TELANGANA POLLS TODAY: CONG COULD GIVE INCUMBENT BRS A TOUGH FIGHT

Welfare schemes, a stable nine-year govt, and maintaining law and order in Telangana are giving the ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) confidence against a resurgent Congress, and the BJP in today’s Assembly polls.

First off the blocks, the BRS hit the ground on August 21 with the announcement of 115 candidates by party supremo and chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao (KCR), leaving little room for last-minute rebellions or resentments even as the Congress and BJP struggled to finalise their candidates.

KCR also announced an extensive state-wide campaign schedule starting October 15. The CM has addressed meetings in 97 of the 119 Assembly constituencies while his son and nephew – ministers K T Rama Rao and T Harish Rao – have addressed over a 100.

The grand old party also brought in its top brass, including AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, and other senior leaders. It also pressed in its entire Karnataka unit, which had recently tasted success in the neighbouring state, into the campaign.

The party’s campaign focused on ushering in change with its slogan, “Marpu kavali, Congress ravali (We want change, Congress must come)”, and left no stone unturned to disseminate its “six guarantees” among the voters. The Congress’s guarantees promise to provide more welfare benefits than what the BRS govt is already giving.

The BJP shot into the limelight in Telangana after winning 48 seats in the 2020 Hyderabad civic polls, following which it wrested Dubbak and Huzurabad from the BRS in Assembly bypolls. However, the momentum that it had gained seems to have fizzled out after the drubbing in Karnataka.

The BJP, much like the Congress, brought out its bigwigs for the campaign with Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing eight public meetings across Telangana and holding a roadshow in Hyderabad. Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed 22 public meetings across the state. The top brass of the BJP, including CMs Yogi Adityanath and Himanta Biswa Sarma, and Union ministers like Nirmala Sitharaman, Rajnath Singh, Smriti Irani canvassed for the party’s candidates across the state.

APEX COURT MULLS GUIDELINES FOR GUVS 'SITTING' OVER BILLS

The Supreme Court Wednesday said it will look into the Kerala govt’s request to consider laying down guidelines as to when the Governor of a state can reserve bills for the consideration of the President.

A three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, which took up a plea by the state govt accusing Governor Arif Mohammed Khan of not acting on some Bills sent to him by the state assembly, asked: “What is the Governor doing for two years sitting tight on these Bills?”

The bench, which favoured Attorney General R Venkataramani’s idea for a meeting between CM Pinarayi Vijayan and the Governor to sort out differences, also asked the state if the petition was to settle “a political score or to find a solution”.

“Let’s hope some political sagacity takes over at this stage. That’s what we expect. And if that happens, it may not be necessary for us to lay down guidelines… Otherwise we are here to lay down the law under the Constitution,” the CJI said. The court allowed the state to amend its petition so as to include the “broader” reliefs it wanted.

the AG suggested that the CM and Governor meet and resolve the matter, Venugopal said the minister in charge who moved the respective bill has met the Governor “but this is face saving to say that the Chief Minister who has not moved the Bill should go and meet him”. He added that only the minister in charge who has moved the bill knows what are the issues that exactly arise. “The CM would not know that.”

The CJI however said, “the CM is the head of the cabinet. He can’t say I don’t know.”

The court suggested that the CM as well as the Minister in charge go and visit the Governor if the latter invites them and asked Venugopal to accordingly advise the CM.

GOVT LISTS 18 BILLS FOR WINTER SESSION OF PARLIAMENT

The govt on Wednesday listed 18 bills, including two to extend provisions of the women's reservation act to Jammu and Kashmir and Puducherry and three to replace the criminal laws, during the Winter Session of Parliament beginning next week.

According to a bulletin issued by the Lok Sabha Secretariat, the govt also plans to bring a bill that seeks to increase the strength of the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly from 107 to 114 in a bid to provide representation to Kashmiri migrants, displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Scheduled Tribes.

The Winter Session of Parliament begins on December 4 and continues till December 22.

81 CRORE TO BENEFIT AS CENTRE EXTENDS FOODGRAIN SCHEME

With the Lok Sabha elections just months away, the Centre yesterday announced the extension of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for five years from January 1, 2024, initiating a major political outreach.

In another decision, which was taken during a meeting of the Union Cabinet last evening, the govt also approved the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN) with a total outlay of Rs 24,104 crore, in a clear outreach to the tribal population prior to the General Election.

The approximate food subsidy for five years for distribution of foodgrains under the PMGKAY will be around Rs 11.80 lakh crore, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur told mediapersons after the Cabinet meeting.

In yet another decision, the Cabinet cleared a central scheme for providing drones to women self-help groups (SHGs) with an outlay of Rs 1,261 crore (2024-25 to 2025-26).

The scheme aimed at providing drones to 15,000 selected women SHGs for providing rental services to farmers for agriculture purposes, Thakur said.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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SIXTEEN MORE HOSTAGES FREED FROM GAZA AS PART OF ISRAELI-HAMAS TRUCE

Sixteen people who were being held hostage in Gaza were handed over to Israeli officials on Wednesday, the second and last day of an extended truce in the Gaza war between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, the Red Cross and other authorities said.

Under the terms of the Qatari-mediated deal, 30 Palestinians — 16 minors and 14 women — will be released in exchange, Majed Al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Two Russian citizens and four Thai citizens were released outside the framework of the agreement while the 10 Israeli citizens freed included five dual citizens, Ansari said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv, his third trip to the region since the Oct. 7 attack and was set to meet with Israeli leaders to discuss extending the temporary truce and boosting humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.

Two Palestinian officials told Reuters that talks were continuing over a possible extension of the truce, which is scheduled to expire early on Thursday, but no agreement had yet been reached.

An Israeli official said earlier it would be impossible to extend the ceasefire without a commitment to release all women and children among the hostages. The official said Israel believed that militants were still holding enough women and children to prolong the truce by two to three days.

A Palestinian official said negotiators were hammering out whether Israeli men would be released on different terms than the exchange of three Palestinian detainees for each Israeli hostage that has applied to the women and children.

“Qatar remains hopeful that the progress made in recent days can be sustained, and a further extension to the humanitarian pause agreement can be reached,” foreign ministry spokesperson Ansari said in his statement.

COP28: WORLD MEETS IN DUBAI TO BRING CLIMATE ON TRACK

All indications are that time may have already run out on efforts to keep the global rise in temperatures within 1.5 degree Celsius from pre-industrial times. And yet, world leaders, business corporations, climate negotiators and activists are congregating in Dubai for the next two weeks to make one more attempt towards that goal, keeping a glimmer of hope by committing to some enhanced and effective climate action in the short term.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is among those travelling to Dubai for COP28, the climate conference which begins today and which, like every year, will see a range of global leaders, heads of states and govts.

Modi, who will make an appearance at the climate conference for the third time, would be in Dubai on the first two days of the conference, utilising this opportunity to also hold bilateral meetings with other leaders.

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US GOVT CHARGES AN INDIAN IN ‘FOILED PLOT TO KILL KHALISTANI SEPARATIST’

The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) has charged an Indian national for his involvement in a plot to murder a US-based Khalistani leader, an official press release on Wednesday stated

According to the DoJ release, “Earlier this year, an Indian govt employee, working together with others, including Gupta, in India and elsewhere, directed a plot to assassinate on US soil an attorney and political activist who is a US citizen of Indian origin residing in New York City.”

The name of this govt employee has thus far not been disclosed and he is referred to in the DoJ release as “CC-1”. Gupta is allegedly an associate of CC-1, the DoJ said.

“CC-1 is an Indian govt agency employee who has variously described himself as a ‘Senior Field Officer’ with responsibilities in ‘Security Management’ and ‘Intelligence,’ and who also has referenced previously serving in India’s CRPF.

CC-1 allegedly recruited Gupta to orchestrate the assassination in the United States, the release claims.

To carry out the hit job, Gupta “at CC-1’s direction… contacted an individual” whom he “believed to be a criminal associate, but who was in fact a confidential source working with US law enforcement,” the DoJ stated. This source introduced Gupta to a “purported hitman”, who was in fact an “undercover US law enforcement officer”, following which a deal of “$100,000” was brokered to carry out the job, the DoJ said.

With the exception of Gupta, DoJ mentions no names, referring to the alleged target as the ‘Victim’ throughout the statement.

Last week, the Financial Times had reported about an alleged conspiracy to assassinate lawyer and Khalistan supporter Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on American soil, which was “foiled by US authorities with a warning being issued to the Indian govt”.

The Indian govt announced earlier on Wednesday that it had constituted a high-level inquiry committee to probe into “all the relevant aspects of the matter”.

Not much is known about Gupta except for the fact that he is an Indian national residing in the US. As per the DoJ statement, “Czech authorities arrested and detained Gupta on June 30, 2023 pursuant to the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic.”

MANIPUR VALLEY’S UNLF INSURGENT FACTION BIDS FAREWELL TO ARMS

In the first known instance of a valley-based insurgent group (VBIG) from Manipur entering into a peace pact with the Centre, the Union govt said Wednesday that the United National Liberation Front (UNLF), a Meitei insurgent outfit, has signed a Peace Agreement with the Govt of India and the Govt of Manipur.

This was announced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah who called it a “historic milestone”.

In a post on X, Shah said, “UNLF, the oldest valley-based armed group of Manipur, has agreed to renounce violence and join the mainstream. I welcome them to the democratic processes and wish them all the best in their journey on the path of peace and progress.”

The UNLF was formed on November 24, 1964, under the leadership of Arambam Samarendra Singh, with the demand for secession from India.

The Ministry statement also expressed hope that the development would “be a significant step in restoring peace and normalcy” in the state.

AFTER SUPREME COURT NOD, DELHI CHIEF SECRETARY GETS SIX-MONTH EXTENSION

The Centre yesterday got the Supreme Court’s nod for its plan to grant a six-month extension to Delhi Chief Secretary Naresh Kumar, who is set to superannuate Thursday. Following this, the Ministry of Home Affairs extended his tenure by six months.

A three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice of India D Y Chandrachud, which considered the Arvind Kejriwal govt’s objections to the move, pointed out that it had not stayed the Govt of National Capital Territory (Amendment) Act, 2023, which is pending consideration by a Constitution bench and added that it is of the “prima facie view” that the Union Govt’s move to extend the services of Chief Secretary for 6 months “cannot be construed to be violative of law”.

The bench, also comprising Justices J B Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, found substance in the arguments by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, representing the Centre, and Senior Advocate Sanjiv Jain, representing the Delhi L-G, that the Delhi Chief Secretary performs functions in relation to public order, police and land (entry 1, 2 and 18 of the state list) which are excluded from the legislative and executive power of the Delhi govt.

SILKYARA PROJECT TO CONTINUE AFTER REPAIR

The Silkyara tunnel project in Uttarakhand will continue after the necessary safety audit and repair of the broken structure, a senior Road Ministry official said on Wednesday. The ambitious Rs 12,000-crore project aims to provide all-weather connectivity to four holy towns — Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath and Badrinath — in Uttarakhand.

Moments after the 41 workers were brought out of the tunnel, Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari announced carrying out safety audit of under-construction road tunnels in the country.

Giving an update on the proposed audit, ministry officials on Wednesday said the Konkan Railway and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited were being roped in by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for conducting the safety audit of under-construction road tunnels.

The officials said the audit would begin “within next seven to ten days” in all 29 under-construction tunnels in the country spread across 10 states.

12-MEMBER RAT-HOLE MINING TEAM DID THE TUNNEL RESCUE FOR FREE

Feroze Qureshi and Monu Kumar, experts in the rat-hole mining technique, were the first to meet the 41 labourers rescued from the Silkyara tunnel in Uttarakhand after they cleared the last bit of the rubble inside the structure.

Qureshi from Delhi and Kumar from Uttar Pradesh were part of a 12-member team of rat-hole mining technique experts who were called on Sunday to do the drilling after an American auger machine came across hurdles while clearing the rubble.

"They (the labourers) could hear us when we reached the last portion of the rubble. Soon after removing the rubble, we got down to the other side," Qureshi said.

"The labourers thanked and hugged me. They also lifted me on their shoulders," he said, adding that he was happier than the rescued workers.

Qureshi is an employee of the Delhi-based Rockwell Enterprises and an expert in tunnelling work. "They (the labourers) gave me almonds and asked my name. Soon, our other colleagues joined us and we were there for about half an hour," Kumar said. He said the NDRF personnel went inside the tunnel after them. "We came back only after the NDRF personnel arrived," Kumar said. "We are very happy that we were part of this historic operation," he added.

The leader of the 12-member team from Rockwell Enterprises, Wakeel Hassan, said they did not charge any money for taking part in the rescue operation.

SINGAPORE, ZURICH SURPASS NEW YORK TO BECOME WORLD'S MOST EXPENSIVE CITIES

Singapore and Zurich surpassed New York to become the world’s most expensive cities to live in this year, according to a new global survey.

The sky-high cost of car ownership, pricey alcohol and rising grocery prices saw Singapore pull ahead of the US city, with which it shared top spot last year, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide Cost of Living 2023 report.

Zurich jumped from sixth place last year to joint first, thanks in part to the strong Swiss franc, as well as expensive groceries, household goods and recreation.

Geneva, tied with New York in third position, and Hong Kong rounded out the list of the top five costliest places. Overall, global prices rose an average 7.4 per cent year-on-year in local currency terms, slightly down on last year’s 8.1 per cent increase.

Chinese cities were among the biggest movers down the rankings, mainly due to the country’s slow post-pandemic recovery and subdued consumer demand.

BCCI EXTENDS RAHUL DRAVID’S CONTRACT; KOHLI OPTS OUT OF SA ODIS, T20S

The BCCI on Wednesday extended the contracts of Indian cricket team head coach Rahul Dravid and his support staff following the side's runners-up finish in the ODI World Cup.

Dravid had replaced Ravi Shastri after the T20 World Cup in 2021, getting appointed for a two-year term which ended with the ODI World Cup.

Under Dravid, India also finished runners-up in the last World Test Championship, losing to Australia in the final.

Virat Kohli has asked to be rested for India's white-ball matches during their tour of South Africa later this month. Kohli will be available for the two Test series that begins in South Africa on Boxing Day, December 26.

It is not clear if Rohit Sharma will be available for the white-ball matches in South Africa.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength. - Hasidic saying

OFF TRACK

A woman is with her lover, who also happens to be her husband's best friend.

And the phone rings. Since it's the woman's home, she picks up the receiver. The friend listens, only hearing her side of the conversation:

"Hello? Oh, hi... I'm so glad that you called... Really? That's wonderful.... Well, I'm happy to hear you're having such a great time... Oh, that sounds terrific... Thanks. Okay. Bye bye."

She hangs up the telephone and her lover asks, "Who was that?"

"Oh" she replies, "That was my husband telling me all about the wonderful time he's having on his fishing trip with you."