1. Joshimath subsidence: Central govt team report suggests 500m landslide debris under sinking
2. PM Modi addresses Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Indore: ‘World looking up to India’
3. Bomb threat: Nothing suspicious found on Moscow-Goa charterted flight, says Jamnagar
4. PM Modi ‘deeply concerned’ over rioting, vandalism in Brasilia
5. Nepal: Ruling parties commit to bring back India-controlled Nepali territories

What Else

6. Jaishankar is spot on, Pakistan targeting India with terror and radicalization
7. CRPF to provide arms training to village defence guards in J&K
8. Centre issues advisory to TV channels over ‘distasteful’ content, directs them to strictly follow broadcast laws
9. India does not believe in hierarchical conception of world order: Rajnath Singh
10. “Heard nothing…” Swiss Ambassador Ralf Heckner opens up on allegation of black money from India stashed in Switzerland
11. Pakistan exceeds target, raises more than $9bn for flood recovery
12. Pakistan set to dispatch 159 containers of ammunition to Ukraine
13. Balochistan sends SOS as it runs out of wheat
14. Former AJK PM calls out ‘land grabbing’ in Gilgit-Baltistan
15. A reporter exposes China’s influence in Canada
16. 90% of people in China province infected with Covid, says local health official

Joshimath subsidence: Central govt team report suggests 500m landslide debris under sinking

• NTPC tunnels may be the reason for the sinking episodes in the town where 4 out of the 9 wards have been determined to be damaged.
• Joshimath in the Garhwal Himalayas is built on roughly 500 m of debris from previous landslides, which is a major cause of its low soil-bearing capacity.
• Additionally, a fact-finding team has compiled a list of approximately 600 homes that have already sustained damage.
• Geologists are opposed to the two tunnels that NTPC is developing.
• While experts are analyzing the situation to develop short- and long-term plans, the Centre has deployed teams from Disaster Management.
• Experts have stressed the necessity of finding a route for the groundwater to exit.
• Once the plan has been implemented, damaged homes might be permanently destroyed and the residents could be relocated to a safer area. (here)

PM Modi addresses Pravasi Bharatiya Divas in Indore: ‘World looking up to India’

• PM Modi on Mon addressed the 17^th edition of the PBD convention – this time in Indore – and declared himself happy to see it organized in ‘the heart of India’.
• This year’s Pravasi Bharatitya Divyas theme is ‘Diaspora: Reliable partners for India’s progress in Amrit Kaal’.
• Chandrikapersad Santokhi, the president of Suriname, and Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali, the president of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, were among the special guests.
• More than 3,500 diaspora members – from 70 countries – registered for the event, news agency ANI said.
• “The nation has entered ‘Amrit Kaal’ for the next 25 years and our Pravasi Bhartiya community has a significant role to play in further elevating India’s role on global levels,” he said. (here)

Bomb threat: Nothing suspicious found on Moscow-Goa charterted flight, says Jamnagar

• The Security Guard found nothing suspicious onboard the Moscow-Goa chartered flight, which was diverted to Jamnagar after Goa ATC followed an alleged bomb threat, Jamnagar Airport director informed on Tue.
• According to the airport director, the flight will depart from Jamnagar to Goa between 10.30 am and 11 am.
• Meanwhile, security forces carried out an intensive search of the passengers onboard the Moscow-Goa chartered flight. (here)

Jaishankar is spot on, Pakistan targeting India with terror and radicalization

• The civilian fatalities fell in 2022 by 13.5% as compared to 2021 and the security forces response increased in a similar comparison,
• The data shows that Islamic radicalization is increasing in India and is principally being fuelled by proscribed groups in Pakistan and Bangladesh.
• Pak’s economy has hit the rock bottom with forex reserves at $4.5 bn but the deep state is hell-bent on creating an internal security situation in India.
• Inputs reveal that ISI has activated all the Pak-based terrorist groups in Kashmir, and has vividly increased weapon supplies through drones, sending drugs to fund terror.
• It even funded the construction of mosques and madrassas within 5km of the India-Nepal border.
• The security scenario in J&K improved in 2022 with 261 fatalities (33 civilians, 30 SF, and 198 terrorists) against 278 in 2021 (37 civilians, 47 SF, and 194 terrorists)
• ISI is actively supporting the terror network in the UT with the help of high profile Pak prisoners in J&K jails. (here)

PM Modi ‘deeply concerned’ over rioting, vandalism in Brasilia

• PM Modi on Mon expressed his deep concern over rioting and vandalism against state institutions in Brasilia, extending his full support to the Brazilian authorities.
• US President Joe Biden condemned the ‘assault on democracy’ in Brazil.
• Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro broke into the country’s congressional building, Supreme Court, and presidential palace on Sun.
• The breaches come about a week after the inauguration of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in a runoff election on Oct 30.
• Bolsonaro around 3,000 supporters smashed windows and furniture in the National Congress and SC buildings on Sunday reported Al Jazeera.
• Bolsonaro challenged the election results and has not explicitly conceded, though he said he would cooperate with the transition of power. (here)

CRPF to provide arms training to village defence guards in J&K

• The Central Police Force will provide arms training to village defense guards in J&K to counter any terror attack in their areas, officers familiar with the matter said on Mon.
• The state Admin last week started reissuing weapons the after a twin terror attack in Dhangri in the Rajouri district killed seven people.
• The VDGs comprise local village volunteers.
• They were first active in the 1990s in several districts and played a significant role in assisting forces in CT operations and maintaining vigil in respective border villages.
• They remained inactive for several years thereafter. (here)

Centre issues advisory to TV channels over ‘distasteful’ content, directs them to strictly follow broadcast laws

• The Central govt on Mon ridiculed the channels in the country for airing “distasteful” and “heart-wrenching” content and directed them to strictly follow broadcast laws.
• The Ministry said reporting of accidents, deaths, and violence including violence against women, kids, and the elderly grossly compromises “good taste and decency”.
• The govt cited the coverage of cricketer Rishabh Pant’s car crash, the airing of distressing images of dead bodies, the thrashing of a 5-year-old boy, etc.
• It is noted that the channels are lifting content from social media and modulating that to make it compliant and consistent with the spirit of the Programme Code. (here)

India does not believe in hierarchical conception of world order: Rajnath Singh

• India’s national efforts towards ‘Make in India’ are neither isolationist nor are they just meant for the country alone, Def Min Singh said on Mon at a conclave of ambassadors.
• He also said that India does not believe in a hierarchical conception of a world order where a few countries are considered superior to others.
• “We do not believe in making or becoming a client or satellite state, and so, when we partner with any nation, it is based on sovereign equality and mutual respect,” he added.
• The minister said India’s self-reliance initiative is the beginning of a new paradigm of partnership with its partner countries. (here)

“Heard nothing…” Swiss Ambassador Ralf Heckner opens up on allegation of black money from India stashed in Switzerland

• Switzerland’s ambassador to India Ralf Heckner on Mon said he “almost heard nothing” on black money in the last two years of his tenure
• The matter was dealt with in a bilateral treaty between Switzerland and India using an automatic exchange of banking information between the two countries.
• The Swiss envoy said black money is “not an issue anymore.”
• “We had several batches of information exchanges between Switzerland and India. So the black money issue isn’t an issue anymore.”
• The Swiss govt, Heckner said, wants to see its financial sector shift more towards sustainability.
• Importantly, Heckner also confirmed that the Swiss head of state will visit India this summer, without divulging the exact itinerary. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Nepal: Ruling parties commit to bring back India-controlled Nepali territories

• The ruling alliance has promised to play an effective role to bring back territories Limpiyadhura, Kalapani, and Lipulek encroached on by India.
• As per the coalition’s common minimum program unveiled on Mon, the govt will try to bring back the territories.
• The govt will strengthen territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence, according to the common minimum program of the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led govt.
• But the document is silent on boundary issues with China.
• A fresh Nepal-India border dispute erupted after India 2019 released its new political map by including the disputed territories within Indian borders.
• The govt led by KP Sharma Oli sent two diplomatic notes to India, requesting talks and correction of the map.
• But New Delhi declined to sit for talks citing the Covid pandemic.
• After India’s repeated refusal to discuss the map, in May 2020, the then-Oli govt issued a new map of Nepal by incorporating the territory into Nepali boundaries.
• (Sources) the issue of boundary dispute and its amicable solution will be the top priority during the upcoming visit of PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal to India. (here)
• Dahal who is attempting for a whopping majority in the parliament has been attempting to ensure more votes in his favor and is also trying to woo the opposition to increase votes in favor.

[Is it only coincidence that the matter came a day later when the Chines envoy took his charge]

Pakistan exceeds target, raises more than $9bn for flood recovery

• Pakistan on Mon raised more than $9 billion at an international conference seeking support for its recovery from last year’s floods — a billion more than requested.
• The pledges came as the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan kicked off in Geneva.
• Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif co-hosted the conference along with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
• The purpose of the day-long moot — attended by heads of state and govt and other stakeholders — was to marshal international support to rehabilitation
• During the conference, PM sought $8bn from Pakistan’s international ‘partners’ over the next 3 years to rebuild the country as Guterres called for the massive support.
• Participants appeared to heed the PM’s call, with hundreds of millions of dollars promised even before the pledging part of the conference had begun.
• At the closing of the conference, Dy FM Hina Rabbani Khar said commitments totaled “more than $9bn”. (here)
• Fin Min meets IMF delegation in Geneva, reaffirms pledge to completing the program
• Discusses challenges to regional economies in the wake of climate change with IMF officials.
• France ready to back Pakistan in talks with creditors, said Macron

Pakistan set to dispatch 159 containers of ammunition to Ukraine

• ET (source)-Pakistan is planning to dispatch 159 containers of ammunition including projectiles and primers to Ukraine via a port in Poland second half of this month.
• A vessel named BBC Vesuvius will carry 155 mm projectiles, M4A2 propelling bag charges, M82 primers, and PDM fuses, said the people.
• Earlier, Pakistan played a critical role in the transfer of arms on behalf of the UK to Ukraine.
• In return, Pakistan may receive Ukrainian assistance to upgrade its Mi-17 helicopters.
• A Ukrainian firm engaged in manufacturing aircraft engines as well as industrial marine gas turbines is reportedly assisting in the upgradation of helicopters.
• Islamabad-based arms supplier DMI Associates is working in collaboration with defense firms in eastern Europe for transferring orders placed by the Keiv military.
• Pakistan had purchased more than 320 Ukrainian T-80UD tanks in service with a fully formed ecosystem for their upkeep, use, ammunition, and spare parts. (here)
• Meanwhile, the Kremlin on Mon said moves by France and other Western countries to supply Ukraine with weapons – including light tanks – would only make life more difficult for Ukrainians.

Balochistan sends SOS as it runs out of wheat

• Despite an SOS sent by the Balochistan govt a day earlier, no consignment of wheat reached the province on Sun.

• At a press conference on Sat night, Food Minister said that the food department had run out of its wheat stock and called for help from other provinces and the Centre.
• “We are facing a very serious crisis and need 600,000 bags of wheat on an emergency basis,” he said as he sent an SOS to the federal and provincial govts of Punjab and Sindh.
• The minister after his return from Islamabad was accompanied by Flour Mills Association president Badaruddin Kakar.
• “Islamabad, Punjab, and Sindh have refused to provide wheat,” he claimed. (here) [The videos that surfaced on social media explaining the condition of the state.]

Former AJK PM calls out ‘land grabbing’ in Gilgit-Baltistan

• The former PM of Azad J&K and PML-N leader Raja Farooq Haider has warned against land grabbing and has called for “restoration of the state subject rule” in the territory.
• “I want to ask the govt of Pakistan not to evict the people of GB from the Khalsa land they have been living on since the times of Dogra rule,” said a public meeting in Hajira, Poonch.
• The demand was in the context of mass demonstrations under the banner of the Awami Action Committee against electricity shortages, reduction in the wheat quota, taxation, and alleged land grabbing by the state. (here)
• AJK President Sultan Mehmood Chaudhary and PM Tanvir Ilyas discussed the need for AJK’s representation in the NA and special seats for Kashmiris across LoC in the AJK Assembly including effective representation of Non-Muslims. (Kashmir Dharti, Siasat)
• Kashmir National Students Federation has expressed solidarity with the GB Action Committee protest movement for many public problems in the province.
• AJK Chamber of Commerce has demanded the construction of Mirpur Dry Port for which 16 acres of land has already been allotted. (Siasat)

A reporter exposes China’s influence in Canada

• A news report dominated the headlines in Canada: Canadian intelligence had warned PM, Justin Trudeau, about a vast campaign of political interference by China.
• Canadian Intelligence had learned that Chinese consulate officials had covertly funded a network of at least 11 political candidates in federal elections in 2019, the report said.
• The operation had also targeted politicians and immigrant leaders seen as opponents of Beijing, subjecting them to surveillance, harassment, and attacks in the media.
• Trudeau responded with promises of action, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they were investigating the alleged foreign interference.
• The Chinese foreign ministry denied the allegations. (here)

90% of people in China province infected with Covid, says local health official

• Almost 90% of people in China’s 3^rd most populous province have now been infected, an official has said, as the country battles an unprecedented surge in cases.
• Kan Quancheng, director of the health commission for central Henan province, told a press conference that “as of January 6, 2023, the province’s Covid infection rate is 89%”.
• With a population of 99.4 million, the figures suggest about 88.5 million people in Henan may now have been infected.
• Visits to fever clinics peaked on Dec 19, Kan said, “after which it showed a continuous downward trend”.
• The opening of China’s borders on Sun was one of the last steps in the dismantling of the country’s zero-Covid regime, which began last month after historic protests.
• Covid cases are expected to soar further as the country celebrates the lunar new year later this month, with millions set to travel from big cities to visit vulnerable older relatives in the countryside. (here)