1. Cash Crunch Again, Five-Fold Hike in Printing of Rs 500 Notes Ordered
The government said Tuesday that it has ordered a five-fold increase in production of Rs 500 notes to total Rs 2,500 crore per day after at least six states, including poll-bound Karnataka, reported a serious currency crunch with several ATMs running empty.
As Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar also reported a shortage, Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley posted on Twitter: “Have reviewed the currency situation in the country. Overall, there is more than adequate currency in circulation and also available with the banks. The temporary shortage caused by ‘sudden and unusual increase’ in some areas is being tackled quickly.”
Department of Economic Affairs Secretary Subhash Chandra Garg told reporters that average monthly demand has more than doubled to Rs 40,000-45,000 crore from Rs 19,000-20,000 crore just a couple of months ago.
(Source: The Indian Express)
2. AAP vs Centre Again: 9 Advisers in Kejriwal Government Sacked
In a blow to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, its own general administration department (GAD) on Tuesday cancelled the appointments of nine party members working as advisers and consultants to the Delhi Cabinet on the advice of the Union home ministry.
The order, which cited a home ministry letter, drew sharp criticism from the Delhi government’s political executive, which alleged that the move was aimed at derailing the “good work” done in the past three years.
A spokesperson said the government will challenge the order in court.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
3. Google Wants Aadhaar to Fail, UIDAI Tells SC
Defending Aadhaar, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) claimed before the Supreme Court on Tuesday that private entities, including smart card companies and Internet giant Google, don’t want the 12-digit biometric ID system to succeed and rejected the contention that data collected for the project can be used to create voters’ profiles to rig elections.
During a hearing on the cases challenging the constitutional validity of Aadhaar, Chief Justice Dipak Misra remarked that democracy would be at peril if data collected during Aadhaar authentication is misused for “influencing the elections.” This apprehension was echoed by Justice DY Chandrachud, a member of the bench hearing the cases.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
4. World Bank, IMF Optimistic About India’s Growth Rate
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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday said India should address labour market rigidities to create more jobs and undertake financial sector reforms to improve governance in public sector banks to contain downside risks to its medium-term growth prospects.
In its bi-annual World Economic Outlook, IMF kept its growth projections for India unchanged at 7.4% for 2018-19 and 7.8% for 2019-20, holding that economic activity will be lifted by strong private consumption as well as fading transitory effects of demonetisation and implementation of the Goods and Services Tax.
(Source: Hindustan Times)
5. Manmohan Singh on Kathua, Unnao Rape Cases: ‘PM Modi Should Follow Own Advice to me, Speak More Often’
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his long silence over the rape and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Kathua and the alleged rape of a teenager by a BJP MLA in Unnao, former prime minister Manmohan Singh told The Indian Express that Modi “should follow his own advice to me” and “speak more often”.
In an exclusive interview, Singh said he was glad that Modi finally broke his silence last Friday at an event in Delhi commemorating the birth anniversary of BR Ambedkar, when he said the “daughters of India” will get justice and the guilty won’t be spared.
Asked about the manner in which the BJP would taunt him, calling him ‘Maun-Mohan Singh’ when he chose silence over speech on several matters during the last months of his government, the former PM said he “had lived with comments like these his whole life”.
(Source: The Indian Express)
6. Centre Ready With SC/ST Ordinance if SC Refuses Review
The government is ready with a draft ordinance to restore all provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, including restoration of automatic arrest for offences under the law, in case it fails to persuade the Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling.
The Centre is making strenuous efforts through a review petition to nullify the recent SC judgment doing away with mandatory arrest and setting out approval of a superior authority before the arrest of a government official. But it has also prepared its response if the SC does not heed its arguments.
The SC order has made it mandatory for a preliminary inquiry by a deputy superintendent of police before registering an FIR under the Act to guard against alleged misuse and in view of the large number of acquittals. The court had clarified that there was no need to wait for an inquiry in case of an IPC offence.
(Source: The Times of India)
7. BJP Ministers in J&K to Quit for Cabinet Recast
The BJP has sought the resignation of its ministers in the coalition J&K government with an aim to recast its representation in the wake of two ministers resigning over the Kathua rape-murder case. Some of the incumbents might be replaced with new faces.
BJP sources clarified that initial reports that the party is pulling out its partnership with PDP were incorrect and said the exercise pertained to a restructuring of its presence in the state government.
The party is expected to make fresh recommendations and functionaries said the PDP-BJP alliance is intact. “There is no danger to the government but resignation is being made to pave way for the reshuffle,” a senior BJP leader said.
(Source: The Times of India)
8. Mecca Masjid Blast: NIA Prosecutor N Harinath Has ABVP Link
NIA special public prosecutor N Harinath, engaged for the 2007 Mecca Masjid blast case, was associated with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) as a student in Hyderabad and said Tuesday that he has continued to help the RSS-affiliated student body organise events.
On Monday, an NIA court in Nampally acquitted five accused, including Swami Aseemanand, in the case.
Harinath, who took over as the NIA prosecutor when the Mecca Masjid blast trial started in 2015, told The Indian Express: “When I was pursuing my second year in law I joined ABVP but have never been associated with the BJP. I have since been donating and helping them (ABVP) organise events.”
The NIA declined comment on the empanelment of Harinath — associated with only the Mecca Masjid bombing case — as a prosecutor.
(Source: The Indian Express)
9. Law Commission Backs Simultaneous Polls, Seeks Views
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Pressing for a constitutional amendment to conduct simultaneous elections to the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies, the Law Commission Tuesday decided to seek the opinion of all stakeholders, including political parties, on the issue.
The move comes two months after President Ram Nath Kovind endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to hold simultaneous elections.
The Commission’s “Draft working paper — Simultaneous Elections — Constitution and Legal Perspectives”, which has been sent to the Union Law Ministry, states: “Simultaneous elections may be restored in the nation by amending the Constitution, the Representation of the People Act 1951 and Rules of Procedure of Lok Sabha and those of the State Legislative Assemblies.”
(Source: The Indian Express)
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