TUNNEL NIGHTMARE OVER, ALL 41 TRAPPED WORKERS RESCUED

Rescue workers on Tuesday night pulled out all 41 workers trapped in Uttarakhand's Silkyara tunnel in a multi-agency rescue operation that hovered between hope and despair for 16 days.

Instead of being brought out on wheeled stretchers through a steel tube that lined the 60-metre rescue shaft, the labourers crawled out of it.

An ambulance with the first of the 41 workers left the mouth of the tunnel around 8 pm, about an hour after rat-hole mining experts dug through the last stretch of rubble.

There was hugging and cheers as the ordeal ended. Some local villagers burst crackers.

Ambulances which had lined up at the tunnel ferried the workers to a community health centre where a special 41-bed ward had been set up. Before this, the workers were given a quick medical checkup inside the tunnel.

Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami said no worker was in a critical condition. But they will be kept under medical observation for some time before being sent home, he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the relief workers. ”Everyone involved in the mission has created an amazing example of humanity and teamwork," he posted on X. "It is a matter of great satisfaction that these friends of ours will meet their dear ones after a long wait."

The final challenge in the rescue operation was tackled by a group of men versed in the technique of rat-hole mining, which typically involves extracting small amounts of coal by going down narrow burrows. They were called in to carry out manual drilling after a huge American-made auger boring machine got stuck in the horizontal passage that had been dug up to about 47 metres, the latest in a serious of snags as its blades encountered hurdles like iron girders.

Officials had lined up five other options if the approach through the stretch of rubble failed. These included digging 86 metres down from above the tunnel. By Tuesday, the vertical shaft had reached 45 metres.

The rat-hole mining experts worked in groups of two or three at a time in the confined space using hand-held tools at the end of the 800-mm wide steel pipe.

”This was a well-coordinated effort by multiple agencies, marking one of the most significant rescue operations in recent years. Various departments and agencies complemented each other despite facing numerous challenges," Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari later said.

"EXCEEDED EXPECTATION": RESCUE OP CHIEF ON UTTARAKHAND "RAT MINERS"

The rat miners who made the breakthrough in Uttarakhand -- freeing 41 labourers trapped in a tunnel for 17 days by digging the last 12-metre stretch in less than 24 hours -- had "beaten expectations," said Lt Gen Syed Ata Hasnain, a member of NDMA.

"I thought they would progress at the rate of two to three meters in 18/20 hours. But they managed to do 10 meters in less than 18 hours," he said.

The workers, he said, took impediments in stride and managed to deliver fast, working under conditions that were "extremely cramped".

"Rat miners" -- labourers used to drilling narrow shafts as part of a primitive and currently illegal method of coal extraction -- had to manually dig the rocks over a 12-metre last stretch that proved too tough for an American Augur drill and several other devices.

Showering praise on the workers, the Lt General pointed to their "nonchalance", which, he said, stemmed from "years of experience" and compared them to battle-hardened soldiers.

Asked how the rat miners were roped in for the job, the officer said the suggestion probably came from an open source and "someone took it seriously".

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "It's time for gratitude. Thank you to EVERY single person who worked tirelessly over the past 17 days to save these 41 precious lives. More than any sporting victory could have, you have uplifted the spirits of a country & united us in our hope. You've reminded us that no tunnel is too difficult to emerge from, no task is impossible when our actions & prayers are collaborative & collective." - Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra

MoD SET TO OKAY RS 40K-CR INDIGENOUS AIRCRAFT CARRIER

The govt is set to positively consider the Indian Navy’s proposal for construction of a second aircraft carrier at a cost of around Rs 40,000 crore, in a major move that comes against the backdrop of rising concerns over China’s increasing forays into the Indian Ocean region.

The Defence Procurement Board (DPB), a key body of the defence ministry, has accorded in-principle approval to the ambitious proposal signalling the govt’s readiness to go for the second indigenous aircraft carrier, to be known as IAC II. The mega procurement proposal will shortly be placed before the Defence Acquisition Council (DAC), the defence ministry’s top body on procurement.

The Navy has been making a strong push for having the IAC-II with a displacement of 45,000 tonnes which is estimated to cost close to Rs 40,000 with the envisaged specifications.

India’s first indigenously-built aircraft carrier INS Vikrant (IAC I) was commissioned in September by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Navy has been pitching for three aircraft carriers to deal with China’s growing naval prowess and its growing influence over the Indian Ocean region. At present, India has two aircraft carriers—INS Vikramaditya and INS Vikrant. INS Vikramaditya is a Russian origin platform.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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ON 5TH DAY OF TRUCE, 12 MORE HOSTAGES RELEASED BY HAMAS

A fragile truce between Israel and Hamas entered its fifth day on Tuesday, with the militant group releasing more hostages. However, for the first time since the ceasefire began, Israel and Hamas traded accusations of a serious violation.

The Israeli military said three explosive devices were detonated near its troops at two locations in northern Gaza, and that militants at one site opened fire on the troops, who fired back. It said its troops were in positions in accordance with the terms of the truce, Hamas, in turn, accused Israel of committing a “blatant breach of the ceasefire”, triggering retaliation by its fighters, without providing details. It said that it “was still committed to the ceasefire so long as the enemy is committed to it”, and urged mediators to intervene. It was not immediately clear if the exchange posed a threat to the truce. But it underscored the fragility of the deal in northern Gaza.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that 12 hostages who were held in Gaza 10 Israelis and two foreign nationals were on their way to Israeli territory. Thirty Palestinian detainees are also expected to be released on Tuesday. Hamas had released 50 Israeli hostages as of Monday night as well as 19 foreigners, mostly Thais. Israel has so far released 150 prisoners.

The sides agreed to extend their truce through Wednesday, with another planned exchange of militant-held hosta ges for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

THE REST

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SC FIXES DEADLINE FOR LAST RITES OF UNCLAIMED BODIES IN MANIPUR

Noting that it didn't want to keep the pot boiling over dead bodies, the Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the Manipur Govt to ensure dignified burial/cremation of 175 bodies kept in mortuaries by December 11 “without any interference by any party”.

A three-judge Bench led by CJI DY Chandrachud said either the next of kin of the deceased persons can claim the bodies or the State of Manipur will go ahead and perform the last rites at nine sites identified for the purpose as per the municipal laws.

The Bench passed the order bearing in mind the fact that violence has taken place in the state since May 2023, it would not be proper to further keep the bodies in mortuaries.

Regarding identified but not claimed bodies, it said, “the State shall issue a communication on or before Monday (December 4) intimating that they are permitted to carry out last rites in one of the nine sites in the next one week (by December 11).”

In view of the fact that criminal investigations were underway, the Bench said in the event DNA samples had not been drawn from the bodies at the time of autopsy, DNA samples shall be taken before burial/cremation.

It asked the Manipur govt to facilitate the relatives to access the bodies for identification and performance of last rites.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta cited Justice Gita Mittal Committee report to point out that NGOs were not allowing families to claim bodies for performing last rites.

BJP SAYS WILL CONTEST 26 OF 48 MAHARASHTRA SEATS, ALLIES FRET OVER DEAL

Even as seat-sharing talks are yet to begin within the Maharashtra ruling coalition, the BJP has left its already jittery allies all shook up. The party has said it will contest 26 of the 48 seats in the state in the next Lok Sabha elections, leaving 22 to be shared between its Shiv Sena and NCP partners.

With their legal status not yet settled, the Shinde Sena and Ajit Pawar NCP might find it hard to justify this seemingly unilateral decision by the BJP, particularly as the rival factions of the two parties can be expected to make the most of it while its cadres watch the signals.

A senior Sena (Shinde) minister said, “While we accept the BJP as the bigger partner, it cannot thrust its decision on allies. The BJP came to power with our help.”

A leader of the NCP (Ajit Pawar faction) said that in coalition politics, “everybody is equal… with some give and take”. “The top leaders (of the BJP) know the importance of allies. Or else, why would they go out of their way to win over the Shiv Sena and NCP breakaway factions to form the govt?”

Realising the nervousness within its allies, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis tried to mellow the BJP’s 26-seat stand on Monday. “Generally, each party is allowed to retain the seats it contested in the last elections. The basis of seat-sharing will be this method. But a formal decision will be taken after discussions with the Sena (Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar),” he said.

STAGE III RESTRICTIONS REVOKED IN DELHI-NCR AFTER IMPROVEMENT IN AIR QUALITY

The Centre on Tuesday ordered the revocation of restrictions under Stage-III of GRAP in the entire NCR with immediate effect, following improvement in air quality.

The Commission for Air Quality Management in National Capital Region and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), a statutory body responsible for formulating strategies to combat pollution in the region, met on Tuesday in view of the significant improvement in the overall air quality of Delhi-NCR.

The air quality forecasts do not indicate the average air quality of Delhi to move to ‘severe' category in the coming days for which forecast is available, the CAQM said.

The Centre's pollution control panel had invoked the Stage III restrictions on November 2, directing a halt on non-essential construction work, stone crushing and mining in Delhi-NCR. Under this stage, restrictions were also imposed on the operation of BS III petrol and BS IV diesel four-wheelers in Delhi, Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad and Gautam Budh Nagar.

KERALA GUV OKS 1 BILL, RESERVES 7 FOR PREZ NOD

Kerala governor Arif Mohammed Khan referred to President Droupadi Murmu on Tuesday seven of the eight bills pending assent for up to three years, but cleared the remaining one — the Public Health Bill 2021 — a day before the Supreme Court takes up the state govt’s writ petition against the prolonged status quo.

At an earlier hearing, the apex court had directed Khan to read its ruling on a similar petition filed by the Punjab govt against that state’s governor. The court said that in the event of withholding assent to a bill sent by the state legislature, the governor was required to promptly send it back with relevant observations instead of sitting on itinordinately. The bench had also issued notice to the principal secretary to the governor.

SC DISMISSES PIL SEEKING BAN ON PAKISTANI ARTISTES IN INDIA

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking a complete ban on employing Pakistani artistes in India and asked the petitioner not to be narrow-minded.

“Do not press this appeal… Do not be so narrow minded,” a Bench of Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice SVN Bhatti told the advocate representing petitioner Faaiz Anwar Qureshi, rejecting his plea.

Qureshi – a cine worker had sought directions to the Information and the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to issue notifications imposing a ban on grant of visas to Pakistani artistes.

He contended that engaging Pakistani artistes would lead to discrimination against Indian artistes and cine workers as a similar favourable atmosphere to work was not available to Indian artists to work in Pakistan.

Qureshi had challenged a Bombay High Court order dismissing his petition in October. Noting that his petition was devoid of any merit, the high court had termed his demand as a retrograde step that was against cultural harmony, unity and peace.

MF ASSETS MAY HAVE HIT RS 50 TRILLION MILESTONE AMID MARKET RALLY

The mutual fund industry’s assets under management (AUM) have likely breached the Rs 50 trillion mark following a rally in domestic equities this month. The industry’s average AUM stood at almost Rs 48 trillion at the end of October. 

In November, the Nifty50 index has gained about 4 per cent so far, while smallcap and midcap indices have rallied close to 8 per cent. While the official figures will be released next month, experts say the AUM this month will hit the Rs 50 trillion milestone if the November inflows remain in line with the collection reported last month. 

“However, the penetration still remains low and the industry has a long way to go,” says an industry expert.

WARREN BUFFETT TO DONATE "99%-PLUS" WEALTH AFTER DEATH

Warren Buffett, 93, one of the most successful investors of all time and the fifth richest man in the world has outlined his intentions for Berkshire Hathaway and his wealth in the event of his death. In a letter posted on the website of the multinational corporation, "the Oracle of Omaha," made the announcement and stated that he had given millions of shares in Berkshire Hathaway to four family-affiliated charity trusts, as per a report in Fortune Magazine.

"My children, along with their father, have a common belief that dynastic wealth, though both legal and common in much of the world including the United States, is not desirable. Moreover, we have had many opportunities to observe that being rich does not make you either wise or evil. We also agree that capitalism - whatever its weaknesses, including the vast disparities in wealth and political influence that it delivers somewhat capriciously to its citizens - has worked wonders and continues to work wonders," he added.

He confirmed that his three children, who are currently between the ages of 65 and 70, are the executors of his current will and added that "99%-plus" of his wealth will go to his charity trust.

IFFI 2023: ENDLESS BORDERS WINS BEST FILM AWARD

After screening 270 international and Indian films, including 25 feature film and 20 non-feature films, the 54th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) concluded in Goa on Tuesday. The closing ceremony of the event saw Endless Borders winning the Best Film Award, the makers of Panchayat Season 2 picking up the Best Web Series Award, actor-director Rishab Shetty bagging the Special Jury Award for his film Kantara and Hollywood legend Michael Douglas receiving the Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award.

The Best Film award was given to Persian film Endless Borders, directed by Abbas Amini. The film is set against the backdrop of an Iranian teacher’s odyssey amidst the turmoil ignited by the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. It delves into the complexities of prejudice, moral dilemmas, and forbidden love. The jury praised the film’s ability to transcend physical and emotional borders, lauding director Abbas Amini’s courageous storytelling.

Panchayat Season 2, which bagged the first-ever Best Web Series (OTT) Award at IFFI, chronicles the life of an engineering graduate who joins as a Panchayat secretary in a remote fictional village of Phulera, Uttar Pradesh, due to lack of better job opportunities. The web series is created by The Viral Fever (TVF) for Amazon Prime Video.

MAXWELL DOES A MAXWELL AGAIN! POWERS AUSTRALIA TO A THRILLING WIN

Glenn Maxwell pulled off another stunning one-man Houdini Act during a brutal unbeaten hundred that carried Australia to a five-wicket win over India in the third T20I in Guwahati on Tuesday.

Maxwell's 104 off 48 balls (8x4, 8x6) helped Australia surge past India's massive 222 for 3, built around Ruturaj Gaikwad's maiden international hundred, a 57-ball 123, in the last ball of the match.

In the process of making 225 for 5, the visitors also cut India's series lead to 2-1 in the five-match series.

Skipper Matthew Wade also chipped in handsomely with a crucial 28 not out, helping Maxwell to raise a match-winning 91 off 40 balls for the sixth wicket.

Maxwell's innings might have been a quick reminder to his epic double hundred against Afghanistan in the recent 50-over World Cup, where he single handedly carried his side home.

Australia scored 22 in in 19th over, bnowled by Axar Patel. And then, needing 21 runs off the last over bowled by pacer Prasidh Krishna, Maxwell sealed the issue with one six and three fours, and also completed his fourth T20I century.

His century came off just 47 balls, equalling Josh Inglis and Aaron Finch for the fastest T20I hundred for Australia.

India were also bowling with five fielders in the ring in the final over because of a slow-over rate penalty.

INDICATORS

Sensex 66,174 (+204), Nifty 19,890 (+95)

Nasdaq 14,282 (+41) Dow 35,417 (+84), S&P 4,555 (+4)

US$-Rs. 83.35, GBP-Rs. 105.46, Euro-Rs. 91.41, UAE Dhm-Rs. 22.69, Can$-Rs. 61.33, Aus$- Rs. 55.24

GBP 0.79 /US$, Euro 0.91 /US$, Jap.Yen 148.05 /US$, Aus$ 1.50 /US$, Sing 1.33 /US$, Bang Taka 109.00 /US$, Can$ 1.35 /US$, Mal Ring 4.66 /US$, Pak Re 284.80 /US$, Phil Peso 55.35 /US$, Russian Rouble 88.90 /US$, NZ$ 1.63 /US$, Thai Baht 34.84 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 36.04 /US$

Bitcoin - USD 38,036, Dollar Index 102.41, Brent Crude 81.68, BDI 2259

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 2050 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 6,256 / 5,735, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 81,500

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it. - Warren Bennis

OFF TRACK

The husband picks up a case of Budweiser and puts it in their cart.

"What do you think you're doing?" asks the wife.

"They're on sale, only $10 for 24 cans" he replies.

"Put them back, we can't afford them" demands the wife, and so they carry on shopping.

A few aisles further on along the woman picks up a $20 jar of face cream and puts it in the basket.

"What do you think you're doing?" asks the husband.

"It's my face cream. It makes me look beautiful," replies the wife.

Her husband retorts: "So does 24 cans of Budweiser and it's half the price."