Table of Contents
Pak on grey list | The Pioneer
- Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is a global money laundering and terrorist financing watchdog.
- FATF can disqualify nation/s from aid by World Bank and other global institutions.
- FATF extended the deadline because of the pandemic
- FATF found “strategic deficiencies” and non-compliance of six key markers in its 27-point action plan.
- These have to be addressed by February.
- Pakistan has rarely gone beyond token compliance.
- In August, it had imposed financial sanctions on 88 banned terror groups and their leaders, which included the mastermind behind the 26/11 Mumbai attack and Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed, Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Masood Azhar and underworld don Dawood Ibrahim.
- However, it failed to take substantial action against Azhar and Hafiz Saeed.
- Besides, their confinement doesn’t mean that they cannot inspire or raise new outfits under different names.
- And imprisonment is just a euphemism for protection and nurturing their safe havens.
- China says – FATF had no business to blacklist nations but should help them counter terrorist funding instead.
- India must realise that the shades of the FATF list mean nothing in terms of threat levels ever since the blacklist was diluted as a “call for action” and the “grey list” was downgraded to “other monitored jurisdictions.”
- It must remember that global penalties won’t impact Pakistan’s proxy war and it has to evolve its own dynamics about sponsored terror instead of focussing solely on isolating our neighbour diplomatically.
Let’s not waste a crisis | Ind Exp
- By passing its farm bills, Punjab has fired the first salvo against the pieces of legislation enacted by Parliament last month.
- Other states in which the Congress holds office, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh, could follow suit soon.
- President Ram Nath Kovind’s assent?
- How much of this conflict is about economics aimed at helping farmers and how much sheer politics?
- Punjab’s farm bills prohibit private players from buying wheat and paddy below the MSP (minimum support price) even outside the APMC (agriculture produce market committee) markets.
- Anyone trying to do so will end up with three years in prison, and also levied a hefty fine.
- The point is that this pertains only to wheat and paddy.
- Why not do it for other crops, say maize, cotton, pulses and oilseeds that are under the ambit of the central MSP system?
- Or even extend it to milk and vegetables by declaring local MSPs for them?
- Would a law for only wheat and paddy help farmers?
- The Centre already buys more than 95 per cent of Punjab’s wheat and paddy at MSP through the Food Corporation of India (FCI) and state procurement agencies.
- So, where is the economic gain for the Punjab farmer?
- Much of the uproar is about the Rs 5,000 crore that the state government (Rs 3,500 crore) and arhtiyas (Rs 1,500 crore) squeeze annually from the FCI for wheat and paddy procurement.
- In October 1972, Indira Gandhi announced an important agri-marketing policy step — that the wholesale trade in wheat and rice (paddy) will be taken over by the government as traders were being unscrupulous in not giving farmers their due MSP and manipulating prices.
- It is to the credit of the Congress Party leadership under then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao that it supported the economic reforms package prepared by Manmohan Singh and his team of trusted economists in 1991.
- The UPA government, from 2004 to 2014, did not pursue any major agri-marketing reforms.
- National Food Security Act
- The NDA government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi set up a high-level committee (HLC) under Shanta Kumar in 2014 to restructure the grain management system.
- The committee suggested major changes, including cash transfers in the public distribution system, and overhauling the FCI’s operations with a good dose of free markets to make the system more efficient.
- The COVID-19 crisis opened a window of opportunity to reform the agri-marketing system.
- The Modi government grabbed it — this is somewhat akin to the crisis of 1991 leading to de-licensing of industry.
- Patience and professionalism will bring rich rewards in due course, not noisy politics.
Truth must come out | Ind Exp
- Andhra CM – Jagan Mohan Reddy – letter to CJI – serious allegations of interference in the course of administration of justice by Justice N V Ramana, the senior-most judge after the CJI and the next in line for the post.
- The Supreme Court Bar Association has also passed a resolution condemning Reddy’s action in placing the letter in the public domain.
- It has stated that such actions by constitutional functionaries are opposed to conventions and have a serious impact on the independence of the judiciary.
- Dushyant Dave – so far no one knows about the truthfulness or otherwise of the allegations, and that truth will emerge only once there is an enquiry into the allegations.
- Last month, a bench of the Supreme Court headed by Justice Ramana delivered a judgment in which he passed directions, including a request to the chief justices of the high courts to head special benches to immediately hear criminal cases against MPs and MLAs, which are pending for decades.
- It also directed that the hearings should proceed on a day-to-day basis.
- Howsoever unwarranted the allegations may appear to be, it cannot be ignored that they have been made by one constitutional functionary against another.
- What is at stake is not only the prestige, independence and the reputation of the honourable judge, but also the high office of the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh.
- The truth must come out, howsoever bitter it may appear to be.
- It is often said that sunlight is the best disinfectant.
- If in the wisdom of the Supreme Court, the two tweets of Bhushan were so offensive that they merited conviction and punishment, what Reddy has said about Justice Ramana is far more serious and direct.
Balancing China | ToI
- The India-US 2+2 dialogue taking place today in New Delhi comes in the midst of a border standoff between New Delhi and Beijing, and a growing power tussle between Washington and Beijing.
- The dialogue will give India and the US another opportunity to coordinate their strategies.
- After all, there is new energy for the Quad, and the upcoming Malabar naval exercises will for the first time in 13 years see participation by all four Quad navies.
- Beijing clearly wants to muscle out Washington from East Asia and force New Delhi to accept a subordinate position in a new China dominated architecture.
- In that sense, we may be looking at another 1962 moment when the US came to India’s aid during the Chinese aggression, carrying out drops of arms and ammunition to Indian soldiers on the battlefront.
- The Chinese threat today has once again necessitated a deepening of New Delhi-Washington defence ties.
- India’s military modernisation – security collaboration with the US and other Western powers.
- Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement which will allow for expanded geospatial information sharing.
NEWS
- PM Modi to interact with CEOs of leading Global Oil and Gas Companies toda
- More than 70 lakh people recover from COVID-19 in the country
- Campaigning for first phase of assembly elections in Bihar to end this evening
- Counting of votes for Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council- Leh polls to be taken up today
- 32 Maoists surrender in Dantewada district of Chattisgarh
- Bangladesh govt. orders ‘no mask, no service’ policy
- Phase-7 of Vande Bharat Mission to begin from October 29
- 4-day Commanders’ Conference of Indian Army to begin in New Delhi today
- Veteran Gujarati Singer Mahesh Kanodia passes away; PM expresses grief
- Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan says Corona vaccine likely be available in country by January 2021
- PM Modi congratulates people of Seychelles for conduct of free, fair and peaceful elections
- Top diplomats from India, Bangladesh and Nepal join Durga Pooja celebrations by Indian Community in Beijing
Download Free PDF – Daily Hindu Editorial Analysis
WhatsApp