14 September 2024, The Hindu
Centre tells probe panel to submit its report on Manipur violence by Nov. 20
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GS 3: Linkages between development and spread of extremism.
- The three-member Commission of Inquiry (CoI) notified last year by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to probe the Manipur ethnic violence has been asked to submit its report to the Central government as soon as possible, but not later than November 20.
- The CoI has received around 11,000 affidavits comprising “statement, allegation or complaint” so far. The last date to submit the affidavits was January 24.
Infiltration has taken place in Santhal Pargana, State govt.’s support less than expected: Centre
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GS 3: Role of external state and non-state actors in creating challenges to internal security
- Amid the ongoing politics over changing demographics in Jharkhand’s Santhal Pargana region ahead of the Assembly polls, the Union government has now told a Bench of the Jharkhand High Court that “infiltration is assessed to have taken place” in the region through Sahibganj and Pakur districts and that the Jharkhand government’s support to check this has “been less than expected”.
- The Union government was responding to a 2022 public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a BJP worker in Jharkhand, which alleged that the Scheduled Tribe population in Santhal Pargana was reducing because “illegal infiltrators from Bangladesh” were settling in the area and marrying into ST families to gain land and influence.
The shock of crumbling infrastructure and the solution
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GS 2: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors and issues arising out of their design and implementation
- Reports on the collapse of a series of under-construction bridges in Bihar have highlighted the issues of quality control and project implementation in infrastructure in India. In some instances, these have been megaprojects. The number of such incidents where bridges have collapsed could be 10 or even more. The infrastructure sector has been one of the key drivers of the Indian economy.
- The government’s aim of making India a developed nation by 2047 is linked to improvements in its infrastructure sector. Steps to advance India’s infrastructure have taken shape in the form of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (NMP), the National Logistics Policy and the Smart Cities Mission among others. Further, the government increased its capital expenditure allocation to ₹11.11 lakh crore (3.4% of GDP) in Budget 2024, indicating the government’s commitment towards infrastructure development.
Accused has right to be silent during interrogation: judge
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Prelims: Judiciary
- Supreme Court judge, Justice Ujjal Bhuyan, in his separate opinion allowing bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Friday (September 13, 2024), upheld the right of an accused to remain silent during interrogation.
- Justice Bhuyan, in his separate opinion on the two-judge Bench headed by Justice Surya Kant, observed that an investigating agency cannot presume guilt or make an adverse inference against an accused who chose to remain mum.
High Courts should not sit on bail pleas, says top court
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GS 2: Separation of powers between various organs dispute redressal mechanisms and institutions
- The Supreme Court on Friday (September 13, 2024) held that a High Court must either relegate bail pleas to the trial court concerned then and there or promptly hear them on merits as the right to personal liberty was at stake.
- A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan made the observation in a judgment granting bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case.
India broadens dialogue with interim govt. in Bangladesh
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GS 2: India and its neighborhood- relations
- In a bid to regularise ties with Bangladesh after the Sheikh Hasina-led government fell last month, India has gradually broadened its engagement with the interim government in Dhaka led by Chief Adviser Mohammed Yunus. Starting September 2, High Commissioner Pranay Verma has met with the advisors in charge of various key departments in the interim administration.
- Mr. Verma met with Lt. General Jehangir Alam Chaudhury (Retd), Bangladesh’s adviser for home affairs, on September 2 to discuss “potential engagement to advance bilateral security cooperation”. A statement from the High Commission of India said that they had “exchanged views on border management, capacity building, and safety and security of Indian nationals and students in Bangladesh.”
‘India literacy in Australia can unlock bilateral potential’
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GS 2: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests
- Lisa Singh, the CEO of the Australia-India Institute, a leading research and policy think tank dedicated to supporting and understanding the bilateral cooperation, is a former Australian Senator and was the first woman of South Asian heritage to be elected to the Australian Parliament.
- She is in India to meet with a wide range of stakeholders invested in the development of the Indian Ocean and Indo Pacific region, and to deepen the footprint of the research- and policy-focused fellowship that the AI Institute offers. She spoke to Narayan Lakshman about some of the key areas of focus for Canberra and New Delhi as they seek to lift bilateral ties to an ever-higher level.
Petition seeks awareness on crimes against women
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GS 1: Role of women and women’s organization
- The Supreme Court on Friday (September 13, 2024) sought the Union government’s response to a public interest litigation petition to raise awareness in educational institutions about crimes against women, saying knee-jerk reactions like making punishments harsher after a gruesome crime is hardly a solution.
- A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud issued notice on the petition filed by senior advocate Aabad Ponda.
Das flags non-bank expansion risk in financial intermediation
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GS 3: Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization, of resources, growth, development and employment
- Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das on Friday said that the proliferation of non-bank institutions in financial intermediation may create risks to financial stability due to their size, complexity and interconnectedness with the domestic and global financial systems.
- “In recent years, a number of vulnerabilities have emerged in NBFIs in advanced economies, contributing to periods of market dysfunction. Hidden leverage and liquidity mismatches of these institutions can amplify shocks and propagate strains throughout the financial system,” he said.
