Newsletter 13 March

Top 5 News

1- Home Minister Replied over Delhi Riot in RS Yesterday
2- PM Modi Proposed the SAARC Countries offered to work together against Corona Virus
3- Total positive cases in India till 1700 hrs [IST] today: 77
4- Government issues orders revoking detention of Farooq Abdullah
5- Yes Bank: Moratorium to Be Lifted 3 Days After Scheme Notified

National

Home Minister Replied over Delhi Riot in RS Yesterday

There were social media accounts only to spread hatred during Delhi Violence: Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thurs said that some social media accounts during the Delhi violence were operated only to spread hatred.

Till yesterday 1,170 faces were recognized, 1,922 faces recognized till Y’day. 336 are from U.P. Border was sealed on 24 Feb area densely populated, not possible to seal state borders in democracies. Vehicle numbers were noted, now they are being matched with driving licenses.

All perpetrators involved in the killing of IB official Ankit Sharma and HC Ratan Lal have been arrested. We have the video of people who stabbed Sharma and opened fire at Ratan Lal. The probe into the conspiracy is still on.

“There were some social media accounts that started 2 days before violence and were deactivated on 25^th.

These accounts only functioned to spread hatred. Their owners must be thinking that they are safe but this is the digital age, we will find them and present them before the law,” Amit Shah said in Rajya Sabha.

“Somebody lost his life, somebody was paralyzed, somebody’s home was burnt and what are you talking of privacy.

Police should have the right to bring those involved in a riot before the court and give the strictest punishment.

In answer of D O’ Brien, who questioned about privacy of citizen? We have not violated any privacy (Kisi ki jaan chali gai, koi apaahij ho gaya, kisi ka ghar jal gaya, aur kya nijita ki baat karte ho? Police ko yeh adhikaar hona chaiye ki jisne danga kiya hai usko court ke saamne khada kare, aur kathor se kathor saza di jaye. Humne nijita ka koi bhang nahi kiya hai).”

At least 53 persons died, including IB officer Ankit Sharma and Constable Rattan Lal in the violence that took place in North-East Delhi last month.

“CM, Arvind Kejriwal said on Feb 27^th that military should be called. There was no meaning to it because riots were controlled by then.

But I understand his emotions because several items have been recovered from the home of his councilor, he had to suspend him”.

In a question he Asked members by especially naming Kapil Sibbal, (Sr Advocate and Congress leader in RS) “tell me one line which of CAA, take away the citizenship of any Indian?

Then, Sibbal stated “No it won’t going to take away any citizenship of India but, during the NPR if officers put ‘D’ (doubt), then that fellow may have to proof their citizenship?

Then he assured the house there won’t be any “D” Colum during NPR.

Remember, all such Anti –CAA protest since Both houses have passed it on Dec 12, including recent violence, which loudness even heard outside India too, is now seems baseless.

Meanwhile, even after clearance from HM, Delhi Minister Gopal Rai moves resolution in the Assembly against the implementation of the process of NPR enumeration in Delhi.

PM Modi Proposed the SAARC Countries offered to work together against Corona Virus

PM Modi: Our planet is battling the #COVID19 Novel COVID-19. At various levels, governments and people are trying their best to combat it. South Asia, which is home to a significant number of the global population should leave no stone unturned to ensure our people are healthy.

He added, “I would like to propose that the leadership of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) nations chalk out a strong strategy to fight COVID-19. We could discuss, via video conferencing, ways to keep our citizens healthy.”

“This is what we call leadership. As members of this region, we must come together in such times. Smaller economies are hit harder, so we must coordinate. With your leadership, I have no doubt we will see immediate and

impactful outcome. Looking forward to the video conference.” Prime Minister of Bhutan, Lotay Tshering Tweeted

Nepal PM KP Sharma Oli also welcomed the idea advanced by PM Modi ji for chalking out a strong strategy by the leadership of the SAARC nations to fight #COVID-19. My government is ready to work closely with SAARC Member States to protect our citizens from this deadly disease.

Sri Lanka President Gotabaya Rajapaksa too said “Thank you for the great initiative PM Modi, Sri Lanka is ready to join the discussion and share our learnings & best practices & to learn from other SAARC members. Let’s unite in solidarity during these trying times and keep our citizens safe.”

President of Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih: Thank you PM Narendra Modi for taking the initiative on this important endeavor. #COVID19 requires collective effort to defeat it. Maldives welcomes this proposal and would fully support such a regional effort.

Bangaldesh accepts PM Modi’s proposal on joint SAARC strategy on fighting COVID-19. Bangaldeshi FM, in response to WIONews’s question said, “This is a good proposal”

Nation seems to put hold at least Mar 31st, Corona Virus

Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry informed to media that till now, there are 81 confirmed cases in India, out of which 64 are Indians, 16 Italians and 1 Canadian national: 1700 hrs [IST] today.

Health Ministry: Govt has brought 42,296 passengers under community surveillance, out of which 2,559 were symptomatic and 522 hospitalized including 17 foreign nationals.

Just because someone who had the COVID-19 is feeling better does not mean they can’t spread the disease, according to the US’s top infectious disease doctor.

Meanwhile, Shaheen Bagh’s Protestors, amid COVID-19, demanded screening, masks, sanitizers from government. Shaheen Bagh protestors will hold a press conference on Delhi riots and will touch upon the issue of COVID-19.

Rubina Ali, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Civil Aviation: Air India would be taking flight to Milan (Italy) to bring back Indians stranded there. The flight would take off tomorrow afternoon and would be landing on Sunday morning at Delhi Airport.
- Dammu Ravi, MEA: Around 220 students are in and around Milan, Italy, our priority is to bring them back. If any other students are left behind they can contact our missions, and we will see what next we can do.
Indo-Bangladesh cross border passenger trains and buses to remain suspended till April 15, or earlier if so decided: officials
The movement of people and commodities from Pakistan at the joint check post (JCP) at Attari near Amritsar in Punjab was suspended indefinitely on Friday as a precautionary measure against COVID-19, officials said.
Jaishankar, MEA, Second batch of 44 Indian pilgrims has arrived today from Iran. Our efforts to bring back the others continue. Indian Embassy in Iran and our medical team – keep up the good work. Appreciate the support of Iranian authorities and their airlines.
- An Iran Air flight carrying Indians stranded in COVID-19-hit Iran, landed at the airport here on Friday afternoon, according to an official. Iran is one of the worst-affected countries by the COVID-19 outbreak and the government has been working on plans to bring back Indians stranded there.
- 44 Indian citizens have been evacuated from Iran and shifted to Indian Navy quarantine facility at Ghatkopar in Mumbai.
46 people placed under quarantine in Kalaburagi after Covid-19 claims man’s life
Indian Army: At the Indian Army’s Manesar quarantine facility, one male individual who had returned from Italy on Mar 11 has been tested positive. He was employed in one of the restaurants in Italy for the last 14 years.
- All recruitment rallies have been postponed for one month. For Army personnel, travel to be restricted to essential duties only and they have been asked to do maximum utilization of video conference facilities.
Air India cancels flights to Italy, France, Germany, Spain, South Korea and Sri Lanka till Apr 30: Airline official.
JnK, Sher-I Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences cancels all leaves of employees, in order to provide uninterrupted medical services.
- Union Cabinet Sources: Joint Secretaries of all five ministries, including Ministry of External Affairs, Health, Civil Aviation, Finance and Commerce will address a press conference every day.
- The Indian rupee dropped to a record low on Fri, weighed down by worries over the COVID-19 pandemic that has prompted investors to dump riskier assets and move towards safe havens.
  - Principal Economic Advisor Sanjeev Sanyal on stock market situation:It’s because of prevailing environment of fear due to COVID-19.There are some effects on the economy but we have been taking measures since the beginning to contain its spread and minimize the impact
- Kerala assembly adjourned sine die in the wake of the Pandemic, which was scheduled to continue till Apr 8^th, 2020.
- Delhi: Since y’day all school and colleges are closed in national Capital, till Mar 31^st. Delhi Govt bans sporting activities which attract large gatherings including IPL. All big events, conferences, and sports gatherings have been banned in Delhi till further notice.
  - Delhi Govt: No person/institution/organization shall issue any information regarding COVID-19 in print or electronic media without the permission of the Ministry of Health, Delhi govt. If any person/ org is found to be doing this, it will be considered a punishable offense.All 112 Wuhan evacuees test Negative for COVID-19
  - Haryana: DG of Higher Education, State Govt has decided that all universities and colleges situated
  - in the state will be closed till 31^st Mar 2020, as a precautionary measure.
  - UP CM Yogi Adityanath: All schools, colleges, technical and vocational education institutes will remain closed till Mar 22. We will review the situation on Mar 22 and will take a decision whether to extend it or not. The ongoing examinations will continue but the examinations which have not commenced yet have been postponed.
  - Uttarakhand CM Trivendra Singh Rawat: We have issued advisories to all hotels regarding safety measures to be taken while allowing foreign tourists in hotels. All schools have been closed until Mar 31. Do not fear as no case of COVID-19 has been reported here.
  - Odisha declares COVID-19 as ‘disaster’, orders closure of schools, cinemas are issued. Assembly suspended till Mar 29^th after COVID-19 declared a state disaster in Odisha. State Govt earmarks Rs 200cr to combat COVID-19 threat.
  - MP: Government, private schools in MP to remain shut till further orders due to COVID-19 threat: Madhya Pradesh govt: Classes in govt & private schools to remain suspended until further order in the state in wake of COVID-19. Examinations of Class 5, Class 8, Class 10 & Class 12 (of all boards) to take place as per schedule.
  - Bihar Govt: All schools, colleges, and coaching institutes will remain closed till March 31 in view of COVID-19 Pandemic. Students of govt schools will get the money for mid-day meal in their bank accounts till their schools are closed.
  - Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa: All malls, cinema halls, pubs, marriages and other large gatherings in the state have been banned for another one week.
  - Chhattisgarh Govt: All public libraries, gyms, swimming pools, water parks in urban areas and aanganwadis will remain closed till Mar 31 in the state. COVID-19 Pandemic.
  - Delhi Lt Governor Issued ‘Delhi Epidemic Diseases, COVID-19 Regulations, 2020’ which aims at containing its spread. It reads, “Action will be taken against any suspect/ confirmed case if they refuse to take measures for prevention/ treatment”.
  - The Jawaharlal Nehru University ordered suspension of classes with immediate effect till Mar 31 due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
  - ‘Anti-Corona racket’ busted in West Bengal

Government issues orders revoking detention of Farooq Abdullah

The government has issued orders to revoke detention of National Conference chief Farooq Abdullah, who was detained under Public Safety Act following the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, said Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary Planning in the Union Territory.

The 3-term CM of the erstwhile JnK state was under house arrest for months.

Several mainstream leaders in Jammu and Kashmir, including Farooq’s son Omar Abdullah and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti have been also put under house arrest following the abrogation of Article 370 in Aug 5 that granted special powers to the region.

Earlier, the NC chief wrote a letter to Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, expressing discontent over being kept under watch and said that he was not a ‘criminal’. He could not attend two sessions of Parliament due to the detention, with several leaders from Opposition parties demanding the MP be allowed to attend the Parliament.

National Conference MP Farooq Abdullah: I’m grateful to people of the State and all leaders and people in the rest of the country who spoke for our freedom. This freedom will be complete when all leaders are released. I hope GoI will take action to release everyone.

NC leader Davinder Rana in Jammu, Imposing Public Safety Act (PSA) on Dr Farooq Abdullah was a wrong decision. I welcome the decision to revoke it. All other political detainees should also be released so that the voice of Jammu and Kashmir can reach everywhere.

Yes Bank: Moratorium to Be Lifted 3 Days After Scheme Notified

FM Nirmala Sitharaman said today, that the Yes Bank moratorium will end at 1800 hours on the third working day after notification of the impending reconstruction scheme for the embattled bank.

Sitharaman added that a new board, having at least two directors of SBI, will take over within seven days of the issuance of notification.
A PMLA court in Mumbai on Wed, 11 Mar, extended till 16 Mar the ED custody of Yes Bank founder Rana Kapoor. The hearing was being held at the end of Kapoor’s three-day ED custody. Kapoor had been arrested by ED on Saturday night.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Friday that the moratorium on Yes Bank is in place for next 30 days only.

Finance Minister on Yes Bank reconstruction plan:

SBI to invest up to 49% of equity. Other investors also being invited. There will be 3 years lock-in period for SBI for up to 26% of their investment. For others, there will be a lock-in period of 3 yrs of 75% of their investment. She added Authorized capital has been raised from Rs 1100 crores to Rs 6200 crores of Yes Bank to accommodate immediate and subsequent raising of capital requirements.

RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said that there would be swift action from the RBI to put in place a scheme to revive the bank
FM Sitharaman has blamed the UPA, hinting bad loans allotted in the UPA regime put pressure on corporates.
CBI has named in the FIR five companies, seven individuals, including Kapoor, his wife and three daughters, and unidentified people, as per PTI

Union Cabinet Sources: Union Cabinet approves 4% increase in Dearness Allowance (DA) for Central Government employees and pensioners.

Delhi Violence…Investigation on way

Delhi Court has sent one accused Salman to 4 days police custody. He was apprehended yesterday, in connection with the murder of Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer Ankit Sharma. He was arrested y’day.

A Delhi court allows a student to appear for his Class 10th board examination while sending him to judicial custody, in connection with case related to violence in North East area. The court said that everyone has a right to education.

Delhi Police Crime Branch: Two more accused, Tanveer and Gulfam, have been arrested, in connection with Delhi Violence. Several mobile phones recovered from them and have been sent for forensic investigation.

Delhi court sends Shah Alam (brother of suspended AAP councilor Tahir Hussain who is accused in Intelligence Bureau official Ankit Sharma murder case) and three others to judicial custody for 14 days in this connection

Indian Army, Air Force and Navy must work out a joint media policy for information warfare

To excel in the information warfare, India’s defense forces need to see the media as a force multiplier, and not as a necessary evil.

Information is the new oil, and the Indian Army has realized this, albeit a little too late. The Army is finally in the process of changing its 15-year-old media policy.

In the age of Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter and Tik Tok, the Army has to find new ways to stay nimble and on top of the information cycle.

It is time the Indian military has a joint media and information warfare policy. The Services cannot and should not be allowed to work in silos, thinking that digging their head into the sand is the best way to fight the information warfare.

Gang named 'Bread, Butter and Egg' smuggles drugs in Delhi along with money laundering

Three Nigerian men who allegedly smuggled drugs in Delhi were arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB)

The three men used codenames- Bread, Butter and Egg to evade arrest

An investigation revealed that the three arrested men also worked in close coordination with bank officials to engage in money laundering

The arrest of three men has unearthed a money laundering and drug smuggling racket that primarily operated in the national capital.

The matter came to light when officials of the NCB arrested three persons with meth, cocaine and heroin worth over Rs 5 crore.

The three men were identified as Butter Nnamani, Eze Naduka Bonaventure and Kelvin Mansary. The three men are natives of Nigeria. Bonaventure was referred to as Egg, Mansary was called Bread while Butter’s first name was used to address him. Nnamani used to live in Khirki Extension, Bonaventure resided in Chhatarpur while Mansary stayed in Gurugram. The kingpin of the gang is a US national identified as Robert Planco.

During interrogation, the police learned about an associate of the three accused who is lodged in the Tihar Jail. The associate of the three men was identified as Vishal, working in a private bank in Karnal.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) issues three line whip to its Lok Sabha MPs to be present in the House on Monday, 16th March 2020 and support the government’s stand.

A meeting of BJP Parliamentary Party will be held on 17^th Mar in the Parliament Library Building.

Breaking views - Cheap oil will fund quasi-handouts for Indians- Reuters

India can afford to give consumers a boost. An effective month-long ban on foreign tourist visas goes into force on Fri as the government seeks to limit the spread of the COVID-19.

Travel restrictions make sense to prevent a big outbreak in a poor nation with a weak health system, but the move will hurt a sector that contributes around a tenth of GDP in a slowing economy already reeling from financial blowups.

New Delhi can soften the blow by allowing consumers to pocket the benefit of low crude prices.

Political

Madhya Pradesh CM Kamal Nath after meeting Governor Lalji Tandon: I told the Governor how MLAs are being kept in captivity in Bengaluru and how their resignations are being given to Speaker by a BJP leader. This is a joke. This is a conspiracy by BJP.

MP Governor Lalji Tandon expeled 6 ministers (Imarti Devi, Tulsi Silawat, Govind Singh Rajput, Mahendra Singh Sisodia, Pardyuman Singh Tomar and Dr Prabhuram Chaudhary) from Cabinet on recommendation of CM Kamal Nath.

Bengaluru: Karnataka Congress chief DK Shivakumar along with MP Congress leader Jitu Patwari and others today met Additional DGP, Amar Kumar Pandey, over Madhya Pradesh rebel MLAs lodged at a hotel in Bengaluru.

International

Switzerland: Baloch people & human rights activists held protest against human rights violations & religious extremism in Baluchistan by Pakistan, near Broken Chair in front of the United Nations in Geneva, today.

Nepal closes Mount Everest for climbers because of COVID-19 fears

Nepal, home to eight of the world’s 14 highest mountains including Mount Everest.

It earns about $4.4 million a year in permit fees from climbers aiming to scale the world’s highest peak and other mountains.

Tourism Minister Yogesh Bhattarai said expeditions to all peaks in the March-May spring season had been suspended.

Iran reports 85 new viral deaths, taking total to 514, 1,000 new cases AFP

Iraq base attack: US launches retaliatory strikes on Iran-backed fighters

The strikes targeted five weapons storage facilities across the country, the US defense department said. Civilian among six killed in US air raids: Iraqi military

Two Americans and a British soldier were killed in Wednesday’s rocket attack on the Camp Taji military base.

Earlier, a US commander said an Iranian-backed militia group was likely to have fired the rockets.

“The Iranian proxy group Kataib Hezbollah is the only group known to have previously conducted an indirect fire attack of this scale against US and coalition forces in Iraq,” Central Command chief Gen Kenneth McKenzie told a Senate committee.

What’s the background?

Earlier on Thursday, the US-led coalition in the region denied carrying out air strikes on Iran-backed Iraqi Shia militiamen in eastern Syria.

A monitoring group reported that bases belonging to the paramilitary Popular Mobilisation force were hit on Wednesday night, killing 26 people. The Imam Ali military base, which is believed to have been built by Iran, was also targeted.

But it was not immediately clear who carried out the strikes.

States

JnK: Pakistan initiated unprovoked ceasefire violation by small arms firing and shelling with mortars along Line of

Control in Mankote sector of Poonch district at about 1500 hours today. Indian Army is retaliating.

JnK: One terrorist killed in brief exchange of fire with security forces at Rafaiabad in Baramulla district; More details awaited

India in International Frame

BBC

Farooq Abdullah: Kashmir leader released from seven-month detention

COVID-19: Indian greeting namaste goes global

Reuters

Indian stocks rebound sharply, but suffer worst week since 2009