Ahom burial sites to vie for UNESCO tag
Summary:
The Centre (Government of India) has nominated the Charaideo Maidams, which are the Ahom equivalent of the ancient Egyptian pyramids, for UNESCO World Heritage Site status this year. The decision was made in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India and the nomination was chosen by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from among 52 sites across the country seeking the World Heritage Site tag. The Charaideo Maidams are the best-preserved royal burials and are a showcase of the mound burial tradition of the Ahom community in Assam. The nomination is significant as it coincides with the 400th birth anniversary of Lachit Barphukan, a legendary Ahom general.
Jammu twin explosions leave 9 civilians injured, trigger security scare
Summary:
Nine civilians were injured in two separate blasts that occurred within 20 minutes of each other in Jammu's Narwal on Saturday. The incident has posed a security challenge ahead of India's Republic Day and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra rally in Jammu next week. The police have not yet disclosed details about the nature of the blasts, but a forensic team has lifted traces of explosives from the spot to determine if it was an improvised explosive device (IED) with a timer or a sticky bomb. The blasts took place amid tight security arrangements made in the wake of the upcoming Republic Day functions. J&K Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha has called for "urgent steps to identify and take action against those responsible" and announced a relief of ₹50,000 for those injured.
IAF officer arrested for hoax bomb call to delay train
Summary:
An Indian Air Force officer, 35, was arrested for allegedly making a hoax call about a bomb in the Mumbai-bound Rajdhani Express at New Delhi railway station. The police received the call around 4:15 pm and conducted a search of the train with a bomb disposal squad, but found nothing. The caller was identified as Sunil Sangwan, who was inebriated and was found inside the train. The officer, who was posted at the Air Force Station at Mumbai’s Santa Cruz, had made the call to delay the train. A FIR has been registered under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Indian Railway Act.
Tripura election: TIPRA Motha, BJP to hold talks today to forge alliance
Summary:
The Tipraha Indigenous Progressive Regional Alliance (TIPRA Motha) will hold talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Delhi on Sunday to forge an alliance ahead of the upcoming Assembly election in Tripura, a highly-placed source in the regional outfit has confirmed. The source said that TIPRA Motha president Bijoy Kumar Hrangkhawl had reached the national capital on Saturday and would be joining the outfit’s chairman, Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma, in holding talks with Assam Chief Minister and North East Democratic Alliance convener Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday. The talks failed following the TIPRA Motha chairman’s insistence on a written assurance from the Ministry of Home Affairs accepting the outfit’s demand for Greater Tipraland, comprising the region under the Tripura Tribal Areas Autonomous District Council and 36 other villages within the State’s boundaries.
‘China building new dam in Tibet near Indian border’
Summary:
China is constructing a dam on the Mabja Zangbo river in Tibet, close to the tri-junction of India, Nepal, and China, according to satellite imagery. The dam is around 16 km north of the tri-junction and is opposite the Kalapani area of Uttarakhand. The Mabja Zangbo river originates in Tibet, flows through Nepal into the Ghaghara river before joining the Ganga in India. The dam construction is raising concerns about China’s future control on water in the region and the possibility of a military establishment by China near the tri-junction. The dam could be used by China to strengthen its claim on the disputed areas in the region and also to divert and store water, leading to scarcity in regions dependent on the Mabja Zangbo river and lower water levels in other rivers like the Ghaghara and the Karnali in Nepal.
Employment days under MGNREGS at a five-year low
Summary:
The Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is providing fewer days of employment per household this financial year, with the average days of employment being 42, compared to 50 in the previous financial year, 52 in 2020-2021 and 51 in 2018-2019. The reason for this decline is attributed to a lower demand for jobs under the scheme, but some academics and activists argue that the programme is plagued by systemic problems that are discouraging participation. Technical complexities, such as the introduction of an app for attendance at worksites, have caused additional hardships for workers and delays in wage payments have also led to suppression of work demand. Some states have also had low utilization of person days, which may lead to a further shrink in the financial outlay for these states in the upcoming financial year.
Odisha Cabinet nod for inclusion of 22 castes in SEBC list
Summary:
The Odisha Cabinet has approved the inclusion of 22 castes in the state's list of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes (SEBC). The Cabinet approved the proposed amendment to the Odisha State Commission for Backward Classes (OSCBC) Act, 1993, which will enable the state government to include these castes in the list of SEBCs if they have already been specified in the Central list of Other Backward Classes for the state of Odisha. According to the government, these castes are socially and educationally backward and need to be included in the list of SEBCs in order to extend all social welfare measures and benefits leading to their inclusive growth, bringing them to the mainstream of development.
Mitra rues continuous erosion of federalism and consensus at GST council
Summary:
Former West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra has criticized the GST Council, describing it as the only institution in the country that is totally federalist, but he said there has been steady erosion in both federalism and consensus-making in the GST Council. He said that for the first three years the GST Council was run on the basis of consensus and was a professionally run body, but that era has gone. He raised the issue of frauds under the GST tax regime, which is estimated to be close to Rs.1,25,593 crore. He also stated that if majoritarianism becomes a rule, it will lose its entire value.
Of a bygone era: excavations reveal Buddhist monastery complex at Bharatpur in Bengal
Summary:
Archaeologists from the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) have uncovered a Buddhist monastery at Bharatpur in Paschim Bardhaman district of West Bengal, India. The site had been left unexcavated for almost 50 years. The ASI began excavations in the second week of January and have now exposed a structural complex of a monastery. What makes the site unique in terms of other Buddhist sites in the state is the presence of a large stupa, along with a monastery complex and black and red ware pottery, from the Chalcolithic or Copper Age. In other sites across West Bengal, such as KarnASUBARNA in Murshidabad, Moghalamari in Paschim Medinipur and Jagjivanpur in Malda, archaeologists have found only smaller votive stupas.
Germany faces backlash over its refusal to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine
Summary:
Germany is facing backlash from allies over its refusal to supply Ukraine with Leopard tanks to bolster its fighting capacity in the nearly year-long war with Russia. 50 nations agreed to provide Ukraine with billions of dollars' worth of military hardware, including armored vehicles and munitions. Ukraine denounced the "global indecision" of its allies on providing heavy-duty modern tanks, saying "today's indecision is killing more of our people." Several allies echoed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in saying the tanks were essential to Ukraine's fight with its much larger neighbor. The Foreign Ministers of the three Baltic states called on Germany to provide Leopard tanks to Ukraine now, saying that Germany as the leading European power has special responsibility in this regard.
Why India has not witnessed any surge in cases for months
Summary:
India has not seen a significant uptick in new COVID-19 infections in 2022, even with the emergence of new subvariants and recombinants with increasing ability to evade immune responses and greater transmissibility. Experts attribute this to the presence of hybrid immunity in the population, which is a combination of natural infection and vaccination-induced immunity. An estimated 95% of India's population above 12 years of age has developed hybrid immunity, which is considered the best possible protection against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Low levels of testing, low test positivity rates and low levels of the virus in wastewater surveillance also suggest that virus circulation is indeed low in India.
India’s plan to eradicate measles, rubella
Summary:
India set a target to eliminate measles and rubella (MR) by 2023, having missed the earlier deadline of 2020. Measles is one of the most contagious human viruses that kills more than 100,000 children globally and rubella is a leading vaccine-preventable cause of birth defects. Both diseases can be prevented by two doses of a safe and effective vaccine. In 2022, there was an outbreak of measles in Maharashtra, particularly in Mumbai, which caused concern among authorities. Experts believe that this outbreak will contribute to ramping up herd immunity in the population which along with a robust vaccination programme will help achieve the necessary targets. India has been implementing a phased measles catch-up immunization for children, launching Mission Indradhanush, and introducing rubella-containing vaccine into the routine immunization programme, among other efforts to achieve the target.
A promise of devolution
Summary:
India's External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, recently visited Sri Lanka and expressed India's "considered view" that the full implementation of the 13th Amendment is "critical" for power devolution in Sri Lanka. This amendment, passed in 1987, guarantees a measure of power devolution to the island's provinces and made Tamil an official language and English a link language. It was seen as an antidote to the discriminatory 'Sinhala Only Act' of 1956 and aimed to address the Tamils' right to self-determination. However, despite being included in the Sri Lanka's Constitution, successive governments have failed to fully implement it due to reluctance to share power with the Tamil minorities and their own people governing the provinces.
ICICI Bank Q3 net jumps 34% to ₹8,312 cr., loan growth aids
Summary:
ICICI Bank reported a 34.2% increase in Q3 standalone net profit to 8,312 crore ($1.1 billion) due to a rise in net interest income (NII) and growth in its loan portfolio. Core operating profit rose 31.6% to 13,235 crore ($1.8 billion) and NII grew 34.6% to 16,465 crore ($2.2 billion). The bank's overall loan portfolio grew by 19.7% and provisions (excluding tax) rose 12.5% to 2,257 crore ($307 million). The bank also revealed a change in provisioning norms on non-performing assets, which led to higher provisions amounting to 1,196 crore ($163 million) in Q3-2023.
Exports, EVs, new products to drive growth: Brakes India
Summary:
ICICI Bank reported a 34.2% increase in Q3 standalone net profit to 8,312 crore ($1.1 billion) due to a rise in net interest income (NII) and growth in its loan portfolio. Core operating profit rose 31.6% to 13,235 crore ($1.8 billion) and NII grew 34.6% to 16,465 crore ($2.2 billion). The bank's overall loan portfolio grew by 19.7% and provisions (excluding tax) rose 12.5% to 2,257 crore ($307 million). The bank also revealed a change in provisioning norms on non-performing assets, which led to higher provisions amounting to 1,196 crore ($163 million) in Q3-2023.
Big wins for Sohil Shah, Arjun Narendran; Sandeep Kumar shines
Summary:
Sohil Shah from Bengaluru and Arjun Narendran from Coimbatore won their respective races in the third round of the MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 at the Madras International Circuit. Tijil Rao from Bengaluru (Momentum Motorsports) won the Formula LGB 1300 race and Chennai's Sandeep Kumar achieved a double in the Volkswagen Polo Cup by winning both races on Saturday.