PRIYANKA AND RAHUL SLAM MODI GOVT AT A RALLY IN JAIPUR

Attacking the Narendra Modi govt at the Centre, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Sunday charged that the BJP govt wants to sell to its industrialist friends whatever her party had built in 70 years.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, along with Rahul and Priyanka, attended the party's mega rally in Jaipur on Sunday.

Priyanka said when elections come, BJP leaders talk of China or other countries, casteism, communalism but not about the struggles of the people and asked what the Modi govt has done in seven years of its rule. “It is your responsibility to make the govt accountable, it is your responsibility to ask why there is so much inflation,” she said while addressing a national level rally against inflation here.

“There are two types of govt. The goal of the first type of govt is service, dedication and truthfulness to the public and there is a govt whose target is lies, greed and loot...The target of the present central govt is lies, greed and loot,” she alleged.

“The Modi govt at the Centre repeatedly questions what Congress has done in 70 years. I say leave the talk of 70 years. Tell us what you have done in seven years?” she asked, She charged that whatever the Congress built in 70 years, the Central govt wants to sell it to industrialist friends.

Her brother Rahul Gandhi said India is a country of Hindus and not Hindutvadis, who want to be in power in any condition. “This is a country of Hindus, not Hindutvadis. If there is inflation in the country and there is suffering, then this has been done by Hindutvadis. Hindutvadis want power in any condition....I am Hindu and not Hindutvadi” Rahul Gandhi said. “Modi ji and his three-four industrialist friends ruined the country in seven years,”he alleged.

DEPOSITS SAFE, ASSURES MODI AMID PRIVATISATION OF 2 BANKS

Money deposited in banks was absolutely safe, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday as he announced that three lakh depositors, with accounts in banks under RBI restrictions, would soon receive the revised insurance amount of Rs 5 lakh.

“More than 1 lakh depositors have received over Rs 1,300 crore from 16 Urban Cooperative Banks that are under restrictions by the RBI,” the Prime Minister pointed out while addressing a function on “Depositors First: Guaranteed Time-bound Deposit Insurance Payment up to Rs 5 lakh”.

The PM was speaking ahead of a nationwide two-day banks’ strike on December 16 and 17 against the govt’s proposed Bill for privatisation of two public sector banks (PSBs). The Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which will facilitate the privatisation of two PSBs — said to be the Central Bank of India and Indian Overseas Bank — is part of 26 legislations the govt intends getting approved in the ongoing winter session.

In the last session, Parliament had passed the General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Amendment Bill, 2021, to enable the privatisation of govt general insurance companies.

The PM appealed to the media to highlight the “beginning of a strong initiative” to return the money of depositors so that trust is generated in the banking system. Just like the media had highlighted the Swachh Bharat programme, it ought to prominently convey that the money of depositors was safe, he said. “Not because Modi is saying so. But because depositors need to repose faith in the banking system,” he observed.

The PM declared that in “New India”, problems would not be brushed under the carpet.

OMICRON VARIANT CASE TALLY IN THE COUNTRY AT 38 NOW

Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Chandigarh reported their first Covid case of Omicron variant on Sunday, while Maharashtra and Karnataka each recorded one more case of the Covid-19 variant, taking the tally in the country to 38.

With this, Omicron has been detected in Maharashtra (18), Rajasthan (9), Karnataka (3), Karnataka (3), Kerala (1) and Andhra Pradesh (1) and Union Territories of Delhi (2) and Chandigarh (1).

‘MANMOHAN FEELS ANNA STIR MANIPULATED CAG REPORTS’

Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh feels that the ‘India Against Corruption’ agitation helmed by social activist Anna Hazare manipulated “motivated” CAG reports, and that the UPA’s attempts to introduce competitive bidding to bring in transparency in auctions was stonewalled by BJP in Parliament, says a newly-launched book on UPA’s tryst with corruption and reports of the comptroller and auditor general of India (CAG).

Singh has been quoted as saying that the UPA, right from the start, believed that competitive bidding was the best mode of auctioning contracts, but faced a challenge in getting it through Parliament and enlisting the support of states on it. He adds that the TRAI had itself said that 2G auctions could not be done through competitive bidding as it would result in high prices being paid.

According to the former PM, coal-producing states, most of them BJP-ruled, opposed competitive bidding in coal and a law could only be made by 2012, by when the UPA govt had been painted as riddled with scams..

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST 13/Dec

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Sunday 7,241

Active Cases 91,456 (-825)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 4,75,636 (93)

Total Vaccination: 133.17 Crores (+19,10,917)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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ALL CURBS ON TABLE: G7 WARNS RUSSIA ON UKRAINE

The Group of Seven economic powers told Russia on Sunday to “de-escalate” its military buildup near the Ukrainian border, warning that an invasion would have “massive consequences” and inflict severe economic pain on Moscow.

G7 foreign ministers, joined by the European Union’s foreign affairs chief, issued a joint statement declaring themselves “united in our condemnation of Russia’s military buildup and aggressive rhetoric towards Ukraine”. The G7 called on Russia to “de-escalate, pursue diplomatic channels, and abide by its international commitments on transparency of military activities”, and praised Ukraine’s “restraint”.

“Any use of force to change borders is strictly prohibited under international law. Russia should be in no doubt that further military aggression against Ukraine would have massive consequences and severe cost in response,” the statement said. Russia’s movement of weapons and troops to the border region dominated weekend talks among foreign ministers from the G7 wealthy democracies in the English city of Liverpool.

US and it allies worry that the buildup could be precursor to an invasion, and have vowed to inflict heavy curbs on Russia’s economy if that happens. Moscow denies having any plans to attack Ukraine.

SAUDI ARABIA BANS TABLIGHI JAMAAT

Saudi Arabia has banned the Islamic movement Tablighi Jamaat, calling it a “danger to society”.

The country’s Ministry of Islamic Affairs has called upon its mosques to allocate the next Friday sermon to warn against the group’s “misguidance, deviation and danger”. It further said people should be told that it is “one of the gates of terrorism, even if they claim otherwise”. In addition, the sermon should mention their “most prominent mistakes”, which is that they are a “danger to society” and issue a statement that “affiliation with partisan groups, including (the Tablighi and Da’wah Group) is prohibited in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia”.

The literal meaning of Tablighi Jamaat is a society for spreading the faith. It is a Sunni Islamic missionary movement, which focuses on exhorting Muslims and encouraging them to practice their faith, stressing in matters of ritual, dress and personal behaviour.

UK COVID ALERT LEVEL RAISED TO 2ND HIGHEST TIER AMID OMICRON SURGE

Britain raised its Covid alert level on Sunday in response to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, as medical authorities warned that hospitalisations are likely to rise sharply over the coming weeks. The chief medical officers of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland recommended an increase to alert level 4 from level 3 on its 5-point scale, which means they judge transmission of the virus to be high. “Early evidence shows that Omicron is spreading much faster than Delta and that vaccine protection against symptomatic disease from Omicron is reduced,” they said.

Britain on Sunday announced additional step to stop the spread of the Omicron, including the extension of booster jabs to people over 30.

Meanwhile, PM Boris Johnson could face more ire over a report he personally breached ockdown rules a year ago. Mirror reported that he hosted a Christmas quiz from his Downing Street residence on December15, when UK was under a “no mixing” order.

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KASHI CORRIDOR INAUGURATION TODAY BY PM MODI

After performing bhoomi pujan (ground-breaking) ceremony for Ram Temple in Ayodhya in August 2020 and inaugurating a 12-foot statue of Aadi Shankaracharya at Kedarnath Temple in November this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to inaugurate Rs 800-crore Kashi-Vishwanath corridor in Varanasi today.

Nearly 2,000 saints and seers from across the country will be in Varanasi to attend the inauguration which comes ahead of the 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. These include head seers of all 12 jyotirlingas, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Yoga guru Baba Ramdev, prominent religious leaders Mata Amritanandamayi, Dayanand Saraswati Maharaj, Avadheshanand Maharaj. They will be accompanied by BJP’s top leadership including half of the ministers in Modi’s cabinet, all chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of BJP-ruled states, and all UP govt ministers.

SEVERAL STATES, HCs OPPOSE ALL INDIA JUDICIAL SERVICE

Thirteen high courts and eight states have opposed the idea of having All India Judicial Service (AIJS). “In view of the existing divergence of opinion amongst the stakeholders, the Govt is engaged in a consultative process with the stakeholders to arrive at a common ground,” Law Minister Kiren Rijiju has told the Lok Sabha.

However, the Govt maintained that a properly framed AIJS was important to strengthen overall justice delivery system as it will give an opportunity for induction of suitably qualified fresh legal talent selected through a proper all-India merit selection system as well as address the issue of social inclusion by enabling suitable representation to marginalised and deprived sections of society.

IN WORKS, COMMON ELECTORAL ROLLS FOR LS, ASSEMBLY POLLS

The govt has informed a parliamentary panel that it was working on fixing four cut-off dates every year for people to enrol as voters by amending the electoral law and has contended that the move would eventually pave the way for a common list of voters for the Lok Sabha, Assembly and local body (both urban and rural) polls.

Arguing in favour of the move, the govt contended that multiple dates in a year for enrolments in electoral rolls would also make more youngsters eligible to participate in the election process.

The parliamentary panel has suggested four cut-off dates—Jan 1, April 1, July 1 and Oct 1

The Election Commission of India (ECI) had been pushing for multiple cut-off dates to allow more eligible people to register as voters. Currently, for an election to be held in a particular year, only an individual who has attained the age of 18 years as on January 1 of that year or before is considered eligible to get enrolled as a voter.

SHASHI THAROOR TEACHES SOCIAL MEDIA A NEW WORD

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor is known for his penchant for words and this time he has taught social media a new one — ‘allodoxaphobia’.

“Word of the day, indeed of the last seven years: Allodoxaphobia Meaning: an irrational fear of opinions. Usage: “The BJP govt in UP slaps sedition& UAPA cases on people because its leadership suffers from allodoxaphobia.” (Greek: Allo=different, doxo=opinion,phobos=fear,” Tharoor wrote in a tweet.

CBSE PAPER SPARKS ROW OVER 'GENDER STEREOTYPING'

A comprehension passage in the CBSE Class 10 English question paper has sparked a controversy for allegedly promoting “gender stereotyping” and supporting “regressive notions”, prompting the board to refer the matter to subject experts on Sunday.

In the Class 10 exam conducted on Saturday, the question paper carried a comprehension passage with sentences like “emancipation of women destroyed the parent’s authority over the children” and “it was only by accepting her husband’s way that a mother could gain obedience over the younger ones”, among others. The excerpts went viral on social media.

AFTER 50-YEAR COURT BATTLE, 16 RAMPUR HEIRS TO GET SHARE IN ROYAL PROPERTY

Sixteen heirs of the erstwhile Nawab of Rampur will finally get their share of the royal property after a five-decade battle in court.

Property worth over Rs 2,650 crore of the erstwhile Nawab of Rampur, Raza Ali Khan, will be divided among his 16 legal heirs according to Shariat rules.

The court of Rampur district judge has now given the verdict on the 'partition scheme', following the Supreme Court's order of July 31, 2019.

Nawab Raza Ali Khan, who let Rampur join India in 1949, was survived by three wives, three sons and six daughters after his death in 1966.

The govt recognised the eldest of his three sons, Murtaza Ali Khan, as the sole inheritor according to the customary law. This was challenged in court by his siblings in 1972 and thus began a long battle in the family.

IF GIVEN, BOOSTER MUST BE DIFFERENT VACCINE: VIEW IN TOP EXPERT BODY

There is preliminary consensus in the country’s top technical advisory body on Covid-19 vaccination that the third — booster — dose, when administered, should be of a vaccine based on a platform different from that of the first two doses, The Indian Express has learnt.

The final decision on recommending a booster shot—being given by several countries to shore up waning vaccine-induced immunity from infection with the coronavirus — is yet to be taken.

There is agreement within the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI) — the apex body that provides vaccination guidance to the govt, that the third dose for a beneficiary who has taken an inactivated-whole virus or adenoviral vector vaccine, should be of a vaccine based on a different platform, the sources said.

Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is an inactivated virus vaccine, while Serum Institute’s Covishield (Oxford-AstraZeneca) and the Russian-made Sputnik V are adenovirus-based vaccines.

“There is some clarity that if an additional dose is given to a beneficiary, it cannot be, at least in the case of inactive whole virus or adenovirus vector Covid-19 vaccines, the same vaccine. So the preliminary consensus is that a beneficiary cannot take three doses of Covishield or Covaxin,” a senior official said.

Sources said this also means that the third dose for an individual who has been double vaccinated with Covishield cannot be Covaxin, and vice versa. The same would apply to Sputnik V as well.

The sources underlined, however, that NTAGI is yet to make a formal recommendation to the govt, because it is still examining the primary question of administering booster doses.

If and when the recommendation for a booster is made and accepted, eligible beneficiaries vaccinated with Covishield, Covaxin, or Sputnik will likely have multiple options in the coming months.

INDIA'S HARNAAZ SANDHU CROWNED MISS UNIVERSE 2021

The 21-year-old from Punjab, representing India at the 70th Miss Universe 2021, held in Eilat, Israel, brought home the crown, 21 years after Lara Dutta won the title in 2000. She edged out contestants Paraguay and South Africa to claim the crown.

Sandhu was presented the crown by Andrea Meza, former Miss Universe 2020 from Mexico at the event which was live-streamed globally.

As part of the top three round, the contestants were asked, "What advice would you give to young women watching on how to deal with the pressures they face today"

To this, Harnaaz said, "The biggest pressure the youth of today is facing, is to believe in themselves. To know that you are unique makes you beautiful. Stop comparing yourselves with others and let's talk about more important things that are happening worldwide. Come out, speak for yourself, because you are the leader of your life. You are the voice of your own. I believed in myself and that is why I am standing here today."

In the top 5 she was asked "Many people think climate change is a hoax, what would you do to convince them otherwise?"

Harnaaz impressed all when she said, "My heart breaks to see how nature is going through a lot of problems, and it is all due to our irresponsible behaviour. I totally feel that this is the time to take action and talk less. Because our each action could save or kill nature. Prevent and protect is better than repent and repair and this is what I am trying to convince you guys today."

VERSTAPPEN PIPS HAMILTON IN EPIC TO WIN F1 TITLE

Red Bull's Max Verstappen won the Formula One championship, denying Lewis Hamilton a record eighth, with a last-lap overtake to win a season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Sunday amid controversy and high drama.

Hamilton's Mercedes team took the constructors' title for an unprecedented eighth year in a row but their run of double dominance was ended by the 24-year-old Dutch driver, his country's first champion.

Two post-race protests, which might have overturned the outcome, were dismissed but Mercedes refused to drop the matter and said they had filed notice of intention to appeal.

Verstappen's hopes had soared when he qualified on pole position, sunk when he lost the lead at the start and rose again as the safety car came out and race director Michael Masi decisively pushed the boundaries late in the race.

The floodlit race at Yas Marina avoided the collision many had feared, with Verstappen and Hamilton with exact 369.5 points each before the start of this race. But the race left arguments raging long after the finish.

As Verstappen and Red Bull bosses shed tears of joy, Mercedes's management turned on race director Masi. "Michael, this isn't right,"

The safety car had been deployed after Canadian Nicholas Latifi crashed his Williams with five laps to go and Masi then decided not to demand all lapped cars pass it before resuming racing. That allowed Verstappen -- on fresher, faster tyres after strategic stops -- to close and go wheel-to-wheel with Hamilton for the lead.

After 22 races, Verstappen had 395.5 points to Hamilton's 387.5. Mercedes scored 613.5 to Red Bull's 585.5.

Ferrari's Carlos Sainz finished the race in third place, with AlphaTauri's Yuki Tsunoda fourth and team mate Pierre Gasly fifth.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

He who is not every day conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

OFF TRACK

A realtor was showing a home to a couple who seemed eager to check out the fantastic view from the living room.

But when the realtor dramatically pulled back the drapes, the disappointed husband asked: "Where is the view? Those mountains must be blocking it."