OPPOSITION RAISES FARM STIR, OBSTRUCTS PARLIAMENT BUSINESS

The shadow of the farm agitation loomed over the Parliament session with

both Houses adjourned without transaction of business on Tuesday after the

Opposition stalled the proceedings seeking a standalone discussion on issues

concerning the farmers.

Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday informed Parliament

that the Delhi Police had no option but to use mild force to control the

unruly mob on January 26.

Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla

adjourned the Houses thrice and twice, respectively, before winding up for

the day.

Naidu and Birla earlier urged Opposition MPs to use the question hour to

raise farmers' issues, reminding them, "When the question hour was dropped

last session, you had all called it a murder of democracy."

The Opposition disrupted both Houses and raised "take back black laws"

slogans after presiding officers rejected their notices for suspension of

business to discuss farmers' issues.

AMARINDER CITES OP BLUE STAR, THREAT FROM PAK TO CALL FOR EARLY RESOLUTION

TO FARMERS' AGITATION

Pressing for a speedy resolution of the farmers' agitation, Punjab CM

Amarinder Singh invoked the state's troubled past to remind an all-party

meeting ibn Chandigarh Tuesday that prolonged negotiations that time too

over a list of demands led to Operation Blue Star in 1984, the Centre's

military action in the Golden Temple.

"Underlining the need for early resolution of the crisis," said a government

statement after the meeting, "the Chief Minister warned and said the threat

from Pakistan could not be undermined. We have to work to resolve this issue

before things go out of hand, he said, adding that he knew how many drones,

arms and ammunition were being smuggled into the state from across the

border."

The all-party meeting called by Amarinder Singh, which was boycotted by the

BJP, demanded that the Centre make the MSP "a statutory right", and continue

procurement of foodgrains through the Food Corporation of India and other

such agencies, as well as ahrtiyas.

The parties, including the Congress, Aam Aadmi Party, Akali Dal, Lok Insaaf

Party, SAD Democratic Party, BSP, CPI and the CPM, also demanded a judicial

inquiry into what they called the "laxity" and "complicity" of those

responsible for maintaining law and order at the Red Fort, during the

violence on January 26. Calling the farmers' agitation "historic", and

flaying the bid for "sabotage" on Republic Day, the resolution said the

violence should not be used to victimise the protesters or mediapersons. It

demanded that the Centre "withdraw all cases registered against farmers,

farm workers, journalists, and other peaceful agitators, and release all

those detained" and that those "missing " be returned to their families.

FIVE MONTHS TO FRAME CAA RULES, NO NRC PLAN FOR NOW: GOVT TO HOUSE

Delayed for over a year, the rules for the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA)

may take five more months to be framed, the govt told Parliament on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Home Affairs told the Lok Sabha that the rules were still

being framed, and an extension had been approved by the Committees on

Subordinate Legislation for both Houses of Parliament.

While the Lok Sabha committee has granted the govt time till April 9, the

Rajya Sabha panel has extended the deadline till July 9. The Act had come

into force on January 10, 2020.

The govt also clarified in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday that no decision has been

taken on a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC) yet. Union Home

Minister Amit Shah had earlier said the NRC would follow the CAA. While the

CAA eases citizenship for illegal immigrants belonging to Hindu, Jain, Sikh,

Parsi, Christian and Buddhist communities from Pakistan, Bangladesh and

Afghanistan, an NRC is planned to identify illegal immigrants, the govt had

said.

Seen as a move to disenfranchise Muslims, the CAA and NRC proposal had

triggered widespread protests.

While the govt had earlier said that the CAA and NRC were linked, its

assertion that there were no plans for a nationwide NRC yet follows

apprehensions expressed across states, with several of them saying they

would not conduct an NPR.

In reply to observations by a Parliamentary Standing Committee over fears

regarding the National Population Register (NPR) and Census, an Action Taken

Report tabled by the govt in the Rajya Sabha Tuesday said, "All individual

level information collected in Census (is) confidential. In Census, only

aggregated data are released at various administrative levels. It has been

clarified at various levels in Govt time and again that till now no decision

has been taken to create National Register of Indian citizen."

FACING PROTESTS, LANKA SCRAPS INDIA PORT DEAL, OFFERS ANOTHER PROJECT

In a setback for India, the Rajapaksa government in Sri Lanka, which is

facing the threat of nationwide agitations against port privatisation, has

cancelled an agreement signed by the previous regime in 2019 for India and

Japan to develop the strategic East Container Terminal (ECT) at Colombo port

with Adani Group as an investor.

In a reconciliatory move, Sri Lanka has offered India another undertaking to

develop the West Container Terminal (WCT) at the same facility on a Public

Private Partnership model along with Japan. However, official sources in the

Sri Lankan government acknowledged that India is not keen on an alternate

arrangement and views the decision as "unilateral". The Indian High

Commission in Colombo has called on "all sides" to "abide by the existing

understandings and commitment".

The ECT project was considered important for India, mainly for security

reasons as the China Merchants Port Holdings Company holds 85 per cent stake

in the Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT), which is near the

ECT.

An SLPA official said that the WCT offer is better commercially as it would

give 85 per cent stake to the developers. "The WCT project is almost the

same if they (India) consider the security aspect and the necessity to have

a terminal for India in Sri Lanka. And WCT is not smaller in size or depth

compared to the East Terminal. It is just that the development of ECT has

been partially completed by us while the WTC work has to begin from

scratch," the official said.

According to estimates, over 70 per cent of business at Colombo port is from

ships in transit to the Indian coast, making it important for Sri Lanka,

too. Incidentally, the Adani Group is also building a transhipment port at

Vizhinjam near Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala, which is being developed

primarily to wean away India-bound trans-shipment traffic from Colombo.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

MONITORING LAC STANDOFF, BEIJING PLAYING BULLY: US

In its first response to the China-India border standoff, the Biden

administration has voiced concern over Beijing's ongoing attempts to

"intimidate" its neighbours and said it was closely monitoring the

situation.

A top official asserted that the US would stand with its allies to advance

its shared values in the strategically vital Indo-Pacific region.

"We note the talks between India and China and continue to support a

dialogue and a peaceful resolution to border disputes," said Emily J Horne,

spokesperson, National Security Council of the White House.

He was responding to a question on recent Chinese bids to intrude into

Indian territories. "The US is concerned over Beijing's pattern of

intimidating its neighbours," Horne said.

PAK SC CONFIRMS DECISION TO RELEASE PEARL MURDER ACCUSED

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the release of Britishborn

Pakistani Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh, the prime accused in the 2002 beheading

of American journalist Daniel Pearl, from Karachi prison and directed

authorities to move him to a government rest house within the next two to

three days. This comes despite US secretary of state Anthony Blinken

speaking over phone with Pakistan's foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi

and discussing the accountability of convicted terrorists responsible for

Pearl's murder, according to the US state department.

Tuesday's decision comes after a three-judge panel reviewed and confirmed

its order last week to acquit Sheikh, who had been on death row for 18 years

since originally being convicted by an antiterrorism court for his role in

Pearl murder.

THE REST

========

EFFORTS TO BLOCK FARMERS' ACCESS TO WATER, TOILETS

From toilets to water to sanitation - farmers at the three protest sites at

Delhi's borders are feeling the squeeze with police stepping up barricading

over the past few days.

All three sites have seen the addition of more barricades and cement slabs

since the January 26 violence. Concertina wires have been used to cover vast

stretches, and at Tikri and Ghazipur, police have also put metal spikes on

the roads leading to the protest sites.

At Singhu, the barricading has cut off access for farmers to roughly 100

portable toilets. A few metres from the toilets, police are now erecting a

tent for a makeshift kitchen.

Farmers at Singhu also alleged that water supply to the protest site has

been hit since January 26.

Delhi Water Minister Satyendar Jain had on Friday said that the Delhi Police

had prevented him and Delhi Jal Board vice-chairman Raghav Chadha from

supplying drinking water in tankers to Singhu. On Tuesday, Chadha said:

"They are not letting the Jal Board tankers through. They are only saying

'upar se order hai'. We are trying every single day to get our tankers to

pass through."

A senior Delhi Police officer from the Outer district, who is deployed at

Singhu, however, said they were allowing essential services through. "Yes,

we have blocked the main roads as a preventive measure after the Republic

Day tractor march, but farmers still have access to some roads. We are

allowing water tankers to reach the farmers from a specific point. Toilets

that were earlier outside the protest site are now being shifted to their

side of the barricades," he said.

Mediapersons are no longer allowed to take the main road by crossing the

barricades, and now have to go through fields or inner routes to reach the

protest site.

Farmers say some locals have been kind enough to let them use toilets in

factories nearby, even if it means walking a few kilometres in some cases.

Farmers said the stepped-up barricading has meant that there are fewer

people from Delhi joining the protests. "Many of our family members would

visit from Delhi, some would get ration, some would do sewa. That has

stopped now. But more than that, we are worried locals will end up hating

us, thinking we are responsible for the barricading."

Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Rakesh Tikait on Tuesday iterated that

the protesting farmers will not return home until the government decides to

repeal the controversial farm laws. He also announced that the ongoing

agitation will not conclude before October.

Reacting to reports that the farmers' agitation has turned political, Tikait

said that there's no problem if Opposition wants to support the farmers but

they should not politicise the issue.

Farmer unions have also announced a countrywide 'chakka jam' on February 6

when they would block national and state highways for three hours in protest

against the internet ban in areas near their agitation sites, harassment

allegedly meted out to them by authorities and other issues.

DELHI NEARS HERD IMMUNITY

The national Capital could well be moving towards herd immunity against

Covid-19 with the largest sero prevalence survey by the Delhi Government

revealing viral antibodies in 56.13 per cent of the respondents.

Announcing the findings of the fifth survey, state Health Minister Satyendra

Jain said on Tuesday, "Delhi is heading towards herd immunity, but only

experts will be able to give a clear picture."

NITI Aayog Member VK Paul has repeatedly said the presence of antibodies in

60 per cent people could qualify as herd immunity, but the debate continues

and more studies are needed to draw definitive conclusions.

BAIL FOR MANDEEP PUNIA, COURT POINTS TO 7-HOUR DELAY IN FIR

Pointing to the nearly seven-hour delay in registering an FIR, and ruling

out any possibility of the accused influencing the complainant, victims and

witnesses in the case since they are all policemen, a Delhi court granted

bail to freelance journalist Mandeep Punia who was picked up from the farm

protest site at the Singhu border on Saturday.

Punia, 25, was accused of allegedly obstructing police from doing their duty

and causing injuries to their personnel at the site. Granting bail on a bond

of Rs 25,000, the order Tuesday stated that it is "a well settled legal

principle of law that 'bail is a rule and jail is an exception'", and that

further judicial custody in this case "would not serve any cogent purpose".

In his order, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Rohini court) Satvir Singh

Lamba said: "It is pertinent to mention here that the alleged scuffle

incident of present case is of around 6.30 pm. However, the present FIR was

registered at around 1.21 am the next day. Moreover, the complainant,

victims and witnesses are police personnel only. Hence, there is no

possibility that accused/applicant can. influence any of the police

officials."

GRADED WATER TARIFF LIKELY SOON AS GOVT ACCEPTS FINANCE PANEL SUGGESTION

India could soon implement a system of graded water tariff across the

country. The Narendra Modi government has accepted the recommendation of the

15th Finance Commission, which has suggested fixing a graded water tariff to

reform the water sector.

"It is imperative to fix an appropriate price for water on a graded basis,

wherein higher consumption entails higher charges," the commission has said

in its report, uploaded on its website.

According to the commission, fixing water tariff is necessary because

"inappropriate water pricing" is one of the major causes of

over-exploitation of water in the domestic sector. "Tariffs do not get

revised on a periodic basis, resulting in a large gap between the cost of

supply of water and the revenue collected," the commission stated.

The 15th Finance Commission has also highlighted the need to ensure optimum

utilisation of surface water for the Jal Jeevan Mission in view of

overexploitation of groundwater in large parts of the country.

DELHI HC ORDERS STATUS QUO ON $3.4 BN FUTURE GROUP-RELIANCE RETAIL DEAL

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday asked Future Retail Ltd (FRL) to maintain

the status quo with respect to its $3.4 billion (about Rs 24,700 crore) deal

with Reliance Retail. The court said it was satisfied that an immediate

interim order was required to be passed to protect the rights of Amazon.

The development has come as a temporary relief for Jeff Bezos-led e-commerce

giant Amazon, which is battling to thwart the Future group's asset sale to

Reliance.

GOVT EXAMINING CAIRN RETROSPECTIVE TAX ORDER: CBDT CHIEF

The government is "examining" the recent international tribunal order passed

against India in the high-profile Cairn Energy plc retrospective tax case as

CBDT chairman PC Mody said the law in force at that point of time has to

been given full effect to.

He said while the government has filed an appeal after a similar verdict was

delivered against the country in the Vodafone case, it will soon come out

with its decision to go in for an appeal or not in the Cairn case.

India, in December last year, has been ordered to return up to USD 1.4

billion to Cairn Energy of the UK after the government lost an international

arbitration over the retrospective levy of taxes.

The three-member tribunal, which also comprised a nominee of the Indian

government, unanimously ruled that India's claim of Rs 10,247 crore in past

taxes over a 2006-07 internal reorganisation of Cairn's India business was

not a valid demand.

Few months earlier, British telecom giant Vodafone Group plc had similarly

won an arbitration against the Indian government over a demand for Rs 22,100

crore in taxes using retrospective legislation.

India has challenged this verdict before a court in Singapore.

TO ENTER FINAL, INDIA NEED AT LEAST 2 WINS AND A DRAW AGAINST ENGLAND

New Zealand on Tuesday became the first team to reach the final of the

inaugural World Test Championship after Australia's away series against

South Africa got cancelled due to fears over the Covid-19 pandemic.

With Australia's Test series postponed indefinitely, no team can surpass New

Zealand's percentage points of 70 and for all practical purposes, the series

between India and England starting in Chennai on Friday will decide the

opponents for Kane Williamson's men.

"All to play for in the upcoming India v England series with three teams

able to meet New Zealand in the final of the inaugural ICC World Test

Championship," the ICC tweeted.

As of now, India have highest percentage points 71.7 while New Zealand have

70 while Australia are third at 69.2 and England are currently placed fourth

with 65.2 points.

Percentage of points is won out of the total number of points contested by

each team.

India will qualify if they beat England in the series by winning at least

two matches and drawing at least one. England can make it by triumphing in

at least three games while recording a series victory. Any in-between result

will help Australia go into final against New Zealand.

Australia's decision to pull out of next month's three-Test tour in South

Africa due to the Covid-19 pandemic is "extremely disappointing" considering

the hosts had put in place a number of safety measures, Cricket South Africa

(CSA) said yesterday.

INDICATORS

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Bitcoin - USD 35,997

Dollar Index 91.00 Brent Crude 57.71 BDI 1444

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4,759, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 74,000

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

On the whole, human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite

all the time. - George Orwell

OFF TRACK

Arriving home from work at his usual hour of 5 p.m., the man discovered that

it had not been one of his wife's better days. Nothing he said or did seemed

to be right.

By 7 p.m. things had not changed, so before a fight started in earnest he

suggested he go outside, pretend he had just gotten home, and start all over

again. The wife agreed.

He went outside, came back in and, with a big smile, announced, "Honey, I'm

home!"

"And just where have you been?" she replied sharply. "It's after seven

o'clock!"