1. Communal clashes erupt over Maha Shivratri preparations in Jharkhand’s Palamu, situation tense
2. Tripura Assembly Election 2023 Voting: Polling underway
3. Boeing-Air India deal to create up to 1 Million jobs across US, President Biden tells PM Modi
4. China should take losses in poor-nation debt rework: India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant
5. An infrastructure push for villages on border; 7 new ITBP battalions

What Else

6. BBC’s I-T survey: ‘Non-compliance’ likely trigger
7. SC collegium recommends 19 additional judges of three High Courts to be made permanent
8. Gauhati HC grants bail in child marriage cases, says crackdown caused ‘havoc in private lives of people’
9. Nikki Yadav’s killing and its shocking similarities with Shraddha Walker murder case
10. Pakistan: Govt tables ‘mini-budget’ in NA for revival of crucial IMF funding
11. ‘Overreaction’: China over downing of spy balloon, threatens US entities
12. China says US balloons flew over Xinjiang, Tibet; vows countermeasures
13. US says all countries should warn China against Taiwan conflict: ‘And we hope…’

Communal clashes erupt over Maha Shivratri preparations in Jharkhand’s Palamu, situation tense 

• Communal clashes have been reported in Jharkhand’s Palamu over Maha Shivratri preparations, causing at least 6 people injured.
• The situation remains tense in the area and stones were pelted at forces that reached the spot.
• Prohibitory orders under Section 144 were imposed in Palamu’s Panki town following the clash.
• Disturbing scenes from the spot showed mobs pelting stones at each other and vandalizing two-wheelers parked on roadsides.
• A few houses were set ablaze by the violent mobs, sources said. The epicenter of the violence is said to be an area around 200 m away from Palamu’s Masjid Chowk. (here)

Tripura Assembly Election 2023 Voting: Polling underway

• Polling for the single-phase Assembly election in Tripura will be held today under tight security. The voting will begin at 7 am and conclude at 4 pm.
• The counting of votes will be done on March 2.
• The key contestants of the elections are the BJP-IPFT combine, CPI(M)-Congress alliance, and the Tipra Motha, a regional party formed by the scion of the northeastern state’s former royal family.
• As part of the precautionary measures, prohibitory order has already been imposed across the state and it will remain in force till 6 am on Feb 17. (here)

Boeing-Air India deal to create up to 1 Million jobs across US, President Biden tells PM Modi

• On Tue, US President Joe Biden announced that the Boeing-Air India deal would create up to a million jobs across 44 states during a call with PM Modi.
• The deal will involve Air India purchasing 190 B737 MAX, 20 B787, and 10 B777X aircraft, for a total of 220 firm orders valued at $34 billion at the list price, says WH.
• The deal will also include customer options for an additional 50 Boeing 737 MAX and 20 Boeing 787, totaling 290 airplanes for a total of $45.9 billion at the list price.
• This deal is the 3^rd-largest in Boeing’s history in terms of dollar value and second in terms of the number of planes. (here)

China should take losses in poor-nation debt rework: India’s G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant

• India called on China to be willing to take losses on loans to struggling economies such as Zambia and Sri Lanka.
• “China needs to come out openly and say what their debt is and how to settle it,” said Amitabh Kant, the sherpa of the G20 forum of the world’s biggest economies this year.
• “It can’t be that the IMF takes a haircut and it goes to settle Chinese debt. How is that possible? Everybody has to take a haircut.”
• About 60% of the world’s poorest nations are in or at high risk of debt distress- IMF.
• The G-20 has set up a blueprint for restructuring struggling countries’ loans that brings the Paris Club debtor countries together with China to try to restructure the debts.
• Disagreements on how to handle some debt have delayed resolution using the framework.
• Beijing has called for the debt of multilateral lenders to be included in a restructuring of struggling nations’ loans, a move that the World Bank has firmly rejected. (here)
• China has yet to support Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring based on the debt sustainability analysis of the IMF and Paris Club.
• Sri Lanka is seeking a $2.9 billion-dollar loan from the IMF over 4 years in 8 installments.
• Under the circumstances, the IMF can either give a loan on arrears and then wait for China to come on board by the IMF spring meeting or later this year.
• Sri Lanka owes nearly $7.8 billion to China which includes both bilateral lendings from the EXIM bank and commercial lending from the Chinese Development Bank. (here)

An infrastructure push for villages on border; 7 new ITBP battalions

• Amid the ongoing standoff with China, the Cabinet Wed approved the allocation of Rs 4,800 crore for the Centre’s Vibrant Villages Program, to will transform 663 villages
• The Cabinet Committee of Security approved the induction of over 9,000 troops into the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP).
• The Centrally sponsored village scheme will cover the border areas of Himachal, Uttarakhand, Arunachal, Sikkim and Ladakh, Union Minister Anurag Thakur said.
• Out of the total outlay, Rs 2,500 crore will be spent on the creation of road infrastructure in these areas. (here)
• India earmarks 75% of defense capital budget for domestic firms The govt has earmarked 75% of the armed forces capital procurement budget for domestic industry, up from 68% earmarked for the same in the FY 2022-23. (here)

BBC’s I-T survey: ‘Non-compliance’ likely trigger

• As the income tax department continued with its surveys for the 2^nd consecutive day Wed on the premises of the BBC in Delhi and Mumbai
• (sources)- While transfer pricing cases do not typically entail survey or search actions, they are likely being resorted to in this case for the reason of “non-compliance”.
• There could also be some irregularities related to the Tax Deducted at Source provision of the Income Tax Act, which earlier had also resulted in a similar action against some Chinese mobile phone manufacturers, another person said.
• BBC said they do not have an updated statement but shared information about the survey action.
• A notice preferably is issued to a company in an assessment exercise by the authorities flouting transfer pricing rules before undertaking any such action, experts said. (here)

SC collegium recommends 19 additional judges of three High Courts to be made permanent

The Supreme Court collegium, headed by Chief Justice, on Wed recommended the appointment of 5 additional judges of the Madras High Court, 4 additional judges of the Bombay HC, and 10 additional judges of the Allahabad HC as permanent judges. (here)

Gauhati HC grants bail in child marriage cases, says crackdown caused ‘havoc in private lives of people’

• The Gauhati HC has granted anticipatory bail to 9 people being questioned by the Assam Police in connection with the state-led campaign against child marriages.
• The Court noted that there is no need to interrogate the apprehended or accused in custody in this matter while citing how the crackdown has caused ‘havoc in the private lives of people.’
• The Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act, 2012, and rape charges against individuals found guilty of child marriage was also denounced by the court.
• The claims and accusations made by the BJP-led Assam govt were deemed “absolutely weird” by the High Court. (here)

Nikki Yadav’s killing and its shocking similarities with Shraddha Walker murder case

• New Delhi, the national capital of India has become the scene of another crime similar to the murder of Shraddha Walkar, with Delhi police detaining a 24-year-old man named Sahil Gahlot for allegedly killing his live-in partner, Nikki Yadav, and storing her body in a refrigerator in a dhaba (roadside eatery) on the outskirts of Mitraon village in Najafgarh.
• Shraddha Walkar was a 27-year-old Indian woman who was murdered by her 28-year-old boyfriend and live-in partner Aaftab Amin Poonawala in Delhi on May 18, 2022.
• Shocking facts on the alleged killing of Nikki Yadav surfaced on Wed, evoking unsettling parallels to the Shraddha Walker murder case. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Pakistan: Govt tables ‘mini-budget’ in NA for revival of crucial IMF funding

• Fin Min Ishaq Dar on Wed tabled a “mini-budget” in the National Assembly and Senate to meet the conditions set by the IMF for the revival of the derailed $6.5 billion program after President Arif Alvi refused to promulgate an ordinance.
• The govt through the bill has proposed to raise the goods and services tax to 18% from 17% as part of efforts to raise $639 million in extra revenue.
• The bill also proposed to raise taxes on luxury items, first and business-class air travel, and cigarettes among other things.
• He asked the house to read the agreement done by the PTI govt with the IMF.
• “This [agreement] was not done only by a govt but by the state of Pakistan but Imran Khan deviated from it,” he added.
• The govt has proposed to increase the BISP budget from Rs360 billion to Rs400, allocating Rs40 billion in additional funds to benefit the (BISP) beneficiaries.
• GST raised from 17% to 18%
• 10% advance tax on wedding ceremonies
• Cabinet to give the plan to reduce govt expenditure (here)
• Petrol price hits a record high of PKR 272/l, as the prices of daily use items have already skyrocketed with milk items PKR 210/l and chicken meat being sold at PKR 780/kg.
• On Wed, Moody’s Analytics said inflation in Pakistan could average 33% in the 1^st half of this year before trending lower, and a bailout by the IMF is unlikely to put the economy back on track. (here)
• The Health Ministry and the pharmaceutical companies could not come to terms with the prices of the medicines.
• Many important medicines have disappeared from the markets of Balochistan, including Quetta.
• According to the Pakistan Pharma Association, there is a severe shortage of medicines for diabetes, cancer, blood pressure, mental disorders, and even fever.
• The containers of raw materials for medicines from India are not cleared because of a lack of dollars. (Intekhab Daily)

‘Overreaction’: China over downing of spy balloon, threatens US entities

• China said Wed it will take measures against U.S. entities related to the downing of a suspected Chinese spy balloon off the American East Coast.
• At a daily briefing, FM spokesperson Wang Wenbin gave no details and did not identify the targets of the measures.
• China claimed the balloon was an unmanned “weather airship” that was “accidentally” blown off course and accuses the U.S. of overreacting in bringing it down with a missile fired from an F-22 fighter jet.
• Since the Feb. 4 downing of the balloon, the US has sanctioned six Chinese entities it said are linked to Beijing’s aerospace programs. (here)

China says US balloons flew over Xinjiang, Tibet; vows countermeasures

• China on Wed said high altitude balloons belonging to the US flew over its remote Xinjiang and Tibet regions and vowed to take countermeasures against US entities.
• China says it undermines Chinese sovereignty, as the ongoing diplomatic dispute over the “balloon incident” continued to prompt claims and counter-claims from both sides.
• Chinese FM had earlier asserted that US balloons had trespassed into Chinese territory at least 10 times since May 2022 without sharing details.
• Both regions where Beijing has been accused of large-scale human rights violations by Washington-led western countries. (here)

US says all countries should warn China against Taiwan conflict: ‘And we hope…’

• The US hopes China will not use any visits by U.S. lawmakers to Taiwan as an excuse for military action, a senior diplomat said on Wed, adding that all countries should warn Beijing against conflict over the island.
• A wave of U.S. lawmakers has visited Taiwan, and speculation has swirled that Republican Representative Kevin McCarthy could soon visit the island.
• US Deputy Secy of State Wendy Sherman told an event that the US was committed to supporting Taiwan and its ability to defend itself under its one-China policy.
• “And we hope that the PRC does not use a visit by a member of Congress to Taiwan as a pretext for military action,” Sherman said. (here)