Morning Brief: Sedition Case Against Amnesty; PM’s Baluchistan Card; Dry Run At Rio Continues

PM POKES PAK

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his third independence day address to the nation, thanked the people of Baluchistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK), signalling a major shift in his government’s Pakistan policy.

It was an oblique reference to Pakistan’s human rights violations in these areas which he had raised in an all-party meet recently following which their leaders had thanked him for raising their concerns.

As R. Jagannathan puts it, “We have entered a new phase in Indo-Pakistani ties where the earlier velvet glove is being strengthened by the iron fist, with smiles being replaced with bared teeth. Having proved his peaceful credentials despite domestic criticism, Modi has made his point on the world stage.”

FREEDOM FOR FARMERS

On the eve of the Independence Day, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis opened a farmers’ market on the premises of the state legislative building. This will be open every Sunday and stock vegetables produced by farmers from Junnar in Pune district, Palghar and Thane.

Last month, Maharashtra government had freed fruits and vegetables from the purview of the APMC act thereby allowing farmers to sell directly to consumers instead of APMC authorised mandis. The government says it has facilitated the establishment of 35 such markets in the state.

END OF AN ERA

The 92-year old tradition of presenting the Railway and General budgets separately will stop next year onwards. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has accepted railway minister Suresh Prabhu’s proposal to merge the former with the general budget.​

Livemint reports that the finance ministry has constituted a five-member committee comprising senior officials of the ministry and the national transporter to work out the modalities for the merger. The committee has been asked to submit its report by 31 August.​

SEDITION

Congress government in Karnataka has slapped a sedition case against representatives from Amnesty International India for raising anti-India slogans during a programme in Bengaluru. Karnataka Home Minister has assured that legal action would be taken if any anti-national activity had occurred.​

The city police registered a case after ABVP activists, accompanied by BJP MP from Mysuru Prathap Simha, staged a protest demanding police action against those who indulged in raising the slogans.

STILL AT ZERO

India’s dry run continued at Rio Olympics on Monday. No athlete has managed to win a medal at the games so far.

Boxer Vikas Krishnan Yadav was outpunched 0-3 by Uzbekistan pugilist Bektemir Melikuziev in the quarter-final bout of the men’s middleweight (75kg) category. With this, India’s campaign in boxing has ended. It was eight years ago in 2008 games that a male boxer (Vijender Singh) won a medal for India. In the last games, Mary Kom had won a bronze.

Lalita Babar finished tenth in the women’s 3000m steeplechase with a timing of 9:22.74 in the final.

Indian shuttlers PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth performed better and booked their quarterfinals berths defeating their opponents.

MUST READ OP-EDS

India Needs To Fix Its Plumbing: Without rewriting the letter and spirit of the Constitution to reflect current priorities, strengthening institutional autonomy, and devolving power even below the level of states to cities and local bodies, we will remain a weak state. A weak state cannot deliver, even if the spirit is strong and willing.

The Most Intolerant Wins: We need to be more than intolerant with some intolerant minorities. It is not permissible to use “American values” or “Western principles” in treating intolerant Salafism (which denies other peoples’ right to have their own religion). The West is currently in the process of committing suicide.

Inflation Targeting Works: A broad consensus supported by empirical evidence has emerged that inflation targeting is effective in delivering low and stable inflation and anchoring inflation expectations in developed and emerging countries.

Calling For Fiscal Loosening Is Suicidal: India is a long way off from being able to pull off such things without the economy suffering real consequences via the currency and bond yields.

SWARAJYA SPECIAL

Modi’s Markers To Judge Achche Din: In multiple ways, I-Day 2016 should be seen as Modi’s first speech in the run-up to 2019.

We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!

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Hero Image Credit: Amnesty International India Twitter Handle