| 1. When state matters became a national affair |  | What- Ten Bharatiya Janata Party MPs, who won assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, resigned from Parliament on Wednesday amid speculation that some of them could be in contention for chief minister's posts in these states.
- Two others, Union minister Renuka Kumari (from Chhattisgarh) and Baba Balaknath (from Rajasthan), who also won the recent assembly polls, were yet to quit their Lok Sabha membership.
- The crucial issue of picking CMs for the three states, with an eye on the 2024 parliamentary election, started with top BJP leaders meeting at PM Narendra Modi's residence on Wednesday.
From MPs to MLAs- Five of the MPs who opted for their assembly membership are from Madhya Pradesh, where BJP won 163 of the 230 seats. They include Union ministers Narendra Tomar and Pralhad Patel. Others are Rakesh Singh, Uday Pratap and Riti Pathak.
- Those from Chhattisgarh are Arun Sao and Gomati Sai.
- In Rajasthan, Rajyavardhan Rathore, Diya Kumari and Rajya Sabha member Kirori Lal Meena quit their parliamentary positions.
CM candidates- Old hands Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasundhara Raje and Raman Singh were not presented as CM faces in MP, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, respectively.
- Chouhan has the strongest possibility of retaining his CM chair, following a massive victory in the polls. But both Tomar and Patel are now his serious challengers.
- In Rajasthan, Diya Kumari and Balaknath were said to be in contention for the CM's post. Rathore is likely to join the state cabinet.
- In Chhattisgarh, Sao is said to be a strong CM contender if the BJP looks past Raman Singh.
A national affair- The ministers' departure from the Centre has sparked a fresh buzz on the possibility of PM Modi going for a cabinet reshuffle ahead of the Lok Sabha election.
- Given Modi's recent exhortations that women, youth, poor and farmers are the four main "castes" for him, the BJP's final choices for CMs and the possible Union cabinet expansion may implement his larger social agenda five months from the national polls. More here
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| 2. A clampdown on online financial crime |  | Crackdown on cybercrime- The Union home ministry on Wednesday said that more than 100 websites that were being operated from overseas and involved in organised illegal investments and part-time job frauds have been blocked.
- The action follows recommendations from the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C) and its National Cybercrime Threat Analytics Unit (NCTAU).
Modus operandi- Fraudulent activities often use targeted digital ads with keywords like "ghar baithe job" (work from home) in multiple languages to lure victims, particularly retired individuals, women, and unemployed youth.
- Fraudsters engage victims through messaging platforms like Google, WhatsApp or Telegram, convincing them to perform tasks such as liking videos or rating maps.
- Victims are initially given a commission and then persuaded to invest more for higher returns. However, once substantial sums are deposited, the fraudsters freeze the accounts, leading to financial deception.
Money laundering concerns- The economic frauds facilitated by these websites involved laundering proceeds out of India through methods like card networks, cryptocurrency, overseas ATM withdrawals, and international Fintech companies.
The action- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) used its authority under the Information Technology Act, 2000, to block websites facilitating illegal investments and part-time job frauds.
Public advisory- To protect citizens, the home ministry urged people to promptly report phone numbers and social media handles used by fraudsters to the National Cybercrime Reporting Portal (NCRP).
- It advised caution and due diligence before investing in online schemes promising high commissions and emphasises the importance of verification in financial transactions.
Meanwhile...- A recent YouGov e-survey conducted in November revealed that a significant 72% of Indians have experienced various online scams.
- Among those surveyed, 20% admitted to financial losses, and 47% reported that a family member or friend had also been victims of online fraud.
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| 3. A breather for Congress from INDIA partners |  | A sigh of relief- Forced to defer the INDIA bloc meeting on Wednesday after key partners the JDU, the TMC and the SP decided to skip it, the Congress got some breather from four Opposition allies.
- JDU's Nitish Kumar and TMC's Mamata Banerjee, the CMs of Bihar and West Bengal respectively, indicated a mellowing in their approach towards the Congress. Both said they would attend the next INDIA bloc meeting.
- Also, Congress's Maharashtra allies NCP founder Sharad Pawar and UBT leader Uddhav Thackeray promptly accepted its president Mallikarjun Kharge's invite for the meeting.
- An informal meeting was held at Kharge's residence on Wednesday evening, with leaders from JDU, CPI, DMK, SP and AAP present.
What Nitish, Mamata said- Nitish said that at the next INDIA meeting, "I will convey to the leaders that everything [referring to seat-sharing] needs to be decided soon as there is not much time for the Lok Sabha polls".
- Mamata said she agreed to attend the meeting following a telephone call from Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday.
- Mamata's toning down is significant as after the Congress's defeat in Hindi heartland states, she had said, "We had suggested [to the Congress] a seat-sharing arrangement. They lost because of the division of votes."
Is Uddhav too a PM face?- After TMC and JDU batted for their top leaders to be the INDIA bloc face against PM Narendra Modi in the 2024 polls, UBT's Sanjay Raut has projected Uddhav as an alternative.
- Raut said, "Uddhav ji is a face which is acceptable to the country. I will not say for this post or that post, but he is staunch Hinduwadi and yet he is liberal. He takes everyone together."
- JDU's Ram Nath Thakur said, "The image that Nitish Kumar has made for himself in Bihar if he becomes the leader of INDIA, it will be good."
- Earlier, TMC pointed to Mamata saying a person who had beaten the BJP "multiple times" and had long administrative experience should be picked up to lead the INDIA bloc.
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| 4. Two new Bills for J&K with a dig at Nehru |  | The Bills- The Lok Sabha on Wednesday passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to nominate two members from the Kashmiri migrant community and one representing the displaced persons from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) to the legislative assembly.
- The House also passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill, which seeks to change the nomenclature of a section of people who are eligible for quota in appointment and admission.
- The bills were passed after more than six hours of debate spanning over two days and a spirited reply by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Nehru's blunders- Shah took a dig at Jawaharlal Nehru saying Jammu and Kashmir has suffered due to two blunders committed by India's first prime minister — first, announcing a ceasefire without winning the entire Kashmir and then taking the Kashmir issue to the United Nations.
- "Had Jawaharlal Nehru taken the right steps, PoK would have been part of India now. It was a historic blunder," he said.
- "I support the word that was used here — Nehruvian blunder. Because of the blunder that was committed during the time of Nehru, Kashmir had to suffer," Shah said.
A walkout- There was an uproar by the opposition benches over the remarks on Nehru and they staged a walkout but returned later.
- After their walkout, BJD's Bhartruhari Mahtab said Shah should also talk about the "Himalayan blunder", a reference to Nehru's actions leading up to the war with China in 1962.
- Shah quipped that his talking about two blunders had upset the opposition benches and if he had used the phrase "Himalayan blunder", they would have resigned.
And, some numbers- More than 45,000 people have lost their lives due to terrorism in Jammu and Kashmir so far, Shah said.
- In the Rajya Sabha, his deputy Nityanand Rai said terror incidents in J&K have shown a declining trend over the last six years with 2023 registering all-time low numbers. More here
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| 6. Why SC widened the ambit of 'party' in arbitration matters |  | What- In a path-breaking verdict with wide ramifications for arbitration cases, the Supreme Court on Wednesday widened the ambit of the term 'party' under the arbitration law to include non-signatory firms within a group in an agreement by using the "group of companies" doctrine.
Why- "This will ensure on the one hand that Indian arbitration law retains a sense of dynamism so as to respond to contemporary challenges. At the same time, structuring the doctrine in the manner suggested so as to ground it in settled principles governing the elucidation of mutual intent is necessary. This will ensure that the doctrine has a jurisprudential foundation in party autonomy and consent to arbitrate," the court said.
A doctrine- The group of companies doctrine is used to bind a non-signatory company within a group to an arbitration agreement which has been signed by another member of the group and this usually enhances the scope and effectiveness of such an agreement.
- A five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, in its two separate concurring judgements, made the doctrine applicable under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 with certain caveats.
- "The group of companies doctrine should be retained in the Indian arbitration jurisprudence considering its utility in determining the intention of the parties in the context of complex transactions involving multiple parties and multiple agreements," said the court.
Concept of 'party'- The court also held that under the Arbitration Act, the concept of a "party" is distinct and different from the concept of "persons claiming through or under" a party to the arbitration agreement.
- "The underlying basis for the application of the group of companies doctrine rests on maintaining the corporate separateness of the group companies while determining the common intention of the parties to bind the non-signatory party to the arbitration agreement," it said.
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| 7. Why so many men-in-uniform are retiring early |  | What- More than 46,000 personnel from the five Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) and the Assam Rifles took early retirement during the past five years, the government informed Parliament on Wednesday.
A record- The Border Security Force (BSF), with a strength of about 2.65 lakh personnel, responsible for guarding borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, recorded the highest number, with 21,860 personnel taking voluntary retirement.
Who else- The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the largest CAPF with around 3.25 lakh personnel, witnessed 12,893 members opting for voluntary retirement.
- Other forces included the Assam Rifles (5,146), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF - 3,012), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP - 2,281), and Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB - 1,738).
- The Assam Rifles guards the India-Myanmar border, the CISF is tasked with securing critical infrastructure such as civil airports, nuclear and aerospace facilities, the SSB guards open Indian fronts with Nepal and Bhutan and the ITBP is designated to guard the 3,488-kilometre Line of Actual Control with China.
But why?- The major reasons for voluntary retirement, as indicated by these forces, are personal and domestic, including children-related or family issues, health issues of self or family members, social or family obligations and commitments and for seeking better career opportunities, Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai informed the Rajya Sabha in a written reply.
Addressing attrition- The government has implemented various measures to address the high number of early retirements which includes the rotation of units from extreme hard areas to normal areas and providing postings near personnel's hometowns during the last two years of superannuation.
And some recommendations- An MHA report, presented in the Rajya Sabha on March 17 this year, a parliamentary committee suggested that CAPFs adopt a deployment rotation policy to prevent prolonged stays in challenging conditions.
- Additionally, it recommended conducting exit interviews or surveys among personnel opting for voluntary retirement and resignation to identify factors contributing to attrition and implementing measures to curb it.
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| 8. War in Gaza heads south |  | North to south- Israeli troops fought fierce battles with Hamas in southern Gaza on Wednesday after reaching the heart of the city of Khan Younis, forcing Palestinian civilians to seek refuge elsewhere as the number of safe areas decreases.
- Much of northern Gaza is extensively damaged from intense fighting, displacing 1.9 million people, as Israel shifts its focus to the south on day 61 of the war.
Relief work halted- Intense fighting blocked relief workers from distributing food, water and medicine across most of the Gaza Strip, deepening the humanitarian crisis as Israeli forces battled Hamas militants in a ground offensive that has brought some of the devastation and mass displacement to the south.
Israel's goal- A seven-day truce ended on December 1. During the pause, Gaza militants released 80 Israeli hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners, but Israel says 138 hostages remain in Gaza.
Plea for ceasefire- In Geneva, the UN human rights chief warns of an "apocalyptic" situation in Gaza and flags the risk of serious rights violations by both sides. Delivering aid through the Rafah border crossing from Egypt is deemed impossible.
- With mediation efforts seemingly stalled since the collapse of a truce on Friday, the UN human rights chief pleaded for an immediate ceasefire and the release of hostages.
International concerns- US State Secretary Antony Blinken on Wednesday held a telephonic conversation with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and reiterated the need for all parties to work together to prevent the Israel-Hamas war from spreading.
- US aid chief Samantha Power announced $21 million in new assistance to Gaza during a visit to Egypt, including hygiene, shelter and food supplies, in addition to the $100 million announced in October.
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| 9. Why is Putin in West Asia? |  | What- Russian President Vladimir Putin visited the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday before departing for Saudi Arabia in an one-day lightning tour intended to raise Moscow's profile as a West Asian power broker even as his war with Ukraine grinds on.
Energy and conflict- Putin landed in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the Emirates, that is hosting the United Nations' COP28 climate talks.
- Speaking at the start of his talks with UAE President Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Putin offered to discuss energy cooperation, the conflict in the Middle East and the "Ukrainian crisis", even as he praised the current state of Russia's relations with the UAE, according to the Associated Press.
A warm welcome- Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE's foreign minister, met a smiling Putin after he bounded down the stairs of his presidential plane.
- Four Su-35 fighter jets had escorted it all the way from Russia, landing at Abu Dhabi's commercial airport, since Al-Dhafra Air Base is a major US military hub in the region.
- Although the UAE is a US ally, it has close ties with Russia. It greeted Putin at Abu Dhabi's Qasr al-Watan palace with a 21-gun salute and a flyby of UAE military jets trailing smoke in the colours of the Russian flag.
Putin's foreign travels- Putin, who has limited his foreign travel since sending troops to invade Ukraine in February 2022, visited China in October and made several trips to former Soviet nations in recent months. He also visited Iran in 2022.
- He faces an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court (ICC) over the war in Ukraine.
- To be sure, neither the UAE nor Saudi Arabia has signed the ICC founding treaty, which means that they don't face an obligation to detain Putin over the warrant accusing him of being personally responsible for the abductions of children from Ukraine during the war.
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| Answer To NEWS IN CLUES |  | Gujarat. UNESCO has approved the inclusion of Gujarat’s traditional Garba dance in its `Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity’, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel announced in Ahmedabad on Wednesday. India had nominated Garba, performed across Gujarat and in many other parts of the country during the Navratri festival, for inclusion in the list.
COURTESY : TIMES TOP 10 |
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