1. PM Modi inaugurates over 2000 railway infrastructure projects
2. India stops water flow of Ravi river to Pakistan: Report
3. UK professor deported over ‘anti-India line on Kashmir’
4. Sandeshkhali sex abuse row: West Bengal police arrest fact-finding panel members
5. Nepal’s external affairs minister visits Ram temple in Ayodhya

What Else

•  India, Germany In “secret talks” to arm Ukraine as Europe running out of time to supply Ammo: Der Spiegel
• 16 Arrested In Bengal Ram Navami Violence Case For “Conspiring Communal Attack”
• Gyanvapi case: Hindu prayers to continue in complex’s cellar after Allahabad HC rejects Muslim side’s plea
• Indian farmers observe ‘Quit WTO Day’, park tractors on roads causing traffic chaos
• Supreme Court asks Centre to ensure women get permanent commission in Coast Guard
• 2 Kashmiris taken by fraudulent recruitment companies forced to fight for Russian against Ukraine
• Pakistan: ECP to hold open hearing today on SIC’s plea for reserved seats in national, provincial assemblies
• PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz becomes 1st woman CM in Pakistan, calls it ‘victory of every woman’
• Pakistan mulling options to increase IMF bailout package $8 billion
• US commerce chief visiting China to meet officials and business leaders
• China’s top legislators weigh changes to state secrets law

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PM Modi inaugurates over 2000 railway infrastructure projects

• PM Modi on Mon inaugurated more than 2,000 projects dedicated to railways and laid the foundation stone for the re-development of 554 Railway stations under the Amrit Bharat Station Scheme via video conferencing.
• The projects are worth over Rs 41,000 crores.
• During his virtual address, PM Modi called the move a symbol of the work culture of ‘New India’.
• He also affirmed confidence in returning to the third term of the government.
• PM Modi laid the foundation stone for the redevelopment of 553 railway stations spread across 27 states and UT and the combined cost of all the projects is $2.29 million.
• These stations will act as “City Centres,” and will connect both sides of the city.
• Earlier in the day, the Indian PM also inaugurated Bharat Tex 2024, which is one of the largest-ever global textile events held in the country.
• At the inauguration, Union Minister Piyush Goyal also highlighted the growth of Bharat Mandapam in just 7 months. (here)

India stops water flow of Ravi river to Pakistan: Report

• The Shahpur-Kandi barrage, which is crucial for irrigation and hydropower generation, has faced numerous challenges over the past 3 decades.
• The foundation stone for the Project was laid by former PM P V Narasimha Rao in 1995, the project faced many hurdles from the beginning, due to the dispute between the govts of J&K and Punjab.
• In Dec 2018, the Central govt approved the project, and work was restarted on it.
• (source)-after the completion of the barrage, the process of stopping water at Shahpur began.
• As per the Indus Water Treaty, India has an exclusive right over the waters of the Ravi, Sutlej, and Beas rivers whereas Pakistan has full access to the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers.
• The completion of the project will not only irrigate land but also generate about 206 MW of electricity besides attracting tourists to the site.
• Punjab would be the major beneficiary of the power generated from this project (here)

UK professor deported over ‘anti-India line on Kashmir’

• UK academic Nitasha Kaul was deported upon arrival at Bengaluru airport based on a preventive lookout circular against her after Indian agencies flagged her consistent “pro-separatist ” and “anti-India” lines on Kashmir taken on various public for a.
• Kaul is an OCI card holder, which makes her eligible for lifelong visa-free travel to India.
• She was invited by the Karnataka govt in to participate at its 2-day ‘Constitution and National Unity Convention-2024’ on Feb 24 and 25.
• After deportation, Kaul claimed on X that the officers she spoke to attributed the denied entry to “orders from Delhi”.
• Confirming that the lookout circular was meant to prevent her from reiterating her “anti-India” views on Indian soil, a source hinted at the possibility of her also being ‘blacklisted’ on the same grounds. (here)
• Kaul had submitted written testimony to the US House of Reps committee a couple of months after the abrogation of Article 370, criticizing the GoI’s “undemocratic actions” while repeatedly referring to the region as India-administered Kashmir.

Sandeshkhali sex abuse row: West Bengal police arrest fact-finding panel members

• WB police on Sun arrested 6 members of an ‘independent’ fact-finding committee in Bhojerhat while they were headed to visit the Sandeshkhali region to meet residents.
• Following the arrest, the fact-finding team called on the Governor and expressed their strong protest against the illegal arrest and intimidation.
• Governor CV Ananda Bose asked for an immediate report from the state police chief.
• The panel was led by Justice Narsimha Reddy, Former CJ of Patna HC with 6 members.
• Earlier, WB Irrigation Minister Partha Bhowmick after an interaction with locals of Sandeshkhali said that not even a single woman raised the issue of assault. (here)
• TMC leaders tortured tribals, snatched MNREGA wages, reveals NCST probe: The National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) has found that TMC leader Sheikh Shahjahan tortured the tribals for voting against the party while his aides forcibly took MNREGA wages from the families.
• A 3-member panel led by NCST vice-CP conducted the investigation that led to the startling revelations.
• Nayak said the West Bengal Police allegedly “protected” Shahjahan and his accomplices from the heat emanating from the Sandeshkhali incident. (here)

Nepal’s external affairs minister visits Ram temple in Ayodhya

• Nepalese External Affairs Minister Narayan Prasad Saud visited the Ram temple in Ayodhya on Sun.
• Saud landed at the airport in Ayodhya by a chartered flight from Delhi on Sat visited the Hanumangarhi shrine and also took part in Saryu Aarti in the evening.
• He visited the temple to have a ‘darshan’ on Sun morning.
• Speaking to the media, he said, “The cultural relations between Janakpur and Ayodhya along with Pashu Patinath and Kashi Vishwanath are growing. The govt is focusing on increasing the cultural relations between the two countries.”
• After attending a special service prayer at the temple, he departed for Nepal by road. (here)

India, Germany In “secret talks” to arm Ukraine as Europe running out of time to supply Ammo: Der Spiegel

• In what could test India’s balancing act, Germany is reported to be in secret negotiations with the Indian govt to supply ammunition to Ukraine.
• This could put New Delhi in a tight spot as its ties with Moscow continue to flourish despite the global sanctions alienating Putin-led Russia.
• The report appeared in German magazine Der Spiegel and contended that as US military aid to Ukraine is blocked in Congress, the Europeans are racing against time to procure enough artillery ammunition for Kyiv.
• The govts of the EU are conducting searches all over the world for remaining stocks.
• Russian news outlet Pravada quoted the magazine report saying that at an informal meeting of EU diplomats and servants in Berlin, the proposal was put forward as they brainstormed how to bolster Ukrainian ammunition stockpiles. (here)

16 Arrested In Bengal Ram Navami Violence Case For “Conspiring Communal Attack”

• The National Investigation Agency has arrested 16 persons for “conspiring and carrying out a communal attack” during a Ram Navami procession in West Bengal last year
• The arrests have been made based on revelations that came to light during the probe, and the identification of the accused from video footage of the violence seized in the course of the investigations, a spokesperson of the federal agency said.
• The incident took place on Mar 30 last year during a procession to celebrate Ram Navami in Dalkhola in Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal.
• The state police had initially registered a case against 162 people in the wake of the communal violence triggered by the attack at Tajamul Chawk, Uttar Dalkhola. (here)

Gyanvapi case: Hindu prayers to continue in complex’s cellar after Allahabad HC rejects Muslim side’s plea

• The Allahabad High Court on Mon dismissed the Muslim side’s plea challenging a court order permitting Hindu parties to continue offering prayers in the ‘Vyas Tehkhana’ (cellar) of the Gyanvapi mosque in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi.
• Justice RR Agrawal pronounced the verdict 11 days after reserving judgment on the matter.
• The appeal before the HC was filed by Anjuman Intezamia Mosque Committee on Feb 1.
• The committee highlighted that the Vyas Tehkhana was under their possession as being a part of the mosque premises and that the Vyas family or anyone else did not have the right to worship inside the cellar. (here)

Indian farmers observe ‘Quit WTO Day’, park tractors on roads causing traffic chaos

• Several farmer unions continued their agitation against the central govt on Mon, with the Samyukta Kisan Morcha observing a ‘Quit WTO Day’ from 12 noon to 3 pm IST.
• During these hours, farmers parked their tractors in the left lane on major national highways without obstructing the flow of traffic.
• Farmers in Punjab and Haryana states are demanding that the agriculture sector be excluded from the World Trade Organization agreement.
• The WTO mandates all member nations not to offer price guarantees to farmers beyond a certain limit to maintain a supply-demand balance.
• The agitation by farmers comes as the WTO’s 13^th ministerial conference began on Mon in Abu Dhabi, where Mins across the world will attend the 4-day meeting to review the WTO’s multilateral trading system as well as decide on the organization’s agenda.
• Candle march: Earlier, the farmers took out a candle march after the death of the farmer leader amid the agitation. (here)

Supreme Court asks Centre to ensure women get permanent commission in Coast Guard

• Indian Supreme Court on Mon directed the Centre to set up a fresh selection board to consider the issue of granting permanent commissions to women Coast Guard officers.
• The top court said that “women cannot be left out” and also warned the govt that “if you do not do it, we will.”
• SC was hearing a plea filed by a Coast Guard officer seeking a permanent commission for women officers joining the force under a short service commission. (here)

2 Kashmiris taken by fraudulent recruitment companies forced to fight for Russian against Ukraine

• Tragedy has fallen over a remote Indian village called Poshwan in S Kashmir’s Pulwama District after a family got the news that their son, Azad Yousuf Kumar, 31, had been injured in the Russia-Ukraine war.
• The family alleges that Azad has been forcibly taken to fight in the ongoing war.
• Yousuf Kumar, Azad’s father, has alleged that a YouTuber named “Baba Vlogs” which is operated by a consultant named Faisal Khan, based in Dubai lured his son.
• According to him, he was taken to the Middle East on the pretext of a job but ended up in Russia as a mercenary for the Russian army in Ukraine.
• J&K Students Association has met LG Manoj Sinha and written to the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. (here)

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Pakistan: ECP to hold open hearing today on SIC’s plea for reserved seats in national, provincial assemblies

• The Election Commission has decided to hold an open hearing on the Sunni Ittehad Council’s plea seeking allocation of the reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies on Tue.
• The decision was taken at a meeting of the commission held on Mon with Chief Election Com­m­i­ssioner Sikandar Sultan Raja in the chair.
• The ECP will also hold a hearing about the petition, filed by convener MQM-P, against the proposed allocation of seats to the SIC.
• Last week, Moulvi Iqbal Haider also filed a petition, seeking to ‘restrain the political party Sunni Ittehad Council being treated as a parliamentary party’.
• This petition along with other related petitions will also be taken up for hearing today.
• These include the plea of Mehmood Ahmad Khan seeking to get certified copies of a merger between the PTI and the SIC and the affidavits submitted in favor of the SIC by the PTI-supported members of national provincial assemblies. (here)

PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz becomes 1^st woman CM in Pakistan, calls it ‘victory of every woman’

• Maryam Nawaz, a senior leader of PML-N and the daughter of 3-time former PM Nawaz Sharif, on Mon, became the first-ever woman CM of a province in the country.
• Maryam, who was elected to head the Punjab province, called it an “honor” for every woman in the country.
• Her election to head the country’s most populous province also hints at her future as the post has long been a stepping stone to becoming the country’s PM.
• Maryam, the 50-year-old senior vice president of the PML-N party, took oath as the Punjab CM at a ceremony at the Governor House in the presence of her father Nawaz Sharif and uncle Shehbaz Sharif.
• The election was boycotted by the opposition Sunni Ittehad Council party backed by jailed former PM Imran Khan.
• She secured 220 votes in the 371-seat provincial assembly, the Punjab assembly speaker said as he announced the results. (here)

Pakistan mulling options to increase IMF bailout package $8 billion

• Pakistani authorities are mulling options to augment the upcoming IMF bailout package from $7.5 to $8 billion by applying for climate finance along with Extended Fund Facility (EFF).
• If the arrangement is finalized, Pakistan could increase the size of the program from $6 bn under EFF to $7.5 or $8 billion considering the specific quota available to Islamabad under Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).
• Sources – Pakistan had discussed the possibility of augmenting the size of the program while it was finalizing the ongoing Standby Arrangement (SBA) program in June 2023.
• However, the global lender did not entertain the Pakistani request at that time.
• This facility provides long-term financing to strengthen economic resilience and sustainability by (i) supporting policy reforms that reduce macro-critical risks associated with climate change and pandemic preparedness, and (ii) augmenting policy space and financial buffers to mitigate the risks arising from such longer-term structural challenges. (here)

US commerce chief visiting China to meet officials and business leaders

• The CEO of the US Chamber of Commerce, Suzanne Clark, is leading a delegation of former US government officials to Beijing this week, the group said.
• The group will meet senior Chinese government officials and local business leaders, as well as American business executives and foreign diplomats, the leading group representing business interests in the United States.
• The visit comes as the US and China gradually resume engagements after the two economic superpowers’ most tense relations in years, at loggerheads over the future of the self-ruled island of Taiwan, territorial claims in the SCS, and trade policies.
• Beijing sees Taiwan as part of China to be reunited by force if necessary.
• Most countries, including the US, do not recognize Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take the self-governed island by force and is committed to supplying it with weapons. (here)

China’s top legislators weigh changes to state secrets law

• China’s top legislature has started a second reading of changes to the state secrets law, with even more restrictions included in the draft.
• The full text of the draft has not been made public, but official media reports suggest it proposes greater restrictions on matters considered by the authorities to be state secrets.
• State broadcaster CCTV said the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress began reviewing the amendments on Mon.
• It was not immediately clear when the amendments would be approved or come into effect.
• This is the first time the law has been revised in more than a decade and the second since its introduction in 1988. (here)