1. PM Modi pays floral tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose
2. Myanmar military plane skids off runway on airport in India’s Mizoram, 8 injured
3. Jaipur gears up for Modi-Macron visit
4. Karpoori Thakur, ex-Bihar CM and ‘beacon of social justice’, awarded Bharat Ratna
5. “China made necessary request…”: Maldives FM on Chinese research vessel port call

What Else

• Assam CM asks police to file case against Rahul Gandhi after his supporters break barricades
• Amid Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha, Pakistan fanning anti-India sentiments online?
• NASA’s spacecraft ‘pings’ Chandrayaan-3 Vikram, method to help in precise location tracking technology
• China assures Pakistan of closer economic ties, support on efforts to defend ‘territorial integrity’
• China claims ‘biggest corruption in statistical sphere’ amid fake data crackdown
• Pakistan: Army to be deployed for ‘free and fair’ general election

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PM Modi pays floral tribute to Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose

• PM Modi on Tue commemorated the birth anniversary of legendary freedom fighter Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, which is also observed as Parakram Diwas (Day of Valour).
• PM along with LS Speaker Om Birla, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, RS speaker Harivansh and others paid floral tributes to Netaji at Old Parliament Building.
• The Indian PM then highlighted Netaji’s contribution to India’s freedom.
• President Droupadi Murmu also paid her respects to the freedom fighter underlining his extraordinary commitment to the cause of India’s independence.
• VP Jagdeep Dhankhar also remembered Netaji on his birth anniversary.
• Quoting Netaji’s iconic words, “Give me blood and I shall give you freedom,” VP stressed how these words echo through history as a rallying cry for liberty (here)

Myanmar military plane skids off runway on airport in India’s Mizoram, 8 injured

• At least 8 of the 14 people on board a Myanmar military aircraft have been injured after it skidded off the runway in the NE state Mizoram’s Lengpui Airport on Tue
• The aircraft had been sent to airlift Myanmar military personnel who had sought refuge in the northeastern state following intense clashes with rebel groups in their country.
• The Lengpui airport is known for being a challenging airport to land at.
• Subsequently, the plane’s fuselage split in half.
• The incident occurred at around 10:30 am, said the Indian official, adding that “operations at the airport have been suspended.”
• This comes a day after India sent back 184 military recruits from Myanmar who had fled to Mizoram amid fights with an ethnic rebel group on the country’s borders
• Myanmarese soldiers fled to India: The reports were confirmed by India’s Assam Rifles whose officials said around 276 Myanmarese soldiers had entered the NE state last week.
• The soldiers reportedly entered Bandukbanga village in Mizoram’s Lawngtlai district on Jan 17 at the India-Myanmar-Bangladesh trijunction. (here)

Jaipur gears up for Modi-Macron visit

• Pink City is gearing up for another high-profile visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi accompanied by French President Emmanuel Macron on Jan 25.
• And no less than CM Bhajan Lal Sharma and dy CM on Tue inspected the sites the two big leaders are expected to be visiting.
• They visited the world-renowned Amer Fort, a UNESCO world heritage site.
• The leaders also inspected Hawa Mahal, City Palace, and Sanganeri Gate.
• Earlier there were talks of a roadshow of Modi and Macron in the Walled City.
• They are also expected to visit Jantar Mantar and sit down for a talk.
• There is also talk of the leaders visiting the Rambagh Palace Hotel.
• President Macron is the chief guest for the Republic Day parade to be held in Delhi on Jan 26. (here)

Karpoori Thakur, ex-Bihar CM and ‘beacon of social justice’, awarded Bharat Ratna

• The Rashtrapati Bhavan declared on Tue that Karpoori Thakur, the Ex CM of Bihar and socialist leader, will be awarded the nation’s highest civilian award, the Bharat Ratna, posthumously.
• Thakur was known for championing the cause of the backward classes.
• PM Modi posted on social media platform X that he is “delighted” that the govt has decided to confer the Bharat Ratna on Thakur
• Thakur was born on Jan 24, 1924, in one of the most backward sections of society – the Nai Samaj, he passed away on Feb 17, 1988. (here)
• Thakur was twice CM of Bihar and before that, the state’s edn minister and deputy CM.
• He was a socialist leader and freedom fighter, who embarked on his political career with the Praja Socialist Party. (here)

Assam CM asks police to file case against Rahul Gandhi after his supporters break barricades

• Congress Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra (United India justice march) was barred from entering Guwahati, Assaam on Tue, which led to clashes between the party workers and police officers.
• The Congress supporters, who broke the barricades and raised slogans, were force-stopped by police.
• To avoid traffic disruptions, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma had earlier said that the Yatra would not be allowed inside of the city.
• Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was welcomed with slogans and drum beats as crowds thronged the Guwahati Chowk in Khanapara.
• ‘We have broken barricades, but will not break the law’, says Rahul Gandhi
• Gandhi, while addressing the party supporters on the outskirts of the city said, “We have broken barricades, but will not break the law”.
• CM Sarma instructs DGP GP Singh to register a case against Gandhi for provoking the crowd (here)

Amid Ram Mandir Pran Pratishtha, Pakistan fanning anti-India sentiments online?

• Making unnecessary statements and interfering in India’s internal affairs is an old habit of Pakistan.
• But this time Pakistan has commented on the grand temple of Lord Shri Ram.
• Pakistan should remember that the Ram temple against which it is spreading propaganda is being constructed after a long legal process.
• Before spreading propaganda against India, Pakistan should check its track record.
• In the year 2014, the All Pakistan Hindu Rights Movement published a Survey Report.
• This survey report found that since 1990, 95% of the temples in Pakistan have been demolished or destroyed. (here)

NASA’s spacecraft ‘pings’ Chandrayaan-3 Vikram, method to help in precise location tracking technology

• A laser instrument aboard NASA’s robotic spacecraft orbiting the Moon has successfully ‘pinged’ India’s Chandrayaan-3 mission’s Vikram lander, marking a breakthrough in precise location tracking technology, the US space agency confirmed.
• The moment of triumph for NASA scientists was when the orbiter registered light bouncing back from a small NASA retroreflector on Vikram’s lander.
• It must be noted that the locations of Earth-orbiting satellites are observed by sending laser pulses and measuring the time the light takes to bounce back.
• This novel method of pinpointing targets on the lunar surface by sending laser pulses “from a moving spacecraft to a stationary one” to know the precise location
• The Laser Retroreflector Array on Chandrayaan-3’s lander, a 2-inch-wide device with 8 quartz-corner-cube prisms, is expected to serve as a fiducial point for precise location references on the Moon. (here)

[Neighborhood]

“China made necessary request…”: Maldives FM on Chinese research vessel port call

• Reacting to the media reports regarding the port call of the Chinese research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 3 at Male, the Maldives Foreign Ministry clarified that China had formally requested diplomatic clearance for the port visit.
• The purpose of the visit was stated as the rotation of personnel and replenishment, with assurance [?] that the vessel would refrain from research in Maldivian waters. [realy?]
• The statement of the Male comes after a Reuters report claimed that a Chinese research vessel is heading to Maldives.
• The timing coincides with Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu’s recent state visit to China, aimed at strengthening ties.
• The Maldives FM said that the Maldives has always been a welcoming destination for vessels of “friendly nations” and continues to host both civilian and military vessels making port calls for peaceful purposes. (here)
• India has always been deeply skeptical about China’s maritime activities in the Maldives, given its geographical proximity to the Indian Ocean archipelago.
• In the past, India’s objections to an agreement that former pro-China president Abdulla Yameen signed with Beijing for a joint observatory in the northern Makunudhoo island was later jettisoned unceremoniously by the pro-India Ibrahim Solih govt. (here)

China assures Pakistan of closer economic ties, support on efforts to defend ‘territorial integrity’

• China seeks stronger economic ties with Pakistan under the BRI and supports its efforts to defend “territorial integrity”, a senior Chinese diplomat has said.
• Foreign vice-minister Sun Weidong pledged during a visit to Pakistan days after it engaged in deadly tit-for-tat air strikes along the border with Iran.
• Sun arrived in Islamabad on Sat to attend a working group meeting on the CPEC, a centerpiece of Beijing’s BRI with the neighboring country.
• His 3-day trip included a series of talks with top Pakistani leaders and military chiefs, including President Arif Alvi, caretaker PM Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, and FM Jilani.
• Pakistan is scheduled to hold general elections early next month.
• Sun said Beijing supported Islamabad in its defense of “sovereignty, independence, and territory integrity”, in a clear reference to the cross-border assaults last week.
• Later the same day, Sun told Army Chief Gen Syed Asim Munir that he recognized Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability.
• He also traveled to Rawalpindi for talks with General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, chairman of Pakistan’s Joint Chiefs of Staff committee.
• The Pakistani army said the talks covered bilateral security, defense cooperation, and the “regional and international security environment”. (here)

China claims ‘biggest corruption in statistical sphere’ amid fake data crackdown

• China has sent one of its sturdiest warnings against falsifying data, calling the practice “the biggest corruption in the statistical sphere” after it suited a violation of CCP discipline.
• Data fabrication was written into a revision of the party’s disciplinary regulations last month, which “greatly strengthened” the constraints to prevent and curb statistical fraud, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said on Mon.
• Severely harmful fraudulent statistics “interfere with and mislead macro decision-making” and “damage the credibility of the party and govt”, the bureau added.
• People involved in faking data, or those who neglect their supervisory duties, would receive punishments ranging from a warning to expulsion from the party. (here)

Pakistan: Army to be deployed for ‘free and fair’ general election

• The caretaker federal cabinet Tue approved the deployment of the Pakistan Army and troops of civil armed forces to ‘help’ in holding free, fair, and peaceful elections
• The development came during a meeting of the federal cabinet held with caretaker PMAnwaar-ul-Haq Kakar in the chair.
• Election slated to be held on February 8.
• “The troops will perform duties in sensitive constituencies and polling stations and will also act as a rapid response force,” read a statement issued by the PM’s Office.
• On the recommendation of the Interior Ministry, the federal cabinet unanimously okayed the deployment of the Pakistan Army. (here)