1. Truck Drivers Protest: New Hit-and-Run Law that has led to nationwide strike?
2. Modi starts 2024 with big-ticket TN trip, professes ‘Tamil love’ with eye on LS polls
3. Amit Shah chairs high-level security review meeting on J-K
4. “Canadian politics have given space to Khalistani forces”: EAM Jaishankar
5. Four killed amid fresh violence in India’s Manipur, curfew re-imposed

What Else

• CAA Rules to Be Notified ‘Much Before’ Lok Sabha Poll Announcement: Official
• India asks Pakistan for release of 184 fishermen and consular access in annual exchange
• British media’s Hinduphobia, focus on ‘cows, curry & caste’ leading to prejudice against Indians in UK: Survey
• Ram temple consecration: Arrest from Karnataka in connection to 1992 Babri Masjid riots opens fresh row
• ISRO XPoSat launch highlights: Satellite injected; ‘new year begins’, says Somanath
• President of Maldives Likely to Travel to China in January, Before a Trip to India
• Pakistan: ‘What has state done wrong’, says PM on action against Baloch protesters
• Pakistan: Suicide bomber among 4 terrorists killed in N Waziristan IBO: ISPR
• Pakistan: COAS lauds PAF for ‘ensuring balance of power in region’
• Over 500,000 Afghan immigrants repatriated so far, says Pak Interior Ministry
• ‘No one is safe’: China purges record number of senior officials in 2023, with more ‘tigers’ likely to fall
• Beijing urges Taiwanese to ‘stand on right side of history’ ahead of presidential election

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Truck Drivers Protest: New Hit-and-Run Law that has led to nationwide strike?

• A nationwide transport strike across several states against the provision in newly implemented Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita on Tue on hit-and-run law road accident cases.
• The new BNS, which will replace the Indian Penal Code, has a stricter provision including punishment of up to 10 years for drivers involved in hit-and-run cases.
• Many transport and farmer unions have criticized the new law and demanded repeal.
• An association of petrol pump dealers in Maharashtra has warned that pumps may go dry if the transporters’ protest is not resolved soon.
• Drivers who cause a serious accident by lax driving and run away without informing the police or any official can face a penalty of up to 10 yrs or a fine of Rs 7 lakh. (here)
• Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla will hold a meeting with the representatives of All India Transport Congress (AITC) in New Delhi at 7 p.m. on Tue.
• He said that the new rule has not been implemented yet, and before implementing we will have a discussion with All India Motor Transport Congress representatives

Modi starts 2024 with big-ticket TN trip, professes ‘Tamil love’ with eye on LS polls

• PM Modi kicked off the year of the 2024 Lok Sabha election with a visit to Tamil Nadu Tue where he sought to emphasize the state’s significance for him and counter the ruling DMK’s criticism of the BJP as a party for “Hindi, Hindu, and Hindutva”.
• The BJP has been making an aggressive bid to gain a foothold in Tamil Nadu, where power currently alternates between the 2 prominent parties, the DMK and AIADMK
• PM inaugurated a new terminal building for the Tiruchirappalli International Airport.
• Altogether, he inaugurated or laid the foundation stone for projects worth Rs 20,000 crore, spanning the sectors of roads, railways, ports, and petroleum.
• In his address at Tiruchirappalli, also known as Trichy, Modi said Tamil Nadu was home to the ancient language of Tamil and a treasure trove of cultural heritage.
• On foreign visits, he said, “I cannot stop speaking about Tamil and Tamil culture [whenever an opportunity arises]”.
• Political analysts say these are efforts by the BJP to fight the tag of being a “north India” party, and dispel the ‘south Indian-north Indian’ and ‘Hindi-Tamil’ divide.
• Ahead of the visit, an article titled ‘Whose money is it?’ was published in Murasoli, DMK’s mouthpiece, criticizing the BJP govt at the Centre for allegedly not releasing flood-relief funds to the state in the aftermath of Cyclone Michaung. (here)

Amit Shah chairs high-level security review meeting on J-K

• Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tue chaired a high-level security review meeting on J&K to review the working of the security grid and various other aspects.
• In the meeting, Shah also focused on complete area domination and better coordination among the Police, Army, and Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) deployed in J&K.
• The Home Minister also stressed the need to boost and strengthen local intelligence.
• The meeting reviewed the area domination plan, zero-terror plan, law and order situation, cases related to UAPA, and other security-related issues.
• J&K’s Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Secretary, NIA DG, DG of CRPF, and the BSF, IB chief,  Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande attended the meeting
• The meeting was held days after 4 soldiers were killed and 3 injured following an encounter started after terrorists fired at 2 army vehicles passing in Rajouri. (here)
• Process initiated for setting up of Finger Print Bureau in J-K: Sanction has been accorded to a 73-member strong FPB in J&K Police, a move that will help consolidate fingerprint data to further strengthen investigation in criminal cases, on Tue.
• The decision to set up the first-ever FPB in the Union Territory was taken by the Administrative Council headed by Lt Governor Manoj Sinha last week, they said.
• It said the FPB will be headed by a senior police superintendent and include 1 SP and 2 Deputy SPs. (here)

“Canadian politics have given space to Khalistani forces”: EAM Jaishankar

• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has affirmed that Canadian politics have given space to Khalistani forces and also allowed them to indulge in activities that adversely impact bilateral relations between India and Canada.
• He expressed concern that these actions are not in the interest of either country.
• Jaishankar also clarified that the G20 summit in New Delhi had no relation to the Khalistani issue in Canada.
• Diplomatic relations between India and Canada are facing a significant strain due to a very vocal pro-Khalistan lobby threatening Indian diplomats posted in the country, raising concerns about the future of the bilateral partnership. (here)
• Attacks on Indians, threats to PM show Canada has become playground for Khalistanis and ISI: Sources At least 10 Indian-origin Canadians and businesses have been targeted by pro-Khalistani groups, with some being extorted via phone calls and voice notes.
• The latest attack was reported against Surrey’s Laxmi Narayan Temple president Satish Kumar who was residence was fired at around 2 am.
• Khalistani Pannun has made another threat against PM Modi, instigating Muslims to stop the PM’s Ayodhya roadshow on Dec 30 and offering a reward of $1 lakh for it.
• In an escalation of threats against India, Pannun had asked in his recent speech whether PM Modi, EAM Jaishankar, and NSA Doval “have 24/7 security blanket” (here)
• India declares Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar a terrorist: The Indian govt on Mon declared Canada-based Goldy Brar as a terrorist under the stringent UAPA.
• Brar was charged under the UAPA for his involvement in the smuggling of high-grade arms, ammunition, and explosive materials through drones from across the border and supplying thereon for carrying out killings and also providing sharpshooters. (here)

Four killed amid fresh violence in India’s Manipur, curfew re-imposed

• At least 4 people were shot dead on Mon after fresh violence erupted in Manipur.
• The incident reportedly took place in the state’s valley district of Thoubal, several others were left injured.
• News reports mentioned that curfew was reimposed in the 5 valley districts: Thoubal, Imphal East, Kakching, and Bishnupur.
• Manipur’s Chief Minister Biren Singh released a video message, condemning the deaths and violence and appealed to the people to maintain peace.
• The chief also called for an urgent meeting of all ministers. (here)
• 151 Myanmar Soldiers Sent Back from Mizoram: 151 Myanmarese soldiers, who fled during armed clashes with an ethnic insurgent group in the neighboring country and came to Mizoram, were sent back on Tue, an Assam Rifles officer said.
• The soldiers were airlifted by the Myanmar Air Force from Aizawl, the capital of the northeastern state.
• They had crossed the Indian border and entered southern Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district on Dec 29 after their camps near the international borders were overrun by fighters of the Arakan Army, an insurgent group, the officer said. (here)

CAA Rules to Be Notified ‘Much Before’ Lok Sabha Poll Announcement: Official

• Rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act of 2019 will be notified “much before” the announcement of the Lok Sabha elections, a senior govt functionary said on Tue.
• Under the CAA, Indian nationality will be granted to persecuted non-Muslim migrants — Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Christians — from B’desh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan who had come to India till Dec 31, 2014.
• There were massive protests in some parts of the country after the CAA was passed by Parliament in Dec 2019 and received presidential assent subsequently.
• Delayed by more than 4 years, rules for the CAA are a must for its implementation.
• More than a hundred people lost their lives during the protests or police action after Parliament passed the law. (here)

India asks Pakistan for release of 184 fishermen and consular access in annual exchange

• India has formally requested Pakistan to expedite the release and repatriation of 184 Indian fishermen who have completed their sentence, along with consular access to the remaining 12 civilian prisoners believed to be Indian.
• This plea is part of the annual exchange of lists of prisoners between the two nations, as per the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access.
• Both countries exchanged lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen every year on Jan 1^st and Jul 1^st through diplomatic channels in New Delhi and Islamabad as per the pact.
• India reciprocated by sharing lists of 337 civilian prisoners and 81 fishermen in its custody, identified as Pakistani or believed to be Pakistani.
• Similarly, Pakistan provided lists of 47 civilian prisoners and 184 fishermen in its custody, presumed to be Indian. (here)

British media’s Hinduphobia, focus on ‘cows, curry & caste’ leading to prejudice against Indians in UK: Survey

• “Cows, curry and caste,” that is how British media perceives Indians and Hindus, revealed a survey.
• In the UK, a survey of British Indians and Hindus found that most members of the community face prejudice, due to their distortion in the UK media’s “colonial” focus
• A nationwide survey by INSIGHT UK, an organization that “aims to address the concerns of the British Hindu and British Indian communities,” has revealed the data.
• Conducted between Nov 2022 and Feb 2023, it had 2,061 respondents.
• It found that 59% of respondents reported that they had either witnessed prejudice or experienced while About 70% of respondents said that this was due to negative perceptions of India and Indians created by the British media.
• 89% of survey participants felt that the British media “lacks impartiality when it comes to reporting on matters about the Hindu community.”
• A further 91% felt that reporting on India is not balanced. (here)  

Ram temple consecration: Arrest from Karnataka in connection to 1992 Babri Masjid riots opens fresh row

• Ram Temple is due to be consecrated on January 22, 2024, after India’s apex court ruled for the construction of the Hindu place of worship while providing separate land for the mosque in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh.
• As celebrations for the Ram temple consecration in Ayodhya gain momentum, the politics between BJP and Congress has taken a new turn.
• A 50-year-old man, Poojary was arrested in connection to the 1992 riots when the Babri Masjid was demolished by violent mobsters.
• Following the arrest of Poojary, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is now being accused of playing a politics of hate ahead of the ceremonies at Ram temple.
• “What should be done to the wrongdoers? Should we just leave them?,” he questioned while adding, “We have told the police to dispose off old cases.
• We will proceed according to the court’s direction.”  (here)

ISRO XPoSat launch highlights: Satellite injected; ‘new year begins’, says Somanath

• Minutes after the X-ray Polarimeter Satellite to study X-ray emissions from various celestial sources was launched successfully, ISRO declared that the lift-off was normal.
• The Indian Space Research Organisation chief S Somanath said the PSLV-C58 vehicle placed the satellite precisely into the intended orbit of 650 km, with a 6^o inclination.
• He said the orbit is “excellent” and the distance from the targetted orbit is just 3 km in a circular orbit of 650 km.
• Inclination is 0.01^o, which is one of the excellent conditions.
• He also apprised that the solar panel of the launched satellite has been deployed successfully.
• The satellite that was launched from Sriharikota spaceport on Monday at 9.10 am, as scheduled, among others, would offer insights into space-based polarisation sizes of X-ray emission from various celestial sources. (here)

 [NEIGHBORHOOD]

President of Maldives Likely to Travel to China in January, Before a Trip to India

• President Mohamed Muizzu is likely to be traveling to China soon, which will mean that he is the 1^st head of the Maldives to travel to Beijing before he gets to New Delhi.
• Sources have indicated that his destination is likely to be China, that too in early Jan.
• This will be his 3^rd foreign trip abroad since taking over the presidency in Nov 2023.
• There is, however, no official announcement of the visit yet.
• Starting with the first democratically elected president, Nasheed, in 2008, all successive heads of state have followed the pattern of making India their first foreign port of call.
• This included Mohamed Waheed and Abdulla Yameen in 2012 and 2014 respectively, both of whom were perceived to be less favorably disposed towards India.
• However, Muizzu broke with tradition and chose Turkey as his first foreign destination
• Widely believed to be more sympathetic towards China, Muizzu had won a broad victory in the election, with his campaign attacking the incumbent President Ibrahim Solih for endangering Maldives’ solidarity by fostering military ties with India.
• During his meeting with PM Modi on the sidelines of the CoP summit in UAE, he again brought up the demand for the removal of Indian military personnel. (here)

Pakistan: ‘What has state done wrong’, says PM on action against Baloch protesters

• Caretaker PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar has once again defended the police action against Baloch protesters in Islamabad last month, saying that the state will not allow anyone to unleash violence and kill people.
• This came while responding to a question regarding the use of police force against the Baloch who had been protesting in Islamabad against “extra-judicial killings” and enforced disappearances.
• PM Kakar engaged in a lengthy interaction with students of the Beaconhouse National University in Lahore on Tue.
• The interim PM also asserted that “such elements” would never prevail in Pakistan.
• He went on to say that the use of water was much criticised though he could cite about 200 incidents of its use in the European countries against protesters. (here)

Pakistan: Suicide bomber among 4 terrorists killed in N Waziristan IBO: ISPR

• A suicide bomber along with 3 other terrorists was killed in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tue.
• Security forces and terrorists engaged in a gunfight during an intelligence-based operation in KP’s tribal district today, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.
• After an intense fire exchange, 4 terrorists including a suicide bomber were killed.
• Arms, ammunition, and explosives were also recovered from killed terrorists.
• A sanitization operation is being carried out to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area. (here)

Pakistan: COAS lauds PAF for ‘ensuring balance of power in region’

• Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir Tue lauded the operational preparedness of the Air Force in incorporating state-of-the-art weapon systems, substantially contributing to ensuring the balance of power in the region.
• The COAS made the remarks while addressing an induction and operationalization ceremony held at an operational base of the PAF, ISPR said in a statement
• Gen Munir highlighted the latest inductions in the PAF’s arsenal comprising of J-10C fighter jets, air mobility platforms, modern radars, unmanned aerial systems, loitering munition capabilities, and long-range vectors which have significantly bolstered the aerial defense capabilities of the country.
• He emphasized the progress achieved by PAF in the emerging domains of Cyber and Space technologies to ensure an impregnable defense of the country (here)

Over 500,000 Afghan immigrants repatriated so far, says Pak Interior Ministry

• Over 500,000 Afghan immigrants had been sent home as a result of the govt’s deportation campaign against them, Pakistan’s Interior Ministry told the Senate on Tue
• All illegal immigrants were given an ultimatum by the govt in Oct to depart Pakistan by Oct 31 or face incarceration and deportation to their home countries.
• The caretaker administration formally launched a national drive to remove unauthorized foreign nationals, most of whom are Afghans, after the deadline passed.
• Human rights organizations and Afghanistan both criticized the action, but the govt stood its own and insisted that it was not directed at any one ethnic community.
• The ministry provided more details about the number of deportations in a written response that was sent to the Senate on Tue.
• The reply was sent in response to a query from Senator Mohsin Aziz concerning the number of deportees and undocumented immigrants living in Pakistan. (here)

‘No one is safe’: China purges record number of senior officials in 2023, with more ‘tigers’ likely to fall

• China’s battle against corruption set new records last year, with the ruling CCP’s anti-corruption watchdog launching probes into 45 senior officials
• The record number of investigations came 5 years after Chinese President Xi Jinping declared a “crushing victory” in his war on corruption, a sweeping crackdown that was launched in 2013.
• The ongoing probe signals that he has little interest in letting up on an effort to clean up China’s officialdom while pushing authorities ever harder to implement his policies.
• The number of senior-level investigations launched in 2023 jumped by 40% compared with 2022 when the CCDI – China’s top anti-corruption agency – recorded 32 investigations into high-ranking officials
• Most of the subjects who were placed under investigation – sometimes referred to as “tigers” – belonged to a pool of officials known as “centrally managed cadres”, meaning they held ranks at the deputy ministerial level or above. A smaller number of them held slightly lower ranks but occupied key positions in important sectors. (here)

Beijing urges Taiwanese to ‘stand on right side of history’ ahead of presidential election

• Taiwan’s people have been urged to “stand on the right side of history” by opposing independence in a New Year’s message from the head of Beijing’s Taiwan Affairs Office delivered less than 2 weeks before its presidential election.
• Song Tao said Taiwanese people should get cross-strait relations back on the “correct path of peaceful development” in a message published in the state-backed journal Cross-strait Connections and the party-controlled China News Service.
• “Taiwan compatriots should observe the overall situation, shoulder great responsibilities, consider the bigger picture, and follow the right path,” Song said.
• “They should firmly stand on the right side of history, promote the return of cross-strait relations to the correct track of peaceful development, and advance the process of the peaceful reunification of the motherland.”
• He did not say who he regarded as “patriotic” or as “separatist”. (here)