GOVT IN DELHI MEANS THE NOMINATED L-G: CENTRE BRINGS BILL IN LOK SABHA

The Centre on Monday introduced a Bill in Lok Sabha to bring amendments to the Act that decides the roles of the elected government and the nominated Lieutenant Governor in Delhi.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said that if the proposed amendments to The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi Act, 1991 are passed, elections and the elected government in Delhi will become meaningless.

One proposed amendment seeks to state clearly that the expression “government” will mean the Lieutenant Governor in laws made by the Legislative Assembly; the other says that the opinion of the L-G has to be sought for any executive action.

“The Centre has brought in Parliament an undemocratic and unconstitutional Bill. It says L-G is the government and all decisions and files have to be routed through him,” Sisodia said on Monday. He

alleged that the amendment Bill was a ploy by the Centre to incapacitate the Delhi government, which was working for the people.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Bill was a way to curtail the powers of the state, and was against the order of the Supreme Court. “After being rejected by people of Delhi, BJP seeks to drastically curtail powers of elected government through a Bill in Lok Sabha today. Bill is contrary to Constitution Bench judgment. We strongly condemn BJP’s unconstitutional and anti-democracy move,” Kejriwal posted on Twitter.

CENTRE TO MAHARASHTRA AMID SURGE IN COVID CASES: PLUG GLARING GAPS

KEY COVID NUMBERS:

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 2,20,401

New Cases in last 24 hours: 24,420

Recovered in last 24 hours: 20,186

Increase in Active cases in last 24 hours: 4,104

No. of deaths in last 24 hours: 130

From limited contact tracing to lack of effort to map cases and contacts, from patients reporting late to hospitals to a bulk of active cases being in home isolation without proper monitoring — these are among the glaring gaps identified by a Central team of experts deployed to Maharashtra to review the surge in Covid-19 cases in the state.

On Monday, maharashtra reported a record 15,051 new cases, accounting for 62 per cent of the daily new cases reported in the country. Taking cognisance of the expert team’s report, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote a letter to the state highlighting 14 specific public health measures that required to be implemented by the state. “Measures such as night curfews, weekend lockdowns, etc. have very limited impact on containing or suppressing the transmission. Hence the district administration should focus on strict and effective containment strategy,” Bhushan wrote to the state.

“For every positive case, at least 20 to 30 close contacts (including family contacts, social contacts’ workplace contacts, and other casual contacts) need to be promptly traced and tracked… The health infrastructure though adequate as of now, the State should plan for a worse-case scenario with sufficient lead time,” Bhushan wrote.

IN RS, SENA MP QUESTIONS GOVT OVER PRESS FREEDOM, CITES GOM REPORT

Raising the issue of press freedom during the Zero Hour in Rajya Sabha, Shiv Sena’s Priyanka Chaturvedi Monday questioned the government for discriminating between media houses, pointing to a report of the Group of Ministers constituted last year to look into “government communication”.

Chaturvedi said that in mid-2020, “as per the reports that have come in the newspapers, a GoM was formed when nine ministers were asked to come forward with suggestions on how to neutralise some media agencies which were speaking up against the government, not against the nation but against the government, and how to neutralise them and how to promote those agencies which are talking pro-government”.

The Shiv Sena MP asked, “How can we discriminate in a democracy between those agencies which speak up for the cause of the people of the country and speak against the government and question them”, and if this didn’t “go against the freedom of speech as well as press freedom that has been consistently sliding down as far as India is concerned.”

Among the several suggestions that the GoM report mentioned included a strategy to “neutralise” those who set “false narratives” against the government, roping in “right-wing parties” from other countries to seek “common ground”, and alleged “colour coding” of journalists.

INDIA’S IMPORT OF ARMS DECREASES BY 33 PER CENT, SAYS SIPRI

India’s import of arms decreased by 33 per cent between 2011–15 and 2016–20 and Russia was the most affected supplier, according to a report released on Monday by Stockholm-based defence think-tank SIPRI.

It said the drop in Indian arms imports seemed to have been the result of the country’s complex procurement processes combined with an attempt to reduce its dependence on Russian arms.

The report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said, “Arms imports by India decreased by 33 per cent between 2011–15 and 2016–20. Russia was the most affected supplier, although India’s imports of US arms also fell, by 46 per cent.”    

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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GERMANY, ITALY, FRANCE HIT PAUSE ON ASTRAZENECA AMID SAFETY FEARS

Germany, France and Italy said on Monday they would hit pause on AstraZeneca COVID-19 shots after several countries reported possible serious side-effects, throwing Europe’s already struggling vaccination campaign into disarray.

Denmark and Norway stopped giving the shot last week after reporting isolated cases of bleeding, blood clots and a low platelet count. Iceland and Bulgaria followed suit and Ireland and the Netherlands announced suspensions on Sunday.

The moves by some of Europe’s largest and most populous countries will deepen concerns about the slow rollout of vaccines in the region, which has been plagued by shortages due to problems producing vaccines, including AstraZeneca’s.

Germany warned last week it was facing a third wave of infections, Italy is intensifying lockdowns and hospitals in the Paris region are close to being overloaded.

France said it was suspending the vaccine’s use pending an assessment by the EU medicine regulator due on Tuesday. Italy said its halt was a “precautionary and temporary measure” pending the regulator’s ruling.

The WHO appealed to countries not to suspend vaccinations against a disease that has caused more than 2.7 million deaths worldwide. “As of today, there is no evidence that the incidents are caused by the vaccine and it is important that vaccination campaigns continue so that we can save lives and stem severe disease from the virus,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier said.

CHINA BRISTLES AT QUAD SUMMIT, SAYS ‘IT WILL END UP NOWHERE’ AND GET NO SUPPORT

China on Monday said the four-member Quad “will end up nowhere” if it does not abandon its ideological bias and cold war mentality, underscoring its opposition to the bloc. Beijing described the Quad, or the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, as a clique based on an ideology which, it said, “detrimental to the international order”.

The Quad, comprising India, the US, Australia, and Japan, has been revitalised following the grouping’s first and high-profile top leader-level online summit last Friday.

The summit, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Australian counterpart Scott Morrison, US President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, was closely monitored and critiqued by Beijing. The consensus in Beijing was that the four countries came together to counter China’s increasing influence and muscle-flexing in the South China Sea and the Indo-Pacific region.

China was also riled at the US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan’s remarks that the four leaders discussed at the summit the challenge posed by China and that the four-member security grouping believed that the four democracies could outcompete “autocracy.”

Asked to respond, the Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said the China threat is exaggerated. “For some time, some countries have been exaggerating the so-called China threat, (or) China challenges, to drive a wedge among regional countries to sow a discord between their relations with China,” Zhao said at the regular ministry briefing on Monday. “What they have done is against the trend of times, which is peace, development and win-win cooperation and runs counter to the common aspirations of people in the region.”

THE REST

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SHARAD PAWAR MEETS CM, APPARENTLY OVER ANTILLA SCARE, WAZE ARREST

Two days after the arrest of Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Waze by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the Antilia bomb scare case, there are several red faces in the ruling coalition in Maharashtra.

On Monday, NCP chief Sharad Pawar met Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray at the Shiv Sena president’s official residence, Varsha, in Mumbai. Sena sources said the two discussed Waze’s arrest and the police’s handling of the bomb scare episode outside Mukesh Ambani’s residence. There is a seeming disquiet over the manner in which the entire case has been handled by Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

The Sena leaders seem worried that Antilia scare — and the subsequent death of Thane-based Mansukh Hiran — had shown the Mumbai police in very poor light and had adversely affected the image of the government as well.

Sena mouthpiece Saamna however remained steadfast in its support of Waze. In an editorial, the newspaper said Waze had been on the hit-list of the BJP and Centre since he arrested the journalist Arnab Goswami and put him behind bars.

ARMY RECRUITMENT SCAM: CBI BOOKS 17 ARMY OFFICERS

The CBI has booked 17 Army officers including five officers of Lt Col rank, and six private persons in connection with alleged irregularities in recruitment for the armed forces.

The officers have been charged with corruption. The agency carried out searches at 30 locations across the country on Monday.

“Searches were conducted today at 30 places including Base Hospital, Cantonment, other Army establishments, civilian areas covering 13 cities, viz. Kapurthala, Bathinda, Delhi, Kaithal, Palwal, Lucknow, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Visakhapatnam, Jaipur, Guwahati, Jorhat and Chirangon, which led to recovery of several incriminating documents. The documents so recovered during searches are being scrutinized,” a CBI spokesperson said.

The CBI FIR is based on a complaint from Brigadier (Vigilance) V K Purohit, alleging that on February 28, 2021, an input was received about the alleged involvement of serving personnel in accepting bribes for clearance of review medical exam of temporarily rejected officer candidates at the Base Hospital in New Delhi.

“Indian Army has zero tolerance towards corrupt practices in the recruitment process for selection of suitable candidates for Indian Army. Based on a proactive operation by Army intelligence agencies, a case of possible malpractice in selection procedures at a Services Selection Centre has come to light. Since the scope of investigation involves multiple agencies including civil entities, Indian Army has decided to hand over the case to the CBI,” the Army said in a statement.

BATLA HOUSE ENCOUNTER: DELHI COURT AWARDS DEATH PENALTY TO ARIZ KHAN

A Delhi court Monday awarded death penalty to Ariz Khan for the murder of decorated Delhi Police Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma in connection with the sensational 2008 Batla House encounter case, saying the offence fell under the “rarest of the rare category” warranting the maximum sentence. Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav said Ariz be hanged by neck till death.

Inspector Sharma of the police’s special cell was killed during the Batla House encounter between the police and alleged terrorists in Jamia Nagar in south Delhi following serial bomb blasts in the national capital in which 39 people died and 159 were injured.

Additional Public Prosecutor A T Ansari, appearing for the police, sought death penalty for Ariz, allegedly associated with the terror outfit Indian Mujahideen, saying it was not just any killing but a murder of a law enforcement officer who was a defender of justice.

“Ariz along with others was carrying deadly weapons which clearly suggests that they were ready to kill anybody in any eventuality. They were the first to start fire without any provocation,” the public prosecutor said.  He added that widespread concerns were raised after the incident regarding the safety of police officers and it instilled fear in the minds of the common people.

Ariz Khan had fled from the spot and was declared proclaimed offender. He was arrested on February 14, 2018, and faced the trial.

TOOLKIT CASE TRIO REVOKE BAIL PLEAS AS COPS AGREE TO ADVANCE NOTICE

Two climate crusaders and a lawyer-activist named in the farm agitation toolkit case withdrew their anticipatory bail applications on Monday while Delhi Police said it would give seven days’ advance notice if their arrest was “imminent and unavoidable”.

The conclusion to protracted arguments for anticipatory bail by the counsels of Shantanu Muluk, Subham Kar Chaudhuri and Nikita Jacob came after additional sessions judge Dharmender Rana noted that the accused were “inclined” to withdraw their applications, subject to a condition.

“It is argued by the public prosecutor representing the investigating agency that the investigation is at an initial stage and it requires a detailed investigation. The counsels for the accused state that the bail pleas shall be withdrawn, provided seven working days’ advance notice is served on the accused, whereby they exercise their legal remedies,” the court said.

CA, CS, ICWA QUALIFICATIONS EQUIVALENT TO PG DEGREE: UGC

Candidates who qualify for the Chartered Accountant (CA), Company Secretary (CS) or Cost and Works Accountant (ICWA) exams will now be treated equivalent to postgraduate degree holders, according to the University Grants Commission.

Welcoming the move, the ICAI tweeted, “the University Grants Commission @ugc_india has resolved that CA Qualification will be treated equivalent to PG Degree based on requests submitted from @theicai. This will not only help CAs for pursuing higher studies but will also facilitate the mobility of Indian CAs globally”.

The ICSI said the move will leverage the profession across the globe. “This recognition will leverage the company secretary profession across the globe, giving the members of the institute an opportunity to pursue PhD in Commerce and Allied Disciplines,” it said in a release.

GOOGLE MAKES IT CLEAR: YOUR DATA MAY GET TRACKED EVEN WHEN YOU USE INCOGNITO MODE ON CHROME

After three users dragged Google to court in the US for tracking users even in Incognito mode, Google wanted the case to be trashed. The reason was simple: Google believed that people already knew the real meaning of “Incognito”. The $5 billion lawsuit charges Google of “pervasive data tracking business”.

While Google believes that “Incognito does not mean invisible” and it should have been common sense among Chrome users, a judge in California is refusing to junk the class action lawsuit, as per a report by Bloomberg. US District Judge Lucy Koh noted “Google did not notify users that Google engages in the alleged data collection while the user is in private browsing mode.” Google is denying this claim and the company in a statement said that “it will defend ourselves vigorously against them [the claims].”

Google in its court filing clarified that “that ‘Incognito’ does not mean ‘invisible,’ and that the user’s activity during that session may be visible to websites they visit, and any third-party analytics or ads services the visited websites use,” as per the report by The Verge.

Google in its statement further clarified that “Incognito mode gives users the choice to browse the internet without activity being saved to their browser or devices.”

“We clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity during your session,” Google spokesperson said.

AAMIR QUITS SOCIAL MEDIA WITH A TWEET

Actor Aamir Khan posted a statement on Monday announcing that he was quitting all social media platforms.

“Hey guys, thank you for all the love and warmth on my birthday. My heart is full. In other news, this is going to be my last post on social media,” the actor wrote on Twitter around 4.30pm, just a day after he celebrated his 56th birthday. He posted the same statement on Instagram.

He said that all the updates about his films and productions will now be shared via the official handle of his production house, Aamir Khan Productions.

Aamir had over 26.7 million followers on Twitter but posted just 986 tweets since joining in November 2009. On Instagram, the actor uploaded a mere 147 photos and followed by 3.6 million people since joining in August 2018.He made a reference to the lack of activity and added, “Considering that I am SO active anyway, I have decided to drop the pretence.”

REMAINING MATCHES OF T20I SERIES TO BE PLAYED WITHOUT CROWDS

The third, fourth and fifth matches of the series, which is currently tied 1-1, on March 16,18 and 20 will be played without audience at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, according to a Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) press release. Refund will be given to the spectators who have purchased tickets, added the release.

Due to increasing number of Corona cases, Gujarat Cricket Association (GCA) has decided to organize remaining T20 International Matches between India and England at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad behind closed doors, said the press release on Monday.

The stadium in Ahmedabad has a capacity of 1,10,000, out of which Gujarat Cricket Association had allowed 50% attendance. There had been crowds of over 50,000 for both the T20Is, according to reports.

INDICATORS

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Bitcoin - USD 54,338

Dollar Index 91.87 Brent Crude 68.09  BDI 1,960

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,732 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,484 / 4,384, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 71,500

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Once you’ve accepted your flaws, no one can use them against you. - Tyrion Lannister

OFF TRACK

The lady was almost in tears. "Oh Marie," she said to her maid, "I have reason to suspect that my husband is having an affair with his secretary."

"I don't believe it for one minute." Marie snapped. "You're saying that just to make me jealous."