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Headlines at a Glance

Headlines at a Glance – 5th August 2020

Union Ministers Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and Smriti Irani launch the book ‘Swachh Bharat Kranti’

The book “The Swachh Bharat Revolution”, edited by Parameswaran Iyer, Secretary of Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation has been translated into Hindi and published by as the Swachh Bharat Kranti. The book was officially launched by Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, and Union Minister of Textiles and Women & Child Development Smriti Irani in New Delhi on Tuesday. This was followed by a discussion on the book and the Swachh Bharat Mission by the two Ministers and Parameswaran Iyer. The discussion was watched by lakhs of field functionaries of the SBM through webcasting.  The Swachh Bharat Kranti captures the remarkable journey of the SBM through 35 essays by a diverse range of stakeholders and contributors to the SBM, sharing their perspective on this social revolution. The essays are arranged in four key sections which are the four key pillars of SBM’s success: Political Leadership, Public Financing, Partnerships and People’s Participation. With a foreword by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is a compilation of essays written by Arun Jaitley, Amitabh Kant, Ratan Tata, Sadhguru, Amitabh Bachchan, Akshay Kumar, Tavleen Singh, Bill Gates amongst others.

SOURCE: DD News

India hits back at new Pakistan map: ‘An exercise in political absurdity’

On the eve of the first anniversary of the withdrawal of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status under Article 370 and its bifurcation into Union territories, Pakistan on Tuesday released a new political map which depicts J&K as a disputed territory, and claims the regions of Sir Creek and the erstwhile state of Junagadh in Gujarat as part of its territory. Reacting sharply to the move, India called it an “exercise in political absurdity”. The map depicts the entirety of Jammu and Kashmir as a disputed territory while also incorporating Siachen as part of Pakistan. It does not show any borders in the east of Kashmir, where China illegally occupied Aksai Chin. It also incorporates Sir Creek into Pakistani territory as well as parts of the erstwhile princely state of Junagadh. The map also shows the Federally Administered Tribal Areas as being part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The Pakistan cabinet also approved the decision to rename a major road in Islamabad as Srinagar Highway. The road was previously called Kashmir Highway. This is not the first time Pakistan has tried to portray Junagadh as part of its territory. The 2012 Atlas of Islamic Republic of Pakistan also portrayed Junagadh as a separate territory.

SOURCE: The New Indian Express

MoD releases draft Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020

In order to provide impetus to self-reliance in defence manufacturing, multiple announcements were made under ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Package’. In implementing such framework and to position India amongst the leading countries of the world in defence and aerospace sectors, Ministry of Defence (MoD) has formulated a draft Defence Production and Export Promotion Policy 2020 (DPEPP 2020). The DPEPP 2020 is envisaged as overarching guiding document of MoD to provide a focused, structured and significant thrust to defence production capabilities of the country for self-reliance and exports. The policy says that Defence Attachés have been mandated and are supported to promote export of indigenous defence equipment abroad, with the efforts in this direction supplemented by selected Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSU). Subject to strategic considerations, domestically manufactured defence products will also be promoted through Government to Government agreements and Lines of Credit/Funding. In addition, with the aim to move away from licensed production to design, develop and produce indigenously and own the design rights and Intellectual Property (IP) of the systems projected in Long Term Integrated Perspective Plan (LTIPP) of the Services a Technology Assessment Cell (TAC) would be created.

SOURCE: The Hindu, PIB

Minimum Rs 500 cr net worth must for licence to sell petrol, diesel to retail, bulk users

The government on Tuesday said any entity with a net worth of at least Rs 500 crore is eligible for obtaining the liberalized licence to sell petrol and diesel to retail and bulk consumers. Clarifying on the November 2019 liberalized fuel licensing regime, the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas said any entity with a net worth of Rs 250 crore can get a licence to retail petrol and diesel to either bulk or retail consumers. For those seeking authorization for both retail and bulk should have a minimum net worth of Rs 500 crore at the time of application, it said in a statement. Last year, the government had relaxed norms for retailing of auto fuels, allowing non-oil companies to venture into the business — a move that could help private and foreign firms to enter the world’s fastest-growing market. Prior to that, a company had to invest Rs 2,000 crore in either hydrocarbon exploration and production, refining, pipelines or liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals to obtain a fuel retailing licence in India. In the statement, the ministry said the government had on November 8, 2019, notified simplified guidelines for grant of authorization for bulk and retail marketing of motor spirit (petrol) and high-speed diesel (diesel).

SOURCE: The Hindu

Kulbhushan Jadhav case: Pak court appoints 3 senior lawyers as amici curiae

A top Pakistani court has named three senior lawyers as amici curiae in the case of Kulbhushan Jadhav as it ordered the Pakistan government to give “another chance” to India to appoint a counsel for the death-row prisoner. Jadhav, the 50-year-old retired Indian Navy officer, was sentenced to death by a Pakistani military court on charges of espionage and terrorism in April 2017. India approached the International Court of Justice against Pakistan for denial of consular access to Jadhav and challenging the death sentence. The Hague-based ICJ ruled in July 2019 that Pakistan must undertake an “effective review and reconsideration” of the conviction and sentence of Jadhav and also to grant consular access to India without further delay. A two-member bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb appointed the three lawyers on Monday as it held a hearing of the petition filed by the Pakistan government to appoint a lawyer for Jadhav. Amicus Curiae is a lawyer appointed by a court to assist in any matter or case. The court also ordered a larger bench to be set up for the case. It also directed the registrar of the court to fix the proceedings at 2 pm on September 3 before a larger bench.

SOURCE: Business Standard

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