Flip Through Fridays

[ NATIONAL ]

India, China 14th round Corps Commander-level talks likely in December second half

ANI reported citing a source, that in a bid to resolve the ongoing stand-off on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India and China are likely to hold the 14th round of corps commander talks in the second half of December. India and China have been holding talks on the LAC in the Eastern Ladakh area to resolve the standoff and 13 rounds haven’t yielded any notable development.

India rejects UN rights body’s criticism of Parvez’s arrest, killings in Kashmir

The office of the UN high commissioner for human rights had on Wed expressed deep concern at the arrest of Parvez under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). It is stated, “We are unaware of the factual basis of the charges”. India on Thu described the Office’s criticism as “baseless and unfounded allegations” against the country’s security forces.

02 Jaishe-e-Mohamad Terrorists Killed in Pulwama by Security Forces, including Top Jaish-e-Mohammad Commander Yasir Parray and a Pakistani IED Expert Furqan alias Ali Bhai was a category “A+” Pakistani terrorist who was known to be active with JeM since June 2020,” a Srinagar-based defense spokesperson said.

Working on modalities with Pakistan for shipping wheat to Afghan people: India

India (on Friday) said that it is working out modalities with Pakistan for transporting 50,000 tonnes of wheat and medicines as humanitarian aid to Afghanistan, but insisted that no conditions should be attached by the Pakistani side. Pakistan formally informed India on Wed that it would allow the shipment via the Wagah land border as a goodwill gesture to the Afghan people.

India, EU agree to enhance clean energy and climate partnership

India and the EU have agreed on a detailed work program until 2023 to implement the 2016 EU-India Clean Energy and Climate Partnership with a focus on increasing technical cooperation in the area of energy efficiency, renewable energy, cooperation within the International Solar Alliance, and green hydrogen. This discussion took place during the EU-India Energy Panel meet on Dec 1st, the MEA) said in a statement. The Energy Panel was co-chaired by Reenat Sandhu, Secretary (West), Ministry of External Affairs, and Mechthild Worsdorfer, Deputy Director-General for Energy, European Commission.

Winter Session: ‘India to have nine nuclear reactors by 2024’: Govt informs Rajya Sabha

India is counting on its nuclear program to help meet its Paris climate commitments to reduce the emissions intensity of its economy by a third from 2005 levels by 2030.

In response to a question by a lawmaker, regarding augmenting the relationship with Taiwan, Min of State, Ministry of External Affair, V Muraleedharan stated in Rajya Sabha, “Govt of India’s policy on Taiwan is clear and consistent. Government facilitates and promotes interactions in the areas of trade, investment, tourism, culture, education, and other such people- to people exchanges.

  • Opposition parties stage walkout from Rajya Sabha over inflation,
  • Opposition leaders stage protest wearing black bands in Parliament against suspension of 12 MPs

Negative import list: MoD exempts emergency items

The notification will not dilute the efforts to curb imports but will be useful to meet the immediate needs of the forces in case of non-delivery or delays by domestic companies. A new Defense indigenization Committee is being constituted to draw up negative import lists and give exceptions to the armed forces.

Rajya Sabha passes Dam Safety Bill, which took 34 years to draft. Here’s why it is important

According to Central Water Commission, the safety of dams is important for ensuring continuity of benefits derived from projects and national water security, among other things. 

Punjab police recover 1kg RDX near Indo-Pak international border

At least 1kg of RDX was recovered near Indo-Pak IB in the Dinanagar area of Punjab, police said on Wed. Police Chief, Gurdaspur, informed that cops had arrested Sukhwinder Singh, under Lopoke police station on whose interrogation the explosives were recovered. Earlier, officials had arrested two men, which led to the recovery of two hand grenades. The team was still investigating where the explosives were to be used. According to sources, BSF was carrying out a search operation in the border areas.

SC gives 24 hours to Centre, Delhi govt to take action on air pollution

The Supreme Court on Thu expressed concern on rising air pollution in Delhi-NCR and granted 24 hours deadline to the Centre and Delhi govt to come up with a ‘serious plan’ for the implementation of pollution control measures. Bench asked the two to “take a hard look at the situation and come up with a solution”. The apex court noted that several directions issued by the Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas are not being implemented at the ground level and said that in an emergency you have to work in emergent ways. Delhi gasps for breath as air quality continues to remain in ‘very poor’ category

At Rs 1.32 lakh crore, GST mop-up in November second-highest ever

GST collections touched Rs 1,31,576 crore, the second-highest monthly mop up since the introduction of the new tax regime in mid-2017 on the back of strong festival sales. The kitty in Nov (for transactions in Oct) was a shade higher than the Rs 1.3 lakh crore deposited in the treasury last month and 25% higher than a year ago.

Two cases of Omircron detected in Karnataka so far through the genome sequencing effort of INSACOG consortium of 37 laboratories established by the Ministry of Health. We need not panic, but awareness is essential. COVID apt behavior is required: DG ICMR

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

Pakistan rejects India’s ‘mischievous spin’ to blogger’s photos at Kartarpur gurdwara

“India has no locus standi to even feign concern for minorities elsewhere,” FO spokesperson says. Pakistan on Thursday summoned an Indian diplomat at the Foreign Office to reject the “mischievous spin” being given by New Delhi to a recent incident involving photos taken at Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur. Earlier this week, Punjab police had launched an investigation after a female blogger’s photos taken at the gurdwara sparked criticism on social media. The probe was initiated after an Indian Sikh independent journalist, Ravinder Singh Robin, criticized the model’s “bareheaded” photos at a religious site. On Tuesday, MEA India said that Pakistan’s charge d’affaires Aftab Hasan Khan was summoned to convey “deep concern at the incident of desecration of the sanctity” of Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.

Dollar hits record high against the rupee, soars to Rs176.65 in intraday trade

Rupee’s fall is attributed to widening trade deficit, delay in the arrival of funds from Saudi Arabia. According to the Forex Association of Pakistan (FAP), the dollar appreciated by Rs 1.35 against the rupee at around 2:15 pm to reach a new high in the interbank market against the backdrop of a steep rise in Pakistan’s trade deficit.

Taliban fail to secure a seat at United Nations

The UN committee was convened on Wed and delayed the decision over who will represent Afghanistan’s Taliban-led government and the military junta in Myanmar, Khaama Press reported on Thu. The decision means that the representatives of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and Military Junta will not be allowed to have seats at the 193-member world body for now.

Get democratic yourself, Taiwan minister says after China slams US summit invite

Countries complaining about the US Summit for Democracy need to double down on democracy themselves so maybe next time they will get an invite, too, Taiwan’s digital minister said on Thu (Dec 2), responding to China’s opposition to her attendance.

WTA suspends all tournaments in China due to Peng Shuai situation

The Women’s Tennis Association announced Wed that it is suspending all of its tournaments in China due to the Chinese government’s alleged inaction regarding Peng Shuai’s accusation of sexual assault and continuing questions about her safety, wellbeing, and freedom. In a statement, WTA CEO Steve Simon explained the decision to immediately suspend tournaments in China. Responding to the development, China says it opposes politicizing sport after the WTA boycott over Peng Shuai.

India, China 14th round Corps Commander-level talks likely in December second half

ANI reported citing a source, that in a bid to resolve the ongoing stand-off on the Line of Actual Control (LAC), India and China are likely to hold the 14th round of corps commander talks in the second half of Dec.

India and China have been holding talks on the LAC in the Eastern Ladakh area to resolve the standoff and 13 rounds haven’t yielded any notable development.

(sources)- The two sides are looking at the resolution of the Hot Springs friction point which emerged after the Chinese aggression last year.

The friction points on the banks of the Pangong lake and Gogra heights have been resolved but Hot Springs remains to be addressed.

  • India has also been demanding the resolution of the DBO area and CNN junction area which have been there before the April-May timeframe last year and are considered to be legacy issues.
  • India responded very aggressively to Chinese aggression and checked their actions at multiple locations after the PLA managed to spring an initial surprise.
  • The Galwan clash also took place in June there in which both sides suffered casualties.
  • India has been working towards establishing peace in the area but has also maintained a high level of preparedness to thwart any misadventure by the enemy troops.
  • Both sides have deployed a large number of troops in the area along with heavy weaponry including the infrastructure build-up.

China has increased its activities in the areas opposite Ladakh by building habitats for troops very close to the LAC and it seems it has a larger gameplan because of its aggressive infrastructure build-up.

India has also made rapid developments in terms of roads and habitats for troops and sources estimated that India can easily manage over 2 lakh soldiers in the area in extreme winters in case such a large number of troops are required to be there. (ANI)

India rejects UN rights body’s criticism of Parvez’s arrest, killings in Kashmir

India on Thu described the UN Human Rights Office’s criticism of the arrest of rights activist Khurram Parvez and recent killings in Kashmir as “baseless and unfounded allegations” against the country’s security forces.

The office of the UN human rights (OHCHR) had on Wed expressed deep concern at the arrest of Parvez under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), while expressing its unawareness about the factuality of charges.

Office also said it is “increasingly alarmed by the rise in killings of civilians”, including members of religious minorities, by armed groups in Kashmir this year.

Responding to the criticism, the external affairs ministry stated “makes baseless and unfounded allegations against law enforcement authorities and security forces of India”.

He added -the criticism also “betrays a complete lack of understanding” on the part of the UN of security challenges faced by India from cross-border terror and its impact on the most fundamental human right of “right to life” for citizens, including in Jammu and Kashmir.

  • MEA underlined the UN agency’s reference to “proscribed terrorist organizations as ‘armed groups’ demonstrates a clear bias on the part of the OHCHR”.
  • He added, “As a democratic country, with an abiding commitment to promote and protect the human rights of its citizens, India takes all necessary steps to counter cross-border terrorism.”
  • On UAPA, MEA said the law enacted by Parliament to protect India’s sovereignty and ensure the security of its citizens, and the arrest and subsequent detention of Parvez were “done entirely as per provisions of law”.
  • “We urge the OHCHR to develop a better understanding of the negative impact of terrorism on human rights,” Bagchi said.

OHCHR spokesperson Rupert Colville had described Parvez as a “tireless advocate for families of the disappeared” who has been targeted before for his activism.

Contending that the UAPA empowers authorities to “designate individuals and organizations as terrorists based on imprecise criteria”, “contains a vague and overly broad definition of ‘terrorist act’” and “allows people to be held in lengthy pretrial detention”, Colville said the act was increasingly being used to stifle the work of human rights activists and journalists in Kashmir and other parts of India.

“We reiterate our calls for the UAPA to be amended to bring it into line with international human rights law and standards,” Colville said.

The UN Human Rights Office also referred to the killing of civilians, including religious minorities, in Kashmir and the alleged killing of civilians by security forces, and sought prompt, transparent, and independent investigations into all such incidents.

Working on modalities with Pakistan for shipping wheat to Afghan people: India

India said on Fri, it is working out modalities with Pakistan for transporting 50,000 tonnes of wheat and medicines as humanitarian aid to Afghanistan but insisted that no conditions should be attached by the Pakistani side.

Pakistan formally informed India on Wed that it would allow the shipment via the Wagah land border as a goodwill gesture to the Afghan people.

India made the proposal for shipping the wheat and life-saving medicines to the people of Afghanistan via Pakistan on Oct 7, and received an assurance from Pakistan only on Nov 24; MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi told a regular news briefing.

We are examining the response of the govt of Pakistan. We are also working on the modalities with the Pakistan side. We believe that humanitarian assistance should not be subject to conditionalities,” he added.

India has always stood by the people of Afghanistan for both humanitarian support and development assistance, Bagchi said.

There are currently no flights between India and Afghanistan, and transporting the materials via Pakistan was seen as the quickest way of getting aid to Afghanistan, which is on the brink of a looming humanitarian crisis.

  • A Taliban delegation led by acting FM, Amir Khan Muttaqi who recently visited Islamabad had raised the issue of allowing the shipment with the top leadership.
  • Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Mon his govt would allow the transportation of the wheat as soon as modalities were finalized by Islamabad and New Delhi.
  • The UN has warned up to 23 million Afghans will be in “crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity” as winter approaches.
  • Ten out of 11 of Afghanistan’s most densely populated urban areas are now anticipated to be at emergency levels of food insecurity.

Negative import list: MoD exempts emergency items

TOI-The armed forces have been empowered to import equipment even if it is on a declared negative list in case there are immediate requirements or products delivered by domestic companies that do not meet technical requirements and have an impact on the safety of soldiers.

The exception has been given by the ministry as a practical measure of flexibility to the armed forces that are undertaking a major indigenization drive.

In the event, the domestic industry is not able to supply equipment in the stipulated time-frame or quantity, or where there are inadequacies in the equipment affecting the safety of troops, or in case of any other technical issuesspecific cases for import could be taken up to meet the immediate requirement, based on the recommendations of DIC,” the ministry said in a notification.

  • The notification will not dilute the efforts to curb imports but to meet the immediate needs of the forces in case of non-delivery or delays by domestic companies.
  • A new DIC, chaired by the Chief of Defence Staff is being constituted to draw up negative import lists and give exceptions to the armed forces.
  • It will oversee the implementation of the negative import list and will progressively expand it to cover more products and services.
  • DIC will also formulate further negative import lists, which the defense ministry terms a “positive indigenization list”.
  • It will also interact with the industry and other stakeholders to identify more systems that should no longer be imported for the armed forces.

Rajya Sabha passes Dam Safety Bill, which took 34 years to draft. Here’s why it is important

India might rank 3rd in the world, after the US and China, when it comes to having large dams but the country has not had dam safety legislation for over 70 years now. All this is now set to change with the Rajya Sabha passing the Dam Safety Bill, 2019, Thu, while the Lok Sabha had already passed the bill on 2 Aug 2019.

According to 2019 data available with the National Register of Large Dams,

  • there are currently 5,745 large dams, of which 293 are over 100 years old.
  • Besides, 1,041 dams are between 50 and 100 years old.

According to the Central Water Commission (CWC), the aging of dam assets warrants serious concern on their safety aspects in terms of meeting prevalent norms and a cause of concern for people living nearby.

  • It is also important in the emerging scenarios of India’s water crisis, linked with its growing population as well as climate change, the CWC has noted.
  • It was to address these issues that the government decided way back in 1987 to draft India’s first dam safety law and was in making for the last 34 years
  • The bill was introduced afresh in the lower house again in 2019.

Why is a dam safety law needed?

  • In August 2019, Union Minister GS Shekhawat had said in LS that some 40 dams have collapsed in India since Independence.
  • One of the worst disasters took place in Gujarat in 1979 when the Machhu dam collapsed resulting in the loss of thousands of lives.
  • In the absence of a central law, however, the safety regulations vary from state to state.

Some 18 states and 5 dam-owning organizations — National Hydroelectric Power Corporation, Bhakra Beas Management Board, Damodar Valley Corporation, Kerala State Electricity Board, and Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam — have created their DSOs.

How is the Centre legislating on water, a subject under the state list?

  • Though water is under the state list, the Centre has brought the legislation under Article 246 of the Constitution read with Entry 56 and Entry 97 Of List I in the Union list.
  • Article 246 empowers Parliament to legislate on any matter enumerated in List I of the Union List in the 7th Schedule of the Constitution.
  • Entry 56 allows Parliament to make laws on the regulation of inter-state rivers and river valleys if it declares such regulation to be expedient in the public interest.
  • Entry 97 allows Parliament to legislate on any other matter not enumerated in List II or List III including any tax not mentioned in either of those Lists.
  • During the debate on the bill Thu, several opposition MPs vociferously opposed the proposed legislation, which they said encroaches on the states’ rights.

Several other leaders including those from Congress, RJD, MDMK, TDP, TMC have opposed the bill because it will put water and dam management under the Centre’s control.

Many opposition MPs also demanded that the bill be sent to the select committee for further scrutiny.

What will the dam safety bill do? The bill provides for “surveillance, inspection, operation, and maintenance of the specified dam for prevention of dam failure related disaster” and also makes provision for “institutional mechanisms to ensure their safe functioning”.

There will be four layers of monitoring — two at the central level and two at the state level — to ensure dam safety.

A National Committee on Dam Safety (NCDS) will be set up at the central level, which will be headed by the CWC chairman, and include 10 representatives of the center not below the rank of joint secretary, and 7 representatives of the state.

At the state level, each state govt shall establish a State Dam Safety Organisation (SDSO), which shall be constituted within 180 days.

The bill will cover all dams constructed before or after the commencement of this Act, which is above 15 m in height, measured from the lowest portion of the general foundation area to the top of the dam, or between 10 m and 15 m in height and satisfies at least one of the following:

  • the length of the crest is not less than 500 m,
  • the capacity of the reservoir formed by the dam is not less than 1 MCM (million m3),
  • the maximum flood discharge dealt with by the dam is not less than 2,000 cumec (m3/second),
  • or the dam has especially difficult foundation problems or the dam is of unusual design.

[ NEIGHBORHOOD ]

Get democratic yourself, Taiwan minister says after China slams US summit invite

Countries complaining about the US Summit for Democracy need to double down on democracy themselves so maybe next time they will get an invite, too, Taiwan’s digital minister said on Thu (Dec 2), responding to China’s opposition to her attendance.

Ms. Audrey Tang, (a transgender woman, joined the Cabinet in 2016 aged 35 as the second-youngest appointee ever), along with Taipei’s de facto ambassador in Washington Hsiao Bi-khim, will be representing Taiwan at next week’s summit organized by the Biden administration.

China, which considers Taiwan as a renegade province to be reunified, by force if necessary, has condemned the US for its invitation, as it generally does for any interaction between the two goverments, which do not have formal diplomatic relations.

Speaking as part of the Reuters Next conference, and asked about China’s opposition to Taiwan’s participation, Tang said she did not think this would be the last round of the democracy summit.

There will be in the future more summit gatherings for democracy,” said Tang.,

  • China has stepped up its military and political pressure on Taiwan to accept its sovereignty claims.
  • Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen says only its democratically-elected govt can speak for Taiwan’s people and that she will defend their democracy and freedom.

Tang champions radical transparency and full participatory democracy that is an ongoing process rather than every 4 years, including petitions and getting ideas, such as banning plastic straws, from people still too young to vote.

Dollar hits record high against the rupee, soars to Rs176.65 in intraday trade

According to the Forex Association of Pakistan (FAP), the dollar appreciated by Rs 1.35 against the rupee at around 2:15 pm to reach a new high in the interbank market against the backdrop of a steep rise in Pakistan’s trade deficit.

In the open market, the greenback’s selling rate was recorded at Rs 177.50 and buying rate at Rs177 at around 3:40 pm.

  • Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan General Secretary Zafar Paracha attributed the record decline in the rupee’s value to the delay in the arrival of funds from Saudia.
  • On the delay in the arrival of a fund worth $3 billion from Saudi Arabia under a support package, he said it was another factor contributing to the rupee’s decline.
  • FAP President Malik Bostan also held the rising import bill and widening trade deficit responsible for the dollar’s rise.

“the import bill had increased to $33 billion, fuelling a persistent increase in the country’s trade deficit. Moreover, he added, remittances were also declining”.

Saudi Arabia had agreed to revive its financial support to Pakistan, including about $ 3bn in safe deposits and provision of $1.2bn to $1.5bn worth of oil supplies on deferred payments, in October.

  • The final hurdle in this regard was cleared on Nov 27 when Prime Minister Imran Khan and his cabinet had approved a pair of summaries for the payment of funds.
  • On Nov 23, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had said that all legal issues in the transfer of the $3 bn deposit had been cleared and Pakistan would receive the amount that week.

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