BILL LINKING AADHAAR-VOTER ID PASSED IN RAJYA SABHA, OPPOSITION STAGES WALKOUT

Parliament on Tuesday passed a Bill to link electoral roll data with the Aadhaar ecosystem with Rajya Sabha passing it by voice vote amid a walkout by the Opposition.

The Election Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2021, which was passed in Lok Sabha on Monday, seeks to weed out fake voters from electoral rolls.

The opposition parties were demanding a division of votes as they had moved a motion to send the Bill to a select committee, which was rejected by voice vote.

TMC member Derek O’Brien cited rules for a division of votes even as Deputy Chairman Harivansh urged members to go to their seats to enable the division. However, opposition members continued to raise slogans in the well. O’Brien threw the rule book on the table where officials sit and staged a walkout. Derek became the 13th opposition MP to be suspended, for the remainder of the winter session, on grounds of grave misconduct.

Members of Congress, TMC, Left parties, DMK and NCP also walked out from the House in protest.

Members of BJP, JD(U), YSRCP, AIADMK, BJD and TMC-M supported the Bill, saying it will help in eradicating duplicate and fake voters from electoral rolls.

Earlier, Congress, TMC, CPI, CPI-M, DMK and Samajwadi Party opposed the Bill saying it infringes on voters’ right to privacy.

Derek tweeted later, “The last time I got suspended from RS was when the govt was bulldozing the farm laws. We all know what happened after that. Today, I was suspended while protesting against BJP making a mockery of Parliament and bulldozing the Election Laws Bill. Hope this Bill too will be repealed soon”.

MARRIAGE AGE BILL REFERRED TO PARL PANEL FOR SCRUTINY

A Bill that seeks to fix 21 years as the uniform age of marriage for women and men was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday with Union Minister Smriti Irani terming it a “decisive step” in the country’s history.

Irani, Women and Child Development Minister, after introducing the Prohibition of Child Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2021, urged the Chair to refer it to a parliamentary standing committee.

The Bill was opposed by some members who contended that it infringed upon several personal laws and was in violation of fundamental rights. The Bill has been referred to a parliamentary panel for greater scrutiny. The Bill seeks to increase the legal age for women to marry to 21 years. It seeks to amend seven personal laws — Indian Christian Marriage Act; Parsi Marriage and Divorce Act; Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act; Special Marriage Act; Hindu Marriage Act; and Foreign Marriage Act.

SITUATION AT SINO-INDIA BORDER 'GENERALLY STABLE': CHINA

The situation at the China-India border is "generally stable" and both sides are maintaining dialogue and communication through diplomatic and military channels to ease the border situation following the standoff at eastern Ladakh, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the remarks while responding to a question on how China view the current situation at the India-China border and progress in the dialogue between the two countries following Foreign Minister Wang Yi's remarks on Monday that China has "effectively managed and controlled" frictions in certain border areas.

"I can tell you (that) currently the border situation between China and India is generally stable,” Zhao told a media briefing.

"The two sides are maintaining dialogue and communication through diplomatic and military channels to work for easing the border situation,” he said, without directly referring to the prolonged military standoff at eastern Ladakh.

INDIA'S OMICRON COUNT REACHES 220, CENTRE ALERTS STATES

Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha on Tuesday recorded their first cases of the Omicron variant of COVID as the count of the new strain in 14 states and union territories crossed 200 even as the Centre said there is a need to 'activate' war rooms, take 'pro-active' action and consider night curfews.

According to the latest data from the Centre and the states on Tuesday night, India recorded 220 cases of the Omicron variant, 19 days after the first two cases in the country were detected in Karnataka on December 2.

In a letter to the states and union territories, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan advised implementing strategic interventions for containment like imposition of night curfew, strict regulation of large gatherings, curtailing numbers in marriages and funerals besides increasing testing and surveillance.

Asserting that the Omicron variant is at least thrice more transmissible than Delta, the Centre also asked states and union territories to keep taking strict and prompt containment action at district and local levels. In his letter to the states and union territories, Secretary Bhushan flagged measures that need to be taken in view of initial signs of surge in cases of COVID-19 as well as increased detection of the variant of concern Omicron in different parts of the country.

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST 22/Dec

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Tuesday 6,088

Active Cases 78,190 (-907)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 4,78,325 (89)

Total Vaccination: 138.96 Crores (+57,05,039)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

OMICRON CAUSES 1ST DEATH IN US, ACCOUNTS FOR 73% OF NEW CASES

The US govt will soon mail out 500 million rapid Covid tests to homes across America even as the country recorded its first Omicron death on Monday and authorities announced the variant is now the dominant version of the virus, accounting for 73% of new infections in the US last week.

President Joe Biden is scheduled to address Americans later on Tuesday to announce measures on a war footing, including deploying 1,000 military medical professionals at overburdened hospitals, setting up new federal testing sites, and expanding capacity to vaccinate more people.

The White House push came a day after officials in Texas announced the death from Omicron of an unvaccinated man in his 50s who had been infected with the coronavirus before and had unspecified pre-existing conditions. He was reportedly treated with Regeneron antibody therapy in an unsuccessful attempt to save his life. There were also reports of several prominent people testing positive for the virus despite being triple-vaxxed, including Maryland governor Larry Hogan, and two Democratic Senators, Elizabeth Warren and Cory Booker.

But vaccine resistance remained strong among rightwing sceptics who dwelt on breakthrough Omicron infections even among the triplevaxxed, though those who went through it pointed to milder symptoms and avoiding hospitalisation.

UKRAINE THREATS: PUTIN WARNS OF MILITARY ACTION

President Vladimir Putin warned on Tuesday that Russia was prepared to take military steps in response to “unfriendly” Western actions over the Ukraine conflict, in a sharp escalation of rhetoric. He also called for “serious negotiations” on Russian security demands put to the US and Nato during his first call with new German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who in turn called for “deescalation”. The Russian president has for weeks accused the US and the Washingtonled Nato military alliance of stoking tensions near Moscow’s borders, but these were his first comments hinting at potential conflict. Putin told defence ministry officials that if the West continued its “aggressive stance” Russia would take “appropriate retaliatory military-technical measures”. Russia “will react toughly to unfriendly steps”, he said, adding that he wanted to underscore that “we have every right to do so”.

THE REST

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LANDSLIDE WIN FOR TMC IN KOLKATA CIVIC ELECTIONS

The Trinamool Congress on Tuesday registered a landslide victory in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) elections, winning 134 of 144 wards. The BJP won just three seats, and the Left Front and Congress two each. Independent candidates won in three wards. In the 2015 KMC elections, TMC had won 124 wards, Left 13, BJP five and Congress two.

The TMC increased its vote share from the 2015 polls by 22 per cent. While the TMC got nearly three-fourths of the votes cast (71.95 per cent), the Left Front got 11.13 per cent, BJP 8.94 per cent and the Congress 4.47 per cent.

GOVT HACKED MY CHILDREN'S INSTAGRAM ACCOUNTS: PRIYANKA

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Tuesday alleged that her children's Instagram accounts have been hacked.

"Leave phone tapping, Instagram account of my children have also been hacked," Priyanka told reporters when asked about allegations of phone tapping of opposition leaders by the govt.

The Congress leader made the allegation two days after Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav accused Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of getting his telephones tapped and listening to the recordings of his conversations every evening.

PHOTO OF MOHAN BHAGWAT, MULAYAM SINGH YADAV GOES VIRAL

A photograph has seared the winter chill and spun the political scenario in Uttar Pradesh almost out of control. The photograph in question is that of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav with RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, which has created a major controversy.

Mulayam Singh Yadav and Mohan Bhagwat met on Monday at the wedding reception of Vice President Venkaiah Naidu's granddaughter in Delhi.

Mulayam Singh and the RSS chief were seen sitting together in a photo tweeted by Union Minister Arjun Meghwal.

Hours later, the Congress shot off a tweet taking aim at the Samajwadi Party. "Is the S in the 'new SP' meant to be Sanghawad?" the Uttar Pradesh Congress said in its post in Hindi.

The BJP gleefully replied in Hindi, "The photograph says a lot".

150TH BIRTH ANNIVERSARY OF SRI AUROBINDO: PM, MANMOHAN, MAMATA, KHARGE, RAJNIKANTH INCLUDED

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair a high-level 53 member committee the govt formed on Tuesday to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Indian philosopher Sri Aurobindo.

The committee has among members former prime ministers Manmohan Singh and HD Deve Gowda apart from ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman, S Jaishankar, Dharmendra Pradhan, Hardeep Puri, GK reddy and Anurag Thakur.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her counterparts from Gujarat Bhupendra Patel, Tamil Nadu MK Stalin and Puducherry N Rangaswamy are also part of the panel along with actor Rajnikant.

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge, Karan Singh and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury have also been included along with spiritual leaders Sri Sri Ravishankar, Baba Ramdev and Jaggi Vasudev besides composer Ilayiyaraja.

GOVT RELEASES SOPS FOR USING DRONES IN AGRICULTURE

Terming the drone technology “need of the times that will benefit farmers”, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday released Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for using drones in agriculture.

The SOP for drone regulation for pesticide application covers important aspects like statutory provisions, flying permissions, area distance restrictions, weight classification, overcrowded areas restriction, drone registration, safety insurance, piloting certification, operation plan, air flight zones, weather conditions, SOPs for pre, post and during operation, emergency handling plan, officials said.

“Farmers face many problems like unavailability or high cost of labours, health problems by coming in contact with chemicals (fertilisers, pesticides, etc.) while applying them in the field, bite by insects or animals, etc. “In this context, drones can help farmers in avoiding these troubles in conjunction with the benefits of being a green technology. Use of drones in agriculture may also give ample opportunities to provide employment to people in rural areas,” they added.

₹ 1 LAKH FINE FOR PLEA AGAINST PM PHOTO ON VACCINE CERTIFICATES

A petition to remove Prime Minister Narendra Modi's photo from COVID-19 vaccination certificates was dismissed yesterday with a ₹ 1 lakh fine by the Kerala High Court which termed the case "frivolous", "politically motivated" and a "publicity interest litigation".

"Nobody can say that a Prime Minister is a Congress Prime Minister or a BJP Prime Minister or the Prime Minister of any political party. But once a Prime Minister is elected as per the constitution, he is the Prime Minister of our country and that post should be the pride of every citizen," Justice PV Kunhikrishnan said.

"...They can differ on the policies of the govt and even the political stand of the Prime Minister. But the citizens need not be ashamed to carry a vaccination certificate with the photograph of the Prime Minister with a morale boosting message, especially in this pandemic situation," the judge said. “There seems to be a political motive behind the petition. It is not a significant petition... The motive behind the petition is not about public good, but for publicity," the court said. "When serious cases are piling up in court, cannot encourage such unnecessary petitions," he added.

The petition had been filed by Right to Information (RTI) activist Peter Myaliparampil, who said that to have PM Modi's picture on the certificate when people had to pay for the vaccines at private hospitals, was a violation of fundamental rights.

IPO HARD SELL: LIC BOASTS RS 37-TRILLION AUM BEFORE OVERSEAS INVESTORS

Ahead of its IPO, LIC’s top management is impressing upon potential global investors the scale and size of the insurance behemoth that trumps the size of many economies in the world.

At a closed-door meeting with global investors, the largest asset manager in the country boasted of its nearly Rs 37 trillion assets under management (AUM).

The assets of LIC are 1.2 times the net assets of the entire Indian mutual fund industry, which had AUM of Rs 31.43 trillion as of March 31, 2021.

The standalone assets that LIC manages are equal to 18.7 per cent of India’s GDP and worth more than GDP of the UAE, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, South Africa, New Zealand, and Pakistan.

OLA SET TO FIX CANCELLATIONS PROBLEM

Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal on Tuesday answered a very popular question, which is - why do Ola drivers cancel rides? Addressing this question, he said Ola was taking steps to fix ride cancellations issue. He said Ola drivers will now see approx drop location and payment mode before accepting a ride. "Enabling drivers is key to reducing cancelations," he said on Twitter.

ED ARRESTS EX-UNITECH PROMOTERS IN MONEY LAUNDERING CASE

The Enforcement Directorate has arrested jailed ex-promoter brothers of the Unitech realty group - Sanjay Chandra and Ajay Chandra - in a money laundering case being investigated against them. The brothers were taken into custody on Monday and have been brought to Delhi from Mumbai where they were lodged in separate jails in an alleged cheating case.

The action came after the Supreme Court earlier this month allowed the anti-money laundering agency's plea for a fresh custodial interrogation of the duo saying it had obtained new evidence against them and it needed to confront them with those documents.

The agency had earlier informed the Supreme Court that the brothers were conducting business from the Tihar Jail premises in connivance with the prison staff when they were lodged there. It had made a startling revelation that its officials unearthed a "secret underground office" in the jail which was being operated by erstwhile Unitech founder Ramesh Chandra and visited by his sons Sanjay and Ajay when on parole or bail.

The apex court, following this disclosure by the ED, asked authorities to shift the brothers in two separate prisons in Mumbai, Arthur Road Jail and Taloja Jail.

‘MERRY CHRISTMAS’: FIRST SMS SELLS FOR OVER €100,000 IN PARIS AUCTION

The first text message ever sent, reading “Merry Christmas,” was sold on Tuesday for 107,000 euros ($121,000) as a ‘Non-Fungible Token’ at a Paris auction house. The text, which was sent on December 3, 1992, was put up for auction by the British telecoms company Vodafone. Vodafone engineer Neil Papworth sent the SMS from his computer to a manager in the UK, who received it on his 2-kg “Orbitel” telephone — similar to a desk phone but cordless and with a handle. “They were in the middle of end-of-year events so he sent him the message ‘Merry Christmas’,” said Maximilien Aguttes, head of development for the Aguttes Auction House.

Non-Fungible Tokens, or NFTs, are a type of digital asset that has surged in popularity this year. The selling of intangible goods is not legal in France and so the auction house has packaged the text message in a digital frame, displaying the code and communication protocol, Aguttes said. The buyer will receive the replica of the original communication protocol that transmitted the SMS.

JAPAN STUN INDIA 5-3 IN SEMI-FINAL

Defending champions India suffered a stunning 5-3 defeat to Japan in the second semifinal of the Asian Champions Trophy in Dhaka yesterday.

Coming into the game as overwhelming favourites after having thrashed the same opponents 6-0 in their pool match, India were a pale shadow of themselves. Though India have a superior head-to-head record -- 16 wins in 18 meetings – it was Japan who dictated terms throughout the match.

In the first six minutes Japan earned as many as six penalty-corners. Toying with the Indian defence right at the start gave them a 2-0 lead inside the first two minutes. It was all Japan in first 15 minutes as wave after wave of attacks lashed the Indian D. It was a torrid quarter as India failed to create a single chance.

In the other semifinal, South Korea overcame Pakistan 6-5.

India will now play Pakistan for the bronze medal today.

INDICATORS

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Nasdaq 15,341 (+360) Dow 35,493 (+561), S&P 4,649 (+81)

US$-Rs. 75.56 GBP-Rs. 100.04, Euro-Rs. 85.25, UAE Dhm-Rs.20.56, Can$-Rs. 58.45, Aus$- Rs. 53.88

GBP 0.75 /US$, Euro 0.88 /US$, Jap.Yen 113.83 /US$, Aus$ 1.40 /US$, Sing 1.36 /US$, Bang Taka 84.29 /US$, Can$ 1.29 /US$, Mal Ring 4.20 /US$,

Pak Re 177.60 /US$, Phil Peso 49.88 /US$, Russian Rouble 73.96 /US$, NZ$ 1.48 /US$, Thai Baht 33.64 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 27.00 /US$

Bitcoin - USD 49,364

Dollar Index 96.50 Brent Crude 74.21 BDI 2,294

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,789 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,841 / 4,741, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 65,200

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark, professionals built the Titanic. – Anonymous

OFF TRACK

This lady is terribly overweight, so her doctor put her on a diet.

"I want you to eat regularly for 2 days, then skip a day, and repeat this procedure for 2 weeks. The next time I see you, you'll have lost at least 5 pounds."

When the lady returns, she's lost nearly 20 pounds.

"Why, that's amazing!" the doctor says. "Did you follow my instructions?"

The lady nods, "I'll tell you, though, I thought I was going to drop dead that third day."

"From hunger, you mean?"

"No, from skipping all day."