US DEFENCE SECY MEETS PM MODI

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd J Austin, who arrived in New Delhi on Friday, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and conveyed Washington’s “strong desire” to further enhance the strategic partnership for peace, stability and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

He also conveyed the Biden administration’s “commitment towards strengthening the bilateral defence relations between the two countries”.

According to a statement from the PMO, Modi “outlined his vision for the strategic partnership between the two countries and emphasized the important role of bilateral defence cooperation in India-US ties”.

The Prime Minister also “welcomed the warm and close relationship between the two countries, which is rooted in shared values of democracy, pluralism and commitment to a rules-based order”.

The US embassy, in a statement, said Austin’s first-day meetings were with the Prime Minister and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. “Secretary Austin commended India’s leadership role in the Indo-Pacific and growing engagement with like-minded partners across the region to promote shared goals. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to promote a free and open regional order. Both sides exchanged perspectives on shared challenges confronting the region and committed to further strengthen their broad ranging and robust defence cooperation,” it said.

Austin’s arrival in New Delhi marks the first visit by a senior official of the Biden administration which came to power in January. He will meet his Indian counterpart, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, today.

INDIA, PAKISTAN FOREIGN MINISTERS LIKELY TO MEET IN DUSHANBE

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi are likely to hold a meeting on the sidelines of the ‘Heart of Asia’ conference in Tajikistan capital Dushanbe. According to media reports, Islamabad is pushing for the meeting between both ministers, who will be attending the conference on 30 March. The conference is part of the Istanbul Process — a regional initiative on security and cooperation for a stable and peaceful Afghanistan — that was launched on 2 November 2011 in Turkey.

On 7 August 2019, two days after the abrogation of Article 370, Pakistan decided to downgrade diplomatic ties with India. Subsequently, New Delhi recalled its High Commissioner. Pakistan had also suspended all trade ties with India at the same time.

The ministers may also discuss how to move ahead with the next round of the SAARC Summit — which has been pending since 2016 following tensions between India and Pakistan over the Uri attack — to take place in Islamabad later this year.

Meanwhile, reacting to Pakistan Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa’s remarks that it was time for India and Pakistan to “bury the past and move forward”, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Friday said he should back his rhetoric on peace with solid action.

Terming the Islamabad-sponsored terrorism as “the biggest hurdle to normalising relations between the two nations”, Amarinder Singh said Bajwa should first control his ISI and then talk about stability in the India-Pakistan relations.

BJP WILL RUN ASSAM FROM NAGPUR. WE’LL NOT ALLOW CAA: RAHUL GANDHI

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that the Congress will fulfill its “five promises” if voted to power in the state, and that he does not have the “habit of lying” like Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking at an election rally in Assam’s Tinsukia district, Rahul said that while the BJP promised to increase the per day wages of tea garden workers, it did not do so.

“How much do you get today? You get Rs 167. What did the BJP promise? Rs 351. Is there anyone who gets Rs 351 here? Before the Chhattisgarh elections, I had said farmers’ loan will be waived. The BJP then said there is no money. I told them we will show you. Within six hours in Chhattisgarh, the loans of farmers in the state were waived,” Rahul said.

“I am not here to waste your time. I have come here to tell you a few things. I am not like Narendra Modi, I don’t have the habit of lying,” Rahul said while going on to speak about the Congress’s five promises — a law to nullify the CAA, five lakh govt jobs, raising tea workers’ wages to Rs 365, free electricity up to 200 units per household, and Rs 2,000 monthly income support to homemakers.

“We will not allow the CAA to be implemented here… This is not an ordinary election. The BJP is attacking Assam’s history and language,” he said.

“The BJP wants to run Assam from Nagpur. The BJP wants that people from outside come and take what is yours. We will run Assam from Assam. Our CM will listen to the people of Assam and work,” Rahul added.

EU, US MAJOR POLLUTERS, INDIA SUFFERER: GOVERNMENT

The government on Friday said India was a sufferer, not a perpetrator of climate change, and European Continent and the US were top carbon emitters.

Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar shared historical carbon emission data in the Lok Sabha during the question hour today and said between 1751 and 2017, the European Continent contributed 514 billion tonnes to global carbon emissions, which was 33 per cent of the entire burden.

“I have data from 1751 to 2017. The European Continent contributed 33 per cent – 514 billion tonnes — of historical emissions over this period. The US has contributed 25 per cent — 400 billion tonnes; China contributed over 13 per cent — 200 billion tonnes, while India contributed 48 billion tonnes. Our net emissions are much lower and we are absolutely not responsible for climate change,” Javadekar said answering questions on the Paris Climate Change Agreement of which India is a signatory.

“We are the sufferers. Our stand is firm. The developed nations should reduce their carbon emissions and transfer low-cost technology to the developing nations to help them reduce their emissions,” Javadekar said, adding that not every environmental event was caused by climate change. He was referring to forest fires and Chamoli floods. “Every natural incident is not related to climate change alone. These events have a history that we see recur over years,” the minister said.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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TALIBAN WARNS OF ‘REACTION’ IF US FAILS TO WITHDRAW TROOPS BY MAY 1

The Taliban warned Washington on Friday against defying a May 1 deadline for the withdrawal of US and Nato troops from Afghanistan, promising a “reaction”, which could mean increased attacks by the insurgent group. The Taliban issued the warning at a press conference in Moscow, the day after meeting with Afghan government negotiators and international observers to try to jumpstart a stalled peace talks.

President Biden’s administration says it is reviewing an agreement the Taliban signed with the Trump administration. Biden recently said that the May 1 deadline “could happen, but it is tough”, adding that if the deadline is extended it won’t be by “a lot longer”.

“They should go,” Suhail Shaheen, a member of the Taliban team, said, warning that staying beyond May 1 would breach the deal. “After that, it will be a kind of violation of the agreement. Their violation will have a reaction.” He, however, didn’t elaborate. He also reaffirmed that the Taliban were firm on their demand for an Islamic government. Shaheen didn’t elaborate on what an Islamic government would look like or whether it would mean a return to their repressive rules.

EUROPE COVID TOLL TOPS 1M

Coronavirus-related deaths in the European region surpassed 1 million on Friday as vaccination efforts attempt to keep up with new variants causing a third wave of infections that could once again overwhelm hospitals. Since the pandemic began, at least 37,221,978 infections and 1,000,062 deaths were reported in the European region, according to a Reuters tally. The region, which includes 51 countries, has about 35.5% of all coronavirus deaths and 30.5% of all cases in the world. The region includes Russia, the UK, the 27 members of the EU and other nations.

The European region has administered about 12 vaccine shots for every 100 people, behind the US which has administered about 34 doses per 100 people, according to figures from Our World in Data. With the number of EU Covid-19 related deaths above 5,50,000 and less than a tenth of the population inoculated, European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen said the situation was worsening. “We see the crest of a third wave forming in member states, and we need to accelerate the vaccination rates.”

The number of infections in Europe have started picking up. On Thursday night, France announced new restrictions on 16 regions, including Paris and Nice. The region is currently reporting a million new cases about every six days. As Germany plans to lift the lockdown and revive its economy, an expert at the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases said on Tuesday that the number of infections is rising exponentially, with the country entering a third wave of the pandemic.

THE REST

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COVID TALLY AT 40K AFTER 111 DAYS, MAX RISE IN ACTIVE CASES SINCE SEPT

India’s daily cases of Covid-19 crossed the 40,000 mark for the first time in 111 days as the sharp surge in the pandemic continued on Friday, with as many as 17 states and Union territories adding the highest number of infections since January or earlier.

The day’s death toll from the virus rose to 189, the highest since January 14.

aS Mumbai breached the 3,000 new cases mark for the first time, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray reiterated that lockdown is still an option. Speaking to reporters in Nandurbar, the rural district that has registered the highest growth rate (over 300%) in the state in the last 15 days, Thackeray said the situation has become grimmer. “I see lockdown as an option going ahead. But I trust people of the state to cooperate (and follow norms voluntarily) like the last time,” he said .

In Mumbai, the record tally of 3,063 detections prompted BMC chief Iqbal Singh Chahal to announce doubling of daily testing capacity to 50,000, using random tests at crowded places.

KEY COVID NUMBERS:

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 2,85,449

New Cases in last 24 hours: 40,941

Recovered in last 24 hours: 23,641

Increase in Active cases in last 24 hours: 17,111

No. of deaths in last 24 hours: 189

Most Affected States:

(S. No. / State / No. of Active Cases / New Cases in last 24 Hrs / Deaths in Last 24 Hrs)

1          Maharashtra     1,77,560           ↑25,681 ↑70

2          Punjab              15,459              ↑2470               ↑38

3          Kerala              25,156              ↑1,984              ↑17

4          Karnataka         12,067              ↑1,587              ↑10

5          Gujarat             6,147                ↑1,415              ↑4

6          Madhya Pradesh           6,609    ↑1,140  ↑7

7          Chhattisgarh     6,753    ↑1,097  ↑9

8          Tamil Nadu       6,690    ↑1,087  ↑9

9          Haryana           4,380    ↑872     ↑1

10        Delhi    3,165    ↑716     ↑4

11        Rajasthan         3,121    ↑402     ↑2

12        Uttar Pradesh   2,470    ↑380     ↑4

13        West Bengal     3,297    ↑347     ↑1

14        Telangana        2,434    ↑313     ↑2

15        Andhra Pradesh            1,909    ↑246     ↑1

CUTTING ACROSS PARTY LINES, HOUSE PANEL TELLS GOVT TO GIVE EFFECT TO 1 OF 3 FARM LAWS

The Act is one of the three contentious farm laws against which farmers are protesting. The stated position of most of these parties is against all three laws; the Congress wants them repealed.

The Standing Committee on Food, Consumer Affairs and Public Distribution, which has members from 13 parties including BJP, Congress, TMC, AAP, NCP and Shiv Sena, has asked the government to implement the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 in “letter and spirit.”

The Act is one of the three contentious farm laws against which farmers are protesting. The stated position of most of these parties is against all three laws.

In its report tabled in Lok Sabha on Friday, the committee, which is headed by the TMC’s Sudip Bandyopadhyay, said it “hope[s] and expect[s] that the recently enacted ‘The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020’ which was aimed at addressing the issue will become a catalyst for unlocking vast untapped resources in the agriculture sector by creating an environment for enhanced investments…, fair and productive competition in agricultural marketing and increase farmers’ income”.

The committee, therefore, recommended to the government “to implement the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 in letter and spirit, and without let or hindrances so that the farmers and other stakeholders of farming sector in this country receive the benefits intended under the said Act”.

The report on ‘Price Rise of Essential Commodities – Causes and Effects’ noted that “although the country has become surplus in most agricultural commodities, farmers have been unable to get better prices due to lack of investment in cold storage, warehouses, processing and export as entrepreneurs stated to be get discouraged by the regulatory mechanisms in the Essential Commodities Act, 1955”. This, the report said, “has resulted in farmers suffering huge losses when there are bumper harvests, especially of perishable commodities, much of which could have been reduced with adequate processing facilities”.

The committee’s recommendation to implement the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act in letter and spirit comes after the Supreme Court on January 12 stayed the implementation of three farm laws in view of the farmers’ protests.

DISAGREEMENT OVER COUP REFUGEES FROM MYANMAR: MIZORAM WANTS TO HELP BUT CENTRE SAYS STOP, DEPORT

The coup in Myanmar has led to an unusual schism across the border in Mizoram.

The state government of Mizo National Front, which has extended issue-based support to the NDA, is in favour of allowing refugees from the neighbouring country, even laying down a policy to assist them. But the Centre has asked all bordering states and the force guarding the border to prevent the influx and deport those who have come in since the coup.

Mizoram CM Zoramthanga has written to PM Narendra Modi that the advisory from the MHA to the chief secretaries of three northeastern states bordering Myanmar and also to the border guarding force, Assam Rifles, to prevent illegal influx from Myanmar into India and initiate the deportation processes without delay was “not acceptable to Mizoram.”

The CM stated that India being the largest democracy in the world and Myanmar’s immediate neighbour “needs to do more and open up more in this matter.” He urged Modi “to intervene so that the political refugees from Myanmar are given asylum and provided food and shelter here in the country.”

Zoramthanga pointed out to the PM that the Myanmar areas bordering Mizoram are inhabited by Chin communities, “who are ethnically our Mizo brethren with whom we have been having close contacts throughout all these years even before India became independent.” “Therefore, Mizoram cannot just remain indifferent to their sufferings today.Zoramthanga wrote. He added, “

KARNATAKA HC ORDERS RESTORATION OF CORRUPTION CASE AGAINST CM

The Karnataka High Court has directed a special court for corruption cases to reinstate an old case against Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa that had been dropped by a Sessions court in July 2016.

The case is related to alleged corruption in denotification of land done in the 2008-2012 period — when the BJP was in power in Karnataka for the first time. The HC said the sessions court had erred in dropping the case in 2016, based on a police report citing a closure report filed by the police for nine others named in the case.

OVER 150 ACADEMICIANS FROM OVERSEAS COME OUT IN SUPPORT OF PB MEHTA

Over 150 academicians from international universities, including Columbia, Yale, Harvard, Princeton, Oxford, and Cambridge, have come out in support of scholar and commentator Pratap Bhanu Mehta, who resigned from Ashoka University this week, saying that the founders made it “abundantly clear” that his association with the institution was a “political liability”.

An open letter addressed to the university trustees, administrators and faculty state that the signatories were “distressed” to learn of Mehta’s exit under “political pressure from Ashoka University”.

“We write in solidarity with Pratap Bhanu Mehta, and to reaffirm the importance of the values that he has always practiced. In political life, these are free argument, tolerance, and a democratic spirit of equal citizenship. In the university, they are free inquiry, candour, and rigorous distinction between the demands of intellectual honesty and the pressure of politicians, funders, or ideological animus. These values come under assault whenever a scholar is punished for the content of public speech. When that speech is in defense of precisely these values, the assault is especially shameful,” the letter further states.

ALL ENGLAND OPEN: PV SINDHU CLINCHES EPIC THRILLER AGAINST AKANE YAMAGUCHI

PV Sindhu reached the semi-final of the All England Open Championships with a come-from-behind win against former world No 1 Akane Yamaguchi in Birmingham on Friday. This will be Sindhu’s second appearance at the semi-final stage of the prestigious Super 1000 event.

Despite wining the first game, Yamaguchi found herself on the losing side by a 21-16, 16-21, 19-21 scoreline in a match that lasted 76 minutes.

Sixth seed Pornpawee Chochuwong awaits Sindhu next in the semi-final. The Thai youngster has had a sensational start to 2021 but the Indian holds a 4-1 head-to-head lead, including a win in their latest match at the BWF World Tour Finals in Bangkok.

In a match that ebbed and flowed both ways, where the rallies kept increasing in length and intensity as the night went on, Sindhu recovered from 17-18 down in the decider to hold her nerve and clinch a thriller. The emotions at the end of the win showed how much she was pushed by the Japanese third seed.  The Japanese star had won the last three matches before Friday and Sindhu snapped that streak. The familiar rivals had not met since the World Tour Finals in 2019 before this much-anticipated quarter-final.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose. - Bill Gates

OFF TRACK

Two six-year-old girls were having a discussion. The content was so startling that the mother of one of them stayed to eavesdrop.

“You know,” said the first, “you have to have a man to have a baby.”

“You do!” exclaimed the second. “Why?”

“Well,” said the first, “somebody has to pay for everything.”