ALL STATES HAD COVID FIGHT ROLE, FEDERAL STRUCTURE IS A MODEL FOR WORLD: PM MODI

Every state has played a “crucial role” in India’s fight against Covid and the country’s federal structure and cooperative federalism have emerged as a “model for the world” during the pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Sunday.

Speaking at the NITI Aayog’s Governing Council meeting, the Prime Minister also gave credit to state govts which, he said, focused on grassroots delivery of public services to the people through cooperation across political lines.

“Every state played a crucial role according to its strength and contributed to India’s fight against Covid. This led to India emerging as an example for the developing nations to look up to as a global leader,” the Prime Minister said, according to a press release issued by NITI Aayog.

This was the first physical meeting of the Governing Council since the onset of the pandemic, with the 2021 meeting held via video conferencing.

Sunday’s meeting was attended by 23 Chief Ministers, three Lieutenant Governors and two Administrators, and Union Ministers. The Chief Ministers of Bihar, Telangana, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Mizoram, the L-G of Puducherry, and the Administrator of Chandigarh, did not attend the meeting.

Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai had cancelled his trip to Delhi for the meeting after testing positive for Covid on Saturday.

The meeting was held primarily to discuss issues such as crop diversification, implementation of the National Education Policy and urban governance. It started at around 10 am and went on till 4.30 pm, with interventions by CMs and L-Gs on these issues. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh moderated the states’ interventions. And External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar gave a presentation on India’s presidency of the G20 summit from December 1, 2022, to November 30, 2023.

While NITI Aayog Vice Chairman Suman Berry said discussions on the ongoing controversy around “freebies” did not take place during the meeting, several states raised concerns around minimum support price for farmers, a shortage of IAS officers, a review of GST and increased allocation of funds for states, among other things.

ALL IS NOT WELL WITHIN BIHAR RULING ALLIANCE

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has called a meeting of all Janata Dal (U) MLAs and MPs on Tuesday, leading to speculation his growing friction with the BJP may come to a head.

Chief among the many reasons why Mr Kumar is upset with the BJP, which is an alliance partner of JD(U) in Bihar, has been the BJP-led central govt's offer of token representation to allies as Union Ministers.

Nitish Kumar's party had denied another Rajya Sabha berth last month to his former JD(U) colleague RCP Singh, who had taken a spot in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cabinet last year without consulting Mr Kumar. Singh bade farewell to the JD(U) over the Rajya Sabha snub.

"There's a conspiracy against me because I'd become union minister," said Mr Singh, a former Indian Administrative Service officer who was once the national president of JD(U). "I'll just say that there's no cure to jealousy," he said while leaving the JD(U) yesterday. "Nitish Kumar will not become Prime Minister in any of his seven lives," he said, describing the JD(U) as a sinking ship.

The JD(U) national president Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh yesterday said that the JD(U) won't join the Union Cabinet in the near future, leading to speculation of a rift that can't be mended.

The sudden increase in outburst of Mr Kumar's aides like Rajiv Ranjan is seen as a calculated move to put pressure on the BJP to concede to the Chief Minister's demands, which includes removal of Bihar assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Sinha, for whom Nitish Kumar's dislike is an open secret.

The Chief Minister, citing health reasons, stayed away from a meeting of the govt think-tank NITI Aayog in Delhi yesterday.

ISRO'S MAIDEN SSLV LAUNCH PLACES SATELLITES IN WRONG ORBIT

The ISRO Sunday said the maiden flight of newly developed Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) can be termed as a partial success, with the three solid fuel-based propulsion stages working normally but the satellites getting injected into a wrong elliptical orbit owing to failure of logic to identify a sensor failure.

“SSLV-D1 placed the satellites into 356 km x 76 km elliptical orbit instead of 356 km circular orbit. Satellites are no longer usable. Issue is reasonably identified. Failure of a logic to identify a sensor failure and go for a salvage action caused the deviation. A committee would analyse and recommend. With the implementation of the recommendations, ISRO will come back soon with SSLV-D2,” a statement from the space agency said.

After cheering and clapping for the lift-off and performance of the various stages of the rocket, there was a silence in the mission control room after the separation of the satellites on board at 738 and 788 seconds after the lift-off. This was because there were some data losses in the terminal phases of the mission.

ISRO chairperson S Somanath explained that when a satellite is placed in such an orbit, the satellites cannot maintain course for a long time and fall off. “The satellites have already come down from that orbit and they are no longer usable,” said Somanath.

He said that the issue had been “reasonably identified” but a deeper analysis would be carried out. The placement of the satellites in the wrong orbit was owing to the failure of a logic that exists in the rocket to identify a sensor failure and go for a salvage action.

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST / Aug 7

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Saturday 18,738

Active Cases 1,34,933 (+140)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 5,26,689 (40)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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CHINA OFFICIALS SEEKS URGENT MEETING WITH LANKAN AUTHORITIES OVER SHIP DOCKING ROW

China’s embassy has sought an urgent meeting with senior Sri Lankan authorities after Colombo sought a deferment of the planned docking of a high-tech Chinese research ship at the strategic Hambantota port over which India raised concerns.

Some Sri Lankan news portals reported that Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe held aclosed-door meeting with China’s ambassador Qi Zhenhong after Colombo sought a deferment of the planned docking. But the President’s Office denied the reports. India had informed Sri Lanka that the docking of the Chinese ship could pose a threat to its security.

CHINA, TAIWAN WARSHIPS SHADOW EACH OTHER AS DRILLS DUE TO END

Chinese and Taiwanese warships played high seas “cat and mouse” on Sunday ahead of the scheduled end of four days of unprecedented Chinese military exercises launched in reaction to a visit to Taiwan by US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

About 10 warships each from China and Taiwan sailed at close quarters in the Taiwan Strait, with some Chinese vessels crossing the median line, an unofficial buffer separating the two sides, according to a source. The island’s defence ministry said multiple Chinese ships, jets, and drones were simulating attacks on the island. It said it had sent aircraft and ships to react “appropriately”.

Late on Sunday, the ministry said it had detected 14 Chinese warships and 66 Chinese aircraft in and around the Taiwan Strait. It was not clear if China had ended the drills on Sunday, as previously announced. But a commentator on Chinese state TV said the Chinese military would now conduct “regular” drills on the Taiwan side of the line, saying the “historic task” of China’s “reunification” could be realised. Taiwan’s transport ministry said it was gradually lifting restrictions on flights through its airspace, adding notifications for the drills were no longer in effect.

ISRAEL, PALESTINIAN MILITANTS AGREE TO A TRUCE IN GAZA; 32 KILLED SO FAR

Israel and Palestinian militants have agreed to a truce in Gaza from Sunday evening as mediated by Cairo, after a weekend-long pounding of Palestinian targets by Israel triggered longer-range rocket attacks against its cities.

An Egyptian security source said Israel had agreed to the proposal. Spokespeople for Israel and Islamic Jihad, the faction it has been fighting in Gaza since clashes erupted on Friday, did not confirm this, saying only that they were in contact with Cairo.

The flare-up, recalling preludes to previous Gaza wars, has worried world powers. However, it has been relatively contained as Hamas, the governing Islamist group in the Gaza Strip and more powerful force than Iranian-backed Islamic Jihad, has so far stayed out.

The death toll in Gaza has risen to 32, including six children, the health ministry in the Palestinian enclave said on Sunday.

The rockets have paralysed much of southern Israel and sent residents in cities, including Tel Aviv and Ashkelon to shelters.

On Sunday, Islamic Jihad extended its range to fire toward Jerusalem in what it described as retaliation for the overnight killing of its southern Gaza commander by Israel — the second such senior officer it has lost in the fighting.

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IN A FIRST, US WARSHIP ARRIVES AT CHENNAI SHIPYARD FOR REPAIRS

Six years after India and the US signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement (LEMOA), a Chennai shipyard on Sunday commenced the first-ever maintenance of a US warship.

LEMOA gives access to both countries to designated military facilities on either side for the purpose of refuelling and replenishment.

US Navy Ship Charles Drew arrived at L&T’s shipyard at Kattupalli, Chennai, and will remain docked for 11 days. It was last at Diego Garcia, the British-controlled island in the Indian Ocean used as US base

“This is the first ever repair of a USNS in India,” a statement by the Ministry of Defence said in Sunday. “The event signifies the capabilities of Indian shipyards in the global ship repairing market. They offer wide-ranging and cost-effective ship repair and maintenance services, using advanced maritime technology platforms,” the MoD said.

Defence Secretary Ajay Kumar and Vice Chief of the Indian Navy Vice Admiral SN Ghormade were among senior officials of the Ministry of Defence who welcomed the vessel at the shipyard. Consul General of US Embassy in Chennai Judith Ravin and Defence Attaché at the US Embassy at New Delhi Rear Admiral Michael Baker were also present.

KEJRIWAL IN GUJARAT, PITCHES IT AS AAP VS BJP FIGHT

The upcoming Gujarat elections will be a straight contest between the “honest” Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the BJP which means “corruption and spurious liquor”, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said on Sunday. Addressing a rally in tribal-dominated Chhota Udepur district, Kejriwal said Congress has lost its relevance and there was no point voting for that party as its leaders end up joining the ruling BJP.

The Assembly elections in Gujarat are due in December this year.

“Nothing is left in the Congress now. This election is a contest between AAP and BJP. AAP means an honest, patriotic party with new politics, new faces, new ideas, enthusiasm, energy etc. Whereas as the BJP means spurious liquor and corruption,” said Kejriwal.

Targeting the BJP over the recent hooch tragedy in which 42 people died, Kejriwal said liquor is sold in the open despite the prohibition law in Gujarat. “Liquor is found everywhere in Gujarat, and it is sold in the open, in villages, streets, and cities. And they say there is a prohibition in Gujarat. Then who sells liquor worth thousands of crores of rupees? Who runs this business, who makes money?” he asked.

DR N. KALAISELVI APPOINTED FIRST WOMAN DG OF CSIR

Senior scientist Dr N. Kalaiselvi broke another glass ceiling in her career after being appointed Sunday as the Director General of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)  for a span of two years. She was previously the first woman scientist to head the CSIR-Central Electrochemical Research Institute (CSIR-CECRI) in 2019.

Known for her work in the field of lithium-ion batteries, she also focuses on electrochemical power systems and, in particular, development of electrode materials. She is currently involved in the development of “practically viable Sodium-ion/Lithium-sulfur batteries and Supercapacitors”.

Since having shifted her gaze to electric mobility, Dr Kalaiselvi has participated in various meetings and projects for the implementation of e-mobility in India since 2015.

AKASA AIR TAKES OFF

Akasa Air is finally in Indian skies as the first flight took off on Sunday between the Mumbai-Ahmedabad route, which was inaugurated by Union Minister for Civil Aviation Jyotiraditya M Scindia along with MoS General Vijay Kumar Singh (Retd.)

In the inaugural phase, Akasa Air launched its operations by offering 28 weekly flights between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Starting August 13, the airline will start operating an additional 28 weekly flights between Bengaluru and Kochi. Tickets for all are open for sale with immediate effect.

"Akasa Air's network strategy is focused on establishing a strong pan-India presence and providing linkages from metro to tier 2 and tier 3 cities across the country," Praveen Iyer, Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer, Akasa Air, had said.

TATA MOTORS' EV SUBSIDIARY BUYS FORD'S SANAND PLANT FOR RS 725 CRORE

Tata Passenger Electric Mobility Ltd (TPEML), a Tata Motors subsidiary has bought the Ford India’s manufacturing plant situated at Sanand, Gujarat, including entire land and buildings, vehicle manufacturing plant along with machinery and equipment for a consideration of Rs 725.7 crore, Tata Motors said in a late night notification to the stock exchanges. The two companies signed a unit transfer agreement (UTA) for the same on Sunday. As part of the agreement all the eligible employees at the unit will be transferred to Tata Motors.

Ford India will continue to operate its powertrain manufacturing facility by leasing back the land and buildings of the powertrain manufacturing plant from TPEML on mutually agreed terms. TPEML has agreed to offer employment to the eligible employees of FIPL’s Powertrain Manufacturing Plant in the event of FIPL’s cessation of such operations.

The plant offers 3,043 direct jobs and 20,000 indirect jobs.

Ford India’s vehicle assembly plant is spread across 350 acres while the engine-manufacturing plant has 110 acres.

IYER, SPINNERS HELP INDIA ROUT WI, WIN SERIES 4-1

Shreyas Iyer roared back to form with a stroke-filled 64 while the spinners picked up all the 10 wickets as India recorded yet another one-sided 88-run victory over West Indies to wrap up the five-match T20 International series by a comprehensive 4-1 margin in Lauderhill, Florida on Sunday.

It was Iyer's half-century and useful contributions from Deepak Hooda (38 off 25 balls) and stand-in skipper Hardik Pandya's (28 off 16 balls) cameo that propelled India to 188 for 7 in 20 overs after electing to bat first.

West Indies were all out for 100 runs inside 16 overs in one of the most lopsided T20I bilateral series, although India won't be complaining having ticked most of the boxes.

CWG 2022 DAY 10: INDIA WIN FIVE GOLD, WOMEN LOSE CLOSE CRICKET FINAL

The Indian contingent at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games bagged five gold medals on the tenth day of the event. Three of those five gold medals came in boxing. In Men's Triple Jump, India created history by finishing one and two and another gold was won in Table Tennis Mixed Doubles by Achanta Sharath Kamla and Sreeja Akula.

Indian women's cricket team lost a heartbreaking final against Australia to settle for a silver medal.

Four Indian boxers Nitu Ghanghas, Nikhat Zareen, Amit Panghal and Sagar Ahlawat were to compete for the gold medal on the penultimate day of the Commonwealth Games 2022. Out of the four, three of them- Nitu Ghanghas, Amit Panghal and Nikhat Zareen won gold while Sagar had to settle for silver after a gruesome fight with his English opponent.

Achanata Sharath Kamal could have had four gold medals in this Commonwealth Games. He could still have three as he will compete in the Men’s Singles final on the last day of the games. But on the 10th day, he won gold in the Mixed Doubles event alongside his partner Sreeja Akula who had earlier in the day lost a seven-setter bronze medal match.

Sharath Kamal himself was beaten in a five-set thriller in the Men’s Doubles by the English pair of Liam Pitchford and Drinkhall. He along with Sathiyan Ganasekaran got a silver medal. Sathiyan will also fight for bronze on the 11th and last day of the event.

Indian athletes continue to pull out surprises. In the Men’s Triple Jump event, India’s Eldhose Paul jumped 17.03 meters while Abdulla Aboobacker followed with 17.02 meters as the duo finished one and two to win historic medals for India. Pravin Chithravel, the third Indian in the vent, finished fourth, narrowly missing out on a medal.

Inspired by the silver from Priyanka Goswami in the Women’s 10,000 metres Race Walk, Sandeep Kumar won a bronze with a personal best timing of 39 minutes in the Men’s 10,000 metres Race Walk.

The Indian women’s cricket team lost a close final to Australia. Chasing a target of 162, the Indian team, after struggling at 22/2 in the first four overs, and then getting to 118-2 and needing just 44 off 34 balls, went on to lose the game by nine runs after losing its eight wickets in the next 35 runs and 31 balls.  Harmanpreet Kaur’s brilliant 65 off 43 balls went in vain as India lost yet another final in the global arena.

The India women’s hockey team came back from two shockers, the first of the controversial penalty shoot-out lost in the semi-final against Australia and then conceding a penalty strike in the last minute of the bronze medal match against New Zealand.  After New Zealand women equalised with the strike and scored in the first shoot-out, it seemed like Indian women will once again finish without a medal after showing so much promise. But Savita Punia, the Indian goalkeeper and captain had other ideas as she saved each White Fern shot after that. Taking inspiration from her, Navneet and Sonika scored for India as the team won the match 2-1 in the Shootout after drawing it 1-1 in regulation time.

India are still placed 5th, with 18 Gold, 15 Silver and 22 Bronze medals.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

It is ok to question yourself, but never ok to doubt yourself. - Jeffrey Fry

OFF TRACK

A skinny man with an axe showed up for a job interview – the position is of a lumberjack.

The company's head lumberjack told him: "Okay, see that giant redwood over there?" Take your axe and go cut it down."

The skinny man headed for the tree, and in five minutes he was back knocking on the lumberjack's door. "I cut the tree down," said the man.

The lumberjack couldn't believe his eyes and said, "Where did you get the skill to chop down trees like that?"

"In the Sahara Forest," replied the skinny man.

"You mean the Sahara Desert," said the lumberjack.

The skinny man laughed and answered back, "Oh sure, that's what they call it now!"