[NEWS OF THE DAY]

India keen to strengthen partnership with Russia on Arctic subjects: PM Modi

India is keen on strengthening its partnership with Russia on Arctic subjects as there is immense scope for cooperation in the field of energy between the two countries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wed virtually at the 7^th Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) being held in Vlady-Vostok. Highlighting the 30 years of the establishment of the Consulate of India in Vladivostok and the fact that India was the first country to open a consulate in the city, PM Modi said that India has also made significant investments in the Russian Far East in the fields of pharma and diamonds along with energy. In 2019, PM Modi participated in the EEF in person and announced the “Act Far-East” policy of India as a result of which India’s cooperation with the Russian Far East has increased in various fields. The EEF was established in 2015 and has become a primary platform of international cooperation for the development of the Russian far-East. On the ongoing war in Ukraine, the Prime Minister said that in today’s globalized world, events in one part of the world create an impact on the whole world. (here)

China Out, HAL offers LCA `Tejas’ Mk1A and trainer variant to Argentina

State-owned Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL) during its recent visit to Argentina has offered indigenous Light Combat Aircraft `Tejas’ Mark IA and 2-seater trainers. Financial Express reported citing sources, “Argentina will be looking to export from India two variants of the LCA Tejas. First would be its 2-seater operational conversion trainer aircraft, akin to what might be with the Indian Air Force (IAF). The 2^nd would be the export variant, the LCA Tejas Mark 1A.” HAL in Argentina- During meetings in Buenos Aires, the executives from HAL met with the Argentinean Chief of Naval Staff, on Aug 31. Argentinean Secretary of International Affairs, and Secretary of Defence Production, Ministry of Defence, also held talks with the HAL delegation the same day. On Sept 1, HAL met with Gen Guillermo Pereda, Chief of General Staff, Argentine Armed Forces. Partners, not providers: India’s defense diplomacy is at its best-With the Malaysian deal expected to be closed soon HAL has set itself apart from others to accommodate the countries. For Malaysia, HAL is set to provide services for their Russian fleets in addition to the LCA Tejas. (here)

Critical to revisit UNSC’s peacekeeping approach, address challenges: India

Underlining that UN peacekeeping has become increasingly challenging in face of growing violence across conflict hotspots, India has called for reassessing the UNSC’s approach towards peacekeeping and addressing operational and other challenges faced by these operations. Today, UN peacekeeping is becoming increasingly challenging in the face of growing violence across conflict theaters, with a diminishing focus on the political process, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN envoy Ruchira Kamboj said while addressing the UNSC briefing on UN Peacekeeping Operations on Tue. India is one of the largest troop and police contributors, with more than 5,700 Indian peacekeepers presently deployed in 9 out of 12 peacekeeping missions. Underlining that India’s peacekeeping credentials need no elaboration, Kamboj noted that 177 Indian peacekeepers have made the supreme sacrifice while serving in UN peacekeeping missions, the highest from any troop-contributing country. The Council needs to avoid terminologies and formulations while crafting Mission mandates that may generate false hopes and expectations, she said, adding that the problem arises to a large extent because troop and police-contributing countries do not have a role in the decision-making process. This anomaly should be rectified sooner than later, she said. (here)

I-T Department conducts pan-India raids against small political parties accused of receiving dubious donations

The Income Tax Department is carrying out raids on Wed in connection with a tax evasion case. The raids are being conducted in several states and target registered unrecognized political parties (RUPPs), TimesNow reported citing an official. The raids aim to unearth such parties’ alleged dubious funding patterns. As per the details available, raids are underway in Gujarat, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, and some other states. I-T Department officials are searching premises linked to RUPPs, their connected entities, operators, and others in a coordinated manner. The action came on the backdrop of a recommendation from the Election Commission of India (ECI). The poll panel had recently removed 87 entities from its list of RUPPs after a physical verification found those to be non-existent. The ECI also said that it was initiating action against over 2,100 RUPPs as they are alleged to have flouted rules and election laws, including on filing of monetary contributions. The ECI suspects that some of these parties had indulged in serious financial impropriety. (here) Searches by the Income Tax Department are underway at the Delhi-based independent think tank Centre for Policy Research. Once headed by academician Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a prominent critic of the BJP govt. The president and chief executive, Yamini Aiyar. “CPR receives grants from a variety of domestic and international sources, including foundations, corporate philanthropy, governments, and multilateral agencies,” it says, adding that “a full accounting of annual finances and grants” is available on the website. (here) CPR is funded by Ford, Omidyar, Namati, etc headed (CEO & Dir) by Yamini Aiyar. CPR only aims to target economy and governance policies by the present govt to push in another direction.

[NATIONAL]

Bill on data privacy will be ready “soon”, says Sitharaman

Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wed assured that the new bill on data privacy will be ready “soon” and the IT minister, Ashwini Vaishnaw has been diligently working on it. Sitharaman made the remarks while addressing the ongoing India Ideas Summit organized by US-India Business Council. The central govt last month withdrew the Personal Data Protection Bill 2019 from the Lok Sabha several months after it was introduced. Vaishnaw had said the Bill was withdrawn because the Joint Parliamentary Committee recommended 81 amendments in a bill of 99 sections. Further, in her address, she said jobs, equitable wealth distribution, and ensuring that India is still on the path of growth are some of her top red-letter priorities. (here)

India has markets that can help us grow in post-COVID world: Australian envoy

Australian High Commissioner to India, Barry O’Farrell on Tue lauded India’s economic stability and said “India has markets that can help us grow in the post-COVID world.” In an interview with ANI, O’Farrell congratulated India on becoming the 5^th largest economy in the world. “India and Australia are complementary economies. … For democracy, when you do trade deals. There’s got to be benefits for both countries,” he said. Speaking about India-Australia 1.5 track dialogue, Barry O’Farrell said, “It’s an opportunity to bring together academics, business people, and think tankers to discuss common problems and see greater cooperation between both countries as we are tackling similar issues. Sharing his view on the next Quad hosting by Australia, O’Farrell said, “I am delighted that Australia is hosting quad leaders meeting next year, which means PM Modi will visit Australia… India, Australia, Japan & US are focused on their region, security, health needs, and climate change issues.” Regarding Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (ECTA) and Double Taxation Avoidance Agreement (DTAA), he said that the commitments by the Australian Govt will be delivered “but democratic countries have to go through a process and in our case, that’s happening as quickly as possible.” India and Australia Sat signed an Ind-Aus ECTA, which is set to provide zero-duty access to 96% of India’s exports to Australia including shipments from key sectors such as engineering goods, gems, jewelry, textiles, apparel, and leather. (here)

US, India will work to advance free and open Indo-Pacific: White House

The US will join hands with India to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific and continue to work together to deliver opportunity, security, freedom, and dignity to its people, the White House has said, underlining that the two nations have ever-growing people-to-people connections. White House Press Secretary said that India and the US are partners in many important areas, including defense, vaccines, climate, and tech. The two nations have ever-growing people-to-people connections, Secy told reporters on Tue at her daily news conference when asked in what way the US can assist India in making it a developed nation by 2047, or in the next 25 years. China is engaged in hotly contested territorial disputes in both the South China Sea and the East China Sea. China claims sovereignty over all of the South China Sea, while countries in the region have their counterclaims. Beijing has also built up and militarised many of the islands and reefs it controls in the region. (here)

Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna introduces standalone bill in US House for CAATSA waiver to India

Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna has introduced a standalone bill in the US House of Representatives seeking a waiver to India against the punitive CAATSA sanctions, asserting that it is in the best interests of both countries to deter “aggressors” in light of Russia and China’s close ties. The Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) is a tough US law that authorizes the US administration to impose sanctions on countries that purchase major defense hardware from Russia in response to Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 and its alleged meddling in the 2016 US presidential elections. The resolution, which has also been endorsed by Congressman Brad Sherman and David Schweikert along with Khanna, has been sent to the House Foreign Affairs Committee for necessary action. A similar legislative amendment to the National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) was introduced by Khanna, a Democrat, this summer and it was passed by the House with bipartisan support. “I first introduced this as an amendment to the National Defense Authorisation Act and now I am proud to introduce it as a standalone bill to continue to build momentum and support for it. We must pass this to strengthen the relationship between the US and India and deter aggressors like China,” Khanna told PTI. (here)

1981 Indian Airlines flight hijack case: ‘Fugitive hijacker reveals his location in Pakistan: report

Despite Islamabad’s denial of Gajinder Singh’s presence, who is on India’s top 20 wanted to list, the accused in the case of the hijacking of an Indian Airlines airplane to Lahore in 1981 appears to have revealed his current location in Pakistan through a post on social media. A wanted terrorist, Singh is the co-founder of a radical outfit known as ‘Dal Khalsa’. According to IANS, Singh posted a picture of himself on his Facebook profile on Mon, showing him posing for the camera outside Gurdwara Pania Sahib at Hasan Abdal in Pakistan’s Punjab province. 5 Dal Khalsa militants led by Singh hijacked an Indian Airlines Boeing 737 domestic flight from Delhi’s Palam Airport to Amritsar’s Raja Sansi Airport on Sept 29, 1981. There were 111 passengers and 6 crew members on board the plane, which was taken to Pakistan’s Lahore. Singh discussed their demands with Natwar Singh, the-then India’s ambassador to Pakistan. In addition to the release of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other Khalistan movement fanatics, they demanded US$ 500,000 in cash. (here)

Massive car rally taken out in Canada in support of Khalistan Referendum

Canadian Sikhs have registered a new record in support of the Khalistan movement by taking out a car rally that stretched to several km, consisting of over 2,000 vehicles including cars and iconic Canadian trucks. The Khalistan Referendum voting will be held on Sept 18 at Gore Meadows Recreation Centre in Brampton but the large-scale activity has already started in full swing. Videos that have gone viral show a long queue of cars decorated with thousands of Khalistan flags from Malton, Ontario, in support of the movement and the upcoming Khalistan Referendum vote in Brampton. The Sept 18 voting has been organized by Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), an international human rights advocacy group spearheading the campaign for Sikhs’ right to self-determination. (here) [The news was floated in many news outlets including Geo TV, besides Urdu, Jasarat]

‘Not a single patch of land in Bangladesh is home to terrorists’: Bangladesh Prime Minister

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has told India that no terrorists are operating from any part of Bangladesh, Shahriar Alam, minister of state for foreign affairs, has told TimesNow. He added that Sheikh Hasina has received several threatening letters from several outfits after her tough anti-terror policy but she stood her ground and today, “not a single patch of land,” in Bangladesh is home to terrorists. As a result, PM has been told by leaders of north-east India that it is much easier to concentrate on development, now that security is less of a problem. The minister expressed disappointment about the agreement on the water-sharing of the Teesta river not being implemented. Alam hoped the river-water sharing agreements would take off, now that there has been a decision on the Kushiari river, “We can’t have a decision on one river every year. We hope that there will be more decisions taken at the Joint River Commission meetings in the future.” (here)

Cabinet Okays Amendment To Railway Land Policy, Lowers Land Licence Fee To 1.5%

In a much-awaited decision amending the Railway Land Policy, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday lowered the railway land license fee (LLF) from 6% to 1.5%. It also raised the lease period from 5 years to 35 years. While addressing a Cabinet briefing on Wed, Union Minister announced that the amendment to the Railway Land Policy has been cleared. He also said that in the next 5 years, over 300 PM Gati Shakti cargo terminals will be developed. He said that with an employment generation potential of about 1.2 lakh jobs, the policy will also bring more revenue to Railways. He also said raising the tenure of a land lease will help develop more cargo terminals and attract more investors. The move will also make the privatization of Container Corporation of India (CONCOR) more attractive. Interested investors in CONCOR had earlier conveyed to the govt that the land licensing fee was very high. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Bangladesh faces heavy losses due to tax evasion by Chinese companies

Chinese companies are often found involved in malpractices that cause huge losses to several South Asian countries where they operate. Bangladesh is one such country that seems to have suffered from the unethical behavior of Chinese companies. Bangladesh authorities have found many cases of tax evasion by Beijing-based companies or their subsidiaries in Dhaka, Bangladesh live news reported. Recently, a Chinese company ‘Conda Art Materials Bangladesh Co. Ltd’, a subsidiary of Ningbo Conda Art Supplies Group Co Ltd. (China), supposedly imported goods labeled ‘Made in Bangladesh’ from China and evaded huge amounts of duty. Bangladesh authorities suspect evasion of more than 28 crore rupees in about 200 consignments. Further investigation revealed that the company was violating the EPZ (Export Processing Zone) policy, which stipulated that only raw materials could be imported. In Apr and May this year, authorities, on suspicion of duty evasion, seized about 10 vans and 7 containers loaded with goods, which the company imported from China by manipulating and luring some Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) officials. The agency has also been accused of being involved in printing fake Bangladeshi passports, ballot papers, national identity cards, and birth registration certificates. Meanwhile, between 2011-21, China invested US$ 10 billion in infrastructure in Bangladesh but according to some media reports, Beijing had missed fulfilling the promises on several deals signed during President Xi Jinping’s visit to Dhaka in Oct 2016. (here)

China, Australia eye first leaders’ meeting in years

China and Australia could hold top-level talks for the first time since 2017, with senior figures from both countries this week signaling a willingness to break the years-long impasse. Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wed that he would “welcome” such a meeting when asked about the potential for talks on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Nov in Indonesia. “I’m open to dialogue with anyone at any time, particularly with leaders of other nations,” he told reporters. The PM’s comments came after China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, told ABC on Tue that he would “love” to see Chinese President Xi Jinping meet with Albanese. Xi last met an Australian PM in 2017, when he held private talks with centrist Malcolm Turnbull on the G-20 sidelines in Hamburg. While China remains Australia’s largest trading partner, relations between the two countries have soured over the past 5 years – and all but collapsed after Canberra called for an investigation into the origins of Covid. (here)

US bars ‘advanced tech’ firms from building China factories for 10 years

The guidelines were unveiled as part of a $50bn plan aimed at building up the local semiconductor industry. It comes as business groups have pushed for more govt support to reduce reliance on China. They are faced with a global microchip shortage which has slowed production. “We’re going to be implementing the guardrails to ensure those who receive CHIPS funds cannot compromise national security… they’re not allowed to use this money to invest in China, they can’t develop leading-edge technologies in China…. for ten years,” according to US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo., explaining the US Chips and Science Act. “Companies who receive the money can only expand their mature node factories in China to serve the Chinese market.” The US and China are locked in a long-running dispute over trade and technology. (here)

Nepal on the horns of a dilemma over China’s Global Security Initiative

On Tue, former Dy PM and Minister for Foreign Affairs Sujata Koirala sought the govt’s position on the Global Security Initiative (GSI) pushed by Chinese President Xi Jinping and first announced at the Boao Forum for Asia in Apr. Speaking in Parliament, Koirala, who is also a senior Nepali Congress leader, also asked whether the govt had decided to participate in the GSI. Although China is yet to release the GSI’s actual blueprint, Chinese authorities, on 3 back-to-back occasions in the recent past, have insisted that Nepal supports the Beijing-led Global Security Initiative and Global Development Initiative. But the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is yet to react to the Chinese claim, particularly on the GSI. Foreign policy observers and security experts said that Nepal should carefully study any issue related to security, military, and strategic affairs initiated by a country or bloc and should do nothing to the country into growing geo-political rivalry and competition. According to Chinese Vice FM Le Yucheng, the idea behind the GSI is to take a new vision of security as the guiding principle, mutual respect as the fundamental requirement, indivisible security as the important principle, and building a security community as the long-term goal–all to foster a new type of security that replaces confrontation, alliance and a zero-sum approach with dialogue, partnership, and win-win results. (here) [Means, next Sri Lanka/Pakistan, to put a counterweight on New Delhi]

China agrees to pay for Russian gas in roubles and yuan: Gazprom

Russia’s energy giant Gazprom says it has signed an agreement with China to start payments for gas supplies to China in yuan and roubles instead of US$, in a sign of warming relations between Beijing and Moscow, which is under Western sanctions. “The new payment mechanism is a mutually beneficial, timely, reliable, and practical solution,” Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller was quoted as saying in a statement following a video conference meeting with the head of China’s oil group CNPC, Dai Houliang. Miller added that it will “simplify calculations” and “become an excellent example for other companies”. Miller informed his Chinese counterpart of the “status of work on the project for gas supplies via ‘the eastern route’ – the ‘Power of Siberia’ gas pipeline” which connects the Russian and Chinese gas networks, the Gazprom statement said. Russia signed a landmark $37.5bn extension to its deal to supply gas to China on the eve of the invasion. (here)

Pakistan Sikhs seek action against a man for tarnishing community’s image

Pakistan’s Sikh community has demanded strict action against Muhammad Qasim Dogar, who is falsely claiming to be Sikh and posting controversial videos on social media. They demanded action against him for tarnishing the community’s image in the international forum by uploading defamatory videos on Facebook and other social sites, Daily Sikh reported. Dogar reportedly belongs to the Madina Town area of district Faisalabad. As per reports, despite several protests and repeated warnings, Dogar has been posting videos, wearing a turban and speaking fluent Punjabi, against a neighboring country. Notably, the Pak govt is misleading Sikhs and the international community by maintaining only a handful of Gurudwaras in the country, whereas there are hundreds of such structures of historical significance that are being ruined and defiled, media reports said. Gurudwara Qila Sahib, which was built in remembrance of Guru Hargobind Singh, is located in Guru Nanakpura Mohalla, District Hafizabad. These historical Gurudwaras are either converted into tombs, graves, or shrines. The local Sikhs have raised such issues of illegal occupation by local police and private individuals several times. Moreover, many Gurudwaras have been desecrated by used as meat shops, tombs, shrines, and even sheds for animals. (here)