Amaravati (Andhra Pradesh) , January 26,2021: Advisor to Andhra Pradesh government on public policy, and Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) general secretary Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy on Monday said that the government respects the verdict of Supreme Court and the state government will proceed to conduct the gram panchayat elections as per the new schedule announced by the State Election Commission (SEC).
Reddy said that the government has no pretentions regarding the conduct of gram panchayat elections. He reiterated that the government approached the Apex Court keeping public health in mind.
While speaking to media on the matter of Supreme Court’s verdict on the conduct of gram panchayat elections, Reddy said that the State Election Commissioner Nimmagadda Ramesh Kumar did not consider the fears of employees’ unions.
“SEC Kumar did not consider that the employees have to risk their lives for the conduct of elections. We doubt there is a conspiracy behind SEC conducting gram panchayat elections instead of holding the Mandal Parishad Territorial Constituency (MPTC) and Zilla Praja Parishad Territorial Constituency (ZPTC) elections which were postponed,” Reddy told reporters.
“Even now the SEC has no intention to hold consultations with the state government. He wrote a letter to the central government seeking the services of central government employees for the conduct of elections. That is not correct and meaningless,” he added.
Reddy further said that the state government employees expressed their objections to take part in the polling process, adding that the central government employees will also have the same problem.
Reddy further reasoned that the state government’s special leave petition in the apex court was only made keeping public health as a priority.
“If anything happens to the employees, the responsibility will be that of SEC only. We asked to postpone the elections not to gain upper hand over anybody, but for the sake of public health only. It is difficult to conduct elections and COVID vaccination at the same time,” he said.
“We will discuss with the centre on how to proceed with vaccination. There is a conspiracy behind SEC’s persistence for the conduct of polls. We do not have any ego issues with anybody. As a party, YSRCP is not afraid of facing elections. We are confident of winning any elections. We fought for the sake of public health only,” he added.
Reddy further said that Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy has held discussions with senior leaders of the party and senior officials.
“They discussed the Supreme Court verdict on gram panchayat elections. They reviewed the possibilities of conducting the panchayat polls. They decided to cooperate with the State Election Commissioner for the conduct of gram panchayat elections,” he said.
The Andhra Pradesh State Election Commission on Monday rescheduled the dates for the first phase of the gram panchayat elections. The first phase will now take place on February 21.
As per the State Election Commission, this will reshuffle the phases that had been initially planned. The previously scheduled second, third and fourth phases will now be the first, second and third respectively.
The dates for the new fourth phase elections will be as follows – date of issue of notice is February 10, last day for nominations is February 12, scrutiny of nominations will take place on February 13, and the last date for withdrawal of candidatures is February 16.
Counting of votes and declaration of results will also be on February 21.
The (now) first, second and third phases will take place on February 19, February 13 and February 17.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition filed by the Andhra Pradesh government challenging the State Election Commission’s (SEC) order to hold Panchayat polls in the state.
Andhra Pradesh government had challenged the order of the state SEC on the ground of vaccination drive to stop the polls in the state.
A bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul dismissed the petition filed by the Andhra Pradesh government on the issue.
New Delhi , January 26,2021: Security has been tightened in the national capital with police barricades mounted at various important places in the city including ITO, Yamuna Bridge and other locations.
This has been done in view of the proposed tractor rally called by the farmer unions on Republic Day against the recently enacted central farm laws.
Earlier on January 24, Special Commissioner of Police (CP), Intelligence in Delhi Police, Dependra Pathak had said that three routes have been determined for the farmer leaders’ tractor rally from three border points of Delhi.
“The tractor rally will enter Delhi from Tikri, Singhu, and Ghazipur borders and return to its originating points. From Singhu, it will pass through Kanjhawala, Bawana, Auchandi border, KMP Expressway and then return to Singhu,” Pathak told reporters at a press conference.
He further said, “From Tikri border, it will go to Nangloi and pass through Najafgarh and Western Peripheral Expressway. From Ghazipur border, the rally will go to 56-foot road and return to its originating point passing through Kundli-Ghaziabad-Palwal Expressway.”
Delhi Police has also beefed-up security at all the power sub-stations and grids across the national capital in view of threat received by a power distribution company about the disruption of power supply in the national capital.
The police have also issued an alert to power distribution companies in view of the threat posed by banned outfit Sikhs for Justice.
Farmer leaders have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 against the three newly enacted farm laws – Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
New Delhi, Jan 25,2021: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and musical maestro SP Balasubramaniam are among the eminent personalities awarded with Padma Vibhushan this year, the Ministry of Home Affairs announced on the eve of 72nd Republic Day.
The Padma, the fourth highest civilian award in India, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
These awards–given for excellence in disciplines such as art, social work, public affairs, sports, etc–are usually given by the President at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhawan every year.
While Dr Belle Monappa Hegde of Tamil Nadu has been given for his work in the field of Medicine, late Narinder Singh Kapany of USA for Science and Engineering, Mr Sudarshan Sahoo of Odisha for Art,Maulana Wahiuddin Khan and Mr BB Lal for spiritualism and Archaeology respectively.
A total of 10 people have been given the third highest award Padma Bhushan which includes the names of Ms Krishnan Nair Shantakumari Chithra of Kerala for Art, late Tarun Gogoi of Assam for Public Affairs , Mr Chandrashekhar Kambara of Karnataka for Literature and Education, Ms Sumitra Mahajan of Madhya Pradesh for Public Affairs, Mr Nripendra Misra of Uttar Pradesh for Civil Services, late Ram Vilas Paswan of Bihar and late Keshubhai Patel of Gujarat for Public Affairs, late Kalbe Sadiq of Uttar Pradesh for spiritualism Mr Rajnikant Devidas Shroff of Maharashtra for Trade and Industry and Mr Tarlochan Singh of Haryana for Public Services.
Ms Krishnan Nair and Shantakumari Chithra often credited as singer K. S. Chithra of Kerala for Art, have been considered as a duo case in which the Award is counted as one.
The Centre has also conferred 102 Padma Shri awards to the persons of eminence in the various fields including art, literature, public services.
The Padma Awards – one of the highest civilian Awards of the country, are conferred in three categories, namely, Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri.
The Awards are given in various disciplines, fields of activities such as art, social work, public affairs, science and engineering, trade and industry, medicine, literature and education, sports, civil service, while ‘Padma Vibhushan’ is awarded for exceptional and distinguished service; ‘Padma Bhushan’ for distinguished service of high order and ‘Padma Shri’ for distinguished service in any field.
The awards are announced on the occasion of Republic Day every year and these have been conferred by the President of India at ceremonial functions, held at Rashtrapati Bhawan usually around March or April every year.
Among the 102 Padma Shri Awards, 29 of the awardees are women and the list also includes 10 persons from the category of foreigners, Non Resident Indian, Person of Indian Origin, Overseas Citizen of India , 16 Posthumous awardees and 1 transgender awardee.
Vietnam’s ruling Communist Party gathers for its first national congress since 2016 later on Monday with a mission to select new leaders and shape policy for the next five years.
The event, the 13th congress since the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1930, will bring 1,600 delegates from across the Southeast Asian country to the capital, Hanoi.
In nine days of meetings – mostly behind closed doors – delegates will pick a new leadership team aiming to bolster Vietnam’s ongoing economic success and the legitimacy of the party’s rule.
Vietnam has seen its economy outstrip much of the region in the past year, keeping the coronavirus pandemic at bay thanks to stringent quarantine measures, testing and tracing: it has reported just more than 1,500 COVID-19 infections and 35 deaths in total, much fewer than most other countries.
One of the last five Communist-ruled countries in the world besides China, Cuba, Laos and North Korea, Vietnam is already eyeing average annual gross domestic product growth of 7 percent over the next five years.
But a new leadership will be faced with the challenge of balancing relations with China and the United States, for which Vietnam has become an important strategic partner.
In the months running up to the meeting there has been intense competition for a limited number of top posts. Vietnam officially has four “pillars” of leadership: the party chief; the state president; the prime minister and the National Assembly chair.
While a 2016 power struggle and subsequent crackdown on corruption in government has deepened factional fault lines across party ranks, most analysts expect continuity in Vietnam’s economic, domestic and foreign policy-making after the congress.
The main candidates for the new positions to be determined at the congress are all widely known in Hanoi’s political circles, but were officially declared top secret in December to discourage potentially critical debate.
The Communist Party retains tight control of domestic media and tolerates little criticism. The run-up to the event has been marked with an escalating crackdown. Last year, Amnesty International said it had recorded 170 “prisoners of conscience” – the highest since it began publishing figures for Vietnam in 1996.
New Delhi , January 25,2021: The ninth round of Corps Commander Level talks between India and China ended at 2:30 am on Monday.
The meeting lasted for more than 15 hours after starting at 11 am on Sunday at Moldo opposite Chushul in the Eastern Ladakh sector to address the ongoing military standoff.
The two countries have been engaged in a stand-off along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) since April-May last year. While China began amassing massive military strength along the LAC, India responded with a befitting build-up.
Multiple rounds of talks have failed to yield any significant result in defusing border tensions. The last round of Corps Commander-level talks between both countries were held on November 6, 2020 in Chushul in Eastern Ladakh.
On August 29-30, India occupied heights along the northern and southern bank of the Pangong Lake which includes dominating positions overlooking the Chinese military deployed in that area.
The Chinese have been asking India to withdraw troops and tanks first from the southern bank but India has been asking for disengagement from all the friction points.
New Delhi, Jan 25,2021; A total of 32 children have been awarded the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, 2021.
The Government has been awarding the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar to the children with exceptional abilities and outstanding accomplishments, in the fields of innovation, scholastics, sports, arts and culture, social service and bravery, the Ministry of Women and Child Development said in a statement here on Sunday.
The awardee children are from 32 districts of 21 states/UTs.
Seven awards have been given in the field of Art and Culture, 9 awards have been given for Innovation and 5 for scholastic achievements.
Seven children have won in Sports category, 3 children have been felicitated for Bravery and one child has been honoured for her efforts in the field of Social Service.
While commending the young achievers, President Ram Nath Kovind has stated in a message that ‘I am hopeful that Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, 2021 would not only motivate the winners but will also encourage millions of other young children to dream, aspire and stretch their limits. Let us all do our personal best to take our nation to new zenith of success and prosperity.’
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will virtually interact with the Awardees on Monday through Video-Conferencing.
Hong Kong, January 24,2021: China’s plan to dam the Yarlung Zangbao, the world’s highest river, threatens to spark conflict with downstream India, reported Asia Times.
China is planning to construct a mega-dam on the Yarlung Zangbao River, which flows through Tibet and eventually becomes the Brahmaputra when it enters India.
The Yarlung Zangbao Dam plan is moving ahead without China discussing or entering into water-sharing agreements with downstream India or Bangladesh.
Bangladesh, which maintains cordial relations with China, too protested over the Yarlung Zangbao Dam, reported Asia Times.
Bertil Linter in an opinion piece in Asia Times wrote that precise technical details regarding the mega-dam on the Yarlung Zangbo River are lacking, but regional media reports indicate it will likely dwarf the massive Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze River and generate three times as much electricity for distribution in China.
Both Brahmaputra and the glaciers that feed Ganga originate in China. As an upstream riparian region, China maintains an advantageous position and can build infrastructure to intentionally prevent water from flowing downstream.
Owing to previous tendencies where the Chinese have been reluctant to provide details of its hydropower projects, there is a trust deficit between the two neighbours.
China’s dam-building and water division plans along the Brahmaputra (called Yarlung Zangbao in China) is a source of tension between the two neighbours.
Not only India but other nations of Southeast Asia are affected due to China’s lack of consultations with downstream neighbours and has sparked controversy with them.
China has built eleven mega-dams on the Mekong River, causing water levels there to fluctuate widely without prior notice in Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam, reported Asia Times.
As per reports, in late December, China reduced water discharge from a dam to test its equipment near the town of Jinghong in southern Yunnan province from 1,904 cubic meters to 1,000 cubic meters per second.
It took almost a week for China to inform the downstream countries of the move, which wasn’t enough time for downstream countries to prepare, resulting in disruptions in shipping and commerce. Water levels had already dropped a meter at Thailand’s Chiang Saen, where the Mekong forms the border with Laos, wrote Linter.
China’s announcement was made only after the Washington-based Stimson Center’s Southeast Asia Program’s Mekong Dam Monitor, which uses satellite imagery to keep tabs on water levels along the river, notified the Mekong River Commission, a regional cooperation organization of which China is not a member.
Some analysts believe China is using its leverage over water flows as a stick to win concessions from downstream Southeast Asian states on other issues, including in regard to its Belt and Road Initiative.
China is using the same tactics with India with its Yarlung Zangbao Dam designs. Earlier, China clashed with India in Ladakh in June last year and a 2017 border stand-off near the border with Bhutan has angered both nations over China’s unilaterally decided hydroelectric power scheme.
The Himalayan water war will affect India and Bangladesh as both rely on the Brahmaputra’s water for agriculture. Both India and Bangladesh worry that these dams will give Beijing the ability to divert or store water in times of political crisis.
Everyday policy concerns like water sharing and usage often receive less attention, are combined with larger security or border concerns, or are dealt with only when natural disasters occur. Yet water politics has far-reaching consequences for the prosperity and security of countries.
Taipei [Taiwan], January 24,2021: After the United States expressed plans to strengthen ties with Taiwan under the Biden administration, Taipei on Sunday expressed gratitude to the US for its commitment of “rock-solid support” against China’s coercion.
“We sincerely thank US State Department for its rock-solid support of democratic of Taiwan in the face of Beijing’s ongoing coercion. Based on shared values and interests, we are committed to our partnership with the United States in furthering peace and stability in the Indo Pacific,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan said in a tweet amid Beijing’s growing belligerence.
Hours after several Chinese warplanes intruded into Taiwan’s air defence identification zone, the US noted with concern the pattern of ongoing Chinese attempts to intimidate its neighbours and urged Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic and economic pressure against Taipei.
The US State Department on Saturday said that Washington will stand with friends and allies to advance our shared prosperity, security, and values in the Indo-Pacific region.
The flight by the Chinese bombers and fighters on Saturday came just days after Joe Biden assumed the US presidency. Taiwan Defense Ministry said that Taiwan’s Air Force scrambled fighter jets as 13 Chinese warplanes intruded into Taiwan’s southwest air defence identification zone (ADIZ), Focus Taiwan reported.
The planes involved were a Y-8 anti-submarine aircraft, eight Xian H-6K bombers and four Shenyang J-16 fighter jets, the MND said.
“The United States notes with concern the pattern of ongoing PRC attempts to intimidate its neighbours, including Taiwan. We urge Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan and instead engage in meaningful dialogue with Taiwan’s democratically elected representatives,” the State Department statement read.
The US’ commitment to Taiwan is rock-solid and contributes to the maintenance of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and within the region, the statement said.
“We will stand with friends and allies to advance our shared prosperity, security, and values in the Indo-Pacific region — and that includes deepening our ties with democratic Taiwan. The United States will continue to support a peaceful resolution of cross-strait issues, consistent with the wishes and best interests of the people of Taiwan. The United States maintains its longstanding commitments as outlined in the Three Communiques, the Taiwan Relations Act, and the Six Assurances. We will continue to assist Taiwan in maintaining a sufficient self-defence capability,” it added.
Last year during visits by senior US officials to Taipei Chinese aircraft briefly crossed the median line of the Taiwan Strait, which normally serves as an unofficial buffer.
Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades. Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which has been repeatedly opposed by Beijing.
Washington , January 23,2021: From February 1, India will resume limited processing of all visa categories, including student visas, H1-B, H4, L-1, L-2, C1/D, and B1/B2 visas, said the US Embassy in India on Friday.
“Beginning February 1, 2021, U.S. Embassy New Delhi will resume limited processing of all visa categories, including student visas, H1-B, H4, L-1, L-2, C1/D, and B1/B2 visas,” the Embassy said in an official statement.
It further said, “Our capacity is limited, however, to maintain the safety of our customers and staff. Once consulates are able to do so, they will likewise expand services.”
The US government in June had suspended the entry of several non-immigrant visa categories till December due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this decision was soon rescinded in the month of August.