AS MPs TEST POSITIVE, COVID CONCERNS MAY CUT SHORT MONSOON SESSION

With more than 30 MPs, including Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Prahlad

Patel, testing positive over the last week, there is a palpable sense of

concern and apprehension in Parliament over the spread of Covid. The

situation has prompted stricter protocol and raised the possibility of the

ongoing Monsoon Session being wound up next week.

The case of BJP's Vinay Sahasrabuddhe, who had tested negative last Friday,

has further rattled parliamentarians. A day after he was the party's lead

speaker for the Covid debate in the Upper House, Sahasrabuddhe said Thursday

that he has tested positive after developing a headache and mild fever the

previous night.

While wishing him a speedy recovery, Trinamool Congress MP Derek O'Brien

asked all Members who had come in contact with Sahasrabuddhe or were seated

near him to isolate themselves. He also noted that Sahasrabuddhe had

delivered a speech

The new Covid protocols, which will cover MPs, mediapersons and

Parliamentary staff, include mandatory daily antigen tests and wearing of

masks, and entry restrictions for former MPs, MLCs, MLAs and family members

or personal guests.

PM MODI ON THE FRONT-FOOT: BLAMES MIDDLEMEN FOR FARM PROTESTS, SAYS

OPPOSITION SPREADING LIES

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday termed the three agriculture Bills

passed by the Lok Sabha "historic" and slammed Opposition parties for

"spreading lies and misguiding farmers, supporting middlemen" and opposing

new opportunities being provided to the sector.

"Farmers have been given new independence. They will now have more options

and opportunities to sell their produce. It was necessary to bring these

measures to protect them from middlemen," he said, reiterating the promise

to protect the MSP structure while urging farmers to be wary of those who

ruled the country for decades and were now "lying to them".

"They are opposing just for the sake of opposition without realising that

farmers are aware that these people are standing with middlemen," he said,

speaking at the launch of set of projects for poll-bound Bihar, including

long-awaited Kosi Rail Mahasetu connecting Kosi and Mithila regions.

The Congress is now trying to play politics over the APMC Act but it had

promised to repeal it in its 2019 election manifesto, the PM said in his

second statement on the issue in less than 24 hours. He also said the APMC

Act had been done away with in Bihar by CM Nitish Kumar, giving farmers

freedom of choice in the state.

Taking charge of the matter amid a growing war of words, the PM had sent out

a series of messages after Akali leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from

his Cabinet, labelling the three legislations "anti-farmer".

BILL TO CUT SALARIES OF MPS PASSED, OPPN WANTS MPLAD FUND RESTORED

With the Rajya Sabha giving its nod, the Parliament yesterday passed

Salaries and Allowances of Ministers (Amendment) Bill, 2020, and Salary,

Allowances and Pension of Members of Parliament (Amendment) Bill, 2020, by

voice vote.

However, MPs cutting across party lines, except for the ruling BJP, asked

the government to restore the suspended MPLAD funds.

The Lok Sabha had approved the two Bills to reduce for one year the salaries

of ministers and MPs by 30 per cent "to meet the exigencies arising out of

the Covid-19 pandemic" on Tuesday.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi said, "We have to be role

models for our country." He clarified that the saving from the Bills was not

Rs 6 crore, as suggested by a member, rather it is at least Rs 53.83 crore.

Initiating the debate, Congress MP from Maharashtra Rajeev Satav says he and

his party fully support the Bill and was willing to work for Re 1 if that

would aid Covid-19 response, but insisted that the attempt to suspend MPLAD

was wrong. He also asked that the Central Vista project be suspended until

the Covid-19 fight is done with. Echoing Satav's sentiment, several MPs,

including from the BJD, YSRCP, TDP, TRS, SP, BSP and all others, demanded

restoration of MPLAD fund.

SHOPIAN ENCOUNTER: ARMY SAYS TROOPS EXCEEDED POWERS UNDER AFSPA

Admitting that the three youths who were killed in an encounter at Shopian

on July 18 were missing labourers from Rajouri, as claimed by their families

last month, the Army Friday said its probe had "prima facie" found that its

troops exceeded powers under the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) -

and directed disciplinary proceedings against those "answerable".

The Army said that while the DNA report is awaited and "involvement" of the

three killed "with terrorism or related activities" is under investigation

by the police, the inquiry has "brought out certain prima facie evidence

indicating that during the operation, powers vested under the AFSPA 1990

were exceeded and the Do's and Don'ts of Chief of Army Staff as approved by

the Hon'ble Supreme Court have been contravened".

The Army statement said: "Consequently, the competent disciplinary authority

has directed to initiate disciplinary proceedings under the Army Act against

those found prima-facie answerable."

The encounter was questioned by various political parties in the Valley

after which J&K L-G Manoj Sinha assured the victims' families earlier this

month that justice would be delivered.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

TAIWAN SCRAMBLES FIGHTER JETS AS 18 CHINESE PLANES BUZZ ISLAND

Taiwan scrambled fighter jets on Friday as 18 Chinese aircraft buzzed the

island, including crossing the sensitive mid-line of the Taiwan Strait, in

an escalation of tensions as a senior US official held talks in Taipei.

China had earlier announced the start of combat drills near the Taiwan

Strait, denouncing what it called collusion between the island, which it

claims as part of its territory, and the United States.

US Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach arrived in Taipei on

Thursday for a three-day visit, the most senior State Department official to

come to Taiwan in four decades - which China had said would prompt a

"necessary response".

Beijing has watched with growing alarm the ever-closer relationship between

Taipei and Washington, and has stepped up military exercises near the

island, including two days of large-scale air and sea drills last week.

DONALD TRUMP ATTACKS HIS FBI CHIEF OVER RUSSIA ASSESSMENT

President Donald Trump on Friday attacked his FBI director, Christopher

Wray, for highlighting the threat posed by Russia and right-wing militias to

the US election, rather than focusing on China and left-wing groups.

Trump, whose campaign had murky ties to Russian operatives offering

assistance during his 2016 victory against Hillary Clinton, has repeatedly

criticized his intelligence officials who consistently say that Moscow still

poses the chief danger.

Still, the Republican's criticism of Wray at the White House, a day after

the FBI chief testified before Congress, was unusually public for a US

president.

"Within the racially motivated violent extremist bucket, people subscribing

to some kind of white supremacist ideology is certainly the biggest chunk,"

Wray said in his testimony to Congress.

Trump, who has strong support from armed, right-wing militia groups and the

conspiracy theory movement QAnon, said Wray should instead have been

focusing on Antifa, a loose-knit leftist movement at the forefront of

sometimes violent anti-racism protests.

In addition to castigating China on the campaign trail, Trump has made

claims that Antifa is seeking to destroy American suburbs and promote mass

violence a central part of his reelection message.

"They're bad. And when a man doesn't say that, that bothers me. I wonder why

he's not saying that," Trump said of Wray.

THE REST

========

NAGA PEACE TALKS: UNLIKE OTHER GROUPS, NSCN-IM STICKS SEPARATE FLAG,

CONSTITUTION DEMAND

In a joint council meeting of the NSCN-IM held at its Hebron camp in Dimapur

on Friday, it was unanimously decided that the IM's standing demand of a

separate flag and constitution need to be a part of the final settlement in

the ongoing Naga peace talks with the Centre.

The talks last year reached a stalemate when the IM came up with its demand

for a separate flag and constitution. While the talks, conducted by Nagaland

Governor and the Centre's interlocutor R N Ravi, ended on October 31,

relations between the interlocutor and the insurgent group deteriorated

since and came to a head in June this year with Ravi writing to the state

government about "parallel governments" being run by underground groups and

accusing them of extortion.

Informal talks resumed last month, with senior leaders of the IM reaching

Delhi to talk to senior IB officials. Even as NSCN-IM has claimed that the

talks were running smoothly, back in Nagaland demands for a quick resolution

have been growing from civil society organisations and tribal heads. All

these bodies have since made it clear that a final agreement without a

separate flag and constitution on the agenda is acceptable to the public, a

stand that has been reinforced by seven insurgent groups indigenous to

Nagaland who have been talking to the Centre under the banner of NNPG.

Amid mounting pressure from the Indian government, the NNPG and its own

civil society, the IM has dug in its heels and said that an "honourable

solution" is not acceptable unless its demands are met.

OPPN, BJP CLASH AS ANURAG SLAMS NEHRU TO DEFEND PM CARES FUND

The Opposition and the ruling BJP clashed in the Lok Sabha on Friday over

setting up of PM Cares Fund, leading to Minister of State for Finance Anurag

Thakur expressing "regret" over his remarks on former PM Jawahar Lal Nehru.

The House was adjourned four times between 4 pm and 6 pm.

Replying to queries by the Opposition on the need to create PM Cares Fund,

Thakur said the earlier Prime Minister's National Relief Fund was created by

"Nehru ji like a royal order". "From 1948 till today, it has not been

registered. How did it get the FCRA (foreign contribution) clearance?" he

said. Alleging misuse of funds, he said, "You created a trust for the Gandhi

family. Nehru and Sonia Gandhi were its members. This should be

investigated."

This led to pandemonium in the House with Congress leader in the Lok Sabha

Adhir Ranjan Chaudhary hitting back: "Have we said (PM) Modi is stealing

from funds? How could he (Anurag) use such words for Nehru." Congress MP

Gaurav Gogoi demanded an apology from Thakur. At 6 pm, the House resumed

normal business after Thakur said, "I did not want to hurt anyone.. I regret

my words."

OPPN PROTESTS AGAINST KERALA MINISTER ARE ANTI-QURAN, SAYS CPM

A day after the National Investigating Agency questioned Kerala Higher

Education Minister K T Jaleel in connection with the gold smuggling case,

the CPI(M) on Friday referred to the Opposition's protest against him as an

"anti-Quran" agitation.

Probes into the gold smuggling by multiple agencies have revealed that

Jaleel had accepted religious texts and food kits from the UAE Consulate,

bypassing protocol norms and without getting duty exemption from the state.

The consignments were taken in a government vehicle to a private religious

institute in Malappuram for distribution at the behest of the minister,

despite the institute not putting forward any request. Investigating

agencies have suspected presence of contraband in the consignment as key

accused Swapna Suresh was also privy to these shipments.

With the Congress and its ally Indian Union Muslim League mounting its

protests against Jaleel, CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, in

his weekly column in party daily Deshabhimani, termed the protest against

the state minister and the LDF government as an "anti-Quran agitation".

"IUML is adding fire to the anti-Quran agitation of RSS. Congress will also

be with IUML in that act. We are opposing the agitation against Quran on the

ground that no religious text should become subject of ridicule," he wrote.

Speaking after the CPI(M) secretariat meeting, Balakrishnan also rejected

the Opposition demand for Jaleel's resignation.

The Opposition has rejected Balakrishnan's charges and has accused the LDF

of communalising the issue.

TELL US HOW TONE OF 'UPSC JIHAD' SHOW WILL CHANGE, SC ASKS SUDARSHAN NEWS

The Supreme Court Friday asked Sudarshan News to propose measures to change

the tenor of its controversial programme 'Bindas Bol' that claims to expose

"infiltration of Muslims" in the civil services.

"You have to tell us voluntarily what you will do to assuage our concerns.

We don't want to come in the way of journalism. We know as a court what

happened during Emergency, so we will ensure free speech and ideas," said a

three-judge bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud, seeking an affidavit from

Sudarshan News's Editor-in-Chief Suresh Chavhanke.

In an affidavit filed in the top court Wednesday night, Chavhanke defended

the use of the terms "UPSC jihad" and "bureaucracy jihad" in the

controversial show hosted by him.

The bench, which included Justices K.M. Joseph and Indu Malhotra, also

remarked that the show was presented in an "inciteful manner".

The direction was given after the channel's lawyer, senior advocate Shyam

Divan, requested the top court to allow the telecast of the show. Divan

argued there was a robust statutory mechanism to deal with complaints of

defamation and untruth.

When Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, informed the

court about the proposed law to regulate television content, the bench said,

"If there was a viable method of regulation, we would not have to step out.

Your under-secretary wrote saying Programme Code should not be violated. I&B

Ministry didn't check what happened after the broadcast and how the

Programme Code was violated."

National Broadcasters Association's (NBA) inability to act against the

channel because it was not part of the association was also discussed during

the lengthy arguments that were heard for more than three hours. The judges

said they were not in favour of an injunction on the media and investigative

reporting. However, they were concerned with the "vilification" and

"stereotyping" of Muslims in the show and objected to the graphics used in

the show.

DAY AFTER DUBAI BARRED IT FOR FLYING COVID PATIENT, AI EXPRESS BACK TODAY

A day after Dubai's Civil Aviation Authority informed Air India Express that

it would not be allowed to fly to its airports for 15 days from Friday after

the airline carried a Covid-positive passenger from Jaipur on September 4,

the low-cost carrier said it would resume its service to the emirate from

Saturday.

Without revealing details of what led to the quick reversal, Air India

Express tweeted: "Attention Passengers from/to Dubai! All Air India Express

flights from/to Dubai will operate as per original schedule w.e.f tomorrow,

September 19,2020."

According to the Dubai authority, the passenger was allowed to board the

flight to Dubai despite carrying a Covid-positive certificate issued by a

diagnostic laboratory in Jaipur.

This is the second such instance involving AI Express and the aviation

authority - a jurisdiction with which an air bubble is already established -

after the airline had carried another passenger with a Covid-positive result

from Delhi to Dubai on August 28.

COVID 19: STATES DIFFER IN TRANSMISSION AND POSITIVITY RATES

Rt value, known as reproduction number, is indicative of the number of new

cases that are expected to emerge from a single case. An R value of less

than 1 suggests that the rate of infection is slow since an infected patient

will only infect less than one person.

Andaman and Nicobar Islands continued to record the lowest Rt value at 0.73.

This was followed by Jharkhand at 0.85, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and

Diu at 0.89, Assam at 0.92, Tripura at 0.92, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana at

0.94, Mizoram at 0.95, Bihar at 0.96, Nagaland at 0.99, and Tamil Nadu and

Uttar Pradesh at 0.99.

Uttar Pradesh recorded a decrease in Rt value to 0.99 Friday from 1.02

Wednesday.

Meghalaya replaced Nagaland to record the highest Rt value in India at 1.33.

This was followed by Sikkim at 1.28, Uttarakhand at 1.23, Himachal Pradesh

at 1.23, Punjab and Chhattisgarh at 1.15.

Positivity rate is the percentage of people who are found to be infected by

the virus from those who are being tested. This parameter indicates how

widespread the disease is.

India's positivity rate also remained constant at 8.60 per cent Friday.

Bihar continued to record the lowest positivity rate at 1.41 per cent. This

was followed by Gujarat at 1.77 per cent, Mizoram at 1.96 per cent, Andaman

and Nicobar Islands at 2.56 per cent, and Jharkhand at 3.13 per cent.

Goa continued to record the highest positivity rate in India at 32.08 per

cent. This was followed by Maharashtra at 24.60 per cent, Nagaland at 17.02

per cent, Chhattisgarh at 16.34 per cent, and Chandigarh at 16.23 per cent.

THE SHOW BEGINS; IPL AIMS TO BRING NORMALITY AMID PANDEMIC

After months of uncertainty due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the delayed season

of the Indian Premier League will kick off in the United Arab Emirates today

with a clash between defending champions Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super

Kings.

While it will be impossible to create the usual carnival-like atmosphere in

the stands, BCCI chief Sourav Ganguly felt organising the event was an

attempt to bring normality to people's life in India. "Crowds will watch it

on television ... they (broadcasters) are actually expecting the highest

rating of IPL this season because they believe if (people) don't turn up in

the ground, they will be actually watching on their television sets," former

India captain Ganguly said.

INDICATORS

Sensex 38,846 (-134), Nifty 11,505 (-11), Trading Value NSE ,(Rs.crores)

83868.87

Nasdaq 10,793 (-118) Dow 27,657 (-245), S&P 3,319 (-38)

US$-Rs. 73.39 GBP-Rs. 95.06, Euro-Rs. 86.96, UAE Dhm-Rs.19.97, Can$-Rs.

55.69, Aus$- Rs. 53.62

GBP 0.77 /US$, Euro 0.84 /US$, Jap.Yen 104.56 /US$, Aus$ 1.36 /US$, Sing

1.35 /US$, Bang Taka 83.38 /US$, Can$ 1.31 /US$, Mal Ring 4.11 /US$,

Pak Re 165.33/US$, Phil Peso 48.39 /US$, Russian Rouble 75.29 /US$, NZ$ 1.47

/US$, Thai Baht 31.06 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 27.88 /US$, Norway NOK 9.06 /US$

Bitcoin - USD 10,954

Dollar Index 93.01 Brent Crude 43.15 BDI 1,294

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,950 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,133 / 5,033

Silver (Rs. Per KG) 67,810

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not;

nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will

not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is

full of educated derelicts. - Calvin Coolidge

OFF TRACK

A doctor enters into a patient's room and informs the patient that he has

good news and bad news.

He then asks the patient which news he would like to hear.

The patient responds, "Doctor, give me the good news."

The doctor says, "Well we are gonna name a disease after you."