SC TO DELIVER VERDICT TODAY, ON PLEAS AGAINST DEMONETISATION

The Supreme Court will today deliver the verdict on a batch of petitions challenging the government’s November 2016 decision to demonetise Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes.

According to the apex court cause-list — the list of business of the court, there will be two judgments, one by Justice B R Gavai and another by Justice B V Nagarathna. It remains to be seen whether these are concurring or dissenting views.

A five-judge constitution bench presided by Justice S Abdul Nazeer had reserved the verdict on December 7 after hearing elaborate arguments by the petitioners, the Centre and the RBI.

The bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian had asked the government and the RBI to produce records relevant to the decision-making process leading to the November 8, 2016 notification.

Calling the scrapping of the Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 currency notes deeply flawed, petitioners’ lawyer P Chidambaram had argued that the government cannot on its own initiate any proposal relating to legal tender, which can only be done on the recommendation of the RBI's central board.

The government had said the court cannot decide a matter when no tangible relief can be granted by way of 'putting the clock back' and 'unscrambling a scrambled egg'.

The RBI had earlier admitted in its submissions that there were 'temporary hardships' and that those too are an integral part of the nation-building process, but there was a mechanism by which the problems that arose were solved.

NEW CHINA FOREIGN MINISTER ON INDIA: BOTH SIDES WILLING TO EASE SITUATION

In remarks made just four days before he was named as China’s new Foreign Minister, Qin Gang referred to “border issues” with India and said the status quo is that both sides are “willing to ease the situation” and “jointly protect peace along their borders”.

Qin, who was China’s Ambassador to the US, was named Friday as the country’s new Foreign Minister and will replace Wang Yi who held the post for a decade.

On December 26, in an op-ed article titled “How China Sees the World” for the US magazine “National Interest”, Qin referred to India-China ties in the context of the perception that China was  “poised” to break the status quo. He also blamed the US for challenging the status quo on Taiwan, and Japan for altering the status quo in the South China Sea.

“China’s development means a stronger force for peace, not a growing power poised to ‘break the status quo’, as some call it. The tension across the Taiwan Strait was not created by the Chinese mainland breaking the status quo, but by ‘Taiwan independence’ separatists and external forces continually challenging the status quo of ‘one China’,” Qin wrote.

“In the case of the East China Sea, it was Japan who attempted to ‘nationalize’ Diaoyu Dao ten years ago, altering the “status quo” between China and Japan of agreeing to put aside differences. In the South China Sea, the status quo is that regional countries are consulting on a code of conduct that will lead to meaningful and effective rules for the region. As to the border issues between China and India, the status quo is that both sides are willing to ease the situation and jointly protect peace along their borders,” he wrote.

PAKISTAN, INDIA EXCHANGE LIST OF NUCLEAR INSTALLATIONS, FACILITIES

Pakistan and India on Sunday exchanged a list of their nuclear installations that cannot be attacked in case of an escalation in hostilities, a Foreign Office statement said here, as part of an annual ritual that has been in practice between the two neighbours for more than three decades.

The lists of nuclear installation and facilities were exchanged as per the provisions of the Article-II of the Agreement on Prohibition of Attacks against Nuclear Installations and Facilities, signed on December 31, 1988 and ratified on 27 January 1991.

According to this agreement, both countries have to inform each other of the nuclear facilities. This practice of exchanging lists has continued since January 1, 1992.

COVID: DOCTORS WARN AGAINST ‘SCAREMONGERING’, ADVISE CAUTION

A body of medics has called on fellow doctors and government agencies to acknowledge India’s largely safe status against existing coronavirus variants and avoid “scaremongering” lest the public disregard caution if and when a “real wolf” arrives.

The Organised Medicine Academic Guild (OMAG), a body of 15 professional medical associations with a collective membership of 250,000 doctors, issued a statement on Saturday saying “science, sanity, and the support of people should prevail over scaremongering”.

“The fag-end of 2022 has become a season of health advisories followed by opinions and predictions of a fourth Covid-19 wave,” Omag said in the statement. “With attempts at scaremongering, people go into panic mode....”

The IMA had on December 26, after a meeting with Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, issued a statement cautioning about “an impending Covid-19 outbreak” and saying that cases may “suddenly erupt” if “we are not adopting Covid-19-appropriate behaviour”.

The IMA also asked the public to “avoid unnecessary travel, including international travel”.

The IMA statement had surprised many doctors and health experts, some of whom said the advice against travel appeared inconsistent with official policy as no central health agency had recommended avoiding domestic or foreign travel.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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BLASTS ACROSS UKRAINE AMID MESSAGES ON NEW YEAR BY PUTIN, ZELENSKY

As New Year celebrations gripped the world, blasts were reported to have rocked Ukraine's capital city of Kyiv and other parts of the war-torn country less than an hour into 2023. However, there were no immediate reports of casualties or injuries in the attack which came shortly after President Volodymyr Zelensky's New Year message, wishing victory for his nation in the war that is in its 11th month with no end in sight.

The attack came after Russia fired a barrage of over 20 cruise missiles across Ukraine on Saturday in what Ukraine's human rights ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets called "terror on New Year's eve".

The latest attack came shortly after Zelensky's address. "We fight and will continue to fight. For the sake of the main word: 'victory'," he said. "I want to say to all of you: Ukrainians, you are incredible! See what we have done and what we are doing!" Zelensky added, in the emotional speech.

With the onset of winter, Russian strikes have been systematically targeting energy infrastructure in Ukraine, leaving millions in the cold and dark in the middle of the chilling cold.

Meanwhile, in his traditional New Year's Eve address, President Vladimir Putin told Russians that "moral, historical rightness is on our side". Putin said that this year was marked by "truly pivotal, fateful events" which became "the frontier that lays the foundation for our common future, for our true independence".

‘DUBAI ENDS 30% TAX ON BOOZE SALES, FEE FOR LIQUOR LICENCES’

Dubai ended its 30% tax on alcohol sales in the sheikhdom on Sunday and made its required liquor licences free to obtain, ending a long-standing source of revenue for its ruling family to apparently further boost its tourism to the emirate. The sudden New Year’s Day announcement, made by Dubai’s two state-linked alcohol retailers, came apparently from a government decree from its ruling Al Maktoum family.

But it follows years of loosening regulations over liquor in the sheikhdom, which now sells alcohol during daylight hours in Ramzan and beganproviding home delivery during the lockdowns.

Alcohol distributor Maritime and Mercantile International, which is part of the wider Emirates Group, made the announcement in a statement. Tyrone Reid of MMI said, “These recently updated regulations are instrumental to continue ensuring the safe and responsible purchase and consumption of alcoholic beverages in Dubai and the UAE. ”

An ad put up by MMI urged customers to buy from its stores, saying “you no longer need to drive out to the other emirates. ” Dubai residents long have driven into Umm al-Quwain and other emirates for bulk, taxfree alcohol purchases.

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DELHI SHOCKER: WOMAN DIES AFTER CAR DRAGS HER ON NEW YEAR MORNING

A 20-year-old woman was killed after her scooty was hit by a car and she was dragged under the vehicle for 12 kilometres (some reports say 4-5 kms) in Delhi Sunday early morning. Five men were in the car, a Maruti Suzuki Baleno, and they have been arrested, the police said. After hitting her scooty, the car drove on for 10-12 km even as her limbs got entangled in the vehicle's  undercarriage, the police said.

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena tweeted that he was "shocked at the monstrous insensitivity of the perpetrators" and was monitoring the case.

"My head hangs in shame over the inhuman crime in Kanjhawla-Sultanpuri today morning and I am shocked at the monstrous insensitivity of the perpetrators. Have been monitoring with @CPDelhi and the accused have been apprehended. All aspects are being thoroughly looked into," he tweeted.

"Even as every possible support/help and beyond, to the family of the victim will be ensured, I appeal to all to not resort to opportunistic scavenging. Let's together work towards a more responsible and sensitive society," he added.

Rekha, the woman's mother, alleged the men had sexually assaulted her. "Her clothes cannot be completely torn off. Her entire body was naked when they found her. I want a full investigation and justice," she said.

3 CIVILIANS KILLED, 6 INJURED IN SUSPECTED TERROR ATTACK IN J-K'S RAJOURI

Three civilians were killed and six others were injured in a suspected terrorist attack in a village in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday evening.

The firing incident happened at upper Dhangri village of Rajouri district.

Mukesh Singh, ADGP, Jammu, said two “armed men” opened fire on civilians at upper Dangri village, about 8 km from Rajouri town. Singh said: “The firing took place at three houses, separated at a distance of around 50 metres from each other. The police and the Army have rushed to spot. Further details are awaited.”

3 KILLED, SEVERAL INJURED IN ANOTHER STAMPEDE AT NAIDU'S RALLY IN AP

Three persons were killed and several others injured in a stampede at Telugu Desam Party chief Chandrababu Naidu's public meeting in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur on Sunday. This is the second such incident occurring in the TDP chief's public meeting in a week.

Eight people had died in a stampede on December 28 in Nellore.

The police said that Chandrababu Naidu had planned to present gifts for the upcoming festival Pongal.

The TDP leaders arranged the public meeting at 2 pm on Sunday.

"Naidu left the meeting after its completion, however, public rushed to collect the gifts leading to a stampede," the police said.

AFTER FIR AGAINST HIM, OLYMPIAN SANDEEP SINGH STEPS DOWN AS HARYANA SPORTS MINISTER

Haryana Sports Minister and Olympian Sandeep Singh on Sunday stepped down after being booked by Chandigarh Police for sexually harassing junior athletics coach.

He said he handed over his Sports portfolio to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. However, he has not resigned from the Cabinet.

Former captain of the Indian national hockey team, Sandeep Singh has rubbished the charges as "politically motivated".

"I hope there will be a thorough investigation into the false allegations levelled against me. I hand over the responsibility of the Sports department to the CM until the report of the investigation comes out," he told the media.

The FIR against the 36-year-old minister, who is also a former Indian hockey team captain and a first-time MLA, was registered on Saturday.

INFLATION RATE, FESTIVE DEMAND PUSH DEC GST MOP-UP TO RS 1.5 LAKH CRORE

Gross Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections rose 15.2 per cent annually to Rs 1,49,507 crore for December (for sales in November), according to data released by the Ministry of Finance on Sunday. A high inflation rate, festive season demand, along with audit and enforcement actions to ensure compliance, contributed to the rise in GST collections.

December marked the tenth consecutive month of GST collections remaining above Rs 1.4 lakh crore mark, a factor which is expected to provide some cushion for the fiscal arithmetic for this financial year, given the surge in expenditure on account of higher food, fertilizer and fuel subsidies.

“The revenues for the month of December 2022 are 15 per cent higher than the GST revenues in the same month last year. During the month, revenues from import of goods was 8% higher and the revenues from domestic transaction (including import of services) are 18% higher than the revenues from these sources during the same month last year,” it said.

Experts said GST revenues have picked up with the onset of the festive season along with the higher audit and analytics related actions being taken by tax authorities. At least 13 states/UTs recorded a higher than 18 per cent growth in collections, while six states/UTs recorded a decline.

Mahesh Jaising, Partner, Leader- Indirect tax, Deloitte India, said, “With the businesses having geared up for festive sales in December to meet the demands of customers after 2 years of reduced spending on account of COVID, the GST collections have shown an increasing trend. This increase is also on account of enhanced usage of data analytics and sharpened GST audits.” Abhishek Jain, Partner Indirect Tax, KPMG said, “1.5 lakh crore seems to be the new normal even after peak festive sales are over; also the collections have demonstrated a fantastic growth vis-a-vis last year.”

INDIA'S ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION GROWS 11% TO 121.19 BN UNITS IN DECEMBER

India's power consumption logged a double-digit growth of over 11 per cent to 121.19 billion units in December 2022 compared to the year-ago period, according to government data. The robust growth of power consumption indicates sustained momentum of economic activities in December.

In December 2021, power consumption stood at 109.17 billion units (BU), higher than the 105.62 BU in the same month of 2020, the data showed.

The peak power demand met, which is the highest supply in a day, rose to 205.03 gigawatt (GW) in December 2022. The peak power supply stood at 183.24 GW December 2021 and 182.78 GW in December 2020. The peak power demand met was 170.49 GW in the pre-pandemic December 2019. Electricity consumption in December 2019 stood at 101.08 BU.

RAILWAYS ROLLS OUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY PLAN TO MEET 2030 NET-ZERO TARGET

The railways ministry has rolled out a five-pronged energy efficiency plan to become carbon-neutral by 2030. The ministry is looking to reduce overall energy use with efficient operations and increase renewable energy usage.

India, in its commitment to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, has set a target to become net zero by 2070. For the railways, the target year is 2030.

“The policy is broadly centred around five action points — sustainable buildings, cloud-based data monitoring and management portal, energy efficiency in equipment and appliances, power quality and restoration, and capacity building and awareness,” the ministry said in its policy directive issued on Saturday.

Non-traction operations are those which are not directly connected to the running of trains on the railway network. Railways is aiming to increase its quantum of renewable energy in non-traction by installing rooftop solar panels on all railway establishments.

“Non-traction end-uses account for over 2,100 GWh of electricity use per year, projected to increase by 30 per cent by 2030 as Indian Railways network and infrastructure expands. Achieving the Net Zero Emissions target requires an integrated approach to reducing energy use intensity of existing and future infrastructure along with a shift to renewable energy sources,” the railways said.

The ministry is looking to induct new technology such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) to keep a close watch on its greenhouse gas emissions.

2022 CAR SALES ZOOM 23% TO RECORD HIGH OF 3.8 MN; 14% HIGHER THAN 2018 PEAK

The auto industry posted its highest-ever annual domestic passenger vehicle sales in 2022 at 3.793 million units on the back of pent-up demand and better semiconductor chip supply. The figure was 23.1 per cent more than that of 2021.

The highest growth in annual domestic PV sales was seen by Tata Motors, Kia India and Toyota Kirloskar at 58.2 per cent, 40.2 per cent and 22.6 per cent.

India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki posted a 15.4 per cent growth in annual domestic PV sales at 1.579 million units.

Shashank Srivastava, executive director, sales, Maruti Suzuki, said, in 2022, domestic wholesales of the Indian auto industry was 3.79 million units against last year’s 3.08 million units, a growth of 23.1 per cent in the calendar year.

This resurgence is partly because of better availability of semiconductor chips in 2022 as compared to 2021, he added. ”Also, this rise has an element of pent-up demand. In the last three years, we saw a decline in the industry numbers. So the pent-up demand has also played a role in this 23.1 per cent growth,” he noted.

ROHIT SHARMA TO REMAIN CAPTAIN, BCCI SATISFIED WITH HIS LEADERSHIP

There is no imminent threat to Rohit Sharma's ODI and Test captaincy as the BCCI brass hasn't found anything unsatisfactory about his leadership in the traditional formats.

Skipper Rohit, along with head coach Rahul Dravid, attended the review meeting in Mumbai. The meeting was conducted by BCCI secretary Jay Shah.

Along with last selection committee's chairman Chetan Sharma, NCA head VVS Laxman, president Roger Binny also attended the review meeting.

Since the focus is the World Test Championships (WTC), where India have a good chance of making it to the finals, and the 2023 ODI World Cup, new T20 captain Hardik Pandya wasn't a part of the meeting.

Hardik is in Mumbai for the T20 international series against Sri Lanka, which starts on Tuesday.

"Rohit is leading India in Tests and ODIs and there was no such discussions about his future as leader in these two formats. Look at his captaincy record in Tests and ODIs and it is more than impressive," a BCCI source quoted by PTI said on the condition of anonymity.

It was also decided that a pool of 20 players will be rotated till the 2023 World Cup.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Perseverance, secret of all triumphs. - Victor Hugo

OFF TRACK

At a men's clothes store, a woman asked the sales clerk to help her choose a white dress shirt for her husband.

When asked about his size, the woman looked stumped at first, and then her face brightened. She held up her hands, forming a circle with her forefingers and thumbs. "I don't know his size," she said, "but my hands fit perfectly around his neck."