📰 Pakistan to remain on FATF greylist
Pakistan cleared 26 of 27 tasks, FATF hands down six more
•Pakistan was retained on the greylist, or the list of countries under “increased monitoring”, by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), as the Paris-based UN watchdog judged it deficient in prosecuting the top leadership of UN Security Council-designated terror groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e Mohammad, Al Qaeda and Taliban.
•Announcing the decision at the end of its latest plenary session held virtually from June 21-25, the FATF said despite completing 26 of the 27 tasks it had been handed, Pakistan’s failure to complete the last task on convicting terrorists and terror entities meant it would not be delisted for now. In addition, the FATF handed down another six-point list of tasks, mainly on money laundering actions.
•“The FATF encourages Pakistan to continue to make progress to address as soon as possible the one remaining Countering Finance of Terrorism-related item by demonstrating that Terror Financing investigations and prosecutions target senior leaders and commanders of UN-designated terrorist groups,” the FATF president said.
📰 DRDO tests enhanced range Pinaka and 122 mm rockets
Four enhanced range version of 122mm rockets were test fired with full instrumentation and they met the complete mission objectives.”
•The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) on Friday successfully test fired the enhanced range versions of the indigenously developed 122 mm calibre rocket as well as the extended range version of indigenously developed Pinaka rocket from a Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) at integrated test range, Chandipur in Odisha.
•“Four enhanced range version of 122mm rockets were test fired with full instrumentation and they met the complete mission objectives. These rockets have been developed for Army applications and can destroy targets up to 40 km,” a DRDO statement said. This enhanced rocket system would replace the existing 122mm Grad rockets.
•In a second statement, the DRDO said that 25 enhanced Pinaka rockets were launched in quick succession against targets at different ranges on June 24 ad 25. “The enhanced range version of Pinaka rocket system can destroy targets at distances up to 45 kms,” it stated.
•Both the Pinaka and the 122 mm rockets were developed by Pune-based Armament Research and Development Establishment and High Energy Materials Research Laboratory with manufacturing support from Economic Explosives Limited, Nagpur.
‘Rising pollution load is a catalyst in aggravating COVID-19 cases’
•A first of its kind pan India study says Mumbai and Pune are among hotspots where high air pollution from the transport and industrial sectors is related to a higher number of COVID-19 cases and deaths.
•The study titled ‘Establishing a link between fine particulate matter (PM2.5) zones and COVID-19 over India based on anthropogenic emission sources and air quality data’ dealt with how people living in highly polluted areas are more vulnerable to coronavirus infections.
•The study was conducted by Dr. Saroj Kumar Sahu and Poonam Mangaraj from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar; Gufran Beig, Senior Scientist, and Suvarna Tikle, Scientist, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology-Pune; Bhishma Tyagi, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela; and V. Vinoj, Indian Institute of Technology, Bhubaneswar.
•In the study, COVID-19 cases were observed from March 2020 to November 2020, while national PM2.5 emissions load was estimated from the base year 2019. Of 16 cities across 36 States, Mumbai and Pune were evaluated in Maharashtra.
•“Our findings suggest a significant correlation between district level air pollution data and COVID-19 cases. We found that regions using huge amounts of fossil fuels such as petrol, diesel and coal by combustion in transport and industrial activities also experience a far higher number of COVID-19 cases,” said Dr. Sahu, lead author of the study, adding that the impact of air pollution on human health and COVID-19 also had similar linkages.
•The study indicated that higher numbers of COVID-19 cases are found in States like Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Gujarat, where exposure to the prolonged high concentration of PM2.5 is relatively high, especially in the cities, due to over-use of fossil fuel.
•“Maharashtra recorded the second highest emission load in India — 828.3 gigagram per year (Gg/Yr) of PM2.5 — based on the National Emission Inventory developed by us. Uttar Pradesh had the highest,” said Dr. Sahu.
•Among the 16 cities captured in the study, Mumbai and Pune recorded the third and fourth highest number of “bad air quality days”, respectively. Delhi and Ahmedabad stood first and second, respectively.
•“Through our analysis, it has become clear that the rising pollution load is a catalyst in aggravating COVID-19 cases,” Dr. Sahu said. He added that polluted hotspots are also triggering long-term effects, and more studies are needed to understand this.
📰 Uttar Pradesh ranked best State under Smart Cities Mission
Indore, Surat jointly named best cities
•Uttar Pradesh was on Friday ranked the best State and Indore and Surat were jointly named the best cities by the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry for their work under the Smart Cities Mission.
•At a virtual event to mark the sixth anniversary of the launch of the Smart Cities Mission, the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), the Ministry announced that Uttar Pradesh had been ranked one, Madhya Pradesh was second and Tamil Nadu third in the India Smart Cities Awards 2020.
•The Ministry said in a statement that 22% in terms of the total value of the projects proposed and 52% in terms of the total number of projects proposed by the 100 Smart Cities had been completed so far.
•“It is also noteworthy that the average monthly expenditure in the Smart Cities Mission has almost doubled in the last year, despite the challenges faced due to COVID-19,” the Ministry said.
•Under the PMAY-U, the Ministry said 1.12 crore houses had been sanctioned, of which 50 lakh had been completed.
📰 IAC with nearly 75% indigenous content apt example of Atmanirbhar Bharat, says Defence Minister
Rajnath Singh visited the Cochin Shipyard Limited were the vessel was being built.
•The Indigenous Aircraft Carrier (IAC) was India's pride and a shining example of Atmanirbhar Bharat, Minister for Defence Rajnath Singh said here on Friday, after a review of the vessel being built by the Cochin Shipyard Limited.
•The project, that was originally approved by the NDA government, has made significant progress in the recent past despite COVID-19.
•Commissioning of the IAC next year would be a befitting tribute to 75 years of India's Independence. The combat capability, reach and versatility of the aircraft carrier would add formidable capabilities in the defence of the country and help secure India's interests in the maritime domain, Mr. Singh said.
•Referring to his visit to Karwar on Thursday to review Project Seabird which would be the largest Naval Base of the Indian Navy in future, Mr. Singh said it would provide the facilities and infrastructure to support the Navy's operations in the Indian Ocean Region and beyond. The government was committed to a strong Navy and these two projects were examples of the unwavering focus.
•“Our impetus on modernisation, harnessing India's indigenous industry and know-how is a key priority. That 42 of the 44 warships on order are being built at Indian shipyards is a testimony to this. The IAC boasts of nearly 75% indigenous content, from design, to steel used in construction, to key weapons and sensors. Indigenous development of niche manufacturing technologies is set to gain impetus.”
Galwan stand-off
•These measures would help enhance the Navy's operational reach and prowess to protect India's maritime interests. The Navy remained poised and combat ready to tackle any challenge. Its proactive forward deployment during the Galwan standoff signalled “our intent that we seek peace but are ready for any eventuality”.
Combating COVID-19
•The Navy also made significant contributions in the fight against COVID-19, bringing back Indian citizens from overseas during Op Samudra Setu-I, and much needed Liquid Medical Oxygen during Samudra Setu-lI, despite dangers of the pandemic’s spread on board warships. Search and rescue efforts by the Navy during Cyclone Tauktae showcased the spirit of daring and courage among the men and women in white, he said.
•Our efforts were in alignment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of SAGAR, or Security and Growth for All in the Region, and the wider goal of a Free, Open and Inclusive Indo-Pacific, to ensure peace and stability in the region, Mr. Singh added.
📰 Tibet gets first bullet train, links Lhasa to border with India
This will be the second railway line connecting Tibet to the hinterland, following the already open Qinghai-Tibet rail.
•China on Friday started operating the first bullet train line in Tibet, linking Lhasa to Nyingchi near the border with Arunachal Pradesh.
•The China State Railway Group said the 435-km line, on which construction began in 2014, has a designed speed of 160 kilometres per hour and would connect the capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region to the border city of Nyingchi with a travel time of three and a half hours.
•Over 90% of the track is 3000 metres above sea-level, state media quoted the railway group as saying, and the line is the first electrified high speed rail (HSR) line, as China refers to bullet trains, in Tibet. China has the world’s longest HSR network.
•The Lhasa-Nyingchi rail is one among several major infrastructure projects recently completed in Tibet’s southern and southeastern counties near the Arunachal border. Last month, China completed construction of a strategically significant highway through the Grand Canyon of the Yarlung Zangbo river, as the Brahmaputra is called in Tibet. This is the “second significant passageway” to Medog county that borders Arunachal, the official Xinhua news agency reported, directly connecting the Pad township in Nyingchi to Baibung in Medog county.
•The Lhasa-Nyingchi rail is one section of the Sichuan-Tibet railway line connecting the two provincial capitals, another strategic project deemed important enough for President Xi Jinping to officially launch it and described by the Chinese leader as “a major step in safeguarding national unity and a significant move in promoting economic and social development of the western region.” This will be the second railway line connecting Tibet to the hinterland, following the already open Qinghai-Tibet rail.
•The first section of the new line, from Chengdu, the provincial capital of Sichuan, to Yaan, was finished in December 2018, while work on the 1,011 km Yaan-Nyingchi line will compete the entire railway line by 2030.
•Zhu Weiqun, a senior Party official formerly in charge of Tibet policy, was quoted as saying by state media the railway will help "transport advanced equipment and technologies from the rest of China to Tibet and bring local products out”. "If a scenario of a crisis happens at the border,” he said, "the railway can act as a 'fast track' for the delivery of strategic materials."
📰 Future State: On Centre’s J&K outreach
Restoration of Statehood should be at the start of the revival of the democratic process in J&K
•Political leaders from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) who attended a meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday came away with a sense of optimism: restoration of Statehood is somewhere on the horizon, even if a total reversal of the withdrawal of the special status remains unlikely. The meeting itself was a surprise, and came at a time when expectations of any quick resolution were very low. But the fact that a spectrum of political leaders got the invitation from the Centre without any set pre-conditions had raised hopes of progress. Eventually, the meeting gave reason to Kashmir’s political class to believe in possibilities that did not seem to exist just a week earlier. But restoration of Statehood to J&K, which was reorganised as two Union Territories, should be the first step in the revival of the democratic political process and not the culmination of some elaborate negotiation strategy. Mr. Modi described the meeting as an “important step in the ongoing efforts towards a developed and progressive J&K”. While committing to strengthen grassroots democracy, he called for quick delimitation of constituencies, after which legislative polls could be held. Home Minister Amit Shah insisted the restoration of Statehood will follow delimitation and elections. Not surprisingly, many participants were not convinced by this sequence suggested by the Centre. But the positives are that the long meeting was freewheeling, without rancour and all parties were united in the demand for the restoration of Statehood. Most participants also sought an assurance to return the domiciliary rights concerning land and State services, but considering the BJP’s strident position, this might be difficult.
•As Mr. Modi argued, the focus must be on the future, but this will have to be built on the trust and cooperation of the people of J&K. Decades of turmoil have created unique problems of governance and mistrust. The NC and the PDP, with all their deficiencies, remain India’s best messengers to the people of the Valley. In deciding to engage them, and other parties, the Centre has made a departure from its earlier position. By seizing the opportunity, these parties also showed maturity. Global and domestic factors might have nudged the Centre towards what appears to be a tentative accommodation of other viewpoints. But the political challenge to its decision to hollow out Article 370 is all but fading. The restoration of Statehood has been placed so far down the path that any discussion on special status is unthinkable in the near future. In that sense, the Centre and the BJP have irreversibly reset the conversation on J&K. That success should not blind them to the resentment among the people. Mr. Modi and Mr. Shah will have to look forward to the future rather than being bound by their past rhetoric on Kashmir.
📰 Prepare the ground for a ‘Naya J&K’
It must capture the best practices of democratic governance globally, yet be reflective of the idea of India
•It is too early to conclude whether the all-party meeting held at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s residence to reduce the trust deficit between New Delhi and the leaders of Jammu and Kashmir will succeed in building the foundations of a ‘Naya Jammu and Kashmir’. That the meeting was held, remarkably without rancor, does signal a new beginning after the momentous events of August 2019, which included the dilution of Article 370 and the preventive detention of many of the leaders who attended the all-party meeting .
•There are also signals that a new minimal consensus could be forged between the mainstream of political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir and the central leadership that could lead to an early return of democratic governance and full Statehood. In its long and chequered history, there have been several and previous occasions during which federal relations have been rebooted and reset and this would not be the first time that a new, forward-looking political compact is executed.
Centre’s policies, the world
•It is tempting, especially for out-of-work diplomats, to over-analyse New Delhi’s latest moves within a chessboard of a ‘great game’ being played out, reminiscent of 19th century British strategies in the region. Anyone who has studied New Delhi policies since the troubles of the 1990s will recognise that the Centre’s policies on Jammu and Kashmir rarely shift under international pressure, even while tactical gestures may be made to assuage the sentiments of what the establishment often describes as woolly-headed liberals.
•In the hostile atmosphere of the early 1990s, when India was confronted with a full-blown insurgency in the Kashmir Valley and India’s staunchest ally, the Soviet Union had collapsed, the United States Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia (and Central Asia), Robin L. Raphel (with direct access to U.S. President Bill Clinton) questioned Jammu and Kashmir’s accession to India. Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao’s fragile coalition, within an economically precarious India, refused to concede ground in any substantial measure. Surely, it is surreal to believe that the Modi government would do so under pressure from the Joe Biden administration or gratuitous advice from its Acting Assistant Secretary for South Asia, even while the photo opportunity presented by the all-party meeting would, of course, be flashed by the media czars of the Ministry of External Affairs across the globe.
•Similarly, while the dangers to Afghanistan from the gradual takeover by the Taliban are real and present, it is difficult to find any evidence that the once-messianic students rooted in the madrassas of the Frontier will now turn their attention to Kashmir. Moreover, any backchannel that exists between India and Pakistan that led to a successful ceasefire on the Line of Control is reflective much more of Rawalpindi’s own internal fault lines and problems on multiple fronts, than any real concession toward India. To be sure, if Pakistan’s leadership wanted a face saver to stand down from its fierce reaction to the ‘Ides of August’, Mr. Modi has provided the very steps to down the ante.
From a position of strength
•Counterintuitively, the Modi government seems to have acted unilaterally precisely because there is a window of opportunity where it can speak and act from a position of almost absolute strength. Even while there are stray incidents of violence, terrorism and militancy are at their lowest levels in recent years; there is little popular disquiet that is finding expression in the streets of the towns and the cities of Kashmir; and the separatists are either in jail or are surprisingly silent. The popular press, once a source of anxiety for the establishment, has either been arm-twisted into projecting good news or found it pragmatic to do so given the scrutiny of central law enforcement agencies on almost every private institution of importance and influence in the Union Territory.
•The mainstream of political parties, who had been derided by the Centre as the ‘Gupkar gang’ et al and detained for months, (who had taken an absolutist stand on the dilution of Article 370) seem to have found at least a modicum of accommodation with the Centre, at least good enough for all of them to respond positively to the Prime Minister’s invitation. In sum the employment of the entire spectrum of Kautilyan policies (saam, daam, dand and bhed — persuade, purchase, punish, and exploit the weakness) have helped to create this new space; this is not to justify the Centre’s conduct, but merely find a convincing explanation for the remarkable degree of acquiescence to the Centre’s policies, admittedly within the convenient judicial cover provided by the Supreme Court of India having admitted but not heard the case on the legitimacy of the dilution of Article 370. As the Harvard trained legal ace, Muzaffar Beigh, apparently declared in the all-party meeting : any discussion on Article 370 could be tantamount to contempt of the Supreme Court given its sub judice status.
•In turn, the Centre also seems to have realised that there are limits to which Chaplinesque ‘little dictators’ from the bureaucracy, and their minions can deliver in terms of better public services or investment opportunities despite the laudable intentions of the Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Manoj Sinha.
•The state of delivery of public service has not improved significantly nor has promised investment from corporate groups translated into reality. The promise of Kashmir remains just that: the promise of Kashmir!
Need for a local connect
•Moreover, the experience in Jammu and Kashmir has amplified the Sangh Parivar’s long-standing recognition that real leaders cannot be manufactured, but have to be connected organically to the grassroots and supported by a cadre of dedicated workers. The over-reliance on a new crop of shifty leaders, who were paraded into television studios or before visiting diplomats (and who zealously mouthed Bharat mata ki jai) had the strong imprint of an intelligence operation, and was, in any case, counterproductive amongst even those already sympathetic to New Delhi’s narrative on Kashmir. The elections to the District Development Council demonstrated that the Bharatiya Janata Party, the National Conference, the Congress, Peoples Democratic Party, People’s Conference and the Apni Party — all of whom relied on the political leaders of the so-called Ancien Régime — still had a significant constituency amongst the voters of the State.
•Federal relations are dynamic even in countries with almost inviolable rights of the States, including the United States. For most of the 20th century, even much before India’s Independence, New Delhi’s policies towards this border region have moved between tight central control and a gentler federal grip that provided space for autonomous self-governance. When the British sold Kashmir to the Dogra ruler, Gulab Singh, they wanted to secure the frontiers, but not be responsible for governance. But the British Empire too realised, especially within the reign of Pratap Singh, that they could not firewall security from governance.
Use the bedrock of the young
•Twenty-first century governance and empowerment requires a federal solution that is contemporary and built on best practices globally. The fresh consensus for a ‘Naya’ Jammu and Kashmir must capture the best practices of democratic governance globally, especially from a country such as Australia which I know best, and yet be reflective of the idea of India: a celebration of diversity in all its forms. The challenge before Jammu and Kashmir’s leaders, old and new, is to arrive at a compelling blueprint for good governance within a framework of healthy federal relations that will be rooted in a vision for peace, prosperity and real empowerment. The bedrock of such a vision must be the extraordinarily talented and gifted young people of the State, who have, despite the troubles, been able to carve out a niche for themselves across the world.
📰 Relevant advice for health care-givers, mothers-to-be
With COVID-19 compounding maternal and neonatal complications, vaccination and special facilities must be priorities
•India’s demographic dividend is largely dependent on its high birth rate. The number of births in India is ~ 72,000 per day; taking into account the 10 month duration of gestation and pregnancy losses, the number of pregnant women on any single day will be much larger. Currently, the number of new cases of COVID-19 per day and the number of daily COVID-19 deaths in India are among the highest in the world. Maternity services in India, both public and private, already overburdened with large numbers even in pre-COVID-19 times, face a crisis situation with the conditions caused by the pandemic.
A danger
•Recent reports from Kerala (The Hindu, May 14, 2021) on pregnant mothers, have uncovered many serious medical problems faced by pregnant women who contract COVID-19 and their new-born — pre-eclampsia, pre-term labour maternal infections, increased caesarean section rates, fetal growth restriction due to placental insufficiency, still births, neonatal infections and respiratory distress. According to a recent publication in the Journal of the American Medical Association, maternal mortality is several-fold higher in COVID-19 positive pregnant mothers than in non-COVID-19 pregnant women. Many pregnant women need admission to the intensive care unit and prolonged hospitalisation. Of all the COVID-19 deaths in the paediatric age-group, neonatal deaths are the most common.
•All maternal and neonatal complications increase with maternal obesity and diabetes in pregnancy — problems that are common in pregnant women in India. These facts underscore the need for urgent action to minimise the impact of the coronavirus infection on pregnant mothers and new-born.
•There is an urgent need for action from professional bodies to avert a serious calamity; the Government, in consultation with these bodies, should immediately facilitate counselling and care for women in the reproductive age group and provide resources to health-care professionals involved in their care.
•Quite early during the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, we cautioned about the potential adverse effects of COVID-19 in pregnancy and urged pre-conceptional advice for women planning a pregnancy during COVID-19 times — a simple precaution that could have averted serious problems for large numbers of women in the reproductive age group.
Steps to be taken
•With the massive increase in numbers of COVID-19 infections with the second wave of the novel coronavirus pandemic in India, and its effect on pregnant mothers, this important matter should be taken up on a war footing, alerting women in the reproductive age group and the medical profession.
•Two important steps must be considered immediately: Advise all women to postpone pregnancy till both partners are vaccinated; Offer vaccination to all un-vaccinated pregnant women
•Temporary and reversible contraception during COVID-19 times is a simple and effective way to postpone pregnancies and thereby decrease the number of women who would otherwise seek antenatal advice in crowded hospitals and risk exposure to infection. The demands on health-care personnel who provide antenatal care would decrease; they can be redeployed for COVID-19 care and the vaccination programme, public health measures that make huge demands on health-care professionals.
•Reduction in the number of antenatal visits, online consultations, protocols for ultrasonography, glucose tolerance test and antepartum fetal evaluation have been introduced by many institutions. This must be followed by all caregivers.
•Ultrasound scans are routinely done during pregnancy. Dedicated and safe ultrasound scan centres for pregnant women, manned exclusively by immunised personnel (either vaccinated or after recovery from previous COVID-19 infection) is a need of the hour.
•Pregnant women with fever should be considered to have COVID-19 unless proven otherwise and be taken care of in triage areas with all personal protective measures in place till COVID-19 test results are available.
•At present, COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 pregnant women coming for delivery are not strictly segregated in many hospitals, it is high time that COVID-19 pregnancies and non-COVID-19 pregnancies are handled in different settings to prevent infecting susceptible mothers. Both types of facilities should be manned by immunised personnel, the first to prevent infections in health-care personnel and the second to prevent infections in susceptible mothers. Unvaccinated health-care workers providing care for pregnant women should be quickly vaccinated.
Clear benefits of vaccination
•The health authorities in the United Kingdom and the United States have realised the benefits and the safety of vaccinating pregnant women and have approved vaccination of all pregnant women with mRNA vaccines (https://bit.ly/3xYZIxX). These COVID-19 vaccines have been found to produce a good immune response and, maternal antibodies, demonstrated to cross the placenta and enter the fetus, confer protection against maternal to fetal transmission of the virus. The benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks.
•Pregnancy and the immediate postpartum period are pro-thrombotic states — they favour the formation of blood clots in veins. Of the two vaccines readily available in India, the vectored vaccine (Covishield) was found to be associated with rare but serious side-effects pertaining to thrombosis of the veins draining critical areas such as the brain and intra-abdominal organs, a feature shared by the single dose (Janssen) vaccine; indeed, this side-effect may be a feature of all vectored vaccines against COVID-19. In general, inactivated virus vaccines are safe during pregnancy and the World Health Organization has given a nod to the use of the inactivated Synovac vaccine. Therefore, the inactivated vaccine available in India (Covaxin) may have advantages over the vectored vaccines (Covishield and Sputnik) for vaccinating pregnant women.
•The availability and advantages of the vaccine for pregnant women should be publicised and awareness should be created among the public. Vaccine hesitancy in pregnant women is likely to be much higher than in the general population — this should be addressed by information, education and effective communication. Professional bodies recommended to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare that vaccination be offered to pregnant women after providing adequate information and counselling — and the Indian Council of Medical Research and the Ministry of Health have approved this, welcome steps in the right direction.
•India will do well to enhance vaccination coverage of couples planning pregnancy and pregnant women on a priority basis in order to protect mothers and their new-born.
