1. 21 Andaman and Nicobar Islands renamed after Param Vir Chakra awardees
2. Indian Navy gets major boost, Submarine INS Vagir gets commissioned
3. Two IEDs destroyed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri
4. Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul Gandhi backs demand for restoring J&K statehood
5. China wants to reduce India’s influence in Indian Ocean region, say papers submitted at DGPs’ meet

What Else

6. R&AW officers abroad short on local language skills, Big challenge to intel gathering
7. Indian AIP To Be Fitted On 1st Scorpene Submarine
8. “Not familiar with documentary, very familiar with shared values with India”: US on BBC documentary on PM Modi
9. Centre notifies appointment of 3 additional judges as judges of Kerala HC
10. Multiple cases of norovirus found in India’s Kerala
11. Economy at risk from move to clean energy: study
12. Sultan welcomes formation of Kashmir panel in Turkish parliament
13. Universities have ‘risky’ ties to China
14. US-China tech war: Japan, Netherlands poised to join Biden’s chip crackdown on Beijing
15. Power breakdown in Pakistan: Despite passing of deadline, electricity yet to be fully restored
16. SBP jacks up policy rate to 17% — highest since October 1997
17. Clashes Breakout in Gujrat Jail, Inmates Torch Barracks
18. Taliban arrests Chinese nationals over alleged smuggling of ‘precious’ stones

21 Andaman and Nicobar Islands renamed after Param Vir Chakra awardees

• PM Modi on Mon renamed [ANI unnamed] 21 islands of the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago after Param Vir Chakra awardees, the highest gallantry award.
• On Netaji’s 126^th birth anniversary, the PM also virtually unveiled the model of a proposed memorial dedicated to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, to be set up in A&N.
• PM said that the only resolution for all 21 ‘Paramveers’ was ‘India First’.
• The proposed memorial will be set up on Ross Island, which was renamed as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep in 2018.
• It will have a museum, a cable car ropeway, a laser-and-sound show, a guided heritage trail through historical buildings, and a theme-based children’s amusement park, besides a restro lounge. (here)
• Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, Sub Yogendra Singh Yadav, and Sub Maj Honorary Captain Bana Singh are the only living Indian defense personnel.

Indian Navy gets major boost, Submarine INS Vagir gets commissioned

• In a boost to Indian Navy’s firepower, INS Vagir, the 5^th submarine of the Kalvari Class was commissioned into the service on Mon.
• INS Vagir is built by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders with the help of technology transfer from France’s Naval Group.
• The submarine is built under Project-75, which includes the indigenous construction of six submarines of Scorpene design.
• The erstwhile ‘Vagir’ has a glorious past as the submarine with the same name was commissioned in Nov 1973, and was decommissioned in Jan 2001.
• Equipped with some of the best sensors in the world, its weapons package includes sufficient wire-guided torpedoes and sub-surface to surface missiles to neutralize a large enemy fleet, the Navy said. (here)

Two IEDs destroyed in Jammu and Kashmir’s Rajouri

• Two IEDs were destroyed in a controlled explosion in Rajouri, J&K, a senior police officer said on Mon.
• The IEDs were recovered during a joint operation by police, army, and CRPF from Dassal village, 4 km from Rajouri town, Sun evening, based on intelligence input.
• Security forces are on high alert across J&K given the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra and upcoming Republic Day. (here)

Bharat Jodo Yatra: Rahul Gandhi backs demand for restoring J&K statehood

• Jammu: Senior Congress MP Rahul Gandhi on Mon said the demand for statehood of J&K is the biggest issue and his party will use its “entire might” to restore it.
• Addressing the gathering in his BJY, which arrived in Jammu on Mon, he said he met a cross-section of people who told him that J&K these days is being run by “outsiders”.
• “Here in J&K, statehood is your biggest issue. Nothing is bigger than it. Your right has been snatched,” said the former Congress president.
• “The Congress party will fully support you and your statehood (demand). To reinstate statehood, the Congress will use our entire might.”
• On Mon, security was heightened for the Congress leader’s address at Satwari Chowk in the wake of twin bomb blasts in Jammu two days ago. (here)

China wants to reduce India’s influence in Indian Ocean region, say papers submitted at DGPs’ meet

• Chinese activities and influence in India’s extended neighborhood have grown increasingly with the sole purpose of keeping New Delhi constrained and occupied.
• The papers by Indian Police officers said that by providing huge amounts of money in the name of loans in SE and S Asia, China wants to reduce India’s influence in the IOR and force the resolution of bilateral issues on Beijing’s terms.
• The 3-day annual conference was attended by PM Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, NSA Ajit Doval, and about 350 top police officers of the country.
• China’s BRI and CPEC investments in India’s neighboring countries through easy loans, hot borders, and LAC are some of the tools Beijing has been using effectively.
• The last 2.5 decades have seen Chinese economic and military growth at a massive scale and Chinese influence in India’s extended neighborhood has grown consistently.
• China is investing huge amounts of money in the neighboring countries of India mainly Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka in the name of infrastructure.
• Without exception, India’s neighbors have described China as a crucial development partner, either as a funder or in providing technological and logistical support.
• Additionally, it is the biggest trading partner in goods for Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, and the 2^nd-largest for Nepal and the Maldives. (here)

R&AW officers abroad short on local language skills. Big challenge to intel gathering

• ThePrint- Lack of language expertise among Research and Analysis Wing officers, posted overseas, especially in adversarial states, seems to have become a challenge for the agency.

• Most officers sent overseas, especially to crucial postings such as China, do not know the local language.
• Agency accepted this challenge as “real”, but added that knowing a language is not the only thing that is taken into account and it is not an “overwhelming factor”.
• A former senior official who worked with the agency, however, stressed the need for officers to gain language expertise.
• Raising human intelligence overseas requires language skills and domain knowledge, something the department must ensure, he said to ThePrint. (here)

Indian AIP To Be Fitted On 1st Scorpene Submarine

• In a major milestone and a long-standing demand by the Indian Navy, a home ground air-independent propulsion system has been cleared for integration on the 1^st Made-in-India Scorpene class submarine INS Kalvari.
• In a statement just out, the Ministry has said, “Fuel Cell-based API system of DRDO’s Naval Materials Research Laboratory will soon be fitted onboard INS Kalvari.
• An agreement was signed between senior officials of NMRL and Naval Group France in Mumbai on Jan 23, 2023, to extend cooperation.
• As part of the agreement, Naval Group France will certify the AIP design for integration in the submarines.”
• AIP systems significantly enhance a submarine’s submerged endurance and therefore its overall stealth. (here)

“Not familiar with documentary, very familiar with shared values with India”: US on BBC documentary on PM Modi

• “I’m not familiar with the documentary you’re referring to, however, I am very familiar with the shared values that enact the US and India as two thriving and vibrant democracies,” US State Department said on Mon.
• This was in response to a media query on a BBC documentary on PM Modi which has sparked controversy since its release.
• “When we have concerns about actions that are taken in India, we’ve voiced those we’ve had to do that,” he said.
• Calling India’s democracy a vibrant one, he said “we look to everything that ties us together, and we look to reinforce all of those elements that tie us together”. (here)
• Hyderabad Central University is screening the BBC documentary on PM Modi banned by the central govt.

Centre notifies appointment of 3 additional judges as judges of Kerala HC

• The Ministry of Law and Justice on Mon notified the appointment of 3 additional judges as the Judges of Kerala High Court.
• The 3 are Justices Abdul Rahim Musaliar Badharudeen, Viju Abraham, and Mohammed Nias Chovvakkaran Puthiyapurayil, Additional Judges of the Kerala HC
• Last month the Supreme Court Collegium headed by CJI approved the proposal for the appointment of these three additional judges as permanent judges. (here)
• Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Mon said that judges do not have to contest elections or face scrutiny by the public.
• The law minister stated that even though judges are not elected by the people, but still public is judging them from the orders they passed and their actions.
• Notably, a tussle between the govt and the judiciary over the Collegium system intensified on Sun as Rijiju endorsed the views of an HC judge (R) who said the SC “hijacked” the Constitution by deciding to appoint judges itself. (here)

Multiple cases of norovirus found in India’s Kerala

• India’s southern Kerala state on Mon recorded 2 [9] cases of norovirus— a GI zoonotic disease that is transmitted through close contact who have already been infected.
• Two students of Class 1 and 2 of a school at Kakkanad were found to be infected with the virus.
• Following the detection of 2 cases, around 62 students of the school and a few parents developed similar symptoms after which 2 samples were sent for testing at the State Public Laboratory.
• This is the 2^nd time that the state has reported a norovirus outbreak.
• Last year, two children were found infected with the same virus at Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram.
• What is norovirus: According to the WHO, norovirus is a viral illness, which is the most common cause of acute gastroenteritis with symptoms including acute onset diarrhea and vomiting.
• The virus is highly contagious and spreads through contaminated water, food, and surfaces. (here)

Economy at risk from move to clean energy: study

• India’s financial sector is highly exposed to the risks of the economy transitioning from being largely dependent on fossil fuel to clean energy, says a study in the Global Environmental Change journal, published online last week.
• Electricity production – by far the largest source of carbon emissions – accounted for 5.2% of outstanding credit, but only 17.5% of this lending is to pure-play renewables. (here)

Sultan welcomes formation of Kashmir panel in Turkish parliament

• On the proposal of AJK President Sultan Mahmood Chaudhry, the Turkish MPs of the ruling party have agreed in principle to form a Kashmir Committee and present a resolution in favor of Kashmiris in the Turkish parliament.
• The announcement in this regard was made on Fri during an extraordinary meeting between Ali Shahin, a member of Turkey’s ruling party, and Barrister Sultan.
• The Turkish MP also hosted a dinner at the Parliament House in honor of Barrister Sultan.
• Later on, Sultan held a detailed meeting with the Turkish MPs at the parliament.
• The meeting was attended by Turkish MPs and Dy Chairperson AK Party and Chairperson Foreign Affairs Committee.
• Sultan expressed hope that the Turkish govt would further intensify its efforts to raise the voice in favor of Kashmiri at every important forum. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Universities have ‘risky’ ties to China

• More than 40 British universities have collaborated with institutions that have been linked to malign activities of the Chinese state.
• The Times – dozens of universities, including 4 from the Russell Group, have partnered with bodies in China connected to the Uighur issue, nuclear weapons, espionage, defense research or hacking.
• Cambridge is among those to have signed agreements with Tsinghua, the alma mater of President Xi, which has been accused of developing voice recognition technology linked to human rights abuses in Xinjiang.
• When it agreed the “joint research initiative” in 2019, it said it was “delighted”.
• Less than 4 years on, the deal looks less wise, with Tsinghua linked to cyberattacks and high levels of defense research for Beijing. (here)

US-China tech war: Japan, Netherlands poised to join Biden’s chip crackdown on Beijing

• The Netherlands and Japan, key suppliers of semiconductor manufacturing equipment, are close to joining Washinton’s effort to restrict exports of the technology to China.
• The Dutch and Japanese export controls may be agreed to and finalized as soon as the end of Jan.
• Japan’s PM, Fumio Kishida, and the PM of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, discussed their plans with US President Joe Biden at the White House earlier this month.
• “I’m fairly confident that we will get there,” Rutte said on Thu in an interview with Bloomberg News on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
• The Hague and Tokyo likely won’t go as far as Washington’s restrictions, which not only limit exports of American-made machinery but also impede US citizens from working with Chinese chip makers.
• US Senate passes Chips and Science Act to compete with China’s semiconductor industry (here)

Power breakdown in Pakistan: Despite passing of deadline, electricity yet to be fully restored

• The electricity has still not been fully restored across the country despite the passing of the govt’s 10 pm deadline, hampering businesses and the daily lives of more than 220 million people.
• PM Shehbaz Sharif has ordered an inquiry into the outage, which began at around 7:30 am and has so far lasted more than 16 hours during the peak winter season.
• The outage occurred on a winter’s day when temperatures are forecast to fall to around 4^oC in Islamabad and 8^oC in Karachi.
• The outage — which Energy Minister Khurram Dastagir had said was due to a voltage surge — is the 2^nd major grid failure in 3 months.
• Multiple statements were changed by the minister in a day.
• He added that a working power plant in Uch is providing energy to Sukkur, Naushahro Feroze, Larkana, Khairpur Nathan Shah, and their surrounding areas.
• Talking about the breakdown in Karachi earlier, the minister had said that the matter in the port city is complicated as it has a complete electric supply system.
• PM Sharif took strict notice of the power outage and ordered the constitution of a high-level 3-member committee to probe the reason behind the breakdown.
• Following the prolonged nationwide power breakdown, reports have also been received regarding mobile and internet services being affected
• Telecom companies have run out of stored fuel to briefly run their towers and ensure a smooth flow of services causing a delay in providing services to consumers. (here)

SBP jacks up policy rate to 17% — highest since October 1997

• In line with the market expectations, the State Bank of Pakistan on Mon jacked up the benchmark interest rate by 100 basis points to 17% — the highest since Oct 1997.
• SBP Governor in his maiden press conference, revealed that the committee has observed that “inflationary pressures are persisting and continue to be broad-based”.
• The central bank raised the benchmark interest rate by 100 basis points (bps) today taking the total increase to 1,000 bps since Sept 2021 to counter rising inflation.
• The MPC — which was constituted as a statutory committee under the SBP Act — decided to increase the benchmark rate due to 3 important economic developments: Inflation, External sector challenges, and Global economic conditions (here)

Clashes Breakout in Gujrat Jail, Inmates Torch Barracks

• Clashes broke out between inmates and the staff at Gujrat district jail, leaving several prisoners and policemen injured, ARY News reported on Mon.

• According to details, the inmates set fire to various barracks and climbed on their roofs after clashes broke out between prisoners and the staff at Gujrat district jail.
• During the clashes, several inmates and policemen sustained injuries while guns shots were also heard from the district prison.
• Upon receiving the information, a heavy contingent of police reached the spot and took control of the jail. (here)

Taliban arrests Chinese nationals over alleged smuggling of ‘precious’ stones

• 5 men, including 2 Chinese nationals, were arrested by the Taliban over the alleged smuggling of an estimated 1,000 metric tons of lithium-bearing rocks.
• The Chinese nationals were reportedly trying to smuggle the stones from Afghanistan to China via Pakistan using their Afghan allies.
• The arrests and the rock confiscation took place in Jalalabad, a border city in eastern Afghanistan, according to Reporterly.
• The rocks contained up to 30% of lithium and were “secretly” extracted from Nuristan and Kunar, 2 of the several Afghan provinces along the border with Pakistan. (here)