ON NETAJI’S BIRTH ANNIV, PM NAMES 21 ANDAMAN ISLANDS AFTER PVC AWARDEES

Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday underlined the importance of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and said this was the land where the Tricolour was hoisted for the first time and where the government of independent India was formed for the first time.

Modi was addressing a programme to name 21 Andaman and Nicobar islands after Param Vir Chakra awardees through video-conferencing to mark the occasion of Parakram Diwas, the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. He also unveiled a model of a national memorial dedicated to Netaji, which will be built on Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep.

Ross Island, part of the Andaman islands, was renamed Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Dweep by Modi in 2018, while Neil Island and Havelock Island were also renamed Shaheed Dweep and Swaraj Dweep, respectively.

The proposed memorial will have a museum, a cable car ropeway, a laser-and-sound show, a guided heritage trail through historical buildings and a theme-based children’s amusement park, besides a restro lounge, officials said. “I pay my tributes to Netaji and Param Vir Chakra awardees. The land where Netaji first unfurled the flag of India is all praise today for the parakram of the Azad Hind Fauz,” said Modi.

“This is the land where the Tricolour was hoisted for the first time, where the government of independent India was formed for the first time,” he said. “These 21 islands will now be known by the names of Param Vir Chakra awardees, and the Netaji memorial will be a site for inspiration for the future generations,” Modi said. “Unfortunately, the sites of the Independence struggle, Andaman’s identity, were tied to the reminders of colonisation. Even the names of our islands were imprinted with the past of colonisation,” Modi said recalling his visit to the islands in 2018 when he renamed Ross Island.

The 21 bravehearts: Major Somnath Sharma, Naik Jadunath Singh, Second Lt Rama Raghoba Rane, Company Havildar Major Piru Singh, Lance Naik Karam Singh, Capt Gurbachan Singh Salaria, Major Dhan Singh Thapa, Subedar Joginder Singh, Major Shaitan Singh, Lt Col Ardeshir Burzorji Tarapore, Lance Naik Albert Ekka, Company Quartermaster Havildar Abdul Hamid, Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Singh Sekhon, Major Hoshiar Singh, Second Lt Arun Khetarpal, Naib Subedar Bana Singh, Major Ramaswamy Parameswaran, Lt Manoj Kumar Pandey, Grenadier Yogender Singh Yadav, Rifleman Sanjay Kumar, Capt Vikram Batra

DIGVIJAYA QUESTIONS CLAIMS OF SURGICAL STRIKE, SAY NO PROOF OF IT

Not for the first time, veteran Congress leader Digvijaya Singh has put his party in a spot of bother by raising doubts about the 2016 surgical strike and drawing a backlash from the BJP that said the Opposition party was blinded by its “hate” for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and had “insulted” armed forces.

Addressing a rally in Jammu during the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra on Monday, the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister said the BJP-led Union government talks about the surgical strike conducted across the LoC but has not furnished any proof to back its claim. “They talk about the surgical strike. That we killed so many people. But there is no proof. Keval jhoot ka pulinda se yah raj kar rahe hain (They are peddling a bundle of lies),” he said.

His party distanced itself from the comments. “The views expressed by senior leader Digvijaya Singh are his own and do not reflect the position of Congress. Surgical strikes were carried out before 2014 by the UPA government. Congress has supported & will continue to support all military actions that are in the national interest,” said Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh.

The BJP lashed out at the Congress. “India will not tolerate if they speak against armed forces. Rahul Gandhi and the Congress hate PM Modi but it seems they have been blinded by the hate to an extent that their dedication to the country has withered away,” said BJP spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia. “Gandhi and the Congress do not have trust in our brave armed forces. They repeatedly raise questions and insult the citizens of India and our armed forces.”

WEF AGREES TO MAKE CHANGES IN CRITERIA FOR GENDER GAP REPORTS

The World Economic Forum will take into account the participation of women at panchayat level to rank countries in its future Global Gender Gap reports, which will better India’s position at the global level. The international body is re-examining and changing the indices for the ranking according to a written assurance given to Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani who had led an Indian delegation to Davos recently, and reiterated the “flaws” in the ranking system.

“To completely ignore political participation at the panchayat level in India is bringing about a flawed and unjust view on women empowerment. It is one thing for a system not to exist… but quite another for a system to exist but be completely disregarded. The WEF has now agreed to include this for ranking which is a huge victory for India. It will also benefit countries globally and give a more factual picture of women empowerment,’’ said a senior government official.

So far, the WEF looked at four major verticals to assess gender gap in a country — economic participation, political participation, health and education levels. For women’s political participation, the WEF looks at the number of women in the Union Cabinet and members in both houses of Parliament.

In the WEF 2022 report on global gender gap, India ranked 135, falling even behind Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Nepal. Officials feel the inclusion of data on women’s participation at the panchayat level will surely push India’s ranking up on the global stage.

IN TOUCH WITH CJI, THERE’S NO MAHABHARAT, SAYS RIJIJU

A day after he shared the video clip of a retired High Court judge saying that the Supreme Court had “hijacked” the Constitution, amid the current face-off over the appointment of judges, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said Monday that there was no “Mahabharat” between the Government and the judiciary — and there will be “debate and discussion” in a democracy.

Speaking at an event at the Tiz Hazari courts in Delhi, the Law Minister also said that he has “live contact” with Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud. “From small to complex issues, we discuss everything,” he said.

During his speech, Rijiju referred to a letter written by former CJI N V Ramana on criticism of judges on social media and said judges are careful while delivering verdicts that could draw a strong public reaction. However, he said, unlike politicians, a “judge does not have to face an election again. Even judges are a bit careful these days. They won’t deliver judgments which could cause a strong reaction in the society. After all, a judge is also a human being and it (public opinion) affects him, too. There is a direct impact of (social media scrutiny) on judges.”

The former CJI, he said, had sought a law to deal with criticism of judges on social media. Rijiju said you cannot do anything when a “vast number of people” have access to social media.

Then, comparing judges’ appointments to elections faced by politicians, Rijiju said, “A judge becomes a judge once, so he doesn’t have to face an election again. The public cannot scrutinise judges… That’s why I said that for judges, the public does not elect them so they cannot change them. But the people are watching you. Your judgments, the way judges function, the way in which you provide justice, the people are watching.”

Rijiju also said there was no tension between the executive and judiciary. “How is it a democracy if there is no debate and discussion? If there is a difference in the views of the Government and the judiciary, some people present it as if some Mahabharat is taking place but it is not like that,” he said.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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LIGHTS OUT IN PAK AS ENERGY-SAVING MOVE BACKFIRES

Pakistan’s government said it was scrambling to restore power to millions of people on Monday after a breakdown in the grid triggered the second blackout in four months in the nation reeling from surging energy costs. The power outage happened as the cash-strapped government’s energy-saving measure of turning off electricity during low usage hours overnight backfired.

Many major cities, including the capital of Islamabad, and the economic hub Karachi, was without power, as were Quetta, Peshawar and Lahore. In Lahore, a closing notice was posted on the Orange Line metro stations, with rail workers guarding the sites and trains parked on the rails. The breakdown left many without drinking water as pumps powered by electricity failed to work. Schools, hospitals, factories and shops were without power amid the harsh winter weather. The temperatures are forecast to fall to around 4°C in Islamabad and 8°C in Karachi.

Energy minister Khurram Dastgir said engineers were working to restore the power supply. “As an economic measure, we temporarily shut downour power generation systems,” Dastagir said, adding that technicians were unable to boot up the system all at once after daybreak. When engineers tried to turn the systems back on at 7. 30am, a “fluctuation in voltage” was observed, which “forced engineers to shut down the power grid” stations one by one, the minister said.

Thousands of mobile phone towers have gone offline across Pakistan due to the power cut on Monday, an industry source told Reuters, raising the spectre of a telecommunications blackout in the country.

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MAHARASHTRA GOVERNOR SAYS HE WANTS TO STEP DOWN AND RETIRE

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, who has been in the line of Opposition fire over his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji, on Monday said he has expressed desire before Prime Minister Narendra Modi to quit the post.

The former Uttarakhand chief minister said he would like to spend the remainder of his life in reading, writing and other activities.

When the Uddhav Thakeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi was in power, he had several run-ins with the government on a range of issues including the appointment of 12 members to the state legislative council from the gubernatorial quota, which he never approved. The MVA had accused him of acting in a partisan manner.

The latest controversy surrounding Koshyari was about his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj whom he described as the "icon of olden times". The remarks triggered protests from the Opposition parties demanding that he be sacked. Following the row, Koshyari wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah stating he would never imagine even in his dream insulting icons like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Not new to controversy, Governor Koshyari had said Mumbai would not remain the financial capital of the country if people belonging to the Rajasthani and Gujarati communities decided to leave.

His remark drew criticism from several opposition party leaders with former CM Uddhav Thackeray saying it is time to show him the famous Kolhapuri chappal and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut asking CM Eknath Shinde to condemn the Governor.

NO STATEHOOD PROMISE, TIPRA MOTHA SAYS READY TO CONTEST ON OWN

With no written assurance from any party over its demand for a separate state, the TIPRA Motha Monday said it was ready to contest 50-55 seats in the 60-member Tripura Assembly on its own. At the same time, it seemed to keep doors open for an alliance saying the party would accept proposals for the Greater Tipraland issue from the Government of India, if any.

The leading tribal party of the state, the Motha has held two rounds of discussions with the BJP’s tribal ally, IPFT, at Guwahati in the last few days, for the merger of the two parties. Since the last elections, several IPFT MLAs have resigned and switched to the Motha, which rules the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council.

With 20 seats in the state reserved for Scheduled Tribes, all parties, from the CPI(M) and Congress to the BJP, have been trying to forge an alliance with the Motha. Party chairperson Pradyot Debbarma’s recent discussions with the BJP had triggered speculation that it might align with the ruling party, though it has often underlined differences between them.

The Congress and Left, which have already announced that they will contest together, began talks Monday to decide seat adjustment and finalise candidates.

CONSTRUCTION OF PREFABRICATED SHELTERS BEGINS IN JOSHIMATH

The Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) on Monday started the construction work of one, two and three BHK prototype prefabricated shelters for displaced families in subsidence-hit Joshimath in Uttarakhand.

Briefing the media, Disaster Management secretary Ranjit Kumar Sinha said that land levelling work, arrangement of electricity, water and sewer has also been started in Dhak village in Chamoli district prior to the construction of model shelters. The option of arranging accommodation for the displaced families in the hostels of Bhararisain Vidhansabha has been kept open, said Sinha.

According to administration, along with construction of prefabricated structures, multiple options are being evaluated for permanent rehabilitation of families. One option, said R Meenakshi Sundaram, secretary to the CM, is to give people money and liberty to settle wherever they want. The second option is to look for alternative sites and provide land.

TEARING DOWN OF POSTERS IS HARDLY A CRIME, SAYS ASSAM CM

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma made a swift transition from “Who is Shah Rukh Khan” to “SRK called me”.

Talking about his conversation with the megastar, Sarma said that he had received a text message from the actor on Saturday at 7:40 pm, which stated, ‘I am Shah Rukh Khan. I want to talk to you'. “There were many in the queue who wanted to talk to me. After clearing those, a message was sent to him (Shah Rukh) at 2 am on Sunday saying that I was available for a call.  He then called me and said that his film was releasing soon and that he hoped there won't be any problem.

“I asked him the name of his film and he said 'Pathaan'. I told him 'koi disturb nahi hoga' (there will be no disturbances),” the CM recounted. On the boycott calls given against the movie, Sarma said that those willing to watch the film will do so and the rest can skip it.

Referring to 'Pathaan' poster vandalisation by right-wingers who also sought a ban on the film, Sarma noted that tearing down of posters was no crime and sought to know under what law they should be booked. “Posters of politicians are torn down all the time but there is no discussion on that. It is time people changed their mindset,” he added.

Bajrang Dal activists had recently stormed a cinema hall in the Narengi area in Guwahati, and tore down posters of 'Pathaan', burnt those and raised slogans against the film.

INDIA BLUECHIPS TO SHIFT TO T+1 CYCLE THIS WEEK

Shares of about 200 of India’s biggest listed companies are set to move to a faster settlement cycle, making the South Asian nation the second market after China to switch to the so-called T+1 system.

Starting Jan. 27, stocks comprising 80% of the country’s equity market — will be settled on a ‘trade-plus-one-day’ timeline versus the earlier two-day process. The yearlong changeover gave market intermediaries time to prepare, said Prashant Vagal, executive vice president at National Securities Depository Ltd.

This last step in the transition will be closely watched by foreign investors who have expressed concern over timezone differences and consequent trade-matching failures. Supporters of the move say faster settlement reduces counterparty risk and trading costs.

The shift will boost operational efficiency as rolling of funds and stocks will be faster.

MARY KOM TO LEAD COMMITTEE TO PROBE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST WFI PRESIDENT

Boxing great MC Mary Kom will lead a five-member Oversight Committee that will probe sexual harassment charges against Wrestling Federation of India president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

The government-appointed Committee will also run the day-to-day affairs of WFI for the next one month.

The other members of the panel are Olympic medallist wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, former badminton player and Mission Olympic Cell member Trupti Murgunde, ex-TOPS CEO Rajagopalan and former SAI executive director - teams - Radhika Sreeman.

The announcement of the panel was made by Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Monday.

HOCKEY WORLD CUP: GERMANY, SOUTH KOREA IN QUARTERS

South Korea stunned 2016 Olympic champions Argentina in the penalty shootout to book a quarterfinal berth, while Germany also reached the last eight stage after an easy 5-1 win over France in the FIH Men's Hockey World Cup on Monday.

The South Koreans, who had finished third in Pool B, won 3-2 in the penalty shootout after the two sides were locked 5-5 in regulation time in an entertaining and high high-scoring crossover match at the near-full Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.

Quarter Finals Line-up

24/Jan - Australia vs Spain and  Belgium vs New Zealand

25/Jan - England vs Germany and Netherlands vs S Korea

AUS OPEN: DJOKOVIC STORMS INTO QUARTERS

Novak Djokovic steamrolled local hope Alex de Minaur 6-2, 6-1, 6-2 on Monday to ease into the quarter-finals of the Australian Open with a statement win in his quest for a 10th title at the Grand Slam that has only been threatened by a hamstring issue.

Andrey Rublev rallied back from the brink to dump Holger Rune out of the Australian Open and book a second quarter-final at Melbourne Park courtesy of a lucky net cord on match point that sealed a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (11-9) cliffhanger on Monday.

Quarter Finals Line-up

K. Khachanov 18 vs S. Korda 29

S. Tsitsipas 3 vs J. Lehecka

A. Rublev 5 vs N. Djokovic 4

B. Shelton vs T. Paul

INDICATORS

Sensex 60,942 (+320), Nifty 18,119 (+91), Trading Value NSE (Rs.crores) 42,266

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GBP 0.80 /US$, Euro 0.91 /US$, Jap.Yen 130.12 /US$, Aus$ 1.42 /US$, Sing 1.31 /US$, Bang Taka 104.17 /US$, Can$ 1.33 /US$, Mal Ring 4.28 /US$,

Pak Re 229.50 /US$, Phil Peso 54.45 /US$, Russian Rouble 68.74 /US$, NZ$ 1.54 /US$, Thai Baht 32.71 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 36.67 /US$)

Bitcoin - USD 23,074

Dollar Index 101.65 Brent Crude 88.22 BDI 763

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,936 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,711 / 5,235, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 74,700

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Morality is of the highest importance - but for us, not for God. - Albert Einstein

OFF TRACK

There are some children in a class naming animals and they come across a picture of a deer.

So the teacher asks Bobby, "What is this animal called?"

"I dunno," claims Bobby.

The teacher says: "I'll give you a hint, it's what your mother calls your father."

The boy thinks for a minute and then says, "Oh that's what a son of a bitch looks like!"