1. Election 2024: BJP claimed survey not good about me, Says miffed MP Nishad who joined Congress
2. 13 Maoists killed in 8-hour-long encounter in Chhattisgarh
3. Delhi High Court to hear Arvind Kejriwal’s bail plea on Wed
4. 48 hours & counting: 40 cyber frauds land in net as police step up Nuh op
5. Security forces recover arms, ammunition in Manipur

What Else

• Sri Lankan media hit out at Modi’s Katchatheevu remarks
• World Bank projects India’s growth to reach 7.5% in FY 23-24
• 54 MPs including Ex-PM Manmohan Singh, 9 Ministers Retiring from Rajya Sabha
• ED initiates probe into cash-for-query case involving Mahua Moitra, Darshan Hiranandani
• Traffic Curbs on 3.5 km of Agra-Lucknow X-way from Apr 2-11 due to IAF Gagan Shakti exercise
• Xi, Biden in first phone call since 2022, make progress for China-US relations with ‘candid’ exchange of views
• China: Foreign direct investment into plummets to 23-year low
• China Topples US As SE Asia’s Favored Partner, Survey Shows
• Pakistan: PM Shehbaz seeks five-year plan to double exports
• Nepal: Cannot accept Bimstec to replace Saarc, says Minister Shrestha

——————-

Election 2024: BJP claimed survey not good about me, Says miffed MP Nishad who joined Congress

• The political mercury is continuously rising with the upcoming LS Election 2024 set to be held in 7 phases between Apr 19 and Jun 1.
• Both the BJP-led NDA and the Opposition INDIA bloc have started campaigning.
• PM Modi on Tue kick-started his campaign for Uttarakhand from Rudrapur, Union Minister Amit Shah attended the Shakti Kendra Pramukh Sammelan in Bengaluru.
• PM Modi in Rudrapur slammed the Congress party over corruption and said while “we say ‘Bhrashtachaar hatao’, they say ‘Bhrashtachaari ko bachao’”.
• MP Ajay Nishad Reveals Reason Behind Switching to Congress: “I always worked as per the party. They (BJP) said that the survey was not good about me. The party leaders (of Congress Party) will decide this and I am ready (to contest elections),” Nishad said.
• Congress Wants to Push India Towards Anarchy & Instability, Says PM Modi.
• Karnataka Deputy CM Wishes Luck to Amit Shah: On Shah to hold roadshow in Karnataka’s Channapatna today, Deputy CM and Congress leader DK Shivakumar said, “We welcome all opponents in politics. It will be a flop. I wish them all the best.”
• PM Modi in Addresses Rally in Rudrapur: “I am unable to recognize, whether this is an election rally or Vijay Rally,” PM Modi said, adding, “You know Modi ki Guarantee means Guarantee will be fulfilled. In the third term, my target is that you get 24 hours of electricity.”
• MP Ajay Nishad Joins Congress: Sitting Lok Sabha MP Ajay Nishad joined Congress, shortly after resigning from the BJP.
• NCP-SCP’s 40 Star Campaigners: Shard Pawar, Supriya Sule, Jayant Patil, Anil Deshmukh, Jitendra Awhad, and Rohit Pawar among them.
• Rahul Gandhi to file nomination from Wayanad today (Wed)
• Arun Govil Files Nomination: Veteran actor Arun Govil filed his nomination as the BJP candidate from Meerut.
• ECI Team Holds Meeting with Haryana officials: A team of the Election Commission of India (ECI) held a meeting with the senior officials of the Haryana govt to review the election arrangements for Lok Sabha polls in the state.
• The 5-member team was led by Deputy Chief Election Commissioner Hirdesh Kumar.
• BJP’s Tamilisai Soundararajan Begins Campaigning: South Chennai Tamil Nadu: “People are assuring me that they will vote for us.
• Manik Saha Campaigns in Khowai: Tripura CM and BJP leader Manik Saha campaigns in Khowai ahead of Lok Sabha elections.
• EC Serves Notice to Karnataka CM’s Son: The EC has served notice to Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah’s son Yathindra over the statement against Shah.
• The notice was issued by the Chamarajanagar EC office.
• Yathindra Siddaramaiah has been asked to reply to the notice.
• ‘Y’ Security to BJP’s Sushil Kumar Rinku and Sheetal Angura in Punjab: Centre provides ‘Y’ category security cover to recently joined BJP leaders from Punjab Sushil Kumar Rinku and Sheetal Angural, only in Punjab.
• Kerala CM Calls Rahul Gandhi’s Wayanad Fight Inappropriate: Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan slammed Rahul Gandhi for contesting the Wayanad Lok Sabha seat against his CPI candidate, a part of the INDIA bloc. (here)

13 Maoists killed in 8-hour-long encounter in Chhattisgarh

• The death toll of Maoists killed in an 8-hour-long security encounter in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur has increased to 13 after personnel recovered three more bodies on Wed
• The encounter broke out at about 6 am on Tue when a joint team of security personnel was conducting an anti-Naxal operation at a forest in Lenda village.
• It has been deemed as one of the biggest security operations in recent years. (here)

Delhi High Court to hear Arvind Kejriwal’s bail plea on Wed

• The Delhi HC will hear on Wed Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal’s petition challenging his arrest by the ED in a money laundering in to the now-scrapped Delhi liquor policy.
• The ED, in response to Kejriwal’s petition, submitted a reply on Tue claiming that the AAP supremo was the “kingpin of the liquor policy scam” and a “key conspirator” guilty of the offense of money laundering.
• The ED claimed that Kejriwal was directly involved in the formulation of the Excise Policy 2021-22 and colluded with ministers of the Delhi govt, AAP leaders, and favors to be granted to the South Group.  (here)
• Apple refuses ED’s ‘informal’ request to unlock Kejriwal’s iPhone: US-based tech giant Apple has refused to unlock the iPhone of Kejriwal because the data can only be accessed with a password set by the device owner.
• (source)- the ED had approached Apple “informally” requesting to access Kejriwal’s phone as part of the investigation into the excise policy scam but was refused.
• On the night of his arrest, the CM had reportedly switched off his iPhone and refused to share the password.
• Kejriwal said that by accessing his mobile phone data and chats, the ED would be privy to details of AAP’s “election strategy” and alliances.
• The ED has told the court that the Delhi chief minister has been giving “evasive replies” in 5 statements, recorded each day, between Mar 23 to 27. (here)
• AAP leader Sanjay Singh likely to visit Kejriwal’s residence after release: Singh, who was granted bail by the SC in the excise policy case on Tue, will be released from jail.
• The SC’s decision came after the ED said that it had “no objection” to Singh’s bail.
• As many as 55 AAP MLAs went to meet Kejriwal’s wife, Sunita, at his residence.
• They told her that he should not resign from the CM’s post under any circumstances, adding that they all stand by him.
• Sunita spoke to Kejriwal via video conferencing on Tue. (here)

48 hours & counting: 40 cyber frauds land in net as police step up Nuh op

• A total of 40 youths were arrested from various parts of Nuh in the last 48 hours in connection with many cases of cyber fraud registered across the country.
• Till late on Sun evening, raids were still being carried out in the district, police said.
• This is the biggest crackdown on cyber cons since the arrest of 66 youths in an operation by around 5,000 cops on 14 villages in April last year.
• Officers said the latest arrests were carried out with the help of the Integrated Cyber Crime Coordination Centre’s (i4C) ‘Pratibimb’ app, which flags the real-time phone location of a fraudster.
• The state police chief said Pratibimb gave the cops information about the location of 594 cyber frauds from across the state.
• Of them, 101 (18%) were found to be around Nuh and the bordering Alwar, Rajasthan.
• The live location of the accused and their phone numbers were shared with local police and the cybercrime coordination center in Panchkula. (here)

Security forces recover arms, ammunition in Manipur

• Security forces have recovered huge arms and ammunition in Manipur’s Bishnupur district, officials said on Tue.
• The Manipur Police, in a joint operation with Assam Rifles, launched a joint search operation on Sun and recovered one 7.65 mm pistol, 10 grenades, one Kenwood radio set, and one medical kit from an underground hideout. (here)

Sri Lankan media hit out at Modi’s Katchatheevu remarks

• The Sri Lankan govt is yet to comment on the recent remarks by PM Modi and EAM S. Jaishankar on Katchatheevu, but the island nation’s media took a critical view of the development, while fishermen’s associations urged Sri Lankan authorities to take up the issue of bottom trawling more vocally with the Indian govt.
• Daily Mirror: “Sadly, even the seemingly unflappable Indian External Affairs Minister – Jaishankar – has dropped all pretense of statesmanship and has joined hands with his premier to rouse communal feelings [?] in the hope of gaining a few votes in TN.”
• “Lanka desires to be left to its own devices away from India’s internal politics,” it said.
• The editorial was responding to Mr. Modi’s claim — and Dr. Jaishankar’s subsequent media statement which sought to back it — that the Congress party “callously gave away” Katchatheevu to Sri Lanka.
• In its editorial titled ‘Katchatheevu was not India’s to ‘give away’’, the DFT termed their remarks “a distortion of the facts, a dog whistle to South Indian nationalism and a dangerous and unnecessary provocation of a friendly neighbor that could have serious repercussions”. (here)
• [Important is not what local media says, but ‘The Hindu’ post this story]

World Bank projects India’s growth to reach 7.5% in FY 23-24

• The World Bank has said that growth in South Asia is expected to be strong at 6.0% in 2024, driven mainly by robust growth in India.
• According to Jobs for Resilience, the latest SADU released on Tue, in India, which accounts for the bulk of the region’s economy, output growth is expected to reach 7.5% in FY23-24 before returning to 6.6% over the medium term
• The report says persistent structural challenges threaten to undermine sustained growth, hindering the region’s ability to create jobs and respond to climate shocks.
• The report also projects a mild recovery in the Pakistan economy with growth projected at 2.3% in FY24-25, while in Sri Lanka output growth is expected to increase to 2.5% in 2025, with recoveries in reserves, remittances, and tourism.
• In Bangladesh, output is expected to rise by 5.7% in FY24/25, with high inflation and restrictions on trade and foreign exchange constraining economic activity.
• Earlier on Mar 27, Morgan Stanley revised its India GDP growth forecast upwards for the FY25 to 6.8%, up from its previous estimate of 6.5%.
• The firm also revised its growth forecast for the ongoing FY24, to 7.9%  (here)

54 MPs including Ex-PM Manmohan Singh, 9 Ministers Retiring from Rajya Sabha

• As many as 54 members of the Rajya Sabha including former PM Manmohan Singh and 9 union ministers are set to retire on Tue and Wed with some not returning.
• Former PM Singh ends his 33-year-long parliamentary innings in the RS on Wed, just as former party chief Sonia Gandhi will enter the RS for the first time.
• Singh, who is known for ushering in several bold reforms in the economy, became a member of the House for the first time in Oct 1991.
• He was the finance minister in the Narasimha Rao govt from 1991 to 1996 and the PM from 2004 to 2014.
• Sonia Gandhi will enter for the first time from Rajasthan, filling the seat that will fall vacant after 91-year-old Singh completes his tenure on April 3.
• All these ministers, except Vaishnaw, are contesting the LS elections and have not been given another term in the Upper House. (here)

ED initiates probe into cash-for-query case involving Mahua Moitra, Darshan Hiranandani

• The ED has initiated a probe against TMC leader Mahua Moitra and Dubai-based businessman Darshan Hiranandani in connection with the cash-for-query allegations.
• The ED action is based on an FIR registered by the CBI against the former Lok Sabha member and Hiranandani, following a directive from the Lokpal.
• Earlier, the CBI had submitted a preliminary inquiry report before the Lokpal on its findings related to the charges.
• Allegation– Moitra had shared her LS login credentials for the LS “Member’s Portal” with Hiranandani, who posted questions in her name, while she was traveling abroad.
• Based on the report, the Lokpal said the first charge is prima facie substantiated. (here)

Traffic Curbs on 3.5 km of Agra-Lucknow X-way from Apr 2-11 due to IAF Gagan Shakti exercise

• Traffic will be diverted to service roads due to the Indian Air Force’s Gagan Shakti exercise—3^rd since 20216 — on the stretch between Bangarmau and Unnao.
• The expressway will be barricaded on both sides to facilitate the landing of fighter aircraft like Jaguar, Sukhoi, and Mirage-2000 during the military exercise.
• The preparations will be done from Apr 2 – 5 and it will include cleaning the airstrip area with water, followed by dust removal by pressure machine and marking. (here)

 [Neighborhood]

Xi, Biden in first phone call since 2022, make progress for China-US relations with ‘candid’ exchange of views

• President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Joe Biden spoke by phone on Tue, as the two sought to make headway in their limited areas of aligned interests
• “The two heads of state had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on Sino-US relations and issues of common concern to both sides,” Xinhua reported.
• However, it added that Xi criticized the Biden admin’s “endless stream of efforts” to block the transfer of advanced technology to China.
• A WH read-out said the leaders “reviewed and encouraged progress on key issues discussed at [their Nov summit], including counter-narcotics cooperation, ongoing military-to-military communication, talks to address AI-related risks, and continuing efforts on climate change and people-to-people exchanges”.
• Biden is freezing out China’s tech industry
• Ahead of the call, a senior WH official said Secy of State Blinken was scheduling a trip to China in coming weeks and Treasury Secy Janet Yellen was also visiting this month.
• The two sides were also expecting a call between top military officials “soon” (here)

China: Foreign direct investment into plummets to 23-year low

• NET foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Chinese mainland plummeted to a 23-year low last year, govt data showed on Fri.
• The $42.7 billion inflow is less than a quarter of that seen in 2022.
• The latest result was revised up from the $33 billion preliminary number published by the State Administration of Foreign Exchange (Safe) last month.
• The net FDI, measured through China’s capital and financial accounts, reflects financial flows into and out of the connected overseas-owned entities and is used for investment in assets such as manufacturing and real estate.
• A different gauge of overseas investment releases by the Ministry of Commerce shows that total utilized FDI in China tumbled 8% to $205.9 billion in 2023.
• The overseas entities’ securities investment in the mainland amounted to a net inflow of US$14.1 billion last year, reversing a net outflow of $109 billion in 2022.
• Chinese bonds recorded a net inflow of US$6.6 billion last year, reversing a net outflow of $147.4 billion the previous year. (here)

China Topples US As SE Asia’s Favored Partner, Survey Shows

• China has dethroned the US to become the top alignment choice for SE Asians as the US loses ground on a range of key issues from regional economic engagement to the Israel-Hamas War, according to a “new survey”.
• A survey by the ISEAS-YII on Tue shows China’s popularity in a head-to-head race with the US climbing from 38.9% last year to 50.5% in 2024.
• Among individual nations, Beijing garnered some 3 out of 4 votes in Muslim-majority Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei.
• SE Asian nations have largely embraced the US as a necessary security presence as the Biden admin ramps up military-to-military cooperation to counter Bejing.
• But the region also counts on China as a key financier and trading partner at a time when regional leaders seek new investments to bolster their economies.
• While sentiments have broadly shifted towards China, tensions in the South China Sea were the 2^nd-biggest geopolitical concern in the latest study.
• Washington still commands majority support from the Philippines at 83.3% and Vietnam at 79%, which are at the forefront of the territorial disputes with Beijing (here)

Pakistan: PM Shehbaz seeks five-year plan to double exports

• In a move aimed at revitalizing the economy, PM Shehbaz Sharif has called for the creation of a comprehensive 5-year strategy to double the country’s exports.
• The ambitious initiative seeks to empower exporters through maximum facilities, leveraging the insights of successful entrepreneurs and key stakeholders.
• The meeting was attended by ministers Jam Kamal, Rana Tanveer Hussain, and prominent e-commerce entrepreneurs like Utopia Deals CEO Jabran Niaz, Zeeshan Shah, Salman Ahmed and other relevant officials, the PM Office said in a statement.
• During the meeting, the PM issued directives for facilitating exporters in the e-commerce sector who are exporting the country’s products to the world and are promoting the “Made in Pakistan” brand. (here)

Nepal: Cannot accept Bimstec to replace Saarc, says Minister Shrestha

• Deputy PM and FM Narayan Kaji Shrestha has said Nepal will not accept the BIMSTEC to replace the other regional organization, the SAARC.
• Nepal is a member of both regional bodies though both were unable to hold its summit in 2016 due to a long-standing rivalry between India and Pakistan.
• No summit of the grouping has been held since 2014 and Nepal continues to hold its chair.
• Kathmandu hosts the SAARC secretariat while the BIMSTEC secretariat is in Dhaka.
• “We do not agree on activating the BIMSTEC at the cost of  SAARC becoming passive and ineffective,” said Shrestha on Tue, discussing the SAARC charter that has been tabled in the House of Representatives for adoption.
• The House of Representatives later approved the charter adopted in 2022 by the 5^th BIMSTEC summit in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
• BIMSTEC- Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation-
• SAARC-South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
• Raghuji Pant of the CPN-UML accused India of deactivating Saarc. As per its wish to exclude Pakistan, Bimstec was established, he said.
• Pant alleged that Bimstec was born out of India’s divisive interest as its core objective is to isolate Pakistan. (here)