Newsletter 14 September

Sino-Indian Standoff: No major Development in last couple of days, Tension on border is Heightened, despite that only ‘calculated’ news are coming out.

The India-China border has joined the South and East China Seas as the hottest points of tension for the Chinese military.

These areas of dispute have caused a growing chorus of worldwide alarm at Beijing’s ambitions and military capability, as exemplified in the Pentagon’s latest annual report on military developments in China.
The Pentagon report warned, “What is certain is that the Chinese Communist Party has a strategic end state that it is working towards, which if achieved and its accompanying military modernization left unaddressed, will have serious implications for US national interests and the security of the international rules-based order.“
The country owns the largest ground force, navy, coast guard and maritime militia in the world, plus it has the largest air force in the Indo-Pacific region.
In many senses, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) aggression along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) does not make strategic sense.
Chairman Xi Jinping and the Chinese nation are facing multiple points of friction, so why would it add the Indian border to that list?
Yun Jiang and Adam Ni, the editors of the China Neican newsletter, assessed, “Neither China nor India wants a continued row over their border, given what they are dealing with at the moment. India’s COVID caseload has been going through the roof and its economy is taking a massive hit. China, on the other hand, is embroiled in a growing list of domestic and international troubles, from its relationship with the US to Hong Kong and Xinjiang.”
They added, “Strategically, Beijing wants an India that does not work to contain China alongside the US and others. The border dispute is not helping in that regard.”
The tensions in Ladakh have been the most dramatic along the LAC in decades.
Indeed, last week both sides accused each other of firing shots, the first time weapons have been discharged since 1975, when 4 Indian soldiers were killed.
Despite a meeting between Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Indian Min of External Affairs S Jaishankar, border tensions will continue to be corrosive cancer in their bilateral relationship.

Yun and Ni believe, “In the short term, de-escalation and disengagement along the disputed border is not an easy task. Mistrust and antagonism among troops on the ground towards their counterparts are running high…Over the medium to long term, China and India’s respective interests in their disputed border region are likely to become more important, with attitudes hardening in both Beijing and Delhi on the critical importance of improving border defense and security.”

Intractable problems along the border are an absence of consensus on where the LAC actually lies.
Then, as each side enhances border and military infrastructure, this is perceived as destabilizing the status quo.
Both Delhi and Beijing see the Himalayan border area as strategically important, and China is redoubling efforts to economically develop Tibet and to accelerate “patriotic education” to quell any discontent in the populace.

China watching: President, PM, key Opposition leaders, Cabinet, CMs, Chief Justice of India…the list goes on

China is Watching, Over 10,000 Indians, entities from politics to business, judiciary to media, even crime-accused, tracked by big-data firm linked to Chinese govt.

Working through a professor in Vietnam, Christopher Balding, who has taught in Shenzhen, the source shared data with some top news organizations.
Key to the monitoring process is Zhenhua Data’s avowed goal of mining data to push what it calls “hybrid warfare”, using non-military tools to achieve dominance or damage, subvert or influence. These tools include, in its own words, “information pollution, perception management and propaganda.”
Records show that Zhenhua was registered as a company in Apr 2018 and set up 20 processing centers across countries and regions. It counts the Chinese government and military among its clients.
A detailed questionnaire sent to the email ids mentioned in the company’s website [1] on Sept 1^st has not elicited any response. In fact, the company took down its website on Sept 9, and it is no longer accessible.
When a correspondent visited the Shenzhen headquarters of Zhenhua Data and presented a list of questions, a company staffer, who declined to offer her name, said: “Sorry, these questions touch upon our trade secrets. It’s not convenient to disclose.”
But responding to questions, a Chinese Embassy source in Delhi said, “China has not asked and will not ask companies or individuals to collect or provide data, information and intelligence stored within other countries’ territories for the Chinese government by installing “backdoors” or by violating local laws.”
The source, however, did not answer specific queries if the Chinese government and the military were clients of Zhenhua Data as claimed by the company, or to what purpose the Chinese government used the OKIDB data, if it did.
“What I would like to point out is that the Chinese government has been asking Chinese companies to strictly abide by local laws and regulations when doing business overseas; this position will not change,”(which includes the sharing of data to CCP) the Embassy source said.

Scraping information from the web and social media platforms, tracking research papers, articles, patents, recruitment positions, Zhenhua’s monitoring services map what it calls person information and relationship mining – networks among individuals, institutions and organizations, and changes in their leadership positions based on information from multiple sources.
No wonder then that OKIDB also builds family trees.
“Every country does this in one way or the other, that’s the job of foreign intelligence. But using big data science and technology, Beijing has, clearly, taken it to the next level,” said a Canberra-based cyber security, expert, who worked with the source to verify the electronic antecedents of the Zhenhua data set.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana aims at empowering poor and end poverty, says PM Narendra Modi

Addressing the event, PM Modi said that Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) is not just about building houses, it is about building self-confidence and empowering the poor.

Modi inaugurated 1.75 lakh homes in Madhya Pradesh built under the PM Awas Yojana on Sat.

Highlighting his government’s efforts, PM said, ”Even during the time of coronavirus pandemic, houses under PMAY were constructed in just 45- 60 days which is a very good example of turning disaster into an opportunity.”

PM Narendra Modi unveils three petro projects ahead of Bihar polls

Modi’s praise of alliance partner Kumar comes weeks ahead of the elections – likely in October-November – as he dedicated three petroleum projects worth Rs 900 crore to people.

On Sun PM inaugurated 3 petroleum sector projects, gave a big thumbs up to CM Nitish Kumar, and reached out to voters by calling the state a “powerhouse of talent”.

Nitish Kumar, in alliance with BJP, hatching plots against opposition: Tejashwi after 5 RJD MLCs joined JDU
PM Modi praises Kumar for ‘sushasan’, takes a dig at Lalu Prasad, Ex CM.
Double trouble for RJD as Nitish makes gains ahead of Bihar assembly polls SC
refuses to postpone Bihar elections over floods, coronavirus pandemic

Thank all MPs for choosing path of duty during coronavirus: PM

Parliament Monsoon session: 17 MPs test positive for Covid-19.

“ thanked all parliamentarians for choosing the path of duty even during the coronavirus crisis, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Mon ahead of Monsoon Session.
The PM said that there will be many important decisions in this session, “discussions will be held”. The 4th session of 17^th Lok Sabha and 252^nd session of Rajya Sabha may conclude on Oct 1st.

Bill to cut MPs’ salaries by 30% to meet Covid exigencies introduced in Lok Sabha

Parliamentary Affairs Mmin Pralhad Joshi on Mon introduced in Lok Sabha this bill “to meet the exigencies arising out of COVID-19 pandemic“.

The Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020 seeks to replace the Salary, Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Ordinance, 2020.
Leader of Opposition, (Congress) in the LS, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and party leader K Suresh gave adjournment notices over the issue of Chinese incursion in Eastern Ladakh on Mon.
The LS was adjourned for an hour, shortly after it met, following obituary references and tribute to former members.

DRDO plans Star Wars-style weapons for battles of future

The Defense Research and Development Organization (DRDO) is now planning a national program on directed energy weapons (DEWs) like high-energy lasers and high-powered microwaves, which are increasingly being considered crucial around the world for the contactless conflicts of the future.

The program will aim to develop different DEW variants of up to 100-KW power. But they are nowhere near becoming operational.
The need for a focused approach on DEWs has now gained urgency amid the ongoing military confrontation with China in eastern Ladakh.
DRDO has so far developed two anti-drone DEW systems, which will now be produced in large numbers with the help of the industry.
While one is a trailer-mounted DEW, with a 10 kilowatt laser to engage aerial targets at 2-km range, the other is a compact tripod-mounted one with a 2 KW laser for a 1-km range.
Successfully demonstrated to the armed forces, intelligence agencies and police forces in field operations, the two systems can bring down micro drones by either jamming their command and control links or damaging their electronics through the laser-based DEW, officials said.
These indigenous systems, however, are extremely modest compared to the much more powerful DEWs developed by other countries.
The defense establishment’s technological roadmap for the next decade says the Army and IAF need at least 20 ‘tactical high-energy laser systems’ that can destroy ‘small aerial targets’, electronic warfare and radars systems at a range of 6-8 km in Phase-I.
In Phase-II, the laser systems should have a range of over 20 km to take on ‘soft-skinned’ vehicles and troops from ground and aerial platforms.

UP set to get special force that can arrest a suspect without warrant if ‘sure about crime’

The Yogi Adityanath Govt on Sun issued a notification for the formation of the Uttar Pradesh Special Security Force (UPSSF), which will not require warrants for an arrest or to conduct searches as long as it is “sure about the crime”.

UPSSF will be responsible for security of important govt buildings, offices and industrial establishments, will cost around Rs 1,800 crore, for 9,919 personals. Private firms can also hire services.

Its first type of experiment, in any Indian State, however, center have own industrial security forces.

GoI to infuse Rs 20,000 crore in state-run banks

The Govt sought parliamentary approval to inject Rs 20,000 crore ($2.72 bn) in state-run banks in the current fiscal year, to help lenders mitigate the expected surge in bad loans due to the pandemic.

The pandemic’s impact is likely to push up the ratio of gross non-performing assets in the Indian banking system to 12.5% by Mar 2021, from 8.5% in Mar 2020.

"Our Laws, Values Don't Recognize Same-Sex Marriage": Centre To Court

The Solicitor General said the plea to grant recognition to or permit registration of such marriages was “not permissible for two reasons — firstly, the petition was asking the court to legislate and secondly, any relief granted “would run contrary to various statutory provisions”.

“Unless court does violence to various laws, this cannot be done,” he added.

The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan by Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta during hearing of a plea seeking a declaration that same-sex marriages be recognized under the Hindu Marriage Act (HMA) and Special Marriage Act.

Pakistan using underground tunnels to push terrorists, drones to drop arms, J&K DGP says

Director General of Police Dilbag Singh, however, claimed the anti-infiltration grid is active and anti-tunneling operations are underway to scuttle ‘nefarious designs’.
“Digging of tunnels beneath the IB is part of the nefarious designs of Pakistan to facilitate infiltration of terrorists into this side to step up terrorism,” Singh told reporters in Samba district after inspecting the recently discovered 170-metre tunnel with a depth of 20-25 feet and originating from Pakistan was found by a BSF at Galar village along the IB.
“I saw this huge tunnel which is almost similar to the one detected in Chanyari in 2013-14.
After the Nagrota encounter, we had received specific inputs that infiltration had taken place through a tunnel and was searching for it,” the DGP said.

“The investigation is on but the ground indicators suggest that the tunnel was used by Pakistan in the past to push infiltrators,” he said but did not rule out the possibility of more such tunnels.

NEIGHBORHOOD

India attended intra-Afghan talks in Doha, Jaishankar says peace process must be Afghan-led and Afghan-controlled

A top Indian official has flown down to Doha and the Foreign minister is joining in virtually, as a significant move, given India’s reticence in acknowledging power-sharing arrangements in Kabul.
“Addressed the conference on Afghan peace negotiations at Doha on Sept 12.
“Conveyed that the peace process must be Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled, respect national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan, promote human rights and democracy, ensure interest of minorities, women and the vulnerable, effectively address violence across the country,” Jaishankar tweeted.

“The friendship of our peoples is a testimony to our history with Afghanistan. No part of Afghanistan is untouched by our 400-plus development projects. Confident that this civilizational relationship will continue to grow,” he added.

7 countries, including Pakistan, can teach India how to fight next pandemic

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has called on countries to invest in public health in order to prepare ourselves from future pandemics like Covid-19.

Dr Tedros, has issued a stark warning about the work needed to prepare the world for future pandemics.

India: During Covid 19

Covid-19 tally in India breaches 48-lakh mark; toll climbs 79,722

India’s Covid-19 case tally crossed 48 lakh with 92,071 new infections being reported in a day, while over 37.8 lakh people have recuperated taking the national recovery rate to 78% on Mon, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The total cases mounted to 4846427, while the death toll climbed to 79722 with 1,136 more deaths in last 24 hrs, as per Govt data.

Over 60% active cases in 5 states; recovery rate touches 78%: Centre

More than 60% of the active coronavirus cases are concentrated in 5 states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, UP and Tamil Nadu, the health ministry said on Monday, underlining that the recovery rate in the country had touched 78%. India’s Covid-19 case tally has mounted to 48.46 lakh with 92,071 new infections, while 37.80 lakh people have recuperated.