INDIA, CHINA COMPLETE DISENGAGEMENT IN HOT SPRINGS REGION

Indian and Chinese troops have completed the disengagement process at Patrolling Point-15 in the Gogra-Hot Springs region of eastern Ladakh. The process was completed by Tuesday afternoon.

Last week, the govt had said that the disengagement process in this area started at 8.30am Thursday (September 8) and will be completed by Monday (September 12). But the process was completed a day later than expected, on September 13.

The six-day process had five components: stopping of “forward deployments”; return of troops of both sides to their respective areas; dismantling of “all temporary structures and other allied infrastructure”; restoring “landforms in the area” to pre-standoff positions by both sides; stopping of forward deployment in a “phased, coordinated and verified manner”, and ensuring structures are “dismantled and mutually verified”.

With the disengagement at PP-15 completed, forces of the two countries, locked in a face-off ever since May 2020, have disengaged at all friction points in the region which included the north and south banks of the Pangong Tso, PP-14, PP-15 and PP-17A.

But the wider de-escalation of 60,000 troops and arms and ammunition, including heavy equipment, is still to be negotiated.

The PP-15 disengagement decision was taken before Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar left for Tokyo for the India-Japan 2+2 ministerial meeting last week. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval was overseeing the process in New Delhi along with the top brass of the armed forces, while the ministers were away. Jaishankar and Singh have also been briefed about the process.

FM TO INDUSTRY: STEP UP INVESTMENT, DO NOT DOUBT YOUR OWN CAPABILITY

At a time when private investments continue to be subdued, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Tuesday urged the industry to step up its investments. Referring to reports of dues to micro, medium and small enterprises (MSMEs) to the tune of Rs 10 lakh crore, Sitharaman said not all the payments were due from the govt’s side but corporates also had a considerable amount pending to these enterprises.

“Is it like Hanuman? You don’t believe in your own capacity, in your own strength and there’s got to be someone standing next to you and say you are Hanuman, do it? Who is that person going to tell Hanuman? It can’t certainly be the govt,” Sitharaman said addressing the Mindmine Summit.

The Finance Minister further said that countries and industries abroad think India is the place to be in now and this is being reflected in FDI and FPI inflows and confidence among stock market investors. “I am hearing a lot more companies who are moving out of China wanting to come (to India) because they find the policies a lot more attractive, not just the PLI but overall the ecosystem is far more facilitative of such companies coming out to locate themselves in India.”

“I want to know from the Indian industry what is it that they are hesitant about… Since 2019, when I took charge of the finance ministry, I have been hearing industry doesn’t think its (environment) is conducive. Alright, the (corporate) tax rate was brought down. I keep defending the industry even when people provocatively ask me what I would like to tell the private sector. We will do everything to get industry coming and investing here. Give PLI, we have given PLI. I want to hear from India Inc: what’s stopping you?” she said.

AUDIT DEATHS DUE TO OXYGEN SHORTAGE DURING COVID: PARLIAMENTARY PANEL TO GOVT

The Parliamentary Committee on Health and Family Welfare has recommended that the Union health ministry, along with states, audit the deaths of Covid-19 patients due to shortage of oxygen, especially during the second wave of the pandemic, and ensure proper compensation to the victim families.

After analysing various aspects of the pandemic management, including oxygen shortage, surveillance, and vaccine development and administration, the panel submitted its report on Monday.

In the report, the committee has also urged the govt to raise voice to identify the origin of Sars-CoV-2. “The committee, therefore, strongly recommends the govt to reckon its diplomacy to appeal to the comity of nations to conduct more studies to identify the origin of Covid-19 and penalise the culprits at the international platform,” the report said.

“There were no definite guidelines for identifying the deaths due to inadequate supply of oxygen. Oxygen shortage is not noted as a cause of death in the medical records and most of the deaths were attributed to co-morbidities,” the committee said in its report.

The committee said that on Union govt’s request for details on deaths due to oxygen shortage, 20 states responded but none of them confirmed any. “The committee is disturbed at the unfortunate denial of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare regarding Covid deaths due to oxygen shortage in the country,” the report said.

INDIA'S MAIDEN HUMAN SPACE-FLIGHT IN 2024: GOVT

India's maiden human space-flight mission Gaganyaan is expected to be launched in 2024, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said here on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event, Singh said the govt had planned the human space flight for 2022, the year of India's 75th anniversary of Independence, but the schedule went awry on account of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The first test-flight will be followed by sending a spacefaring humanoid robot -- Vyom Mitra -- in outer space likely next year, Singh said.

The Indian Air Force had identified four fighter pilots as the potential crew for the human space flight mission. The potential crew had undergone basic training in Russia.

The Indian Space Research Organisation will send at least two astronauts into a low earth orbit in 2024 after assessing the outcome of the two orbital test flights, Singh said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the Gaganyaan mission in his Independence Day address in 2018 at a cost of Rs 10,000 crore.

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST / Sep 13

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Monday 4,355

Active Cases 43,761 (-829)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 5,28,185 (6)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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

UKRAINE PUSHES TO LIBERATE ALL LAND FROM RUSSIA, CALLS FOR WESTERN ARMS

Since Moscow abandoned its main bastion in northeastern Ukraine on Saturday, marking its worst defeat since the early days of the war, Ukrainian troops have recaptured dozens of towns in a stunning shift in battleground momentum. Speaking in Balakliia, a key military supply hub taken by Ukrainian forces last week, deputy defence minister Hanna Malyar said 1,50,000 people had been liberated from Russian rule in the area. Fighting was still raging elsewhere in the northeastern Kharkiv region, she earlier said, saying Ukraine forces were making good progress. “The aim is to liberate Kharkiv region and beyond all the territories occupied by Russian Federation. ”

In a video address yesterday, Ukraine’s President Zelensky said the West must speed up deliveries of weapons systems, calling on Ukraine’s allies to “strengthen cooperation to defeat Russian terror”. Ukrainian troops are continuing to push forward after liberating over 6,000 sqkm in eastern and southern Ukraine this month, he said, double than what officials had cited on Sunday.

PAK REJECTS IMRAN’S DEMAND FOR ARMY CHIEF EXTENSION

Pakistan’s Shehbaz Sharif-led govt on Tuesday rejected former PM Imran Khan’s proposal to extend army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa’s tenure beyond his scheduled retirement this November. The proposal made by Khan was rejected by defence minister Khwaja Asif, saying he had stooped so low in his lust for power that he was now making the army chief’s appointment controversial.

Last week, Khan had alleged that ex-PM Nawaz Sharif — PM Shehbaz’s brother — and ex-president Asif Ali Zardari wanted to appoint their “favourite” army chief to protect their “looted wealth”. The military denounced the remarks.

THE REST

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KOLKATA, HOWRAH TURN WARZONE AS BJP MARCH TO SECRETARIAT TURNS VIOLENT

Several police officers and saffron camp members, including leaders Mina Devi Purohit and Swapan Dasgupta, were reportedly injured during the rally organised to protest against the alleged corrupt practices of the Trinamool Congress govt.

Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal assembly Suvendu Adhikari, the party's Hooghly MP Locket Chatterjee and senior leader Rahul Sinha and several other leaders were detained.

While the BJP alleged that the Mamata Banerjee govt does not want to give space to opposition parties, the ruling TMC described the saffron camp workers as ’hooligans'.

A Kolkata police officer said, "There was no report of any serious injury to any protestors though several police personnel have suffered injuries."

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh alleged that the BJP was fomenting trouble under the garb of protest. "It is part of a bigger game plan to destabilise West Bengal this festive season. This is not a democratic movement. This is goondaism," he added.

VEDANTA-FOXCONN PICKS GUJARAT, BLAME GAME IN MAHARASHTRA

A political firestorm erupted in Maharashtra after a joint venture of mining conglomerate Vedanta and Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn, which had held talks with the state to set up its new semiconductor plant, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat govt Tuesday to locate its project there.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the MoU “an important step accelerating India’s semiconductor manufacturing ambitions. The investment of Rs 1.54 lakh crore will create a significant impact to boost the economy and jobs. This will also create a huge ecosystem for ancillary industries and help our MSMEs”.

In Twitter posts, Anil Agarwal, Chairman of Vedanta Resources Limited, said the project will help the Prime Minister’s “vision of creating a robust manufacturing base in India”, and “will reduce our electronics imports & provide 1 lakh direct skilled jobs to our people”. He expressed “deep gratitude” to the Gujarat govt and the Union IT Minister “who have helped Vedanta tie things up so quickly”.

The Vedanta-Foxconn MoU with Gujarat left Maharashtra officials stunned and the Opposition slammed the Eknath Shinde govt over the “missed” opportunity.

Responding to questions, Maharashtra Industries Minister Uday Samant blamed the previous govt. “Why didn’t the MVA govt offer a better incentive package to the company?” he asked. Samant said he had taken charge of the department recently and would look for the reason why the company chose Gujarat over Maharashtra.

CONG TAKES A DIG AT AAP; CALLS IT ‘ARVIND ADVERTISEMENT PARTY’

The Congress on Tuesday accused the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP of getting its Punjab govt to spend on advertisements in poll-bound Gujarat, calling it the “Arvind Advertisement Party”.

The Congress alleged that the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab govt is unable to pay salaries of employees but spent Rs 36 crore in two months on advertisements in Gujarat.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, Congress leader Ajoy Kumar said the AAP should be called the “Arvind Advertisement Party, Arvind Actors Party and Arvind Aish Party” for indulging in advertisement politics and corruption.

“In 2015, the AAP spent Rs 81 crore on advertisement through TV and print. In 2017-18, Rs 117 crore; in 2019, Rs 200 crore; in 21-22, about Rs 490 crore. Under Sheila Dikshit's Delhi govt, the advertisement budget was Rs 11 crore,” Kumar said.

He also alleged that the AAP govt in Delhi spent Rs 19 crore on advertisement on scheme of education loan for students, but gave scholarship to only two students.

IPS OFFICER WHO PROBED ISHRAT JAHAN ENCOUNTER DISMISSED

Satish Chandra Verma, a senior IPS officer who had assisted the CBI in its investigation into the alleged fake encounter case of Ishrat Jahan in Gujarat, was dismissed from the service on August 30, a month before his scheduled retirement on September 30, officials said on Tuesday.

However, the Delhi High Court while hearing a plea by Verma directed the Union Home Ministry not to implement the dismissal order till September 19 so that the 1986-batch Gujarat cadre IPS officer could approach a higher court to get relief, they said.

Verma has moved the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court allowed the home ministry to take action against him in the wake of a departmental inquiry that proved the charges against him, including interacting “with public media” when he was chief vigilance officer of the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation, Shillong.

Verma had probed the Ishrat Jahan case between April 2010 and October 2011 and on the basis of his investigation report that a Special Investigation Team had held that the encounter was “fake”. The Gujarat High Court later directed the CBI to probe the case and avail Verma’s services.

REPLACE TOLL PLAZAS WITH AUTOMATIC NUMBER PLATE RECOGNITION SYSTEM

Union minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said that the govt is conducting pilot projects to replace toll plazas with automatic number plate recognition system, which will enable deduction of fee from vehicle owners’ bank accounts.

Speaking at the Mindmine Summit, the road transport and highways minister said after introduction of FASTags, toll income of state-owned National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) increased by Rs 15,000 crore per year.

“And now, we are going to launch automobile number plate technology (Automatic Number Plate Reader cameras) by which there will be no toll plazas,” he said, without giving further details.

During 2018-19, the average waiting time for vehicles at toll plazas was 8 minutes. With the introduction of FASTags during 2020-21 and 2021-22, the average waiting time for vehicles has now come down to 47 seconds.

Although that is a considerable improvement in the waiting time, at certain locations, especially near cities, and densely populated towns, there are still some delays at toll plazas during peak hours.

Last month, Gadkari said that the govt is now looking at two options—a satellite-based toll system where the GPS will be there in a car and the toll will be directly subtracted from the passenger’s bank account and the other option is through number plates.

US ANCHOR SAYS BRITAIN LEFT INDIA CIVILISED. SHASHI THAROOR, OTHERS RESPOND

A news anchor from the United States, who praised the virtues of the British colonialism in India and claimed that that country prospered during the British rule, has left Congress leader Shashi Tharoor and many Twitter users fuming, according to a report in Independent. Tucker Carlson, Fox News anchor also falsely claimed that India did not create any architectural marvels before the onset of the British colonial era. His comments have been condemned as "racist" and "supremely uninformed" by several users, including tennis star Martina Navratilova.

The anchor was speaking on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" show last Thursday where he went on a long rant claiming that the British empire was "more than just genocide".

"Strong countries dominate weak countries. This trend hasn't changed. At least the English took their colonial responsibility seriously. They didn't just take things, they added. We (the United States) left Afghanistan, we left airstrips, weapons and guns. When the British pulled out of India, they left behind an entire civilization, a language, a legal system, schools, churches and public buildings, all of which are still in use today," said Carlson in a clip that has gone viral on Twitter.

The comments sparked a debate on Twitter, in which Congress leader Shashi Tharoor joined in. "I think Twitter ought to have an option for something to press when you can't respond without losing your cool. For now I will content myself with," Tharoor tweeted, adding two angry-face emojis in response.

Navratilova also slammed Carlson's comments, saying on Twitter, "Hey @TuckerCarlson - your utter ignorance of history is quite staggering. I suggest you read the book "Inglorious Empire" by Shashi Tharoor and then try again. Your racism is off the charts and your stupidity on this particular issue is of Olympic proportions!!!"

AMAZON COMPARES ITSELF TO A SHOPPING MALL

Challenging the Central Consumer Protection Authority’s recent decision to hold it liable for allowing sale of pressure cookers that did not meet the mandatory standards, Amazon Tuesday argued before the Delhi High Court that its position in the market was akin to the landlord of a shopping mall.

“Suppose there is a mall, there is a DLF mall, somebody is selling spurious apples, are you going to haul up the landlord,” Senior Advocate Rajiv Nayar, representing Amazon Seller Services Private Limited, argued before the bench of Justice Yashwant Varma.

Justice Varma listed the case for hearing on September 19 after the counsel representing the CCPA sought time to seek instructions. CCPA last month said 2,265 pressure cookers not conforming to mandatory standards were sold through Amazon and imposed a fine of Rs 1 Lakh on the platform.

CCPA also observed that when Amazon earns commercially from each sale of the product listed on its platform, it cannot disassociate itself in case of issues arising from sale of products through its platform. The regulatory authority in the order directed Amazon to notify all consumers of the 2,265 pressure cookers sold on its platform, recall the products and reimburse their prices to the consumers.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

No endeavor that is worthwhile is simple in prospect; if it is right, it will be simple in retrospect. - William Teller

OFF TRACK

Two men were walking home after a Halloween party and decided to take a shortcut through the cemetery just for laughs. Right in the middle of the cemetery, they were startled by a tap-tap-tapping noise coming from the misty shadows.

Trembling with fear, they found an old man with a hammer and chisel, chipping away at one of the headstones.

"Holy cow, Mister," one of them said after catching his breath. "You scared us half to death - we thought you were a ghost! What are you doing working here so late at night?"

"Those fools!" the old man grumbled. "They misspelled my name!"