LEADERS FROM ALL WALKS IN PM-LED PANEL TO MARK 75 YEARS OF FREEDOM

The government issued a gazette notification late on Friday evening, announcing a high-level national committee to commemorate 75 years of Independence, to be chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The 259-member committee, which includes Union Ministers, Governors, Chief Ministers, and eminent citizens from all walks of life, “will provide policy direction and guidelines for formulation of programmes for the commemoration of 75th anniversary of Indian Independence at national and international levels”, the Ministry of Culture said in a statement.

On the committee are former President Pratibha Patil, Chief Justice of India S A Bobde, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, more than a dozen Ministers including Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nirmala Sitharaman, Nitin Gadkari, Narendra Singh Tomar, Ravi Shankar Prasad, and Smriti Irani, all Chief Ministers, Governors, and Lieutenant Governors.

Chief of Defence Staff Gen Bipin Rawat and the Chiefs of all wings of the armed forces are on the committee, besides leaders from across the political spectrum — L K Advani, Sonia Gandhi, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mayawati, Mulayam Singh Yadav, M K Stalin, Sitaram Yechury, etc.

Also on the panel are sportspersons M S Dhoni, Prakash Padukone, P V Sindhu, and Abhinav Bindra; spiritual leaders such as Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev, Swami Ramdev, and Sayyed Zainul Abedin; artistes Dilip Kumar, A R Rahman, Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan; and business leaders Ratan Tata, Nandan Nilekani, and Bhupinder Singh Minhas.

Culture Secretary Raghvendra Singh is the Member-Secretary of the committee, whose term starts with immediate effect, and will continue “until further orders”.

"MISLEADING": CENTRE ON REPORT THAT DOWNGRADED INDIA TO "PARTLY FREE"

The Freedom House report claiming India's status as a free country has declined to "partly free" is "misleading, incorrect and misplaced", the government said Friday in a sharp rebuttal to the assessment of the US-based think tank.

That the ranking was faulty was evident from the fact that "many states in India are ruled by parties other than the one at the national level, through an election process which is free and fair and which is conducted by an independent election body", said the government in a point-by-point rejoinder.

In its annual report, the democracy research institute said the world's largest democracy was descending into authoritarianism and referred to what it called the "mob violence against Muslims" in the Delhi riots, the use of sedition laws against critics and the migrants' crisis after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced what it described as a "ham-fisted" lockdown to control the coronavirus pandemic.

On the use of the sedition law, the government said "public order' and 'police' were state subjects and the responsibility of maintaining law and order and investigating crimes was upto the state governments. "Therefore, measures as deemed fit are taken by law enforcement authorities to preserve public order," it said.

Responding to criticism of the lockdown, the government said any mass movement of people would have spread the disease rapidly throughout the country. "Taking into consideration these facts, the global experience and need for consistency in the approach and implementation of various

In response to criticism of what the Freedom House report called "Intimidation of academics and journalists and crackdown on expressions of dissent by media", the government said the constitution provided for freedom of expression under Article 19. "Discussion, debate and dissent is part of Indian democracy…..The Government of India has issued a special advisory to States and Union Territories on safety of journalists requesting them to strictly enforce the law to ensure safety and security of media persons."

EC ORDERS PM’S PHOTO REMOVED FROM COVID JAB CERTIFICATE

The Election Commission (EC) has asked the Union government to stop using Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s picture on Covid-19 vaccination certificates in states headed to Assembly elections. The EC’s order came on a complaint by the Trinamool Congress this week.

The EC has stopped the use of PM’s pictures in posters and websites of government welfare schemes during earlier elections as well. In 2017, when Goa, Manipur, Punjab, Uttarakhand and UP were headed to polls, it had ordered the removal of Modi's picture from the PMAY site.

The Health Ministry has been instructed to implement the instructions with regard to the vaccination certificates being distributed in West Bengal, Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry.

The EC’s decision came after the Health Ministry, in its reply to the panel, said the vaccination drive was an ongoing government initiative that had started much before the MCC came into force a week ago.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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INDIAN-AMERICANS TAKING OVER US, JOKES BIDEN

In remarks that were described as “head-turning” and a “tone-deaf effort at levity”, US President Joe Biden on Thursday said Indian-Americans are “taking over” the United States.

Biden’s off-the-cuff comment came during a call to Nasa while speaking to Swati Mohan, the space agency's guidance and controls operations head for the Mars Perseverance rover landing. “It’s amazing. Indian-descent Americans are taking over the country—you, my vice-president (Kamala Harris), my speechwriter (Vinay Reddy),” Biden told Mohan, whose lead role in guiding the Perseverance rover landing last month attracted wide praise.

One of the reasons why we’re such an incredible country is we’re such a diverse country. We bring the best out of every single solitary culture in the world, here in the USA, and we give people an opportunity to let their dreams run forward,” Biden added, clearly emphasising their US nationality by referring to them as “Indian-descent Americans”.

Biden had a well-chronicled history of making awkward gaffes, so his over-thetop remarks were taken in stride. The New York Post referred to the comments as “tonedeaf effort at levity” and Breitbart News, home to nativist commentaries, said Biden “has a history of awkward statements on the growing population of Indian-Americans”.

But the comments were also implicit acknowledgement of the growing profile in areas ranging, from politics and public service to science and business, of an ethnic group that is considered a “model minority” and which has the best education metrics of any community in the US. . According to a Pew research study, more than 70% of people of Indian origin aged 25 and older have college degrees, with 40% obtaining a post-graduate degree, nearly 2.5 times the rate among the overall US population. Indian-Americans also have the highest household median income in the US — $132,000 compared to $64,000 and $66,000 for all immigrant and US-born households. Their success is reflected in the Biden administration’s appointment of a large number of them in the government — more than 55 at last count.

POLL PANEL REJECTS PAK PM’S CLAIMS OF CORRUPTION IN SENATE ELECTIONS

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday rejected the narrative of PM Imran Khan and his cabinet members that the electoral body was responsible for protecting corrupt people by holding the recent senate polls with secret ballots. The statement was issued by the Election Commission a day after Imran questioned the body’s transparency in a televised address to the nation, saying that corruption took place under the commission’s nose.

“It is a shocking matter that under the same staff in the same election under the same roof on the same day, what they won is acceptable and what they lost is unacceptable. Is this not an open contradiction?” the commission questioned, adding: “The ECP rejects this.” The commission stressed that the senate elections were conducted in accordance with the law. Every political party and politician should have the courage to accept defeat, it said.

Meanwhile, in a relief for PM Khan on the eve of a vote of confidence on his government a 10-party Opposition alliance, PDM, on Friday announced that they will boycott the floor test as their candidate’s triumph in the Senate election was itself a moral victory against the premier.

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KERALA BJP CHIEF’S U-TURN: CENTRAL BRASS WILL TAKE A CALL ON CM FACE

The BJP in Kerala has made a u-turn on its earlier announcement that E Sreedharan, popularly known as Metro Man, would be the party’s Chief Minister candidate for the upcoming Assembly elections.

On Thursday, while addressing the party’s Vijay Yatra in Thiruvalla, state BJP chief K Surendran stated that Sreedharan would be the Chief Minister candidate and said he wanted the people of Kerala to give an opportunity to a government led by him to implement development projects of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

On Friday, however, he said, “The party’s central leadership would decide (on the Chief Minister candidate) after deliberations. What I stated was that party workers and people wish to have the leadership of Sreedharan. No doubt, Kerala would have a BJP government and persons like Sreedharan will lead it from the front,’’ he said.

Soon after Surendran made the announcement on Thursday, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan, who is from Kerala and has considerable influence in the BJP’s state affairs, tweeted, “@BJPKeralam will fight #Keralapolls with E Sreedharan as its chief minister candidate…the new Kerala under E Sreedharan will pave way for an efficient and effective government in the state.’’ Later on Thursday night, the Union Minister withdrew the statement.

MAMATA WILL CONTEST ONE SEAT ONLY, PICKS NANDIGRAM

Accepting the challenge thrown by the BJP at her, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Friday announced she would contest only from one seat — Nandigram.

Releasing the list of Trinamool Congress candidates at her Kolkata residence, Banerjee said Power Minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay would contest from Bhabanipur, won by her in 2016 and 2011. “Sobhandeb lives in Bhabanipur,” she said.

Banerjee took everyone by surprise when she had announced at a rally in Nandigram in January she would contest from the seat. Suvendu Adhikari, who won the seat in 2016 as TMC nominee, had switched to the BJP shortly before and the CM appeared keen to teach him a lesson.

The BJP responded to Mamata’s announcement by resorting to propaganda saying Banerjee, unsure about winning from Nandigram, would also contest simultaneously from Bhabanipur.

With the TMC supremo on Friday ruling out contesting from any other constituency but Nandigram, the stage is set for a fierce contest between her and Adhikari, who is expected to be the BJP candidate. The agitation in Nandigram over land acquisition in the late 2000s catapulted Banerjee to power in 2011, ending 34 years of the Left rule.

IT RULES HAVE NO TEETH, CAN’T CONTROL OTT WITHOUT LAW, SAYS SC

The Centre on Friday told the Supreme Court that it would consider bringing in a law or regulations to control OTT platforms, after the apex court said that the recently notified guidelines in respect of these platforms “lacked teeth” to act against violators.

Before granting interim protection from arrest to Amazon Prime Video’s head of India Originals, Aparna Purohit, in connection with an FIR against her over the Tandav web series, a bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and R Subhash Reddy asked the Centre for a copy of The Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The Rules were notified by the government on February 25 for regulating content on these platforms.

After going through the Rules, the bench said, “…there is no teeth, no power of prosecution. These are just guidelines. No mechanism to control… Without legislation you cannot control it.”

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the Centre, then told the bench that “the Government shall consider and take appropriate steps for regulation or legislation as may be found fit by the Government and the same shall be placed before the court”.

NORTHEAST DELHI RIOTS ‘CONSPIRACY’ CASE: FIND OUT PERSON WHO LEAKED CHARGESHEET, HC TELLS DELHI POLICE

The Delhi High Court Friday said Delhi Police needs to find out who is behind leaking of chargesheets to the media even before the trial court took cognizance of it, in the alleged conspiracy case filed in connection with the Northeast Delhi riots. It also asked the Commissioner of Police to file a reply regarding the allegations of leaking of the contents by police.

Allowing a prayer by advocate Siddharth Aggarwal, who represents Jamia Millia Islamia student Asif Iqbal Tanha, for filing of an additional affidavit regarding the alleged leaking of the supplementary chargesheet in the case last week, the court said it was a “proved allegation” that the chargesheet had been leaked.

Tanha, an accused in the case, in his petition, has challenged the leaking of a purported “confession statement” and its reporting by the media last year.

MAN WHOSE EXPLOSIVE-LADEN SUV WAS PARKED NEAR MUKESH AMBANI'S HOUSE FOUND DEAD

Hiren Mansukh, owner of the vehicle with explosives which had been found parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence last week, was found dead in a creek in neighboring Thane on Friday, police said.

In another twist in the case, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said the deceased was not the real owner of the vehicle. The probe of the case has been handed over from Mumbai Crime Branch to the state Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) now, he announced.

Mansukh’s Scorpio with 20 gelatin sticks inside was found near ‘Antilia’, Ambani’s multi-storey residence in South Mumbai, on February 25. Police had said it had been stolen from Airoli-Mulund Bridge on February 18.

Mansukh, who was in vehicle spare parts business, had said he had lodged a police complaint after the SUV was stolen.

GOVERNMENT MAKES AIRBAG MANDATORY FOR FRONT PASSENGER SEAT IN VEHICLES

A gazette notification regarding mandatory provision of an airbag was issued, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) said.

“Ministry has issued Gazette notification regarding mandatory provision of an airbag for passenger seated on front seat of a vehicle, next to driver. This has been mandated as an important safety feature & is also based on suggestions of Supreme Court Committee

on Road Safety,” it said.

The ministry further said that it has been mandated that the vehicles manufactured on and after the first day of April 2021, in the case of new models, and 31st day of August, 2021, in the case of existing models, shall be fitted with airbag for the person occupying the front seat, other than the driver.

GOOGLE’S PROMISE TO STOP TRACKING THIRD PARTY COOKIES

Google said this week that it’s done tracking us as we skate around the web. It promises that after fully eliminating its use of third-party cookies over the next year, it won’t adopt replacements that essentially do the same thing.

That doesn’t mean Google won’t continue scooping up first-party information it collects directly from users when they visit sites and services it controls.

But it does mean that a very particular and early chapter in the internet era is coming to an end. That era was defined by computer-based web browsers made potent by a number of innovations, with cookies being, perhaps, first among equals. Cookies allowed a browser to remember its users, making the web much easier to navigate. They also helped popularize and commercialize the web, ultimately spawning a universe in which personal privacy was easily compromised.

Without cookies, each time a user clicked to move to a different page they would become just another random user with no way to associate them with an action they had done just moments ago.

Apple’s Safari browser and Mozilla’s Firefox browser already have default settings that block third-party cookies, so Google will be playing catch-up by embracing more of the same on its Chrome browser. Still, it’s a seismic event when the company that blossomed because of cookie-driven advertising revenue decides to call it quits.

Google also doesn’t appear to be worried that its business model is threatened. Marketers have been bracing for this moment for years and have already developed alternatives to cookies that will allow them to continue tracking how people journey around the web — albeit with less specifics about what each individual is up to across a multitude of sites. Google has already developed digital tools as part of a “privacy sandbox" that serves ads targeted at like-minded groups of people rather than individuals.

4TH TEST, DAY 2: PANT TURNS THE TABLES

Rishabh Pant scored a magnificent century, blending caution with aggression to help India seize control on Day 2 of the fourth and final Test against England today. India finished the day at a robust 294/7, 89 runs ahead and Washington Sundar (60*) and Axar Patel (11*) looking good for a few more.

England dominated the first two sessions and India looked in all sorts of trouble at 146/6. However, it was then that Pant suddenly decided to catch the opposition by the scruff of their necks, effortlessly changing gears to score 101 off 118 balls, smashing the last 46 runs of his innings off only 26 balls. He added 113 runs for the seventh wicket with Sundar, who again batted with responsibility and aggression to defy the English attack. Their rollicking stand of 113 came off 26 overs as the two left-handers poured cold water on England’s hopes of securing the lead.

In Virender Sehwag-style, Pant deposited Dom Bess over midwicket for a six to complete his third Test hundred, and the first at home, having missed at least five in recent times.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned. – Buddha

OFF TRACK

A guy burned two ears... so they were asking him at the hospital how it happened.

He said, "I was ironing my clothing and the phone rang...so instead of the phone I picked up the iron and burned my ear..."

"But how the heck did you burn the other ear?" The doctor asked.

"And then I decided to call the hospital....?"