FM SITHARAMAN UNVEILS RS 102-TRILLION INFRASTRUCTURE PLAN TO BOOST GROWTH Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday launched a National Infrastructure Pipeline (NIP), unveiling projects worth Rs 102 trillion, to boost economic growth and help the economy reach the $5-trillion target by 2024-25. The NIP has identified projects across 23 sectors and 18 states and Union Territories, which will be funded over the next five years by the central and state governments as well as the private sector. Addressing a press conference while launching the NIP report, Sitharaman said that of the proposed projects, 39 per cent each would be implemented by the Centre and states, and the rest 22 per cent by private players. The NIP follows a commitment by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his Independence Day speech, that more than Rs 100 trillion would be invested in infrastructure over the next five years. The sectors identified include traditional power and renewable power, railways, roads, urban development, irrigation, aviation, education, and health. The lion’s share of the funding is expected to go to the energy sector. Nearly Rs 24 trillion in energy projects have been lined up, while projects worth Rs 20 trillion in roads and Rs 14 trillion in railways have been planned. These sectors will form the bulk of infrastructure investment under the NIP, Sitharaman said. OPPOSITION TO CAA, NRC: MAMATA SEEKS TO EMERGE AS PIVOT OF PROTEST In her bid to checkmate the BJP in West Bengal on the new citizenship law and proposed NRC (National Register of Citizens), TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, who has hit the streets nine times in the last fortnight, is also trying to emerge as the central political pivot of the anti-CAA, NRC protest on the national level. Besides promising to give Rs 5 lakh to the families of the two men killed in the protests in Mangaluru after the BJP government in Karnataka, withheld the announced compensation, her party leaders also met the families of those arrested in Lucknow in connection with the violent protests there and expressed full support to them. Banerjee’s protest marches and rallies, which have become a recurrent event in the state, in their sights and sounds highlight Bengali cultural traits with a message of secularism and unity. Even choices of starting points and endpoints of her street marches are strategically chosen — like Swami Vivekananda’s ancestral house, Rabindranath Tagore’s Jorasanko Thakurbari among others. In the protest marches or padayatra, besides “intellectuals”, representatives of religious bodies — Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists — walk with her. Symbols of Bengali culture, such as women in sarees blowing conch shells and playing ‘kasor ghonta’ (brass bells), are a regular feature. In her Purulia march on Monday, traditional tribal drummers were also brought in. In her speeches, Banerjee invokes freedom fighters from Mahatma Gandhi to Jawaharlal Nehru and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose to Bengali icons. Besides targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, she, in all of her speeches, expresses solidarity with protesting students and minorities throughout the country. RAIL FARE GOES UP MARGINALLY On the last day of the year, the Railways announced a hike in passenger fare effective January 1, raising journey costs by 1-4 paise per kilometre in different classes after a gap of over five years. For all AC classes, the hike is 4 paise per kilometre travelled, while non-AC classes and the unreserved segment will see a 1 paisa per kilometre hike. On long-distance mail/express trains, the hike will be 2 paise per kilometre. While it decided to keep the fares of the suburban classes unchanged, a hike has been effected in the non-AC classes, including the unreserved segment, which have been bleeding Railways through under-recovery of cost. The Railways hope to mop up Rs 2300 crore in a year via the hike. The hike means that a journey from Delhi to Mumbai, which is approximately 1500 km, will set a passenger back by Rs 60 in AC classes on Rajdhani-type trains, Rs 15-20 on Shatabdi-type trains and around Rs 55-60 on other mail/express trains. In the unreserved segment, for the same distance, the hike will be in the range of Rs 25 while for non-suburban passenger trains, like intercity express trains, the hike will be around Rs 5 for travelling a distance of around 500 km, which is more or less the average distance travelled on these trains. The last time a hike was effected, the Modi government had rolled back majority of the proposed hike in suburban train fare after vehement opposition from its then ally Shiv Sena and even the Maharashtra BJP unit. This time, the hike comes in the backdrop of the Railways staring at a revenue shortfall of over Rs 25,000 crore by the end of this financial year, source said. The fare hike, considered long overdue, is to supplement income in the face of rising input costs. KERALA VS CENTRE: FACEOFF AFTER HOUSE RESOLUTION ON CAA In a strong pushback, the Kerala Assembly Tuesday passed a resolution demanding that the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), a legislation ratified by both Houses of Parliament and the President, be scrapped. The resolution — the first such move by a state against the CAA — was moved by CPM leader and Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, and seconded by Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Ramesh Chennithala. The CPM and Congress had earlier organised a joint protest against the law in the state. Vijayan said the new law was “part of a larger agenda… against the Muslim community”. Chennithala said the state should stand united against the law. The lone voice of dissent came from O Rajagopal, the only BJP MLA in the Assembly, who described the resolution as “unconstitutional”. The Kerala move is significant given that at least seven states, including BJD-ruled Odisha and BJP ally JDU-led Bihar, have declared that they would not implement the Act. Hours after the Kerala resolution was passed, Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad told reporters that Vijayan should “seek better legal advice”. “It is only the Parliament which has got the powers to pass any legislation with regard to citizenship, not any Assembly, including the Kerala Assembly,” Prasad said. Later, BJP Rajya Sabha MP G V L Narsimha Rao filed a petition with Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu seeking to initiate contempt proceedings against Vijayan for stating “that the ‘unconstitutional Bill’ will have no place in Kerala and the state will not implement it”, and asking “people to oppose the CAA”. Rao sought a discussion on this issue in the next meeting of the Committee of Privileges in Rajya Sabha, on January 3. TRUMP THREATENS IRAN OVER US EMBASSY ATTACK IN IRAQ The United States is sending around 750 more troops to the Middle East immediately, following an attack by pro-Iranian demonstrators on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad, the Pentagon said yesterday. More troops from a rapid response unit of the 82nd Airborne Division are prepared to deploy over the next several days, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in a statement. "This deployment is an appropriate and precautionary action taken in response to increased threat levels against U.S. personnel and facilities, such as we witnessed in Baghdad today," he said. "The United States will protect our people and interests anywhere they are found around the world." U.S. President Donald Trump blamed Iran for "orchestrating" the attack on the U.S. embassy in Baghdad and said he would hold Tehran responsible. WORLD TO SEE ‘NEW STRATEGIC WEAPON’ IN NEAR FUTURE: KIM JONG UN’S NEW YEAR MESSAGE North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has accused the Trump administration of dragging its feet in nuclear negotiations and warned that his country will soon show a new strategic weapon to the world as its bolsters its nuclear deterrent in face of “gangster-like” US sanctions and pressure. The North’s state media said that Kim made the comments during a four-day ruling party conference held through Tuesday in the capital Pyongyang, where he declared that the North will never give up its security for economic benefits in the face of what he described as increasing US hostility and nuclear threats. CARLOS GHOSN ESCAPES FROM JAPAN On Tuesday, Carlos Ghosn, the ousted chairman of Japanese carmaker Nissan, was at his childhood home of Lebanon after fleeing from Japan, where he was awaiting trial for financial crimes. Arrested in Tokyo in November 2018, Ghosn was released on bail in March this year, only to be rearrested within weeks on related charges. He was again released on a $9 million bail bond with stringent conditions that had raised eyebrows in the West. Ghosn’s escape has added a new twist to the story, and many have been left guessing how such a high-profile accused was able to flee Japan. Ghosn, aged 65, is of Lebanese descent and was born in Brazil. He holds Lebanese, Brazilian, and French passports. Out on bail, Ghosn had several harsh restrictions imposed on him, such as not being able to leave Tokyo, not having access to the internet except from his lawyer’s office, and not being able to meet with his friends without informing the court. The court also did not allow Ghosn to have any communication with his wife. Then on Tuesday, Reuters reported that Ghosn was in his mansion in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, where he enjoys significant popularity despite his fall from grace in Japan. Ghosn’s arrival in Lebanon raised questions on he was able to escape from Japan where he had been under strict surveillance by authorities while out on bail, and had also surrendered his passports with his Japanese lawyers. In a statement, Ghosn has said, “I am now in Lebanon and will no longer be held hostage by a rigged Japanese justice system where guilt is presumed, discrimination is rampant, and basic human rights are denied.” Ghosn’s trial in Japan was expected to begin in April 2020. LARGE TURNOUT EXPECTED FOR 202ND ANNIVERSARY OF BATTLE OF BHIMA KOREGAON, SECURITY IN PLACE Heavy security arrangements have been put in place near the Jaystambh in Perne village in Pune district, as lakhs of people are expected to gather at the war memorial to pay their respects on the 202nd anniversary of the Battle of Bhima Koregaon, on January 1. People from different parts of the state have already started camping in the area. As per the Dalit narrative, 500 Mahar soldiers, who were part of the British Army, defeated a 25,000-strong force of Peshwas (who were Brahmins), in the Battle of Bhima Koregaon. Lakhs of members of Mahar and other communities visit the Jaystambh on January 1 to pay their respects. They believe that Mahar soldiers in the British Army fought a “war for freedom” against the alleged castiesm of the Peshwas. Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar is known to have visited the Jaystambh on January 1, 1927. As the Jaystambh became a crucial site for the Ambedkarite movement, the number of people visiting the war memorial on January 1 every year went up significantly. Two years earlier, on the 200th anniversary of the battle, violence had broken out in the area. Clashes between different communities left one person dead and several others injured. Multiple cases have been filed over the violence and the then state government, headed by Devendra Fadnavis, had set up a probe commission to ascertain the sequence of events that led to it. FULL SMS BACK IN VALLEY The UT administration in Jammu and Kashmir yesterday announced that broadband-based Internet services in all government-run hospitals and short messaging service (SMS) on mobile phones would be fully restored from December 31 midnight across the Kashmir valley. On December 10, the authorities had partially restored SMS with people starting to receive OTPs for online businesses. The OTP-based SMS were enabled on mobile phones to facilitate students, scholarship applicants and traders. It has now been decided to fully restore the service throughout Kashmir, Rohit Kansal, Principal Secretary, Planning, Development and Monitoring Department, told the media. The administration also abolished all inter-state toll posts, including the one at Lakhanpur, and those at railway stations and airports. Kansal said that the toll tax had rendered the industrial sector in J&K uncompetitive. DON’T ALLOW CHINESE COs IN 5G TRIALS: RSS BODY Presence of Chinese companies in our telecommunications networks would compromise our national security, RSS affiliate Swadeshi Jagran Manch has warned, requesting Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “immediately restrict Huawei and other Chinese companies from operating in the Indian market and conducting 5G trials”. Notably, the government yesterday said it has allowed all network equipment-makers, including China's Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, to participate in 5G trials, thereby boosting the Chinese company’s hopes of playing a part in the deployment of the next-gen technology in India despite objections from within and also by the US. EXEMPT US FROM FACULTY QUOTAS, IIMs TELL GOVT The Indian Institutes of Management (IIMs) have collectively approached the government seeking exemption from reserving faculty positions for Scheduled Caste (SC), Scheduled Tribe (ST), Other Backward Classes (OBC) and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS). Last week, the 20 IIMs requested the HRD Ministry to add them to the list of “Institutions of Excellence” mentioned in the Schedule to the Central Educational Institutions (Reservation in Teachers’ Cadre) Act 2019. Section 4 of the Act exempts “institutions of excellence, research institutions, institutions of national and strategic importance” mentioned in the Schedule and minority institutions from providing reservation. Currently, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, National Brain Research Centre, North-Eastern Indira Gandhi Regional Institute of Health and Medical Science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research, Physical Research Laboratory, Space Physics Laboratory, Indian Institute of Remote Sensing and Homi Bhabha National Institute and all its 10 constituent units are covered under the Section 4 of the law. NOTE BAN GHOST COMES TO HAUNT JEWELLERS The income-tax (I-T) department has passed recovery orders against thousands of jewellers across the country on their cash deposits after demonetisation of high-value currency in November 2016. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes on November 8, 2016, traders were allowed to accept old currency notes against cash sales only till midnight. However, many jewellers continued to accept the banned notes for several days, selling gold at a 30-40 per cent premium, and making a quick buck. For jewelers, the I-T demand order includes tax, penalty and interest to date, which works to almost 100 per cent of the cash deposited. Jewellers who have received such orders will have to cough up at least 20 per cent of the demand before they can file an appeal. Soon after demonetisation, I-T officials had carried out several raids and surveys. The department had also issued notices to jewellers, seeking clarifications on such cash deposits when their returns came under scrutiny. The jewellers had responded that their sales were genuine and they sold from the stock they had. However, tax officials had found that the sales in the note-ban period were significantly higher than previous periods and were also not in tandem with the overall demand trend. Hence, in most cases, I-T officials had rejected their explanations. BEING AN APPROVER CAN’T GET INDRANI BAIL Indrani Mukerjea’s “voluntary act” of becoming an approver in the alleged INX Media corruption case, where her co-accused include former Union minister P Chidambaram, cannot be termed as a change of circumstance to grant her bail in the Sheena Bora case, a special court has said. In his detailed order, pronounced last week, made available on Tuesday, special Judge J C Jagdale, rejecting bail to Mukerjea, refused to take into consideration her submission that the CBI, in its own investigation in the INX Media case, has termed her conduct as “helpful and co-operative”. Â”The opinion of investigating officer of CBI in that case that applicant/accused is very cooperative and her conduct is helpful in another case of CBI, cannot be ground to accept as change in circumstance in the present case,” the judge said. YEAR OF THE GAMES In cricket, the last 10 years belonged to Virat Kohli — he was global cricket’s King of the 2010s, maker of 5,775 international runs more than the decade’s second-most prolific batsman, Hashim Amla. If Kohli was King of global cricket, PV Sindhu was the Monarch of Indian sport in 2010s, her achievements India’s best in the decade. Sindhu has amazing achievements — she’s an Olympics silver medallist, a world champion, a multiple winner of medals at the World Championships, winner of the elite World Tour Finals. There are two other contenders for the title of India’s best in 2010s — boxer Mary Kom, an Olympics bronze medallist who won two of her six World Championships golds in the last 10 years; and wrestler Bajrang Punia, winner of three World Championships medals in the decade. In 2020, of the four sportspersons named above, three could touch much greater heights — it’s the year of the Olympics, from which only one of the four, Virat Kohli, is excluded. Kohli will have lots of opportunities to add to his amazing numbers, including the T20 World Cup. But here’s hoping that the Olympics year would be a career-defining one for Sindhu, Mary Kom, and Punia — and, indeed, others such as Neeraj Chopra and Vinesh Phogat.