CURRENT AFFAIRS - 08.12.2023

 

1. What have govts done to stop illegal immigrants? What's the status? The Supreme Court on Thursday sought a response from the Centre on steps taken by it to safeguard the north-eastern borders of the country to stem the influx from Bangladesh. It said it would deal with this issue while examining the constitutional validity of Section 6A of the Citizenship Act, which protects immigrants who entered the country till March 25, 1971. The court highlighted the adverse impact of large-scale illegal migration on the social and cultural fabric as well as the additional burden it puts on existing national resources. A 'crucial problem' Chief Justice DY Chandrachud-headed five-judge Constitution bench said illegal migration is a "crucial problem" and expanded the ambit of the proceedings to address the issue and make the border impregnable. It directed the Centre to file an affidavit on the magnitude of the problem facing the country and the remedial measures it is taking and proposes to take to stop migration from Bangladesh and the deportation of illegal immigrants. At the core The intervention expanding the scope of the challenge to Section 6A has trained the spotlight on the resentment of the original inhabitants of Assam for being overwhelmed in their own land. Why not Bengal? The court also raised a question on why Section 6A was applied only in Assam and didn't cover immigrants who entered other border states including West Bengal. "Why did you single out Assam when West Bengal has a longer border and influx may also be significant," the bench asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. The law Section 6A, inserted as a special provision to deal with the citizenship of people covered under the Assam Accord, says those who entered the state on or after January 1, 1966, but before March 25, 1971, from specified territories, including Bangladesh, must register themselves under Section 18 for acquiring Indian citizenship. The petitioners contend that the Assam Accord is discriminatory as it differentiates the Assamese people from those living in other states as identically placed persons. More here

2. Jaishankar explains why India is probing US inputs What India has constituted an inquiry committee to look into the inputs received from the US as these have a bearing on the country's national security, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. It came days after Washington alleged an Indian link to a foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist on its soil. The concerned separatist is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated terrorist by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), who holds dual citizenship of both the US and Canada, and is associated with a group named 'Sikhs for Justice' which has been banned by the Indian government. A matter of 'inequitable' treatment The minister was also asked why there was no equitable treatment with regard to charges made by the Canadian government concerning India's alleged role in assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, another Sikh Separatist. In response, he said, "Insofar as Canada is concerned, no specific evidence or inputs were provided to us. So the question of equitable treatment to two countries, one of whom has provided input and one of whom has not, does not arise." US, Canada told about threats Pannun, in a recent video, threatened to attack the Indian Parliament on or before December 13. India has raised the matter of threats issued by Pannun with the US and Canadian authorities, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said in a press briefing on Thursday. "We do take threats seriously. We are caught in a bind here. I don't want to amplify too much credence to search for extremists who make threats and get a lot of coverage." FBI director to visit India FBI Director Christopher Wray will visit India next week - a first in many years. The US ambassador to India Eric Garcetti, who announced Wray's travel plans, did not share further details. But Bagchi of MEA said on Thursday that the visit by the FBI Director had "been in the works for some time". Wray's planned visit comes amid a US federal investigation into a suspected plot to assassinate Pannun on American soil, for which US prosecutors have alleged the involvement of an Indian government official.

3. BJP's top body meets but CM suspense continues A work in progress Four days after winning elections in three Hindi heartland states, the BJP is still working to finalise the names of the next chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. The parliamentary board, the highest decision-making body of the BJP, held a meeting to discuss the matter but no decision was taken yet on the CM choices. Why it's taking so long The BJP is reportedly trying to strike a balance in social, regional, governance and organisational interests of the party in picking the three CMs, keeping in mind that it has to face parliamentary polls in five months. In all three states, the BJP is also reportedly looking for a generational change or bring a fresh face as its CM candidate. Over to observers The BJP has decided to appoint central observers for electing the leaders of its legislature parties in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Observers could be named on Friday. They will then travel to the respective states to oversee the meetings of newly elected MLAs where the future chief ministers may be named over the weekend. Meanwhile... Leaders from three states continued meeting the top party brass, including Union Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda. However, party leaders played down their significance, saying such meetings are routine. "There can be only three chief ministers. One should not be reading too much into it," one unnamed BJP source was quoted as saying in reports. The probables Union ministers Narendra Tomar and Pralhad Patel are reportedly in contention for being a potential replacement of the incumbent Shivraj Singh Chouhan in Madhya Pradesh. Baba Balaknath, who resigned from Parliament, met Shah on Thursday, triggering speculation that he could be an alternative to former CM Vasundhara Raje in Rajasthan. In Chhattisgarh, state BJP president Arun Sao, an OBC, Union minister Gomati Sai and Lata Usendi (both ST) are seen as serious contenders if the party looks beyond former CM Raman Singh. More here

4. Why an MP wants parental control over who to marry A 'love marriage' proposal BJP's Lok Sabha MP from Haryana Dharambir Singh on Thursday demanded in Parliament that the government bring in a new law to make the consent of parents mandatory in love marriages. Noting that India has a long tradition of arranged marriages, Singh said they are based on a match of several common factors such as social and individual values and likes as well as family backgrounds. The logic Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha during 'zero hour', he said, "There is a lot of increase in divorce rate recently and the main reason for it is love marriages." "Therefore, it is my suggestion that the consent of the mother and father of the bride and groom be made mandatory in love marriages because in large parts of the country, marriage does not happen in the same 'gotra' and due to love marriages there are a lot of conflicts in the villages," he said. 'Live-in a disease' The Bhiwani-Mahendragarh MP termed live-in relationships a "dangerous disease" that needs to be eradicated from society and urged the government to make a law against it. "Such relationships are very common in western nations but this evil is fast spreading in our society also and the consequences are horrible. Recently, the case of Shraddha [Walkar] and Aftab [Poonawala] had come to light in which both were in a live-in relationship," Singh said. Reminder: SC rulings In several judgments, the top court has legally recognised live-in relationships and the right to freedom of choice in marriage. In the landmark Khushboo case of 2010, the SC held that live-in relationships were not illegal or immoral and that two consenting adults had the right to live together without getting married. Since then the SC has extended legal protection to persons in live-in relationships under laws dealing with domestic violence, maintenance and adoption.

NEWS IN CLUES 5. Identify this political party Clue 1: It is recognised as a 'national party' in India Clue 2: It won 85 Lok Sabha seats in 1989, up from 2 in 1984 Clue 3: It claims to be the world's largest political party by primary membership Scroll below for answer

6. Can India bring back ex-Navy men on death row in Qatar? What The Indian ambassador to Qatar met on December 3 eight former Indian Navy personnel who were handed death sentences by a Qatari court in October, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Thursday. MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said two hearings on the appeal against the death sentence have already taken place. Consular access "We are closely following the matter and extending all legal and consular assistance...Our ambassador got consular access to meet all eight of them in prison on December 3," Bagchi said at a media briefing. The Indian nationals were given consular access earlier as well. Case background The Indian nationals, who worked with private company Al Dahra, were arrested in August last year reportedly in an alleged case of espionage. The eight former Indian Navy personnel were on October 26 given death sentence by Qatar's Court of First Instance. The judgment details are so far confidential and shared only with the legal team. India described the ruling as "deeply" shocking and vowed to explore all legal options in the case. India has formally filed an appeal with Qatar against the death sentences. Officers of 'unblemished stint' All of the former navy officers had "unblemished stints" of up to 20 years in the Indian Navy and had held important positions including that of instructors in the force, former military officials told PTI. In May, Al Dahra closed its operations in Doha and all those working there (mostly Indians) have since returned.

7. New Congress CM has task cut out in Telangana New leadership Congress Legislature Party leader Anumula Revanth Reddy on Thursday took oath as the Chief Minister of Telangana, while senior leader Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka was sworn in as his deputy. Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among those who attended the swearing-in ceremony of Reddy, Vikramarka and 10 other ministers. Victory has a price The Congress's triumph in Telangana comes with the task of implementing the party's significant "six guarantees" amid a tight fiscal landscape. The six guarantees pledged by the Congress include a Rs 2-lakh loan waiver for farmers, free travel for women in state-run buses, monthly financial aid for women, a scheme providing Rs 16,000 per acre to farmers, subsidised gas cylinders at Rs 500 and free power up to 200 units. Analysts estimate that the Congress government may need to allocate Rs 1.2 lakh crore annually to implement its diverse schemes, including the existing ones. Additionally, the Rs 2-lakh loan waiver scheme would require an additional Rs 20,000 crore, posing substantial financial challenges. What the state finances say Telangana is one of the top-three states in India in terms of per-capita income or per-capita net domestic product. However, an additional burden of Rs 1.2 lakh crore can burn a hole in the pockets of the richest states unless financial prudence is maintained. Telangana's revenue and expenditure for 2022-23 are nearly identical, standing at Rs 1,72,000 crore - which means it is estimated to be at some kind of a breakeven. So, it can be a tightrope walk unless the state has a plan to ensure a stable increase in revenue receipts and control committed expenditure on salaries, pensions and interest (which currently stands at 35% of revenue receipts) . Telangana's outstanding public debt is estimated to be Rs 3.57 lakh crore, according to the Budget estimates 2023-24, which is 23.8% of GSDP — a good number in Indian context, considering that only seven states have a debt-to-GSDP ratio lower than 25%. The question is, will the Congress government in Telangana be able to maintain fiscal prudence after delivering its six guarantees? Meanwhile The Reddy government in its first cabinet meeting decided to release a white paper on the state's finances and begin implementation of two of its six poll 'guarantees' from December 9.

8. Why govt has banned sugarcane for ethanol production No more sugar The Centre on Thursday banned the use of 'sugarcane juice and sugar syrup' for ethanol production in the 2023-24 supply year that started this month, in order to maintain adequate sugar availability for domestic consumption and to keep prices under check. Concerns over shortage The Group of Ministers, including Piyush Goyal, Narendra Singh Tomar, and Amit Shah, held a meeting on Monday and expressed apprehension over an anticipated decline in sugar production in Maharashtra and Karnataka, according to news reports. An election link The ministers fear that this could lead to a surge in sugar prices right before the 2024 general elections, prompting a need for strategic measures and the directive aims at ensuring an ample supply of sugar in the country before the implementation of the election code of conduct. Ethanol usage Ethanol produced from sugar sources is crucial for blending with petrol and is supplied to oil marketing companies like Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum, and Hindustan Petroleum. However, the government notification states that sugar mills can continue to produce ethanol from B-Heavy molasses, which is a by-product in sugar production, to meet the requirement for blending with petrol. Supporting farmers The government had earlier announced a Rs 10 per quintal increase in the minimum price of sugarcane, raising it to Rs 315 per quintal for the 2023-24 season. This initiative aims to enhance returns for farmers engaged in sugarcane cultivation.

9. What makes Xi's Vietnam visit significant What China's President Xi Jinping will visit Vietnam on December 12 and 13 to meet top state officials and discuss upgrading the two countries' relations, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Thursday. Why They will focus on areas of political security, multilateral and maritime issues, and promote further strategic cooperation, spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a press briefing. Several Chinese leaders have visited Vietnam leading up to the visit as the two countries seek to fortify ties. "Since the beginning of this year, (China and Vietnam) have had frequent high-level interactions, close exchanges in various sectors, and continued deepening of cooperation in various fields," Wang said. Strategic importance China and the United States have been jostling for influence among Southeast Asian nations, including Vietnam, which elevated its ties with Washington to a comprehensive strategic partnership, putting its one-time enemy on par with Beijing and Moscow. Vietnam is also strategically important in the light of the tussle between US and China over dominance in the South China Sea. A 'traditional' partnership China is Vietnam's largest trading partner and a vital source of imports for its manufacturing sector, even though the two nations have unresolved border disputes. In October, Xi told Vietnam's second-highest ranking official that both countries must not forget the "original intention" of their traditional friendship.

10. You share your b'day with... Source: Various

Answer To NEWS IN CLUES Bharatiya Janata Party. Lok Sabha member of the BJP Ramesh Bidhuri on Thursday expressed regret for his offensive remarks against Bahujan Samaj Party's MP Danish Ali. Bidhuri, an MP from Delhi, informed the Lok Sabha Privileges Committee that Union Minister Rajnath Singh had already conveyed regret in the House on his behalf. During a discussion on the Chandrayaan-3 mission in September Bidhuri used offensive language against Ali, accusing the latter of using derogatory words for PM Modi. COURTESY : TIMES TOP 10