1. PM Modi inaugurates new ITPO complex ‘Bharat Mandapam’ in Delhi
2. Lok Sabha Speaker accepts no-confidence motion against government moved by Opposition
3. Manipur Violence: All MPs of I.N.D.I.A. to wear ‘black’ color clothes on Tue in Parliament as mark of protest
4. Troops will cross LoC if need rises to maintain India’s honor, says Defence Minister
5. PM Modi urges Sri Lanka President to implement 13th Amendment

What Else

6. China’s Wang Yi calls on Global South to make voice heard in changing world order
7. India developing its own 400 km class Long-Range, Surface-to-Air Missile air defense system
8. NIA arrests jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi key aide Vikramjeet on deportation from UAE
9. Headache for Army schools: Pak intel operatives posing as Teachers
10. Former UK PM Tony Blair calls on Odisha CM, discusses economic growth of state
11. Centre seeks extension of ED director tenure because of ongoing FATF Review
12. 29,295 vacancies filled in J-K after abrogation of Article 370: Centre tells Rajya Sabha
13. Pakistan: Election Act amended to grant additional powers to interim set-up
14. Pakistan: Bilawal discusses grain deal with Russian FM
15. Pakistan: More than 15000 underaged children working in worst Forms of s working condition-APLF

PM Narendra Modi inaugurates new ITPO complex ‘Bharat Mandapam’ in Delhi

• PM Modi on Wed inaugurated newly constructed the International Exhibition-cum-Convention Centre complex ‘Bharat Mandapam’ in New Delhi.
• Before the inauguration, PM Modi earlier in the morning participated in a Havan and Puja ceremony.
• Prime dedicated the IECC complex to the nation which has been developed at a cost of about Rs 2,700 crore. (here)
• PM Modi on Wed assured that during the third term of BJP-led NDA India will be among the top 3 economies in the world.
• “…. but in my third term, India will be among the top 3 economies in the world…Yeh Modi ki guarantee hai,” said PM Modi during the inauguration (here)

Lok Sabha Speaker accepts no-confidence motion against government moved by Opposition

• Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wed accepted the no-confidence motion against the govt moved by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on behalf of opposition parties of I.N.D.I.A.
• He admitted the motion and said the time of the debate will be decided later.
• The House resumed its normal functioning after the acceptance of the motion.
• Opposition members expressed their opinion on the bills being introduced by the govt.
• The 2 Houses have seen repeated adjournments since the commencement of the monsoon session of Parliament on Jul 20.
• Opposition MPs said that they know the numbers are in favor of the govt but the no-confidence motion is a way to seek a reply from PM Modi on various issues including the violence in Manipur. (here)

Manipur Violence: All MPs of I.N.D.I.A. to wear ‘black’ color clothes on Tue in Parliament as mark of protest

• This was about Manipur’s fight for justice: Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Wed said that “this was about Manipur’s fight for justice” after filing a no-confidence motion
• He said that the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance is aware of its numbers in the Lok Sabha.
• The parliamentarian from a northeast state was speaking after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accepted the no-confidence, filed by him. (here)
• Locals protest the deployment of para commandos in villages: The nearby Meitei villages on Tue staged a sit-in protest at Chandrakhong condemning the deployment of para commandos in Tangkhul Khullen village from Mon midnight.
• Protestors said that the villagers in the foothills have started taking refuge in safe places due to the deployment of para commandos by the govt without any prior notice. (here)
• Minor Identity: NCPCR seeks FIR against 3: The Commission for Protection of Child Rights, in a letter to the DGP, has sought to register an FIR against 3 people, including CPI (M) leader Subhashini Ali, for allegedly disclosing the identity of a minor. (here)
• RS MPs from NE urge chairman for short discussion: The members of Rajya Sabha from the Northeast called on Chairman, Jagdeep Dhankar on Wed and urged for a short-duration discussion on Manipur. (here)
• Amid internet ban, Kukis publish own newspaper to keep tribe updated: In the wake of a partial internet shutdown imposed by the govt, the residents of the state are facing a significant information and communication gap.
• While broadband services have been allowed to function, mobile data internet services remain suspended, leaving the authorities and the public disconnected.
• In the hills of Manipur, the Kuki tribe came up with an innovative solution to reach out to their community amidst the communication restrictions. (here)

Troops will cross LoC if need rises to maintain India’s honor, says Defence Minister

• Rajnath Singh on Wed said the Indian soldiers are protecting the country’s borders with all might and a sense of responsibility; hence no one will summon up the courage to look at it with an evil eye.
• He also said that the Indian soldiers will not hesitate in crossing the Line of Control if the need arises to maintain the country’s honor.
• “At the time of the Kargil War, if we did not cross the LoC, it did not mean that we could not cross the LoC,” he said while addressing the Army jawans at Drass.
• Earlier, Singh laid a wreath at the Kargil War Memorial in the peripheries of the Ladakhi town and paid tribute to soldiers who lost their lives in the 1999 Kargil War.
• He asserted, “I believe that the public has to be mentally prepared ….every Indian should always be ready to play the role of a soldier“. (here)
• Condemning Singh’s remarks in a press release issued later in the day, Pakistan’s FO said India’s “belligerent rhetoric is a threat to the regional peace and stability and contributes to destabilizing the strategic environment in South Asia”. (here)

China’s Wang Yi calls on Global South to make voice heard in changing world order

• China’s top diplomat Wang Yi has called on the Global South to “expand their voice” in changing world order, and “support each other on issues of mutual core interests and major concerns”.
• “[The Global South] needs to be united and cooperative, advocate the principle of common cause and shared responsibility … [and] support the United Nations in playing an active role in international affairs,” Wang told a BRICS meeting in Johannesburg on Tue, using the collective term for developing countries and emerging economies.
• The call from Wang came as Beijing named him as FM in place of Qin Gang, who took on the role in Dec but has not been seen in public for more than a month.
• Qin had succeeded Wang, who had held the post since 2013.
• “[We] should oppose hegemony and power politics,” Wang said, which was attended by national security officials from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa.
• China is a “natural member” of the Global South and “will always be a member of the developing world family”, Wang said, in a clear reference to persistent US efforts to have the world’s No 2 economy placed on the developing countries list. (here)

PM Modi urges Sri Lanka President to implement 13^th Amendment

• Sri Lanka President Ranil Wickremesinghe held an all-party meeting on Wed to discuss the issue of Tamil reconciliation and welfare.
• This comes days after he visits India, during which PM Modi conveyed to him the need to “ensure a life of dignity” for the Tamil community in the island nation.
• PM Modi also expressed the hope that Wickremesinghe would be committed to implementing the 13^th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s constitution — which flows from the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987 — and holding provincial council elections.
• Last week, Wickremesinghe had said the 13^th Amendment would be implemented, subject to agreement among political parties in Parliament.
• At the meeting, he said all political parties must join talks to reach a consensus, “as the full implementation of 13A was crucial for the entire country”, reported PTI. (here)

India developing its own 400 km class Long-Range, Surface-to-Air Missile air defense system

• India is indigenously developing a 3-layered long-range surface-to-air missile defense system, which would be able to strike aircraft and missiles at around 400 Km ranges.
• The proposal for developing the LRSAM system is at an advanced stage in the Defence Ministry and is expected to be taken up for clearance soon.
• The over $2.5 billion project will help India to be part of an elite group of militaries with indigenous capabilities to shoot down enemy assets in the air from such ranges.
• The SAM system development work has been taking place as India worked with Israel to develop the medium-range SAM which can hit aerial targets at 70 plus km.
• The system would be very capable and would certainly be in the class of the S-400 air defense system already acquired from Russia and deployed along the border. (here)

NIA arrests jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi key aide Vikramjeet on deportation from UAE

• The National Investigation Agency has arrested notorious jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s key aide Vikramjeet Singh, after his deportation from UAE on Wed.
• Brar, involved in the sensational killing of famous Punjabi Singer Sidhu Moosewala, was arrested on Tue immediately after his deportation from UAE.
• Brar was involved in cases of smuggling of weapons and extortion in India with the help of dreaded gangsters Goldy Brar and others besides targeted killings of innocent.
• Absconding since 2020, Brar was wanted in at least 11 cases of murder, attempt to murder, and extortion under various sections of IPC as well as the Arms Act. (here)

Headache for Army schools: Pak intel operatives posing as Teachers

• Pak intel operatives contacting students and seeking their details has emerged as a new headache for Army schools in J&K as well as outside the UT, with the society that manages the schools taking cognizance of the problem
• Authorities have advised teaching staff to spread awareness among students and delete existing school groups on WhatsApp in case they have been compromised.
• The AWES has flagged in an advisory that “students have been receiving calls and WhatsApp messages” from 2 mobile numbers in particular. (here)

Former UK PM Tony Blair calls on Odisha CM, discusses economic growth of state

• Former PM of the UK Tony Blair met Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik on Wed at the latter’s residence, in Bhubaneshwar.
• The two discussed the economic development and growth of Odisha and the future perspectives.
• The state Govt has inked an MoU with the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change on Jul 21, 2023.
• TBI will provide free policy support and assistance in developing a comprehensive economic strategy for Odisha for 24 months. (here)

Centre seeks extension of ED director tenure because of ongoing FATF Review

• The Centre on Wed urged the Supreme Court to extend the tenure of Enforcement Directorate Director Sanjay Kumar Mishra till Oct 15, given the ongoing FATF review.
• The Centre said that the FATF Review is at a critical stage where submissions on efficiency have been made on Jul 21, 2023, and an on-site visit to be conducted in Nov.
• The Centre said that any transition in leadership would significantly impair the ability of the agency to provide necessary assistance and cooperation. (here)

29,295 vacancies filled in J-K after abrogation of Article 370: Centre tells Rajya Sabha

• A total of 29,295 vacancies were filled in J&K since the abrogation of Article 370 in the erstwhile state, the Central told the Rajya Sabha on Wed.
• Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai shared the input in a written reply.
• Recruiting agencies have advertised 7,924 vacancies and examinations in respect of 2,504 vacancies have been conducted.
• He said that the identification of vacancies in the Government and recruitment is a continuous and ongoing process.
• He further said that several self-employment schemes like Mission Youth, Rural Livelihood Mission, Himayat, PMEGP, Avsar, and Tejaswani are being implemented for providing employment opportunities.
• However, from the PLFS conducted by the NSSO during Jul 2020-Jun 2021, an estimate of the unemployment rate among the age group 15-29 years for J&K was 18.3%. (here)

[NEIGHBORHOOD]

Pakistan: Election Act amended to grant additional powers to interim set-up

• A joint session of the Parliament on Wed passed amendments to the Election Act 2017, granting the caretaker govt powers to take action regarding existing bilateral or multilateral agreements and projects.
• The PML-N had on Sun announced that an amendment was being introduced to empower the interim setup to have powers similar to that of an elected govt.
• The amendment is among several others being proposed to the elections laws ahead of polls scheduled to take place later this year.
• However, objections were raised after which it was deferred for a day.
• Separately, PTI Senator Ali Zafar said that a caretaker govt could not replace an elected representative govt.
• “If the parliament doesn’t reject it today, the Supreme Court will strike it down in the next few days,” the PTI senator warned. (here)
• Amid growing concern and the lasting question mark on elections, the politicians from both parties were determined to reassure that the govt would uphold its international obligations. (here)

Pakistan: Bilawal discusses grain deal with Russian FM

• As part of continued diplomatic efforts to revive the Ukraine grain deal, FM Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wed spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.
• Bilawal has already spoken to the Turkish FM, the US secy of state, and the EU high representative on the revival of the Black Sea Grain Initiative that allowed Ukraine to export grain despite the conflict.
• It is pertinent to note that Russia had recently pulled out of the deal brokered by Turkiye and the UN in July last year.
• The Ukrainian FM, who visited Pakistan last week, requested Islamabad to play a role in reviving the deal and Bilawal has since then been in talks with relevant countries.
• A FO said that “The foreign minister also renewed the invitation to Foreign Minister Lavrov to visit Pakistan.”
• It maintained that the ministers also discussed the BSGI. (here)

Pakistan: More than 15000 underaged children working in worst Forms of s working condition-APLF 

• According to Lala Sultan, President of the All-Pakistan Labor Federation, more than 15,000 underage children in Balochistan are working in construction sites, coal mines, garbage collection, and vehicle garages.
• The dreams of these children have been crushed by poverty and they are living extremely horrible lives.
• The main reason for the increasing number of child laborers is acute poverty.
• Labor at an early age not only hurts the social, economic, and cultural development of society but also has a detrimental effect on children mentally, physically, and socially.
• More than 60% of the people in Balochistan are living below the poverty line.
• Balochistan is at the bottom not only in Pakistan but also in South Asia in health, education, and other sectors.
• Balochistan has the highest poverty rate compared to other parts of Pakistan which has 10% of the country’s population living in poverty. (Qudrat)