PM MODI SETS TONE, GOVT SKIRTS CHINA, ECONOMY ON DAY 1 OF PARLIAMENT

Citing a heavy legislative agenda, the government avoided the Opposition's

attempts to raise issues like the India-China border row and economic crisis

on the first day of the 18-day Parliament session on Monday.

In his customary remarks before the start of the session, Prime Minister

Narendra Modi, in what was seen by the Opposition as a pre-emptive move,

called on Parliament to send out a unanimous message that the entire country

stands behind its Armed Forces.

"This Parliament, particularly this session, has a special responsibility.

when our brave soldiers are at the border. The faith with which they are

standing, determined to protect the motherland, Parliament, and all its

members, will send out a message in a unanimous voice, spirit and resolve

that the country stands in support of them," he said.

When the session began, Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury

tried to raise the issue of Chinese aggression at the border twice, but Lok

Sabha Speaker Om Birla said the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) would meet

on Tuesday to fix a time for discussing the issue. Chowdhury also sought to

refer to an Indian Express report on China's monitoring of thousands of

prominent Indians (see below)

"The BAC will discuss and fix a time for discussing sensitive issues. We

will discuss sensitive issues sensitively," Birla responded.

During the 30-minute zero hour, the treasury benches avoided issues like the

India-China border row, unemployment, migrant crisis and economic slowdown.

NCP's Supriya Sule was the only MP who raised the issue of unemployment and

economic crisis. Urging the Centre to assist Maharashtra, she said: "On the

first day, we could have discussed the state of economy and unemployment. I

don't see the Centre talking much about them," she said.

The BJP MPs stuck to raising other issues. While Sanjay Seth talked about

conversions in the tribal belts of Jharkhand, Ravi Kishan spoke about drug

trafficking with reference to the film industry, and Jagdambika Pal talked

about including Bhojpuri, Rajasthani and Bhoti languages in the eighth

schedule.

CHINA MONITORING INDIA: STEP IN AND START PROBE, OPPN TELLS GOVT

Taking note of an Indian Express investigation report that a Shenzen-based

technology company with links to the Chinese government and the Chinese

Communist Party is monitoring over 10,000 Indian individuals and

organisations in its global database of "foreign targets", Opposition

members asked the government Monday to step in, open a probe and take the

initiative for a global dialogue.

The Congress said the report about "Chinese digital surveillance" of India's

leaders and others is "quite disturbing" and it is important to know the

extent of this surveillance, and if there is more to this than collating

data. It said the development has huge implications for national security

and privacy of citizens.

Gaurav Gogoi, Congress deputy leader in Lok Sabha, said, "We want the

Government of India to step up its efforts on cyber security because when we

confront a country like China - we are confronting China not only on land,

sea and air, we are confronting Chinese intentions in cyberspace as well -

Government of India should not be caught sleeping."

In its official reaction, Congress communication department in-charge

Randeep Surjewala said, "If the report is true, then was the Modi government

aware of this serious case? Or they didn't know that we were being spied

upon? Why is the government failing to protect our borders over and over

again? A clear message needs to be sent out to China to prevent them from

indulging in such activities."

Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said he was "surprised" that he was not allowed to

raise the report. "The issue is being discussed by the media and public. Why

can't Parliament discuss it? Is it isolated from the mainstream? Why is the

government evading a discussion?" he said.

25 MPs TEST POSITIVE FOR COVID-19

As many as 17 Lok Sabha MPs and 8 Rajya Sabha MOs have tested COVID-19

positive in the mandatory screening tests they needed to undergo to

participate in the Monsoon Session proceedings that started on Monday.

Of these 17, 12 are from the BJP, including senior leader Meenakshi Lekhi

who publicly shared her status asking everyone who met her to get tested.

Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal also tested positive in the screening organised by

Parliament Secretariat. Beniwal, who represents RLP, a BJP ally, took to

Twitter to share two reports of RTPCR tests conducted at a distance of one

day - one in Jaipur and another in New Delhi on September 12. While the

Jaipur report is negative, the New Delhi one is positive with Beniwal

saying, "I don't understand this. One of these two reports has to be wrong.

God knows which one. People should judge."

Only Covid negative MPs have been allowed to attend Parliament proceedings.

The rest have been told to quarantine.

RAHUL GANDHI LATEST DIG AT PM

in reference to a recent video showing the prime minister feeding peacocks

the de facto leader of Congress Rahul Gandhi tweeted thus yesterday:

"Unplanned lockdown is the product of one person's ego and because of it

coronavirus has spread throughout the country. Modi government said become

'Aatmanirbhar' (self-sufficient) which means save your life yourself because

the PM is busy with peacocks."

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

======================

YOSHIHIDE SUGA SET TO BE JAPAN'S NEXT PM

Yoshihide Suga received 377 votes in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party

election to pick a successor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who announced

last month that he would resign due to health problems. The other two

contenders received a combined 157 votes.

The expected victory in the party vote by Suga, currently the chief Cabinet

secretary of Abe's government, all but guarantees his election in a

parliamentary vote Wednesday because of the majority held by the Liberal

Democrats' ruling coalition.

Despite his low-key image as Abe's right-hand man, Suga is actually known

for his iron-fist approach to getting jobs done as a policy coordinator and

influencing bureaucrats by using the centralised power of the prime

minister's office.

TRUMP FANS FLAMES OF CLIMATE ROW IN CALIFORNIA

President Trump has dismissed concerns over climate change on a visit to

fire-ravaged California, telling an official there it would "start getting

cooler".

Blazes in California, Oregon and Washington state have burned almost 2m

hectares of land and killed at least 35 people since early August.

Climate change sceptic Mr Trump blames the crisis on poor forest management.

Earlier on Monday, Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden called Mr

Trump "a climate arsonist". He told an event in Delaware that four more

years of his opponent in the White House would see "more of America ablaze".

BORIS JOHNSON WINS VOTE ON BREACHING BREXIT DEAL

Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday won the first of several votes in

Parliament on his plan to undercut the Brexit treaty, though he faces a

growing rebellion among lawmakers who say breaking international law would

tarnish Britain's reputation. Johnson won the Internal Market Bill 340 to

263.

The EU says Johnson's bill would collapse trade talks and propel the United

Kingdom towards a messy Brexit while former British leaders have warned that

breaking the law is a step too far that undermines the country's image.

Johnson, though, said it was essential to counter "absurd" threats from

Brussels including that London put up trade barriers between Britain and

Northern Ireland and impose a food blockade - steps he said threatened the

United Kingdom's unity.

"The EU still have not taken this revolver off the table," Johnson told

parliament before the vote. "What we cannot do now is tolerate a situation

where our EU counterparts seriously believe that they have the power to

break up our country."

THE REST

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MSP WILL STAY, FARMERS WILL GET INVESTMENT, TECHNOLOGY, CENTRE ON FARM

SECTOR BILLS

The Centre on Monday introduced three Bills in Lok Sabha on farm sector with

Union Minister Narendra Singh Tomar asserting that they will help farmers

get a remunerative price for their produce as well as private investments

and technology.

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar introduced The Farmers' Produce

Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, The Farmers

(Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services

Bill and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, which will replace

ordinances promulgated by the government earlier.

He said the proposed laws will enable barrier-free trade in agricultural

produce, and also empower farmers to engage with investors of their choice.

The minister said that these steps are only the latest in a series of

measures taken by the government as part of its continuous commitment to

championing the cause of welfare of the farmers of India.

Tomar said that almost 86 per cent of farmers have agricultural land of less

than two hectares and they are often unable to benefit from minimum support

price (MSPs).

He, however, assured the House that the MSP will stay.

The Congress and other parties have been opposing the legislations, alleging

it will undermine the safety net provided to the farmers by the MSP system

and will lead to their exploitation by big companies.

Tomar said the bill will help the farmers as they are unable to invest much

in their farm and do not attract investments from others. He also rejected

the criticism that it was beyond the remit of the union government to

legislate on these issues, saying opposition members should trust the

Centre.

He stressed that farmers will get a lot of benefit from these laws as they

can enter into an agreement with private traders for selling their produce.

These agreements will be about the produce and not the farmland, he

asserted, rebutting suggestions that farmers may lose ownership of their

land.

AS ONION PRICES RISE, GOVT BANS EXPORT WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT

With wholesale prices of onion at Maharashtra's Lasalgaon market crossing Rs

30/kg on Monday, the central government banned all export of the bulb "with

immediate effect".

This comes even as the government is set bringing laws in Parliament to

remove all stockholding and movement restrictions on farm produce.

Prices at Lasalgaon's market in Nashik district started rising since early

May. The recent appreciation of prices is mainly due to heavy August rain

destroying the onion crop of north Karnataka, which was supposed to hit the

market early September.

Regarding Monday's decision, farmer leader Raju Shetti said, "This abrupt

decision again proves the promises made by the central government were

hollow. They had no intention of protecting the interests of farmers." The

founder of Swabhimani Paksha said that by prohibiting the export of onions,

the central government has cheated farmers.

Calling the move illegal, Shetkari Sanghatana has called for an indefinite

road closure in Maharashtra from Tuesday.

SHIV SENA INSISTS ITS WORKERS CAN'T TOLERATE INSULTS AGAINST THEIR CHIEF

Shiv Sena has decided to be aggressive in case anyone targets Matoshree and

the party president, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, said transport

minister Anil Parab on Monday. The Sena leader said Matoshree is "like God"

to party workers and they will react if their chief is targeted, while

referring to the cartoon on Thackeray shared by retired naval officer Madan

Sharma.

Sena mouthpiece Saamna, too, criticized Sharma even as it condemned the

assault on him. While Parab also insisted the party does not support the

attack, he said, "Just because he (Sharma) is a retired naval officer, can

he comment on anything or do anything he wants? Who has given him the right

to do so? He should not have crossed the line and party workers should not

have too. Since we are in power, it does not mean anyone can insult our

leader. Such acts won't be tolerated and our party workers will react," said

Parab.

TELANGANA BRINGS NEW LAW DOING AWAY WITH APPROVALS FOR CONSTRUCTION

Telangana Legislative Assembly on Monday passed revolutionary legislation

that eliminates the need for permissions and waiting for approval of

building plans after a self-certification that the activity would be in

accordance with the permissible norms.

As per the new law, people constructing a building within 75 square yards

land need not obtain any permission from the authorities concerned. However,

they must register with the urban local body using TS-bPASS (Telangana State

Building Permission Approval and Self Certification System).

The citizens can also obtain instant permission for constructions on 75

square yards to 600 square yards through self-certification under TS-bPASS

and commence their construction work without the need to pay bribes to get

maps and building plans approved.

However, for construction in lots of a size bigger than 600 square yards,

the authorities concerned will examine the applications seeking permissions

and issue necessary permissions within 21 days, failing which the permission

is deemed to have been approved.

LALU MISSING FROM POSTER, 'YUVA' TEJASHWI LORDS OVER PARTY

Visitors to the RJD headquarters in Bihar capital feel intrigued by a new

election poster put up in front of the premises, gigantic in dimensions but

without an image of its larger than life founding president Lalu Prasad.

Prasad's younger son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav, who will be leading

the opposition Grand Alliance as its chief ministerial candidate, finds a

pride of place on the huge rectangular sheet with a yellow background which

promises nayi soch, naya Bihar (a new Bihar with a new vision). He features

in the poster alone.

NO REGULATION NEEDED FOR COMMUNICATION APPS: TRAI

In key recommendations regarding operations of global communication apps in

India, telecom regulator TRAI has said services such as WhatsApp, Facebook

Messenger, Apple FaceTime, Google Chat, Skype, Telegram and even newer

players such as Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex and Zoom should not be bound by

a regulatory regime as of now and there should not be specific rules that

would mandate them to intercept user calls and messaging.

Making interception mandatory (such as prescribed for telecom companies) may

weaken the protective architecture of the communication apps or expose them

to "unlawful actors", Trai said in views that were immediately criticised by

mobile operators' grouping COAI. Accusing the regulator of going against

level playing field, COAI alleged the OTT players "remain a threat to

national security" in the absence of such scrutiny.

PRASHANT BHUSHAN FILES REVIEW PETITION IN SC IN CONTEMPT CASE

Activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan on Monday filed a review petition in the

Supreme Court against its judgment in last month's criminal contempt case,

saying paying a token fine does not mean he had accepted the verdict.

The top court had held Bhushan guilty of criminal contempt for two of his

tweets and asked him to pay a token fine of Re 1.

"Just because I'm paying the fine does not mean I have accepted the verdict.

We have filed a writ petition that there must be an appeal procedure created

for conviction under contempt," Bhushan told the media before submitting the

fine.

Bhushan said that he had received contributions from several corners of the

country for paying the fine, and a "truth fund" would be created out of such

contributions to provide legal aid to those who are prosecuted for

dissenting opinions. "The State is using all means to silence voices of

dissent. The 'truth fund' will be used to protect the personal liberty to

those persons who face the State's persecution," Bhushan said.

Bhushan also spoke on the arrest of former JNU student Umar Khalid for his

alleged role in the Delhi riots, saying that the govt was using all sorts of

tactics to shut down criticism.

TOYOTA STOPS EXPANSION IN INDIA SAYING TAXES TOO HIGH

At a time when PM Narendra Modi is trying to lure global companies to offset

the deep economic malaise brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Toyota

Motor Corp. has said that it won't expand further in India due to the

country's high tax regime.

The government keeps taxes on cars and motorbikes so high that companies

find it hard to build scale, said Shekar Viswanathan, vice chairman of

Toyota's local unit, Toyota Kirloskar Motor. The high levies also put owning

a car out of reach of many consumers, meaning factories are idled and jobs

aren't created, he said.

"The message we are getting, after we have come here and invested money, is

that we don't want you," Viswanathan said in an interview. In the absence of

any reforms, "we won't exit India, but we won't scale up."

METOO: TARGETED SELECTIVELY TO HALT AVALANCHE OF ALLEGATIONS AGAINST AKBAR,

RAMANI TELLS COURT

Journalist Priya Ramani told a Delhi court on Monday that she was "targeted

selectively" through a criminal defamation complaint by former union

minister M J Akbar "to halt the avalanche of allegations of sexual

misconduct" against him" following the #MeToo movement in 2018.

Ramani made the submission before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate

Vishal Pahuja through her lawyer during the final hearing in the complaint

filed by Akbar against her.

In the wake of #MeToo movement, Ramani in 2018 accused Akbar of sexual

misconduct around 20 years ago when he was a journalist.

Akbar resigned as union minister on October 17, 2018.

Senior advocate Rebecca John, appearing for Ramani, told the court on Monday

that over 14 women accused Akbar of sexual harassment in the wake of the

MeToo movement but he has filed complaint only against Ramani.

"Priya Ramani was targeted selectively... Either everyone's articles and

tweets are defamatory or none is. Or are the other allegations accepted,"

John asked.

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55.66, Aus$- Rs. 53.41

GBP 0.77 /US$, Euro 0.84 /US$, Jap.Yen 105.87 /US$, Aus$ 1.37 /US$, Sing

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/US$

Bitcoin - USD 10,752

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Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,964 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,090 / 4,990

Silver (Rs. Per KG) 67,910

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things. -

Peter F Drucker

OFF TRACK

Trying to do his share for the environment, a good samaritan set up a

recycling basket at his church and posted above it this suggestion: "Empty

water bottles here."

He should have been a little more specific, because when he went to check it

later, he didn't find any bottles in it. But it was full of water.