1. GoI set to bring bill to curb ‘unfettered’ powers of Waqf Board
2. Bangladesh: 93 killed on day of carnage; AL defers Mon’s programs
3. President Murmu leaves for six-day visit to Fiji, New Zealand, Timor-Leste
4. Assam CM announces new law to combat ‘land jihad, besides one for love jihad
5. Assam Rifles to be deployed in Jammu’s Machedi to beef up security grid, jungle warfare the focus

What Else

1. BSP doesn’t agree with SC’s verdict allowing sub-classification within SCs: Mayawati
2. Centre finalizing Great Nicobar project; construction to begin in next few months
3. Central govt sacks BSF Chief, his deputy after series of terror attacks in Jammu
4. Manipur: Meitei, Hmar communities agree to make efforts to restore peace in Jiribam
5. Pak-origin man set on fire in Canada, was involved in protests after Nijjar killing
6. India lifted 800 million people out of poverty “simply by smartphone”: UNGA President
7. South China Sea: Beijing opens hardware store on disputed Woody Island
8. Taiwan says PLA drones circled for hours, after Japan-Philippine naval drills nearby
9. Pakistan: What China is doing for Pakistan, US cannot do: PM; He is expected to make an important policy statement at Muzaffarabad
10. Pakistan: Not having ‘excellent’ military relations would be ‘foolish’: Imran Khan
11. Pakistan: Two Supreme Court judges issue unprecedented dissent in seats case

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GoI set to bring bill to curb ‘unfettered’ powers of Waqf Board

• The central govt is set to bring changes to the Waqf Act to cut the “unfettered” powers of the Muslim body – the country’s 3^rd largest landowner after the Railways and armed forces.
• The cabinet held a meeting on Fri and discussed 40-odd amendments in the Wakf Act (known as the Waqf Act before 2013).
• This is to amend the Waqf Act is likely to be introduced in the Parliament this week.
• The amendments are intended to reduce the arbitrary powers currently wielded by Waqf Boards, which allow them to claim any property as waqf without any mandatory verification.
• Section 3 of the Waqf Act defines what a Waqf property is.
• Under the changes, women’s participation in the Central Waqf Council might also be increased by amending Section 9 and Section 14.
• Additionally, the govt is mulling involving the top district officer in monitoring Waqf properties to prevent misuse of the assets.
• Properties claimed by Waqf Boards will have to undergo fresh verification to resolve disputes.
• Currently, Waqf Boards have almost 870k immovable properties, 16k+ moveable properties, and 356k estates.
• In 2013, the then UPA govt, led by Congress gave more sweeping powers to Waqf Boards, which have since been a point of contention.
• There are over 58,000 complaints against the board with more than 18,000 in tribunals while over 150 are in High Courts and Supreme Courts. (here)

Bangladesh: 93 killed on day of carnage; AL defers Mon’s programs

• At least 93 people, including 14 policemen, were killed and dozens injured as fierce clashes took place in different areas in Dhaka and other parts of the country on the 1^st day of the non-cooperation movement announced by the ADM.
• AL postpones Mon’s programs, while Army urges all to comply with curfew rules
• Govt announces 3-day public holiday from today;
• Operators receive an order for mobile internet shutdown;
• Facebook and WhatsApp are reportedly inaccessible in the country;
• Protesters declare a long march to Dhaka today
• At least 42 rushed to CMCH with bullet wounds;
• Most shops and bank branches seen closed in Dhaka;
• Vehicles torched at BSMMU;
• Curfew from 6pm today; (here)
• The agitation, which has turned violent on multiple occasions, has so far killed at least 200 people across the country, with Dhaka being the epicenter.
• Indians in Bangladesh urged to take ‘extreme caution’ as violent clashes kill 97: The central govt has “strongly advised” Indian nationals against traveling to Bangladesh till further notice and Indian authorities in Bangladesh asked citizens to “remain alert” given the volatile situation.
• The protests have become a major challenge for Hasina, who returned to power for a 4^th consecutive term in Jan, ruling for over 15 years.
• Hasina’s govt appears to be on the brink of collapse as protesters now push for one demand — her resignation. (here)
• India has advisories issued for the following countries on the following issues:
• Geopolitical/internal issues: Lebanon, Israel, Bangladesh, Nigeria, Kenya
• For Students: US, Russia, Canada
• Job Racket: Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia
• Travel ban: Iraq (5 provinces), Yemen, Libya

President Murmu leaves for six-day visit to Fiji, New Zealand, Timor-Leste

• President Droupadi Murmu on Sun left for a 6-day visit to Fiji, New Zealand and Timor-Leste.
• According to officials, she will visit Fiji from Aug 5-7 at the invitation of its President Wiliame Maivalili Katonivere.
• Murmu will hold bilateral meetings with Fiji’s Katonivere and PM Sitiveni Rabuka.
• She is also scheduled to address the Fijian Parliament and interact with its members, many of whom are of Indian origin.
• “President Droupadi Murmu departs for her State visits to Fiji, New Zealand and Timor-Leste.
• This will be the first-ever visit by an Indian Head of State to Fiji, and Timor-Leste,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan wrote on ‘X’.
• Murmu will pay a State Visit to New Zealand on Aug 8 and 9 at the invitation of the island nation’s Governor-General Cindy Kiro, officials said. (here)

Assam CM announces new law to combat ‘land jihad, besides one for love jihad

• Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sun said his govt will soon introduce a law for life imprisonment in cases of ‘land jihad’ and ‘love jihad’.
• He also said several measures have been initiated to “protect” land rights and govt jobs for Indigenous people while speaking at the state BJP’s extended executive meeting.
• The term ‘love jihad’ is used by right-wing groups to allege a ploy by Muslim men to lure Hindu women into religious conversion through marriage.
• Sarma said a new domicile policy will also be introduced soon, under which only those born in Assam will be eligible for state govt jobs.
• Sarma said that while “encroached land equal to the size of Chandigarh” has been freed from illegal settlers by his govt, land equal to “20 times of the northern Union Territory” is still under the grasp of encroachers in the state.
• The CM said the Assam govt has also decided on the sale of land between Hindus and Muslims. (here)

Assam Rifles to be deployed in Jammu’s Machedi to beef up security grid, jungle warfare the focus

• Amid back-to-back terror attacks, 2 battalions of the Assam Rifles (AR) are being deployed in the Jammu region from Manipur to beef up the anti-terrorism grid in the north of Samba, especially in the Machedi sector.
• (Sources)- a need was felt to beef up the security grid in the region daunted by forests and hills by specialized Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) who have operational experience in countering terrorists in such areas.
• Accordingly, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided to send two Battalions of the Assam Rifles to Jammu with the possibility that another could be sent in as well.
• The Assam Rifles battalions are to be deployed in Machedi in Kathua and will focus on combing through the forested and hilly terrains once they establish a grid.
• These personnel have years of experience in countering terrorism in such terrain.
• Assam Rifles is the only paramilitary force in the country, and while it operationally comes under the Army and is headed by an Army officer, it reports to the MHA.
• About 40 terrorists, mostly from Pakistan-based JeM have managed to infiltrate into the Jammu region, mostly through the IB manned by the BSF over the past year. (here)

BSP doesn’t agree with SC’s verdict allowing sub-classification within SCs: Mayawati

• BSP chief and former Uttar Pradesh CM Mayawati on Aug 4^th said her party doesn’t agree with the recent Supreme Court’s verdict allowing sub-classification within SC.
• “The sub-classification of people within Scheduled Castes (SCs) and Scheduled Tribes (STs) has been permitted, our party doesn’t agree with it at all,” Mayawati said while addressing a press conference here. (here)
• States have right to sub-classify SCs for quotas: Supreme Court- A 7-judge Constitution Bench of the SC headed by CJ D.Y. Chandrachud, in a majority judgment on Thu, held that States have a right to sub-classify Scheduled Castes notified in the Presidential List to provide them ”more” preferential treatment in public employment and education.
• 4 of the 7 judges on the Bench separately said the govt should extend the “creamy layer principle” to SC and ST, like in the case of the OBC category.
• It was necessary to exclude affluent individuals or families from the benefits of reservation and make room for the underprivileged within these classes.
• CJ, who shared his opinion with Justice Misra, however, remained silent on the aspect of introducing the creamy layer principle to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
• Justice Bela Trivedi remained the lone dissenter on the Bench, saying States did not have the power to tinker with the Presidential List of SC. (here)

Centre finalizing Great Nicobar project; construction to begin in next few months

• The DPR of a $5 billion international transshipment port project at Great Nicobar Island in the Bay of Bengal is being finalized by the govt, and it will go ahead with the implementation of the project in the next few months, a senior official said on Sun.
• The port project has been under scrutiny over environmental concerns.
• Last year, the Ministry of Ports, in a statement had said the project is expected to be completed with an investment of $5 billion, including investments from both govt and public-private partnership (PPP) concessionaires.
• “11 players have submitted expressions of interest for the international transshipment port project at Great Nicobar Island,” the ministry added.
• L&T Ltd, Afcons Infra Ltd, and JSW Infra Ltd are among the companies that have submitted EoIs for the international transshipment port project.
• Union Tribal Affairs Minister promises to look into Great Nicobar clearances
• Currently, nearly 75% of India’s transhipped cargo is handled at ports outside India.
• Colombo, Singapore, and Klang handle more than 85% of this cargo, with more than half of it handled at Colombo port. (here)

Central govt sacks BSF Chief, his deputy after series of terror attacks in Jammu

• Central govt on Fri sacked the DG of Border Security Force and his deputy “with immediate effect”, and sent the duo to their state cadres.
• DG Nitin Agrawal, a 1989-batch Kerala cadre officer, had taken charge of the BSF in June last year.
• Meanwhile, Dy Special DG (W) from the 1990 batch of the Odisha cadre, was leading the operations of the force along the LoC, the de-facto Indo-Pak border
• The govt order didn’t state why they were removed from their posts (sources) and cited constant infiltration from the international border as one of the major factors.
• Some reports hinted that the BSF chief didn’t cooperate over critical matters.
• The move comes after a series of terror attacks took place in the Jammu region, targeting both civilians and military personnel. (here)

Manipur: Meitei, Hmar communities agree to make efforts to restore peace in Jiribam

• Representatives of Meitei and Hmar communities agreed to make full efforts to restore normalcy in the violence-hit Jiribam district of Manipur.
• The agreement was reached between the warring sides at a meeting held at a CRPF facility in adjoining Assam’s Cachar on Thu
• The meeting was moderated by district admin, Assam Rifles, and CRPF personnel, officials said.
• Representatives of the Thadou, Paite, and Mizo communities of the district were also present in the meeting.
• The next meeting will be held on Aug 15.
• More than 200 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May last year.
• Ethnically diverse Jiribam, which was largely untouched by ethnic violence in Imphal Valley and adjoining hills, erupted in violence after a mutilated body of a farmer was found in the fields in Jun this year. (here)

Pak-origin man set on fire in Canada, was involved in protests after Nijjar killing

• A Pakistani-Canadian businessman, who was involved in protests after the death of Khalistani terrorist Najjar, was set on fire by an unknown man in Canada’s Surrey city.
• Rao was set on fire by a man aged 24 or 25 years on Fri, and his condition is critical.
• (sources)- Rao is not an agent of Inter-Services Intelligence
• The Canadian Police released a photo of the accused who set fire to Rao.
• Rao is very active in Canada and was continuously involved in many protests after the death of Nijjar in Jun last year. (here)

India lifted 800 million people out of poverty “simply by smartphone”: UNGA President

• Stressing the use of digitization for rapid development, the President of the 78^th session of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis, lavished praise on India for its work in this direction, which has lifted 800 million out of poverty in the last 5-6 years.
• He highlighted how people in rural areas of India, can make payments and pay bills just on the touch of a smartphone.
• Francis said during his lecture at the FAO of the UN on the topic of ‘Accelerating progress towards Zero Hunger for the current and future generations.’
• Francis emphasized the high internet penetration in India as a major factor why India has been able to benefit but not many other countries of the Global South. (here)

 [Neighborhood]

South China Sea: Beijing opens hardware store on disputed Woody Island

• China has opened a hardware store on a disputed SCS island, according to the local govt, as Beijing ramps up efforts to expand civilian facilities and cement claims in the strategically important waterway.
• Covering an area of about 100 m², the Xinyi Hardware Store is located on Woody Island in the Paracel Islands, a contested zone known in Chinese as the Xisha Islands and in Vietnamese as the Hoang Sa Islands.
• The store, situated next to the cargo terminal of the Sansha Yongxing Airport, opened for business on Thu, according to the govt of Sansha city, which oversees the Paracels as well as the Macclesfield Bank and the Spratly Islands – another disputed archipelago known as the Nansha Islands in Chinese.
• According to the Sansha govt, the store provides “several thousand” products, including electrical items, fire safety equipment, water pipes, doors, windows, and paint.
• To assert its claims to the resource-rich waters, Beijing in 2012 announced the establishment of Sansha City on Woody Island to administer the disputed SCS islands and features. (here)

Taiwan says PLA drones circled for hours, after Japan-Philippine naval drills nearby

• In a rare report on mainland Chinese drone activity, Taiwan said 2 People’s Liberation Army (PLA) unmanned aerial vehicles circled the island for hours on Sat, just a day after Japan and the Philippines carried out joint drills in nearby waters.
• The unmanned aircraft crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait and patrolled around the island from around noon to 9 pm, as per the Taiwanese defense ministry.
• The course of the drones was as close as about 80km to Cape Eluanbi, Taiwan’s southernmost point.
• Other PLA drones as well as several fighter jets also operated in the southwest of the island from around 8 am to 11 pm.
• The operation involved a total of 18 aircraft, but the ministry did not specify how many of each type took part.
• In total, 36 aircraft and 12 vessels from the PLA were detected in the 24 hours from 6 am on Sat, with 31 of the aircraft crossing the median line and entering Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern, southeastern, and eastern air-defense identification zone, the ministry said.
• The PLA has carried out almost daily patrols in the Taiwan Strait since 2020. (here)

Pakistan: What China is doing for Pakistan, US cannot do: PM

• PM Shehbaz Sharif said on Sun that whatever China was doing for Pakistan, the US could not, and reiterated that relations with Washington should be repaired, but not at the cost of ties with Beijing.
• The PM, who had a busy weekend, met with a group of journalists at his Model Town residence in Lahore.
• The journalists had recently returned from an official visit to China, undertaken at the invitation of the China Public Diplomacy Association.
• Speaking on the occasion, PM Shehbaz said that work was progressing fast on the 2^nd phase of the CPEC, and during the visit of Chinese experts to Pakistan, there was positive movement on the promotion of cooperation in different fields.
• Talking about his letter to Beijing requesting debt re-profiling, he said that if China agreed to give Pakistan 5-7 years to pay back the loans, the govt would be able to bring down inflation, including electricity prices.
• However, when asked if he had received any response so far, he said: “No… [our request] is under consideration”.
• “We hope for a positive response from China in this regard,” he said.
• Youm-i-Istehsal: Mon, marks the 5^th anniversary of India revoking Kashmir’s special status.
• In commemoration, the country will observe Youm-i-Istehsal in solidarity with their Kashmiri brethren.
• According to PTV News, PM Shehbaz Sharif is expected to visit Muzaffarabad, where he is expected to make an important policy statement. (here)

Pakistan: Not having ‘excellent’ military relations would be ‘foolish’: Imran Khan

• Beleaguered former PM Imran Khan, currently jailed on charges he describes as politically motivated, said on Sun it would be “foolish” not to have “excellent” relations with the army.
• Ahead of Mon’s anniversary of his jailing on dozens of charges ranging from corruption to leaking state secrets, Khan also said in written responses a questions that he held no grudges against the US, whom he has also blamed for his 2022 ouster from office.
• “We are proud of our soldiers and armed forces,” he said.
• Khan said his criticisms since his ouster had been directed at individuals, not the military as an institution.
• On Wed, Khan offered to hold “conditional negotiations” with the nation’s military – if “clean and transparent” elections were held and the “bogus” cases against his supporters were dropped.
• Pakistan’s army and govt did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Khan’s remarks to Reuters. They have both repeatedly denied his assertions.
• The interior ministry declared an indefinite nationwide curfew starting at 6 p.m. local time on Sun. (here)

Pakistan: Two Supreme Court judges issue unprecedented dissent in seats case

• In an unprecedented move, 2 of the SC judges, who disagreed with a majority decision in the case of a reserved seat, issued their dissenting note before the unveiling of the detailed majority order, stating that some provisions of the Constitution need to be suspended to allow the PTI get reserved seats in legislatures.
• 8 judges of a 13-member full court on Jul 12 accepted an appeal filed by the SIC, a party comprising PTI-backed lawmakers, against a Peshawar HC order that upheld an Election Commission’s decision not to grant the SIC reserved seats for women and minorities in legislatures.
• The order had not only revived the PTI which could not directly participate in the Feb 8 general elections after stripping of its election symbol but had also paved the way for its emergence as the largest party in the NA by reserved seats.
• 5 judges including CJ Qazi Faez Isa, had disagreed with the majority order. (here)