PRESIDENT HAILS INDIAN DIASPORA AS A KEY FORCE GLOBALLY

President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday praised overseas Indians for excelling in various walks of life through hard work and resilience due to which the diaspora today has become an “important and unique force in the global system”.

The Indian diaspora has grown into an energetic and confident community in every region, she said while addressing the valedictory session of the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas convention in Indore.

“The Indian diaspora has exhibited extraordinary dedication and hard work and overcome many challenges to achieve excellence in all walks of life, including art, literature, politics, business, academics, philanthropy, and science and technology,” said the President.

Earlier, President Murmu met her counterparts from Suriname and Guyana, Chandrikapersad Santokhi and Irfaan Ali, respectively, on the side lines of the convention.

The Suriname President, who was the special guest of honour, requested both President Murmu and PM Modi to visit the country when it celebrates in June the 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indians.

The President conferred the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards on 27 members of the Indian diaspora - among them were Poland-based businessman Amit Kailash Chandra Lath, who helped Indian students in the early days of the Ukraine conflict.

RAHUL YATRA: HARYANA CONG SENDS A MESSAGE WITH ‘UNITED’ HOODA FRONT

The eight-day, 225-km Haryana leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra will be seen as a success by not just Rahul Gandhi. Haryana Congress strongman Bhupinder Singh Hooda will be as delighted, with the impressive show seen as demonstration of his immense organisational skills and mass following.

The Yatra’s Haryana leg had the fingerprints of Hooda – besides son Deepender, PCC chief and loyalist Udai Bhan, and other diehard Hooda followers – all over. This included planning of the route, ensuring that it covered the Muslim-dominated areas of Nuh and Mewat, as well as the constituencies of Chief Minister Mahohar Lal Khattar (Karnal) and Home Minister Anil Vij (Ambala); arranging night halts for Rahul Gandhi at Anaj mandis or villages to give the message of solidarity with farmers.

The Yatra – between December 21 and 23, and then January 6 to 10 – also stayed largely in constituencies currently held by the BJP.

For once, Hooda’s detractors Randeep Singh Surjewala (a Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan), former Haryana PCC president Kumari Selja and Tosham MLA Kiran Choudhry, fell in line behind him. Rahul did his bit by ensuring equal limelight in the Yatra for the warring leaders, with Selja, Surjewala and Choudhry all seen walking beside him, along with the Hooda father and son.

Prominent personalities such as former Army Chief Gen Deepak Kapoor (retd), the BKU’s Rakesh Tikait and boxer Vijendra Singh dropped in.

INDIA CARRIES OUT SUCCESSFUL TEST LAUNCH OF PRITHVI-II

India on Tuesday carried out a successful test launch of tactical ballistic missile Prithvi-II from a test range off the Odisha coast.

“A well-established system, Prithvi-II missile has been an integral part of India’s nuclear deterrence. The missile struck its target with high accuracy,” it said. The user training launch successfully validated all operational and technical parameters of the missile, a defence ministry statement said.

The missile, which is powered by light propulsion twin engines, has a range of around 350 km and can carry 500-1,000 kg of warheads. It uses an advanced inertial navigation system to strike the set target.

DAC APPROVES 500 ANTI-TANK MISSILES, BRAHMOS LAUNCHER

The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) on Tuesday approved the procurement of 500 HELINA anti-tank guided missiles and Very Short-Range Air Defence System (VSHORADS) missile for the northern borders with China.

Three acquisition proposals, amounting to Rs 4,276 crore, have been accorded acceptance of necessity (AoN), the Ministry of Defence said.

The council accorded the AoN for the procurement of HELINA anti-tank guided missiles, launchers and associated support equipment, which will be integrated with the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH). The missile is an essential part of weaponisation of the ALH for countering enemy threat. Its induction will strengthen the offensive capability of the Army.

The DAC also granted approval for the procurement of BrahMos missile launcher and fire-control system for the Shivalik class of ships and Next-Generation Missile Vessels (NGMVs) for the Navy. With their induction, these ships would have enhanced capability to carry out maritime strike operations, interdicting and destroying enemy warships and merchant vessels.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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PRACHANDA WINS TRUST VOTE, NEARLY ALL MPS BACK HIM

In a rare show of unanimity, Nepal’s PM Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ yesterday won the trust vote in the House of Representatives with the backing of nearly all MPs.

He secured 268 of the total 275 votes. The twist came in the morning when Sher Bahadur Deuba, chief of Nepali Congress (NC) that was opposing the vote, called for voting in Prachanda’s favour. The NC went along with Deuba’s suggestion though several leaders criticised the support to Prachanda, who had dramatically deserted its pre-poll ally NC last month and joined hands with the KP Oli-led CPN to stake claim for the premier’s post.

IRAN WEAPONIZING DEATH PENALTY TO CRUSH DISSENT: U.N.

Iran is weaponizing the death penalty, attempting to crush dissent by frightening the public with the execution of protesters, the United Nations said Tuesday.

The Islamic Republic has been rocked by a wave of protests since the death in custody on September 16 of Mahsa Amini, following the 22-year-old’s arrest for allegedly violating Iran’s strict dress code for women.

Tehran has executed four people in connection with the demonstrations, following expedited trials that did not meet the minimum guarantees of fair trial, the U.N. Human Rights Office (OHCHR) said. "Criminal proceedings and the death penalty are being weaponized by the Iranian govt to punish individuals participating in protests and to strike fear into the population so as to stamp out dissent, in violation of international human rights law," said the office of Volker Turk, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights.

"The govt of Iran would better serve its interests and those of its people by listening to their grievances," said Turk.

THE REST

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‘MUSLIMS HAVE NOTHING TO FEAR BUT THEY MUST ABANDON THEIR SUPREMACY NARRATIVE’: MOHAN BHAGWAT

“You see, Hindu society has been at war for over 1,000 years – this fight has been going on against foreign aggressions, foreign influences and foreign conspiracies. Sangh has offered its support to this cause, so have others. There are many who have spoken about it. And it is because of all these that the Hindu society has awakened. It is but natural for those at war to be aggressive,” RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said in an interview to the RSS-affiliated magazines Organiser and Panchjanya.

Claiming that the Hindu society is in the midst of yet another war, Bhagwat said, “This war is not against an enemy outside, but against an enemy within. So there is a war to defend Hindu society, Hindu dharma and Hindu culture. Foreign invaders are no longer there, but foreign influences and foreign conspiracies have continued. Since this is a war, people are likely to get overzealous. Although this is not desirable, yet provocative statements will be uttered.”

Bhagwat said Muslims have nothing to fear in India but they must abandon their claim of supremacy. “Islam has nothing to fear. But at the same time, Muslims must abandon their boisterous rhetoric of supremacy,” he said. “We are of an exalted race; we once ruled over this land, and shall rule it again; only our path is right, rest everyone is wrong; we are different, therefore we will continue to be so; we cannot live together – they (Muslims) must abandon this narrative.”

TRIBALS GATHER NEAR PARASNATH HILLS, DEMAND TO 'FREE IT FROM JAINS'

A large number of tribals on Tuesday assembled near the Parasnath hills in Jharkhand's Giridih district, urging the state govt and the Centre to free their holy site from the 'clutches' of the Jain community.

Earlier, members of the Jain community were protesting against Jharkhand govt's proposal to declare Parasnath hills as a tourist place. They also warned of severe agitation if their demand was not met.

Thousands of tribals from Jharkhand, West Bengal and Odisha reached the hills earlier in the day, carrying traditional weapons and beating drums.

"'Marang Buru' (Parasnath) is the birthright of Jharkhand's tribals, and no power in the world can deprive them of this right," a member of the 'Jharkhand Bachao Morcha', which claims to be an outfit of over 50 bodies, asserted on Tuesday.

Jains across the country have been demanding the scrapping of a 2019 Jharkhand govt notification designating Parasnath hills as a tourist place, fearing this would lead to an influx of tourists who may consume non-vegetarian food and liquor at their holy site.

Even as the Centre stayed the Jharkhand govt's move to promote tourism at the Parasnath hills after protests by Jains, tribals jumped into the fray staking a claim to the land and asking for it to be freed.

GO FIRST GETS DGCA NOTICE AFTER FORGETTING TO BOARD 55 PASSENGERS

Aviation regulator DGCA on Tuesday issued a show cause notice to Go First for 'multiple mistakes' that led to 55 Delhi flight passengers being left behind in a coach at Bangalore airport on Monday and the budget airline has apologised for the incident, saying it happened due to inadvertent oversight in reconciliation.

The airline has been given two weeks time to respond to the show cause notice and based on the response, further action will be initiated.

Go First has derostered the staff involved in the incident pending an inquiry.

In a statement on Tuesday, the regulator said that Go First operated flight G8-116 on Bangalore-Delhi sector leaving behind 55 passengers in the passenger coach at Bangalore airport. 'In the instant case, multiple mistakes such as lack of proper communication, co-ordination, reconciliation and confirmation have resulted in a highly avoidable situation,' the DGCA said.

'We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused to the passengers due to an inadvertent oversight in the reconciliation of flight G8 116... passengers were accommodated on alternate airlines to Delhi and onward to other destinations,' an airline spokesperson said in a statement on Tuesday. Go First has decided to offer all affected passengers one free ticket for travel on any domestic sector in the next 12 months.

DELHI MOST POLLUTED CITY OF COUNTRY IN 2022

The National Capital has been declared the most polluted city of India in 2022 by the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) Tracker. The Tracker is a joint project of Climate Trends and Respirer Living Sciences to create an online hub for latest updates on India’s clean air policy.

As per the data, the average PM2.5 (ultra-fine particulate matter) concentration in Delhi was 99.71 micrograms per cubic metre last year even though India’s annual average safe limit for PM 2.5 is 40 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3). PM2.5 is tiny particulate matter that is less than 2.5 microns in diameter and can enter the lungs and bloodstream.

Faridabad has been ranked the second-most polluted city with a PM 2.5 level of 95.64. Faridabad is followed by Ghaziabad where the PM2.5 level was 91.25.

“A majority of the top 10 most polluted cities in 2022 are from the Indo-Gangetic plains, indicating that the real and long-term solutions lie in an air-shed approach to address the need for better air pollution management in the region beyond Delhi,” the report states.

The Centre had launched the NCAP in 2019. Initially, the NCAP had set a target of reducing air pollutants by 20-30 per cent by 2024 with 2017 as the base year. In September 2022, however, the Centre set a new target of a 40 per cent reduction in the PM concentration by 2026. According to the report, the cleanest city with a PM 2.5 concentration of 26.33 ug/m3 is Srinagar.

WOMAN, TODDLER KILLED AS BENGALURU METRO PILLAR COLLAPSES

Tragedy stuck a family of four here on Tuesday when an under-construction Bengaluru Metro pillar collapsed on them, leaving a woman and her toddler son dead while her husband and another child escaped with injuries. The family as travelling on a scooter.

Addressing reporters in Dharwad, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai assured an inquiry into the incident and announced monetary compensation to the bereaved. He called the incident 'unfortunate' and said inquiry will be done and case will be registered against those responsible.

Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) Managing Director Anjum Parvez who visited the spot described the incident as unfortunate.

Indian Institute of Science has been requested to send a team to inspect and ascertain as to why the incident happened.

INDIA FIRST IN WORLD TO HIT $100 BILLION IN REMITTANCES

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday said remittances sent to the country by overseas Indians were about $100 billion for the year 2022, an increase of 12 per cent in one year.

The minister was quoting from last month’s World Bank report that had said the same thing. Though remittances to the rest of the South Asian countries declined by 10 per cent, these rose by 12 per cent in India’s case, it said. India was the largest remittance receiving country in 2021 as well while Mexico was second and China third. India received remittances worth over $89 billion in 2021, about 8 per cent higher than $82.73 billion in 2020.

Despite the world having been affected badly by Covid in 2020, the remittances in that year were a shade over the $82.69 billion in the non-Covid year of 2019.

Speaking at a session during the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas (PBD) convention in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore, she described NRIs as the “real ambassadors of India” and appealed to them to use made in India products and services as far as possible so that the country’s individual brand could be promoted across the globe. For the current year too, India’s inbound remittances would continue to rise as the South Asia region has one of the lowest transaction costs in the world.

JEE: 75% SCORE CRITERION NOT TO APPLY ON TOP 20 PERCENTILE CANDIDATES OF BOARDS

In a relief to students aspiring to appear for Joint Entrance Examination (JEE)-Main, the Ministry of Education (MoE) on Tuesday decided that apart from the eligibility criteria of scoring 75 per cent and above in Class 12, students from the top 20 percentile of all boards will be eligible to seek admission based on their JEE-Main score.

The JEE-Advanced already has this criterion..

CAN’T DENY SERVICES IF PHYSICAL VERIFICATION OF AADHAAR PENDING

The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has asked Offline Verification Seeking Entities (OVSEs) to ensure that no services are denied to any resident for refusing to or being unable to undergo physical verification of Aadhaar, provided the resident is able to identify himself/herself through other viable alternatives.

The entities have been told to perform verification of Aadhaar after explicit consent of an Aadhaar holder. Also, entities must maintain the log or record of the explicit consent received from residents for any future audit by the UIDAI or any other legal agency.

GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS: RRR WINS BEST ORIGINAL SONG

SS Rajamouli's blockbuster won Best Original Song for Naatu Naatu, one of the two categories it was nominated in. It missed out in the Best Non-English Language Film.

RRR, which made over ? 1,200 crore globally, has already won a slew of international honours including Best Director for Rajamouli at the New York Film Critics Circle awards.

Meanwhile, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has released a list of 301 feature films eligible for Oscars and Indian films that have made the cut include SS Rajamouli's RRR, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Gangubai Kathiawadi, Vivek Agnihotri's The Kashmir Files and Rishab Shetty's Kantara. The list also includes Pan Nalin'sChhello Show (Last Film Show), which is India's official Oscar entry, Marathi films Me Vasantrao, Tujhya Sathi Kahi Hi, R Madhavan's Rocketry: The Nambi Effect, Iravin Nizhal and Kannada movie Vikrant Rona. Documentaries All That Breathes by Shaunak Sen and Kartiki Gonsalves' The Elephant Whisperers are also part of the list.

INDIA SCORE A BIG WIN OVER SRI LANKA

An authoritative Virat Kohli headlined India's utterly dominant performance with his 45th ODI hundred as the hosts pummelled Sri Lanka by 67 runs in the first of the three-match series in Guwahati on Tuesday.

Asked to bat first, India rode on former skipper Kohli's 87-ball 113 and fluent half-centuries from his successor Rohit Sharma (83 off 67) and Shubman Gill (70 off 60) to rake up an imposing 373/7 in their allotted quota of overs on a batting-friendly strip.

In reply, the Sri Lankans were never in the hunt and ended at 306 for eight in 50 overs to hand the hosts a 1-0 lead in the three match series.

After opener Pathum Nissanka fell for 72 (off 80), visiting captain Dasun Shanaka waged a lone battle and produced a counterattacking century, even as the others failed to put up any resistance. In the end, Shanaka remained not out on 108 off 88 balls.

Young speed merchants Umran Malik (3/57) and Mohammed Siraj (2/30) then put the icing on the cake in a lopsided game.

INDICATORS

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Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,875 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,613 / 5,145, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 73,700

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

We create our own world by our own thoughts, and thus we make our own heaven - and our own hell. - Swami Muktananda

OFF TRACK

To maintain a mistress in China, a Sindhi millionaire bought a house in Shenzhen (in his name) for her to live in, plus gave her a monthly allowance of 10,000 Yuan. The house cost him about 700,000 Yuan in 2005

He sold the house this year for 3.8 million Yuan, after they broke up. A quick calculation shows that after 5 years of a fling with the woman, which involved a lot of travel between Mumbai and Shenzhen, he still had a net gain of some 2 million Yuan

When his wife found out about this, she was furious: "Muah Charya !!!! Why the hell did you keep just ONE Mistress!!!!"