| | 5 THINGS FIRST | Winter Session on Parliament begins; India vs New Zealand, 1st Test, Kanpur, day 5; Bypolls to 3 Rajya Sabha seats; Supreme Court to hear Amazon's plea against Delhi High Court order on antitrust proceedings; India-Singapore flights for fully-vaccinated passengers to resume | |
| | 1. Parliament’s in session and Day 1 is for farmers |  | The day before- The winter session of Parliament begins today and will go on till December 23.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi skipped an all-party meeting called ahead of the session. Centre said there is “no tradition” of the PM attending the meet. Leaders of 30 political parties attended the meeting.
On the agenda- The government has listed 26 bills for introduction during the session.
- The bill to roll back the three farm laws has been listed for introduction and passage in Lok Sabha today.
- Among the other prominent ones are bills to prohibit private cryptocurrencies and create an official digital currency, a bill on emigration management, one on judges' salaries, another on insolvencies and bankruptcies and one to combat human trafficking.
- There are also bills for poll-bound Uttar Pradesh and Tripura to amend the SC and ST list of the two states.
- Three bills will replace ordinances — one on narcotics and the other two to extend the tenure of directors of the Central Vigilance Commission and Central Bureau of Investigation.
- A report of the panel on the Personal Data Protection Bill, 2019 will also be tabled.
The big issues- The issues on the opposition’s list: minimum support price for farm produce, compensation to family of farmers who died during the protest against the three farm laws, border tensions with China, BSF's jurisdiction in border states, women’s reservation bill, Centre’s proposal to give ONGC's biggest oil and gas fields to the private sector, bank nationalisation amendment bill, monetisation proposals of the Centre, Pegasus spyware controversy, unemployment and rising fuel prices.
- The opposition showed unity on Friday by boycotting the Constitution Day function in Parliament, but reports say Trinamool may skip a meeting of opposition parties called by the Congress today.
Why it matters- Parliament’s legislative business has suffered in the last two years. While there was no winter session last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year’s budget session was cut short due to assembly elections. The monsoon session saw multiple bills being passed amidst disruptions.
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| Box | | 2. Omicron forces reviews, brings back curbs |  | A review - The Centre on Sunday decided to review the decision on resuming scheduled commercial international passenger services, in the wake of the new Covid-19 variant of concern 'omicron'. India had announced resumption of flights from December 15.
- The new, potentially more contagious B.1.1.529 variant was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 24.
The risk- “The new variant of coronavirus reportedly has more than 30 mutations at the spike protein region and therefore has the potential of developing immune-escape mechanisms. As most vaccines (work by) forming antibodies against the spike protein, so many mutations at the spike protein region may lead to a decreased efficacy of Covid-19 vaccines,” AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria said.
- In such a scenario, the efficacy of vaccines including those in use in India needs to be evaluated “critically”, he said.
The measures- Australia and the Netherlands on Sunday became the latest countries to detect the omicron variant in travellers who arrived from South Africa.
- Israel has decided to bar entry to foreign nationals and mandate quarantine for all Israelis arriving from abroad.
- Confirmed or suspected cases of the new variant have already emerged in several European countries, in Israel and Hong Kong.
- Face coverings will become a compulsory requirement in shops and public transport in England from tomorrow, the UK government said on Sunday. Two cases of the new Omicron variant were detected in the country.
The pushback- South Africa's top health federation on Sunday slammed the 18 nations which have imposed travel bans on the country, saying the world must avoid such “knee-jerk reaction” if it wants “transparency” in the sharing of critical medical data.
Catch the latest updates on omicron here | |
| | 3. 'My name is Munawar Faruqui …and I'm done' |  | - The Bengaluru police denied permission to Munawar Faruqui's stand-up comedy show in the city on Sunday amid protest by the Hindu right wing outfits.
- After a complaint from the right wing organisations, police wrote to the organisers to call off the show. “It is learnt that Munawar Faruqui is a controversial figure..... Many states have banned his comedy shows,” police said in the letter.
- Faruqui shared a statement on social media. “My name is Munawar Faruqui. And that's been my time, you guys were (a) wonderful audience. Good bye, I'm done,” he said.
- “Putting me in jail for the joke I never did to cancelling my shows which has nothing problematic in it. This is unfair. This show has gained so much love from people in India irrespective of their religion. This is unfair (sic)” he added in his Twitter statement.
- The proceeds from the show were supposed to be donated to late Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar's charitable organisation. Faruqui claimed that his 12 shows were called off in the last two months because of the threats to the venue and audiences.
- Earlier this year, Faruqui was arrested by the Indore Police and was in jail for almost a month before the Supreme Court granted him bail. He was arrested following a complaint by a BJP MLA's son that objectionable remarks about Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah were passed during a comedy show.
Read more on why comics are cracking jokes with cautionhere | |
| | 4. BJP sweeps Tripura civic polls, TMC gains |  | - The ruling BJP on Sunday swept the civic body elections in Tripura. It won all the seats of the Agartala Municipal Corporation and clinched several other urban local bodies.
- The Trinamool Congress left the CPI(M) behind to emerge as the main opposition of the BJP in several wards of the state's municipal bodies.
- BJP said the win showed "people's trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi". TMC called it an “exceptional” performance, despite being a new entrant in the state.
- The saffron party had fielded candidates for all the 334 seats of Agartala Municipal Corporation, 13 municipal bodies and six Nagar Panchayats in the state where its nominees won in 112 places uncontested. Elections to 222 seats were held on November 25.
- The ruling BJP is locked in a battle with the TMC, which is foraying into the Northeast and elsewhere to establish itself as a national party and with the CPI(M), which the saffron camp had dethroned from power in the state some years ago.
- The TMC, which alleged vote-rigging and intimidation in the elections, had demanded countermanding of the entire polls. The CPI(M) had sought fresh elections in five municipal bodies. including the AMC.
- Both parties had claimed that the authorities remained silent spectators as BJP supporters attacked political rivals and rigged the elections. More details here
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| | | 6. Where grazing is a national security matter |  | - Amid the ongoing border standoff with China, Indian Army’s restrictions on grazing in the traditional pasture land has left areas along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh vulnerable to ‘salami slicing’ by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and affected livestock rearing, the sole livelihood of nomadic inhabitants, who act as the ‘eyes’ of the forces.
- “The Chinese have given unfettered freedom to their nomads to move freely. They very often use their nomad community to transgress on our land in a step-by-step approach,” Konchok Stanzin, LAHDC Councillor representing Chushul constituency, had said in a memorandum to defence minister Rajnath Singh during his November 18 visit to the area.
- Separately, Stanzin told TOI that Indian nomads are restricted by the Indian Army from grazing their livestock on the traditional pastureland stretching from Hot Spring, Fingers (features on the north bank of Pangong Tso) to Nyalung Yokma and Nyalung Gongma, features on the south bank of Pangong that the Army refers to as Kailash range, Rechin La, Rezang La, Black Top, Gurung Hill and Phurtsur Karpo.
- “The Chinese send livestock and then send soldiers in civilian clothes as herders to pitch tents for staking claim on our land. These traditional grazing areas are important and our nomads must be allowed there with their livestock so they can detect any trespass,” he said, referring to reports of Chinese yaks grazing in Tharsang valley north of Marsimik La, the gateway to Gogra-Hot Spring areas.
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| | 7. India fight back, Shreyas shines again |  | - India set up a stiff target of 284 for New Zealand on the fourth day of the opening Test in Kanpur on Sunday.
- India declared at 234 for 7 for an overall lead of 283 and gave the Black Caps four tricky overs to face under fading light during which they managed four runs and lost opener Will Young to Ravichandran Ashwin.
- With that scalp, Ashwin became the joint third highest wicket-taker in Indian cricket with Harbhajan Singh (417 wickets).
- The honours for India on the day were shared by Shreyas Iyer (65 off 125 balls), who became the first Indian to score a hundred and fifty on debut and Wriddhiman Saha (61 not out, 126 balls), who battled a stiff neck to make an invaluable contribution.
- Axar Patel (28 not out) then conjured another 67-run eighth wicket stand with Saha to slowly take the match out of the Black Caps' grasp.
- If New Zealand are still in the match, credit must go to their tireless seam bowling duo of Tim Southee (22-2-75-3) and Kyle Jamieson (17-6-40-3).
Scorecard: India: 345 and 234/7 declared in 81 overs (Iyer 65, Saha 22 not out; Jamieson 3/740, Southee 3/75) | |
| | 8. Cancel RIL-Future deal, Amazon tells CCI |  | - A day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned the country head of Amazon India, Amit Aggarwal, as well as Future Group officials to its office later this week, in connection with the e-commerce giant’s contentious deal with Future Coupons, it has come to light that the Jeff Bezos promoted company wrote to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) asking it to cancel the Reliance Industries (RIL)-Future Retail deal.
- According to a Reuters report, citing the letter written on Wednesday last week, Amazon argued that the $3.4 billion deal was “illegally obtained” and a “nullity in the eyes of law” as the Singapore arbitration panel’s order last year, in favour of Amazon, was still in force. Amazon has also sought an in-person meeting with the CCI to present its case on why the RIL-Future Retail deal should be cancelled.
- Interestingly, while the Supreme Court in August upheld the arbitration panel’s decision preventing Future Retail from going ahead with its decision to merge with Reliance Retail — RIL’s wholly owned subsidiary — the CCI had cleared the deal. Amazon, which has successfully used its deal with Future Coupons to block Future Retail’s merger with RIL, is also facing allegations of concealing and misrepresenting facts for its 2019 deal with the Future Coupons.
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| | 9. Visa has a problem with RuPay, complains to US government |  | - Two-faced: Even as the digital payments conglomerate Visa pooh-poohs any threat to its leadership position in the Indian market by the indigenously developed payments solution provider RuPay, privately, it has complained to the US government that the Indian government’s “informal and formal” promotion of RuPay is hurting its market share, according to a report by Reuters citing US government memos.
- Brand push: According to the memos, Visa’s grudge stems from the push RuPay has received from none other than PM Narendra Modi who has likened its use to national service, saying in a 2018 speech that since "everyone cannot go to the border to protect the country, we can use RuPay card to serve the nation." Visa, which asked for a “level playing field” during a meeting with USTR Katherine Tai, which included Visa CEO Alfred Kelly, cited Modi’s speech to support its charges.
- Patriotism bites: The push by the government has seen Rupay’s share zoom from 15% in 2017 to 63% of the 95.2 crore debit and credit cards — amounting to 60.36 crore — issued till November last year, as per an RBI report. In fact, a brute majority of these were debit cards since only 970,000 Rupay credit cards were issued. In the credit card business though, Visa leads with a 44% market share followed by Mastercard, with a 37% share.
- Not a first: Visa’s grudges against RuPay were similarly echoed earlier by Mastercard in 2018, which had privately raised the issue with the USTR, alleging that Modi was using nationalism to promote RuPay. The company in fact was handed a ban on issuing new cards for not complying with a 2018 directive by the RBI asking it to store all payments data from India “only in India” for “unfettered supervisory access” — a ban that was labelled “draconian by a USTR official in private.
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| | | Answer to NEWS IN CLUES |  | Barbados. The island nation will become the world’s newest Republic as it severs its ties with the British monarchy, replacing Queen Elizabeth II, who’s its current Head of State, with Sandra Mason, currently the Queen’s representative in her capacity as Governor General, as the island’s first President. The birthplace of Rihanna, the world’s wealthiest singer, worth around $1.7 billion, Barbados’ capital is Bridgetown. | |
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| Written by: Rakesh Rai, Judhajit Basu, Sumil Sudhakaran, Tejeesh N.S. Behl
Research: Rajesh Sharma | |
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