CENTRE SIGNALS CLIMBDOWN BUT FARMERS INSIST ON REPEAL, TALKS TO CONTINUE

TODAY

The central government Thursday ceded some ground and said it would

reconsider certain provisions of the new farm laws, but talks remained

inconclusive with representatives of farmer unions sticking to their demand

that all three laws be repealed. Both sides, however, agreed to meet again

on Friday.

After an over 7-hour marathon meeting with 40 representatives of farm

organisations, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar told

reporters, "The discussions took place in a cordial atmosphere. Farm unions

leaders put forth their points of objections. The government also presented

its views in detail."

"Farmers and unions were concerned that the existing (APMC) mandis in Punjab

will be weakened due to the new law. Mandis (market yards) will not weaken,

the government is ready to discuss this. The new Act provides for private

mandis. They (farm leaders) were of the opinion that since there will no tax

in private mandis, it can cause harm to existing mandis.The government will

consider it with the view that there is level-playing field for both mandis

so that the interests of one are not affected by the other," said Tomar.

On farmers' objections that trade in private mandis will be allowed merely

on the basis of PAN cards under the new law, Tomar said, "We wanted to make

the law so simple that there is no problem to the farmer and the buyer.

Therefore, we provisioned for the requirement of PAN card only. The farmers

feel that PAN cards can be acquired easily by anyone these days. So, there

should be some protection. We feel they have a strong argument. Therefore,

the government will consider their demand that traders should also be

registered."

The Agriculture Minister also hinted the government was ready to reconsider

the provisions regarding the dispute resolution mechanism in the new farm

laws. "In the new farm laws, it has been provided that farmers can take

their grievances to SDM. Farmers' unions feel that SDM is a lower officer

and they may not get justice from him, and they should be allowed to go to

court. We are open to consider this also," he said.

On the demand that MSP be guaranteed under law, Tomar reiterated that the

MSP system would continue and he would give farmers an assurance on it.

During the meeting, farmer leaders also expressed concern over the new

Ordinance that penalises stubble burning and the Electricity (Amendment)

Bill, 2020. Besides, they also flagged the need for registration under

contract farming. Tomar said the government was open to consider and discuss

these issues as well.

A farmer leader, Baldev Singh Sirsa, said, "We listed all drawbacks before

the government, they had to admit that there are drawbacks and they will

make amendments."

Darshan Pal, President, Krantikari Kisan Union said, "The government is

ready to amend all three Acts. We are not agreed on the amendments. We want

that the government should repeal these Acts."

Apart from Punjab and Haryana, farm leaders from other states including

Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka also attended Thursday's meeting. In all,

representatives of 40 organisations - five more than at the last meeting -

attended Thursday's meeting.

OPPOSITION LENDS WEIGHT, URGES CENTRE TO RETHINK FARM LAWS, CALL HOUSE

SESSION

From urging the Centre to rethink its stand on the newly enacted farm laws

to calls for repeal of the laws and a short winter session of Parliament to

discuss the farmer protests, the Opposition Congress and Trinamool Congress

mounted pressure Thursday on the Government to find an amicable solution to

the agitation at the gates of Delhi.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who met Union Home Minister Amit Shah

in New Delhi before the start of talks between farmer representatives and

Union Ministers, urged the Centre to rethink its stand on the new farm laws.

He also appealed to farmers to find an early solution to the problem which,

he said, was adversely impacting Punjab's economy and posed a "serious

danger to national security".

In Kolkata, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata

Banerjee threatened to launch a country-wide agitation if the "anti-farmer"

laws were not withdrawn.

Meanwhile, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Congress leader in Lok Sabha, wrote to

Speaker Om Birla, urging him to convene a short winter session of Parliament

to discuss the farmer agitation and other important issues like the border

standoff with China and the status of the Covid-19 vaccine.

Continuing to target the Government, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said

"accepting anything less than scrapping of the three black farm laws will be

deceit to farmers and the country"

Former Union Minister and five-time CM of Punjab Parkash Badal on Thursday

returned the Padam Vibhushan award in protest against "the betrayal of the

farmers by the Government of India."

NEED TO STRICTLY FOLLOW PACTS AT HEART OF LAC STANDOFF: INDIA

The core issue in the ongoing military standoff with China in eastern Ladakh

is the need to "strictly" follow various bilateral pacts and protocols in

their entirety on maintenance of peace along the LAC, the Ministry of

External Affairs' official spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said on Thursday.

Srivastava said this at a media briefing in response to a question on the

US-China Economic and Security Review Commission's latest annual report to

the US Congress, in which the commission said that the Chinese government

had planned the Galwan Valley incident in June, potentially including the

possibility for fatalities. Twenty Indian soldiers were killed in the

clashes on June 15. China is yet to disclose the number of its casualties.

Asked about the report to the US Congress, Srivastava referred to the press

statement issued by India following the telephone conversation between the

foreign ministers of the two countries in the aftermath of the clashes. "I

would stress that the core issue remains that both sides need to strictly

follow the various bilateral agreements and protocols in their entirety

including the 1993 and 1996 agreement on maintenance of peace and

tranquility along the LAC," he said.

UN HAS FAILED TO ACKNOWLEDGE VIOLENCE AGAINST SIKHISM, HINDUISM, BUDDHISM:

INDIA

Calling out the "selectivity" at the United Nations in condemning acts of

violence against religions, India has said the UN General Assembly has

failed to acknowledge the rising hatred and violence against Buddhism,

Hinduism, Sikhism and underlined that the culture of peace cannot be only

for "Abrahamic" religions.

Addressing the UN General Assembly session on 'Culture of Peace' on

Wednesday, First Secretary in India's Permanent Mission to the UN Ashish

Sharma said there were "disconcerting trends" in the world of today.

While India fully agreed that anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and anti-Christian

acts needed to be condemned, and the country also firmly condemns such acts,

he pointed out that the UN resolutions on such important issues spoke only

of these three Abrahamic religions together.

Sharma recalled the shattering of the iconic Bamyan Buddha by

fundamentalists in Afghanistan as well as the terrorist bombing of a

gurdwara in the war-torn country in March, where 25 Sikh worshipers were

killed, and the destruction of Hindu and Buddhist temples and minority

cleansing of these religions by countries.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

UN DECIDES CANNABIS NOT A DANGEROUS NARCOTIC, INDIA TOO VOTES FOR IT

India has voted with the majority at the United Nations to remove cannabis

and cannabis resin from the list of most dangerous substances in the

flagship international Convention on narcotic drugs. The decision taken by

the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND) on Wednesday at its ongoing 63rd

session will lead to changes in the way cannabis is regulated

internationally.

"The CND zeroed-in on the decision to remove cannabis from Schedule IV of

the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs - where it was listed alongside

deadly, addictive opioids, including heroin," the UN said in a news release

on December 2.

For 59 years, cannabis had been subject to the strictest control schedules,

which even discouraged its use for medical purposes, the UN said.

Twenty-seven of the CND's 53 Member States - including India, the United

States and most European nations - voted "Yes" on the motion to delete

cannabis and cannabis resin from Schedule IV of the 1961 Convention.

Twenty-five countries, including China, Pakistan, and Russia, voted "No",

and there was one abstention - Ukraine.

"With (this) historic vote", the UN said, "the CND has opened the door to

recognizing the medicinal and therapeutic potential of the commonly-used but

still largely illegal recreational drug".

US' DEADLIEST VIRUS DAY: 3,000+ DEATHS

In the US, the grim pandemic milestones reached on Thursday included 3,100

Covid-related deaths and more than 2,00,000 cases in the previous 24 hours

and hospitalisations across the country topping 1,00,000 for the first time.

Each number was worse than at the pandemic's peak in April 2020. Experts are

warning that things will get worse before it gets better even as vaccines

are on the horizon.

The Center for Disease Control is urging Americans to postpone travel plans

and stay at home for Christmas and the holiday season.

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti ordered residents to stay in their homes,

banned all travel, including walking, directed non-essential businesses to

close, and threatened to arrest anyone breaking new lockdown rules.

Amid the grim foreboding is the bizarre spectacle of Trump White House

partying like there is no problem. The White House and the state department

is hosting a Christmas party almost every other day with guests streaming in

and out, mostly without masks.

With the defeated US President Donald Trump seemingly having abdicated

leadership of the fight against the pandemic except for claiming credit for

developing the vaccine, three former presidents stepped up to endorse the

vaccine after a Gallup poll showed that 42% of Americans saying they will

not take the vaccine because its development was rushed. "I will be taking

it and I may take it on TV or have it filmed so people know that I trust

this science," ex-president Barack Obama said in a radio interview.

Spokespersons for George Bush and Bill Clinton said they would also get

vaccinated publicly if experts deem it safe.

THE REST

========

RAJINIKANTH PARTY ARRIVES IN JANUARY, JUST IN TIME FOR ASSEMBLY POLLS

Superstar Rajinikanth will launch his long-anticipated political party in

January, five months before the Tamil Nadu election. Promising "a wonder and

miracle" in the polls, he said his party would bring "spiritual secular

politics" with no caste or religion.

"We will surely win the assembly polls and give honest, transparent,

corruption-free, spiritual secular politics without caste, creed or

religion. A wonder and miracle will definitely happen," Rajinikanth, 69,

tweeted with hashtags "It's now or never" and "We will change, we will

change everything".

Later, he told reporters: "I am ready to sacrifice even my life for the sake

of Tamil people...It is now or never."

Without specifying whether he would contest the polls, he added: "If I win

it will be the people's victory, if I lose it will be their defeat."

Ending years of speculation, Rajinikanth announced his political plunge

three days after he met with senior office bearers of his forum, the Rajini

Makkal Mandram. "District office bearers expressed their opinions. They have

said they will agree to whatever decision I take," he had told reporters

outside his Poes Garden home.

DELHI, PUNJAB CMs' WAR OF WORDS CONTINUES

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Thursday lashed out at AAP for

"misrepresenting" his statement in respect of the need to end the farmers'

protests in the interest of national security.

After AAP tweeted asking "What kind of pressure has Amit Shah exerted on

Capt Amarinder Singh for him to go from 'will resign for farmers' to

'farmers are a threat to the country'."

Amarinder Singh retorted sharply saying, "You in AAP think everyone is

anti-farmer like you. I never called farmers a threat to national security.

My remarks were in context of prolonged stand-off which our hostile

neighbours, whom the sons of these very farmers are fighting, can exploit."

DOMESTIC FLIGHT CAPACITY OF AIRLINES RAISED TO 80% OF PRE-COVID LEVELS

The Centre on Thursday allowed domestic airlines to ramp up their operations

to 80 per cent of pre-Covid approved capacity from the existing 70 per cent

stipulation. This will help airlines in adding more flights on existing as

well as new sectors as flight operations inch towards normalcy.

Experts have pointed out to the containment of Covid19 spread as one of the

key factors in recovery of domestic flights. "The recovery in domestic

passenger traffic is contingent on the following five factors - containment

of the spread of Covid-19, which in turn is dependent on the development of

a vaccine and its wide availability, willingness of consumers to undertake

leisure travel, recovery in macroeconomic growth, which in turn impacts

consumer sentiments and ability to travel, Central and various state

government-mandated travel restrictions and quarantine norms, and recovery

in business travel," ratings agency ICRA said in a research note.

ICRA sees Indian aviation industry's combined net loss of Rs 21,000 crore

for the fiscal year, compared with a net loss of Rs 12,700 crore recorded

during 2019-20, with the industry debt level exceeding Rs 50,000 crore.

THE MAHASHAY OF SPICES PASSES AWAY

In 1947, a young man migrated from Pakistan's Sialkot to Delhi, with Rs

1,500 in his pocket, scars of the Partition, and the recipe of a special

spice his family sold. To make a living in this new city, the young man

operated a tonga in Karol Bagh for "do aana" per ride before setting up a

humble spice store in a 14 ft X 9 ft shop in the area in 1947 - one that

would grow to become MDH Spices, a business empire which reported revenues

of Rs 1,062 crore in 2018.

On Thursday morning, the founder of MDH Spices, Mahashay Dharampal Gulati -

the grand old man of spices - suffered a cardiac arrest and died at a Delhi

hospital at the age of 98. Apart from being one of the most successful CEOs

in India, Gulati was also a pop culture icon, who was rarely seen without

his red turban, twirled moustache, and a string of pearls around his neck.

The brand's catchy jingle "Asli masale sach-sach, MDH-MDH" for its ads too

is a cultural phenomenon, with the masala packed in colourful packs with

Gulati's photo finding a home in kitchens across the country.

INDIAN SCHOOLTEACHER WINS USD 1 MILLION GLOBAL TEACHER PRIZE FOR PROMOTING

GIRLS' EDUCATION

A primary school teacher from India was on Thursday named the winner of the

USD 1-million annual Global Teacher Prize 2020 in recognition of his efforts

to promote girls' education and trigger a quick-response (QR) coded textbook

revolution in India.

Ranjitsinh Disale, 32, from Paritewadi village in Maharashtra's Solapur

district, emerged the winner from 10 finalists from across the world for the

annual prize founded by the Varkey Foundation in 2014 to recognise an

exceptional teacher who has made an outstanding contribution to the

profession.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed education and the communities it serves

in a multitude of ways. But in this hard time, teachers are giving their

best to make sure every student has access to their birthright of a good

education," said Disale.

"Teachers are the real change-makers who are changing the lives of their

students with a mixture of chalk and challenges. They always believe in

giving and sharing. And, therefore, I am very pleased to announce that I

will share 50 per cent of the prize money equally among my fellow top 10

finalists to support their incredible work. I believe, together, we can

change this world because sharing is growing," he said.

His generous gesture means the other nine finalists will receive just over

USD 55,000 each as he made history as the first winner to share his prize

money.

DILJIT DOSANJH, KANGANA RANAUT IN NASTY TWITTER SPAT

Actors Diljit Dosanjh and Kangana Ranaut were embroiled in a bitter war of

words over the farmers' protest on Thursday, a Twitter spat that began with

Shaheen Bagh protester Bilkis Bano but soon spilled over to name calling,

Punjabi identity, the Delhi riots and even some muscle flexing over the

mother figure.

Dosanjh shared a BBC interview of the woman who Ranaut had wrongly

identified as Bilkis Bano and tweeted on Wednesday that her name is Mahinder

Kaur.

He found support from fellow Punjabi star singers Ranjit Bawa and Himanshi

Khurana.

In the vitriolic exchange that followed, Ranaut called Dosanjh filmmaker

Karan Johar's "pet (paltu)", a bootlicker and asked if he wasn't ashamed of

defending somebody who instigated the Delhi riots earlier this year. She

also said her comments were directed towards Bilkis Bano and not Mahinder

Kaur, someone she said she didn't even know.

Dosanjh in turn asked if she was a sycophant of everyone she has worked

with. "Then the list will be long," he said.

Asserting his Punjabi identity, Dosanjh said Ranaut, even as a woman,

doesn't have the manners to talk to someone's mother or sister.

"Sycophant and terrorists want to divide this country. They are dragging

dadi without any reason to set their agenda. Shame on tukde gang." she said.

In response, Dosanjh said it was she who stood to gain something here and

everyone knew she was going to join politics.

INDICATORS

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GBP 0.74 /US$, Euro 0.82 /US$, Jap.Yen 104.15 /US$, Aus$ 1.34 /US$, Sing

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/US$

Bitcoin - USD 19,275

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Silver (Rs. Per KG) 67,300

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Destroying is a necessary function in life. Everything has its season, and

all things eventually lose their effectiveness and die. - Margaret J.

Wheatley

OFF TRACK

A woman's Status on WhatsApp:

Hi! So i m here to say goodbye to Whatapp which I love so much. My husband

says i m on Whatapp every 2 minutes and he cant stand it anymore..

Well we argued and he told me to choose between him and Whatsapp ..

Therefore I'm gonna be offline for a couple of hours while I pack his bags

and call him a Taxi !!!!!

I'll be right back.....