1. Election 2024: Congress to release manifesto ‘Paanch Nyay’ in focus
2. India strongly refutes reports of targeted killings in Pakistan, calls ‘false and malicious’
3. 3 terrorists including two Pakistanis, one Kashmiri arrested by UP ATS
4. India’s position on PoK not of one party but of whole nation: Jaishankar
5. India and China don’t agree on how much they trade with each other, and the gap is widening

What Else

• GST revenue surges to ₹1.78 Lakh crore in Mar, 2nd-highest collection ever
• ‘Contradiction between comments by minister, spox’: MEA on Pakistan looking to resume trade with India
• No issues encountered with oil payment from India: Russia foreign ministry
• Greek military chief Dimitris Houpis to visit India as defense ties strengthen
• NSA Ajit Doval holds talks with Iran’s Security official Ali Akbar Ahmadian in Kazakhstan
• Former militant Rattandeep Singh shot dead by unidentified gunmen
• GE Aerospace to invest $30 million in Indian facility making aircraft engine parts
• Indian Oil in talks with Nuclear Power Corp to build small reactors in its refineries
• Myanmar resistance group says its drones hit targets in the capital, but army says it shot them down
• Pakistan: Govt will probe letters laced with ‘suspicious powder’ received by judges: PM
• Pakistan rules out negotiations with TTP
• Pakistan: IMF to finalize release of final installment this month
• Indian government ordered killings in Pakistan, intelligence officials claim

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Election 2024: Congress to release manifesto ‘Paanch Nyay’ in focus

• The Congress will release its manifesto for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections on Fri, Apr 5, with its focus on the ‘Paanch Nyay or ’five pillars of justice’.
• Top leaders of the Congress, including party chief Mallikarjun Kharge and former party presidents Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, will reportedly release the manifesto.
• The Congress will lay emphasis on Paanch Nyay, including ‘Yuva Nyay’, ‘Naari Nyay’, ‘Kisaan Nyay’, ‘Shramik Nyay’ and ‘Hissedari Nyay’ as well as the guarantees made by it to the people as part of its election promises for Lok Sabha polls. (here)
• “What we did in last 10 years is just the trailer”: PM says plenty more to come: Hailing the governance of the BJP-led NDA over the last 10 years under his leadership, PM Modi on Thu said all that happened over the decade gone by was just a ‘trailer’ as a lot more would follow if he is elected for a third, straight term in office.
• Addressing a campaign rally in Jamui, PM Modi said, “Echoes in favour of the BJP and the NDA are not only renting the air across Bihar but also sounding in the far corners of the country.”
• This is the first election where Bihar’s proud son and Padma Bhushan recipient Ram Vilas Paswan ji is not among us.
• However, I am happy that my younger brother Chirag Paswan is carrying forward the ideas and vision of his father with absolute seriousness and devotion, he said. (here)
• TMC govt tried its best to protect accused in Sandeshkhali: PM Modi in West Bengal: PM Modi on Thu attacked the TMC govt in West Bengal, saying it tried its best to protect the accused in the Sandeshkhali incidents that rocked the state and asserted that only BJP can stop atrocities against women.
• Addressing a public rally in Cooch Behar to boost BJP prospects in the LS polls, PM said BJP has resolved to ensure punishment to the accused for the Sandeshkhali. (here)
• S Jaishankar joins Rajeev Chandrasekhar’s roadshow in Thiruvananthapuram: Among the key figures who filed their Lok Sabha election nominations on Thu include Union Minister Rajeev Chandrashekhar, who is contesting against Congress’s Shashi Tharoor.
• A mega roadshow held ahead of his nomination was attended by EAM S Jaishankar.
• Another top face in the BJP, Tejasvi Surya, filed his nomination from Bengaluru South.
• HD Kumaraswamy, former Karnataka CM and leader of BJP’s ally JDS, also filed his nomination from Mandya.
• A Raja slams PM for not visiting Nilgiris after Gen Rawat’s death: Criticising PM Modi for not visiting Nilgiris after the 2021 crash of the chopper carrying Gen Bipin Rawat, A Raja said Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin had immediately rushed to the crash site. (here)

India strongly refutes reports of targeted killings in Pakistan, calls ‘false and malicious’

• Ministry of External Affairs, in a strongly worded comment, denied the allegations of carrying out targeted killings of terrorists in Pakistan, as was reported by The Guardian.
• The ministry, reiterating its earlier statement, said that all the allegations were “false and malicious anti-India propaganda”.
• The ministry, quoting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, said that targeted killings in other countries were “not the government of India’s policy”.
• Report: The remarks of India’s ministry were part of the report, which claimed that New Delhi “has implemented a policy of targeting those it considers hostile to India”.
• India’s continuous rejection of ‘absurd’ claims made on global level: This is not the first time such ‘absurd’ claims have been made against India on a global level. (here)

3 terrorists including two Pakistanis, one Kashmiri arrested by UP ATS

• 3 terrorists including 2 hailing from Pakistan and one from the Kashmir valley have been arrested in UP after they crossed the border from Nepal and were on their way to J&K for subversive activities during elections.
• The terrorists reached Nepal from Pakistan with the help of Pak ISI and crossed into UP from the Gorakhpur border.
• They had to reach J&K to carry out terror attacks after getting weapons to be dropped through drones from across the border.
• Arrested terrorists, who were affiliated with HM, have been identified as Mohammad Altaf Bhat son of Khizar Bhat, a resident of Sadiqabad, Rawalpindi, and Syed Ghazanfar son of Syed Mohammad Syed R/o Taramani Chowk Irfanabad, Islamabad
• They were briefed by the Pakistani agencies that they would be delivered weapons by the Over Ground Workers (OGWs) of Hizbul Mujahideen for terror attacks.
• All three terrorists were trained in different camps of HM by the Pakistan army and ISI officers at certain secret locations in Pakistan.
• Altaf also told the ATS that he always wanted Kashmir to be a part of Pakistan. (here)

India’s position on PoK not of one party but of whole nation: Jaishankar

• Reaffirming India’s stand that PoK is an integral part of India, EAM S Jaishankar said that this is not just the BJP’s position but that of the whole country.
• He further said that the prime concern regarding Pakistan is that of terrorism, and if anything unruly happens, it will be given a firm response.
• On being asked about the relation with China, the Minister acknowledged that the relationship is challenging, but affirmed that India will compete competitively.
• Jaishankar also refuted any doubts regarding India’s relation with its neighbors, adding that there might be “forces” inside India and in the neighborhood “who want to create problems.” (here)
• Jaishankar rebuffs senior UN official’s ‘free and fair’ remark on elections in India: EAM on Thu dismissed remarks by a UN official over the upcoming Elections, saying that he does not need to hear from the world body over a “free and fair” elections process.
• This comes after a spox for the UN Secy-Gen stated that they “hope” that in India, people’s “political and civil rights” were protected and everyone can vote in a “free and fair” atmosphere.
• He said, “I don’t need the UN to tell me our elections should be free & fair. I have the people of India. The people of India will ensure that elections are free & fair. So, don’t worry about it.”
• During the interaction with the reporters, Jaishankar said that the UN official commented on the Indian elections in response to a “very loaded question”. (here)

India and China don’t agree on how much they trade with each other, and the gap is widening

• In May 2022, China disputed India’s claim that the US had surpassed Beijing as New Delhi’s largest trading partner in FY22.
• The Chinese FM claimed that the bilateral goods trade with India was far higher than the figures released by India’s commerce ministry.
• Two years on, the discrepancy continues to widen.
• At the time, in 2022, an analysis found that the disparity between the Chinese and Indian govt data on the total trade between the two countries was roughly $15 billion.
• While the Chinese FM said the disparity was “a result of different statistical measurement scales”, at that time there was no scope for “manipulation” of Indian figures, whereas the Chinese “operate in an opaque manner”.
• Meanwhile, US govt figures were very close to those provided by India.
• Discrepancies in only some goods: Looking at 96 commodity groups, the DGCIS found “no data variation”, either in COO or COC terms, for commodities such as live animals, cereals, meat, fish and seafood preparations, cocoa, and cocoa preparations.
• However, electrical and electronic equipment goods show a discrepancy as high as $12.44 bn. (here)

GST revenue surges to ₹1.78 Lakh crore in Mar, 2^nd-highest collection ever

• Gross Goods and Services Tax revenue for Mar 2024 stood at ₹1.78 lakh crore, marking the 2^nd-highest collection ever and reflecting a robust 11.5% year-on-year growth
• The ‘exceptional’ performance was primarily attributed to a significant 17.6% rise in GST collection from domestic transactions.
• Furthermore, GST revenue net of refunds for Mar 2024 surged to ₹1.65 lakh crore, representing a substantial 18.4% growth compared to the same period in the last year.
• The net revenue of GST after tax refunds for Mar 2024 is Rs 1.65 lakh crore, which is an 18.4% growth rate when compared to the same month last year.
• The total amount of GST revenue collected by the central govt in the current fiscal year is Rs 20.14 lakh crore, which is 11.7% more than the previous year. (here)

‘Contradiction between comments by minister, spox’: MEA on Pakistan looking to resume trade with India

• Reacting to the comments made by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister on resuming trade with India, the MEA said that there lies a contradiction between his comments and that of the Pakistan Foreign Ministry.
• MEA spox said, “…… Please have a look at those comments, you will see there is a contradiction between the two. That is where it is.”
• Earlier, Pak FM Ishaq Dar said that the relevant stakeholders would “seriously examine” the trade situation with India as he highlighted the concerns of the business community, [as we reported].
• “Pakistani businessmen want trade with India to resume,” he added.
• However, Dar’s comments were followed by a rather contradictory one by Pakistan FO, who said that Islamabad has no plan to resume trade relations with India which has been “non-existent”.
• “Pakistan-India trade relations have been non-existent since 2019,” FO said at a press briefing in Mar.
• “There is no change in Pakistan’s position on it.” (here) [Also reported]

No issues encountered with oil payment from India: Russia foreign ministry

• The Russian FM has said that deliveries of Russian oil to India are steadily high, with no payment issues encountered, the state-owned news agency TASS reported.
• The priority in payments “is given to national currencies,” FM’s spox highlighted.
• “This makes it possible not to depend on the so-called ‘rules of the game’ imposed by the Westerners when making banking transactions,” TASS quoted spox as saying.
• External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Feb this year reaffirmed India’s stance on buying Russian oil despite sanctions on Moscow amid military conflict with Ukraine.
• He said that India and Russia have always shared “stable and friendly ties” and Moscow has never hurt the interests of New Delhi. (here)
• US lauds India’s policy of ‘forcing’ Russia to sell oil at bigger discounts: Asstt Secy for Economic Policy of the US Dept of Treasury, Eric Van Nostrand on Thu hailed its country’s decision to implement a price cap on Russian oil after the latter invaded its neighboring Ukraine and said that the decision made Russia sell oil at discounted rates to other countries, including India. (here)

Greek military chief Dimitris Houpis to visit India as defense ties strengthen

• In a significant stride towards bolstering defense ties between Greece and India, Gen Dimitris Houpis, the Chief of the Greek Armed Forces, is set to visit India next week.
• This visit marks the first military-level exchange between the two nations following the elevation of their bilateral relations to a ‘Strategic Partnership’.
• The deepening of ties between Greece and India has been underscored by a series of high-profile engagements in recent times.
• Earlier this year, Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited India, closely following PM Modi’s trip to Greece last year, which was 1^st visit of an Indian PM in 4 decades.
• Military cooperation between the two countries has seen a notable upsurge, with collaborative efforts evident in various defense exercises.
•  Beyond military maneuvers, the two have found common ground on several issues, further cementing their diplomatic camaraderie. (here)

NSA Ajit Doval holds talks with Iran’s Security official Ali Akbar Ahmadian in Kazakhstan

• National Security Advisor Ajit Doval held discussions with the Secretary of Iran’s SNSC, Ali Akbar Ahmadian, in Kazakhstan on Tue.
• The security officials of both countries discussed cooperation between Tehran and New Delhi in the fields of security and economy, the Iranian Embassy in Delhi stated.
• During the meeting, “the two sides agreed that attacking diplomatic places should be costly for criminals,” the statement read.
• NSA Ajit Doval expressed condolences over the killing of Iranian advisors in an Israeli strike in Damascus.
• The Israeli regime attacked Iran’s consulate in the Syrian capital of Damascus on Mon.
• Doval held talks with his Kazakhstan counterpart Gizat Nurdauletov on Mon about deepening existing cooperation and launching initiatives in new and emerging areas on the sidelines of the SCO meeting in Astana. (here)

Former militant Rattandeep Singh shot dead by unidentified gunmen

• Former militant Rattandeep Singh was gunned down by unidentified bike-borne men near a dhaba in Punjab’s Nawanshahr on Wed night.
• The police are suspecting the role of gangster Gopi of Nawanshahr in the murder.
• Rattandeep Singh was considered close to deceased Khalistan Commando Force head Paramjit Singh Panjwar and once carried a bounty of Rs 10 lakh.
• Unidentified men had also murdered Panjwar in Pakistan last year.
• Rattandeep Singh had spent many years with Panjwar in Pakistan before he was arrested during his visit to India back in 2014.
• Rattandeep hailed from Rohar village in Haryana’s Jind and was staying in Karnal.
• According to the Punjab Police, Rattandeep went to Bangkok on May 4, 1992, after completing his matric exam. (here)

GE Aerospace to invest $30 million in Indian facility making aircraft engine parts

• American Firm GE Aerospace among the few aircraft engine makers in the world, has announced an investment of $30 million in their existing Indian facility in Pune Maha. 
• Inaugurated by PM Modi in Feb 2015, the GE Aerospace factory produces components for commercial jet engines.
• These are supplied to GE’s global factories where they are used to assemble aircraft engine variants -G90, GEnx, GE 9X, etc.
• The latest investment will allow the Pune facility to add new projects by acquiring machines, equipment, and specialized tools, along with capacity enhancement
• The facility has been instrumental in developing local aerospace talent having trained over 5k people since inception in specialized aerospace precision manufacturing. (here)

Indian Oil in talks with Nuclear Power Corp to build small reactors in its refineries

• State-run Indian Oil Corp. Ltd. is in preliminary talks with India’s atomic power monopoly to build small nuclear units, an early-stage technology seen as a cost-effective alternative to larger plants.
• The Corp is exploring a partnership with state-controlled Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd. to use small modular reactors, or SMRs, in its refineries for clean power
• As several bigger projects face delays, policymakers are promoting small-scale nuclear technology with a capacity of up to 300 MW, which is quicker to build and easier to adjust to the requirements of the grid.
• To boost the nascent sector, the Indian govt is considering allowing private firms to manage and operate reactors.
• Besides Indian Oil, state-run power producer NTPC Ltd. and hydrocarbons producer ONGC Ltd. are among the companies exploring opportunities in nuclear.
• India produces about 3-quarters of its electricity from coal, while nuclear accounts for about 3% of the generation. (here)
• Globally, only China and Russia have operating SMR units, while some other countries are preparing for their commissioning, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

[neighborhood]

Myanmar resistance group says its drones hit targets in the capital, but army says it shot them down

• Myanmar’s main pro-democracy resistance group said Thu its armed wing launched drone attacks on the airport and a military HQ in the capital, Naypyitaw, but the country’s ruling military said it destroyed the drones as they attacked.
• The opposition NUG’s “Def Ministry” stated that special units of the PDF (NUG) used drones to attack the targets simultaneously.
• The People’s Defense Force is made up of many local resistance groups with a good deal of independence.
• Although there was no immediate evidence of any damage caused by the attack
• NUG said there were reports of casualties.
• The military said it shot down seven drones and there were no reports of casualties.
• BBC’s Burmese-language service and Khit Thit, an online news service sympathetic to the resistance, said the airport was shut down for a while after the attacks. (here)

Pakistan: Govt will probe letters laced with ‘suspicious powder’ received by judges: PM

• PM Shehbaz Sharif on Thu said that the govt would launch a probe into letters laced with a “suspicious powder” received by the judges of the SC and the HCs in Islamabad and Lahore.
• On Tue, letters were delivered to all 8 IHC judges in white envelopes sealed by tape.
• The names of the judges and the address of the IHC were written on the envelopes.
• (sources)- the letters had carried a threatening sign and accused the judges of being responsible for problems faced by the people of Pakistan.
• The staff of two judges had opened the envelopes and found a suspicious powder inside.
• The matter was reported to the IHC registrar who summoned the police staff deputed for security of the HC, after which a case was registered under relevant Sections
• The letters were issued with the incomplete address of the sender, the FIR said.
• The letters while giving reference to Tehreek-i-Namoos Pakistan criticised the justice system, it said, adding that a particular photo and English word “Bacillus Anthracis” [incorrect way, even a Matric student knows] were included in the letters (here)

Pakistan rules out negotiations with TTP

• A day after a senior Taliban leader urged the banned TTP and Islamabad to sit together and negotiate for peace, the Foreign Office (FO) ruled out talks with the militant group.
• On Wed, Muhammad Nabi Omari, dy interior minister of the interim Taliban govt in Afghanistan, made the remarks at an Iftar gathering in the southeastern Khost town.
• “We ask the govt of Pakistan and advise the brothers (TTP) who are fighting with them to come together and talk,” he said.
• The minister, however, did not address the presence of TTP in Afghanistan.
• The Taliban have been privately urging Pakistan and the TTP to engage in direct negotiations to end a 2-decade-long conflict that has claimed thousands of lives and seen massive displacement of people in the tribal region straddling Afghanistan.
• But this is the 1^st time a senior Afghan Taliban figure has chosen to publicly speak on the issue, not only calling for direct meet, but also chiding the militant conglomerate.
• Attempts by the Afghan interim regime to “facilitate” talks between the two sides in the past have ended in deadlock, prompting Islamabad to accuse Kabul of providing sanctuary and urging it to take action against the militant organization. (here)

Pakistan: IMF to finalize release of final installment this month

• An official of the IMF said on Wed that the IMF board will finalize the release of its last tranche to Pakistan by the end of this month.
• In July 2023, the IMF’s executive board approved a nine-month, $3 billion Stand-By Arrangement for Pakistan to support the country’s economic stabilization program.
• On March 20, the IMF and Pakistan reached a staff-level agreement on the 2^nd and final review under the arrangement, subject to the approval of the IMF’s executive board.
• Upon approval, Pakistan will have access to around $1.1bn.
• Asked on Wed about the status of the Fund’s negotiations with Pakistan, IMF’s said the executive board will meet by the end of this month and finalize the release of its second and final tranche.
• PM Shehbaz says the new loan program ‘very important to consolidate economy’ (here)

Indian government ordered killings in Pakistan, intelligence officials claim

• The Guardian reported citing “Indian” and Pakistani intelligence operatives, that the Indian govt assassinated individuals in Pakistan as part of a wider strategy to eliminate terrorists living on foreign soil.
• Interviews with intelligence officials in both countries, as well as documents shared by Pakistani investigators, shed new light on how India’s Raw allegedly began to carry out assassinations abroad as part of an emboldened approach to national security after 2019.
• The Raw, is directly controlled by the office of India’s PM, Modi, who is running for a third term in office in elections later this month.
• The accounts appear to give further weight to allegations that Delhi has implemented a policy of targeting those it considers hostile to India.
• While the new allegations refer to individuals charged with serious and violent terror offences, India has also been accused publicly by Washington and Ottawa of involvement in the murders of dissident figures.
• The fresh claims relate to almost 20 killings since 2020, carried out by unknown gunmen in Pakistan.
• This is the first time Indian intelligence personnel have discussed the alleged operations in Pakistan, and “detailed documentation” has been seen alleging Raw’s direct involvement in the killings.
• According to Pakistani investigators, these deaths were orchestrated by Indian intelligence sleeper-cells mostly operating out of the UAE.
• According to one Indian intelligence official, Delhi recently ordered the suspension of targeted killings in Pakistan after Canada and the US went public with their allegations.
• Two Indian operatives separately confirmed that diaspora Khalistani activists had become a focus of India’s foreign operations.
• A former senior Raw official who served before Modi’s premiership denied that extrajudicial killings were part of the agency’s remit. (here)
• [Among much else, the photo in Hannah Ellis Petersen’s piece of a ‘LeT man killed by RAW in Lahore in Sept 2023’ is a LeT man arrested at the Delhi Railway Station by the Delhi Police in Feb this year.]