CHINA DISREGARDED BORDER PACTS WITH INDIA, CASTING SHADOW ON BILATERAL TIES: JAISHANKAR

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said China has disregarded the border pacts with India, casting a shadow on the bilateral ties as he asserted that a lasting relationship cannot be a one-way street and there has to be mutual respect.

Jaishankar, who arrived in Sao Paulo (Brazil) on the first leg of his six-day visit to South America aimed at boosting overall bilateral ties with the region, made the remarks during his interaction with the Indian community there on Saturday.

While responding to a question on Sino-India ties, Jaishankar said India and China have agreements going back to the 1990s which prohibits bringing troops to the border area.

“They (Chinese) have disregarded that. You know what happened in the Galwan Valley a few years ago. That problem has not been resolved and that is clearly casting a shadow,”

Jaishankar said a relationship cannot be a one-way street and mutual respect has to be there in order to sustain it. “They are our neighbour and everybody wants to get along with their neighbour...But everybody wants to get along with their neighbour on reasonable terms. I must respect you and you must respect me,” Jaishankar said. “From our point of view, we’ve been very clear that if you have to build a relationship, then there has to be mutual respect. Each one will have their interests and we need to be sensitive to what the concerns are of the other party,” he added.

Besides Brazil, Jaishankar will visit Paraguay and Argentina, and it is his first trip to the South American region as the external affairs minister.

INDIA IN ADVANCED STAGE TALKS WITH US TO PROCURE MQ-9B DRONES FOR LAC VIGIL

India is in an advanced stage of negotiations with the US to procure 30 MQ-9B Predator armed drones at a cost of over $3 billion to crank up its overall surveillance apparatus along the Line of Actual Control with China and in the Indian Ocean, people familiar with the development said on Sunday.

The long-endurance-hunter-killer drones are being procured for the three services as they can carry out a variety of roles including maritime surveillance, anti-submarine warfare, over-the-horizon targeting and hitting stationary ground targets.

The MQ-9B drone is a variant of MQ-9 "Reaper" that was reportedly used to fire a modified version of the Hellfire missile which eliminated al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri in the heart of Kabul last month.

JOLT TO CONG AS ANAND SHARMA QUITS AS HIMACHAL UNIT'S STEERING PANEL CHIEF

In a jolt to the Congress ahead of assembly elections in Himachal Pradesh, its senior leader Anand Sharma on Sunday resigned from the chairmanship of the party's steering committee for the state. Sharma, in a letter to Congress president Sonia Gandhi, has said that his self-respect is "non-negotiable" and he has resigned from the post. Sharma has told the Congress chief that he has been ignored in the consultation process.

His resignation comes soon after another leader of the G23 grouping Ghulam Nabi Azad resigned as chairman of the campaign committee in Jammu and Kashmir a few days ago.

Sharma declared that it was a number of leaders who had kept the party afloat after Indira Gandhi was expelled in 1978. "Those were people like us... This party belongs to all of us," he said.

There was no reason why the list should be confined to Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, he said. "Is the Congress only confined to these two names? Are we not ridiculing the history of the Congress party," he added.

RAHUL GANDHI SAYS GOVERNMENT TAXING COMMON PEOPLE MORE THAN CORPORATES, BJP HITS BACK

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Sunday accused the government of imposing high taxes on common people and giving rebates to its “friends”. Targeting the government, Gandhi said, “Raise taxes on people, cut taxes for Mitron - the ‘natural course’ of action for suit-boot-loot sarkar,” Gandhi said in his tweet, while sharing the graph. The graph gave a comparison of “less tax on people versus more tax on people”. It shows that corporate tax over the years has been coming down and tax on people is going up.

The graph also showed that the percentage of revenues collected by the government over the years is higher from people than from corporates.

The graph showed that in 2010 the revenue collected through tax on corporates was over 40 per cent against 24 per cent revenue from tax on people.

In 2021, it showed, the revenue collected from tax on corporates has come down to around 24 per cent against around 48 per cent from that collected from tax on people.

The BJP, however, accused him of fudging data to mislead the country. “It can only happen in Rahul Gandhi School of Economics where every data is fudged to mislead the country. The so called taxes from people and Corporate Tax combined does not total to 100 per cent,” BJP IT department head Amit Malviya said.

Malviya noted that the corporate tax collection has seen a rapid growth of 34 per cent in the first four months of the fiscal year 2023 as compared to the corresponding period last year, he said, adding even when compared to collections of FY 2019 (pre-COVID), the collections of FY 2022 are higher by over nine per cent.

He added, “The growth in personal income tax has been robust in last few years and taxpayer base has been increased to 9 crore in 2021-22, against 5.7 crore taxpayers in 2013-14. This has been a result of various efforts of the Government of India to curb black money.”

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST / Aug 21

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Saturday 11,539

Active Cases 99,879 (-1,287)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 5,27,332 (43)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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IMRAN BOOKED UNDER ANTI-TERRORISM ACT FOR THREATENING POLICE, JUDGE

Pakistan’s ousted PM Imran Khan has been booked under the Anti-Terrorism Act for threatening police, judiciary and other state institutions at his Islamabad rally a day ago, it emerged on Sunday.

The FIR reads that Khan in his speech had “terrorised and threatened top police officials and a respected female additional sessions judge” with the aim to stop them from performing their functions and abstain from pursuing any action against any individual tied to his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party (PTI). It says that Khan’s speech had spread fear, uncertainty among the police, judges and the nation.

Earlier at a press meet, interior minister Rana Sanaullah said that the government was holding legal consultations before launching any case against Khan. He alleged that Khan’s speech was a continuation of a trend to target state institutions.

His remarks came after Pakistan’s electronic media watchdog banned satellite television channels from broadcasting live speeches of Khan following his provocative address on Saturday night. The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) in a communique issued on Saturday said that TV channels despite repeated warnings had failed to implement a time-delay mechanism to stop the broadcast of material against “state institutions”.

SOMALIA HOTEL SIEGE ENDS AFTER 30 HOURS; 21 KILLED

Somali forces have ended a deadly siege at a hotel in the capital Mogadishu which saw more than 20 people killed and dozens of hostages freed, authorities said on Sunday. Elite armed forces in the Horn-of-Africa nation battled al-Qaida-linked militants for 30 hours, after the jihadis blasted and shot their way into the Hayat Hotel on Friday. “We have confirmed so far 21 dead people and 117 others injured,” Ali Haji, the minister for health, told national broadcaster SNTV.

The al-Qaida-linked al Shabaab group, which has been fighting to topple the Somali government for more than a decade, claimed responsibility for the attack. It wants to establish its own rule based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Friday’s attack at the Hayat, a hotel popular with lawmakers and other government officials, was the first major incident since President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud took office in May.

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DELHI POLICE BEEF UP SECURITY AT TIKRI BORDER AHEAD OF FARMERS’ PROTEST ON MONDAY

The Delhi Police on Sunday tightened the security and installed cemented barricades across the Delhi-Haryana Tikri border ahead of farmers’ protest in the Capital on Monday.

The farmers are agitating against the Centre “for not fulfilling their legitimate demands and going against its promises”.

BKU leader Rakesh Tikait was detained while trying to enter the capital to participate in the protest. Accusing the Delhi Police of “working on the behest of the government”, Tikait said it cannot suppress the voice of the farmers. “This struggle will continue till our last breath. The government is bent upon oppression of unemployed, youth, farmers and labourers. The fight for rights has to be prepared for a long struggle,” he said

The SKM and other farmers’ groups are organising a ‘mahapanchayat’ at the Jantar Mantar.

NAGA ISSUE: NSCN(IM) STICKS TO DEMAND FOR SEPARATE FLAG, CONSTITUTION

The NSCN(IM) on Sunday said under no circumstances it would forego the demand for a separate flag and ‘Yehzabo’ (constitution) to achieve a final solution to the vexed Naga political issue.

The Isak-Muivah faction of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (NSCN-IM), which is holding peace talks with the government for over two decades, said it attaches great importance to the Naga flag and constitution as part of the solution.

The NSCN(IM) and the Centre signed a framework agreement in 2015 to find a solution to the political issue.

The framework agreement came after over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years, with the first breakthrough in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed after decades of insurgency in Nagaland which started soon after Independence in 1947.

CBI LOOK OUT CIRCULAR AGAINST 8 PRIVATE PERSONS IN DELHI EXCISE POLICY SCAM

The CBI on Sunday issued look out circulars against eight private persons named in the FIR registered in the Delhi excise policy "scam" case, officials said. They said no LoCs have been opened against four public servants named in the FIR, including Delhi deputy CM Manish Sisodia and three former excise department officials. Officials said the CBI has not felt the need to issue LOCs against public servants so far because they cannot leave the country without intimating the government.

Sisodia denied any wrongdoing and said nothing was found in the 14-hour raid at his home, and nothing will be found because there was no scam. "They don't care about any fraud in excise policy, otherwise they would have first probed the corruption in BJP-ruled Gujarat where ₹ 10,000 crore excise tax evasion is happening every year. Thousand die there after consuming toxic liquor," he said.

He also said that he will most likely be arrested in the coming days, but that won't deter his party from doing the good work. "I am not scared," he said.

MSP NOT BEING IMPLEMENTED BECAUSE OF PM’S FRIEND ADANI: SATYA PAL MALIK

Hitting out at the government on the issue of implementation and legal guarantee of Minimum Support Price (MSP) for farmers’ produce, Meghalaya Governor Satya Pal Malik on Sunday said the country’s farmers cannot be defeated and will continue to protest till their demands were met.

Speaking at a programme at a cow shelter in Kira village in Nuh, Malik said, “If MSP is not implemented and legal guarantee on MSP is not given, there will be another fight and this time it will be a fierce fight. You cannot defeat the farmer of this country. You cannot scare him… since you cannot send ED or Income-Tax officers, how will you scare the farmer?”

“The MSP is not being implemented because Prime Minister has a friend whose name is Adani, who at the moment has become Asia’s richest person in five years,” he said.

“Adani has been given airports, ports, major schemes…aur ek tarah se desh ko bechne ki taiyari hai [and in a way, the preparation is to sell the country], but we will not let that happen,” said Malik.

He said in Panipat, Adani has built a big warehouse and stocked it with wheat bought at cheap rates. “When there is inflation, he will sell that wheat… so these PM’s friends will make profits and farmers will suffer. This will not be tolerated and there will be a fight against it,” he said.

IMSD ASKS MUSLIM ORGANISATIONS TO RETHINK POSITION ON BLASPHEMY, QUESTIONS SILENCE ON RUSHDIE ATTACK

Questioning silence of Muslim organizations over barbarous attack on writer Salman Rushdie, the Indian Muslims for Secular Democracy (IMSD) has appealed to them to rethink their position on blasphemy that is a “form of politics which is doing Muslims more harm than good”.

The statement by IMSD was endorsed by 60 eminent citizens, including social activist Medha Patkar, activist, psephologist and politician Yogendra Yadav and Magsaysay Award winner Sandeep Pandey, among others.

According to IMSD website, it is a forum of Indian Muslims committed to the values of democracy, secularism, equality and justice as enshrined in the UN’s Universal Declaration of

Underlining that the attack on Rushdie was designed to create a regime of fear, the IMSD said none of the prominent Indian Muslim organizations have condemned this barbarous attack on a prominent writer.

The IMSD said the regime of fear made sure that very few stood with Salman Rushdie, except for those Islamophobes who delighted in telling the world that this thuggery was ‘real Islam’.

“It is rather rich on the part of Muslim organizations that they only remember human rights when they are being attacked but do not extend the same rights and dignity to others, Muslims or not, who differ from them on matters of religion. This is plain hypocrisy which does not help the Muslim cause,” the statement said.

Being a minority, Indian Muslims should be championing a rights-based discourse on the importance of free speech and dissent, it said. “Muslims do not need the Hindu right wing to argue that Islam and human rights are incompatible; they themselves have been advertising this position for long,” the IMSD said.

“In this hour of grave crisis, we stand firmly with Salman Rushdie and wish him speedy recovery. We once again appeal to all Muslim organizations to rethink their position on blasphemy; a form of politics which is doing Muslims more harm than good,” it said.

NO PLANS TO LEVY CHARGES ON UPI TRANSACTIONS, SAYS FINANCE MINISTRY

The Centre on Sunday said there are no plans to levy charges for making payments through Unified Payments Interface (UPI) while saying the service is a "digital public good with immense convenience".

"UPI is a digital public good with immense convenience for the public & productivity gains for the economy. There is no consideration in Govt to levy any charges for UPI services. The concerns of the service providers for cost recovery have to be met through other means,” tweeted the Ministry of Finance.

This comes days after the RBI sought feedback from stakeholders on the possibility of imposing gradual charges on payments made through UPI, based on different amount bands.

25% EXTRA SEATS, NO ENTRANCE TEST FOR FOREIGN STUDENTS: UGC'S PLAN TO INCREASE INTERNATIONAL OUTREACH

Universities and higher education institutions across the country will now be allowed to create up to 25 per cent supernumerary seats for foreign students in their undergraduate (UG) and postgraduate (PG) programmes while the students will not be required to go through the entrance process for admissions in India, according to the UGC.

A decision in this regard was taken at a UGC meeting last week on “internationalisation of UG and PG programmes in India”, officials said.

The supernumerary seats will be created over and above the total sanctioned strength and the decision regarding these seats will be taken by concerned higher educational institutions according to specific guidelines and regulations issued by the regulatory bodies considering the infrastructure, faculty and other requirements.

DOLO 650 MAKER REJECTS ALLEGATIONS OF RS 1,000 CRORE WORTH FREEBIES TO DOCTORS

Drug firm Micro Labs has termed the allegations that it offered freebies worth Rs 1,000 crore to doctors to promote its anti-inflammatory drug Dolo 650 as baseless.

In a statement, a Micro Labs spokesperson said in some of the recent media reports it has been falsely and maliciously alleged that the company has been distributing freebies worth Rs 1,000 crore to promote Dolo 650 in one year.

The annual sales of Dolo 650 have been Rs 360 crore, about 8 per cent of the company sales. Despite the raw material cost tripling during COVID times, Micro Labs maintained its uninterrupted supplies without any price change as per the government fixed retail price of less than Rs 2 per tablet, the spokesperson noted.

“To think of distribution of freebies worth thousands of crores is thus highly preposterous. The company would like to clarify that the amount referred to pertains to the total sales and marketing expenses incurred by the company for its total India business in the last five years’ period and spent across its whole portfolio,” the spokesperson added.

ZOMATO WITHDRAWS HRITHIK'S 'MAHAKAL THALI' AD AMID BACKLASH, APOLOGISES

Amid a row, online food delivery firm Zomato has withdrawn the advertisement featuring actor Hrithik Roshan and apologised while clarifying that the “Mahakal” reference was for a restaurant and it didn't mean the Ujjain-based temple.

Two priests of the famous Mahakaleshwar temple in Madhya Pradesh had objected to the advertisement claiming that it offended Hindu sentiments and demanded its withdrawal.

In the advertisement, Roshan says he felt like having a thali (food platter) in Ujjain so he ordered it from 'Mahakal.'

"The Hrithik Roshan starrer ad that ran in specific pin-codes of Ujjain referenced to thalis at 'Mahakal Restaurant and not the revered Shree Mahakaleshwar temple. Mahakal Restaurant is one of our high-order-volume restaurant partners in Ujjain and thali is a recommended item on its menu,” Zomato said in a statement issued on its Twitter handle.

“We deeply respect the sentiments of the people of Ujjain and the ad in question is no longer running. We offer our sincerest apologies, for the intent here was never to hurt anyone's beliefs and sentiments,” Zomato added.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Reverence for the past is important, but so is the regard for future. – Brad Herzog

OFF TRACK

A young couple was engaged in a most affectionate embrace when there came the sound of a key in the front door. The young lady broke away at once, eyes wide with alarm.

"Heavens," she cried, "it's my husband! Quick, jump out the window."

The young man, equally alarmed, made a quick step toward the window, then demurred. "I can't," he said, "we're on the thirteenth floor."

"For heaven's sake," cried the young lady in exasperation, "is this a time to be superstitious?"