INDIA'S G20 PRESIDENCY TO BE ACTION-ORIENTED: PM MODI

Taking over the presidency of the G20 grouping, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday assured its leaders that India’s G20 presidency would be inclusive, ambitious, decisive and action-oriented.

“It is a proud occasion for every Indian to assume the G20 presidency. We will organise G20 meetings in different cities and states of our country. Our guests will get a full experience of India’s amazing diversity, inclusive traditions and cultural richness,” said the PM at the closing session of the G20 summit in Indonesia. After the presidency devolves on India for a year from December 1, the next G20 summit will be held in the country.

The PM admitted that India was taking charge of the G20 at a time when the world was simultaneously grappling with geopolitical tensions, economic slowdown, rising food and energy prices, and the long-term ill-effects of the pandemic.

“At such a time, the world is looking at the G20 with hope. Over the next one year, India will strive to ensure that the G20 becomes the catalyst for new ideas and accelerates collective action. The sense of ownership over natural resources is giving rise to conflict today, and has become the main cause of the plight of the environment,” he said. Prime Minister Modi also spoke on the need for universal and all-inclusive development and especially underlined the point that it was not possible without women’s participation. “Peace and security are imperative, otherwise future generations will not be able to take advantage of economic growth or technological innovation.”

BEGAN TALKS WITH RBI EIGHT MONTHS BEFORE DEMONETISATION: GOVT TO SC

The centre Wednesday told the Supreme Court it began consultations with the Reserve Bank of India in February 2016 — at least eight months before notifying demonetisation i.e., withdrawal of legal tender character of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, on November 8, 2016.

“It was taken after extensive consultation with the RBI and advance preparation… The then Finance Minister had stated in the Parliament… that Govt consultation with RBI began in February 2016; however, the process of the consultation and the decision-making were kept confidential,” it said in an affidavit.

“The withdrawal… of a significant portion of total currency value was a well-considered decision,” the Centre said in the affidavit, which it said should be read as part and parcel of

Defending its action, the Centre said the decision was based on RBI’s recommendation for the withdrawal of the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes and its proposed draft scheme for implementation. “The Central Board of the RBI made a specific recommendation to the Central Govt for the withdrawal of legal tender character of the existing series of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 banknotes. The RBI also proposed a draft scheme for the implementation of the recommendation. The recommendation and the draft scheme were duly considered by the Central Govt,” the Centre said in the affidavit. The final notification published in the Gazette of India was based on this, it added.

In this case, changes were made to the design and specifications of the new bank notes introduced for the supply of currency into the economy. The preparations, therefore, included the finalisation of the new designs, development of security inks and printing plates for the new designs, change in specifications of printing machines and provision of stock with RBI branches in various parts of the country, it said.

Noting that the demonetisation action should not be seen as a standalone measure, the Centre said it was “one of the critical steps in the series of transformational economic policy steps” and “a major step to fight the menace of fake currency notes, storage of uncounted wealth and financing of subversive activities”.

SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES CAN MAKE ANY PARTY WIN ELECTION: RAHUL GANDHI

As his Bharat Jodo Yatra passes through Maharashtra, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi questioned social media companies, saying “systematic bias” is being applied by them, which can make any party win an election.

“Even if the EVM is secure, Indian elections may be rigged through social media. If large social media companies want they can make any party win an election. Systematic bias is being applied there and my social media handles are a live example of it,” Rahul said, according to the statement issued by the Congress after his meeting with civil society activists on Wednesday afternoon. The meeting was attended by veteran Gandhian G G Parikh and social activist Medha Patkar, among others, on the 70th day of ‘Bharat Jodo Yatra’ in Maharashtra.

Rahul alleged communal violence was being used as a strategic weapon to cause disharmony in society by one ideology and its leaders. “India at the moment is as per the vision of a powerful urban elite and it can only be smashed with the right way of thinking and it is our duty to refine that vision,” he said. Later in the day, Rahul addressed a meeting at Medshi in Washim district of Vidarbha region. “Our yatra seeks to take along everyone with us without hatred or violence. We don’t leave anyone behind but instead we pick up those who have fallen. On the contrary, there are those patriots sitting in power in Delhi and similarly there are a few in Maharashtra. (PM) Narendra Modi is in Delhi. I don’t know which party those in (power) in Maharashtra belong to or what I should refer to,” he said.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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MISSILE HIT ON POLAND: TENSIONS DEFUSE AFTER NATO RULES OUT RUSSIA'S ROLE

Leaders of the G20 grouping held an emergency meeting in Bali after early reports of a missile strike in Poland that killed two civilians stoked fears of escalation between NATO and Russia. However, NATO Secretary General quickly dialed down the misgivings created by Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskyy, who had said this was “significant escalation of war” and alleged Russian missiles killed the Polish civilians.

Poland summoned the Russian ambassador in Warsaw and “demanded immediate detailed explanations”, while in the fog of early reports, fuelled by Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy facilities with a massive barrage of missiles, NATO called an emergency meeting of its envoys in Brussels to discuss the events close to the Ukrainian border in Poland.

However, as it became clear that the missile was of Ukrainian origin, both Poland and NATO walked back. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said there was no evidence that Russia was planning an offensive against the alliance.

The implications of a Russian missile strike on Poland would have drawn in the US-led 30-country NATO. Not willing to let Russia off the hook, Stoltenberg said Russia “bears responsibility” for the blast as it was a direct result of the ongoing war.

While admitting “different assessments” among members on the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the G20’s Bali Declaration on Wednesday underlined the need to “uphold international law”, and said the “use or threat of use of nuclear weapons is inadmissible”.

Calling for a peaceful resolution of conflicts, it said that “today’s era must not be of war”, echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s remarks to Russian President Vladimir Putin at a bilateral meeting on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Samarkand in September, where he said that “now is not the time for war”.

REPUBLICANS TAKE CONTROL OF US HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: REPORT

Republicans on Wednesday took control of the US House of Representatives from Democrats, networks said, narrowly securing a legislative base to oppose President Joe Biden's agenda for the final two years of his term –- and leaving power in Congress split.

The slim Republican majority in the lower house of the US legislature will be far smaller than the party had been banking on, and Republicans also failed to take control of the Senate in a historically weak performance in the November 8 midterm elections.

NBC and CNN projected the victory for Republicans with at least 218 seats in the 435-member House of Representatives -- the magic number needed to take control. This came a week after millions of Americans went to the polls for the midterms, which typically deliver a rejection of the party in the White House.

The news also came one day after former president Donald Trump -- who loomed large during the election cycle, and whose endorsement appears to have doomed some of his party's candidates -- announced a new run for the White House.

CHINA, OTHER LARGE ECONOMIES MUST ALSO PAY FOR LOSS AND DAMAGE: EU

Supporting the demand first put forward by the small island countries, the European Union on Wednesday asserted that China must also be asked to contribute towards loss and damage finance, a new funding mechanism that is proposed to be set up to help poor countries hit by climate disasters.

“China is one of the biggest economies on the planet, with a lot of financial strength. Why should they not be made co-responsible for funding loss and damage? I fail to see that… In 1992, there was a reasoning behind this, which I can follow, but no longer in 2022,” EU’s climate policy head Frans Timmermans said, explaining why China needed to be treated differently now than when the climate negotiations had first begun.

EU’s position deepens the divide on the loss and damage finance, whose resolution is seen as one of the critical markers of success as the climate change conference here.

Timmermans did not mention India by name — he was asked about both India and China – but some small island states have said that India must also be asked to contribute. The US also wants both India and China, and possibly other major economies, to contribute.

When the demand had first come from the small island states, both India and China did not outright reject it, careful not to antagonise those countries who are allies on most other issues. Instead, both countries had maintained that they sympathised with the small island states, and were willing to help, like they were helping through other measures, but that the main responsibility of providing climate finance rested with the developed nations.

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DEVENDRA FADNAVIS REITERATES HE’S THE ARCHITECT OF SENA SPLIT, MVA DECRIES ‘NEW LOW’

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’ admission that he had taken “revenge” by engineering the split in the Shiv Sena in June has received massive pushback from political rivals who have claimed that such “politics of badla (revenge)” is a “blot” on the land of sants and Chhatrapati Shivaji. This is not the first time that Fadnavis has owned up to his role as the architect of the fall of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance govt.

In an interview to Marathi news channel SAAM TV, Fadnavis said, “If anyone betrays me, I will take revenge. Yes, I have taken revenge.” Explaining his “philosophy of badla”, the BJP leader said, “If those who enjoyed power with you, those who were with you round the clock, and those who were elected along with you, directly stab you in back, then to stay alive in politics, you need to give it back to him. Otherwise, you cannot survive in politics”

The Shiv Sena’s chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut said that the politics of revenge had never been a part of “Maharashtra’s culture…. By resorting to such politics, Fadnavis has lowered his stature which is unfortunate.”

NCP chief spokesperson Mahesh Tapase also accused Fadnavis of taking “Maharashtra politics to a new low”. Maharashtra was known as the “land of change” and not the “land of revenge”, he said.

PM’S GIFTS FOR G20 LEADERS

At the G20 summit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted heads of states curated craft pieces from Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, the two states he visited recently for election rallies.

US President Joe Biden was presented with miniature paintings from Kangra, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak received Mata Ni Pachedi, a sacred textile piece made by nomadic communities in Gujarat, officials said.

The miniature pahari painting presented to Biden is based on the theme of love as a means of devotion. Among other items from the hill state were a Kinnauri shawl, presented to the President of the host country, Joko Widodo. The design on this specific piece shows influences from Central Asia and Tibet. Widodo was also presented with a silver bowl from Surat.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was presented a Patan Patola scarf, a colourful dupatta woven in the northern part of Gujarat, which was encased in a decorative sadeli box, a wooden craft native to Surat. The double ikat scarf can be worn on both sides. Officials said the motifs weaved on Meloni’s scarf were inspired from the Rani Ki Vav, a stepwell in Patan, built in the 11th century AD.

Agate bowls from Kutch were presented to the leaders of France, Germany and Singapore.

PM Modi gifted a tribal art piece, Pithora, to his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese. Pithora paintings, ritualistic tribal folk art by the Rathwa artisans from Chhota Udaipur in Gujarat, are based on the cave paintings that tribal people used to make, reflecting their social, cultural and mythological life and beliefs.

AS CATTLE HITS RISE, RAILWAYS TOYS WITH IDEA OF FENCING ALONG TRACKS

With at least 2,650 cattle deaths on tracks reported across the country since April 1 this year, as per ministry data, an alarmed Railways has decided to “experiment” with the idea of building fences along tracks in the worst-affected areas. Most of this is in Uttar Pradesh under the Prayagraj-based North Central Railway, which sees most such deaths year after year.

Approximately 1,000 km long boundary walls will be constructed along railway tracks over the next five or six months, Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said on Wednesday.

Cattle hits on tracks affected 200 trains in the first nine days of October — the newly launched semi-high-speed Vande Bharat Express among them — and nearly 4,000 trains have been impacted so far this year.

SC STAYS 'COERCIVE' STEPS AGAINST STRAY DOG LOVERS

The Supreme Court on Wednesday stayed the Bombay High Court’s observation that those feeding stray dogs must adopt or put them up in dog shelter homes and bear the necessary expenses.

“You cannot insist that the people who want to feed them must adopt them,” a Bench led by Justice Sanjiv Khanna said, directing the Nagpur Municipal Corporation to take steps for the general public to feed stray dogs at appropriate locations, demarcated and identified by them.

Nagpur MC & Animal Welfare Board of India told to file their response in the case; no coercive steps in pursuance of HC order till next hearing, says SC

The Bench said till the next date of hearing, no coercive steps should be taken in pursuance of the October 20 order of the high court, which had imposed a penalty of Rs 200 for every breach.

While hearing petitions challenging the high court order, it asked the public to ensure no nuisance was caused by feeding stray dogs.

Observing that it was not an expert body on stray dogs, the Bench said it wanted to have the views of the municipal corporation and the Animal Welfare Board of India. One of the advocates appearing in the matter said the civic body and AWBI could work together and offer a workable solution.

“In the meantime, we have to stay certain parts of the order,” the Bench orally observed, adding, “…we are not staying the order but do not take coercive steps.”

MASK NO LONGER MUST FOR AIR TRAVEL

Rules regarding the mandatory use of masks for domestic and international air travellers have been relaxed. Travelling without a mask will no more attract penal action.

An office memorandum circulated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation said that in-flight announcements henceforth may only mention that in view of the threat posed by Covid-19, all passengers should preferably use mask/face covers.

“Any specific reference to fine/penal action need not be announced as part of the in-flight announcements. Hence, consolidated Covid-19 instructions for domestic and international air travel issued for passengers, airport operators and airlines issued vide order, dated May 10, stand modified,” the memorandum stated.

DJOKOVIC CONFIRMS HE HAS VISA TO PLAY IN 2023 AUSTRALIAN OPEN

Nine-time Australian Open champion Novak Djokovic will be able to play in next year’s tournament after he confirmed on Wednesday he had been granted a visa to travel.

The 35-year-old Serb, the most successful male player in the tournament’s history, missed this year’s tournament after he was deported over his failure to have a COVID-19 vaccine.

Djokovic, the former world number one, was originally barred from the country until 2025 but that decision has been reversed.

HARDIK PANDYA RESPONDS ON MICHAEL VAUGHAN'S CRITICISM

Former England Michael Vaughan, in his column for the Telegraph, had made strong comments on India, following their disappointing defeat in the semi-final of the T20 World Cup last week. Vaughan had written that India have achieved absolutely nothing since winning the ODI World Cup at home in 2011. He also labelled the Indian team as the most under-performing white-ball team in the history. Reacting to Vaughan's comments, India all-rounder Hardik Pandya came up with a response.

"Obviously when you don't do well, people will have their opinion, which we respect. I understand people have different points of view. Being at the international level, I don't think we need to prove anything to anyone. It's a sport, you keep trying to get better and eventually when the result is supposed to happen it will happen. There are things we need to work on, going forward we will rectify and work on it," Hardik told the media in Wellington.

India will play three T20Is, followed by as many ODIs, starting with the first game at Wellington tomorrow.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup. - H. L. Mencken

OFF TRACK

Stewardess?"

"Yes, Sir?"

"I want to complain about this airline. Every time I fly, I get the same seat, I can't see the in-flight movie and there are no windows blinds so I can't sleep."

"Captain, shut up and land the plane."