into the bail law, and that the law can be “relaxed” if the accused has undergone a long period of incarceration. In another case in May, Ajay Ajit Peter Kerkar vs Directorate of Enforcement, the SC extended the principle that a person who has spent half of the maximum sentence as an undertrial shall be released on bail, even in money laundering offences. This was, again, a significant step forward from the 2022 ruling where the court allowed the government’s argument that “it cannot be said that presumption of innocence is a constitutional guarantee”. While these interventions strengthen the procedural safeguards for an accused, the Court still needs to comprehensively revisit the 2022 ruling. The Supreme Court itself has made a case for reviewing its judgment — it must do so soon.

Derek O’Brien writes: Between 2012 Delhi rape and R G Kar, little has changed

Speeches in Parliament are not enough. This August we failed a young doctor in Kolkata. We failed a tribal woman in Raigarh. We failed a 15-year-old in Jodhpur, a 7-year-old in Delhi, two 4-year-olds in Badlapur

Written by Derek O’Brien

Updated: August 30, 2024 08:06 IST

Doctors, Students, Interns and health workers of RG Kar Medical College and Hospital during the protest at the hospital premises in connection with a doctor killed inside the hospital, in Kolkata. (Express Photo by Partha Paul)

Two days after the Delhi gangrape, Parliament debated the “demand for severe punishment against perpetrators of gangrape of a young woman on 16 December, 2012 in the capital”. Thirty-seven Members of Parliament, including this columnist, spoke in both Houses. In the last fortnight, as we witnessed the entirely understandable public outrage, one reflected on transcripts from some of those speeches. Here are a few excerpts from what, sadly, turned out to be hollow words.

M Venkaiah Naidu (BJP): “Every 18 hours, there is a rape, and every 14 hours, there is an atrocity committed against a woman. There are around 10,000 cases of atrocities on women pending in various courts in Delhi… what is required is the political will to deal with such situations and sending a strong message to perpetrators of this sort of heinous crimes that they will not be spared; they will be taken to task. ”

Jaya Bachchan (SP): “Everybody will forget what is going to happen to her, but she will remember for the rest of her life. It will be a scar. It is a terrible mental torture more than physical. How are you going to repay for this? Every day, women are getting raped by their fathers, their brothers, their cousins, their uncles. I personally feel very, very ashamed that I am sitting in this House and I am helpless and I am not being able to do anything.”

Renuka Choudhary (INC): “Collectively, it is a social failure. It is not enough for us to treat this as yet another statistic and that tomorrow things will finish and thereafter another incident will happen like this.”

Javed Akhtar (Nominated): “We all need to think about this issue at two levels, at the level of the administration and at the level of society. We need to punish the accused with the strictest punishments. However, I don’t agree that it should be death by hanging, not that I have any sympathy with the rapists, but death sentence is just a shadow that does not solve the problem.”

Mayawati (BSP): “Action taken against the perpetrators must set an example for everyone so that crimes like these do not take place in the future. The actions taken by the government against the perpetrators must be publicised so that the people who get involved in these kinds of heinous acts do not even think of committing such acts. There needs to be a change in the laws and the laws relating to crimes against women must be made stricter.”

Tiruchi Siva (DMK): “I hope the outcomes of this discussion would send the message across this country that such heinous crimes would not happen again in this country. It means, your stringent action should send such a message across the country that any person involved in such a crime will be severely dealt with.”

D Raja (CPI): “Our women are not safe. Our children are not safe. It should be a collective social responsibility to protect our women and children. We should collectively think about how to address this menace.”

T N Seema (CPIM): “We want strict action, we want immediate action and we want assurance. Fast track courts should be set up in all districts. Young boys should be educated in school itself to treat women as equal citizens.”

Sushma Swaraj, in Lok Sabha (BJP): “Madam Speaker, you used a word to describe the incident — ‘heinous’. There cannot be a more appropriate description of the incident. I have stated multiple times that people who commit crimes like these must be hanged. After the incident, the victim is neither living nor dead, even if she survives, she will spend the rest of her life in vegetative state. Do the accused not deserve death by hanging?”

And here is what your columnist said (speaking on behalf of AITC): “I stand here nervous and scared as the father of a 17-year-old daughter living in India. Whenever there is a rape we think that it is a woman’s issue. We often want to make it a woman’s only issue. I strongly believe it is much beyond being just a woman’s issue. In fact, it is actually a male issue. This is about men. And I say this as a man. We men sometimes stop behaving like human beings and start acting like animals. It is time we now seriously took up this issue of preventing rape. Prevention. We first need to create effective social communication. We must do this and then spread this message through different media.”

It’s 2024. Twelve years on. More bestial, heinous crimes. This August we failed a young doctor in Kolkata. We failed a tribal woman in Raigarh. We failed a 15-year-old in Jodhpur, a 7-year-old in Delhi, two 4-year-olds in Badlapur.

Only speeches in Parliament are not enough. Let’s pledge to turn words into action. Swiftly.

The writer is MP and leader, All India Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party (Rajya Sabha). Additional research by Ayashman Dey

Women-only airline seats won’t solve problem of male misbehaviour

IndiGo needs to demonstrate its leadership in ensuring top-class safety protocols with a well-trained crew who are sensitised to act upon instances quickly. The last thing they should be doing is asking women to ghettoise themselves

Written by Ashwini Deshpande

August 30, 2024 07:52 IST

If the issue is sexual safety, isolating women is not the solution. Airline staff can and should isolate the perpetrator, rather than nudging women to isolate themselves. (Illustration by C R Sasikumar)

Among all the dismal statistics about gender gaps in India, there are some numbers that shine. One of these is that India is the global leader in the proportion of women pilots. With 15 per cent women pilots, India is way ahead of the global average of 5 per cent. The International Society of Women Airline Pilots released a “gender equality in the airline industry” report in 2021. The report noted that at 12.4 per cent, India ranked top in gender equality at the flight deck.

If gender equality or women’s advancement is the goal, the aviation industry is getting several things right. Since this is without any special programme to train or target female pilots, it reveals the aspirations of young women to break barriers to enter traditionally male-dominated fields.

This is about the staff in the airline industry. What about passengers?

The issue of sexual safety in the skies is an important one globally, not just in India. While there are no definitive statistics, there are reports of groping, touching and fondling that women have reported to airline staff all across the globe. These are typically silent assaults, which are unwelcome, repugnant and often not reported.

Most victims are women; however, there have been incidents when young men or adolescent boys have been targeted. The perpetrators are always adult males. This has nothing to do with the class of travel: Women could be targeted regardless of whether they were travelling economy or first class.

We should also note, for perspective, that over three million passengers fly every day, and obnoxious passengers stand out because they are exceptions rather than the rule.

How do international airlines deal with misbehaving passengers? The flight staff are trained to restrain the perpetrators, stop serving alcohol to unruly passengers, and if needed, offer to relocate the woman, provided another seat is available. Incidentally, most instances on international flights involve an inebriated passenger. This was also what happened in the urination case on an Air India flight (business class) in 2023.

In the US, passengers take recourse to the legal system for redressal. In India, with an overburdened judicial system this may not be an option.

With this context, the recent “pink seats” announcement by Indigo airlines is puzzling. A new feature allows women to see the sex of other passengers when choosing their seats. They can choose to sit next to women to avoid sitting next to men. Undoubtedly, for some women, having this choice will give a sense of temporary respite.

But what about women who choose seats for comfort — front or exit row, aisle or window seats, and end up seated next to a man? Men might assume that women who do not choose the pink seats are more “broadminded”.

If the issue is sexual safety, isolating women is not the solution. Airline staff can and should isolate the perpetrator, rather than nudging women to isolate themselves.

What about women’s compartments in commuter trains and women’s seats in buses? The logic there is different. In the short-to-medium term, we need these measures. Trains and buses are overpacked daily commute options where ensuring any kind of order is much harder than inside an airplane, unless people self-regulate, as indeed they do in several parts of the world.

Some might claim that women need freedom not just from sexual assault but also boorish and inconsiderate behaviour. Absolutely. Women deal with “manspreading” and “man-sitting” all the time, not to mention men pushing themselves ahead and breaking queues. Many male passengers have no idea that the armrest between two seats is to be shared between both passengers, it is not their birthright to lean over and occupy the entire space.

But this will never change if women slink out of the way. At the Delhi airport recently, each security belt had three-four airport staff, catching passengers trying to break the queue (which included women too) by shoving their bags ahead of passengers who were in line. Costly but effective, and certainly worth implementing till passengers learn the protocols of civilised behaviour.

Indigo claims that it has the highest number (678) of women pilots among all airlines, thus contributing to India’s top rank in this dimension. If this is indeed true, Indigo needs to demonstrate its leadership also in ensuring top-class safety protocols with a well-trained crew who are sensitised to detect and act upon instances quickly and efficiently. The last thing they should be doing is asking women to ghettoise themselves. Because, you know, “men will be men”.

The writer is professor of economics and founder director, CEDA, Ashoka University. Views are personal

The right to disconnect: Leisure is endangered, it must be protected

Technology has made possible more liberating forms of work, but it has also allowed the dismantling of walls between work and leisure. The result is higher rates of burnout

By: Editorial

August 30, 2024 07:45 IST

Australia has joined the ranks of enlightened countries in this regard. It’s about time the rest of the world caught up.

If one were to go by 21st century work culture, the most hotly-contested resource in the world is neither gold nor oil nor water — it is the ever-dwindling leisure time of the average worker. While employers try to move into the shrinking real estate of weekends and off-hours, some governments are acting in the interest of the beleaguered workers’ work-life balance. The latest is Australia where, just this week, a “right to disconnect” law came into effect. Barring a few exceptions, such as genuine emergencies, employers will no longer be allowed to penalise workers who refuse to respond to work calls and texts when they are out of the office.

The arguments in favour of such laws — as enacted not only by Australia, but also France, Italy and Belgium — emerge from the larger leisure rights movement. They have even found some resonance in India — Member of Parliament Supriya Sule drafted a Private Member’s Bill on the right to disconnect in 2018. While that Bill ultimately languished, it advanced the same argument as legislation elsewhere has: Even as technology has made it possible for newer, more liberating forms of work, like remote and hybrid work, to emerge, it has also allowed the dismantling of the walls that, until the invention of the smartphone, stood between work and leisure. The result is that burnout rates have been steadily rising, affecting not only employee well-being, but also, ultimately, company bottom lines.

Because the truth about leisure is this: A bit of rest and diversion not only makes workers more productive and creative, but also more motivated. Consider what Iceland learnt from nationwide trials from 2015 to 2019, when work hours were limited without reducing pay. Not only did workers experience much less stress and burnout, their productivity remained unaffected or even improved. Australia has joined the ranks of enlightened countries in this regard. It’s about time the rest of the world caught up.

On RG Kar case, Mamata Banerjee must step up, not play victim

The CM has asked for speedy disposal of cases of sexual harassment and stricter punishment. But the solution does not lie in harsher punishments — it needs more comprehensive reforms

By: Editorial

Updated: August 30, 2024 07:37 IST

For the CM to see that the “poriborton” her government promotes starts closer home, she must resist the temptation to give in to the finger pointing and the self-serving outrage.

A distinguishing feature of a competent administrator is often her ability to pull back from the brink. Instead, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s assertion on Wednesday — that “…if a fire starts in Bengal, Assam will not be spared, Bihar will not be spared, it will not stop at Manipur, or Odisha. It will also reach Delhi” — is rash and reeks of desperation. The R G Kar rape and murder case is a litmus test for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in the state. But by playing victim and conspiracy theorist, by turns, it is not stepping up to the challenge.

Following criticism of her comments, Banerjee has said that the allegations against her are a “malicious disinformation campaign”, that she stands firmly in support of the doctors’ movement demanding justice for their murdered colleague and safe working conditions for all women. Her statements were against the BJP trying to cash in on the situation, she says. But as a woman and a leader who claims to engage and enable the aspirations of women voters in the state, the CM must realise this is not a time for remarks that could be seen as inflammatory, or whataboutery. There can be no denying that Banerjee’s government fumbled in handling the crisis in its early days. From the failure to inform the doctor’s family about her death to the registration of a case of “unnatural death” to the immediate appointment of R G Kar’s principal to another prestigious Kolkata hospital after his resignation, and the vandalism at the hospital amid the Kolkata Police’s floundering, there have been many instances of the administration failing in its responsibilities to take the justice process forward and to keep the calm.

In 2012, a year after Banerjee came to power, the Park Street rape incident was a flashpoint. Then, her initial dismissal of the incident as an attempt to discredit the West Bengal government had backfired. In the intervening years, the CM has worked towards building a strong electoral and political base, in the 18th Lok Sabha, the TMC boasts of the highest proportion of women in Parliament. Now, the CM has asked for speedy disposal of cases of sexual harassment and stricter punishment, including death penalty. But the solution does not lie in harsher laws and punishments — it needs more painstaking and comprehensive reforms. For the CM to see that the “poriborton” her government promotes starts closer home, she must resist the temptation to give in to the finger pointing and the self-serving outrage.

R G Kar case is not about violence against a healthcare worker — it is violence against a woman

This is not to say that violence against healthcare workers can ever be condoned. But by demanding a new law for healthcare worker protection, we overlook poor implementation of existing legal frameworks and fail to seek institutional accountability

Written by Anima Anjuri, Harshda Bargal

+2 More

- Vivek Divan

- Reonia Mathew

Updated: August 30, 2024 07:33 IST

Medical professionals protest against the rape and murder of a female trainee doctor at Kolkata's R G Kar Medical College.

It has been stunning to witness how a case of horrific sexual violence — and that is what the RG Kar hospital atrocity is — has been cast as an issue of healthcare workers’ safety. Even in the hallowed portals of the Supreme Court. Let us be clear — this is a case of yet another woman being brutalised in what has seemingly become a norm in India. That it has happened in a hospital gives it another layer of egregiousness, if that were even possible, because certain locales are meant to be shelters for all. So, while it is a workplace safety issue due to the crime’s location, this is essentially a case of sexual violence. Had it happened in a school, corporate office or government ministry, this would still be a case of sexual violence at its core, and not about the security of teachers, executives or government functionaries.

Let us also recall that violence often comes from within. In the last six months alone, women (a dental student, a nurse and a doctor) were at the receiving end of assault, rape and molestation in Rohtak, Moradabad and Rishikesh respectively. This is surely the case in other professions too, and as lawyers who write this, we must unsparingly look at our own ecosystem. In the RG Kar atrocity, it is still far from clear that the perpetrator was a patient, visitor, or an “outsider”.

This incident should be a wake-up call to ensure that all workplaces are secure for all women, and that the culture of patriarchy within which perpetrators carry out violence with such impunity is radically altered. Not just in city hospitals but in khaps, within homes, in colleges, or while travelling by public transport. Particularly in relation to healthcare settings, this means protection for women who are not just doctors but also nurses, receptionists, janitorial staff or patients.

Demands from the protests have been misguided for various reasons. For one, by seeking the death penalty for perpetrators of sexual violence in healthcare settings, they fail to account for whether such measures will address systemic issues. They have also skewed the focus away from the main issue of sexual violence and the underlying systemic injustice that allows vicious crimes against women, towards safety of healthcare workers.

While it has been conveniently conflated by the Indian Medical Association and other vested interests, the issue of violence against healthcare workers is an entirely different one. It cannot be said enough — the brutalised person was not ravaged because she was a doctor; it was because she was a woman.

This is not to say that violence against healthcare workers can ever be condoned. This community’s committed service in government hospitals during Covid-19 should never be forgotten. Even when the state went silent during the Delta phase, this community did all it could to help. A vivid image of that time is of one of our more deplorable human traits — the prejudice we demonstrated against the frontline responders who returned to their homes in building societies, where they were threatened and shunned.

Demands have been made to legislate a central criminal law to prevent and deter violence against healthcare workers. They have, fortunately, been rejected by the Union government — so far. After all, the criminal law, as it is, is sufficient to cover such instances. By demanding a new law for healthcare worker protection, we overlook poor implementation of existing legal frameworks and fail to seek institutional accountability.

Not introducing new legislation does not absolve the responsibility of private and government healthcare to take measures to ensure the safety of frontline workers like ASHAs and ANMs and those in institutions like nurses and doctors. These measures must also address the sexual and gender-based violence that women healthcare workers face. Yet, demands of the IMA, such as a panopticon of airport-like security standards, including surveillance towers, armed guards and sniffer dogs, are hardly conducive to a wholesome healthcare experience. Such reactions also suggest that there are larger questions at play, which need to be answered.

We live in times where healthcare institutions are increasingly unfeeling and intimidating, mammoth corporate mazes where the user is disempowered. Their motives are so profit-centric that one enters them with cynicism, but also abject need. Resembling the stereotypical government department, when something is confusing or goes wrong it becomes almost impossible to articulate grievance, find a remedy, or pin accountability. We also live in a time where the public health system has received no attention from the state, weakening what should be the most accessible architecture to decrepitude.

In such times, the effort of all — the healthcare community, public health experts, policymakers, governments, affected communities — should be to find solutions that make healthcare an experience that is informed, competent, empathetic, affordable, resilient, transparent, hygienic, efficient. But when attempts to legislate the right to health are compromised due to the lobbying of doctors’ associations, as in Rajasthan recently, the message sent is one of hostility. The same can be said about the resistance to implementing the Clinical Establishments Act. When medical education continues to be devoid of any substantial focus on ethical practice, or linked to a larger understanding of public health and public good, values-based medicine will remain a pipe dream.

In a context such as this, the vortex we will be swallowed in is one where patients and their families are not communicated with, corporatisation and privatisation become the dominant impersonal and avaricious character of healthcare and health insurance, and the disempowered become even more so, lashing out the only means they have left.

Much needs to be done to address the insidious nature of sexual violence. To stem that rot, an honest reckoning must take place: How we raise boys, the token and surface adulation we give women, our inability to make accountable the misogyny in our institutions, and the hypocrisy with which we approach sex and gender education.

Much also needs to be done to ensure that the healthcare system is sensitive to the needs of its users. Government budgeting to ensure a doubling of investment in healthcare is an essential start. It will lead to improved infrastructure at primary health and other levels, and more competent, sensitive and well-trained personnel. Along with this is the need for better accountability of health systems, which can only be achieved through robust monitoring, and making these systems participatory and transparent sites of engagement, feedback and improvement through community involvement and oversight.

At the heart of all of this must lie the unhindered ability to question authority and make it accountable, to feel safe in complaining of violations, and to dissent against a stagnant system.

The writers are at the Centre for Health Equity, Law & Policy, ILS Pune

When cringe works: Why everyone dances to ‘Lovebomber baby’

Creating art, music, and showing it to the world is a tough, vulnerable task even in a recording studio with people to guide you. Gagni Porwal figured out her heartbreak and craft. Most of us only dream of it

Written by Sukhmani Malik

Updated: August 29, 2024 20:01 IST

Gagni Porwal in 'Lovebomber Baby' (Image source: @gagniporwal/Instagram)

Kajol’s “glow-up” in Kuch Kuch Hota Hai is burned in the minds of many who grew up with the film. Not the big “oop she is getting married to someone else” reveal glow-up. The pre-interval epic fail “glow-up” — when she shows up, feeling pretty and pleased with herself, in a bright pink dress with brighter orange accents. Rahul’s (Shah Rukh Khan) uncontrolled laughter in chorus with the onlookers, Tina’s hand swatting Rahul, urging him to quit it, with the other trying to hold back her laughter, the realisation of how un-pretty she looks (especially to Rahul) dawning on Anjali in real-time — it’s a rough watch. Or, “Cringe,” as we call it on internet dot com. It helps make audiences feel sympathy, some second-hand embarrassment. The idea is: Understand the character better by identifying with some part of her.

In the online world, a different set of “cringe” moments have been immortalised and gain new complexities each day, with each new meme. Think, the many Keeping Up With the Kardashians and (The Real Housewives of) Beverly Hills, Atlanta, New York City, Neverland stills that have been floating around for well over a decade. Then there are examples closer home: Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in the infamous MSG: The Messenger 1 and 2 (or in general, honestly), Dhinchak Pooja and ‘Dilon ka scooter’, and most recently, the superhit heartbreak anthem by Gagni Porwal, ‘Lovebomber baby’.

The now iconic, “Why did you ghost me? You said you loved me” song by Porwal held such resonance with so many of us. First, because it is a song about love in the era of dating apps. Who amongst us has gone on there and not come back with a story of heartbreak or at the very least, ghosting? And wondered why indeed? Why did you ghost me? But there is another reason why so many revelled in the song. It may have a lot to do with living vicariously through Porwal as she sings and dances with abandon about her love life.

For those of us in our generation who were exposed to the internet and technology at a fairly early age, there is hardly a filter between the reel and the real. As opposed to the early days of MySpace and Facebook, social media and the internet play a far more integral role in our lives now — it is ubiquitous; it centres performance.

In a 2018 92NY Street interview, Bo Burnham discussing the motivation behind making a film on Eighth-graders, says, “The initial impulse of the script was just these videos of young people trying to express themselves online. The failure to articulate yourself was so compelling”. Examples of this are all around us, kids and adults. This is what a democratised internet has enabled. Anyone with a camera and an idea can make a hit or a miss. Entertainment boiled down to the most bite-sized version of itself then creates ample opportunity to create snapshots of “cringe” (a meme) and push them out of the nest to virality.

But even though we all feel compelled to curate perfect Instagram feeds and trying for a white-collar job without a shiny LinkedIn account seems almost stupid, most of us aren’t putting ourselves out there quite as much as Porwal or Pooja. After all, creating art, music, and showing it to the world is a tough, vulnerable task even in a recording studio with people to guide you, let alone against the lone green screen Porwal used to figure out her heartbreak and craft. Most of us only dream of it.

A lot of this has echoes of camp. Oscar Wilde (quoted in Susan Sontag’s paper Notes on Camp) once wrote, “To be natural is a very difficult pose to keep up”. Many show up on stage (the internet) authentically and then most come on with armours of ironic sincerity. In celebrating Porwal and Pooja, there is an audience commitment to the artifice and to the attempt. They dared to do something many of us dream and the fact that their first attempt is less than flattering only helps us. It reaffirms that without having to go out there and experiencing it for ourselves, that you can fail your way to success, that first attempt does not have to be good, that there are many like us — with big dreams and little talent.

The beauty of cringe and camp when done sincerely is not simply in the attempt. It is in the failure. Cringe, like camp, often celebrates the subject’s all-out commitment, it also celebrates the spectacular failure despite the best attempt. As Sontag puts it, “Camp is art that proposes itself seriously, but cannot be taken altogether seriously because it is ‘too much’.”

Everyone dances along to ‘Lovebomber baby’ not despite, but because of, its cringiness. There is simultaneous ironic and unironic consumption, identifying the attempt, and applauding it even as the output is less than impressive or polished.

At the end of the day, like life, politics and expression are finding their way on the internet. How we define value in this context, how much we can learn to appreciate the campiness of billions of us attempting, seeking, trying in front of the rest of us is what matters. Maybe Anjali liked the bright pink dress. Maybe we can appreciate her attempt. And each other’s.

sukhmani.malik@expressindia.com

A Uniform Civil Code should expand rights of women and young, not restrict them

Following the example of Uttarakhand's law would be wrong. It is divisive and curbs people’s freedom

Written by Radha Kumar

August 29, 2024 16:20 IST

The Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code essentially replicates the provisions of the Hindu codes of marriage, divorce and inheritance. It allows divorce on grounds of conversion to a different religion from the spouse.

Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Independence Day call for “a secular civil code” to replace the current “communal civil code”, this paper has published two OpEds arguing in favour of his call, one by BJP member and president of the India Foundation, Ram Madhav (The necessity of a secular UCC, IE, August 17, 2024), and the other by Mumbai BJP president Hitesh Jain (A code that unifies, IE, August 20, 2024).

While their use of the term secular is a welcome course corrective from the BJP’s earlier and crassly dismissive “sickular”, neither writer specifies what a secular civil code would comprise. Madhav’s examples of what needs reform cite only Muslim personal law. He mentions Ambedkar’s deep disappointment at the Nehru administration’s failure to push through a uniform civil code but omits the fact that Ambedkar resigned over the failure to push through a reformist Hindu civil code.

Jain’s article is again high on rhetoric and low on fact. It argues that a common code will improve the condition of women and simplify legal processes, but the only example he gives regards conversion by men and the figure he gives for pending cases is from 2020 not the 50.2 million of 2023. Like Madhav, he pitches the debate in terms of a Uniform Civil Code versus minority personal law, instead of the rights of women.

As the Constituent Assembly and parliamentary debates make clear, Article 44’s call for a Uniform Civil Code became and remained a Directive Principle rather than a constitutional right. This is because women’s rights-based reform of personal laws met with concerted opposition from conservative Hindu as well as Muslim and Christian members of an overwhelmingly male-dominated constituent assembly in which women constituted around 4 per cent.

Facing minority members’ resistance to a uniform civil code, Nehru decided that the majority should lead with a common Hindu civil code to reassure minorities that reform did not threaten religious rights. But this initiative foundered on conservative Hindu opposition from within the Congress as well as the Hindu right wing. The Hindu code that was eventually enacted as four separate acts severely limited women’s rights in marriage, divorce and inheritance.

Whether PM Modi’s conception of a secular civil code will again fail on women’s rights is unclear. But we do have one example of what a BJP-drafted civil code might comprise. The Uttarakhand Uniform Civil Code essentially replicates the provisions of the Hindu codes of marriage, divorce and inheritance. It allows divorce on grounds of conversion to a different religion from the spouse. When read together with Uttarakhand’s Freedom of Religion Act, which mandates that a couple seeking interfaith marriage must notify the authorities a month earlier to allow for objections, it is clearly communal.

Nor does it advance women’s rights or the freedom to choose. On the contrary, it builds on laws drafted three-quarters of a century ago, adopting provisions that overlap between religious and secular personal laws such as the Special Marriage Act, including the restitution of conjugal rights and a bar on divorce during the first year of marriage. With a difference. The older laws did not criminalise violation; this one does. Anyone dissolving a marriage before the one-year rule can be imprisoned for up to three years. It also differs, glaringly, from the Special Marriage Act in another respect. It does not recognise interfaith marriages.

Its most startling section is on “live-in relationships”. Like marriages and divorces, these too have to be registered. And local police stations have to be informed, leaving couples vulnerable to harassment and/or blackmail by police, especially since an unregistered live-in couple can be imprisoned for three months and/or pay a fine. The term of imprisonment can go up to six months if a couple fails to register after the registrar sends them a notice to do so.

Instead of facilitating unity or diversity, the Uttarakhand code has made it even more difficult. Just a month ago, an interfaith couple was forced to go to the Uttarakhand High Court seeking protection against parental misuse of this provision. The pair had sought to register their relationship, but the registrar had refused “for technical reasons”. The High Court directed them to re-apply and mandated protection from harassment during the registration period. What happens after?

As the case above shows, the fear that a Uniform Civil Code will be divisive is not a religious fear alone; perhaps not even primarily. Social attitudes towards marriage, divorce and inheritance have been in profound churn for several decades now, between familial authority and the right to choose. Young Indians of all persuasions increasingly look for a choice of relationship before, in, or instead of marriage, often in the teeth of parental coercion. Young women increasingly seek equality rather than patronage. The Uttarakhand code forces them back under parental control rather than protecting their freedom of choice; it is an authoritarian legislation, not a rights-based one.

It would have been helpful if Madhav and Jain had clarified that a common civil code should not repeat the fearsome Uttarakhand version, challenges against which are pending in the Supreme Court. A timely judgment could set constitutional benchmarks on what a women’s rights-based common civil code can or cannot comprise. Assam and Gujarat have already declared their intention of following Uttarakhand’s example. Whether all-India or state-by-state, restriction of women’s and youth rights must surely be unacceptable.

Radha Kumar’s latest book is The Republic Relearnt: Renewing Indian Democracy, 1947-2024 (Penguin Vintage)

From Salim-Javed to Kamala Harris, the fantasy of the infallible ‘Ma’

In our real-world cultures, we find it difficult to accept mothers cast in any role other than nourishing and the schism between good and bad mothers is maintained on-screen. Like popular cinema, politics too must appeal to a mass base and is similarly hampered by a lack of nuance

Written by Annie Zaidi

Updated: August 29, 2024 12:41 IST

What Harris doesn’t quite say is that her mother, being human, is fallible. (File)

When the celebrated Hindi writing duo Salim-Javed wrote “Mere paas Maa hai”, they were clearly on to something. That brief line of movie dialogue has survived five decades in public memory as a pithy reminder of the emotional, moral and ideological power invested in motherhood in our collective imagination. However, one reason it remains deeply resonant is that, aside from death and taxes, if there’s one other thing we can be sure of, it is our mothers. If we exist, someone birthed us, and regardless of how present or absent our individual mothers might be, mothering marks us in life as well as in the realm of imagination.

Julia Kristeva has written of consecrated motherhood as a fantasy of lost territory that is nurtured by all adults. In the religious sphere, we see it in the form of a Mother Goddess or as Mother Mary, while in culture, we see it as the ordinary-seeming Ma who holds her son’s heart in her fist. In politics too, it emerges as the motherland, although politicians also tap into the power of consecrated motherhood when they bring their flesh-and-blood mothers into political discourse. We saw this most recently when Kamala Harris described her mother as an immigrant in the US – “a brown woman with an accent” who was tough, courageous, and yet, never lost her cool.

What Harris doesn’t quite say is that her mother, being human, is fallible. Instead, she sticks with the fantasy Ma – an unfailing, temperate presence who compensates for other lacking, including an absent or distant father. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the docu-series Angry Young Men, recently out on Amazon Prime, where we see screenwriters Salim Khan and Javed Akhtar reflecting on the loss of their mothers in childhood. Like childhood itself, everyone experiences mothering as a gradual loss and writers often tap into this, capturing our longing to return to a maternal lap where we are eternally safe and welcome. It is in this lap that Birju (Sunil Dutt) dies, shot by the righteous Radha (Nargis) in Mother India (1957) and it is towards this lap that Vijay runs in Deewar (1975), despite having been rejected by his Ma (Nirupa Roy).

Interestingly, the Hindi screen Ma looms larger if she is widowed, divorced or has been abandoned by the father. In this form, she is nearer to the primal Mother – the unrivalled creator and provider whose primacy cannot be challenged. In this way, she becomes an article of faith rather than a flesh and blood woman. The tricky part, of course, is that articles of faith never have any longings of their own. In Of Woman Born: Motherhood as Experience and Institution, Adrienne Rich writes that it is only as mothers that women’s bodies are seen as “beneficent, sacred, pure, asexual, nourishing”. In order to be deemed worthy, a woman must be seen as maternal, or at least potentially maternal, and these ideas still play out in public discourse.

Hindi cinema especially favours mothers who are simultaneously all-forgiving and a force of moral rectitude. A few recent films such as Kapoor and Sons (2016) and Badhaai Ho (2018) have offered us more complex mothers but even here, the mother is neither sexually assertive nor ambitious beyond the domestic realm. Perhaps because in our real-world cultures too, we find it difficult to accept mothers cast in any role other than nourishing, the schism between good and bad mothers is maintained on-screen. Good mothers are givers (self-sacrificing, asexual, unambitious) and the bad ones are takers (self-seeking). Besides, bad mothers in Hindi cinema are often pictured as step-mothers or aunts (thus, not “real” mothers) – and the plot occasionally revolves around getting them to fall in line. In films like Beta (1992) where Laxmi (Aruna Irani) is a manipulative, even murderous step-mom, but Raju (Anil Kapoor) is willing to drink poison rather than confront the possibility that his mother would hurt his interests. Absolute devotion to an idealised Ma thus transforms even a bad mother into a good one.

Like popular cinema, politics too must appeal to a mass base and is similarly hampered by a lack of nuance. The American Vice-Presidential hopeful J D Vance’s remarks about “childless cat ladies” is a fine illustration of the anxieties surrounding women’s bodies should they refuse to be herded into the category of mother. In marked contrast, as Rich had pointed out half a century ago, fatherlessness or non-father is not seen a problem to be fixed, much less a negative category or a slur. It is hardly surprising then, that politics has little room for female leaders who assert themselves as sexual beings but who are not mothers. We need them to be maternal so that they nourish us and, if they’re smart politicians, they put to good use the full emotional, moral and ideological power invested in motherhood. But as for changing the way things are for women in general, it might take more than motherhood to pull that off.

Zaidi is a writer and filmmaker

Bail for K Kavitha: Time to review PMLA’s draconian provisions

The accused should not not have to approach the courts for relief from a punishing process

Written by Yashovardhan Azad

Updated: August 29, 2024 11:02 IST

BRS leader K Kavitha greets as she walks out of Tihar Jail after the Supreme Court granted her bail in the excise policy case, in New Delhi, Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024. (PTI Photo)

A clutch of recent Supreme Court judgments has established that the principle “bail is the rule, and jail is the exception” shall apply to special laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) or the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). In the case of B R S leader K Kavitha too, the court observed on Tuesday, “Undertrial custody should not turn into a punishment”.

Earlier, a Delhi Court pulled up the Enforcement Directorate (ED) for using the stringent sections of PMLA to summon private doctors and record their statements. It said, “Strong leaders, laws and agencies generally come back to bite the very citizens they vow to protect.” Another court in Mumbai reminded the ED of its constitutional obligation to ensure expeditious trial. The court granted bail to two accused, incarcerated since October 2020. Of course, the SC has held that money laundering is a serious crime, which promotes other offences. However, a slew of judgments by PMLA courts on the ED’s functioning require serious review.

In 1998, India signed the UN Declaration at the Special Session on ‘Countering the World Drug Problem’ and on the ‘Need to Combat Money Laundering’. But little did one know that the issue would precipitate a political maelstrom 25 years later. The ED stands amidst a sharply divided polity and is often seen as biased against the Opposition. The Supreme Court is due to review some sections of the PMLA later this year, especially in the context of its verdict in Madan Lal Choudhary (2022), which upheld the constitutional validity of certain provisions of the PMLA. It justified the non-disclosure of the Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) on the grounds that it’s an internal document and disclosing the details in it can adversely impact the investigation.

To be fair to the ED, the PMLA has been framed in consonance with the directives of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an intergovernmental organisation formed to combat money laundering and terror financing. Most countries have laws similar to India.

It is, however, known the world over that tough laws have no direct correlation with falling crime. Yet, amendments to PMLA give seemingly unbridled powers to the ED. In 2012, the definition of money laundering was broadened to include concealment, acquisition, possession, and use of proceeds of crime as criminal activities. In 2015, the definition of proceeds of crime was extended to assets in India if the act of laundering was conducted abroad. The 2018 amendment revived the twin conditions for bail under Section 45, making it incumbent upon a court to satisfy itself that a crime was committed or the accused was unlikely to flee. But the coup de grace was delivered by the 2019 amendment that gave the ED almost unbridled powers of summons, arrests, raids and attachment of property. Money laundering also became a standalone offence, rather than a “connected schedule” offence. It authorised the search and seizure of property and persons on the basis of a simple warrant by an appropriate authority, without the registration of an FIR or a chargesheet.

Have the changes in law made a difference to ED’s performance? In terms of the number of cases registered and assets attached, the ED in the NDA regime beats the UPA years hollow. The return of confiscated assets worth Rs 15,000 crore to public sector banks is a great achievement. Against 1,797 cases in 2005-14, 5,155 cases were registered in 2014-23. In the same period, the value of assets attached went up from Rs 5,086 crore to Rs 1.2 lakh crore. But only 25 cases have gone through the court processes; 24 of them resulted in a conviction.

While these numbers may bring cheer to the ED and government, a plethora of issues raise concern. Is PMLA a draconian piece of legislation or is it that the ED does not provide a level-playing field? Politicians have been implicated in only 3 per cent of the ED cases, but more than 90 per cent are from the Opposition. Those who have shifted from the Opposition to the ruling side find their cases being put in cold storage.

But PMLA is not all about politicians. It’s more about the other 97 per cent accused — some in jail for long periods because of the extremely stringent bail conditions and inordinately long judicial trial. In 21 years, only 25 cases have been decided by the court — one reason being the various means deployed by rich offenders to delay trials. Another issue is whether the ED has the capacity to run so many investigations simultaneously. The agency has a sanctioned strength of 2,067. It has requested the government to triple its strength and establish offices in every state capital. Over 11,000 cases of foreign exchange violations were initiated in the past three years alone. How does the agency prioritise? Does it go sequentially or by the alleged pick-and-choose method whereby some old cases are put in cold storage on unusual considerations?

Liberalisation and the expansion of economy has led to an increase in white-collar crimes but can the world’s largest democracy use an Act with stringent provisions to curb them? These include arrest without ECIR, the statement of the accused before the ED being admissible, the burden of proof resting on the accused and no magisterial oversight. The potential of misuse of these draconian provisions by any ruling dispensation is large.

PMLA was framed under FATF directives, but it cannot go against the spirit of the Constitution. The ED needs to ensure that for legitimate relief enshrined in the PMLA, the accused do not have to approach the courts. The SC is due to review the harsh provisions of the Act later this year. If the Court does not provide relief, it will fall upon the people to pressure their representatives in the Parliament to amend the Act in the interest of democracy.

The writer is a former central information commissioner and a retired IPS officer who served as secretary, security, and special director, Intelligence Bureau. Views are personal

AAP’s Saurabh Bhardwaj writes: Offices of governor and L-G must be abolished

Until we do so, they will continue to function as agents of disruption and stifle the voice of the people and Indian democracy itself.

Written by Saurabh Bhardwaj

Updated: August 29, 2024 11:04 IST

Even as the current Delhi L-G’s term has been marked by one disaster after another, and despite his multiple attempts to stall works of the AAP government, we have continued to persevere and improve the everyday lives of people in the city.

It was amusing to read Delhi Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena’s criticism (‘Nightmare for aam aadmi’, IE, August 29) of governance in the national capital given that his singular achievement over the past two years has been to stall and disrupt many reforms and initiatives of the elected government.

During British rule, provincial governors were agents of the crown. The necessity of continuing with the post was debated extensively in the Constituent Assembly. The Assembly decided to retain the position but changed the governor’s role from the British era. It was also debated if the governor should be appointed by the president or if elections should be conducted for the post. Fearing the latter would create a parallel state leadership, the Constituent Assembly chose appointment by the president. The framers of our Constitution were clear on the governor’s role. B R Ambedkar referred to the governor’s position as “ornamental” and said that “he has no functions which he can discharge by himself.”

When Delhi got an elected government in 1992, the L-G was tasked with directly administering the functions related to land (through the DDA or Delhi Development Authority) and law and order (through the Delhi Police) under the Centre’s guidance. For all other functions, the L-G was to act on the advice of the elected government. This arrangement worked well until 2015 when the AAP government came to office with a historic mandate, which the BJP was unable to digest. Over the past decade, the BJP has weaponised the L-G’s office in Delhi much like it has used the governor’s office in Opposition-ruled states to stall the functioning of the elected governments.

The past two years have seen a complete breakdown in the constitutional role of the L-G’s office in Delhi. In the past, retired bureaucrats, IPS officers and ex-servicemen were appointed as Delhi L-G. A non-ex officer was appointed L-G in May 2022 and it is no secret as to whose “aid and advice” he is taking. Over the past two years, the L-G has worked with a single goal — derail many works of the elected government and upturn the democratic mandate in Delhi. The interference ranges from appointing hostile bureaucrats in key positions to blocking funds for the Delhi Jal Board and Farishtey Scheme.

At the same time, the core responsibilities of the L-G’s office have been neglected. As per 2022 NCRB data, Delhi registered over 1,800 crimes per 1 lakh residents, the highest in the country. Delhi was also ranked as the “most unsafe metro for women in the country” with three rape incidents reported every day. The city registered the highest crimes against children and senior citizens. There are increasing reports of thefts in the capital. Meanwhile, the performance of the Delhi Police continues to deteriorate with charge-sheets filed in only 30 per cent of all cases, among the lowest in the country. The number of PCR vans has not increased in spite of repeated demands from people. In case of the horrific rape on new year’s eve last year, the victim reportedly called the PCR van for an hour but none turned up.

The second core function of the L-G’s office relates to the DDA. The L-G has shed crocodile tears for 40 per cent of Delhi’s population living in unauthorised colonies and slums. He should know that these settlements exist because of the DDA’s failure to create adequate affordable housing in the capital for the past several decades. The DDA has also failed to create adequate commercial space for businesses in Delhi, forcing many to look for options in NCR. Nothing can be a bigger mark of the failure of the DDA than the fact that it has an inventory of more than 40,000 unsold flats, with an estimated value of Rs 18,000 crore. The DDA’s Master Plan 2041 has been delayed by over two years forcing the Supreme Court to note: “An utter mess has been made in the city.”

No incident gives a better picture of the willful disregard for constitutional norms, laws and Supreme Court decisions as the alleged illegal felling of trees in the ridge area earlier this year. The full facts of the matter are now in the public domain. Reportedly, the L-G ordered the felling of the trees to build a road. Never mind that the law requires the permission of a tree officer and the approval of the SC to cut even one tree of Delhi ridge. This action, too, attracted a sharp rebuke by the SC.

Even as the current Delhi L-G’s term has been marked by one disaster after another, and despite his multiple attempts to stall works of the AAP government, we have continued to persevere and improve the everyday lives of people in the city. Delhi offers the best public education in the country and government schools continue to outperform private schools. Delhi’s mohalla clinics continue to provide free treatment, tests and medicines to over 2 crore patients each year. Delhi is the only state to provide free and 24×7 electricity below 200 units to all residents. Delhi provides free water supply to over 70 per cent of its residents and has added over 7,000 km of pipelines in the last nine years. Delhi has added nearly 2,000 electric buses over the past four years, making it the third largest fleet in the world after China and Chile. By increasing its green cover, shifting the industry to clean fuel and shutting down its thermal plants, Delhi has managed to bring down pollution by 25 per cent in the past decade.

As Delhi and the rest of the country strive towards the path of progress, it is time we get rid of the office of L-G and governor, which are nothing but vestiges of the colonial era and have today become agents of the ruling party of the Centre. Until we do so, they will continue to function as agents of disruption and stifle the voice of the people and democracy itself.

The writer is Minister, Vigilance, Services, Health, Water, Industries, Urban development, Irrigation and Flood Control, Government of NCT of Delhi

August 29, 1984, Forty Years Ago: Sikh Convention

August 29, 1984, Forty Years Ago: The five Sikh high priests declared that they would go ahead with their decision to hold the world Sikh convention at Amritsar on September 2, despite denial of permission by the authorities.

By: Editorial

Updated: August 29, 2024 10:36 IST

This is the front page of The Indian Express published on August 29, 1984, Forty Years Ago.

The five Sikh high priests declared that they would go ahead with their decision to hold the world Sikh convention at Amritsar on September 2, despite denial of permission by the authorities. The convention has been called to discuss Sikh affairs with particular emphasis on the Army action at the Golden Temple complex and subsequent events.

FM To Opposition

Opposition leaders in the Rajya Sabha were no wiser from Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s remarks when they referred to news reports in The Indian Express on the Congress-I’s thoughts on a presidential form of government. The FM said he did not understand how members could believe that an amendment to the Constitution could occur through “some private conversation”.

Congress (I) Dinner

While a group of Congress (I) MPs was planning a second dinner meeting, this time at a bigger scale, to discuss the suggestion to switch over to a presidential form of government, a directive was issued to the party MPs not to proceed further. According to informed sources, the dinner hosted by the Punjab Congress (I ) MP, Sat Paul Mittal, to about 50 party MPs has served its purpose.

NAM On West Asia

The non-aligned nations are expected to call for an international conference on Lebanese and Palestinian issues under the auspices of the United Nations at the forthcoming session of the general assembly, the President of Yugoslavia, Veselin Djuranovic indicated in Delhi. After his talks with the Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi, the Yugoslav President said a proposal for an international conference would be discussed at the non-aligned coordinating bureau meeting.

Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes: Uncharted territory for India’s governance matrix

The main driver of the new governance matrix is not the presence of coalition partners, but the BJP's own weaknesses

Written by Pratap Bhanu Mehta

Updated: August 30, 2024 06:41 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chairs his first Cabinet meeting at the start of his third term in New Delhi, Monday. (ANI)

The setback that the BJP received in the last general election raises an interesting question. What kind of governance matrix has emerged in the wake of the election results? It was widely expected that the government would have to take the coalition partners on board. This, in and of itself, would not necessarily be a bad thing if it makes for more consensual governance and provides checks and balances. The coalition partners would extract their pound of flesh on a narrow range of issues that mattered to them. But the business of governing can go on. What has emerged, however, is a much deeper crisis. A government barely a few weeks into a new term is acting and behaving as if it is a lame duck government on its last legs. This does not mean that the government will fall. Quite the contrary. But what it does mean is that India will face a protracted governance vacuum.

So what are the elements of the new governance matrix? The most important element is the collapsing authority of the prime minister. The election results have dented his authority seriously. The crescendo of acclaim, the aura of invincibility that he was used to, was punctured. But the graph of his authority is descending even faster than the election results would lead one to believe.

This, in part, is because, at least domestically, the prime minister is giving a sense of being in a total funk — unable to diagnose the reasons for his defeat, and unable to chart a new course. He is on the back-foot in Parliament, not just because the Opposition is stronger and Parliament is more representative. The ability to control has gone. By all accounts, for the first time in his political career, the ability to intuit popular sentiment has disappeared and he seems like a broken record, living on the power of his past slogans that have outlived their freshness and usefulness. The imprimatur of conviction has gone.

There is more internal dissension within the party. The BJP has made u-turns in the past. But now the sense that they are not doing minimal political homework before bringing proposals is growing. In short, the challenge is not just coalition partners. It is the increasing weakness of the PM. He may well bounce back. But for the moment, despite appearances to the contrary, there is a sense of vacuum at the top. He is saddled with his own weaknesses and inner demons, not the constraints of coalition partners or any potential challengers.

The second element of the governance matrix is that the government will increasingly take recourse to a grammar of anarchy. The BJP’s diagnosis of its own defeat is still conspiratorial, as if, despite having the full might of the state machinery behind it, it was cheated by, amongst other things, foreign powers. When even as talented an administrator as Shivraj Singh Chouhan says “Hamare virodhi — jis mein yeh sach hai ki videshi taakatein bhi shamil hain — yeh hamare desh mein kaisey bhi BJP ki sarkaar na rahe…” In BJP circles, this crescendo has increased after Sheikh Hasina’s downfall in Bangladesh. The point is not the plausibility of this diagnosis, but what it reveals about how the BJP continues to regard the opposition to it.

The BJP’s record on respecting institutions is abysmal. But it is increasingly going to stay on course to use its institutional power to precipitate conflict. There are two signs of this. First, in the states where the BJP is not in power, it will continue to have an investment in using its institutional power to precipitate confrontation. Given the long history of the BJP’s dealings with Delhi government, it is no surprise, but it is still shocking to a sense of propriety that a sitting Lieutenant Governor should write an op-ed against his own elected government. It suggests that the BJP has institutionally learnt nothing, and is still determined to deny the Opposition its due place in governance.

In West Bengal, the R G Kar case has given the pretext not just for legitimate protest — it can potentially be used to lay the groundwork for making Bengal less governable. More damagingly, the one thing the election results have not dented is the BJP’s appetite for communalism. The use of bulldozers and vigilante justice in a communally charged manner continues apace. The setback in the elections has, ironically, led to a greater investment in the Hindutva project. For one thing, the RSS wants to rescue the Hindutva project from its identification with Modi. For another thing, the BJP is at a dead-end. Its record on governance was dented by the last election.

What India needs most is what might be called the radicalism of routine governance. Its besetting weakness is not the absence of big ideas or reforms. In many ways, the Indian state is now more capable. But the basic humdrum, almost invisible, task of governing like reforming police, improving schools, fixing sewage, managing the environment, changing bureaucratic cultures, regulatory clarity, is something that eludes most governments. Even the brightest and most promising schemes revert to a mean after a while.

The absence hinders India’s growth potential, and mission mode schemes cannot compensate for its absence. But routine governance does not provide a basis for mass mobilisation or electoral coalitions. So, you are left with just two instruments — welfare populism and ethnic mobilisation. The BJP will opt for both. But again, the compulsion will not come from the coalition partners. It will come from the BJP’s own weaknesses.

The main driver of the new governance matrix is not the presence of coalition partners. It is that the BJP is now characterised by a combination of a prime minister who seems increasingly out of sorts, a governing style that is deepening institutional confrontation, and a civil society rhetoric that is still invested in political communalism. These three elements make the BJP weaker as a governing force even more than the numbers imply. But these three elements are operating in an environment that is offering more resistance.

A more competitive electoral arena was likely to open up some space for independent institutions. On constitutional values, the judiciary is still doing its unprincipled stance of what one lawyer described as “one step forward, two steps sideways and three steps backward jurisprudence.” It is still not a reliable friend of liberty. But at least on matters of bail, the sense of government’s control over the judiciary has abated somewhat. With an emboldened Opposition now also itching for social confrontation, India’s governance matrix is going to enter uncharted territory.

The writer is a contributing editor, of The Indian Express

In Good Faith: How to ensure that our boys grow into good men

To address violence against the vulnerable, communities, schools and leaders have to step up

Written by Ameeta Mulla Wattal

Updated: August 29, 2024 11:04 IST

Medical professionals protest against the rape and murder of a female trainee doctor at Kolkata's R G Kar Medical College. (Express photo by Sankhadeep Banerjee)

Caregivers have an intrinsic role in keeping any society healthy. They are often seen through the lens of traditional gender roles and are expected to be nurturing, patient, and self-sacrificing. These stereotypes can lead to a lack of respect for professional boundaries and a higher likelihood of violence.

The increase in violence against female caregivers — teachers, nurses, social workers, doctors — can be attributed to a complex interplay of social, cultural, economic, and systemic factors. Deep-rooted misogyny and sexism in society contribute to this: Female caregivers may be targeted simply because they are women in positions of authority. Many of them work without adequate support systems which makes them more vulnerable to aggression from patients, students and colleagues.

From Rajni Bala, a teacher shot dead in Kashmir, to a trainee doctor in Kolkata who was raped and murdered, it is apparent that caregivers have become a target. But the nature of violence itself is changing in India. The last 10 years have seen crimes against women and children become more frequent and brutal.

Is this a comment on the value systems of our country, our education practices, or the attitudes of the people in power? Is this the result of a culture where there are no holds barred on books and movies that glorify toxic masculinity? Where actions come before thought; where immediate gratification, physical or sensual, is the order of the day; where pornography is readily available at the click of a button? If this is how we want to paint our future, communities and societies alike are facing a dark reality.

The perpetrators of these crimes would have been born into a family, attended school, connected with siblings, played games, had friends, may have been married, held a job and done all the things that people do. When, then, were the seeds of violence and deviant sexual behaviour sown?

The belief that anyone implicated for sexual assault has led a dysfunctional life, has a history of mental illness and substance abuse, has been exposed to violent and hypersexualised environments, and lacks empathy and social skills is a stereotype.

Casting individuals into good or bad backgrounds is not the answer. Many who have engaged in criminal offences come from affluent backgrounds and many who have faced violence have managed to overcome their challenges.

The question is: What is the anatomy of a person who preys upon individuals weaker than them? How do we address it?

A child’s development from ages three to 16 is marked by a significant growth in cognitive, emotional, social and physical domains. If we have to bring about a change, a revolution has to be brought into communities, families and schools, not only in urban, privileged India but in slums and villages too. These spaces too require gender sensitisation: Challenging harmful stereotypes, teaching children and community members to manage emotions, resolve conflicts peacefully and communicate effectively.

Local community leaders and religious figures have to advocate for peace and respect. Community watch programmes should be established along with helplines and reporting mechanisms for victims of violence. What is the role of our religious belief systems, sports culture, family structure, schools and colleges, the economy? In other words, how do we do things differently, how can we shape practices and change the socialisation of boys and definition of manhood?

We need people with power to prioritise these issues. Political statements are soon forgotten. Along with sensitivity training, we need leadership training. We need to break our silence and stand with women and children.

Our inner world defines what we do with our lives and our value systems. Parents, educators and society itself need to be broadcasters, pulsing out meaningful messages. If we do this together, we will create in children the ability to think with empathy and compassion and explore complex realities that will help them become the conscionable adults of tomorrow.

The writer is chairperson and executive director, Education, Innovations and Training, DLF Schools and Scholarship Programmes

UPSC-CSE Key

- Small Industries — Role, importance and challenges

- UPSC Key | 10 years of PMJDY, PMLA bail, Section 377 and more

- UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Economy MCQs on Zero tillage, PMJDY and more (Week 73)

- UPSC Issue at a Glance | Lateral entry and civil service reforms: 4 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

- Knowledge nugget of the day: IMD’s colour-coded weather alerts

- UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Environment, Geography, Sci-Tech MCQs on Lithium, space anaemia and more (Week 73)

- India’s evolving engagement with Southeast Asia and Indo-Pacific

- UPSC Key | PMLA, Combination drugs, PMJDY and more

- UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 2 : Questions on India-Japan relations and South China Sea (Week 66)

- Knowledge nugget of the day: PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

Small Industries — Role, importance and challenges

How are Small Scale Industries as part of MSMEs instrumental in employment creation and economic growth?

Written by Nitendra Pal Singh

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 10:34 IST

According to MoSPI it employs about 175 lakh people. (Source: Pixabay.com)

Small-scale industries make up about 95 per cent of all industrial units and form a significant part of the economic structure of the nation. Mahatma Gandhi said that “The salvation of India lies in cottage and small scale industries”. According to MoSPI, it employs about 175 lakh people. Hence, this sector plays an important role in employment generation too. The range of industries includes modern small-scale industries, unorganised traditional industries, and organised big and medium-sized businesses.

How are small industries compared to other industries under MSMEs?

Classification of Industries

Classification/Industry type

Micro

Small

Medium

Investment

Not more than Rs.1 crore

Not more than Rs.10 crore

Not more than Rs.50 crore

Annual Turnover

Not more than Rs. 5 crore

Not more than Rs. 50 crore

Not more than Rs. 250 crore

Role of small industries in the Indian Economy

Growth of entrepreneurial activities: Small industries’ innovative business practices have aided in expanding the influence of entrepreneurial activities. This has led to include more economic sectors and offer a wider variety of goods and services satisfying both local and international consumer needs.

Industrialisation of rural and underdeveloped areas: They have lowered regional imbalances and ensured a more equitable distribution of wealth and income across the country.

Employment generation: These small industries in India play a critical role in the country’s economic growth by creating large employment opportunities at a significantly lower capital cost than large industries.

What are Village and Small Industries?

Village and Small Industry (VSI) is the colloquial term for unorganised traditional sectors and small-scale industries. The seven sub-sectors that make up the VSI sector are handicrafts, handlooms, Khadi and Village Industries, Coir, Sericulture, Power Looms, and Small Scale Industries.

Government’s initiatives

Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP): The program’s objective is to create jobs by establishing new microbusinesses, projects, and self-employment endeavours in both rural and urban sections of the nation. Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), the national nodal body, is responsible for implementing the scheme. The State offices of KVIC, State Khadi and Village Industries Boards (KVIB), District Industries Centres (DIC), Coir Board (for coir-related activities), and Banks are the entities that carry out the scheme at the State level.

Collateral-Free Credit Provision for MSME: Banks and other financial institutions (including NBFCs) are guaranteed to offer collateral-free credit to Micro and Small Businesses. The Scheme covers up to Rs. 5 crore (w.e.f. 01.04.2023) per borrowing unit of collateral-free credit facilities (term loans and/or working capital) provided to micro and small businesses by qualified lending institutions.

A Scheme for Promotion of Innovation, Rural Industry & Entrepreneurship (ASPIRE): The ASPIRE program was given approval to continue from 2021–2022 to 2025–2026 with a budgetary expenditure of Rs. 194.87 crore. On January 28, 2022, the updated guidelines were released, incorporating the subsequent goals and actions:

(i) Reduce unemployment and generate jobs,

(ii) Encourage India’s entrepreneurial culture,

(iii) Encourage innovation to boost the MSME sector’s competitiveness.

Entrepreneurship and Skill Development Programmes (ESDP): The program’s goal is to encourage young people from a variety of social backgrounds, such as women, SC/ST, disabled people, ex-servicemen, and BPL individuals, to think about a career in self-employment or entrepreneurship.

Scheme of Fund for Regeneration of Traditional Industries (SFURTI): The scheme aims to create competitive, long-term sustainable employment opportunities for traditional industries and artisans by organising them into clusters. It also aims to improve the marketability of the products produced by these clusters, equip traditional artisans of the associated clusters with improved skills, provide improved tools and equipment for artisans, strengthen the cluster governance systems with active stakeholder participation, and develop innovative products, advanced technologies, advanced processes, market intelligence, and new models of public-private partnerships.

MSME Champions Scheme: For a period of five years, from 2021–2022 to 2025–2026, the MSME Champions program consists of three parts:

1. MSME-Sustainable (ZED) Certification Scheme

2. MSME-Competitive (Lean) Scheme

3. MSME-Innovative (for Incubation, IPR and Design) Scheme

Greening MSME: SIDBI has launched a programme called “Greening MSME” which provides financial assistance with a maximum limit of INR 20 crores to MSMEs to implement energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable technologies.

Note: The State Governments have the primary duty for the development and promotion of these small industries.

Challenges

Shubham Gupta, Manager (Climate Finance), Climate Resilience Practice programme, World Resources Institute India discusses the following challenges :

Access to finance: It is one of the most significant issues for Indian MSMEs, with a total financing shortfall estimated to reach $400 billion. While bridging this gap may take much longer, targeted green finance schemes in key technologies and sectors such as waste management, electric vehicles, energy efficiency, and renewables can help MSME growth in these areas.

Interest rates: By lowering interest rates and making consumer finance, housing loans, and vehicle loans easily accessible to consumers, the Central Government should act to boost demand in the market.

Climate commitments and transitioning to low-carbon: The only thing small enterprises can do is follow the applicable environmental regulations. Even as the global demand and supply chains quickly migrate to greener, environmentally friendly processes and products while capitalising on newly created business opportunities, there is no strategic plan to enable MSMEs to deal with transition risks.

Unorganised nature: As a result of its fragmented structure and small-scale businesses (almost all Indian MSMEs are micro-sized), the sector is one of the most susceptible in the country’s economy. This vulnerability has been brought to light by the COVID-19 pandemic, as it is estimated that millions of MSMEs will have to close their doors due to decreased demand brought on by the lockdown.

Green transition of MSMEs: It is necessary to acknowledge that their exposure to policy and demand uncertainties is greater on the downside than on the upside. Even if they understand the commercial case for going green, the majority of them are too financially and technically limited to invest in new actions. Nonetheless, some government initiatives can help remove current obstacles.

Incentives and penalties: Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) behaviour might be encouraged to go beyond simple compliance by taxing negative externalities and providing subsidies or tax breaks for green expenditures. Updating environmental legislation can also take into account the hazards that various industries provide. Before being widely enforced, these policies must first be evaluated for their effect on MSMEs.

Way ahead

Ranjana Das in her Opinion column for The Indian Express (How MSMEs can benefit by adopting sustainable practices)  suggests:

MSMEs should adopt good practices such as including low energy strategies, adopting renewable, waste management, safety of women, and timely wage payment.

Governments, business groups, civil society organisations, and other stakeholders can take an active role in raising awareness, sharing best practices, and offering training and resources. Governments and investors can provide financial incentives, such as tax breaks, subsidies, grants, and low-interest loans, to encourage MSMEs to adopt sustainable practices or invest in sustainable technologies.

Larger firms can help MSMEs implement sustainable practices by providing training, technical assistance, and financing.

(Sources: mospi.gov.in, msme.gov.in, Greening MSMEs by Shubham Gupta, How MSMEs can benefit by adopting sustainable practices by Ranjana Das)

UPSC Key | 10 years of PMJDY, PMLA bail, Section 377 and more

Exclusive for Subscribers Daily: How are the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and bail provisions under PMLA relevant to the UPSC Exam? What significance do topics like the Gaganyaan mission and industrial smart cities have for the preliminary and main exams? You can learn more by reading the Indian Express UPSC Key for August 29, 2024.

Written by Manas Srivastava , Roshni Yadav

+1 More

- Nitendra Pal Singh

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 20:22 IST

PMJDY account holders displaying their RuPay cards. Know more in our UPSC Key. (Source: PTI photo)

🚨 Attention: UPSC Key is now all 7 Days a Week!🚨

Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for August 29, 2024. If you missed the August 28th, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key 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🚨

Front Page

PM Modi: Jan Dhan has led to over 53 crore bank accounts, women being empowered

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: GS-II, GS-III: Government policies and interventions; Economic development, Government Schemes

What’s the ongoing story- As the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) completed 10 years on Wednesday (August 28), Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the “momentous” achievement of the scheme that has been “paramount in boosting financial inclusion and giving dignity to crores of people, especially women, youth, and the marginalised communities”

Prerequisites:

— What is the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) and its objectives?

— What do you understand by the term “financial inclusion”?

— What is JAM trinity?

Key takeaways:

From Explained “10 years of Jan Dhan”

— The PMJDY was launched on August 28, 2014, as a national mission for financial inclusion. Over the last decade, 53.13 crore Jan Dhan accounts have been opened, with 29.56 crore women beneficiaries, more than the population of the European Union, and almost the same as the population of the United States respectively, the government said.

— The foremost objective of the PMJDY was to open a Basic Savings Bank Account for unbanked individuals. There was no requirement to maintain any minimum balance in PMJDY accounts, and these accounts earned interest on deposits like regular accounts.

— PMJDY account-holders were given RuPay debit cards.

— An accident insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh was available with RuPay cards issued to PMJDY account holders. The cover was enhanced to Rs 2 lakh for new PMJDY accounts opened after August 28, 2018.

— Eligible PMJDY account holders can avail overdraft (OD) facility up to Rs 10,000.

— PMJDY accounts are also eligible for Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY), and the Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Bank (MUDRA) scheme.

— The scheme, which is one of the components of the JAM trinity of PMJDY, Aadhaar, and mobile, has had a transformative impact on the financial and banking sectors of the economy.

— First, the opening of more than half a billion bank accounts has fuelled demand for banking services, encouraging commercial banks to expand their infrastructure in recent years.

— Second, the rollout of payment solutions such as UPI — launched two years after the PMJDY has eased and increased banking transactions.

— Third, PMJDY accounts have become the bedrock of the government’s DBT architecture.

For Your Information:

From the Editorial Page “For the Underserved”

— The Jan Dhan Yojana has not only helped narrow the gap in access to the formal banking system that existed between rural and urban areas — of all the accounts opened under the scheme, around 67 per cent are in rural/semi-urban areas — but has also helped bridge the gender gap. Roughly 56 per cent of the new account holders are women. The benefits that have accrued from this scheme extend beyond the bank account.

— The JAM trinity (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and mobile) has enabled the government to shift to a more efficient system for transferring benefits directly to beneficiaries. It has helped ensure more accurate targeting, while at the same time helping reduce leakages from the system.

— The JAM framework also forms an integral part of the Unified Payments Interface which has transformed the payment systems in the country, leading to significant economic gains.

— The challenge for the banking system has been to manage the costs associated with the opening and servicing of these accounts. There is also a need to focus on financial products and services that are tailored to the needs of households at the lower end of the income distribution, keeping in mind their irregular and uncertain income streams and the lack of collateral. In this regard, the new architecture — Unified Lending Interface — could serve the segments that are still left out.

Points to Ponder:

— What are the benefits of PMJDY?

— What are the issues and challenges faced by the Indian Banking System?

— What is Unified Lending Interface?

— What initiatives have been taken by the government to promote financial inclusion?

Post Read Question:

Prelims

(1) With reference to the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), consider the following statements:

1. The scheme provided an unprecedented boost to the government’s campaign for financial inclusion.

2. It was launched in 2016.

3. The objective of the PMJDY was to open a Basic Savings Bank Account for unbanked individuals.

4. These accounts are required to maintain any minimum balance in PMJDY accounts.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Mains

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is necessary for bringing unbanked to the institutional finance fold. Do you agree with this for financial inclusion of the poorer section of the Indian society? Give arguments to justify your opinion. (UPSC CSE 2016)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Knowledge nugget of the day: PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

SC underlines: Bail is the rule, jail exception even in PMLA cases, Article 21 higher right

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance, Indian Polity and Governance- Constitution, Rights Issues

Mains Examination: GS-II: Polity and Constitution

What’s the ongoing story- The Supreme Court reiterated Wednesday that the legal principle “bail is the rule and jail is the exception” will apply even in cases registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002.

Prerequisites:

— Read about the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) 2002.

— What are the different kinds of bail?

— What is Article 21?

— What are the bail provisions under PMLA?

Key takeaways:

— Granting bail to Prem Prakash, named as an accused by the Enforcement Directorate in a PMLA case in Jharkhand, the bench of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan referred to the Supreme Court’s ruling in the July 27, 2022 ruling in Vijay Madanlal Choudhary and Ors. Vs Union of India and Ors, upholding the constitutional validity of PMLA, and the powers of the ED under it.

— Writing for the bench, Justice Viswanathan said in the Madanlal Choudhary judgment, the Court had “categorically held that while Section 45 of PMLA restricts the right of the accused to grant of bail, it could not be said that the conditions provided under Section 45 impose absolute restraint on the grant of bail”.

— He said “these observations are significant and if read in the context of the recent pronouncement of this Court dated 09.08.2024” granting bail to former Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in the CBI and ED cases against him, “it will be amply clear that even under PMLA, the governing principle is that ‘Bail is the Rule and Jail is the Exception’.”

— The bench, in its ruling Wednesday, said, “all that Section 45 of PMLA mentions is that certain conditions are to be satisfied. The principle that, ‘bail is the rule and jail is the exception’ is only a paraphrasing of Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which states that no person shall be deprived of his life or personal liberty except according to the procedure established by law. Liberty of the individual is always a Rule and deprivation is the exception. Deprivation can only be by the procedure established by law, which has to be a valid and reasonable procedure”

— It said while applying Section 45 of PMLA, “Article 21 being a higher constitutional right, statutory provisions should align themselves to the said higher constitutional edict”.

For Your Information:

From the Ideas Page “A Punishing Process”

— Yashovardhan Azad Writes— “A clutch of recent Supreme Court judgments has established that the principle “bail is the rule, and jail is the exception” shall apply to special laws like the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) or the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, 2002 (PMLA). In the case of B R S leader K Kavitha too, the court observed on Tuesday, “Undertrial custody should not turn into a punishment”.

— “The ED, the PMLA has been framed in consonance with the directives of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an intergovernmental organisation formed to combat money laundering and terror financing. Most countries have laws similar to India.”

— “PMLA was framed under FATF directives, but it cannot go against the spirit of the Constitution. The ED needs to ensure that for legitimate relief enshrined in the PMLA, the accused does not have to approach the courts. The SC is due to review the harsh provisions of the Act later this year.”

Points to Ponder:

— What are the recent amendments to the PMLA?

— What are the criticisms of the PMLA?

— What are the rights provided to the person under the arrest?

Post Read Question:

Prelims

(2) Consider the following:

1. Exchange between virtual digital assets and fiat currencies.

2. Exchange between one or more forms of virtual digital assets.

3. Transfer of virtual digital assets.

4. Safekeeping or administration of virtual digital assets or instruments enabling control over virtual digital assets.

How many of the above are covered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Mains

Discuss how emerging technologies and globalisation contribute to money laundering. Elaborate measures to tackle the problem of money laundering both at national and international levels. (UPSC CSE 2021)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

PMLA bail: Supreme Court follows rulings to rein in ED powers

How anti-money laundering law came to have a vast scope, granting police powers to ED

UPSC Essentials: One word a day- Money laundering

Express Network

‘There can’t be a vacuum’: Delhi HC directs Centre to consider inclusion of Sec 377 equivalent in BNS

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Polity, Constitution and Rights Issues.

What’s the ongoing story- Disposing of a public interest litigation (PIL) by lawyer Gantavya Gulati highlighting the absence of an equivalent to Indian Penal Code (IPC) Section 377 (unnatural offences) in the newly enacted Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed the Union government to treat the plea as a representation and decide on the same “as expeditiously as possible, preferably in six months”.

Prerequisites:

— Read about the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

— What is the rationale behind the introduction of new criminal laws?

— Know about Section 377 of the IPC.

Key takeaways:

— A bench of Acting Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela observed that “prima facie, to this court, while the perpetrator has been made gender neutral thereby permitting any gender be recognised as the wrongdoer, the gender of the victim remain specified as a woman”.

— While a 2023 Home Affairs’ Parliamentary Standing Committee report on the BNS had recommended retaining Section 377 in the BNS, the same was not explicitly included in the new legislation that replaced IPC from July 1.

For Your Information:

—  The Supreme Court in Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India decriminalised homosexuality by ruling that Section 377 (unnatural offences) of the IPC does not punish people in same-sex relationships. This provision punished anyone who “voluntarily has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman or animal”. Though the SC reinterpreted the provision, Section 377 remained in the text of the IPC until the BNS came into force — where it was deleted entirely.

— The Indian Penal Code (IPC) of 1862 has been replaced by a new set of criminal laws known collectively as the BNS, ending 160 years of the code being in existence.

Points to Ponder:

— What are the major provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita?

— What is the stigma attached to homosexual relations even after the strike down of IPC Section 377?

— What is a civil union? How is it different from marriage?

Post Read Question:

(3) Which of the following cases is related to Section 377 of IPC?

(a) Lily Thomas v. Union of India

(b) Navtej Singh Johar v. Union of India

(c) Puttuswammy Case

(d) M.C Mehta v. Union of India

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Indian Penal Code to Nyaya Sanhita: What’s new, what is out, what changes

India’s New Criminal Laws

The Editorial Page

Breaking a harmful pattern

UPSC Syllabus:

Mains Examination: GS-IV: Human Values – Role of Family Society and Educational Institutions in Inculcating Values.

What’s the ongoing story– Ameeta Mulla Wattal writes: “The increase in violence against female caregivers — teachers, nurses, social workers, doctors — can be attributed to a complex interplay of social, cultural, economic, and systemic factors. Deep-rooted misogyny and sexism in society contribute to this: Female caregivers may be targeted simply because they are women in positions of authority. Many of them work without adequate support systems which makes them more vulnerable to aggression from patients, students and colleagues.”

Central Question: How to ensure that our boys grow into good men – to address violence against the vulnerable, communities, schools and leaders have to step up.

Prerequisites:

— Know about Kolkata doctor rape-murder case.

Key Takeaways:

— “From Rajni Bala, a teacher shot dead in Kashmir, to a trainee doctor in Kolkata who was raped and murdered, it is apparent that caregivers have become a target. But the nature of violence itself is changing in India. The last 10 years have seen crimes against women and children become more frequent and brutal.”

— “The belief that anyone implicated for sexual assault has led a dysfunctional life, has a history of mental illness and substance abuse, has been exposed to violent and hypersexualised environments, and lacks empathy and social skills is a stereotype.”

— “Casting individuals into good or bad backgrounds is not the answer. Many who have engaged in criminal offences come from affluent backgrounds and many who have faced violence have managed to overcome their challenges.”

— “A child’s development from ages three to 16 is marked by a significant growth in cognitive, emotional, social and physical domains. If we have to bring about a change, a revolution has to be brought into communities, families and schools, not only in urban, privileged India but in slums and villages too. These spaces too require gender sensitisation.”

Point to ponder:

— How can we create in children the ability to think with empathy and compassion so that they can become the conscionable adults of tomorrow?

Post Read Question:

Caregivers have an intrinsic role in keeping any society healthy. But still they have to face a lack of respect for professional boundaries and a higher likelihood of violence. Why?

What is the anatomy of a person who preys upon individuals weaker than them? How do we address it?

(Thought Process: Along with sensitivity training, we need leadership training. What is the role of our religious belief systems, sports culture, family structure, schools and colleges, the economy?)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Kolkata rape and murder: When the law fails women

Explained

How ISRO designed humanoid skull which will be used in Gaganyaan

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance

Mains Examination: GS-III: Space technology

What’s the ongoing story- The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) uncrewed Gaganyaan mission in 2025 will carry the female half humanoid Vyomitra (literally “space friend”). The design for Vyomitra’s skull, fashioned by ISRO’s Inertial Systems Unit in the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, was finalised recently.

Prerequisites:

— Read about ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission

— What are humanoids?

Key takeaways:

— Humanoids (or half-humanoids) are robotic systems designed to resemble humans — Vyomitra comes with movable arms, a torso, a face, and a neck — and function autonomously in space.

— In general, robotic devices let astronauts conduct monotonous and/or dangerous activities in space, like cleaning solar panels or repairing defective equipment outside the spacecraft. This safeguards astronauts while allowing them to focus on the scientific mission at hand.

— The mission for next year is largely intended to demonstrate the Vyomitra’s technological capabilities. The half-humanoid will utilise its robotic arms to operate the crew console, visually monitor various systems within the crew module, and interact with the mission control team on Earth.

— ISRO will assess the robot’s technology to determine the potential effects of space flight on humans before India’s first crewed mission, which is scheduled for later in 2025.

For Your Information:

How did ISRO design the humanoid skull for Vyomitra?

— The recently designed Vyomitra skull will store the robot’s vital components. It is made of an aluminium alloy (AlSi10Mg) noted for its excellent flexibility, low weight, heat resistance, and mechanical qualities. This alloy is extensively used to manufacture automotive engines and aeronautical components.

— The skull has been intended to be extremely strong, capable of withstanding the tremendous vibrational pressures that occur during a rocket launch. The aluminium alloy’s strong strength allows for a yield strength of more than 220 MegaPascals. Yield strength is the greatest stress that a material can withstand before it irreversibly deforms.

— The humanoid skull model is 200mm x 200mm and weighs only 800 grams.

— AlSi10Mg is also suitable for additive manufacturing (AM). This is how the humanoid skull was formed. AM facilitates the induction of lattice structures, as seen in the humanoid skull design. Importantly, it contributes to a significant reduction in the overall weight of the finished product. Unlike traditional manufacturing techniques, AM uses a layered process to generate a desired part or product, which is a frequent mechanism in 3D printing.

Points to Ponder:

— Why aluminium as a metal is not used and it is used in the form of an alloy?

— Read about 3-D printing and its applications

Post Read Question:

(4) AlSi10Mg, an aluminium alloy used for designing Vyomitra skull known for its:

1. Low heat resistance

2. Heavy weight

3. High flexibility

4. High yield strength

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 2, 3 and 4 only

(c) 3 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2 and 4 only

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

ISRO finalises design of skull for the humanoid on Gaganyaan mission

Himachal Bill raises women’s marriage age; what happens next?

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Government policies and interventions

What’s the ongoing story- The Himachal Pradesh Assembly passed a Bill to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Himachal Pradesh Amendment) Bill, 2024, was passed by voice vote. The Bill amended the Prohibition of Child Marriage (PCM) Act, which was passed by Parliament in 2006.

Prerequisites:

— Read about the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006

— How is a bill passed by voice vote?

— The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Himachal Pradesh Amendment) Bill, 2024

Key takeaways:

— While presenting the Bill in the Assembly on Tuesday, Health, Social Justice, and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil said raising the minimum age of marriage for women would provide them with opportunities.

— The minister also highlighted that early marriage and motherhood often severely impact the health of women. According to the ‘Statement of Objects and Reasons’ provided with the Bill,  “The early marriages…act as a hindrance not only in the progress of their (women’s) career but also in their physical development.”

What amendments have the Bill introduced to the Prohibition of Child Marriage (PCM) Act?

— Section 2(a) of the PCM Act defines a “child” as someone “who, if male, has not completed twenty-one years of age, and if a female, has not completed eighteen years of age”. The Himachal Bill eliminates this distinction on the basis of age between “males” and “females”. It defines a “child” as “a male or female who has not completed twenty-one years of age”.

— The Bill also amends Section 2(b) of the PCM Act, which defines “child marriage” as “a marriage to which either of the contracting parties is a child”. The Bill has added a clause giving it an overriding effect over “anything contrary or inconsistent therewith contained in any other law…including any custom or usage or practice governing the parties”.

— The Bill introduces Section 18A to the PCM Act, which gives the same overriding effect to the entire central law and its provisions.

— The Bill increases the time-period for filing a petition to annul a marriage. Under Section 3 of the PCM Act, the “contracting party who was a child at the time of the marriage” can file a petition to annul the marriage within two years of attaining majority (before they turn 20 for women, and 23 for men). The Bill increases this period to five years, allowing both women and men to file petitions to annul the marriage before they turn 23 years old (the minimum age for marriage at 21 years is higher than the age of majority at 18 years).

For Your Information:

How will the Bill’s amendments to the PCM Act come into force?

— The Concurrent List — or List III under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India — contains a list of subjects that both the central and state governments can pass laws on.

— Entry 5 of the Concurrent List comprises a number of subjects including “ marriage and divorce; infants and minors;…all matters in respect of which parties in judicial proceedings were immediately before the commencement of this Constitution subject to their personal law”. This allows both the Centre and states to enact laws to address child marriage.

— Under Article 200 of the Constitution, a Bill passed by a state Assembly will be handed over to the Governor of that state for her assent. The Governor can then declare that she assents to the Bill (making it a law), return the Bill for reconsideration, or “reserve” it for consideration by the President. The President can then declare that she assents or withholds assent to the Bill, or direct the Governor to send it back for reconsideration.

— However, the Bill passed by Himachal Pradesh changes the PCM Act by adopting a different marriage age for women, rendering it incompatible with the Act passed by Parliament. According to Article 254(1) of the Constitution, if a state legislature enacts a law dealing with a matter on the Concurrent List that is “repugnant” — inconsistent or contradictory — with a central law, the repugnant element of the state law is “void”.

— The exception is allowed in Article 254(2). If the Bill in question conflicts with an earlier or existing law passed by Parliament, it must be reserved for the President’s consideration and acquire her assent under Article 201. Only then would the repugnant provision of state law be legitimate. So, for the Himachal Pradesh Bill to take effect, Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla must reserve it for President Droupadi Murmu’s consideration, after which she must determine whether to give her approval to the Bill.

Points to Ponder:

— What options does the president have when the bill is reserved for consideration by the President?

— Read about how bills are passed

— Role of governor in passing of state bills/amendment acts.

Post Read Question:

(5) When a bill is reserved by the governor for consideration by the President, then the president can:

1. give assent to the bill

2. cannot withhold the bill

3. cannot sent back to the governor for reconsideration

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Himachal Assembly passes bill raising marriage age for women to 21 years

Decode Politics: Himachal raises minimum age of marriage for women to 21, and why own party ‘surprised’

Economy

Cabinet approves setting up of 12 industrial smart cities across 10 states

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Economic and Social Development

Mains Examination: GS II, GS III: Government policies and interventions, Agriculture, Infrastructure

What’s the ongoing story– The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday approved setting up of 12 industrial smart cities under the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP) with an estimated investment of Rs. 28,602 crore.

Prerequisites:

— What are greenfield smart cities?

— What are ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’, PM GatiShakti,  Smart Cities Mission and ‘Viksit Bharat’?

Key Takeaways:

— The project spans across 10 states and is strategically planned along six major corridors. These industrial areas will be located in Khurpia in Uttrakhand, Rajpura-Patiala in Punjab, Dighi in, Maharashtra, Palakkad in Kerala, Agra and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, Gaya in Bihar, Zaheerabad in Telangana, Orvakal and Kopparthy in Andhra Pradesh and Jodhpur-Pali in Rajasthan.

Highlights of NICDP

— Strategic investments- to foster a vibrant industrial ecosystem by facilitating investments from both large anchor industries and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

— Smart cities and modern infrastructure- greenfield smart cities of global standards to be  built “ahead of demand” on the ‘plug-n-play’ and ‘walk-to-work’ concepts.

— Area approach on PM GatiShakti- the projects will feature multi-modal connectivity infrastructure, ensuring seamless movement of people, goods, and services.

— Vision for a ‘Viksit Bharat’- positioning India as a strong player in the Global Value Chains (GVC) and aligns with the broader objective of creating an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’ or a self-reliant India

— Economic impact and employment generation- an estimated 1 million direct jobs and up to 3 million indirect jobs being created through planned industrialization

— Commitment to sustainable development- designed with a focus on sustainability, incorporating ICT-enabled utilities and green technologies to minimize environmental impact.

For Your Information

— The Union Cabinet expanded the scope of the credit scheme at subsidised interest rate under the ₹1 lakh crore Agriculture Infrastructure Fund (AIF). It will strengthen the farm related infrastructure facilities in the country.

Points to ponder:

— ‘To measure economic growth, India must look at jobs, not products.’ Do you agree?

Post Read Question:

The government aims to create industrial cities that are not just hubs of economic activity. Discuss how India envisions its industrial growth?

ALSO IN NEWS

Bhatti appointed new CISF DG; Chaudhary named BSF chief

Senior IPS officers Rajwinder Singh Bhatti and Daljit Singh Chaudhary were on Wednesday appointed as the chiefs of the Central Industrial Security Force and the Border Security Force.

UPSC authorised to authenticate Aadhaar cards of examinees: Govt

The government on Wednesday authorised the Union Public Service Commission to perform Aadhaar authentication of candidates for the 14 examinations conducted by it, including the Civil Services Examination.
Last month, the UPSC had floated a tender for “Aadhaar-based authentication and facial recognition of candidates, QR code scanning of e-Admit cards and live AI-based CCTV surveillance”.

Yunus led Bangladesh’s interim govt lifts ban on Jamaat e Islami Party

The interim government of Bangladesh on Wednesday lifted the ban on Jamaat-e-Islami, the country’s largest Islamist party. The ban had been imposed by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted amid widespread protests.
To know more read Who are the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, the country’s largest Islamist party?

Prelims Answer Key

1. (b)  2. (d)  3. (b)  4. (c)  5. (b)

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 – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.

UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Economy MCQs on Zero tillage, PMJDY and more (Week 73)

Are you preparing for UPSC CSE Prelims 2025? What are the features of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) and what is the importance of recently launched Unified Lending Interface. Read it to know more. Check your progress and revise your topics through this quiz on Economy.

Written by Nitendra Pal Singh

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 10:38 IST

The Krishi-DSS is part of the Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture announced by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech on July 23. Find a question on Krishi-DSS in today's quiz. (File Photo)

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 Economy to check your progress. Come back tomorrow to solve the International Relations Quiz.

🚨 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

With reference to the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), consider the following statements:

1. The scheme provided an unprecedented boost to the government’s campaign for financial inclusion.

2. It was launched in 2016.

3. The objective of the PMJDY was to open a Basic Savings Bank Account for unbanked individuals.

4. These accounts are required to maintain any minimum balance in PMJDY accounts.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Explanation

— As the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) completed 10 years on Wednesday (August 28), Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the “momentous” achievement of the scheme that has been “paramount in boosting financial inclusion and giving dignity to crores of people, especially women, youth, and the marginalised communities”. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— The PMJDY was launched on August 28, 2014, as a national mission for financial inclusion. Hence, statement 2 is not correct.

— Guinness World Records recognised the achievement: “The most bank accounts opened in 1 week as part of a financial inclusion campaign is 18,096,130 and was achieved by Department of Financial Services, Government of India from 23 to 29 August 2014.”

— The foremost objective of the PMJDY was to open a Basic Savings Bank Account for unbanked individuals. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— There was no requirement to maintain any minimum balance in PMJDY accounts, and these accounts earned interest on deposits like regular accounts. Hence, statement 4 is not correct.

Features of PMJDY

— PMJDY account-holders were given RuPay debit cards.

— An accident insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh was available with RuPay cards issued to PMJDY account holders. The cover was enhanced to Rs 2 lakh for new PMJDY accounts opened after August 28, 2018.

— PMJDY accounts are also eligible for Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY), and the Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Bank (MUDRA) scheme.

— Eligible PMJDY account holders can avail overdraft (OD) facility up to Rs 10,000.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 2

Consider the following statements about the Unified Payments Interface:

1. It is a real-time payment system launched in India in 2018.

2. It was launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI).

3. It is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application.

4. It does not cater “Peer to Peer” collect requests.

Which of the statements given above are correct?

(a) 1 and 4 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1, 2 and 3 only

(d) 3 and 4 only

Explanation

— Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said that a nationwide launch of the Unified Lending Interface (ULI) will happen in due course. Similar to Unified Payment Interface (UPI), which has revolutionised the retail payment system in the country.

What is Unified Lending Interface?

— With rapid progress in digitalisation, India has adopted the concept of digital public infrastructure, which promotes banks, NBFCs, fintech companies, and start-ups to develop and supply innovative payment, credit, and other financial solutions.

— The RBI Governor stated that the ULI platform will allow for a seamless and consent-based flow of digital information, including land records from several states, from multiple data service providers to lenders. It will reduce the time required for credit appraisals, particularly for smaller and rural borrowers.

What is Unified Payments Interface?

— The National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) unveiled the Unified Payments Interface, or UPI, in April 2016. Hence, statement 1 is not correct and statement 2 is correct.

— It is a system that integrates several bank accounts into a single mobile application (from any participating bank), combining various banking capabilities, seamless fund routing, and merchant payments under one hood. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— UPI also supports “Peer to Peer” collect requests, which can be planned and paid as needed and conveniently. Hence, statement 4 is not correct.

— It allows for round-the-clock instant money transfers via mobile device. It enables a single mobile application to access many bank accounts.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

Krishi-Decision Support System (Krishi-DSS) is a first-of-its-kind geospatial platform specifically designed for Indian agriculture. It will provide access to:

1. Groundwater levels

2. Health of the soil

3. Weather information

4. Satellite images

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1, 2 and 4 only

(c) 2 and 4 only

(d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation

— The Centre government announced the Krishi-Decision Support System (K-DSS) portal, a satellite-based geospatial platform that will give farmers information on weather, groundwater levels, soil health, reservoir storage levels, and other data, such as satellite photos.

— The Krishi-DSS is a geospatial platform specifically intended for Indian agriculture.

— The agricultural ministry hosted the National Conference on Space Driven Solutions for agricultural Transformation in India, where it was introduced.

— The Krishi-DSS is part of the Digital Public Infrastructure for Agriculture and will serve as a repository for standardised geospatial data on weather, soil, crop, reservoir, and groundwater.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

With reference to the labour force participation in India, consider the following statements:

1. The labour force participation rate of females decreased from 2017-18 to 2022-23.

2. The labour force participation rate of males increased from 2017-18 to 2022-23.

Which of the statement(s) given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Explanation

— The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) has become the major source of measuring and understanding trends in India’s labour markets.

— The PLFS 2017-18 noted that “the unemployment rate among the youth was much higher compared to that in the overall population.” The unemployment rate was 6 per cent whereas the youth unemployment rate (age 15-29 years) was 18 per cent.

— According to the PLFS 2022-23, the unemployment rate has decreased, but the gap between total labour force and youth unemployment remains considerable. The overall unemployment rate for 2022-23 is 3.2%, while the young unemployment rate is 10%.

— The rural youth unemployment rate is 8%, whereas the urban unemployment rate is nearly double, at 15.7%.

— The unemployment rates for male and female youth are 9.7% and 10%, respectively. Female labour force participation climbed from 17% in 2017-18 to 27.8% in 2022-23. Male labour force participation was 55.5% in 2017-18, and it climbed marginally to 56.2% in 2022-23. Hence, statement 1 is not correct and statement 2 is correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

With reference to the Zero tillage, consider the following statements:

1. It is the practice of growing crops without disturbing the soil strata through traditional tillage methods.

2. It preserves the soil structure and enhances fertility.

3. It helps in reducing soil erosion.

4. It improves the water retention capacity of soil.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Explanation

— Zero tillage, often known as no-till farming, is the process of cultivating crops without disturbing soil strata using typical tillage methods. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— This strategy retains soil structure while increasing fertility, resulting in several environmental and economic benefits. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— This method entails spreading seeds directly into the soil, generally using specialised equipment that digs furrows without turning the soil.

— This approach dramatically minimises soil erosion while increasing soil’s water retention capacity. Hence, statement 3 and 4 are correct.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 73)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 73)

Daily subject-wise quiz — Environment, Geography, Science and Technology (Week 73)

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.

Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.

UPSC Issue at a Glance | Lateral entry and civil service reforms: 4 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

With the recent debate on lateral entry, civil service reforms have once again become a topic of discussion. Here are four important Q&As on lateral entry and civil service reforms that you shouldn't miss.

Written by Roshni Yadav

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 11:00 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.

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 Lateral entry and civil service reforms. Let’s get started!

If you missed the UPSC Issue at a Glance | Mpox outbreak and Public Health Emergency: 5 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains from the Indian Express, read it here.

What is the issue?

Recently, the Central government instructed the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to withdraw its advertisement of applications for lateral recruitment to senior bureaucratic positions at the Centre. Opposition party leaders had criticized the policy for not including reservations for Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), and Other Backward Classes (OBC) candidates. In this context, it becomes crucial to understand the lateral entry policy and civil service reforms from a broader perspective.

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Role of Civil Services in a Democracy, Government Policies & Interventions

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 the policy of lateral entry in bureaucracy?
2. What were the reasons behind the introduction of lateral entry?

3. What are the criticisms of lateral entry?

4. What are the other civil service reforms suggested by various committees?

Question 1: What is the policy of lateral entry in bureaucracy?

Lateral entry refers to the practice of recruiting individuals from the private sector for administrative positions within the government, even if they have not been part of the traditional bureaucratic setup.

Under the lateral entry policy government recruits some prominent persons for specific assignments in government, keeping in view their specialized knowledge and expertise in the domain area. Generally, these recruitments are made at the level of joint secretary, director and deputy secretary. The officers at these levels play an important role in policy-making.

In 2017, NITI Aayog, in its three-year Action Agenda, and the Sectoral Group of Secretaries (SGoS) on Governance in its report submitted in February, recommended the induction of personnel at middle and senior management levels in the central government. These ‘lateral entrants’ would be part of the central secretariat which, till then, had only career bureaucrats from the All India Services/ Central Civil Services. They would be given contracts of three years, extendable to a total term of five years.

Do you know?

A Joint Secretary, appointed by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC), has the third-highest rank (after Secretary and Additional Secretary) in a Department, and functions as the administrative head of a wing in the Department.
Directors are one rank below Joint Secretaries, and Deputy Secretaries are one rank below Directors, although in most ministries, they perform the same job.

While Director/Deputy Secretaries are considered middle-level officials in a department, the Joint Secretary-level is where the decision-making starts.

Points to Ponder:

— What are the constitutional provisions related to the Union Public Service Commission?

Question 2: What were the reasons behind the introduction of lateral entry?

The question often arises as to why we need lateral entry into the bureaucracy when we already have mechanisms for recruiting bureaucrats who have the necessary experience for efficient administration, policy-making, and implementation. However, there are several reasons behind the introduction of the lateral entry policy.

1. Bringing in Fresh Talent: In 2019, Minister of State for the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha that “lateral recruitment is aimed at achieving the twin objectives of bringing in fresh talent as well as augment the availability of manpower”.

According to Ravi Kapoor—“Lateral entrants, particularly those from the private sector, can infuse the bureaucracy with fresh ideas and innovative approaches, which are often lacking in government institutions…The private sector’s emphasis on efficiency and innovation is something the public sector can benefit from, and lateral entrants bring that much-needed perspective.”

2. Domain expertise: The idea behind lateral recruitment is for the government to tap into individuals’ domain expertise and specialised know-how, regardless of whether they are career bureaucrats or not.

On August 8, 2024, while responding to a question in the Rajya Sabha, Jitendra Singh said, “Keeping in view their specialized knowledge and expertise in the domain area, lateral recruitment at the level of Joint Secretary, Director and Deputy Secretary in Government of India, has been undertaken to appoint persons for specific assignments.”

3. Augmenting Manpower: The adoption of the lateral entry policy is also driven by the need to address the shortage of personnel, especially in mid-level and higher-level services.

Do you know?

The Baswan committee report (2016) brings important historical information into the light as it provides that “the first batch of IAS officers joined in 1948 and it was recognized that there was a serious gap in the posting of All-India Service officers given the fact that the last batch of the ICS joined in 1943. It was against this background that a decision was taken to fill in a number of posts other than through the competitive examination.
In pre-independence days such gaps were taken care of by promoting senior Provincial Civil Service Officers against listed’ posts, which were, in effect, Cadre Posts. Besides, there was no provision for promotion to the ICS and the IP from the Provincial Services.”

Points to Ponder:

— What is the expertise vs generalist or speciality vs lack of public service experience?

Question 3: What are the criticisms of lateral entry?

The fundamental concept of lateral entry is to bring in experts to the bureaucracy. However, this policy has faced criticism on various fronts.

1. Issue of Reservation: Lateral entries have been criticised on the grounds that there are no quotas for SC, ST and OBC candidates in such recruitment. Files obtained from the DoPT by The Indian Express under the RTI Act state that “In a single post cadre, reservation does not apply. Since each post to be filled under this scheme [lateral entry] is a Single Post, reservation is not applicable”.

13-point roster

Reservation in public jobs and universities is implemented via what is known as the “13-point roster”. According to this policy, a candidate’s position on a roster of openings is determined by dividing the quota percentage of their group (SC, ST, OBC, and now EWS) by a hundred.

2. Lack of clarity with a mandate for the lateral entrant: The lateral entry policy has also been criticised for the lack of clarity regarding the mandate for the lateral entrant.

Dhiraj Nayyar writes— “There is a difference in bringing expertise and being part of the decision-making process. For the former, the government doesn’t strictly need to hire “outsiders”. Expertise is widely available and used by almost every ministry — expert committees, consultations, think tank engagements, etc. To be disrupters, lateral entrants need to be able to stamp their authority on decision making. For this to happen, there need to be more lateral entrants at all levels in ministries. Anyone familiar with the functioning of government knows that there is a long chain in decision-making and a minority of one cannot override it. Also, it requires an understanding of the system and an ability to work with the “permanent” establishment. No training or orientation is provided for this. By the time networks are built, it is time to move on.”

3. Uncertainty with loyalty: Lateral entrants, often appointed for shorter tenures, may lack the long-term commitment and loyalty that permanent civil servants develop. Moreover, potential conflicts of interest between public service and private sector backgrounds could influence decision-making. To mitigate these risks, the selection process by UPSC must be transparent, and contractual clauses should address conflicts of interest, enforce non-disclosure agreements, and ensure accountability, Ravi Kapoor says.

4. Issues of Transparency and Conflict of Interest: From time to time, the lateral policy has also been criticised on the grounds of transparency, accountability, and conflict of interest.

Lateral entry into the Indian bureaucracy is a complex issue with potential benefits and concerns regarding social justice, accountability and transparency.

According to Express View on lateral entry in bureaucracy—

“The fact is that lateral entry is desirable and that, as it has done in the past, it can bring in much-needed fresh ideas and energy. It is required to enrich state capacities to meet the increasingly complex tasks of governance. While lateral entrants are no magical cure for systemic ills and deficiencies, and a case may be made for a more fundamental restructuring, they can help fill the gaps of expertise and specialisation for specific durations, for well-defined objectives.

Be it the Second Administrative Reforms Commission, 2005, or the Sixth Pay Commission, 2013, or the recommendations of the Niti Aayog in 2017, the need for the induction of personnel at senior and middle management levels in government has been repeatedly upheld and affirmed.

In recent years, the government has also expanded the scale and ambit of the lateral hiring strategy. And yet, the problem arises when the demands of “expertise” and “merit” are ranged against the imperatives of “social justice” and “equality”. They need not be seen as antagonistic, and they are, in fact, aligned and mutually reinforcing. As the Supreme Court underlined in its recent judgment on subquotas for SCs and STs, the binary of merit vs reservation must be challenged in a country of great inequalities. Merit should be understood in terms of the social goods of equality and inclusivity — the conflict is between haves and have-nots, and not between merit and distributive justice.”

Points to Ponder:

— Why are there no quotas in lateral recruitment?

Question 4: What are the other civil services reforms suggested by various committees?

Administration is meant to achieve something and not to exist in some kind of an ivory tower following certain rules of procedure and Narcissus-like looking on itself with complete satisfaction. The test, after all, is the human being and their welfare.

—Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru

The recent controversies related to the Union Public Service Commission and lateral entry have brought the need for civil service reforms to light. Various expert committees, the Finance Commission, and the Administrative Reforms Commission have extensively provided recommendations for civil service reforms.

1. Making Civil Service Citizen-friendly: P.C Hota committee recommended that civil service should be more responsive and citizen-friendly. It said “to make the civil service citizen-friendly, each office/Department/Ministry must identify the points of citizen interface in their programmes…The office/Department/Ministry will also have to benchmark the quality of services and the period within which services can be delivered. The grievance redressal mechanism should be strengthened and held accountable.”

2. Capacity-building of Civil Servants:  P.C Hota committee report highlights that special emphasis should be given to the intellectual growth of the civil servants and on upgrading their domain knowledge. It says “Apart from the stagnation at various levels, some of these services no longer serve the purposes for which they were set up. Their services are no longer being utilized optimally. If it is decided that a particular service is no longer required or requires a different set of skills, steps should be taken to either upgrade the skills of the existing incumbents or modify the recruitment processes to achieve the desired outcome.”

Srivatsa Krishna writes—

The bureaucracy that took India through the last 75 years can’t be the one to take it through the next 75 — we need a proactive, imaginative, technology-savvy, enabling bureaucracy

3. Reform in the recruitment process: The Hota Committee recommended that the age for entry into the higher civil services should be between 21 and 24 years, with a relaxation of 5 years for SC/ST candidates and 3 years for OBC candidates.

The committee also suggested that aptitude and leadership tests may be introduced for selection, and that probationers may be allowed one month after commencement of training to exercise their option for Services.

Srivatsa Krishna writes— “Changes in recruitment procedures, like the interview group spending considerable time with the candidates and not deciding based on a half-hour interview, along with psychometric tests, will improve the incoming pool of civil servants. Most importantly, after 15 years of service, all officers must undergo a thorough evaluation to enable them to move further, and those who do not make it should be put out to pasture.”

Mission Karmayogi

Mission Karmayogi is a new capacity-building scheme for civil servants aimed at upgrading the post-recruitment training mechanism of the officers and employees at all levels. It aims to prepare Indian civil servants for the future by making them more creative, constructive, imaginative, innovative, proactive, professional, progressive, transparent and technology-enabled.

4. Promoting E-governance in Civil Services: To promote transparency and efficiency in civil services, e-governance should be implemented in administrative processes.

E-governance

E-governance is a broad term encompassing the continuous involvement of citizens in the governance of the country through electronic interfaces. This means that citizens participate not only in policy-making but also provide feedback on the impact of policies using information technology.

Points to Ponder:

— What is iGOT Karmayogi Bharat learning portal?

— What are the recommendations of the 2nd Administrative Reforms Commission?

— What administrative reforms have been taken by the government for making governance more accessible?

Post Read Questions

Prelims

(1) Consider the following statements:

1. iGOT Karmayogi is an online learning platform being developed as an integral part of the Digital India stack for capacity building of all government employees.

2. It will provide ‘anytime-anywhere-any device’ learning to train users.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

(2) Consider the following statements regarding reservations:

1. Reservation in public jobs and universities is through “13-point roster”.

2. A candidate’s position on a roster of openings is determined by dividing the quota percentage of their group by a hundred.

Which of the statements given above is/are not correct?

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 only

(c) Both 1 and 2

(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Mains

1. “Institutional quality is a crucial driver of economic performance”. In this context suggest reforms in the Civil Service to strengthen democracy. (UPSC CSE 2020)

2. What do you understand by the terms ‘governance’, ‘good governance’ and ‘ethical governance’? (UPSC CSE 2016)

3. Discuss the specific rules and guidelines that govern the behaviour of civil servants in India.

Prelims Answer Key

1. (c)  2. (d)

(Sources:  Centre directs UPSC to withdraw ad for lateral entry into bureaucracy,  Baswan Committee Report, Lateral Entry: A challenging reform, Express View on lateral entry, Hota Committee report (2004), UPSC Essentials | Expert talk : Is lateral entry a disadvantage for Civil Services?)

PREVIOUS UPSC ISSUE AT A GLANCE

UPSC Issue at a Glance | Landslides : 5 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

UPSC Issue at a Glance | Coalition Government: 4 key questions you must know for your exams

For your queries and suggestions write at roshni.yadav@indianexpress.com

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 – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.

Knowledge nugget of the day: IMD’s colour-coded weather alerts

As Gujarat gets 'red alert' from IMD, check what do IMD's colour-coded weather alerts mean. Also, go beyond the news to know what to expect from weather forecasting soon.

Written by Manas Srivastava

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 13:07 IST

IMD issued a ‘red alert’ for several districts in Gujarat (Image credits: Bhupendra Rana)

Rain-related incidents have claimed many lives in Gujarat. IMD issued ‘red alert’ in Gujarat amid heavy rainfall. It often issues colour-coded alerts based on certain parameters. What do IMD’s colour-coded weather alerts mean? Here’s our knowledge nugget of the day on the colour-coded weather warnings issued by the IMD. Let’s have a look.

Knowledge Nugget: IMD’s colour-coded weather alerts

Subject: Environment and Disaster Management

Why in news?

IMD issued ‘red alert’ in Gujarat due to heavy rainfall and severe waterlogging. India Meteorological Department (IMD) issues colour-coded weather alerts from time to time during the monsoon. These keep citizens informed and help in greater preparedness in times of unpredictable weather conditions.

Key takeaways

Alerts by the IMD are colour-coded from Green to Red.

1. ‘Green’ stands for ‘No warning’: no action needs to be taken by the authorities, and the forecast is of light to moderate rain. According to the weather department, 15.6 mm to 64.4 mm rain is considered “moderate”.

2.‘Yellow’ alert signifies “Watch”, and authorities are advised to “Be updated” on the situation. According to the weather department, 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm rain is considered “heavy”.

3. ‘Orange’ warning stands for “Alert”, and authorities are expected to “Be prepared”. The forecast during an Orange warning is of heavy to very heavy rainfall. According to IMD, 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm rain is considered “very heavy”.

4.  ‘Red’ alert stands for “Warning”, and asks authorities to “Take action”. The forecast is for extremely heavy rainfall. The IMD, however, clarifies that “Red colour warning does not mean ‘Red Alert’,” and that it only means “take action”. According to IMD, more than 204.5 mm rain is considered “extremely heavy”.

Beyond the term

A new mission to improve weather forecasting expected to be launched soon

India’s weather department is set to get a massive upgrade of its forecasting capabilities that will enable it to make localised and extreme-weather predictions with far greater accuracy.

A new mission to improve weather forecasting, with a budget of at least Rs 10,000 crore is expected to be launched soon, The Indian Express has learnt. It is likely to be several times bigger than Monsoon Mission, launched in 2012, that has resulted in a noticeable uplift in the capabilities of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Previous upgrades to the weather forecasting system, including the Monsoon Mission, have focused mainly at improving the infrastructure — more instruments and better computing power.

The new mission is expected to focus on developing more accurate computer simulation models that will be tailor-made for India and would account for climate change scenarios, The Indian Express has learnt.

The mission would also further strengthen installation of more sophisticated instruments like Doppler radars, focus on greater integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) in weather forecasting.

India already has three satellites in space — INSAT-3D, INSAT-3DR and INSAT-3DS —that are used mainly for meteorological observations. Of these, INSAT-3D and INSAT-3DR have been in space for over 8 years, and nearly completed their mission lives. INSAT-3DS was launched earlier this year. The next generation of meteorological satellites, possibly in INSAT-4 series, are already under development. These satellites would be equipped with latest technologies and designed to produce very high-resolution data to feed into weather forecasts.

Point to ponder:

Why India’s weather forecasting needs an upgrade?

(Refer: India’s weather forecasting by Amitabh Sinha)

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 manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com

Manas Srivastava

Manas Srivastava is currently working as Senior Copy Editor with The Indian Express (digital) and leads a unique initiative of IE - UPSC Essentials. He majorly writes on UPSC, other competitive exams and education-related projects. In the past, Manas has represented India at the G-20 Youth Summit in Mexico. He is a former member of the Youth Council, GOI. A two-time topper/gold medallist in History (both in graduation and post-graduation) from Delhi University, he has mentored and taught UPSC aspirants for more than four years. His diverse role in The Indian Express consists of writing, editing, anchoring/ hosting, interviewing experts, and curating and simplifying news for the benefit of students. He hosts the YouTube talk show called ‘Art and Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik’ and a LIVE series on Instagram and YouTube called ‘You Ask We Answer’.His talks on ‘How to read a newspaper’ focus on newspaper reading as an essential habit for students. His articles and videos aim at finding solutions to the general queries of students and hence he believes in being students' editor, preparing them not just for any exam but helping them to become informed citizens. This is where he makes his teaching profession meet journalism. He is also the editor of UPSC Essentials' monthly magazine for the aspirants. He is a recipient of the Dip Chand Memorial Award, the Lala Ram Mohan Prize and Prof. Papiya Ghosh Memorial Prize for academic excellence. He was also awarded the University’s Post-Graduate Scholarship for pursuing M.A. in History where he chose to specialise in Ancient India due to his keen interest in Archaeology. He has also successfully completed a Certificate course on Women’s Studies by the Women’s Studies Development Centre, DU. As a part of N.S.S in the past, Manas has worked with national and international organisations and has shown keen interest and active participation in Social Service. He has led and been a part of projects involving areas such as gender sensitisation, persons with disability, helping slum dwellers, environment, adopting our heritage programme. He has also presented a case study on ‘Psychological stress among students’ at ICSQCC- Sri Lanka. As a compere for seminars and other events he likes to keep his orating hobby alive. His interests also lie in International Relations, Governance, Social issues, Essays and poetry. ... Read More

UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Environment, Geography, Sci-Tech MCQs on Lithium, space anaemia and more (Week 73)

Are you preparing for UPSC CSE Prelims 2025? Do you know, what are fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs and what is the significance of creating new ramsar site. Check your progress and revise your topics through this quiz on Environment, Geography, Science and Technology.

Written by Nitendra Pal Singh

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 13:14 IST

Continued medical follow-up after returning to Earth is essential to manage any residual effects of space anaemia and address potential cardiovascular risks. Find a question on space anaemia in today's quiz. (Source: file)

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 Environment, Geography, Science and Technology to check your progress. Come back tomorrow to solve the Economy Quiz.

🚨 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

Consider the following nutrients:

1. Nitrogen

2. Zinc

3. Boron

4. Phosphorous

5. Manganese

Which of the above nutrients constitutes the macronutrient of the soil health card?

(a) 1, 2 and 4 only

(b) 1 and 4 only

(c) 2, 3, 4 and 5 only

(d) 2 and 5 only

Explanation

— The soil health card informs farmers about the nutritional state of their soil and recommends the right nutrient dosage to improve its health and fertility.

— The adoption of a soil health card has helped farmers significantly cut production costs while increasing yield.

— The soil health card depicts the soil’s macronutrient and micronutrient levels.

— Macronutrients include nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus, whereas micronutrients include boron (B), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), and zinc.

— The soil’s physical properties include organic carbon (OC) and electrical conductivity (EC).

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

(Other Source: soilhealth.dac.gov.in)

QUESTION 2

With reference to Lithium, consider the following statements:

1. It is also known as grey gold.

2. It is produced by a process in which salt-rich water is pumped to the surface and into a series of evaporation ponds.

3. It is used in rechargeable batteries.

4. India does not have Lithium mining sites.

How many of the statements given above are correct?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) Only three

(d) All four

Explanation

— According to a new study, Chile’s Atacama salt flat is sinking at a pace of 1 to 2 cm per year as a result of lithium brine extraction, a process in which salt-rich water is pumped to the surface and into a series of evaporation ponds to extract lithium. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— One of the most sought-after metals on the planet is lithium, sometimes known as “white gold“. Hence, statement 1 is not correct.

— It is used in rechargeable batteries that power not only laptops and mobile phones, but also electric cars – an important component of the world’s climate change strategy. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— Chemicals used in lithium extraction, such as sulphuric acid and sodium hydroxide, pollute soil and water, damaging ecosystems and putting species at risk.

— The Ministry of Mines cancelled the sale for the block in Jammu and Kashmir’s Reasi area, putting India’s lithium ambitions in jeopardy.

— India’s aspirations to expand domestic lithium mining made progress in Korba district, with a successful auction of one block and promising exploratory results from surrounding blocks. Hence, statement 4 is not correct.

Therefore, option (b) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 3

Consider the following effects:

1. Reduction in blood volume

2. Increase in haemoglobin

3. Increase in red blood cell count

How many of the above effects are caused due to space anaemia?

(a) Only one

(b) Only two

(c) All three

(d) None

Explanation

— NASA has revealed that astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore, who were flown to the International Space Station (ISS) in June aboard Boeing’s Starliner capsule, will have to spend an extended period of time in orbit.

— Space anaemia is a disorder that astronauts experience during and after long-term space missions. According to Dr Singhla, space anaemia is mostly caused by the body’s adaptation to the unique environment of space, as opposed to anaemia on Earth, which is frequently caused by nutritional inadequacies or chronic disorders.

— Space anaemia, which is defined by a decrease in red blood cells and haemoglobin levels, presents particular challenges for astronauts on long-duration missions. Hence, 2 and 3 are not correct.

— According to Dr Singhla, space anaemia arises as a consequence of these fluid shifts. In a microgravity environment, the body’s physiological mechanisms adjust to the new fluid distribution, leading to a reduction in the overall blood volume. Hence, 1 is correct.

Therefore, option (a) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 4

The government has banned 156 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs because:

1. They have more than one active ingredient — chemical compounds in medicines that have an effect on the body.

2. They contain ingredients that are not needed by patients to be taken together.

3. To control pricing on essential medicines.

Select the correct answer using the codes given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 3 only

(c) 1, 2 and 3

(d) 2 only

Explanation

— The government has prohibited 156 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs, including well-known medications like Cheston Cold and Foracet, which are used to treat colds, fevers, and pain, respectively.

— The ban is the most comprehensive assault on FDCs, which are mixtures of two or more known medications in single-dose form.

— FDCs are medicines that include more than one active ingredient (chemical compounds in medicines that affect the body) in a single pill, capsule, or injection. Hence, statement 1 is correct.

— These “irrational” combinations have been outlawed because they contain medicines that do not perform well together or are unnecessary for patients to take together. Hence, statement 2 is correct.

— Another reason for the ban is the price control for critical drugs. The government sets the ceiling prices for certain medications based on average market prices. Hence, statement 3 is correct.

— FDCs are intended for people suffering from illnesses such as tuberculosis and diabetes, who require many medications on a regular basis. FDCs lower the number of pills the patient needs to take each day while also improving medication adherence.

Some examples of FDCs

— Combinations of anti-allergic medicines such as levocetirizine with nasal decongestant, syrups that break down mucus, and paracetamol;

— Combination of a migraine medicine with one to prevent nausea;

— Combination of the drug mefenamic acid — usually used for menstrual cramps — with anti-fibrotic medicine tranexamic acid.

Therefore, option (c) is the correct answer.

QUESTION 5

Consider the following statements:

1. It is a newly formed Ramsar site based on the name of the river.

2. The reservoir near the site is a massive wintering ground for migratory birds.

3. It provides irrigation water to farmlands and drinking water to local communities of southern Madhya Pradesh.

The above mentioned statements refer to:

(a) Hirakud Reservoir

(b) Harike wetland

(c) Nalsarovar Bird Sanctuary

(d) Tawa Reservoir

Explanation

— Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav declared three new Ramsar sites in Tamil Nadu and Madhya Pradesh earlier this month, bringing the total number of such sites in India to 85. The new additions are the Nanjarayan Bird Sanctuary and Kazhuveli Bird Sanctuary in Tamil Nadu, as well as the Tawa Reservoir in Madhya Pradesh.

— Wetlands are defined as all lakes, rivers, underground aquifers, swamps, marshes, and other large water bodies. Wetlands help manage climate conditions by sequestering carbon from the atmosphere. Wetland plant communities and soil trap carbon rather of releasing it into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide, which is a primary cause of global warming.

Tawa Reservoir (Madhya Pradesh)

— The Tawa Reservoir, created by damming the Tawa River in Madhya Pradesh is also integral in regional water management.

— The reservoir became a massive wintering ground for migratory birds.

— Tawa provides irrigation water to farmlands, drinking water to local communities, and sustains the nearby fisheries.

Therefore, option (d) is the correct answer.

Previous Daily Subject-Wise-Quiz

Daily subject-wise quiz — Polity and Governance (Week 73)

Daily Subject-wise quiz — History, Culture, and Social Issues (Week 73)

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.

Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.

India’s evolving engagement with Southeast Asia and Indo-Pacific

India’s proactive ‘Act East’ policy speaks volumes about its commitment to strengthen strategic, economic, and cultural ties with countries in Southeast Asia and Indo-Pacific. But how has India’s ‘Look East’ policy evolved into ‘Act East’ policy? What was the reason behind adding the strategic dimension to it?

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 10:04 IST

Union Ministers Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar, Piyush Goyal and Ashwini Vaishnaw during the second India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) in Singapore. (PTI Photo)

— Mathew Joseph C.

(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, Mathew Joseph C., an expert on South Asia, analyses how India’s ‘Act East’ policy helps it strengthen its ties with Southeast Asia and Indo-Pacific. The article will be published in two parts: The first part deals with the evolution of India’s ‘Look East’ policy into ‘Act East’ policy, and the second part delves into China’s aggressive behaviour and the significance of India’s proactive ‘Act East’ policy for other countries in the region.)

India and Singapore recently held the second round of India-Singapore Ministerial Roundtable (ISMR) meeting ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to two key member nations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) – Singapore and Brunei.

The Prime Minister’s visit slated to take place in the first week of September speaks volumes about India’s commitment to strengthen its strategic, economic, and cultural ties with countries in Southeast Asia as part of its ‘Act East’ policy.

But how has India’s ‘Act East’ policy evolved? When and why did India’s ‘Look East’ policy become ‘Act East’ policy? What is the thrust of the ‘Act East’ policy and how is it helping New Delhi deepen its ties with countries in Southeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region?

India-Southeast Asia connections and the Cold War

The linkages between the Chola Empire and the Kingdom of Kalinga with Southeast Asia are good examples of the civilisational relations India has had with the countries in Southeast Asia for centuries. The strong root of the Ramayana tradition in Southeast Asia is also another strong example of the cultural relations existing between India and the region.

These cultural connections were not stressed much in the context of the Cold War. During the Cold War period, the countries in Southeast Asia became part of the US-led military alliance called the South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) formed in 1954 with Pakistan as a founding member.

India’s stated policy of keeping distance from military blocs kept it away from the countries in Southeast Asia. The bonhomie developed between India and the Soviet Union in the second phase of the Cold War also played a role in keeping New Delhi away from the Southeast Asian region.

The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 affected India more than any other country in Asia. India suddenly lost a super power ally in the anarchic world of international politics. It was not possible for India at that time to bandwagon with the US due to the decades-old suspicion of the US and its policies shared by the Indian civil society as well as the political elite. Apart from that, the Nehruvian world view of the Indian political and security/strategic elite also acted as a hindrance in reaching out to the US and the US-led Western world.

From Look East to Act East

The then Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha Rao inherited this confused state of affairs when he assumed power in 1991. However, he led the country from the front and made significant changes in domestic and foreign policies. In the domestic sphere, India opted for neoliberal policies and in foreign policy, it started showing a tilt towards the US and the West. The ‘Look East’ policy of India was formulated in 1992 in this politico-historical context.

The stated aim of the ‘Look East’ policy was to improve the level of relations between India and the countries in Southeast Asia and project India as a counterweight to China since many of the Southeast Asian countries perceived China as a threat to their security. The thrust of the ‘Look East’ policy initially was mainly economic relations and trade. However, due to the rise of China, a strategic dimension was added to it.

As a forward step in the direction of operationalising the ‘Look East’ policy, India joined ASEAN in 1992 as a sectoral dialogue partner. In 1996, it became a full dialogue partner and member of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). India also began participating in the East Asian Summit (EAS) in 2005. In 2010, it became a dialogue partner in the ASEAN Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM-Plus).

Prime Minister Modi launched India’s ‘Act East’ policy in 2014. The ‘Act East’ policy can be explained as a diplomatic initiative to promote India’s economic, strategic and cultural relations with the Asia-Pacific region.

It is the evolution of India’s ‘Look East’ policy towards the Asia-Pacific region. The ‘Act East’ policy allowed India to deepen its relations with the countries in the region which had concerns regarding China’s growing economic and military might.

Act East policy and India’s Northeast

As mentioned earlier, the stress in the ‘Act East’ policy is security and connectivity. Keeping this in mind, India established strategic partnerships with countries like Indonesia, Vietnam,  Malaysia, Japan, South Korea and Australia. Maritime security assumes great significance in the ‘Act East’ policy, which was a major concern for the countries in the region due to the hegemonic behaviour of China as well as the presence of non-state actors and pirates.

In addition, India’s North-East is a vital part of the ‘Act East’ policy as has been the case in the earlier ‘Look East’ policy too. The emphasis on connectivity programmes in the ‘Act East’ policy envisions developing multiple linkages between the North-Eastern part of India with ASEAN countries and beyond. India hopes that connectivity programmes with the Asia-Pacific region will address the development lag of the North-Eastern part of India in a considerable way.

Post Read Question

Critically analyse the shift from the ‘Look East’ to ‘Act East’ policy of India.

Evaluate the strategic dimension of India’s ‘Act East’ policy.

India’s North-East is a vital part of the ‘Act East’ policy. Comment.

How is India’s proactive ‘Act East’ policy helping it deepen its strategic, economic, and cultural ties with countries in Southeast Asia and Indo-Pacific?

(Mathew Joseph C. is Professor at the MMAJ Academy of International Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi)

Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter and stay updated with the news cues from the past week.

The UPSC articles of Indian Express is now on Telegram. Join our Telegram channel- Indian Express UPSC Hub and stay updated with the latest Updates.

Share your thoughts and ideas on UPSC Special articles with ashiya.parveen@indianexpress.com.

UPSC Key | PMLA, Combination drugs, PMJDY and more

Exclusive for Subscribers Daily: How are Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) and GST Council relevant to the UPSC Exam? What significance do topics like Combination Drugs and Pension Scheme have for your preliminary and main exams? You can learn more by reading the Indian Express UPSC Key for August 28th, 2024.

Written by Khushboo Kumari

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 13:57 IST

BRS leader K. Kavitha being produced at the Rouse Avenue court in the Delhi excise policy-related money laundering case, in New Delhi. The Supreme Court on Tuesday, Aug. 27, 2024, granted bail to Kavitha in the case. Know more in our UPSC Key. (PTI Photo)

🚨 Attention: UPSC Key is now all 7 Days a Week!🚨

Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for August 28, 2024. If you missed the August 27th, 2024 UPSC CSE exam key 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🚨

Front

Bail for K Kavitha, Supreme Court questions probe agencies over evidence

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Constitution and Polity

What’s the ongoing story-  Questioning the probe agencies if there was “any independent data” to show “any incriminating evidence” against BRS leader K Kavitha and also on the “fairness” of the investigation by relying on the statements of some accused who had become approvers, the Supreme Court granted her bail Tuesday in the CBI and ED’s cases of alleged corruption and money laundering linked to the Delhi excise policy.

Prerequisites:

— What is money laundering?

— What is the section 45(1) of the PMLA?

— What is the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA)?

Key takeaways:

— The Delhi HC on July 1 had denied bail to Kavitha. Among other grounds, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma held that Kavitha was a “well-educated” woman who could not be considered “vulnerable”, so the exception would not apply to her.

— The SC bench reportedly stated “If this Delhi HC order is allowed to become law, this perverse observations would mean no educated woman can get bail”, according to Bar & Bench.

For Your Information:

Explained: In Kavitha bail, PMLA exception to women, unclear link to crime

— Section 45 of the PMLA provides for bail on money laundering charges. This provision in the law, like the stringent bail standard in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), puts the onus on the accused to prove that there is no prima facie case against them while seeking bail.

— Section 45(1) reads: “No person accused of an offence under this Act shall be released on bail or on his own bond unless (i) the Public Prosecutor has been given an opportunity to oppose the application for such release; and (ii) where the Public Prosecutor opposes the application, the Court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that he is not guilty of such offence and that he is not likely to commit any offence while on bail.”

— However, there is a crucial exception to the bail standard. “Provided that a person, who is under the age of sixteen years or is a woman or is sick or infirm, may be released on bail, if the Special Court so directs,” the law says.

Points to Ponder:

— What are the various amendments to the PMLA?

— What are the criticisms of the PMLA?

— What are the powers of ED related to PMLA?

Post Read Question:

Discuss how emerging technologies and globalisation contribute to money laundering. Elaborate measures to tackle the problem of money laundering both at national and international levels. (UPSC CSE 2021)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Decode Politics: As K Kavitha gets bail, a look at the case against her, what SC said

Explained

Upgrading weather forecasting

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

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

What’s the ongoing story- The trust in weather forecasts has increased significantly, thanks to improvements in accuracy. But the demand for even more accurate and specific predictions continues to grow, particularly in light of the increasing instances of extreme weather events being triggered by climate change, and the disasters that they sometimes turn into.

Prerequisites:

— What are the extreme weather events?

— What is the role of the India Meteorological Department (IMD)?

— What is the Monsoon Mission?

Key takeaways:

— To serve this growing need, the government is learnt to be planning a major upgrade of the IMD’s existing capabilities.

— Upgradation of weather forecasting infrastructure, technologies, and skills is an ongoing exercise. A major push came in the form of the Monsoon Mission in 2012, aimed at improving the long-range monsoon forecasts that are crucial for the government’s economic planning.

— The big turnaround in the public perception of weather forecasts came with IMD’s successes in predicting cyclones. Timely and accurate forecasts of cyclones, starting with Phailin in October 2013, led to the establishment of a reliable response and evacuation mechanism, because of which the loss of human lives, earlier in the hundreds, came down to very few or none at all.

— Over the last decade, even as the IMD has enhanced its forecasting skills and capabilities, climate change has made weather patterns more erratic. In general, forecasting weather in the tropics is more challenging than in areas that are farther from the equator, because of greater variability in weather phenomena.

— The science of weather forecasting has inherent uncertainties. The more precise a forecast — in terms of the spatial spread or time-window for the event — the greater the uncertainty. Also, the earlier the forecast, the less precise it is likely to be.

— Extreme weather events are even more difficult to predict. Events expected to happen only once in 50 or 100 years do not get captured easily by the models. Such events are now happening with alarming regularity, often triggering disasters like the deadly landslides in Kerala last month.

For Your Information:

— A new mission to improve weather forecasting, with a budget of at least Rs 10,000 crore is expected to be launched soon, The Indian Express has learnt. It is likely to be several times bigger than Monsoon Mission, launched in 2012, that has resulted in a noticeable uplift in the capabilities of the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

— To improve the monitoring of atmospheric parameters over India, the mission is expected to see the deployment of a few more dedicated weather satellites. India already has three satellites in space — INSAT-3D, INSAT-3DR and INSAT-3DS —that are used mainly for meteorological observations.

Points to Ponder:

— How does early warning help in disaster preparedness?

— How extreme weather events have posed a challenge to weather prediction?

— How AI can help in better weather prediction?

Post Read Question:

(1) With reference to ‘Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD)’ sometimes mentioned in the news while forecasting Indian monsoon, which of the following statements is/are correct? (UPSC CSE 2017)

1. IOD phenomenon is characterised by a difference in sea surface temperature between tropical Western Indian Ocean and tropical Eastern Pacific Ocean.

2. An IOD phenomenon can influence an El Nino’s impact on the monsoon.

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:

Upgrade for India’s weather department in pipeline, focus on extreme weather, local predictions

What are combination drugs; why have 156 of them been banned?

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

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

What’s the ongoing story- The government has banned 156 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs, including popular medicines such as Cheston Cold and Foracet, used for cold and fever and pain respectively.

Prerequisites:

— What are combination drugs?

— What are fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs?

— What are clinical trials?

Key takeaways:

— The ban is the most sweeping crackdown on FDCs — which are combinations of two or more known drugs in single-dosage form — since 2018, when 328 such drugs were banned. A total 499 FDCs have been banned since 2014, officials said.

— FDCs are medicines that have more than one active ingredient — chemical compounds in medicines that have an effect on the body — in a single pill, capsule, or shot. FDCs are meant for patients with conditions such as tuberculosis and diabetes for which they need to take multiple medicines regularly.

— FDCs reduce the number of pills the patient needs to take each day, and help improve adherence to the treatment.

— Sometimes, however, an FDC could mean that a patient ends up taking a drug that they may not need.

— These “irrational” combinations have been banned because they contain ingredients that either do not work well together or have ingredients that are not needed by patients to be taken together.

— A major reason is to take combinations of antibiotics out of circulation, because the unnecessary consumption of antibiotics can lead to increase in antibiotic resistance — which means increasingly higher doses or stronger antibiotics are needed for the treatment of even simple infections.

— Another reason for the ban is the pricing control on essential medicines. The government decides ceiling prices for these medicines based on average market prices. Companies are known to create FDCs to escape the pricing control mechanism.

— The action is in line with the government’s effort to weed out irrational medicine combinations that have entered the market over the years.

— These banned drugs were initially approved by various state licensing authorities without any trials for combinations because the ingredients were individually approved, the senior ministry official said.

—“The new drugs and clinical trial rules of 2019 make it clear that fixed dose combinations are to be considered as new drugs, and as such have to be approved by the central drug regulator. This has helped in bringing down the number of these irrational combinations available in the market,” the official said.

For Your Information:

— Every year, almost five million people die globally because of anti-microbial resistant (AMR) bacteria, according to a latest Lancet study. In fact, they make up a major part of the estimated 7.7 million deaths globally due to bacterial infections, which are becoming the second largest cause of mortality.

— “AMR is the failure of antibiotics to work because the bacteria have evolved to be resistant to drugs that have been widely used or misused,” says Prof Laxminarayan. As a result, infections become difficult or impossible to treat, increasing the risk of disease spread, severe illness, disability and death.

— The misuse and overuse of antimicrobials in humans, animals and plants are the main drivers in the development of drug-resistant pathogens. AMR puts many of the gains of modern medicine at risk.

Points to Ponder:

— How are drugs approved in India?

— What are the challenges of the development of antibiotic resistance?

— What steps have been taken by the government to address Antibiotic resistance?

Post Read Question:

Prelims

(2) Which of the following are the reasons for the occurrence of multi-drug resistance in microbial pathogens in India? (UPSC CSE 2019)

1. Genetic predisposition of some people

2. Taking incorrect doses of antibiotics to cure diseases

3. Using antibiotics in livestock farming

4. Multiple chronic diseases in some people

Select the correct answer using the code given below.

(a) 1 and 2

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1, 3 and 4

(d) 2, 3 and 4

Mains

Can overuse and free availability of antibiotics without Doctor’s prescription, be contributors to the emergence of drug-resistant diseasesin India? What are the available mechanisms for monitoring and control? Critically discuss the various issues involved. (UPSC CSE 2014)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Anti-microbial resistant bacteria kills 5 million people every year, says Lancet study: How to prevent this?

The challenge of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), and how to confront it effectively

Editorial

A system to bank on

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- Soumya Kanti Ghosh writes: Financial inclusion has been a key tool used by policymakers and governments globally to reduce inequalities, strengthen livelihoods of people at the bottom of the pyramid, and spur growth.

Prerequisites:

— What is the financial inclusion?

— What is the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)?

Key takeaways:

— For more inclusive growth, the government, on August 28, 2014, took a step to include all unbanked households in a time-bound manner, with the help of technology (the JAM trinity), and devised a mass financial inclusion scheme — the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY). The scheme was devised in two phases to provide banking facilities to 7.5 crore unbanked households.

— Today, more than 80 per cent of adults have a formal financial account, compared to around 50 per cent in 2011. India has done exceedingly well, anchoring the financial inclusion drive from a global perspective….

— Jan Dhan accounts not only have many positive aspects like insurance coverage, overdraft facility, and impact on saving habits, they also have social implications….

— Going forward, we have identified four major pillars covering both supply-side and demand-side interventions to address the current barriers to financial inclusion.

— First, there is a need to strengthen the ecosystem and enablers that drive financial inclusion. We need to focus on promoting private-sector involvement in financial inclusion through partnerships…

— Second, there is a need to increase penetration of financial products and services like micro-insurance and credit in a cost-effective manner… In this regard, the recently launched Unified Lending Interface will be a game changer in providing credit-products as it aims to make the lending process more efficient in terms of cost reduction, quicker disbursement, and scalability.

— Third, we need to focus on strengthening the consumer protection framework to maintain the trust of consumers in new and complex digital products…

— Fourth, the people who are part of the PMJDY are those who are new to the financial system… All these necessitate a customer-centric product design, taking into consideration the lifecycle needs of customers at every stage.

For Your Information:

— The government aims to open more than 3 crore accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) during the current financial year 2024-25, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said.

— On the eve of the PMJDY completing ten years, Sitharaman said the scheme has helped the government to reach out to people, especially in identifying people who are in need of money.

— The government’s flagship financial inclusion programme Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ten years ago on August 28, 2014.

Points to Ponder:

— What is the significance of the PMJDY?

— What are the government initiatives to promote financial inclusion?

— What are the challenges of financial inclusion in India?

Post Read Question:

Prelims

(3) ‘Pradhan Mantri Jan-Dhan Yojana’ has been launched for (UPSC CSE 2015)

(a) providing housing loan to poor people at cheaper interest rates

(b) promoting women’s Self-Help Groups in backward areas

(c) promoting financial inclusion in the country

(d) providing financial help to the marginalized communities

Mains

Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) is necessary for bringing unbanked to the institutional finance fold. Do you agree with this for financial inclusion of the poorer section of the Indian society? Give arguments to justify your opinion. (UPSC CSE 2016)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Knowledge nugget of the day: PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

Over 3 crore PM Jan Dhan accounts to be opened in FY25: FM Sitharaman

The Ideas Page

The Nyaya Sanhita we need

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Government policies and interventions

What’s the ongoing story- Amit Desai writes: The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal of the Government of India recognises new-age crimes such as cyberbullying, stalking, email hacking etc. Yet, the BNS does not address these aspects.

Prerequisites:

— What is cybercrime?

— What are BNS, BNSS, and BSA?

Key takeaways:

— The old laws, recently replaced, were established in the early 19th century, a time of significant transformation, upheaval, and the birth of ideas that shaped our nation’s legal framework…

— Interestingly, the BNS retains large portions of the IPC, introducing only 19 additional offences, none of which are new but drawn from other legislation. The BNSS introduces merely nine new sections, and the BSA has only two new sections.

— Some amendments have been made to several existing provisions. Consequently, there are no changes relevant to the evolving society and changing behaviours.

— The National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal of the Government of India recognises new-age crimes such as cyber bullying, stalking, sexting, email phishing, email hacking…

— Yet, the BNS does not address these cyber aspects of crime. The terms “data” or “virtual” are absent, with “digital” appearing only once in Section 2(8), defining “document”. “Cyber” is mentioned only in the context of “organised crimes” in Section 111, without defining cybercrimes. “Electronic” is referenced only in relation to “electronic records /documents/signatures”.

— It is unfortunate that data theft is not yet an offence since “data” may not fall under the definition of “property” within the BNS.

— What the 21st century needed was a Bharatiya Abashi (virtual)/Digital Dand Sanhita or Bharatiya Abashi Nyaya Sanhita.

— Terrorism and organised crimes, borrowed from Section 15 of UAPA and Section 3 of MCOCA, are incorporated without the protections provided in their primary legislation. The decision to invoke terrorism under BNS is left to the discretion of an officer of the rank of SP and above, without any guidance, leading to arbitrariness and potential misuse.

— Concepts of “economic security” and “economic offences” are incorporated without definition, risking their application to commercial frauds, which could impact legitimate business and economic activity.

— BNS, in its objectives, states that various offences have been made gender-neutral. However, “rape” remains gender-specific despite Section 377 IPC not being re-enacted. Bestiality is now no longer a crime.

— BNS also creates a new offence of attempting to commit suicide to compel or restrain from applying lawful power, which could be used against political dissent.

— Hunger strikes, a significant part of our history, could unnecessarily fall under this provision. This will affect political agitation, a fundamental right.

— Technology outpaces the drafting of legislation. A quarter century is nearly over and we are yet to articulate a Sanhita for these dramatic changes in criminal behaviour.

For Your Information:

— The Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (BSA), passed in Parliament last December, have replaced the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 1860, the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), 1973, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 respectively.

— The BNS introduces Clause 69 that seems to ostensibly tackle the “love jihad” narrative by criminalising “deceitful” promise to marry. The phrase “sexual intercourse not amounting to the offence of rape” essentially criminalises consensual sexual activity too.

Points to Ponder:

— What are the issues and challenges with the implementation of new criminal laws?

— What are the various committees’ recommendations on India’s criminal justice system?

Post Read Question:

(4) Which of the following committees was constituted to deal with the reform in the Indian Criminal Justice System?

(a) Malimath Committee

(b) Rangarajan Committee

(c) Sachar Committee

(d) Deepak Parekh committee

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Indian Penal Code to Nyaya Sanhita: What’s new, what is out, what changes

Explained: New crimes under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, and some grey areas

A failure on two fronts

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Current events of national importance

Mains Examination: GS-II: Government policies and interventions

What’s the ongoing story- In March 2023, a committee was announced to review the New Pension Scheme (NPS) for civilian employees of the Union government. Based on the review report, the government has revised the rules guiding retirement benefits of those mandatorily channelled into the NPS.

Prerequisites:

— Read about the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), National Pension Scheme (NPS), and Unified Pension Scheme (UPS)

— What is the role of the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA)?

Key takeaways:

— The revised rules announced as the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) closely harmonise benefits for ceding employees with those flowing from the Old Pension Scheme (OPS). But the UPS raises the co-contribution rate for the government to 18.5 per cent (from currently 14 per cent, and from 10 per cent when first introduced).

— The co-contribution by the government on account of current employees only ratchets up the trend in expenditure on pension and other retirement benefits (PORB) of the current pensioners from the OPS.

— This yields little to advance the core objectives for the pension system reform to, one, curtail the ballooning burden of public expenditure on PORB, and, two, serve the as yet unserved/under-served by widening the inclusion of workers and coverage of the elderly with institutional access to OAIS.

— But, the failure to address the second objective is more severe as even under the most liberal assumptions, at least 80 per cent of workers (exceeding 380 million) are yet not included in the institutional OAIS system and at least 60 per cent of the elderly (exceeding 85 million) do not draw OAIS from public expenditure.

— In 2020-21, more than 9 per cent of general government expenditure was circumscribed by the ex-workers (or their kin) from the government.

— It can hardly be justifiable to deny benefits to those already covered, but it also appears immoral if provisions determining retirement benefits constitute an overreach and/or violate basic tenets to reward work contribution under amiable conditions. For example, provision for encashment of earned leaves dilutes the object of mandating earned leaves that is intended to promote work-life balance…

— The government’s announcement comes across as aggressive posturing to defend the course of pension reforms initiated in 2003 and restore the relevance of PFRDA that had started to vane with some states resolving to exit the NPS… But, the biggest loser in the process would be the vast majority of excluded workers and uncovered elderly.

For Your Information:

— The Union Cabinet on Saturday (August 24) approved the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS), which will provide government employees with assured pension after retirement. The scheme will be effective from April 1, 2025, according to the government’s announcement.

Points to Ponder:

— Why the NPS was introduced?

— What are the issues related to NPS?

— What will be the impact of UPS on the fiscal consolidation of the government?

Post Read Question:

(5) Who among the following can join the National Pension System (NPS)? (UPSC CSE 2017)

(a) Resident Indian citizens only

(b) Persons of age from 21 to 55 only

(c) All State Government employees joining the services after the date of notification by the respective State Governments

(d) All Central Government employees including those of Armed Forces joining the services on or after 1st April, 2004

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Centre announces Unified Pension Scheme: How will UPS differ from OPS, NPS?

Economy

FM: GST council to discuss rate rationalisation on Sept 9, final decision later

UPSC Syllabus:

Preliminary Examination: Polity and Constitution

Mains Examination: GS-II: Polity and Constitution

What’s the ongoing story- The upcoming Goods and Services Tax (GST) Council meeting on September 9 will discuss rationalisation of rates on several items but a decision regarding any rate change will be taken in subsequent meetings, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday.

Prerequisites:

— What is the GST Council?

— What is a Group of Ministers (GoM)?

Key takeaways:

— 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 GST Council may also discuss the issue of compensation cess levy, which is at present proposed to be levied till March 2026 for payment of back-to-back loans taken earlier to compensate states under the indirect tax regime.

For Your Information:

— The GST regime came into force after the Constitutional (122nd Amendment) Bill was passed by both Houses of Parliament in 2016. More than 15 Indian states then ratified it in their state Assemblies, after which then-President Pranab Mukherjee gave his assent.

— The President set up the GST Council as a joint forum of the Centre and the states, under Article 279A (1) of the amended Constitution. It said that members of the Council include the Union Finance Minister (chairperson), and the Union Minister of State (Finance) from the Centre. Each state can nominate a minister in charge, of finance or taxation or any other minister, as a member.

Points to Ponder:

— What is the difference between cess and surcharge?

— What are the advantages and challenges of GST?

— How does the GST Council promote cooperative federalism?

Post Read Question:

Prelims

(6) What is/are the most likely advantages of implementing ‘Goods and Services Tax (GST)’? (UPSC CSE 2017)

1. It will replace multiple taxes collected by multiple authorities and will thus create a single market in India.

2. It will drastically reduce the ‘Current Account Deficit’ of India and will enable it to increase its foreign exchange reserves.

3. It will enormously increase the growth and size of economy of India and will enable it to overtake China in the near future.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only

(b) 2 and 3 only

(c) 1 and 3 only

(d) 1, 2 and 3

Mains

Explain the rationale behind the Goods and Services Tax (Compensation to States) Act of 2017. How has COVID-19 impacted the GST compensation fund and created new federal tensions? (UPSC CSE 2020)

Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:

Explained: What is the GST Council, and what does it do?

ALSO IN NEWS

Crime and freedom of speech: Issues in France’s arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov

Authorities in France have arrested Pavel Durov, the co-founder and CEO of Telegram, for “allegedly allowing a wide range of crimes due to a lack of moderators on [the secure messaging app] and a lack of cooperation with police”, Reuters and other media have reported.

PRELIMS ANSWER KEY

1. (b)   2. (b)   3. (c)  4. (a)   5. (c)  6. (a)

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 – Indian Express UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X.

UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 2 : Questions on India-Japan relations and South China Sea (Week 66)

Are you preparing for UPSC CSE 2024 or CSE 2025? Here are questions from GS paper 2 for this week with essential points as the fodder for your answers. What are strategic and economic significance of the South China Sea in the context of Indian trade. Read more about it. Do not miss points to ponder and answer in the comment box below. Try them out.

Written by Nitendra Pal Singh

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 13:16 IST

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar with Japanese Defence Minister Minoru Kihara and Foreign Minister Yoko Kamikawa during a meeting, ahead of the 3rd India-Japan 2+2 Foreign and Defense Ministerial Meeting, in New Delhi, Monday, Aug. 19, 2024. Attempt question on India-Japan relations in today's answer writing practice. (PTI Photo)

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-2 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

Examine the strategic and economic significance of the South China Sea in the context of Indian trade. Discuss the implications of the ongoing territorial disputes in the region for international shipping routes and global supply chains.

QUESTION 2

Discuss the significance of the recent emphasis by India and Japan on a rules-based international order and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

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: Examine the strategic and economic significance of the South China Sea in the context of Indian trade. Discuss the implications of the ongoing territorial disputes in the region for international shipping routes and global supply chains.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— The South China Sea, part of the western Pacific Ocean, sits between southern China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia and Malaysia.

— The South China Sea is estimated to hold about 5.38 trillion cubic meters (190 trillion cubic feet) of proven and probable natural gas and 11 billion barrels of oil reserves, according to the US Energy Information Administration.

— According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), about a third of global maritime trade passes through the 3.5 million square kilometer (1.4 million square mile) seaway annually.

— Around 40% of petroleum products traded globally are delivered via the South China Sea every year.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

Strategic and economic significance of the South China Sea in the context of Indian trade

— The South China Sea has been an essential sea-lane of communication from its inception, and transit has been unhindered for millennia.

— There is substantial historical and archaeological evidence of an ongoing Indian trading presence from Kedah, Malaysia to Quanzhou, China.

— Nearly $200 billion in trade flows through the South China Sea, and thousands of our citizens study, work, and invest in ASEAN, China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea.

— India, like others who live in the region, has an interest in the region’s peace and stability, and freedom of passage, as well as other routine activities with friendly countries, is critical to our economic prosperity.

Implications of the ongoing territorial disputes

— China claims practically all of the South China Sea as its own, infuriating its neighbours who say China’s territorial ambitions infringe on their exclusive economic zones.

— China disregarded a 2016 verdict by an international arbitration court in The Hague, Netherlands, that Beijing had no legal or historical foundation for its broad claims under international law.

— The Chinese military has recently taken increasingly aggressive activities in the seaway, including skirmishes with Filipino ships, raising worries of a full-fledged battle.

— Vietnam submitted a claim to the United Nations last month for an enlarged continental shelf beyond the current 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) in the seaway.

— The primary present conflicts are between China, the Philippines, and Taiwan; however, the actual threat to trade in the South China Sea could come from the Malacca Strait, which is located further south between Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore.

Conclusion:

— If tensions between China and its neighbours worsen, it might open a third front in the global shipping crisis. Maritime enterprises may choose to avoid certain areas of the South China Sea. Subsequent delays and price increases might lead to shortages of goods and commodities, reducing revenue for key Asian ports such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan.

— According to some estimations, the Pacific Ocean has a thousand times more rare-earth minerals than the currently known land reserves, with China controlling more than half of them which are needed for the transition to cleaner energy.

(Source: How South China Sea tensions pose a threat to international trade, How the South China Sea situation plays out will be critical for India’s security by Vijay Gokhale)

Points to Ponder

Location of Malacca strait

Importance of South China Sea for India

Related Previous Year Questions

‘Virus of Conflict is affecting the functioning of the SCO’ In the light of the above statement point out the role of India in mitigating the problems. (2023)

‘Sea is an important Component of the Cosmos’ Discuss in the light of the above statement the role of the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) in protecting environment and enhancing maritime safety and security. (2023)

QUESTION 2: Examine the significance of the recent emphasis by India and Japan on a rules-based international order and the peaceful settlement of disputes.

Note: This is not a model answer. It only provides you with thought process which you may incorporate into the answers.

Introduction:

— India and Japan reiterated their commitment to sustaining and strengthening a rules-based international order based on the principles of the UN Charter, including respect for country sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as peaceful dispute resolution.

— Without identifying any countries, the two sides stressed the need for all governments to refrain from unilaterally changing the status quo. This was said in a joint statement issued by both nations during the third Japan-India 2+2 Foreign and Defence Ministerial Meeting held in New Delhi.

Body:

You may incorporate some of the following points in the body of your answer:

— According to the joint statement, the ministers welcomed the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force and the Indian Naval Force’s exploration of future cooperation in ship maintenance in India, as well as discussions about coordination and cooperation in the field of defence and security assistance to third countries for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

— They both welcomed the opportunities to strengthen bilateral security and defence cooperation following the release of Japan’s National Security Strategy in December 2022, and acknowledged such cooperation as an important pillar of the Japan-India Special Strategic and Global Partnership.

— Both parties emphasised their shared strategic vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific that is inclusive, peaceful, economic, and resilient, as part of the rules-based international order.

— “The Ministers reiterated their strong support for ASEAN’s unity and centrality and their full support for the ‘ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific (AOIP)’ which upholds the principles such as openness, transparency, inclusivity, a rules-based framework and respect for international law.”

— As per the statement, the ministers took note of the progress since September2022 to promote cooperation on cross-cutting security issues such as Defence Policy Dialogue, Vice-Minister/Foreign Secretary level Dialogue, Foreign Office Consultations (FOC), the Disarmament and Non- Proliferation Dialogue, the Cyber Dialogue, the Japan-India Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism, and other regional consultations on emerging and hotspot issues.

Conclusion:

— Both parties strongly condemned terrorism and violent extremism, including cross-border terrorism, and urged the prosecution of those responsible for the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai, Pathankot, and elsewhere.

— They took note of the Japanese fighters’ maiden air visit and their involvement in Tarang Shakti, the Indian Air Force’s inaugural multilateral exercise.

— Both countries welcomed the first edition of the bilateral fighter exercise ‘Veer Guardian 2023’ between the Japan Air Self Defence Force (JASDF) and the Indian Air Force (IAF), as well as the first time all three services conducted bilateral exercises in the same calendar year in 2023.

(Source: India, Japan emphasise rules-based international order, peaceful settlement of disputes by Amrita Nayak Dutta)

Points to Ponder

Important places in news: India and Japan

2+2 meeting with other countries

Bilateral relations between India and Japan

Related Previous Year Questions

‘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. (2022)

Economic ties between India and Japan, while growing in recent years, are still far below their potential. Elucidate the policy constraints which are inhibiting this growth. (2013)

Previous Mains Answer Practice

UPSC Essentials: Mains answer practice — GS 1 (Week 65)

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 66)

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.

Knowledge nugget of the day: PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

Here are the key takeaways from the government’s flagship financial inclusion programme. Also, go beyond the term and learn what is Financial Inclusion Index.

Written by Manas Srivastava

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 13:48 IST

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) completes 10 years of implementation today.

What is PMJDY and why it is in news? Take a look at the essential concepts, terms, quotes or phenomena every day and brush up your knowledge. Here’s the nugget for today.

Knowledge Nugget: Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

Subject: Government Schemes and Economy

Why in news?

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) completes 10 years of implementation today.

Key takeaways

1. The government’s flagship financial inclusion programme Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi ten years ago on August 28, 2014.

2. It is a National Mission for Financial Inclusion to ensure access to financial services, namely, a basic savings & deposit accounts, remittance, credit, insurance, pension in an affordable manner.

3. The government aims to open more than 3 crore accounts under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) during the current financial year 2024-25, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Tuesday.

4. The Finance Ministry said the PMJDY has been the foundation for people-centric economic initiatives. PMJDY has helped provide adults with a bank account which has helped in direct benefit transfers, COVID-19 financial assistance, PM-KISAN.

5. The JAM Trinity (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile) has given a boost to the Direct Benefit Transfer programme and expanded its coverage from partial to ubiquitous, the Finance Ministry said.

6. Under the PMJDY, there are no account opening charges, no account maintenance charges, and no minimum balance charges. Free RuPay debit card, with in-built accident insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh, and access to overdraft facility of up to Rs 10,000, are other major features of the scheme.

7. PMJDY accounts are eligible for Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY), Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Bank (MUDRA) scheme.

Beyond the term

What is FI-Index?

The Financial Inclusion Index (FI-Index), which captures the extent of financial inclusion across the country, stood at 64.2 in March 2024 from 60.1 in March 2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) said on Wednesday.

The index has been conceptualised as a comprehensive index incorporating details of banking, investments, insurance, postal as well as the pension sector in consultation with government and respective sectoral regulators.

The FI-Index comprises of three broad parameters Access (having a weight of 35 per cent in the index), Usage ( weight 45 per cent), and Quality ( weight 20 per cent) with each of these consisting of various dimensions, which are computed based on a number of indicators. The Index is responsive to ease of access, availability and usage of services, and quality of services, comprising in all 97 indicators.

The FI-Index has been constructed without any ‘base year’ and as such it reflects cumulative efforts of all stakeholders over the years towards financial inclusion.

Point to ponder:

What important interventions are needed to address the current barriers to financial inclusion?

(Refer: PM Jan Dhan Yojana has accelerated financial inclusion, reduced inequalities)

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 manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com

Manas Srivastava

Manas Srivastava is currently working as Senior Copy Editor with The Indian Express (digital) and leads a unique initiative of IE - UPSC Essentials. He majorly writes on UPSC, other competitive exams and education-related projects. In the past, Manas has represented India at the G-20 Youth Summit in Mexico. He is a former member of the Youth Council, GOI. A two-time topper/gold medallist in History (both in graduation and post-graduation) from Delhi University, he has mentored and taught UPSC aspirants for more than four years. His diverse role in The Indian Express consists of writing, editing, anchoring/ hosting, interviewing experts, and curating and simplifying news for the benefit of students. He hosts the YouTube talk show called ‘Art and Culture with Devdutt Pattanaik’ and a LIVE series on Instagram and YouTube called ‘You Ask We Answer’.His talks on ‘How to read a newspaper’ focus on newspaper reading as an essential habit for students. His articles and videos aim at finding solutions to the general queries of students and hence he believes in being students' editor, preparing them not just for any exam but helping them to become informed citizens. This is where he makes his teaching profession meet journalism. He is also the editor of UPSC Essentials' monthly magazine for the aspirants. He is a recipient of the Dip Chand Memorial Award, the Lala Ram Mohan Prize and Prof. Papiya Ghosh Memorial Prize for academic excellence. He was also awarded the University’s Post-Graduate Scholarship for pursuing M.A. in History where he chose to specialise in Ancient India due to his keen interest in Archaeology. He has also successfully completed a Certificate course on Women’s Studies by the Women’s Studies Development Centre, DU. As a part of N.S.S in the past, Manas has worked with national and international organisations and has shown keen interest and active participation in Social Service. He has led and been a part of projects involving areas such as gender sensitisation, persons with disability, helping slum dwellers, environment, adopting our heritage programme. He has also presented a case study on ‘Psychological stress among students’ at ICSQCC- Sri Lanka. As a compere for seminars and other events he likes to keep his orating hobby alive. His interests also lie in International Relations, Governance, Social issues, Essays and poetry. ... Read More

Explained

- What are BJP’S allegations against Kharge family?

- How conservationists are helping once-extinct birds find lost migration routes

- What Assam’s new Muslim marriage law says, why it was introduced

- What was the IC-814 aircraft hijack, the subject of a new Netflix series?

- Who is Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway which attained a $1 trillion market cap?

- National Sports Day: Story of Dhyan Chand, India’s first sporting superstar

- What are jiu-jitsu & aikido, practised by Rahul Gandhi during Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

- Why govt has strengthened security for RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, brought his cover on par with Amit Shah’s

- What Australia’s new cap on number of international students means; its possible impact on Indians

- How ISRO designed humanoid skull which will be used in Gaganyaan

- 10 years of Jan Dhan: How the scheme has had a transformative impact on financial, banking sector

- Himachal Pradesh passes Bill to raise women’s marriage age from 18 to 21 years: What happens next?

- Who are the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, the country’s largest Islamist party?

- History and controversies of AMMA, the Kerala actors’ body that was led by superstar Mohanlal

- Who is Indian-origin Kevan Parekh, the new CFO of Apple?

- Oasis reunites: Story of the British band, why they split, and their enduring popularity

- How Canada’s new ‘reducing low-wage, temporary workers’ policy may impact Indians

- Why FSSAI withdrew its advisory on removing A1, A2 claims on milk and milk products

- The Pacific Islands Forum’s annual meeting begins: The organisation and the issues being discussed

- What are combination drugs; why have 156 of them been banned?

- Why India Meteorological Department (IMD) needs an upgrade, with climate change impacting weather

- How AMMA lorded over Kerala cinema, its writ running from stars to junior artistes

- Supreme Court overrules Delhi court verdict to grant bail to Kavitha: Why it criticised the HC’s reasoning

What are BJP’S allegations against Kharge family?

Priyank is a trustee of the beneficiary Siddhartha Vihar Trust, and his brother Rahul Kharge is the chairman.

Written by Akram M

Bengaluru | August 30, 2024 07:30 IST

Priyank Kharge

Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Legislative Council Chalawady Narayanaswamy on Wednesday asked Governor Thawarchand Gehlot to dismiss state minister Priyank Kharge for allegedly “snatching away yet another opportunity from deserving SC (Scheduled Caste) entrepreneurs”.

Kharge, the son of Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, is Karnataka’s minister for IT/BT and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj. The BJP has alleged a “scam” in the allotment of a five-acre parcel of land identified for civic amenities (CA) in an industrial park near Bengaluru airport to a trust run by the Kharge family.

Priyank is a trustee of the beneficiary Siddhartha Vihar Trust, and his brother Rahul Kharge is the chairman.

What is this piece of land, and how was it allotted?

In February this year, the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) issued a notification for allotment of civic amenities (CA) plots in industrial areas set up by it. The applicants had to satisfy various criteria to be eligible for the allotment of these sites.

The CA sites were meant for centres of research and development, innovation, and excellence; skill development/technical institutes; educational institutions; offices of government or public sector units; etc. As per a government order issued in November 2023, the CA plots were to be given on a 10-year lease-cum-sale basis.

A total 24.1 per cent of the total sites area developed by the KIADB is reserved for ST/ST entrepreneurs from the state. This year, applications were sought for the allotment of 193 CA sites reserved for SCs/ STs, spread across industrial areas in 12 districts.

The CA site at the centre of the controversy is a 5-acre plot at the Hi Tech Defence and Aerospace Park Phase-1 (Hardware Sector) in Bengaluru Urban district. The land parcel is part of 45.94 acres set aside for civic amenities at the park, to be allocated under the SC quota.

What is the Siddhartha Vihar Trust, and why did it ask for a CA site?

Apart from Mallikarjun Kharge’s sons Rahul and Priyank, the Congress president himself is a trustee, as is his son-in-law, Radhakrishna, who is the Congress Lok Sabha MP from Gulbarga. The Siddhartha Vihar Trust built the popular Buddha Vihar complex, a Buddhist spiritual centre spread over 24 acres off Sedam Road outside Kalaburagi (formerly Gulbarga) in northern Karnataka.

In its application to KIADB, the trust asked for the CA site to build a not-for-profit skill development centre and training institute at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore. The promoters were supposed to put in Rs 10 crore, and another Rs 10 crore was to be raised in loans. The skill development centre, which was expected to be headed by Rahul Kharge, reportedly had plans to collaborate with the Indo-German Training Centre.

The Trust had sought either a 2.17-acre AM-3 plot or a 5-acre AM-4 plot at the industrial park. Under the lease-cum-sale agreement, the price of the plot in question was Rs 2.8 crore per acre.

What has the BJP alleged?

The BJP has pointed to several alleged irregularities in KIADB’s allocation of CA sites. Applications were invited on February 8 with February 23 as the last date to apply — according to Narayanaswamy, this small 14-day window was to “make sure no one knew about it”.

The State Level Single Window Clearance Committee reviewed the applications on March 4, and the list of allottees was cleared a day later at a meeting chaired by Industries Minister M B Patil. According to Narayanaswamy’s complaint to the Governor, allocation to the Kharges when Priyank is a minister amounted to a conflict of interest, “a criminal breach of trust”, and a “breach of (the minister’s) oath”.

What is the Kharges’ defence?

At a press conference on Wednesday, Priyank challenged the BJP to identify any illegality in the allocation of the CA to the trust for a skill development centre.

“We have not sought any subsidy, nor deferred payment for the sites. Is there any law preventing us from applying for the sites?” he said.

According to Priyank, applications were received for 43 of the 193 sites. “Were there other applicants for the site, and were we unduly favoured? We have been running the trust for the past two decades. Where is the quid pro quo?” he said.

He alleged that the BJP was targeting the Kharge family for opposing the RSS, and the controversy had been “pre-scripted” to destabilise the government.

It has been pointed out that in the last days of Basavaraj Bommai’s BJP government last year, Nirani Sugars Ltd, which is owned by then Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani, received approval for a Rs 86.91 crore project to expand the capacity of its sugar plant in Bagalkot district.

The in-principle approval came on March 29, 2023, the day the Model Code of Conduct came into effect.

How conservationists are helping once-extinct birds find lost migration routes

Over the last two decades, breeding and rewilding efforts have borne fruit. Biologist Johannes Fritz and his Austria-based conservation group Waldrappteam have brought the bird’s population in central Europe from zero to almost 300 since 2002.

Written by Arjun Sengupta

New Delhi | August 30, 2024 07:13 IST

The migration in 2022, supported by airborne foster parents. (The Associated Press)

How do you teach a migratory bird where to fly to? This was the question facing conservationists trying to re-establish the northern bald ibis — known for its distinctive black-and-green plumage, bald red head and long curved beak — in the wild in Europe.

These birds — known in German as Waldrapp — once soared over much of Europe, the Middle East, and northern Africa. By the 17th century, they were effectively hunted to extinction in the wild, with only a few colonies surviving in Morocco and Syria.

Over the last two decades, breeding and rewilding efforts have borne fruit. Biologist Johannes Fritz and his Austria-based conservation group Waldrappteam have brought the bird’s population in central Europe from zero to almost 300 since 2002.

But these birds, born of ancestors raised in zoos, do not instinctively know where to migrate to in winter. Early reintroduction attempts failed because they did not go to suitable wintering grounds, and perished in the cold. This led conservationists to adopt a fascinating new strategy.

Flying with birds

Inspired by the 1996 film Fly Away Home in which the protagonist pilots a tiny airplane to show orphaned geese their migratory path, Waldrappteam’s scientist “foster parents” use ultralight aircraft to lead young birds down long migration routes.

To prepare for the journey, days-old chicks are removed from their breeding colonies and brought to human foster parents with whom they bond and develop a trusting relationship.

“We take good care of them and see that they are healthy birds… Also, we interact with them,” Barbara Steininger, a Waldrappteam foster mother, told The Associated Press. Steininger and other foster parents sitting in the aircraft wave at the birds and encourage them as they fly over alpine meadows and foothills.

“It’s an almost surreal experience, to be up there in the sky with these birds, experiencing them in the air, perfectly shaped for flying. It’s a touching and extraordinary experience,” Fritz told The Guardian.

Climate challenge

Initially, the birds were taught to fly from Bavaria to Tuscany in central Italy. This was the route that wild Waldrapps in central Europe historically flew. The first independent migration took place in 2011, and many birds have since flown on the roughly 550-km route.

But the effects of climate change have meant that these birds are now flying later in the season. This leads them to cross the Alps in colder, more dangerous weather, and without the help of warm currents of air that rise upward and enable flying birds to conserve energy.

This is why Waldrappteam pioneered a new, albeit much longer route last year, from Bavaria to Andalusia in southern Spain. This year’s route is roughly 2,800 km, about 300 km longer than last year’s. Fritz set off earlier this month with a flock of 36 birds from an airfield in Paterzell in upper Bavaria. The journey will be completed in early October.

Blueprint for others

Global warming threatens plant and animal species around the world. For migratory birds that undertake lengthy journeys to find ideal ecological conditions and habitats for feeding, breeding, and raising their young, climate change poses particular challenges.

Studies show global warming is altering migration patterns, both routes and timing, exposing birds to new environments and conditions, affecting availability of food and habitat, and disrupting interactions between species. Some bird species have chosen not to migrate altogether, or to migrate to locations where they become invasive species, posing threats to others.

This is why the conservation of the northern bald ibis is significant. “This method which we’ve developed with the bald ibis is urgently needed for an increasing number of other migratory bird species,” Fritz told The Guardian, adding that this is “a flagship project which indicates what is possible”.

With inputs from the AP

What Assam’s new Muslim marriage law says, why it was introduced

Bill passed by the Assembly seeks to prevent child marriage, check polygamy, and end the role of kazis in the process of registration of marriages. Some have called the new procedure needlessly complex

Written by Sukrita Baruah

Guwahati | Updated: August 30, 2024 10:42 IST

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in Guwahati on Wednesday. PTI

The Assam Legislative Assembly on Thursday passed the Assam Compulsory Registration of Muslim Marriages and Divorces Bill, 2024, a proposed law with the stated objectives of preventing “child marriages” and “marriages without the consent of the parties”, and to “check polygamy”.

The Assam Assembly also repealed an existing 89-year-old Act for the registration of Muslim marriages and divorces in the state, confirming an Ordinance promulgated five months ago.

The now-repealed law

The registration of marriages and divorces between Muslims in Assam had been taking place under the colonial-era Assam Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act, 1935.

This Act was in line with Muslim personal law, and authorised the state to grant a licence to “any person, being a Muslim” to register such marriages and divorces. There were 95 such Muslim registrars or kazis across the state, and they were deemed to be public servants.

Govt’s rationale for repeal

The Cabinet decided to scrap the law in February this year. In March, the government notified an Ordinance repealing the 1935 Act with immediate effect. There has been no legislation governing the registration of marriages and divorces between Muslims in Assam since then.

On Thursday, the Assembly passed the Assam Repealing Bill, 2024 to replace the Ordinance.

The government’s main argument for doing away with the 1935 Act was that it allowed the registration of marriages of and between minors.

It had in particular pointed to Section 8 of the repealed Act that lay down the procedure to make an application to the registrar, which said, “…provided that if the bride and groom, or both, be minors, application shall be made on their behalf by their respective lawful guardians…”.

Section 10 of the Act, which laid down the procedure for making entries in the marriage register, had the same provision.

Features of the new law

The Bill passed by the Assembly on Thursday regulates marriage between two Muslim persons which “includes ‘nikah’ or any other ceremony by which two persons are made husband and wife following Muslim personal law and Islamic rituals”.

📌 There is no role for kazis in registering marriages under the new law. The registering officer shall be the government’s Marriage and Divorce Registrar in that jurisdiction, who is the Sub-Registrar.

📌 For a marriage to be registered under the new law, seven conditions must be fulfilled. Important among these conditions: the woman should have attained 18 years of age and the man 21 years of age before the marriage; “the marriage has been solemnized on free consent of both parties”; at least one of the parties must be resident within the district of the Marriage and Divorce Registrar for 30 days before giving notice of registration to the officer; and the parties shall not be within the prohibited degree of relationship as per Muslim law.

📌 The parties are required to give the registering officer at least 30 days’ notice before the intended registration, with documents attesting to their identities, age, and place of residence. This provision is similar to one in the Special Marriage Act.

📌 Objections to the marriage are allowed within the 30-day period on grounds of violation of any of the conditions laid down in the Bill, which will then be inquired into by the Registrar. If the Registrar after inquiry refuses to solemnize the marriage, the Bill provides for two stages of appeal, to the District Registrar and then, the Registrar General of Marriages.

📌 The registering officers must act if they find that either of the parties is underage. If the officer makes this discovery during the scrutiny of documents, she must immediately report it to the jurisdictional Child Marriage Protection Officer appointed under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006, and transmit all relevant records “for the effective prosecution of persons contravening the provisions of the…Act and for initiating appropriate legal action”.

📌 An officer who “knowingly and wilfully” registers a marriage that violates any of the conditions is liable to be imprisoned for up to a year and fined up to Rs 50,000.

📌 The Bill states that its provisions “shall be in addition to and not in derogation of the provisions of the prevailing Muslim personal laws.” However, under Muslim personal law, the marriage of a bride who has attained puberty is considered valid — and puberty is presumed, in the absence of evidence, on completion of the age of 15 years. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court agreed to an early hearing of a plea by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights seeking an authoritative pronouncement on whether Muslim personal law allowing child marriages will prevail over the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act, 2006. This is a question on which different High Courts have made differing observations.

Debate in the House

Aminul Islam, MLA of the opposition AIUDF from Mankachar, questioned the need to repeal the 1935 Act if the primary objective was to prevent child marriages — this objective could have been achieved by amending Sections 8 and 10 of the old Act, he said.

Islam argued that the 1935 Act had been amended as recently as in 2010 to make registration under the Act compulsory; it had been voluntary originally.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma responded that these amendments would not have sufficed, and that the government’s intention was also to end the role of the kazis. He referred to the government’s crackdown against child marriages last year, in which more than 4,000 people had been arrested — mostly men who had married underage girls, and their relatives and religious functionaries who had solemnized these marriages.

“…We found that the kazis register child marriages… When the cases came up in the High Court, they said that they have the power to register child marriages…and…the High Court gave them bail because kazis have the power to register child marriages under the Muslim Marriage and Divorce Registration Act… It means that they (kazis) are not opposed to child marriage in principle,” the chief minister said, adding that registration by a government officer will increase accountability.

Sarma referred to the Supreme Court’s 2006 verdict in Seema vs. Ashwani Kumar in which the court had directed the central and state governments to ensure compulsory registration of marriages. “That means that the state has been given the responsibility of getting marriages registered. The state can’t rely on a kazi arrangement for this,” he said, referring to kazis as “private entities”.

Islam also said that the simpler process of registering under the older Act had been replaced by a more complex one, drawn from the provisions of the Special Marriage Act.

“Most of the provisions have been drawn from the Special Marriage Act which is an option for inter-religious marriages… It can be terrible…to make the registration of marriages between two Muslims so difficult,” he said, pointing out that “lakhs of people” would be impacted.

What was the IC-814 aircraft hijack, the subject of a new Netflix series?

On the afternoon of December 24, 1999, hijackers gained control of a Kathmandu-New Delhi flight. The hijack ended on December 31 with India releasing three terrorists, raising questions about the government’s handling of the crisis.

Written by Rishika Singh

New Delhi | August 30, 2024 06:30 IST

Taliban militia in front of the hijacked Indian Airlines IC-814 flight at Kandahar airport in December 1999. (Express archives)

The Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack was released on Thursday (August 29), based on the hijacking of Indian Airlines Flight IC-814 — considered one of the worst terrorist acts in India’s history.

On the afternoon of December 24, 1999, five men hijacked an aircraft of the government-owned Indian Airlines. The hijacking would come to an end more than a week later, after negotiations, the release of three terrorists, the involvement of the Taliban, and the death of one of the 179 passengers onboard.

The incident also raised serious concerns about the Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA government’s response. Here is what happened.

What was flight IC-814?

Flight IC-814, an Airbus 300, was to travel from the Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, to Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on December 24, 1999.

In the book IC 814 Hijacked: The Inside Story, written by flight engineer Anil. K Jaggia and journalist Saurabh Shukla, Jaggia recalled that all the passengers were seated around 4 pm, with the 11 crew members also prepared for take-off.

By 4.39 pm, the flight reached Indian airspace and those in the cockpit were having tea and coffee. Steward Anil Sharma was leaving the area when an intruder pushed him and walked in, startling Captain Devi Sharan and Jaggia.

Jaggia wrote of the intruder, “In the instant we caught a glimpse of him, we knew we were in trouble, for his face was masked under a red balaclava. Even his eyes behind the slit in the monkey-cap were hidden behind photochromatic lenses”. The man held a grenade in his left hand and a revolver in his right.

“We were being hijacked. The intruder barked: ‘Koi hoshiyari nahin karega. Koi hilega nahin. Tayyara hamare kabaze main hain. (Nobody move or try to act smart, we have seized the aircraft.)’”, Jaggia recalled. At 4.53 pm, the aircraft was hijacked.

What happened to the IC-814 in Amritsar?

According to the statement from then Minister of External Affairs Jaswant Singh in Parliament on March 1, 2000, the Air Traffic Control (ATC) in Delhi first received information of the hijacking at 4.56 pm. This was thanks to Captain Sharan sending a coded message unseen by the hijackers, who demanded that the aircraft be taken to Lahore, Pakistan.

After the ATC refused permission to land in Lahore, the flight reached Amritsar at 7 pm and the hijackers demanded refuelling. Writing in The Indian Express in 2019, then Director General of Police (DGP) for Punjab Sarabjit Singh recalled how he refused to allow refuelling, finding it odd that the aircraft engines were running throughout.

Singh was also communicating with the Central Crisis Management Group (CMG). Assisted by the central committee at the ATC in New Delhi, it was procedurally mandated to take charge in case of a hijacking. Its members included Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) H.S. Khola, senior intelligence and security officials and aviation experts.

Singh recalled how Shyamal Datta, then director of the Intelligence Bureau, asked if Singh could immobilise the aircraft, “One suggestion being that we could maybe puncture the tyres by shooting at them. It was an outlandish suggestion, and I don’t know if others were listening at the other end when I used some expletives and asked him if he thought those were cycle tyres. They were huge tubeless tyres, multiple to each wheel, and puncturing them would have set off huge explosions and possibly not had any impact.”

As the government strictly believed in ensuring no passenger casualties, its options were limited.

Former Research & Analysis Wing (RAW) chief and CMG member AS Dulat said earlier this month that there was no definite solution proposed in the CMG, either. “The Home Minister came, Principal Secretary, NSA (National Security Adviser) came… nobody decided anything……and then we blamed DGP Punjab [Sarabjit Singh]… He said ‘my Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had told me I don’t want bloodshed in Amritsar. Let it pass if it has to pass’. But Delhi took no decision and after the plane took off from Amritsar everybody blamed everybody,” said Dulat.

Suddenly, the IC-814 took off after about 47 minutes from Amritsar, as hijackers grew suspicious of what was unfolding. The aircraft landed at Lahore at 8.01 pm. “Permission to land was given only when the pilot informed ATC Lahore that he would be forced to crash-land the aircraft as fuel had got exhausted,” the External Affairs Minister’s statement said. The aircraft was then refuelled.

At 10.32 pm, it took off for Kabul, Afghanistan. However, Kabul informed them that there were no night landing facilities and the aircraft thus headed for Dubai, landing at 01.32 am on December 25. Following discussions between the UAE authorities and the hijackers, 27 passengers were released. The dead body of one passenger named Rupin Katyal, who had been stabbed by the hijackers earlier, was also off-loaded. The released passengers reached India on a special flight.

The final negotiations

The aircraft then took off at 6.20 am and landed at the Kandahar airport in Afghanistan at 8.33 am. It stayed there until the hijacking ended on December 31.

Jaswant Singh said he also reached out to countries in the region for help in diffusing the situation. Direct discussions between hijackers and Indian officials happened between December 27 and 31, with Singh going to Kandahar.

Initially, the hijackers demanded the release of 36 terrorists held in India, including Masood Azhar who later founded the Jaish-e-Mohammed — involved in the 2019 Pulwama attacks. They also asked for the coffin of Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HuM) leader Sajad Afghani and US$ 200 million.

India released Masood Azhar in 1999. (Express archives)

The Taliban government in Afghanistan, despite not being recognised by India, was also involved in the negotiations. It “advised the hijackers that their demands for money and the coffin of Sajad Afghani were unIslamic. These were, therefore, dropped by the hijackers. Our urging thereafter that a demand for release of terrorists was also un-Islamic was not pressed by the Taliban with the hijackers,” the MEA said.

Ultimately, the Indian government released three terrorists: Masood Azhar, Mushtaq Zargar and Omar Shaikh. Taliban said they would then have the aircraft under their jurisdiction. Despite the Indian government asking for the hijackers and the released terrorists to be treated as criminals under the law, the Taliban let them leave Afghanistan after 10 hours.

Hostage passengers and crew reached Delhi via two special flights. The hijacked aircraft returned to New Delhi on January 1, 2000.

Aftermath

The Indian government said in its statement, “The hijacking incident has once again highlighted the complicity of Pakistan and of organisations patronised and supported by it in terrorist acts against India.” It said the police arrested four operatives of the Inter-Services Intelligence Agency (ISI) of Pakistan in Mumbai. The operatives belonged to the HuM.

“Their interrogation has established that the hijacking was masterminded by Pakistan’s ISI with the assistance of the Harkat. It was further revealed that all the five hijackers were also Pakistanis. The hijackers are now believed to be in Pakistan,” the government said.

The incident also led to criticism of the Central government’s role. Janata Dal (United) leader Sharad Yadav, then the Civil Aviation Minister, later said the decision-making largely happened within the Prime Minister’s Office and the CMG was not kept in the loop.

Dulat wrote in his 2015 book Kashmir — The Vajpayee Years about the incident critically, recalling how then Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah was against the release of terrorists. “I will not let this Kashmiri fellow (Zargar) go, he’s a killer. He will not be released,’’ Abdullah had reportedly said. The opposition Congress launched an attack against the BJP, over the decision to release terrorists.

Yashwant Sinha, a senior BJP leader and a Union Minister in the Vajpayee Cabinet during the incident, claimed there was no option left: “Anyone who is criticising that decision should come out openly and say we should have sacrificed the lives of passengers held and not released the terrorists. There was absolutely no other option, except to brittle down their demand as much as we could through negotiations and then the very minimum had to be accepted.”

Who is Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway which attained a $1 trillion market cap?

The maverick businessman is well-regarded in investment circles for his acumen and business principles which have helped him amass at least $146 billion in personal wealth. His is also the only non-tech company to have hit the $1 trillion milestone.

Written by Anagha Jayakumar

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 21:33 IST

Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett. (File Photo - Reuters)

American multinational conglomerate and holding company, Berkshire Hathaway became the first non-tech company to attain $1 trillion in market capitalisation on Wednesday (August 28). This comes mere weeks after the company sold nearly half of its shares in Apple, which led to it amassing $280 billion in cash holdings.

Known as the Oracle of Omaha, Buffett is well-regarded in investment circles for his insight and acumen which has helped him accumulate a personal fortune of $146 billion, according to Forbes.

A keen mind for business

Born in 1930 to congressman and stockbroker Howard Buffett, Warren took a keen interest in business early in life. He made his first investment as a 14-year-old, using up his savings from selling soft drinks and newspapers to buy 40 acres of land, which he then rented.

Buffett completed his Bachelor’s in Business Administration from the University of Nebraska, and later pursued his Master’s in Economics from Columbia University, following a rejection from Harvard Business School. His stints as an investment analyst at his father’s firm, Buffett-Falk & Co. in 1951-54 and as a securities analyst at Graham-Newman Corp. in 1955-56, as well as a few investment partnerships, were immensely successful: he was already a millionaire as a 30-year-old in 1962.

He met Charlie Munger in 1959, who would become a life-long collaborator and fellow advocate of value investing. Together, the duo in 1965 would revitalise Berkshire Hathaway, then a struggling textile company in New England, first by using its earnings to fund other investments, and then as a brand that would become a holding company once the textile business was closed.

Today, Buffett is regarded as a maverick investor driven by business principles that rely on a steady, thorough analysis of the market. Foremost of these principles is value investing.

Value investing

While in Columbia, he was mentored by Benjamin Graham who is regarded as the father of value investing. Buffett would become the fiercest advocate of this principle, which involves selecting stocks that may be underestimated by the stock market and seem to be trading at less than their intrinsic value.

This is based on an understanding of the stock market’s volatility, which results in ‘overreactions’ that may not indicate a company’s long-term fundamentals. Value investors stand to profit by purchasing stocks at discounted prices, and are generally long-term investors of high-quality companies.

How Berkshire Hathaway became such a valuable company

Buffett’s acquisition of the textile business was driven by spite, following a failed transaction with its previous owner, Seabury Stanton. He quickly realised that acquiring a textile business was a futile endeavour given the limited opportunities for growth in this industry, and sought to diversify his holdings.

Relying on the value investing principle he sought out such companies which seemed to be underdogs in the field — experiencing a spot of trouble even as their business fundamentals remained sound. Thus Berkshire came to acquire a diverse array of companies such as GEICO, Fruit of the Loom, Coca-Cola, Duracell and the World Book Encyclopaedia.

Over the years Buffett has invested in companies for the long haul with the intent of holding on to his investments long enough to see them appreciate over time. Munger, who joined Berkshire Hathaway as its vice chairman in 1978, described their shared philosophy for investment thus, “We have three baskets for investing: yes, no, and too tough to understand.”

For a long time, this meant avoiding investments in tech companies, a move that bore fruit when Berkshire stayed steady during the Dot Com Boom and Bust of the late 90s-early aughts. However, he reversed this position in 2016 when he began buying Apple shares, driven by the devotion Apple users show to their devices and viewing the company itself as a “moat,” a business that does not stand to lose its market share while open to growing profit margins.

Buffett has often credited Munger with directing him away from “cigar-butt” investments, mediocre companies that were about to shut shop and could be readily snatched up. “The blueprint he gave me was simple: forget what you know about buying fair businesses at wonderful prices; instead, buy wonderful businesses at fair prices,” Buffett wrote to shareholders in 2015.

National Sports Day: Story of Dhyan Chand, India’s first sporting superstar

National Sports Day 2024: Who was Dhyan Chand? Why does he mean so much to Indian sports? On the 119th anniversary of his birth, here is the story of India’s first sporting superstar.

Written by Tushar Bhaduri

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 21:34 IST

Dhyan Chand with the ball in the 1936 Olympic semi-finals versus France. (Wikimedia Commons)

The National Sports Day is celebrated on August 29 in the memory of Dhyan Chand, the first superstar of Indian hockey, and arguably India’s first sporting superstar.

Here is why he means so much to Indian sports.

Wizard of the game

Quite simply, Dhyan Chand, born in Allahabad in 1905, was the first superstar of hockey, and considered a wizard of the game. He was the chief protagonist as India won three consecutive Olympic hockey gold medals — Amsterdam 1928, Los Angeles 1932, and Berlin 1936. He is said to have wowed the watching public with his sublime skills, intricate dribbling and gluttonous appetite for scoring.

During those tournaments, there was no team that could compete with India — and most of India’s matches were won with huge victory margins. India beat hosts the Netherlands 3-0 in the 1928 final, the United States were thrashed by a scarcely-believable margin of 24-1 in the 1932 gold medal match, while Germany went down 8-1 in the 1936 decider.

In all, Dhyan Chand played 12 Olympic matches, and scored an unbelievable 33 goals — just shy of scoring a hattrick each game!

Anecdotes and apocryphal stories

Many stories surrounding Dhyan Chand’s prowess with a hockey stick are difficult to confirm. Some are definitely apocryphal.

It is said that once his sublime skill and close control of the ball aroused such suspicion that his stick was broken to see whether there was a magnet inside. One has to remember that the game was played on natural grass in those days in contrast to the astro turf now, and the surface would often be bumpy and uneven. This made ball control more difficult for lesser mortals.

During the 1936 Berlin Games, German Chancellor Adolf Hitler — a proponent of Aryan racial superiority — was so enamoured with Dhyan Chand’s play that he offered him German citizenship and the post of Colonel in his country’s Army, a proposition that the Indian ace is said to have promptly refused.

A shining light in Indian sports

Dhyan Chand played during India’s pre-independence years, a time when the local population was subjugated and made to feel inferior by the ruling British. This is what gave his achievements on the field even more importance for Indians. Seeing an Indian dominating Europeans in a sport invented by them evoked a lot of pride.

Moreover, for a long time, hockey was the only sport in which India consistently excelled at the international and Olympic stage. In fact, starting from Amsterdam 1928, India won seven of the eight hockey gold medals at the Games. Apart from K D Jadhav’s wrestling bronze at Helsinki 1952, India had to wait until Atlanta 1996 and tennis player Leander Paes for an Olympic medal in a sport other than hockey.

There were other great contemporary players like K D Singh ‘Babu’, Roop Singh, and Balbir Singh, but Dhyan Chand’s name was always taken first.

Recognition of his achievements

Apart from August 29 being celebrated as the National Sports Day, numerous awards and other honours are named after Dhyan Chand. In 2021, the Narendra Modi government renamed the erstwhile Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award, India’s highest sporting honour, after Dhyan Chand. An award for lifetime achievement in sport was already named after him.

New Delhi’s National Stadium was renamed Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium in 2002.

This is an updated version of an explainer originally published in 2021.

What are jiu-jitsu & aikido, practised by Rahul Gandhi during Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

Both jiu-jitsu and aikido are forms of martial arts which originated in Japan, with an emphasis on grappling, weight and energy manipulation.

By: Explained Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 21:35 IST

Rahul Gandhi has said a "Bharat Dojo Yatra" is coming soon. (Screengrab/PTI)

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, said on Thursday (August 29) that during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra earlier this year he had “a daily routine of practising jiu-jitsu every evening” which brought together young martial arts students from towns where they stayed.

“Our goal was to introduce these young minds to the beauty of the ‘Gentle Art’ — a harmonious blend of meditation, jiu-jitsu, Aikido, and non-violent conflict resolution techniques. We aimed to instill in them the value of transforming violence into gentleness, giving them the tools to build a more compassionate and safer society,” he posted on X, adding that a “Bharat Dojo Yatra is coming soon”.

During the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, as we journeyed across thousands of kilometers, we had a daily routine of practicing jiu-jitsu every evening at our campsite. What began as a simple way to stay fit quickly evolved into a community activity, bringing together fellow yatris and… pic.twitter.com/Zvmw78ShDX

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 29, 2024

Dojo in the Japanese language refers to a place of learning martial arts, somewhat like an akhada for kushti (wrestling) in India.

Here is a brief introduction to the martial arts that Rahul referred to.

Jujutsu: the ‘gentle art’

A family of martial arts originating in Japan, jujutsu translates to “gentle art” — “ju” means “soft/ supple/ gentle” and “jutsu” means “art/technique”. Jiu-jitsu is a somewhat inaccurate (in terms of pronunciation), albeit popular Romanisation of the Japanese word.

The most commonly accepted story of jujutsu’s origin dates to late 16th century Japan, during the age of the samurai — Japan’s warrior class which held significant political power between the 12th and 19th centuries.

It is believed that samurai warriors developed various grappling and self-defence techniques for situations in which they lost their weapons (the legendary katana swords) during battle.

Since striking with bare hands against heavily armoured opponents — as the samurai were during battle — was ineffective, practitioners came up with more efficient ways of neutralising the opponent in the form of pins, joint locks, and throws. At the heart of these techniques was the principle of manipulating the opponent’s energy against them, rather than directly opposing it.

Jujutsu’s many offshoots

Over time, as jujutsu became popular in Japan and overseas, multiple offshoots were born, which influenced various other combat sports. These include:

- Judo, which was developed in the late 19th century from several traditional styles of jujutsu, and became an Olympic sport in the 1964 Tokyo Games;

- Sambo, a combat sport developed by the Soviet Red Army in the 1920s to improve soldiers’ hand-to-hand combat abilities;

- Brazilian jiu-jitsu was developed in the 1920s, and is today one of the most popular self-defence styles, which revolves around the principle of a smaller, weaker person defeating a bigger, stronger opponent with the help of leverage and weight distribution; and

- MMA or mixed martial arts, the most popular combat sport today, borrows heavily from jujutsu and other styles which it has influenced.

Interest in jujutsu, especially the modern Brazilian form, skyrocketed after Royce Gracie’s legendary performance in the first United Fighting Championship (UFC) in 1993. Gracie methodically defeated much larger and stronger opponents while barely throwing around any kicks and punches, and relying instead on submission holds.

Aikido: The art of not hurting one’s foe

Aikido is an offshoot of jujutsu. It was developed by martial artist Morihei Ueshiba in the early 20th century, which makes it among the youngest of Japan’s many martial arts. Aikido literally means the “way of harmonising energy”, and is different from most other martial arts.

It takes jujutsu’s principle of manipulating an opponent’s energy to its logical extreme. Aikido’s goal is to end conflict non-violently — to deflect strikes rather than overpower one’s adversary, and to “match the opponent’s force”. The idea is to not only defend oneself, but to also protect or not hurt the attacker.

According to a phrase often used by Ueshiba, “true victory, final victory over oneself, here and now” — meaning that an Aikido practitioner’s primary goal is to overcome oneself rather than cultivating violence or aggression.

This is why there are no aikido competitions. Rather, practitioners carry out demonstrations, and engage in a number of practices for their holistic mental and physical growth.

Some have criticised aikido’s worth as a real-world fighting technique, arguing that aikido practitioners cannot hold their own against other, more violent forms of fighting. However, others argue that the skills and discipline that aikido inculcates are extremely important not just for self-defence but also for life.

Rahul Gandhi is a black belt in aikido, which denotes the highest level of technical proficiency in the martial art.

Why govt has strengthened security for RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, brought his cover on par with Amit Shah’s

Z+ is the highest level of security, but in case of some protectees, an additional ASL layer of cover is mandated based on the threat perception.

Written by Mahender Singh Manral

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 21:35 IST

Mohan Bhagwat, chief of Hindu nationalist organisation Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) addresses the 101st anniversary of Lokmanya Seva Sangh at Vile Parle in Mumbai on 27 March 2024. (Express File photo - Sankhadeep Banerjee)

Following receipt of fresh threat inputs from intelligence agencies, “Advance Security Liaison” (ASL) drill has been added to RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat’s security, strengthening his existing ‘Z+’ category cover. Home Minister Amit Shah is the only other ASL protectee.

What ASL protection entails

The ASL drill is focused on preparation and management of security measures to ensure the safety of the protectee. A special team visits the location to assess security arrangements ahead of the arrival of the protectee. The team identifies shortcomings, makes a threat analysis, and assesses the planning and coordination with local police.

The ASL protocol requires the district administration, police, health department, and other local agencies to collaborate to ensure the protectee’s security.

The protocol mandates the protectee’s travel only by specially designed aircraft, and thorough anti-sabotage inspections and multi-layered security rings.

Reason for ASL on top of Z+

Ten individuals are currently covered by Z+ security — the highest level of security cover — provided by personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF). The additional ASL layer is provided only to some Z+ protectees, based on the analysis of the threat perception for them.

The CISF also provides protection to the RSS headquarters in Nagpur, and to Keshav Kunj, the RSS office in Delhi. The CISF provides varying levels of security to some 200 individuals in all.

Mohan Bhagwat’s security

Security agencies have recently received inputs that certain banned outfits may target the RSS chief.

The ASL drill was so far initiated only during his visits to certain sensitive and vulnerable locations. However, after central agencies observed some shortcomings, the Ministry of Home Affairs ordered a security review.

Following completion of the review and assessment of the threat, fresh directions were issued on August 16. All states and Union Territories have been informed of the security upgrade for Bhagwat.

Mahender Singh Manral

Mahender Singh Manral is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. He is known for his impactful and breaking stories. He covers the Ministry of Home Affairs, Investigative Agencies, National Investigative Agency, Central Bureau of Investigation, Law Enforcement Agencies, Paramilitary Forces, and internal security. Prior to this, Manral had extensively reported on city-based crime stories along with that he also covered the anti-corruption branch of the Delhi government for a decade. He is known for his knack for News and a detailed understanding of stories. He also worked with Mail Today as a senior correspondent for eleven months. He has also worked with The Pioneer for two years where he was exclusively covering crime beat. During his initial days of the career he also worked with The Statesman newspaper in the national capital, where he was entrusted with beats like crime, education, and the Delhi Jal Board. A graduate in Mass Communication, Manral is always in search of stories that impact lives. ... Read More

What Australia’s new cap on number of international students means; its possible impact on Indians

Australia’s 2.7 lakh cap for new international students in 2025 is lower than admissions over the past five years.

Written by Raakhi Jagga

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 21:34 IST

Australia has also recently more-than-doubled the visa processing fee for international students. (File)

Australia’s Education Minister Jason Clare on Tuesday (August 27) announced plans to introduce a National Planning Level (NPL) to cap the number of new international students at 2.7 lakh for the calendar year 2025, pending parliamentary approval.

This cap marks the lowest intake in the past five years, and a significant decrease from the 5.61 lakh international students who started their studies in 2023. The announcement comes merely a month after a hike in Australia’s visa processing fee came into effect on July 1.

Here is what this means, and how it will impact Indians.

What the 2025 cap entails

Of the maximum 2.7 lakh new international students who will be admitted in 2025, publicly funded universities will admit 1.45 lakh students, maintaining the 2023 levels in terms of admissions. The number of new intakes will go down elsewhere — the vocational education and training (VET) sector will enroll 95,000 new students, while other universities and non-university providers will see their intake capped at 30,000.

According to the Australia’s Education Department, 5.61 lakh international students were admitted in 2023, 3.88 lakh in 2022, 2.82 lakh in 2021, 3.96 lakh in 2020, and 5.19 lakh in 2019. Moreover, between January and May 2024, the total commencements has been around 2.89 lakhs — the highest on record for this period, and 16% higher than the corresponding period in 2019. Another intake of students in November is pending, and might see the total number of admissions balloon to even higher than in 2023.

Thus, the student intake in Australia in 2025 will be the lowest in the past five years — and by a lot, especially if one keeps in mind that the Covid-19 pandemic would have depressed admissions between 2020 to as late as 2022.

Some categories of students are, however, excluded from the cap. These include school students, those pursuing research degrees, students undertaking standalone English language courses (ELICOS), non-award students, government-sponsored scholars, students that are part of an Australian transnational education arrangement or twinning arrangement, key partner foreign government scholarship holders, and students from the Asia Pacific and Timor Leste.

Cap comes after visa fee hike

From July 1, 2024 onwards, Australia more than doubled its visa processing fee for international students from AUD 710 to AUD 1,600 (as of exchange rate on August 29, Rs 40,524 to Rs 91,321). This was the steepest hike in the past five years.

The visa application fee in 2020-21 was AUD 620, which was increased to AUD 630 in 2021-22 and, further to 650 AUD in 2022-23. It had climbed to AUD 710 in 2023-24.

Australia’s visa-processing fee for international students is the highest when it comes to popular study destinations for Indians. Gaurav Chaudhary, a Ludhiana based immigration consultant, said that the Canadian student visa costs around the equivalent of AUD 170, the US student visa costs AUD 290, the New Zealand student visa costs AUD 345, and the UK student visa costs AUD 940.

Lose-lose for students, universities

The capping will decrease the number of international applicants to Australian colleges and universities, just like they have done in Canada after it introduced its own caps. The number of Indian students heading to Australia will go down, and shrink the business of immigration in India, Chaudhary noted.

And this comes on the back of moves by the Australian government to curb migration into the country over the past six months or so. Beginning on January 1 this year, Australia had introduced higher IELTS band score requirements, and the Genuine Student Test for applicants.

Currently, Australia is home to over 7 lakh overseas students, many of whom tend to prolong their stay in the country by enrolling into various courses, one after another, while they apply for permanent residency (PR). The government’s recent changes might be an attempt to “fix the country’s migration system”, consultants in India feel.

At the same time, universities too might be adversely impacted. The Group of Eight (Go8) universities in Australia, a group of Australia’s top research-intensive universities, has termed the capping as “bad policy”.

How ISRO designed humanoid skull which will be used in Gaganyaan

The design for Vyomitra’s skull, fashioned by ISRO’s Inertial Systems Unit  in the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, was finalised recently.

Written by Anjali Marar

Bengaluru | Updated: August 29, 2024 13:02 IST

Final skull design with lattice structures. Journal of Institution of Engineers, India

The Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO’s) uncrewed Gaganyaan mission in 2025 will carry the female half humanoid Vyomitra (literally “space friend”). The design for Vyomitra’s skull, fashioned by ISRO’s Inertial Systems Unit  in the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, was finalised recently.

What are humanoids?

Humanoids (or half-humanoids) are robotic systems designed to resemble humans — Vyomitra comes with movable arms, a torso, a face, and a neck — and function autonomously in space.

In general, robotic systems are used to assist astronauts in performing repetitive and/or dangerous tasks in space, like cleaning of solar panels or fixing faulty equipment located outside the spacecraft. This protects astronauts, and allows them to work on the scientific mission at hand.

Why will ISRO send a humanoid to space next year?

Next year’s mission is primarily designed to be a technology demonstration of the Vyomitra. It will see the half humanoid use its robotic arms to perform operations at the crew console, visually monitor various systems inside the crew module, and communicate with the Earth-based mission control team.

ISRO will evaluate the performance of the robot’s technology to measure the likely impacts of space travel on human beings, ahead of India’s first crewed mission planned for later in 2025.

How did ISRO design the humanoid skull for Vyomitra?

The recently-designed Vyomitra skull will house the key components of the robot. It has been made using an aluminium alloy (AlSi10Mg) known for its high flexibility, light weight, heat resistance, and mechanical properties. This alloy is commonly used for making automotive engines and aerospace components.

Crucially, the skull has been designed to be incredibly sturdy, capable of withstanding some extreme vibrational loads that are experienced during a rocket launch. The high strength of the aluminium alloy offers a yield strength of more than 220 MegaPascals (1 MPa = 1 million pascals). Yield strength refers to the maximum stress that can be applied to a material before it begins to deform permanently.

The humanoid skull model has dimensions of 200mm x 200mm, and weighs only 800 grams.

AlSi10Mg is also amenable to the Additive Manufacturing (or AM) technique. This is how the humanoid skull was created. AM enables easy induction of lattice structures, as incorporated in the humanoid skull design. Importantly, it helps in significant reduction of the overall weight of the final product. Unlike conventional manufacturing techniques, AM follows a process in which a desired part or product is created in a layered manner, a commonly deployed mechanism in 3D printing.

Sturdy yet flexible, lightweight materials are often used to build payloads for space missions. This is because heavier the payload, more the fuel required to reach space, and larger the rocket needed.

10 years of Jan Dhan: How the scheme has had a transformative impact on financial, banking sector

Since its launch in 2014, the government’s flagship financial inclusion scheme has resulted in the opening of more than half a billion bank accounts.

Written by Harikishan Sharma

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 13:21 IST

PM Narendra Modi and then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley at the launch of Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana in New Delhi on August 28, 2014. (Anil Sharma/Express Archive)

As the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) completed 10 years on Wednesday (August 28), Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the “momentous” achievement of the scheme that has been “paramount in boosting financial inclusion and giving dignity to crores of people, especially women, youth, and the marginalised communities”.

The PMJDY was launched on August 28, 2014, as a national mission for financial inclusion. Over the last decade, 53.13 crore Jan Dhan accounts have been opened, with 29.56 crore women beneficiaries, more than the population of the European Union, and almost the same as the population of the United States respectively, the government said.

I-Day announcement

The PMJDY was one of the early initiatives of the Modi government. The Prime Minister announced the scheme in his first Independence Day address on August 15, 2014.

“I have come here with a pledge to launch a scheme on this festival of freedom. It will be called Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana,” Modi said from the ramparts of the Red Fort.

“I wish to connect the poorest citizens of the country with the facility of bank accounts through this yojana… This yojana will open the window. …An account holder under Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana will be given a debit card. An insurance of one lakh rupees will be guaranteed with that debit card for each poor family…,” he said.

Features of the Jan Dhan Yojana

The scheme was launched on August 28. Banks organised 77,892 camps around the country, and opened about 1.8 crore accounts. Guinness World Records recognised the achievement: “The most bank accounts opened in 1 week as part of a financial inclusion campaign is 18,096,130 and was achieved by Department of Financial Services, Government of India from 23 to 29 August 2014.”

The launch of PMJDY provided an unprecedented boost to the government’s campaign for financial inclusion, at a scale never seen before. Earlier governments too, had taken initiatives for financial inclusion — for instance, the previous UPA government began a scheme of no-frills bank accounts for people who did not have an account — but they had failed to gain traction.

* The foremost objective of the PMJDY was to open a Basic Savings Bank Account for unbanked individuals. There was no requirement to maintain any minimum balance in PMJDY accounts, and these accounts earned interest on deposits like regular accounts.

* PMJDY account-holders were given RuPay debit cards.

* An accident insurance cover of Rs 1 lakh was available with RuPay cards issued to PMJDY account holders. The cover was enhanced to Rs 2 lakh for new PMJDY accounts opened after August 28, 2018.

* Eligible PMJDY account holders can avail overdraft (OD) facility up to Rs 10,000.

* PMJDY accounts are also eligible for Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT), Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), Atal Pension Yojana (APY), and the Micro Units Development & Refinance Agency Bank (MUDRA) scheme.

Progress of the scheme

As of August 14, 2024, the number of PMJDY accounts stands at 53.13 crore — including 35.37 crore accounts in rural and semi-urban areas, and 17.76 crore accounts in urban areas — and total deposits at Rs 2,31,235.97 crore. More than half the PMJDY accounts (29.56 crore) are in the names of women. A total 36.14 crore RuPay debit cards have been issued to PMJDY account holders. (See charts)

Progress of the Jan Dhan scheme.

Deposits in Jan Dhan accounts.

The largest share of PMJDY accounts is with public sector banks (41.42 crore accounts until August 14), followed by Regional Rural Banks (9.89 crore accounts), private sector banks (1.64 crore), and Rural Cooperative Banks (0.19 crore).

A statewise analysis of PMJDY accounts shows the most accounts have been opened in Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state (9.45 crore), and the fewest in Lakshadweep (only 9,256 accounts). There are 15 states apart from UP with more than 1 crore PMJDY bank accounts: Bihar, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Assam, Odisha, Karnataka, Jharkhand, Gujarat, Chhattisgarh, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Haryana.

Impact of Jan Dhan Yojana

The scheme, which is one of the components of the JAM trinity of PMJDY, Aadhaar, and mobile, has had a transformative impact on the financial and banking sectors of the economy.

* First, the opening of more than half a billion bank accounts has fuelled demand for banking services, encouraging commercial banks to expand their infrastructure in recent years.

The number of branches of scheduled commercial banks in the country has increased by 46 per cent to 1,54,983 in 2023 from 1,05,992 in 2013. Of the total 1.54 lakh branches, 35 per cent are in rural areas, 28 per cent in semi-urban areas, 18 per cent in urban areas, and 19 per cent in metropolitan areas.

The number of ATMs has increased by 30 per cent from 1,66,894 at the end of June 2014 to 2,16,914 in 2024. The number of Points of Sale (POS) has increased from 10.88 lakh to 89.67 lakh during the last 10 years.

* Second, the rollout of payment solutions such as UPI — launched two years after the PMJDY — has eased and increased banking transactions.

The Reserve Bank of India, in its Report on Currency and Finance released on June 29, 2024, noted, “India’s financial inclusion initiatives received a fillip when PMJDY was launched in 2014… The digital technological revolution widened the usability of bank accounts from a traditional deposit or credit account to a payment intermediary. As per the World Bank’s Findex database, 78 per cent of Indian adults (population with 15 years or more of age) had a bank account in 2021 as compared to 53 per cent in 2014.”

* Third, PMJDY accounts have become the bedrock of the government’s DBT architecture. While this has ensured faster delivery of benefits to the poor, the JAM trinity has played a crucial role in improving efficiency by weeding out ineligible or fake beneficiaries.

In fact, DBT and other governance reforms resulted in a gain of Rs 3.48 lakh crore in the implementation of government schemes including MG-NREGS and PM-Kisan until March 2023, according to data from the RBI’s Report on Currency and Finance.

Harikishan Sharma

Harikishan Sharma, Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express' National Bureau, specializes in reporting on governance, policy, and data. He covers the Prime Minister’s Office and pivotal central ministries, such as the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Ministry of Cooperation, Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution, Ministry of Rural Development, and Ministry of Jal Shakti. His work primarily revolves around reporting and policy analysis. In addition to this, he authors a weekly column titled "STATE-ISTICALLY SPEAKING," which is prominently featured on The Indian Express website. In this column, he immerses readers in narratives deeply rooted in socio-economic, political, and electoral data, providing insightful perspectives on these critical aspects of governance and society. ... Read More

Himachal Pradesh passes Bill to raise women’s marriage age from 18 to 21 years: What happens next?

What amendments has the Bill introduced to the PCM Act? How will the Bill’s amendments to a central law come into force?

Written by Ajoy Sinha Karpuram , Saurabh Parashar

New Delhi, Shimla | Updated: August 29, 2024 20:23 IST

While presenting the Bill in the Assembly on Tuesday, Health, Social Justice, and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil said it was necessary to raise the minimum age of marriage for women to provide opportunities to them. (Via Canva)

The Himachal Pradesh Assembly on Tuesday (August 27) passed a Bill to raise the minimum age of marriage for women from 18 to 21 years. The Prohibition of Child Marriage (Himachal Pradesh Amendment) Bill, 2024, was passed by voice vote. The Bill amended the Prohibition of Child Marriage (PCM) Act, which was passed by Parliament in 2006.

What amendments has the Bill introduced to the PCM Act? How will the Bill’s amendments to a central law come into force?

Why did the Himachal Pradesh Assembly pass the Bill?

While presenting the Bill in the Assembly on Tuesday, Health, Social Justice, and Empowerment Minister Dhani Ram Shandil said it was necessary to raise the minimum age of marriage for women to provide opportunities to them.

“Some girls still marry at a young age, which hinders their education and ability to progress in life… Additionally, many women are unable to achieve success in their careers due to early marriage,” he said.

The minister also highlighted that early marriage and motherhood often severely impact the health of women. According to the ‘Statement of Objects and Reasons’ provided with the Bill,  “The early marriages…act as a hindrance not only in the progress of their (women’s) career but also in their physical development.”

What amendments has the Bill introduced to the PCM Act?

As it stands, Section 2(a) of the PCM Act defines a “child” as someone “who, if male, has not completed twenty-one years of age, and if a female, has not completed eighteen years of age”. The Himachal Bill eliminates this distinction on the basis of age between “males” and “females”. It defines a “child” as “a male or female who has not completed twenty-one years of age”.

The Bill also amends Section 2(b) of the PCM Act, which defines “child marriage” as “a marriage to which either of the contracting parties is a child”. The Bill has added a clause giving it overriding effect over “anything contrary or inconsistent therewith contained in any other law…including any custom or usage or practice governing the parties”.

This means that the new marriage age for women will apply to everyone in Himachal Pradesh regardless of what any other law may state, or even if the religious or cultural practices of the individuals getting married allow legal minors to get married. The Bill introduces Section 18A to the PCM Act, which gives the same overriding effect to the entire central law and its provisions.

The Bill increases the time-period for filing a petition to annul a marriage. Under Section 3 of the PCM Act, the “contracting party who was a child at the time of the marriage” can file a petition to annul the marriage within two years of attaining majority (before they turn 20 for women, and 23 for men). The Bill increases this period to five years, allowing both women and men to file petitions to annul the marriage before they turn 23 years old (the minimum age for marriage at 21 years is higher than the age of majority at 18 years).

How will the Bill’s amendments to the PCM Act come into force?

The Concurrent List — or List III under the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution of India — contains a list of subjects that both the central and state governments can pass laws on. Entry 5 of the Concurrent List comprises a number of subjects including “ marriage and divorce; infants and minors;…all matters in respect of which parties in judicial proceedings were immediately before the commencement of this Constitution subject to their personal law”. This allows both the Centre and states to enact laws to address child marriage.

Typically, under Article 200 of the Constitution, a Bill passed by a state Assembly will be handed over to the Governor of that state for her assent. The Governor can then declare that she assents to the Bill (making it a law), return the Bill for reconsideration, or “reserve” it for consideration by the President. The President can then declare that she assents or withholds assent to the Bill, or direct the Governor to send it back for reconsideration.

However, the Bill passed by Himachal Pradesh amends the PCM Act by introducing a different marriage age for women, making it inconsistent with the Act passed by Parliament. Under Article 254(1) of the Constitution, if the state legislature enacts a law dealing with a subject in the Concurrent List and that law is “repugnant” — inconsistent or contradictory — with a central law, then the repugnant portion of the state law will be “void”.

The exception to this is provided under Article 254(2). If the Bill in question is repugnant to an earlier or existing law made by Parliament, the Bill must be reserved for the President’s consideration and needs to receive her assent as per Article 201. Only then can the repugnant provision in the state law be valid. So, for the Himachal Pradesh Bill to come into force, Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla must reserve the Bill for President Droupadi Murmu’s consideration, who must then decide to give her assent to the Bill.

This process was seen in action in the case of Uttarakhand’s Uniform Civil Code (UCC) Bill, which provided common provisions for subjects such as marriage, divorce, etc. for everyone residing in the state.

These subjects were previously governed by personal laws (enacted by Parliament) and the customs of residents depending on their religious or cultural identity. The Bill passed by the state Assembly in February became law only after President Murmu gave her assent to it in March.

Who are the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, the country’s largest Islamist party?

The Jamaat was barred from contesting elections in 2013 on the ground that its charter violated Bangladesh's constitution by “opposing secularism”.

Written by Arjun Sengupta

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 12:45 IST

Dr Shafiqur Rahman, Ameer (Supremo) of Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami during an interview. (PTI Photo)

Bangladesh’s interim government on Wednesday (August 28) lifted the ban on the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, paving the way for its return to active politics.

The Sheikh Hasina government had cracked down on the Jamaat for being a “militant and terrorist” organisation, and hanged or imprisoned many of its top leaders for “war crimes” committed during the 1971 Liberation War. The Jamaat was barred from contesting elections in 2013 on the ground that its charter violated Bangladesh’s constitution by “opposing secularism”.

On Wednesday, interim Law Affairs Adviser Asif Nazrul said the ban on the Jamaat was “politically motivated” and “not based on ideology”, The Associated Press reported.

Largest Islamist party

On its website, the Jamaat says it wants to “safeguard the independence, territorial sovereignty and Islamic values of Bangladesh”, and “implement the Islamic code of life… with a view to turning Bangladesh into an Islamic welfare state…”.

Bangladesh’s “largest Islamic party” traces its roots to the Jamaat-e-Islami established in Lahore in 1941 by Islamic theologian Abul Ala Maududi. Its foundational goal was to promote Islamic values in India, and eventually establish an unified Islamic state in the subcontinent.

The Partition — which the Jamaat actively opposed — dashed its original plans. After 1947, the organisation split on country lines. In India, the Jamaat was largely relegated to political irrelevance, but its influence grew in both wings of Pakistan.

Role in Liberation War

While India was partitioned on religious lines, Pakistan struggled to hold together its geographically separated and culturally dissimilar East and West. Soon, the Bengali-speaking people in the East rebelled against the dominance of the Urdu-speaking West Pakistani elite, and started to demand first greater autonomy, and eventually a separate country.

Jamaat, with its goal of keeping Muslims together, opposed the partition of Pakistan, and stood firmly with the (West) Pakistani establishment. It provided leadership and manpower to paramilitary organisations and committees established by the Pakistan Army to crush the freedom struggle.

These included the Al Shams and Al Badr armed groups, which were recruited from the Jamaat’s student wing, and the East Pakistan Central Peace Committee, also known as the Shanti Committee. Ghulam Azam, then leader of the Jamaat in East Pakistan, was one of the founding members of the Shanti Committee.

These “razakars” (collaborators), along with the Pakistan Army (largely made up of West Pakistani recruits) carried out innumerable atrocities and human rights violations during the Liberation War, including the targeted killing of Bengali intellectuals, torture, abductions, rapes, and attacks on the minority Hindus.

Some 3 million people are estimated to have been killed during the nine-month Liberation War, more than 200,000 women were raped, and about 10 million were forced to flee East Pakistan.

Activities in Bangladesh

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman banned all religious organisations from participating in politics. Many Jamaat leaders, including Ghulam Azam, fled the country to escape prosecution for their role during the war. The Jamaat was effectively wiped out from Bangladesh.

Bangladesh passed the International Crimes Tribunal Act in 1973 “to provide for the detention, prosecution and punishment of persons for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other crimes under the international law”.

But it would be decades before anyone would be actually prosecuted. Mujib was assassinated by a group of army officers in 1975, and Bangladesh then witnessed a series of coups, counter-coups, and military rule under various individuals. The Awami League remained out of power until 1996, and the Jamaat made a comeback during this time.

Ziaur Rahman, one of the individuals behind Mujib’s assassination and the 1975 coup, would eventually lift the prohibition on religious parties from entering politics, and his Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) would ally with the revived Jamaat. His wife Khaleda Zia, who later became prime minister herself (1991-96, 2001-06), continued the alliance.

Crackdown by Hasina

The Jamaat had been rehabilitated during the Khaleda years, but its role during the Liberation War was not forgotten. After coming to power in late 2008, Hasina announced that she would use the 1973 Act to prosecute war criminals. This Act would be amended in 2009, and its ambit expanded.

On March 25, 2010, Hasina’s government announced the formation of a three-member tribunal, a seven-member investigation agency, and a twelve-member prosecution team to prosecute war criminals.

On February 5, 2013, Abdul Quader Mollah, who was a member of the Al Badr militia in 1971, was convicted of killing 344 civilians among other war crimes, and sentenced to life in prison. Following massive protests against the “lenient” punishment, the Bangladesh Supreme Court handed Mollah the death sentence. He was executed on December 12, 2013 — the first Jamaat leader to be hanged for war crimes.

Others followed suit: Mohommad Kamaruzzaman in April 2015, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojaheed in November 2015, and Motiur Rahman Nizami in March 2016. Numerous others were imprisoned. Ghulam Azam, who had been repatriated during Khaleda’s first term, was given 90 years in prison, where he died in 2014.

The arrests and executions drew widespread international condemnation. The likes of Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch criticised the flimsy process of the tribunal. Hasina’s critics alleged that the war crimes crackdown was a pretext to physically remove the opposition.

The Jamaat too, maintains this position, and denies any role in the atrocities of 1971.

History and controversies of AMMA, the Kerala actors’ body that was led by superstar Mohanlal

The entire executive committee of AMMA was forced to resign after allegations of sexual harassment and abuse against prominent members of the Malayalam film industry surfaced in the aftermath of the publication of the Hema Committee's report.

Written by Anagha Jayakumar

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 15:50 IST

AMMA executive committee 2024-27. Mohanlal in the bottom row, third-left (Photo - Wikimedia Commons)

A week after the report of the Justice K Hema Committee revealed rampant sexual exploitation and misconduct in the Malayalam film industry, the entire 17-member executive committee of the Association of Malayalam Movie Actors (AMMA), including its president, superstar Mohanlal, resigned their posts on Tuesday (August 27).

In a press release, the association said the executive committee was taking moral responsibility “following the release of the Hema Committee report and widespread media attention regarding sexual harassment allegations against some office-bearers”.

Following the publication of the report, allegations of sexual assault surfaced against AMMA general secretary Siddique and joint general secretary Baburaj. Police in Thiruvananthapuram filed a case of rape and criminal intimidation against Siddique on Wednesday.

On Monday, police in Ernakulam had filed a case of assault with intent to outrage a woman’s modesty against veteran director Ranjith. Faced with allegations, Ranjith had resigned as chairman of the state-run Kerala Chalachitra Academy the day before.

What did the Hema Committee report find?

Following massive public outrage against the abduction and sexual assault of a leading Malayalam actress in February 2017, the Kerala government that July set up a three-member committee led by Justice K Hema to inquire into the situation of women in the Malayalam film industry.

The committee held extensive interactions with several women in the industry on a wide range of issues, and submitted a 295-page report to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in December 2019. But it took until August 19 this year for the report to be released, after redactions to protect the identities of women who had confided in the committee.

The report notes the widespread culture of sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry, the presence of the ‘casting couch’, and widespread verbal abuse. The committee also found unequal pay and an absence of basic facilities for women, and a pervasive fear of retribution for attempts to seek redress legally or through other avenues.

The report says the industry is ruled by an all-male “mafia” comprising actors and producers, and “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.”

And what is AMMA, which was led by Mohanlal?

The association was formed in 1994 under the Travancore Cochin Literary, Scientific and Charitable Societies Act, and comprises 498 members, more than 200 of whom are women.

AMMA looks after the well-being of its members — all of whom are current or former actors in the Malayalam film industry — through initiatives such as the Kaineettam welfare scheme, which offers financial assistance, and educational and healthcare support to ailing and senior members.

The AMMA website also lists the association’s support for the marginalised, assistance during the Covid-19 pandemic, charitable housing projects, and initiatives for women’s empowerment.

Mohanlal was elected AMMA president for a three-year term for the third time at a meeting held in Kochi on June 19.

Over the years, the association has been accused of overreach and of violating its own stated bylaws.

In 2008, AMMA, in an effort led by the influential actor Dileep, reportedly engineered a split in the Malayalam Cine Technicians Associations (MACTA), following a complaint by director Thulasidas. In the process, filmmaker Vinayan, who was MACTA general secretary at the time, was sidelined from opportunities, an allegation that he recounted to the Hema Committee.

AMMA and the Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) were subsequently fined by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) in 2017.

In March 2010, veteran actor Thilakan was banned from the organisation for life after he criticised its functioning, especially the control that “superstars” had over the organisation. He also alleged that he had been unceremoniously removed from a film, and had been blacklisted from working in films and television serials.

What position did AMMA take after the 2017 sexual assault case?

The association initially stood with the actress who was abducted and sexually assaulted by a group of men while travelling from Thrissur to Kochi. But once it emerged that Dileep was allegedly involved, the association all but changed its position.

The victim had previously complained to AMMA about Dileep’s role in effecting a shadow ban on acting opportunities. The assault was alleged to have been ordered by Dileep as retribution for the role the actress allegedly played in the breakdown of his first marriage with actress Manju Warrier.

Dileep was arrested on July 10, 2017. AMMA expelled him a day later. He was released in October, and AMMA reinstated him in June 2018. However, he eventually resigned from the membership, saying he would wait for his innocence to be proved.

AMMA was put under scrutiny by the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) an independent group of 18 leading actresses and technicians who came together in May 2017 to rally support for the survivor. After AMMA decided to reinstate Dileep, four WCC members resigned their membership of the association. For five years, the WCC kept up the pressure on the Kerala government to release the report, angering powerful figures in the industry.

The Hema Committee has written: “WCC members…were all banned from cinema because they openly stated undesirable things that happen in cinema. They are practically kept away by those who are offended by what members of the collective stated openly against the atrocities in cinema and from AMMA.”

How did AMMA react to the contents of the Hema Commission report?

At a press conference on August 23, Siddique rejected the idea of a power group in the industry, and claimed that in all his years as an actor, he had never seen such a thing.

AMMA executive committee member and actress Jomol declared that she had never experienced sexual harassment. “No one has knocked on my door or asked to compromise if I want to do a film,” she said. She also rejected the accusation that WCC members had been denied acting opportunities.

Mohanlal has previously been dismissive of allegations of sexual harassment and abuse by women. At a press conference in 2018, he had dismissed the #MeToo movement as a “fad” and “fashion”, and had subsequently said in an interview to Gulf News: “We (men) can also come out with a #MeToo, gender-wise… Only when you experience something like that, you can make a comment on it. Just giving a comment on it isn’t the right thing. I don’t know much about it (#MeToo).”

Who is Indian-origin Kevan Parekh, the new CFO of Apple?

As the CFO of Apple, Parekh will be managing the company’s finances and strategy by undertaking major investment and financing decisions, and coordinating with key stakeholders

By: Explained Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 13:10 IST

Born in 1972, Parekh is an electrical engineer with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Chicago. (File)

Apple on Monday (August 27) named Kevan Parekh as its chief financial officer (CFO), replacing company veteran Luca Maestri who will transition from the role on January 1, 2025.

In a statement, Tim Cook, the company’s chief executive officer (CEO), said, “For more than a decade, Kevan has been an indispensable member of Apple’s finance leadership team, and he understands the company inside and out. His sharp intellect, wise judgment, and financial brilliance make him the perfect choice to be Apple’s next CFO.”

Who is Kevan Parekh?

Born in 1972, Parekh is an electrical engineer with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Michigan and an MBA from the University of Chicago.

Before joining Apple, he held various senior leadership roles at Thomson Reuters and General Motors.

Parekh has been with Apple for 11 years — he started as the head of financial support for some of the company’s business divisions. Currently, he oversees financial planning, investor relations and market research functions. Parekh took on more responsibility late last year, when Maestri’s other top deputy Saori Casey stepped down, according to a report by Bloomberg.

“Maestri had been grooming Parekh for the CFO role during the last several months, and… Apple had been preparing to name Parekh as its next finance chief. Parekh also has increasingly attended private meetings with Apple financial analysts and partners,” the Bloomberg report said.

As the CFO of Apple, Parekh will be managing the company’s finances and strategy by undertaking major investment and financing decisions, and coordinating with key stakeholders.

In a statement, Maestri said, “He (Parekh) is truly exceptional, has a deep love for Apple and its mission, and he embodies the leadership, judgment, and values that are so important to this role.”

Parekh has joined the ever-expanding list of Indian-origin people becoming senior executives at global companies. The list includes Microsoft Chief Satya Nadella, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, and Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja, among others.

Oasis reunites: Story of the British band, why they split, and their enduring popularity

Oasis – one of Britain’s biggest bands which defined the Britpop genre of music in the 1990s – will tour the UK and Ireland in the summer of 2025.

Written by Pavneet Singh Chadha

Panaji | Updated: August 29, 2024 13:12 IST

Members of British rock band Oasis rhythm guitarist Gem Archer, lead guitarist Noel Gallagher, bass guitarist Andy Bell and lead vocals Liam Gallagher pose during a news conference in Hong Kong on February 25, 2006. (Photo: Reuters)

“And soooo”, Sally does not need to wait any longer. After 15 years of an acrimonious split and just days shy of the 30-year anniversary of their debut album, British rock band Oasis have announced they are reuniting for a world tour in 2025.

“The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised,” the band said in a statement on Tuesday (August 27).

Oasis – one of Britain’s biggest bands which defined the Britpop genre of music in the 1990s – will tour the United Kingdom and Ireland in the summer of 2025, with plans “underway to go to other continents outside Europe next year”.

The two brothers who led the band – frontman Liam Gallagher and songwriter and rhythm guitarist Noel Gallagher – and have shared a tempestuous relationship, trading barbs publicly for decades, seem to have buried the hatchet for the reunion. For now.

Who are Oasis?

Formed in Manchester in 1991, the Britpop band originally included Liam Gallagher, Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs, Paul McGuigan, and Tony McCaroll. Liam’s elder brother Noel joined a few months later. The story goes that a record executive spotted them after they reportedly gate-crashed a gig in Glasgow in 1993.

Oasis shot to fame with its first album ‘Definitely, Maybe’ in 1994. The album, with tracks ‘Live Forever’, ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’, ‘Supersonic’ and ‘Slide Away’, became the fastest-selling debut album in British music history at the time.

The band’s second album ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’ in 1995 catapulted Oasis to worldwide popularity and critical acclaim. It featured tracks such as ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Champagne Supernova’, and ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’, which topped the charts.

One year later, more than 2.5 lakh people attended their two-day concerts at the Knebworth Festival in England. More than 4% of the British population applied for tickets to see Oasis at the festival, according to an estimate.

The band released seven studio albums, two live albums, and 27 singles before a dramatic split in 2009. Oasis has sold more than 75 million records globally as of 2024. After the split, the Gallagher brothers embarked on successful solo careers. Noel formed his own band ‘Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds’ and released four albums. Liam continued to perform with the now-defunct band ‘Beady Eye’, which comprised remaining Oasis members. He has also released several solo and collaborative albums since.

Why did Oasis split?

Over the years, the perennially feuding brothers have made headlines for trading insults against each other – before and after the split.

Liam once called his elder brother a “sad little dwarf”. Noel called Liam the “angriest man you will ever meet”. “He’s like a man with a fork in a world of soup,” Noel quipped.

The rivalry and insults came to a head at the Rock en Siene festival in Paris in August 2009. A dramatic backstage altercation culminated in Noel’s departure from the band after Liam reportedly flung Noel’s guitar as the band was about to go on stage.

“He started wielding it like an axe… And I am making light of it because it’s kind of what I do, but it was a real unnecessary violent act and he’s swinging this guitar around. He nearly took my face off with it. And it ended up on the floor and I put it out of its misery,” Noel later revealed. Noel quit the band that night. Oasis have not performed since.

The duo has often denied any possibility of a reunion in the past. In 2015, Noel said if he was ever going to agree for a reunion, “it would only be for the money”. Liam in a 2019 interview with the Rolling Stone said, “Oasis is done. If you missed them, that’s f***ing tough luck.”

In February this year, Liam claimed he called Noel about a proposal for an Oasis tour and blamed his brother for refusing the offer. “It was a big tour, a lot of money. He turned it down. I get it, he’s got a divorce going down,” Liam said.

What is behind Oasis’ enduring popularity?

Coming from the working-class council estates of Manchester, Oasis is often credited with reviving the Britpop movement, which was about a celebration of British culture and pride, in the 1990s along with bands like Blur, Suede, and Pulp. With simple upbeat lyrics and Beatles-esque guitar melodies, Oasis arrived when guitar music was having a resurgence in Britain. It was a counter to the grunge movement in the US, which had come to dominate the music scene in the early 90s.

Liam’s raw guttural vocals, Noel’s melodies and lyrics, and the band’s rebellious charisma struck a chord with the youth especially when Britain’s political landscape was changing. They were dubbed “working class lads” who sang songs about wanting to be in the greatest rock ‘n’ roll band and then achieved it. Their searing rock anthems spoke to the hedonistic youth of the 90s whose aspirations had not been articulated in the mainstream at the time.

Between quarrelling siblings, lifestyles, bitter rivalry with Blur – both the bands released a single on the same day – meant that Oasis continued to be in the tabloids for their antics as much as their music in the pre-internet era and became a phenomenon and part of culture.

Despite splitting 15 years ago, Liam’s style – Parka, bucket hat, leather jacket and John Lennon-like glasses, mod haircut – has come to define street-wear in Britain and for fans across the world.

For a generation of younger fans who have only streamed their music, the reunion is an opportunity to see the band perform live, if the truce between the brothers holds.

As Noel once said, “You can’t get bored of 15,000 people shouting for Wonderwall. That’s better than drugs.”

How Canada’s new ‘reducing low-wage, temporary workers’ policy may impact Indians

A major portion of Canada’s temporary foreign workers hail from India, specifically Punjab. Here is how a policy shift may impact them

Written by Anju Agnihotri Chaba

Jalandhar | Updated: August 29, 2024 13:11 IST

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. (REUTERS/Denis Balibouse/File Photo)

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday (August 26) announced that Canada is “reducing the number of low-wage, temporary foreign workers” in the country.

This decision reflects a recent policy shift. Previously, the Canadian government had indicated that it plans to bring down the number of such workers in Canada to 5 per cent of the population in the next three years, as against 6.2 per cent in 2023.

We’re reducing the number of low-wage, temporary foreign workers in Canada.

The labour market has changed. Now is the time for our businesses to invest in Canadian workers and youth.

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) August 26, 2024

Who is likely to be impacted by this move? And what are its larger implications?

Who are these “temporary workers” in Canada?

These include many different categories of individuals.

First are those on temporary work visas. Such individuals come to Canada for a fixed period, say two years, to work in jobs that typically pay between CAD 13-19 per hour (roughly Rs 800-1,200 per hour)..

Second are international students. After completing their studies, many students remain in Canada on one to three year work visas, during which time they apply for Permanent Residency (PR). Students also work (although there are restrictions regarding this) during their studies.

Third are those with Spouse Open Work Permits. Many international students bring their spouses to Canada, who work low-wage jobs under this permit.

Fourth include workers under Labour Market Impact Assessment or LMIA contracts. LMIA allows employers to hire foreign workers when they cannot find Canadians to fill openings.

Arrivals under special humanitarian pathways such as CUAET (Canada-Ukraine Authorization for Emergency Travel) and asylum-seekers, and participants of reciprocal youth programmes which also allow Canadians to work in other countries are also considered temporary workers.

How will Canada’s policy of “reducing” such workers impact Indians?

This policy shift might have a significant impact on Indians, who, till last year comprised around 40 per cent of Canada’s international student population. This would especially impact those from Punjab — more than 50 per cent of Indian arrivals in Canada come from the state, including students, their spouses, and other low wage workers. Restrictions on temporary workers would limit opportunities for these individuals, affecting their income and future prospects.

In fact, until last year, there were no caps on the number of international students that Canada would admit, or on the issuance of open SOPWs. Restrictions have since been imposed, and Trudeau’s latest remarks only re-emphasis the policy shift which could adversely impact Indians looking at Canada as a migration destination.

In a previous statement, Mark Miller, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship in Canada said that there has been a “sharp increase” in the volume of temporary residents entering in Canada in recent years, with temporary workers taking on crucial roles in industries such as construction, early childhood education, and healthcare.

That said, he also emphasised on the need to make the system more efficient by ensuring a pathway to PR. Some experts take this as a potential silver lining of the policy.

“The policy could go in two directions. Canada has already taken the first step towards restricting new entry of temporary workers by closing the SOWP in a majority of undergraduate courses, and not renewing or extending work visas for those already in Canada,” Gurpreet Singh, a study-abroad consultant specialising in Canada, told The Indian Express.

“Alternatively, Canada might provide more opportunities for temporary workers to become permanent residents, integrating them more fully into the Canadian economy,” he said.

With elections coming up next year, a number of political and economic considerations might determine which route Canada takes, experts feel.

Why FSSAI withdrew its advisory on removing A1, A2 claims on milk and milk products

What is the difference between A1 and A2 milk? Why did FSSAI direct food business operators to not make claims regarding this?

Written by Anagha Jayakumar

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 13:13 IST

FSSAI’s advisory addresses the current FSSAI standards not recognising the A1, A2 differentiation. (Image - Freepik)

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on August 21 directed Food Business Operators (FBOs) to not market their milk and milk products “in the name of A1 and A2”. On Monday (August 26) it withdrew this advisory.

“This is to inform that the advisory dated August 21 (clarification regarding selling/ marketing of milk and milk products such as ghee, milk etc in the name of A1 and A2) stands withdrawn for further consultation and engagement with stakeholders,” the FSSAI statement said.

Why was the advisory withdrawn?

First, what is the difference between A1 and A2 milk?

The FSSAI states that the A1 and A2 classification of milk is “essentially linked to difference in structure of protein (beta casein).”

More than 80 per cent of all proteins in cow’s milk belong to a class called caseins. Among these, beta-caseins are the second largest component. A1 and A2 are basically two genetic variants of beta-caseins, differing from each other in their amino acid sequence.

A1 contains histidine, one of the nine essential amino acids which the body uses to produce histamine, the chemical that enables the body to regulate its reaction to inflammation and allergies. A2 contains proline, a non-essential amino acid which is an essential component of collagen and important for proper functioning of joints and tendons.

Milk from different cow breeds have differing quantities of A1 and A2 beta-caseins. Most milk contains both these beta-caseins, but A2 milk contains only the second one. Generally, milk and milk products which are branded as A2 tend to be charged at a premium, and considered healthier.

Is A2 milk better than regular milk?

While some studies have suggested that A2 milk is healthier, there is no consensus regarding the matter as yet.

A 2012 paper titled suggests a link between the consumption of A1 beta-caseins and various health problems such as type-1 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and autism. It says that those who consumed primarily A2 milk seemed to be less susceptible to these conditions. (Monika Sodhi et al, “Milk proteins and human health: A1/A2 milk hypothesis”, Indian Journal Endocrinology and Metabolism).

However, currently, most findings are “based primarily on in vitro and animal studies, and limited clinical trials with poor designs”. (Jhony Alberto Gonzales-Malca et al, “Worldwide research on the health effects of bovine milk containing A1 and A2 β-casein”, Food Science). “More solid scientific evidence is needed to reach a consensus on the role of A1 or A2 bovine milk on health,” Gonzales-Malca and others write.

What was the basis for FSSAI’s August 21 advisory?

FSSAI’s advisory was not to do with the paucity of scientific evidence regarding the A1, A2 classification. It was to do with current FSSAI standards not recognising the A1, A2 differentiation.

“Standards of milk as specified in Food Safety and Standards (Food Product Standards and Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 do not mention/recognize any differentiation of milk on the basis of A1 and A2 types,” FSSAI’s advisory said.

All food business operators, including e-commerce sites, were thus directed to remove all claims related to A1 and A2 proteins from their product labels.

Its withdrawal came in the context of growing criticism of FSSAI’s decision, even in government circles. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) governing council member Venugopal Badaravada requested that the advisory be withdrawn and a high-level committee instead be constituted to further discussion on the matter.

“The decision… goes against the global trend seen in countries like the USA, Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil, where A1 and A2 milk are marketed separately due to potential differences in digestion between the two types of beta-casein,” he wrote. This letter is said to have influenced FSSAI’s eventual u-turn.

The Pacific Islands Forum’s annual meeting begins: The organisation and the issues being discussed

Formed in 1971, PIF is an intergovernmental organisation which consists of 18 member states located in the Pacific region.

By: Explained Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 13:11 IST

Pacific Islands Forum leaders during the summit on Tuesday. (Photo: X/@ForumSEC)

The annual meeting of the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) began on Monday (August 26) in Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga. The event is being attended by more than 1,500 delegates from around 40 countries.

At this year’s week-long meeting, climate change and the China-US battle for influence over the strategic region are dominating the discussions. Here is a look at the PIF and the issues being discussed at the meeting.

What is the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)?

Formed in 1971, PIF is an intergovernmental organisation which consists of 18 member states located in the Pacific region. Australia and New Zealand are among the wealthiest and largest countries which are part of the organisation — other member states are Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Tonga, Cook Islands etc.

The PIF aims to push for economic growth, enhance political governance and security for the region, and strengthen regional cooperation. “Our vision is for a resilient Pacific region of peace, harmony, security, social inclusion and prosperity, that ensures all Pacific peoples can lead free, healthy and productive lives,” according to the website of PIF.

The organisation discusses priority issues at its annual meeting, where decisions made by the member states are reached by consensus. The decisions are implemented by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat.

Climate change high on the agenda

In this year’s annual meeting, climate change is high on the agenda — several PIF members are among the world’s worst-affected countries, especially due to rising sea levels.

On Tuesday (August 27), a World Meteorological Organization (WMO) report revealed that faster-than-average sea level rise, ocean warming, and acidification are threatening the Pacific Islands. The South West Pacific was worst hit by sea level rises, in some places by more than double the global average in the past 30 years, according to the analysis.

Speaking to reporters in Tonga, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres highlighted the findings of the report and said, “I am in Tonga to issue a global SOS – Save Our Seas – on rising sea levels… Rising seas are amplifying the frequency and severity of storm surges and coastal flooding. These floods swamp coastal communities. Ruin fisheries. Damage crops. Contaminate fresh water. All this puts Pacific Island nations in grave danger.”

To tackle these challenges, PIF members have been pushing to raise funds for climate action. Notably, the Pacific Resilience Facility (PRF) — a regional financing facility established by PIF — is currently $380 million short of its $500 million target, according to a report by Nikkei Asia.

China-US tussle under the spotlight

Another issue which is being widely discussed at the summit is the ongoing tussle between China and the US for influence over the region.

In recent years, China has deepened its ties with PIF members — observers suggest that this is one of the reasons why PIF’s annual summit has gained wider recognition. The Asian country signed security and policing agreements with the Solomon Islands, in particular, setting off alarm bells in Australia and the US.

This year’s PIF meeting features the forum’s largest-ever delegation from China and a sizable deputation from the US, led by Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, according to a report by the Associated Press.

In an interview with Islands Business earlier in August, Mark Brown, the Cook Islands prime minister and outgoing chair of the forum, said, “We’ve been mindful that our region is of great interest from a geopolitical perspective over the last few years or so… But the security issues that are seen by our bigger development partners are not the same security issues that we consider as important.”

What are combination drugs; why have 156 of them been banned?

The ban is the most sweeping crackdown on FDCs — which are combinations of two or more known drugs in single-dosage form — since 2018, when 328 such drugs were banned.

Written by Anonna Dutt

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 13:16 IST

In its notification issued last week, the central government termed these FDCs irrational, and said they do not have any therapeutic benefit. (Representational Image)

The government has banned 156 fixed-dose combination (FDC) drugs, including popular medicines such as Cheston Cold and Foracet, used for cold and fever and pain respectively.

The ban is the most sweeping crackdown on FDCs — which are combinations of two or more known drugs in single-dosage form — since 2018, when 328 such drugs were banned. A total 499 FDCs have been banned since 2014, officials said.

In its notification issued last week, the central government termed these FDCs irrational, and said they do not have any therapeutic benefit.

What are FDCs; whom do they help?

FDCs are medicines that have more than one active ingredient — chemical compounds in medicines that have an effect on the body — in a single pill, capsule, or shot. FDCs are meant for patients with conditions such as tuberculosis and diabetes for which they need to take multiple medicines regularly. FDCs reduce the number of pills the patient needs to take each day, and help improve adherence to the treatment.

Sometimes, however, an FDC could mean that a patient ends up taking a drug that they may not need. Cheston Cold, for instance, contains paracetamol for fever, cetirizine for allergy relief, and phenylephrine for nasal decongestion. So while this drug will help people who have these symptoms because of allergies, it is not really required for a bacterial infection.

Which FDCs have been banned?

Among the banned drugs are:

*Several combinations of enzymes used for treatment of gastrointestinal problems;

*Combinations of anti-allergic medicines such as levocetirizine with nasal decongestant, syrups that break down mucus, and paracetamol;

*Combinations used for the treatment of skin conditions, including menthol with aloe vera; aloe vera with vitamin E in the form of medicated soap; silver sulfadiazine (used for burns) with an antiseptic agent, aloe extract and vitamin; calamine lotion with aloe and a natural substance (for skin irritation);

*Combination of a migraine medicine with one to prevent nausea;

*Combination of the drug mefenamic acid — usually used for menstrual cramps — with anti-fibrotic medicine tranexamic acid;

*Combination of sildenafil, the active ingredient in the erectile dysfunction drug Viagra, with a drug that relaxes blood vessels and muscles.

Are these drugs still available?

Manufacturers have been told to immediately stop producing, stocking, and selling these drugs, says the government notification. However, they are likely to remain available in the market for some time. “We have seen that the companies usually go to court after such an order, and the courts allow them to sell the stock that is already in the market,” a senior Health Ministry official told The Indian Express.

So what can happen if you consume one of these banned FDCs?

These medicines may have been in the market for years, and thousands of people may have consumed them already. Having one now is unlikely to cause any harm.

What was the need to ban them, then?

These “irrational” combinations have been banned because they contain ingredients that either do not work well together or have ingredients that are not needed by patients to be taken together.

A major reason is to take combinations of antibiotics out of circulation, because the unnecessary consumption of antibiotics can lead to increase in antibiotic resistance — which means increasingly higher doses or stronger antibiotics are needed for the treatment of even simple infections.

Despite the earlier bans, a 2023 study found that FDCs as a proportion of total antibiotics sold in India had actually increased from 32.9% in 2008 to 37.3% in 2020.

The study noted that India has among the highest number of FDCs in the market anywhere in the world, many of which were potentially inappropriate. “In India, of the 4.5 billion standard units of antibiotic FDCs sold in 2020, 41.5% were attributed to combinations listed as ‘not recommended’ by WHO,” the study said.

Another reason for the ban is the pricing control on essential medicines. The government decides ceiling prices for these medicines based on average market prices. Companies are known to create FDCs to escape the pricing control mechanism.

Why has the government acted now?

The action is in line with the government’s effort to weed out irrational medicine combinations that have entered the market over the years. These banned drugs were initially approved by various state licensing authorities without any trials for combinations because the ingredients were individually approved, the senior ministry official said.

“The new drugs and clinical trial rules of 2019 make it clear that fixed dose combinations are to be considered as new drugs, and as such have to be approved by the central drug regulator. This has helped in bringing down the number of these irrational combinations available in the market,” the official said.

In 2012, a parliamentary panel first highlighted the problem of irrational drug combinations receiving such approvals. The government set up a committee in 2014 to examine 3,450 FDCs approved for manufacture and sale in the country after 1988. The committee found 963 drugs to be irrational, and suggested an immediate ban. It also identified a set of FDCs which needed to be studied further. Of these, 499 have been banned so far.

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

Why India Meteorological Department (IMD) needs an upgrade, with climate change impacting weather

The government is learnt to be planning a major upgrade of the IMD’s existing capabilities. Take a look at the science behind weather forecasting, and why there is a need for more precision in the wake of climate change-induced unpredictability.

Written by Amitabh Sinha

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 13:01 IST

IMD forecasting tools, THEN and NOW: Vintage meteorological instruments, some dating back to the 1850s, at IMD, Pune; Doppler radar at Colaba, Mumbai. (Express Archive)

Until not very long ago, India’s Met department seemed to exist mainly to provide rainfall forecasts during the monsoon season, or to tell the maximum and minimum temperatures in the four metropolises.

While the department was doing a lot of other valuable work as well, that did not seem to be of much relevance to the general public. Weather services were not a sought-after commodity — and even when available, were not taken very seriously.

This situation has changed dramatically over the last decade or so — on both the demand and the supply sides. There is huge demand for, and interest in, weather-related information, even among the general public. And the amount of information that the India Meteorological Department (IMD) puts out every day about not just rainfall but all kinds of weather events, is enormous.

The trust in weather forecasts has increased significantly, thanks to improvements in accuracy. But the demand for even more accurate and specific predictions continues to grow, particularly in light of the increasing instances of extreme weather events being triggered by climate change, and the disasters that they sometimes turn into.

To serve this growing need, the government is learnt to be planning a major upgrade of the IMD’s existing capabilities.

Steady improvement

Upgradation of weather forecasting infrastructure, technologies, and skills is an ongoing exercise. A major push came in the form of the Monsoon Mission in 2012, aimed at improving the long-range monsoon forecasts that are crucial for the government’s economic planning. Thereafter, several other initiatives were launched to improve the observation network, install high-performance computing systems, deploy sophisticated instruments like Doppler radars, and develop better computer simulation models.

As a result, IMD now has a vastly improved monitoring and observation network, much more data and enhanced computing power (see Table). This has enabled IMD to provide significantly better weather forecasts, and offer much more public-oriented information — such as near-real-time forecasts and heat wave warnings.

The current capacity of India’s weather forecasting system

The big turnaround in the public perception of weather forecasts came with IMD’s successes in predicting cyclones. Timely and accurate forecasts of cyclones, starting with Phailin in October 2013, led to the establishment of a reliable response and evacuation mechanism, because of which the loss of human lives, earlier in the hundreds, came down to very few or none at all.

The success of the cyclone early warning system brought a lot of credibility to the IMD. Its long-range monsoon forecasts too, have also been right almost every time over the last decade. However, making precise forecasts for hyper-local events, like a short burst of heavy rain in a particular part of a city, have been a challenge, and so have predictions of extreme events, which are increasing due to climate change. It is here that the IMD needs to further improve its capabilities.

An uncertain science

Over the last decade, even as the IMD has enhanced its forecasting skills and capabilities, climate change has made weather patterns more erratic. In general, forecasting weather in the tropics is more challenging than in areas that are farther from the equator, because of greater variability in weather phenomena. Also, it is relatively easy to predict large systems like the monsoon or a cyclone that are spread over large geographical areas. A spread-out heat wave is easier to forecast than a localised cloudburst event. Similarly, routine cyclic events are relatively easier to forecast than sudden, unexpected events.

The science of weather forecasting has inherent uncertainties. The more precise a forecast — in terms of the spatial spread or time-window for the event — the greater the uncertainty. Also, the earlier the forecast, the less precise it is likely to be.

It is for this reason that while the forecast for the four-month monsoon season over the country as a whole has been generally correct over the last decade, regional and monthly predictions have been far less accurate.

As another example, IMD has a 97-99 per cent probability of detecting a heat wave at least 24 hours in advance; this probability for a heavy rainfall event is less than 80 per cent.

Extreme weather events are even more difficult to predict. Events expected to happen only once in 50 or 100 years do not get captured easily by the models. Such events are now happening with alarming regularity, often triggering disasters like the deadly landslides in Kerala last month.

Need for precision

IMD currently has the ability to forecast weather events over a 12 km x 12 km area. This grid is larger than most Indian cities — which means that the likelihood of rainfall in a city can be forecast, but it cannot be specified where in the city it would rain.

The IMD has been trying out experimental forecasts for 3 km x 3 km grids, but the eventual objective is to get hyper-local forecasts for 1 km x 1 km areas. Such forecasts can be extremely helpful — not just for people to plan their activities but also in creating early warning systems for disasters.

Previous upgrades at the IMD have focused mainly on infrastructure enhancement. Some infrastructure upgradation is required even now — for example, in the installation of ocean observation systems and in high-resolution earth observation satellites. Also, the eastern and northeastern regions of the country do not have optimum coverage of Doppler radars.

But the big breakthrough is required in developing India-specific weather models that are able to understand and simulate Indian conditions more accurately.

With the climate change-induced unpredictability in weather systems, global models like the ones in use currently have their limitations. Developing such customised models is one of the main objectives of the planned upgrade, for which intensive research and development and regional assessments of climate change would be required.

How AMMA lorded over Kerala cinema, its writ running from stars to junior artistes

With the Justice Hema Committee report revealing rampant sexual misconduct in the Malayalam film industry, the entire 17-member executive committee of AMMA, including its president and superstar actor Mohanlal, resigned from their posts on Tuesday.

Written by Nikhila Henry

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 20:04 IST

Actor Mohanlal. (X/@Mohanlal)

From handing out bans to artistes who did not toe the line to adopting arm-twisting tactics, the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) — the Kerala film industry body — acted as an all-powerful group whose clout extended over everyone from directors to top-rung actors and junior artistes.

With the Justice Hema Committee report revealing rampant sexual misconduct in the Malayalam film industry, the entire 17-member executive committee of AMMA, including its president and superstar actor Mohanlal, resigned from their posts on Tuesday.

Founded in 1994, the association has 498 members — 253 men and 245 women. AMMA limits its membership to established actors and doesn’t take junior artistes on board. Among its life-time members are several senior and retired actors, for whom the association holds charity events. Its website states, “AMMA stands as a powerful collective in the Malayalam film industry…with deep roots and broad reach”. However, with the resignations of several of its stars on Tuesday, the body now stands largely diminished.

Speaking of the association’s clout, an AMMA member told The Indian Express that their “diktats” could change fortunes “overnight” in the film industry.

The report of the Justice K Hema Committee on the issues faced by women in the Kerala film industry, too, sheds light on the clout wielded by the body – from denying toilets to women artistes on the sets to arguing against the setting up of an Internal Complaints Committee on sexual harassment to illegally banning people, both men and women.

On the “illegal” and “unconstitutional” bans, the commission notes that AMMA was, ironically, founded to tackle illegal bans that actors used to face in the industry at a certain point in time. However, the report says, some members of AMMA later formed “a lobby” which then started handing out bans to people.

In 2017, after the abduction and sexual assault of a leading woman actor in Kochi, fingers were pointed at AMMA for not ousting a male actor who was accused of “conspiring and orchestrating the rape”.

The commission notes that members of Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) – which was set up in protest against AMMA’s alleged inaction in the 2017 rape case – had to face the brunt after it took on the association. “None of them are given any chance to work in cinema. They are practically kept away by those who were offended by what members of WCC stated openly against atrocities in cinema and from AMMA,” the report reads.

The report also says that AMMA resisted the formation of an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) to address sexual harassment charges levelled against its members. According to the report, in response to a petition by WCC, AMMA had argued in the Kerala High Court that it is not legally obliged to set up an ICC since it is only an association and “not an employer”.

“It was contented that…the activities of AMMA will not fall under the definition of workplace and there is no employer-employee relationship between AMMA and its members…” the report notes.

The report adds that though AMMA has one forum which is similar to ICC, “no woman has approached such a forum with allegations of sexual harassment. It is not because they have no grievance but, they are not willing to go to such a forum with the grievances for various reasons”.

The report also notes that ICC will not be a solution for issues faced by women in the industry because a “power group” in AMMA controls the industry and they can directly influence the ICC.

One of the AMMA members told The Indian Express, “AMMA had too much power over its members and the dissenters were always sidelined.”

“AMMA has been at the forefront of illegal bans of people and it is only poetic justice that the body is now being disbanded,” said a director who faced an “unofficial” ban for 12 years.

On the turmoil that followed the release of the Hema Committee report and the series of allegations of sexual misconduct, an AMMA member had told the Indian Express on Monday that “the body is seeing unprecedented dissent from a section of its members”.

Supreme Court overrules Delhi court verdict to grant bail to Kavitha: Why it criticised the HC’s reasoning

The SC criticised the Delhi High Court’s decision to not apply a key exception for women in the bail provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) when it rejected her bail plea in April.

Written by Apurva Vishwanath

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 08:48 IST

In this April 9, 2024 file photo, BRS leader K. Kavitha being produced at the Rouse Avenue court in the Delhi excise policy-related money laundering case, in New Delhi. (PTI Photo)

The Supreme Court on Tuesday (August 27) granted bail to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and Enforcement Directorate (ED) cases against her in the Delhi Excise policy case.

The bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan criticised the Delhi High Court’s decision to deny the application of a key exception for women in the bail provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) when it rejected Kavitha’s bail plea in April.

The Delhi HC on July 1 had denied bail to Kavitha. Among other grounds, Justice Swarana Kanta Sharma held that Kavitha was a “well-educated” woman who could not be considered “vulnerable”, so the exception would not apply to her. A trial court order by Judge Kaveri Baweja had interpreted the provision on the same lines to deny bail to Kavita.

The SC bench reportedly stated “If this Delhi HC order is allowed to become law, this perverse observations would mean no educated woman can get bail”, according to Bar & Bench.

What does the law state? And why did the Delhi HC refuse to apply the exception for women?

Law and exception

Section 45 of the PMLA provides for bail on money laundering charges. This provision in the law, like the stringent bail standard in the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA), puts the onus on the accused to prove that there is no prima facie case against them while seeking bail.

Section 45(1) reads: “No person accused of an offence under this Act shall be released on bail or on his own bond unless (i) the Public Prosecutor has been given an opportunity to oppose the application for such release; and (ii) where the Public Prosecutor opposes the application, the Court is satisfied that there are reasonable grounds for believing that he is not guilty of such offence and that he is not likely to commit any offence while on bail.”

However, there is a crucial exception to the bail standard. “Provided that a person, who is under the age of sixteen years or is a woman or is sick or infirm, may be released on bail, if the Special Court so directs,” the law says. This exception is similar to exemptions under the Indian Penal Code for women and minors.

What is the legal precedent?

In 2023, Delhi High Court granted bail to 49-year-old Preeti Chandra, wife of Sanjay Chandra, who was the Director of M/s Unitech Group, underlining the exception for women.

The ED, like in Kavitha’s case, had made an argument that the accused was not a “household lady”. However, the HC said that the PMLA or the Constitution does not make a distinction between a household lady, a businesswoman, or a political figure.

“Thus to argue what kind of woman is entitled to fall within the proviso to section 45(1) PMLA by creating an ad-hoc illusionary sub-classification of educated women, business women, women belonging to high social strata, within the broader classification of “woman”, as sought to be done by the respondent, is misconceived,” the court said.

However, the court added a qualifier that the accused cannot be a “flight risk” or “tamper witnesses” to be eligible for bail. (Preeti Chandra vs Directorate of Enforcement, June 14, 2023)

The case of Kavitha

Kavitha’s lawyers had relied on the Delhi HC ruling and argued that his client was entitled to interim bail.

Judge Baweja had observed that Kavitha is “well-educated” and a “well-placed woman in the society”, and could not be considered a “vulnerable” woman for the purposes of the exception under the PMLA.

The judge relied on the qualifiers mentioned in the Preeti Chandra case — the three conditions when bail can be denied to women even when Section 45 itself provides for it. The “triple test” requires the accused to not be a flight risk, likely to tamper with evidence, or likely to influence witnesses.

Baweja observed that according to the material before the court, Kavitha “not only engaged in destruction of material evidence by formatting her phones before joining the investigation”, but also “has been instrumental in influencing witnesses and there is every likelihood of her continuing to do so” if she is granted bail.

Business

- Stock market today: Sensex, Nifty hit all-time highs in early trade

- Singapore Airlines gets FDI nod from Indian govt for Vistara-Air India merger

- In new chip push, Centre ready with $15-billion blueprint

- RIL plans 1:1 bonus issue; to invest Rs 75,000 cr in new energy ecosystem

- DPIIT takes over IT arm of Patents Office amid allegations of mismanagement

- Road Ministry to states, agencies: Consider single bid for national highway projects

- “Next move in the rupee is towards 80, not 90,” says Ruchir Sharma

- Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway closes above $1 trillion market value

- DGCA places cash-strapped SpiceJet under ‘enhanced surveillance’ again to ensure safe operations

- DGCA slaps Rs 10 lakh fine on Air India Express

- Sensex, Nifty hit all-time high levels on rally in Reliance, Tata Motors shares

- Reliance AGM: Mukesh Ambani announces suite of AI tools called ‘Jio Brain’

- Considerable interest from airlines for international operations from Noida International Airport: CEO Schnellmann

- Reliance Industries plans 1:1 bonus issue for shareholders

- DGCA suspends approval for flying training organisation Alchemist Aviation

- Our polity lacks reform capability to spur 9-11% growth: Ruchir Sharma

Stock market today: Sensex, Nifty hit all-time highs in early trade

The NSE Nifty 50 index rose 0.33% to 25,235.9 as of 9:21 a.m. IST, while the S&P BSE Sensex added 0.33% to 82,396.22, with both the benchmarks hitting all-time highs.

By: Reuters

Bengaluru | Updated: August 30, 2024 10:41 IST

The Nifty has risen for the previous 11 consecutive sessions, marking its longest winning streak in about 17 years, supported by expectations of a U.S. rate cut in September and healthy domestic inflows.

Indian shares hit record highs just after the open on Friday, tracking gains in regional peers after US economic data eased growth concerns, while investors await domestic quarterly growth data.

The NSE Nifty 50 index rose 0.33% to 25,235.9 as of 9:21 a.m. IST, while the S&P BSE Sensex added 0.33% to 82,396.22, with both the benchmarks hitting all-time highs.

The Nifty has risen for the previous 11 consecutive sessions, marking its longest winning streak in about 17 years, supported by expectations of a US rate cut in September and healthy domestic inflows.

Domestic institutional investors (DII) have purchased shares worth $6.14 billion, on a net basis, so far in August, about twice the net foreign portfolio investors (FPI) outflows.

Asian markets rose, with the MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan up 0.7%. Most Wall Street equities rose overnight, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average at a record closing high, on robust U.S. economic data.

Market participants now await US core personal consumption expenditures data, the Fed’s preferred gauge of inflation, on Friday to confirm bets of the September rate cut.

Investors also await India’s April-June growth data, due after market hours. A Reuters poll showed growth likely slowed to 6.9% year-on-year in the quarter due to reduced government spending because of national elections.

Eleven of the 13 major sectors logged gains. The broader, more domestically focussed small- and mid-caps rose about 0.5% each.

Among individual stocks, SpiceJet fell about 4% after India’s aviation watchdog placed the budget airline under enhanced surveillance after a recent audit revealed “certain deficiencies”.

Sugar stocks like Balrampur Chini Mills, Shree Renuka, Bajaj Hindusthan and Dwarikesh Sugar rose between 3% and 10% after the government said sugar mills could use cane juice or syrup to produce ethanol from November.

Singapore Airlines gets FDI nod from Indian govt for Vistara-Air India merger

Air India is owned by Tata Group and Vistara is a 51:49 joint venture between Tatas and Singapore Airlines.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 09:09 IST

With the clearance in place, the merger that will see Singapore Airlines acquiring a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India, is expected to be completed by the end of this year.(File photo/ Wikimedia Commons)

In a move that will create one of the world’s largest airline groups, Singapore Airlines Friday said that it has received approval from the Indian government for the foreign direct investment as part of the proposed merger of Vistara with Air India.

With the clearance in place, the merger that will see Singapore Airlines acquiring a 25.1 per cent stake in Air India, is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The proposed merger was announced in November 2022.

Air India is owned by Tata Group and Vistara is a 51:49 joint venture between Tatas and Singapore Airlines. In a regulatory filing on Friday, Singapore Airlines (SIA) said it has received approval from the Government of India for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) into the enlarged Air India as part of the proposed merger.

According to Singapore Airlines, the parties are in discussions to extend the long stop date for the completion of the merger. (File photo)

“The FDI approval, together with anti-trust and merger control clearances and approvals, as well as other governmental and regulatory approvals received to-date, represent a significant development towards the completion of the proposed merger,” the airline said in the filing to the Singapore Stock Exchange.

The airline added that the completion of the merger continues to be subject to compliance by the parties with applicable Indian laws, which is currently expected to be completed in the next few months. “At this juncture, completion of the proposed merger is anticipated to occur by the end of 2024,” it stated.

According to Singapore Airlines, the parties are in discussions to extend the long stop date for the completion of the merger. Earlier, it was expected to be October 31, 2024.

Singapore’s competition watchdog Competition and Consumer Commission of Singapore had in March granted its conditional approval to the merger. The Competition Commission of India, too, had approved the merger in September 2023.

With inputs from PTI

In new chip push, Centre ready with $15-billion blueprint

India has ambitions to become a major chip hub on the lines of the United States, Taiwan and South Korea, and has been courting foreign companies to set up operations in the country.

Written by Soumyarendra Barik

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 07:25 IST

Under the new scheme, the government could also offer capital equipment and ecosystem support such as gases, chemicals, and raw materials needed at assembly and testing plants.

AFTER HAVING committed nearly all of the $10 billion in subsidies under its ambitious semiconductor manufacturing incentive policy, the government has prepared a blueprint for the second phase of the scheme — it could increase the outlay of the programme to $15 billion, offer capital support for raw materials and gases used in chip manufacturing, and reduce subsidies for assembly and testing plants, The Indian Express has learnt.

“In a short period of time, we managed to clear four chip proposals including a fabrication plant. The original incentive policy outlay of $10 billion will almost get over once subsidy payments are made to the entities setting up these facilities.

We want to attract more such plants, and therefore, have pegged that the new 2.0 scheme should have a higher outlay of $15 billion so that we can remain competitive, given that many countries are trying to attract chip manufacturing,” a senior government official said, requesting anonymity since the discussions are currently private.

The IT Ministry did not respond to a request for comment.

India has ambitions to become a major chip hub on the lines of the United States, Taiwan and South Korea, and has been courting foreign companies to set up operations in the country. So far, the country has approved a fabrication plant worth $11 billion being set up by Tata Electronics in partnership with Taiwan’s Powerchip, and three different chip assembly plants being set up by the Tatas, US-based Micron Technology, and Murugappa Group’s CG Power in partnership with Japan’s Renesas.

In an internal note prepared with the projections for the renewal of the scheme, the government has also decided to reduce the capex subsidy for assembly and testing plants (ATMP/OSAT) from the current 50 per cent to 30 per cent for conventional packaging technologies, and 40 per cent for advanced packaging technologies.

In the first iteration of the incentive policy, which was released in December 2021, the Centre had offered a 30 per cent capex subsidy for chip packaging and testing plants. However, in September 2022, it had increased the subsidy for such plants to 50 per cent. It is understood that it was done as a precursor to Micron Technology’s proposal, as the government wanted to facilitate the company establishing an assembly plant in India, which was eventually approved in June 2023.

Now though, the government wants to go back to its earlier subsidy contribution, there is a growing perception within sections of the administration that it has overspent on packaging and assembly plants. For instance, in Micron’s case, nearly 70 per cent of its $2.7 billion plant will be paid through subsidies offered by the Central Government, and the Gujarat government.

The government also does not want to support technology transfer costs under the new incentive scheme, it is understood. This means that companies partnering with others for using their chip manufacturing technology may have to pay out of their own pocket.

Under the new scheme, the government could also offer capital equipment and ecosystem support such as gases, chemicals, and raw materials needed at assembly and testing plants. It could also look at incentivising fabrication of micro-LED displays.

It is also learnt that Micron Technology’s ATMP plant in Gujarat’s Sanand is running 133 days behind schedule, due to the company’s inability to hire sufficient construction headcount. The Tatas have sought that the requirement for PSMC to demonstrate capability to manufacture 28 nanometre chips should be exempted for extending fiscal support for the node. The government is considering the company’s request, but has not come to a conclusion yet.

Soumyarendra Barik

Soumyarendra Barik is Special Correspondent with The Indian Express and reports on the intersection of technology, policy and society. With over five years of newsroom experience, he has reported on issues of gig workers’ rights, privacy, India’s prevalent digital divide and a range of other policy interventions that impact big tech companies. He once also tailed a food delivery worker for over 12 hours to quantify the amount of money they make, and the pain they go through while doing so. In his free time, he likes to nerd about watches, Formula 1 and football. ... Read More

RIL plans 1:1 bonus issue; to invest Rs 75,000 cr in new energy ecosystem

To double revenue, EBITDA over the next 3-4 years: Mukesh Ambani

By: ENS Economic Bureau

Mumbai | August 30, 2024 04:00 IST

RIL Chairman Mukesh Ambani addresses AGM of the company on Thursday. (PTI)

Seven years after its previous bonus issue, Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) on Thursday said it proposes to issue a bonus issue in the ratio of one-for-one to the shareholders and invest up to Rs 75,000 crore to establish the manufacturing ecosystem in new energy businesses, extensively enabled by all emerging technologies including AI, IoT, Machine Learning and Robotics.

Addressing the annual general meeting of RIL, Chairman and MD Mukesh Ambani said RIL is targeting to double its revenues and EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) over the next three to four years, led by the momentum in connectivity.

“RIL has sent a notice to the stock exchanges that the Board of Directors will meet on September 5 to consider issuing bonus shares in the ratio of 1:1. When Reliance grows, we reward our shareholders handsomely,” Ambani said. The last bonus issue that RIL had announced was in 2017 in the ratio of 1:1. It had announced four bonus issues since 1983.

Shares of RIL closed 1.51 per cent higher at Rs 3,040.85 on the BSE on Thursday.

By 2025, Jamnagar will become the cradle of our new energy business, he said. The Dhirubhai Ambani Green Energy Giga Manufacturing Complex will be the world’s largest, most modern, modular, and integrated ecosystem at a single location, he said.

“Our complete ownership and automation of the integrated value chains will allow us to maximise margins that are higher than those of stand-alone, non-integrated players. To support our investments, we are committed to partnering with leading global technology companies, building world class, state-of-the-art R&D capabilities, and expanding our large, dynamic talent pool of PhDs, technologists, and engineers from various nationalities,” Ambani said.

He said Reliance spent over Rs 3,643 crore in FY24 towards R&D, taking RIL’s spend on research to over Rs 11,000 crore ($1.5 billion) in the last four years alone. “We have more than 1,000 scientists and researchers working on critical research projects across all our businesses. Last year Reliance filed over 2,555 patents, mainly in the areas of bio-energy innovations, solar and other green energy sources, and high-value chemicals,” he said.

According to Ambani, by the end of this year, RIL will commence the production of its own solar photovoltaic (PV) modules. “In the following quarters, we will complete the first phase of our integrated solar production facilities. This includes modules, cells, glass, wafer, ingot, and polysilicon, with an initial annual capacity of 10 GW. Our giga-factory is designed for modular expansion at minimal cost and in the shortest time possible,” he said.

“We have fully integrated and indigenised the HJT technology from REC Singapore, our wholly owned subsidiary, to develop 1 Gen bifacial solar panels with cell efficiency exceeding 26 per cent,” he said.

RIL has already begun construction of an integrated advanced chemistry-based battery manufacturing facility with a 30 GWh annual capacity at Jamnagar. “Production will commence by second half of next year. We will start by assembling Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) for utility scale applications and pack solutions for residential, commercial, industrial, telecom, and mobility markets,” Ambani said.

Progressively, over the next few quarters, RIL will integrate backward to cell manufacturing and eventually to battery chemicals production. This will create the world’s only fully integrated battery giga-factory, driving synergies across the value chain, he said.

RIL has begun work on establishing a fully automated, multi-GW electrolyser manufacturing facility on the west coast of India, which will be ready by 2026, he said. “This giga-factory will be fully adaptable, capable of supporting various technologies such as Alkaline, PEM, and AEM. The facility is built using Industry 4.0 standards and will be expandable in a modular fashion to meet market demand,” he said.

“In parallel, we are building capabilities for futuristic electrolysis-based technologies to tackle challenges in energy efficiency and capital cost reduction for our next-gen electrolysers,” he said.

Reliance Retail to enter luxury jewellery

RIL arm Reliance Retail said it has ambitious plans to enter the luxury jewellery segment with a curated and design-led experience. “We are exploring the fashion jewellery and accessories segment to broaden our market reach,” RIL Director Isha Ambani said.

Ambani said the retail arm is establishing 7-Eleven as a leading 24×7 convenience destination, offering localised fresh food and beverages tailored to the Indian palate. “I am confident that we will achieve our goal of doubling our retail business in the next 3 to 4 years,” she said.

DPIIT takes over IT arm of Patents Office amid allegations of mismanagement

The Section 73(4) of the Patents Act, 1970 states that the controller, “without prejudice” may withdraw any matter pending before an officer and deal with such matter himself either from the beginning or from the stage it was withdrawn or transfer the same to another officer.

Written by Ravi Dutta Mishra

New Delhi | August 30, 2024 02:30 IST

According to an official order dated August 27, 2024, Subhash Chandra Karol, Director of DPIIT, has been given the additional charge of the IT office of CGPDTM.

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has taken over the IT department of the Office of the Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks (CGPDTM) amid allegations of mismanagement. This follows a petition filed by the All India Patent Officers Welfare Association (AIPOWA) on May 24, 2024 in the High Court of Delhi, alleging “large-scale instances” of violation of Section 73(4) of the Patents Act, 1970, by the office of CGPDTM.

The Section 73(4) of the Patents Act, 1970 states that the controller, “without prejudice” may withdraw any matter pending before an officer and deal with such matter himself either from the beginning or from the stage it was withdrawn or transfer the same to another officer.

According to an official order dated August 27, 2024, Subhash Chandra Karol, Director of DPIIT, has been given the additional charge of the IT office of CGPDTM. However, DPIIT stated that the reason for the order was to upgrade the IT infrastructure of the Patent Office. “The IT infrastructure in the Patent Office was old, and a comprehensive upgrade was due. This has been undertaken to modernise the office and its IT infrastructure. The allegations made are baseless,” a DPIIT official said in response to a query emailed by The Indian Express.

An official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the IT upgrade proposal was sent by CGPDTM to DPIIT over 1.5 years ago.

In the petition filed in May, the association, comprising 600 officers working in Patent Offices in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Chennai, alleged that the IT division of the Patent Office “arbitrarily reallocated” patent applications in violation of norms. “While the Patent Office claims to have developed an automated system for the allocation of patent applications to Assistant Controllers without any human intervention, the impartiality of the patenting regime has come under a cloud, and the confidence of stakeholders and patent officers stands shaken,” the officers alleged in the petition.

The officers sought an inquiry into the “unlawful reallocations, withdrawals, revivals, and other procedural irregularities” in dealing with patent applications. “It further seeks to fix accountability and take action against erring officials,” the petition read. “The nature of the unlawful acts, viz. reallocation, withdrawal, and revival of patent applications, etc., leaves scope for corruption and favouritism. This Court is requested to take serious note of tasks performed by the IT team in violation of applicable law and procedure,” the petition further stated.

The patent officers, in their petition, claimed that the IT team comprises “contractual employees” who should not be allowed to tamper with the process of granting or refusing patents with impunity.

The Indian Express had earlier reported that DPIIT has asked the Patent Office to terminate its Memorandum of Understanding with the Quality Council of India (QCI). Contractual employees were hired by the Patent Office from QCI which is an autonomous, not-for-profit body.

The Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Aishwarya Bhati, in her legal opinion sought by DPIIT, had suggested the annulment of all decisions made by the outsourced QCI employees hired by CGPDTM.

She had stated that quasi-judicial functions conducted by outsourced employees from any agency without the necessary statutory architectural powers would be “inherently flawed and legally unenforceable”.

Road Ministry to states, agencies: Consider single bid for national highway projects

A competitive bidding process is seen as beneficial mainly for two reasons -- it provides an opportunity to all interested bidders, and ensures better price discovery. However, a number of tenders have been scrapped in the past due to low bidder interest leading to single bid cases.

By: ENS Economic Bureau

New Delhi | August 30, 2024 02:08 IST

The Evaluation Committee will examine the rates taking into consideration the comparison with the similar contracts awarded elsewhere to determine the reasonableness of the prices, the Ministry said.

In a reversal from its earlier position of not accepting single bids for national highways works, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has directed all states and other highways construction agencies to accept single bids for road construction projects. The Ministry in a missive issued Wednesday to National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), National Highways & Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL), Border Roads Organisation (BRO) and Chief Secretaries of all states and union territories said that lack of competition should not be determined solely on the basis of the number of the bidders and process should be considered as valid even if it attracts just one bidder.

A competitive bidding process is seen as beneficial mainly for two reasons — it provides an opportunity to all interested bidders, and ensures better price discovery. However, a number of tenders have been scrapped in the past due to low bidder interest leading to single bid cases.

The Ministry said that even a single bid for the national highways should be considered if it is compliant with the conditions. “It has been decided that single bid received in open bidding will not be rejected provided the conditions are satisfied: i) the procurement was satisfactorily advertised and sufficient time was given for submission of bids; ii) the qualification criteria were not unduly restrictive; and iii) prices are reasonable in comparison to market values,” the circular stated.

The Evaluation Committee will examine the rates taking into consideration the comparison with the similar contracts awarded elsewhere to determine the reasonableness of the prices, the Ministry said. “The purchase price of similar contracts may be updated taking into consideration inflation during the interim period, geographical conditions, etc.,” it said, adding that the purchase price of similar contracts may also be corrected to match the carriage of materials required for the instant project vis-a-vis carriage of materials in the project being compared.

The Ministry cited an earlier circular dated October 29, 2021 of the Department of Expenditure under the Ministry of Finance, which stated that it has become a practice among some procuring entities to routinely assume that open tenders which result in single bids are not acceptable and to go for re-tender as a ‘safe’ course of action. “This is not correct. Re-bidding has costs: firstly, the actual cost of re-tendering; secondly, the delay in execution of the work with consequent delay in attainment of the purpose for which the procurement is being done; and thirdly the possibility that the re-bid may result in a higher bid,” the Finance Ministry circular had said.

“Next move in the rupee is towards 80, not 90,” says Ruchir Sharma

The rupee closed at an all-time low of 83.97 against the dollar on August 12. On Thursday, the domestic currency opened at 83.92 compared to the previous close of 83.97.

By: ENS Economic Bureau

Mumbai | Updated: August 29, 2024 21:43 IST

Sharma, who is the Chairman of Rockefeller International and Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Breakout Capital, said a strong dollar tends to help the US, and a weak dollar leads to higher capital flows to emerging markets. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)

The Indian rupee, which is currently hovering around 84 level against the US dollar, is likely to strengthen to 80, said Ruchir Sharma, global investor, author, fund manager and political commentator.

The rupee closed at an all-time low of 83.97 against the dollar on August 12. On Thursday, the domestic currency opened at 83.92 compared to the previous close of 83.97.

“…Rupee is 84 today. I am going to bet that the next move in the rupee is towards 80, not 90,” he said at the Express Adda, organised by the Indian Express on August 27.

He was in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and K V Kamath, Chairman, National Bank for Financing Infrastructure and Development (NaBFID) and Chairman Jio Financial Services.

Sharma, who is the Chairman of Rockefeller International and Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Breakout Capital, said a strong dollar tends to help the US, and a weak dollar leads to higher capital flows to emerging markets.

“I fundamentally believe that emerging markets are going to benefit from a weak dollar over the next five to 10 years,” he said, adding that if the US dollar weakens then India will see more capital inflows which will help in keeping interest rates lower than the current level.

He noted after the US imposed sanctions on Russia in 2022, central banks around the world started buying gold, which resulted in the decline in the share of the US dollar in their foreign exchange reserves. These central banks have also started buying smaller currencies like the Swiss Franc and Australian dollar.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway closes above $1 trillion market value

The $1 trillion valuation is based on Berkshire's 553,234 Class A and 1,325,192,508 Class B shares outstanding as of July 23.

By: Reuters

August 29, 2024 20:01 IST

Berkshire's Class A shares are up 28% this year, while the S&P 500 excluding dividends is up 17%. (Express Archives)

Berkshire Hathaway’s market value closed above $1 trillion for the first time on Wednesday, reflecting investor confidence in the conglomerate that Warren Buffett built over nearly six decades into what many consider a proxy for the American economy.

Buffett’s company joined six other U.S. companies, all in or tied to the technology sector, valued at more than $1 trillion: Apple, Nvidia, Microsoft, Google parent Alphabet, Amazon.com and Facebook parent Meta Platforms.

Berkshire’s Class A shares closed up 0.7% at $696,502.02. The more widely held Class B shares rose 0.9% to $464.59.

Buffett, who turns 94 on Friday, has run Omaha, Nebraska-based Berkshire since 1965.

He transformed it from a failing textile company into a colossus with dozens of old-economy businesses such as Geico car insurance, the BNSF railroad, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Brooks running shoes, Dairy Queen ice cream, Ginsu knives and the World Book encyclopedia. The operating businesses generated $22.8 billion of profit in the year’s first half, up 26% from 2023.

Berkshire also has a huge stock portfolio even after selling tens of billions of dollars of Apple and Bank of America, its largest and until recently its second-largest stock holdings, in 2024.

The sales are a major reason Berkshire’s cash hoard, mainly in U.S. Treasury bills, soared to $276.9 billion as of June 30. Berkshire has also slowed repurchases of its own stock.

“Buffett built Berkshire in a systematic, relatively low risk manner,” said Steve Check, president of Check Capital Management in Costa Mesa, California, which invests one-third of its $2 billion of assets in Berkshire stock and options. “As a huge conglomerate it will always have parts doing well.”

The $1 trillion valuation is based on Berkshire’s 553,234 Class A and 1,325,192,508 Class B shares outstanding as of July 23.

Since the year Buffett took charge, Berkshire shares have gained more than 5,600,000%.

That’s about 20% annually, nearly double the annualized gain in the Standard & Poor’s 500 including dividends.

No single catalyst appeared to fuel Wednesday’s gain. Berkshire’s Class A shares are up 28% this year, while the S&P 500 excluding dividends is up 17%.

Buffett still owns more than 14% of Berkshire despite having donated more than half his shares to charity since 2006. His $146 billion fortune makes him the world’s sixth-richest person, Forbes magazine said on Wednesday.

Check said he became a grandfather on Aug. 16, and bought 100 Berkshire Class B shares for his grandson Zealand that day. “Investors should certainly not jump in because the market cap hit $1 trillion, and the stock is perhaps as fully priced as it has been since before the 2008 financial crisis,” he said. “It is a good investment for someone with a 10-year horizon.”

DGCA places cash-strapped SpiceJet under ‘enhanced surveillance’ again to ensure safe operations

The DGCA’s decision came close on the heels of the airline’s passengers being stopped from boarding at the Dubai airport on Thursday over the carrier’s failure to clear dues owed to the airport.

Written by Sukalp Sharma

New Delhi | Updated: August 30, 2024 04:55 IST

The cash-strapped airline has been struggling financially, running into rough weather with aircraft lessors and some airports. (File)

Aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has once again placed embattled airline SpiceJet under “enhanced surveillance” with immediate effect in a bid to ensure safety of the low-cost carrier’s flight operations. The enhanced surveillance would entail an increase in spot checks and night surveillance of the airline’s operations to ensure operational safety.

“Based on reports of cancellation of flights and financial stress being experienced by SpiceJet airlines, a special audit of SpiceJet engineering facilities was conducted on 7th and 8th August 2024 which has revealed certain deficiencies,” the DGCA said in a statement Thursday.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) is also keeping a close watch on the prevailing situation at the beleaguered airline, according to sources with direct knowledge of the matter.

The DGCA’s decision came close on the heels of the airline’s passengers being stopped from boarding at the Dubai airport on Thursday over the carrier’s failure to clear dues owed to the airport. This was the second incident of SpiceJet flights from Dubai getting disrupted this month. The cash-strapped airline has been struggling financially, running into rough weather with aircraft lessors and some airports. The carrier, which is in the process of raising funds via qualified institutional placement, has been irregular in salary payments as well, it is learnt.

While much of the Indian aviation industry charted a strong recovery from the massive hit of the Covid-19 pandemic, SpiceJet stands out as an exception. Over the past couple of years, the financial stress at the airline forced the regulator to take action to ensure safe flight operations. In today’s action, the DGCA also quoted the airline’s past record, in addition to the recent special audit, as a reason for placing it under enhanced surveillance.

“It may be recalled that after a series of occurrences reported on the SpiceJet fleet in 2022, a special drive of spot checks was undertaken during which SpiceJet was permitted to release aircraft for operations only after confirming to DGCA that all reported defects/malfunctions had been rectified. During the year 2023, based on reports of the airline being under financial stress, it was again placed under enhanced surveillance,” the DGCA said.

“In light of the past record and the special audit carried out in August 2024, SpiceJet has once again been placed under enhanced surveillance with immediate effect. This would entail increase in number of spot checks/night surveillance with a view to ensure safety of operations,” the regulator said.

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

DGCA slaps Rs 10 lakh fine on Air India Express

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) carried out an inspection as per the Annual Surveillance Programme (ASP) 2024 of scheduled domestic operators in June.

By: PTI

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 18:42 IST

For the violations, DGCA has imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Air India Express. (File Photo)

Aviation regulator DGCA on Thursday imposed a penalty of Rs 10 lakh on Air India Express for non-payment of compensation to passengers for canceled flights.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) carried out an inspection as per the Annual Surveillance Programme (ASP) 2024 of scheduled domestic operators in June. This was in respect of norms pertaining to facilities and compensation that are to be provided to passengers.

“During the surveillance inspection of the airlines, it was observed that Air India Express was not complying with the provisions of CAR Section-3, Series M, Part IV,” DGCA said in a release.

Subsequently, a show cause notice was issued to Air India Express.

The regulator said the airline’s reply revealed that it had not complied with the provisions for providing compensation to passengers affected due to cancellation of flights.

For the violations, DGCA has imposed a fine of Rs 10 lakh on Air India Express. Specific details about the violations could not be immediately ascertained.

Sensex, Nifty hit all-time high levels on rally in Reliance, Tata Motors shares

Mahindra & Mahindra, Sun Pharma, JSW Steel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Infosys and Tata Steel were among the biggest laggards.

By: PTI

Mumbai | August 29, 2024 18:35 IST

The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 349.05 points or 0.43 per cent to settle at an all-time closing high of 82,134.61. (File photo)

Equity benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty hit their all-time high levels on Thursday, driven by a fag-end rally in index majors Reliance Industries and Tata Motors. Robust buying in energy and FMCG stocks also supported the domestic equities, traders said.

The 30-share BSE Sensex jumped 349.05 points or 0.43 per cent to settle at an all-time closing high of 82,134.61, extending its winning momentum to the eighth day in a row. During the day, it soared 500.27 points or 0.61 per cent to hit a lifetime intra-day peak of 82,285.83.

The BSE gauge has surged 1,709.93 points or 2.12 per cent in eight straight trading sessions.

Rallying for the 11th straight session, the NSE Nifty surged 99.60 points or 0.40 per cent to settle at a new closing high of 25,151.95. During the trade, the benchmark climbed 140.55 points or 0.56 per cent to hit a fresh record intra-day peak of 25,192.90.

In 11 trading days, the NSE Nifty has jumped 1,012.95 points or 4.19 per cent. “Nifty ended on a strong note on Thursday aided by buying across frontline stocks in the last hour of trade,” said Deepak Jasani, Head of Retail Research, HDFC Securities.

Among the 30 Sensex firms, Tata Motors jumped over 4 per cent, followed by Bajaj Finserv, Bajaj Finance, HCL Technologies, ITC, Reliance Industries, Tech Mahindra, Maruti and State Bank of India.

Reliance Industries climbed nearly 2 per cent after Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of the firm, said the board of the company will meet on September 5 to consider issuing bonus shares in the ratio of 1:1. “When Reliance grows, we reward our shareholders handsomely,” Ambani said.

Mahindra & Mahindra, Sun Pharma, JSW Steel, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Infosys and Tata Steel were among the biggest laggards.

“Indian equities began steadily and breached a record high. Volatility disturbed the trend in the afternoon due to Reliance Ltd AGM expectations, but the broad market carried the rally to a new high by the end of the day with rapid improvement in sentiment.”

“The recent uptick in Indian IT and FMCG stocks points to a potential soft landing for the US economy and an improvement in domestic rural consumption,” Vinod Nair, Head of Research, Geojit Financial Services, said.

In the broader market, the BSE smallcap gauge declined 0.72 per cent, and the midcap index dipped 0.27 per cent.

Among the indices, oil & gas jumped 0.91 per cent, energy (0.88 per cent), FMCG (0.58 per cent) and telecommunication (0.44 per cent). Industrials, capital goods, commodities, utilities and services were among the laggards.

In Asian markets, Seoul, Tokyo and Shanghai settled in the negative territory, while Hong Kong ended higher.

European markets were trading in the positive zone. The US markets ended lower on Wednesday.

Foreign Institutional Investors (FIIs) offloaded equities worth Rs 1,347.53 crore on Wednesday, according to exchange data.

Global oil benchmark Brent crude declined 0.60 per cent to USD 78.27 a barrel.

On Wednesday, the NSE Nifty went up by 34.60 points or 0.14 per cent to settle at a new closing high of 25,052.35.

The BSE benchmark climbed 73.80 points or 0.09 per cent to settle at 81,785.56.

Reliance AGM: Mukesh Ambani announces suite of AI tools called ‘Jio Brain’

JioBrain integrates 5G’s high speed, and low latency with machine learning capabilities such as anomaly detection, predictive forecasting and automation.

Written by Soumyarendra Barik

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 20:23 IST

RIL Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani. (File Photo)

Reliance Jio is developing a suite of tools and applications that span the entire artificial intelligence (AI) lifecycle called ‘JioBrain,’ Reliance Industries’ Chairman Mukesh Ambani said during the conglomerate’s 47th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday.

The company will set AI-ready data centres at Jamnagar, in Gujarat powered by the company’s green energy, said Ambani.

“We are also starting to use JioBrain to drive a similar transformation across other Reliance operating companies, and to fast-track their AI journey as well,” Ambani said.

“I anticipate that by perfecting JioBrain within Reliance, we will create a powerful AI service platform that we can offer to other enterprises as well,” he added.

JioBrain integrates 5G’s high speed, and low latency with machine learning capabilities such as anomaly detection, predictive forecasting and automation. The platform can train and apply machine learning (ML) models at the network edge and in the service provider cloud.

“This enables CSPs (cloud service providers) to apply machine learning to not only the network but also to a wide range of 5G services and industrial applications including image and video AI at the edge, probing at the edge, healthcare, education, gaming, and entertainment use cases,” as per Jio Brain’s website.

“It supports the Bring Your Own Data (BYOD) concept – enabling CSPs to feed in data from various sources and in multiple formats – and generates intelligent actionable insights. JioBrain provides call analysis, personalised service recommendations, fraud detection, customer experience analytics, and several key inputs spanning the entire value chain,” its website added.

The service also offers out-of-the-box algorithms that are ready to use, without businesses needing to develop, train, or maintain them. The platform provides capabilities like on-the-fly feature engineering, hyperparameter tuning, data aggregation, and auto/manual retraining.

“Digital is another principal area of our in-house research. We have filed patents in 6G, 5G, AI-Large Language Models, AI-Deep Learning, Big Data, Devices, Internet of Things, and Narrowband-IoT,” Ambani said.

Soumyarendra Barik

Soumyarendra Barik is Special Correspondent with The Indian Express and reports on the intersection of technology, policy and society. With over five years of newsroom experience, he has reported on issues of gig workers’ rights, privacy, India’s prevalent digital divide and a range of other policy interventions that impact big tech companies. He once also tailed a food delivery worker for over 12 hours to quantify the amount of money they make, and the pain they go through while doing so. In his free time, he likes to nerd about watches, Formula 1 and football. ... Read More

Considerable interest from airlines for international operations from Noida International Airport: CEO Schnellmann

The airport is expected to start commercial operations from April 2025.

Written by Sukalp Sharma

New Delhi | Updated: August 29, 2024 19:12 IST

Under-construction Noida International Airport. (Express Photo by Sukalp Sharma)

The upcoming Noida International Airport (NIA) at Jewar in Uttar Pradesh is seeing considerable interest from airlines — both domestic and overseas — for international flight operations, NIA chief executive officer Christoph Schnellmann said Thursday.

According to him, domestic carriers that have already signed up for operations — IndiGo and Akasa Air — appear keen to not just start domestic flights from the new greenfield airport but international ones as well.

Schnellmann said that NIA is in talks with Air India and other domestic and international carriers for flight operations from the airport, which will be the second major airport in the National Capital Region after Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). The airport’s terminal is being designed as an integrated one for both domestic and international operations.

The airport is expected to start commercial operations from April 2025. The airport was earlier scheduled to start operations by the end of this year, but the timeline was extended due to delays in delivery of certain construction materials and equipment due to global supply chain constraints. According to Schnellmann, all stakeholders are working together to ensure that the new timeline is met.

Most of the runway work at the airport is complete and calibration flights by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are scheduled for September-October. Validation flights for airport approach and departure procedures are scheduled for December. The airport operator plans to apply for the aerodrome license — the approval from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to operate as an airport — also in December.

The first phase of airport, with one runway and one terminal, will have the capacity to handle traffic of 1.2 crore passengers annually. Eventually, after the completion of the fourth phase, the airport will have the capacity to manage 70 million passengers per year.

The airport, a marquee project for the Uttar Pradesh government, is being developed by Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), a fully-owned subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG. YIAPL is also the operator of the airport over a 40-year concession period that started on October 1, 2021.

The NIA will connect the greater Delhi area and Western Uttar Pradesh with flights and will serve as the second airport in the NCR besides Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), which is India’s largest airport. Given India’s rapidly rising air traffic, the IGIA is likely to be saturated in a few years. The NIA is expected to complement the IGIA in servicing demand from the region.

The airport is one of the two under-construction greenfield airports — the other being the Navi Mumbai airport — that will serve as second airports for major metropolitan cities and their adjoining areas. The Navi Mumbai airport is expected to commence operations by March-end next year.

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

Reliance Industries plans 1:1 bonus issue for shareholders

The last bonus that Reliance Industries had announced was in 2017 in the ratio of 1:1. It had announced four bonus issues since 1983.

By: ENS Economic Bureau

Mumbai | Updated: August 29, 2024 15:04 IST

Shares of RIL were trading 1.77 per cent higher at Rs 3,048 on the exchanges. (File)

Reliance Infustries Ltd (RIL) has proposed to issue a bonus issue in the ratio of one for one to the shareholders.

“The meeting of the Board of Directors of the company is scheduled to be held on September 5, 2024 to consider and recommend to the shareholders for their approval, issue of bonus shares in the ratio of 1:1 to the shareholders of the company by capitalization of reserves,” RIL said in an exchange filing.

The last bonus that Reliance Industries had announced was in 2017 in the ratio of 1:1. It had announced four bonus issues since 1983.

Shares of RIL were trading 1.77 per cent higher at Rs 3,048 on the exchanges.

DGCA suspends approval for flying training organisation Alchemist Aviation

Alchemist Aviation is into local flying at Jamshedpur Sonari airport in Jharkhand.

By: PTI

New Delhi | August 29, 2024 13:47 IST

The move comes less than two weeks after the organisation's trainee aircraft was involved in the fatal accident that killed the two people on board. (File photo)

Aviation watchdog DGCA has suspended the approval for Alchemist Aviation following an audit done in the wake of a fatal trainee aircraft accident that found the flying training organisation being non-compliant with regulations.

The move comes less than two weeks after the organisation’s trainee aircraft was involved in the fatal accident that killed the two people on board — instructor and trainee pilot.

Following the accident on August 20, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducted a special safety audit of Alchemist Aviation on August 23 and 24. “During the audit, several serious deficiencies and non-compliances of regulatory provisions were found,” DGCA said in a release on Thursday.

Alchemist Aviation is into local flying at Jamshedpur Sonari airport in Jharkhand. The regulator said it has suspended the approval granted to Alchemist Aviation to operate as a Flying Training Organisation.

“The FTO will have to mandatorily undergo a de novo rectification process to ensure obligatory compliances,” it added.

Our polity lacks reform capability to spur 9-11% growth: Ruchir Sharma

“For 30 to 40 years, China was the world’s biggest success story. It didn’t happen naturally. The kind of reforms that China carried out in those years is something our polity... I don’t think it is capable of carrying out,” Sharma said.

By: ENS Economic Bureau

Mumbai | Updated: August 29, 2024 14:20 IST

Ruchir Sharma, Chairman of Rockefeller International, and Founder and Chief Investment Officer, Breakout Capital, at the Express Adda event in Mumbai on Tuesday. (Express photo by Narendra Vaskar)

India can clock a GDP growth rate of 6-7 per cent but its polity lacks the capability to carry out reforms that can spur growth in the range of 9-11 per cent, said Ruchir Sharma, global investor, fund manager and author of best-selling books.

At the Express Adda, organised by The Indian Express in Mumbai on Tuesday, Sharma said, “I think that we can grow at 6 (per cent), or maybe 7 per cent with some help of foreign capital but the kind of growth rates that China did…9 per cent, 10 per cent and 11 per cent, I don’t think our polity… and the consensus in this country is there. We still don’t give our people enough economic freedom. We still have a mindset of the fact that we need to protect… Government still plays a pretty interventionist role in this country,” Sharma said.

He was responding to a question on when can India witness a situation where its currency is strengthening, interest rates are lower and growth is accelerating, similar to what Japan experienced from 1970 to 1995, and China in 2000.

“For 30 to 40 years, China was the world’s biggest success story. It didn’t happen naturally. The kind of reforms that China carried out in those years is something our polity… I don’t think it is capable of carrying out,” Sharma said.

He explained that China, which began as a very controlled communist state in the 1970s, gave its people a lot of economic freedom over time. Until the 1980s, Chinese people couldn’t even own their property but then all the reforms began one by one. In the 1990s, China fired nearly 100 million people from its public sector enterprises and there was no welfare state.

“…The kind of reforms that China and other Eastern European, East Asian countries carried out by really downsizing the public sector, I don’t think we (India) have the capacity or consensus to do that. Privatisation in this (India) country is dead on arrival for most things as we know. It only happens by malign neglect, which is that something is allowed to privatise on its own because the private sector takes on greater share… that’s what happened with the banking sector,” Sharma said.

He said most countries first give their people economic freedom and when they reach a certain per capita income they start to give more political freedom. “In India’s case, we did the opposite… gave the people lots of political freedom, we never gave our people economic freedom, which began to change from the early 80s or 90s or so. That’s the big change we have seen since the 1990s, and now we see that India has also progressed a lot as it has given its people economic freedom. But it is interesting that India still ranks relatively low on the index of economic freedom compared to so many countries,” Sharma said.

When asked which industry or sector in India is in urgent need of government intervention, he said, “The less intervention, the better. I don’t think I want more government anywhere because every time the best growth happens when the ministry has not even been formed… happened with tech, right?”

Sharma believes that the Indian rupee will strengthen against the dollar going forward. “…Rupee is 84 today. I am going to bet that the next move in the rupee is towards 80, not 90,” he said. Sharma said if the US dollar weakens then India will see more capital inflows which will help in keeping interest rates lower than the current level.

According to him, the last decade, or 12 years or so, have been pathetic for emerging markets in general, both in growth and in equity market terms. The stock markets in the emerging markets have delivered poor returns in the last 10-15 years. However, India has been the one exception to a general rule and the country has witnessed an incredible stock market run.

During the last interaction at The Indian Express Adda in 2023, Sharma had mentioned that India was the most expensive market in the world.

When asked if the Indian market’s valuation continues to remain high, he said, “I said back then that these traditional valuation metrics aren’t working in India. Broadly, I still feel India is on the right economic trajectory. So, I don’t have a problem with the market, except the fact that I find much greater value in some of the other emerging markets, which have been totally beaten down and stayed at a fraction of the valuation of India.”

“Some other countries are finally staging a comeback, and they trade at a much cheaper valuation. So for me, that is a more exciting opportunity at this point in time…my heart lies here (in India) and I still feel the fact that the market is so big, so diverse, that it will always remain a cornerstone of any emerging market investor,” he said.

Sharma, Chairman of Rockefeller International and Founder and Chief Investment Officer of Breakout Capital, has authored five books — What Went Wrong with Capitalism; The 10 Rules of Successful Nations; Democracy on the Road; The Rise and Fall of Nations: Forces of Change in the Post-Crisis World; and Breakout Nations: In Pursuit of the Next Economic Miracles.

He moved to Rockefeller in 2022 after a 25-year career at Morgan Stanley Investment Management, where he was Head of Emerging Markets and Chief Global Strategist, and was responsible for managing nearly $20 billion in assets.

Tech Review

- What is the Reliance Industries Limited AGM meet, where it will be live-streamed and what to expect

- I am a tech expert who tried out the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and here is the truth about Google’s flagship smartphone

What is the Reliance Industries Limited AGM meet, where it will be live-streamed and what to expect

At its 47th AGM, Reliance is expected to announce financial results, new projects, and possibly a few consumer tech products.

By: Tech Desk

Bengaluru | Updated: August 29, 2024 12:56 IST

Reliance AGM will be live streamed across all the major social media platforms. (Image credit: Reliance Jio)

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) is hosting its 47th annual general meeting (AGM) today at 2 PM. The meeting will begin with the keynote by RIL’s Chairman & Managing Director Mukesh D Ambani, which will be live-streamed on JioMeet, YouTube, Facebook, X, and Instagram.

Anyone interested in learning more about RIL AGM can also send a “Hi” to +91-7977111111 on WhatsApp to get more information. At this year’s annual general meeting, Reliance is expected to make some important announcements related to their businesses, new initiatives, and projects.

RIL, a publicly listed company, currently has over 3.5 million shareholders, and at every AGM, the company shares its financial results, and upcoming projects, and will also make several tech-related announcements.

What to expect from RIL’s 47th AGM

This time around, Reliance is expected to announce more details regarding the listing of the Jio IPO, which is expected to go live in 2025 at a valuation of around $112 billion. On top of that, Reliance is also expected to share information on other Reliance-backed businesses which might soon get listed on the share market.

The company is also expected to announce new energy-related projects, especially with respect to renewable sources such as solar, batteries, and other green energy solutions.

#RILAGM #RelianceforAll

47th Annual General Meeting (Post-IPO) of Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) from 2 PM (IST) onwards today.

You can watch the Live Video of RIL’s Chairman & Managing Director Shri Mukesh D Ambani’s speech on the following sources:

JIOMEET

Link:… pic.twitter.com/3b3zdmlbX5

— Reliance Industries Limited (@RIL_Updates) August 29, 2024

When it comes to consumer technology, RIL is expected to share updates on the 5G network, the expansion of JioFiber, and how it could monetize 5G, which is currently being offered for free.

Other important announcements that we can expect from RIL’s 47th AGM include the launch of an affordable 5G-enabled JioPhone, 5G-powered IoT products, and more related to gaming and entertainment.

Table of Contents

Indian Express

Daily Briefing

Daily briefing: LAC talks to ‘narrow down differences’; archer Sheetal Devi at 2024 Paris Paralympics; and more

Daily Briefing: Mamata Banerjee stirs another storm; President Murmu on Kolkata rape-murder; and more

Front Page

After 7 years, Ayodhya land circle rates set to rise — by 50% to 200%

A G Noorani (1930 – 2024): ‘Fearless, straightforward… more of a lawyer outside courtrooms’

Mystery over deaths of two UP girls: Police say suicide, kin deny, 2 youths from village booked

Minister claims Uttarakhand CM Dhami didn’t overrule others on Rajaji posting, but records show otherwise

LAC talks: India, China for ‘intensified contact’ to ‘narrow down differences’

More Malayalam actors named in sexual abuse cases; pressure grows on CPI(M) to remove legislator

Compliance should become a ‘low hum in the background’ of regulated entities: Sebi Chairperson

Uttarakhand CM Dhami overrules Minister, Chief Secy to post ousted Corbett chief as head of Rajaji reserve

From Delhi bike dealer to Kolhapur saree depot, small IPOs lift mood in the market — and raise eyebrows

Digital media policy: Up to Rs 8 lakh for online push of UP schemes, action if content negative

SC underlines: Bail is the rule, jail exception even in PMLA cases, Article 21 higher right

India

JMM MLA Ramdas Soren takes oath as minister, replaces Champai Soren in Jharkhand cabinet

Manipur CM promises full peace in 6 months, says no question of him resigning

Over 35% of 3,885 doctors, mostly women, feel unsafe during night shifts: IMA study

ED attaches Emaar India and MGF Developments land worth Rs 834 cr in PMLA case

Now, women travellers in Bihar can get police to track their journey

‘India is an economic powerhouse, time has come to see it more active in Latin America’: Chile Foreign Minister

3 indigenous Mpox testing kits get manufacturing nod

TMC’s Mukul Sangma is LoP in Meghalaya House

‘Let us see our own creations’: Artisans behind new Parliament’s gallery seek access, appeal to Om Birla

After ‘no MP to contest’ stand, Congress in-charge says anyone can be CM

India gets second nuclear submarine with commissioning of INS Arighaat

Give nod for quarrying: Kerala Minorities Commission to environment authority

Ahead of polls, J&K govt publishes draft roll extracts of Kashmiri migrants

Former envoy to Bangladesh is expert at Explained event today

Ethanol distilleries can buy 23 lakh MT rice from FCI: Govt

Rajasthan: Ex-CRPF officer detained for manhandling Congress chief whip

Tripura govt declares entire state ‘Natural Calamity Affected Area’ after floods cause widespread damages

Kangana’s Emergency could face ban in Telangana, says CM, as Sikh delegation raises concerns

Protesters block NH-8 in Tripura for hours to demand release of 5 people accused of arson

SC rebukes Revanth over Kavitha bail comment: ‘Do we pass orders after consulting political parties?’

Delhi Confidential

Delhi Confidential: Standing Out

Opinion

August 30, 1984, Forty Years Ago: Two supporters abandon N T Rama Rao-led TDP

What’s wrong if women want to escape Mr Space Hog on a flight?

Once again, Supreme Court underlines that jail is the exception, bail is the rule

Derek O’Brien writes: Between 2012 Delhi rape and R G Kar, little has changed

Women-only airline seats won’t solve problem of male misbehaviour

The right to disconnect: Leisure is endangered, it must be protected

On RG Kar case, Mamata Banerjee must step up, not play victim

R G Kar case is not about violence against a healthcare worker — it is violence against a woman

When cringe works: Why everyone dances to ‘Lovebomber baby’

A Uniform Civil Code should expand rights of women and young, not restrict them

From Salim-Javed to Kamala Harris, the fantasy of the infallible ‘Ma’

Bail for K Kavitha: Time to review PMLA’s draconian provisions

AAP’s Saurabh Bhardwaj writes: Offices of governor and L-G must be abolished

August 29, 1984, Forty Years Ago: Sikh Convention

Pratap Bhanu Mehta writes: Uncharted territory for India’s governance matrix

In Good Faith: How to ensure that our boys grow into good men

UPSC-CSE Key

Small Industries — Role, importance and challenges

UPSC Key | 10 years of PMJDY, PMLA bail, Section 377 and more

UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Economy MCQs on Zero tillage, PMJDY and more (Week 73)

UPSC Issue at a Glance | Lateral entry and civil service reforms: 4 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains

Knowledge nugget of the day: IMD’s colour-coded weather alerts

UPSC Essentials | Daily subject-wise quiz : Environment, Geography, Sci-Tech MCQs on Lithium, space anaemia and more (Week 73)

India’s evolving engagement with Southeast Asia and Indo-Pacific

UPSC Key | PMLA, Combination drugs, PMJDY and more

UPSC Essentials | Mains answer practice — GS 2 : Questions on India-Japan relations and South China Sea (Week 66)

Knowledge nugget of the day: PM Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY)

Explained

What are BJP’S allegations against Kharge family?

How conservationists are helping once-extinct birds find lost migration routes

What Assam’s new Muslim marriage law says, why it was introduced

What was the IC-814 aircraft hijack, the subject of a new Netflix series?

Who is Warren Buffett, CEO of Berkshire Hathaway which attained a $1 trillion market cap?

National Sports Day: Story of Dhyan Chand, India’s first sporting superstar

What are jiu-jitsu & aikido, practised by Rahul Gandhi during Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra

Why govt has strengthened security for RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, brought his cover on par with Amit Shah’s

What Australia’s new cap on number of international students means; its possible impact on Indians

How ISRO designed humanoid skull which will be used in Gaganyaan

10 years of Jan Dhan: How the scheme has had a transformative impact on financial, banking sector

Himachal Pradesh passes Bill to raise women’s marriage age from 18 to 21 years: What happens next?

Who are the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, the country’s largest Islamist party?

History and controversies of AMMA, the Kerala actors’ body that was led by superstar Mohanlal

Who is Indian-origin Kevan Parekh, the new CFO of Apple?

Oasis reunites: Story of the British band, why they split, and their enduring popularity

How Canada’s new ‘reducing low-wage, temporary workers’ policy may impact Indians

Why FSSAI withdrew its advisory on removing A1, A2 claims on milk and milk products

The Pacific Islands Forum’s annual meeting begins: The organisation and the issues being discussed

What are combination drugs; why have 156 of them been banned?

Why India Meteorological Department (IMD) needs an upgrade, with climate change impacting weather

How AMMA lorded over Kerala cinema, its writ running from stars to junior artistes

Supreme Court overrules Delhi court verdict to grant bail to Kavitha: Why it criticised the HC’s reasoning

Business

Stock market today: Sensex, Nifty hit all-time highs in early trade

Singapore Airlines gets FDI nod from Indian govt for Vistara-Air India merger

In new chip push, Centre ready with $15-billion blueprint

RIL plans 1:1 bonus issue; to invest Rs 75,000 cr in new energy ecosystem

DPIIT takes over IT arm of Patents Office amid allegations of mismanagement

Road Ministry to states, agencies: Consider single bid for national highway projects

“Next move in the rupee is towards 80, not 90,” says Ruchir Sharma

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway closes above $1 trillion market value

DGCA places cash-strapped SpiceJet under ‘enhanced surveillance’ again to ensure safe operations

DGCA slaps Rs 10 lakh fine on Air India Express

Sensex, Nifty hit all-time high levels on rally in Reliance, Tata Motors shares

Reliance AGM: Mukesh Ambani announces suite of AI tools called ‘Jio Brain’

Considerable interest from airlines for international operations from Noida International Airport: CEO Schnellmann

Reliance Industries plans 1:1 bonus issue for shareholders

DGCA suspends approval for flying training organisation Alchemist Aviation

Our polity lacks reform capability to spur 9-11% growth: Ruchir Sharma

Tech Review

What is the Reliance Industries Limited AGM meet, where it will be live-streamed and what to expect

I am a tech expert who tried out the Pixel 9 Pro XL, and here is the truth about Google’s flagship smartphone