Morning Brief: Furnish Bank Details, Modi tells BJP MPs; Seven Soldiers Killed; Banks Gear Up For Pay Day Rush

Good Morning, Swarajya Readers! Here's What You Need To Know Today.

Submit Bank Transaction Details, Modi Tells BJP MPs: In a new move aimed at cleaning up politics in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked Bharatiya Janata Party MPs and MLAs to submit details of their bank account transactions between 8 November and 31 December. They have been asked to submit the details to party president Amit Shah by 1 January.

Seven Soldiers Die In Terror Attack: Seven soldiers, including two Majors, were killed when militants dressed as policemen stormed a military camp in Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday. The bodies of three militants were recovered and “operations are in progress to sanitise the complete area”. Meanwhile, brave wives of two army officers who were staying in the family quarters helped in averting a major hostage crisis during the encounter.

BJP Winning Elections, Opposition Busy Organising Bandhs: Amit Shah: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Amit Shah said on Tuesday said the party is winning one election after the other as the opposition was busy organising Bharat bandh. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the recent by-polls in Assam and Madhya Pradesh and civic polls in Maharashtra and Gujarat showed people’s support for demonetisation.

Banks Gear Up For Pay Day Rush: Banks across India are bracing themselves for the next big challenge — meeting month-end demand of lakhs of salaried employees and pensioners. They are setting internal daily cash withdrawal limits per account, while the government has asked private companies to make payments to employees digitally.

Noel Tata Emerges As Contender For Top Job: Ratan Tata’s half-brother and the managing director of Tata International Noel Naval Tata has emerged as one of the contenders for the top job at Tata Sons, after the committee to select a new chairman initiated its search, said sources. His name figures among the internal candidates shortlisted for the top job, which includes N Chandrasekaran and Ralf Speth.

After Haji Ali New Focus On Triple Talaq: More than 100 women from across the country re-entered the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai on Tuesday after five years and a series of court battles. The next frontier for them now is a uniform civil code and a ban on triple talaq.

Padmanabhaswamy Temple Eases Dress Code For Women: One of India’s richest shrines, Sree Padmanabhaswamy Temple in Kerala on Tuesday decided to ease the dress code for women by allowing salwar kameez apart from sarees. The order was issued after the Kerala high court began hearing a plea filed by a female devotee, temple executive officer K N Satheesh said.

Russia Rejects Reports Of Secret Pakistan Talks: Russia on Tuesday rejected reports about it holding "secret talks" with Pakistan on the creation of China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC). The Russian Foreign Ministry also said that the possibility of Russia joining this CPEC initiative is not being discussed with Islamabad.

Another Indian-American Wins Top Post In Trump Administration: US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday nominated an Indian-American woman to a top administration position, making her in charge of a federal agency within the US Department of Health and Human Services. “I am pleased to nominate (Dr) Seema Verma to serve as administrator of the Centres for Medicare and Medicaid Services,” Trump said.

MUST READ OP-EDS

After Shock Within, Comes External Shock Wave: The sudden liquidity withdrawal will have a shock effect on the economy, disrupting supply chains, dampening an imminent consumer-led economic revival, deterring capex impulses and lowering overall GDP growth.

Reform Agenda For Parties And Elections: Given the topicality of demonetisation and the churn in India’s cash economy, it will be appropriate to focus on the reform agenda for funding of elections and political parties.

Women Entering Haji Ali Will Inspire More Fights Against Discriminatory Social Laws: For Muslim women, the Haji Ali judgment is more than just a permission to enter the sanctum of a religious shrine; their success has created the path for more fights against discriminatory social laws.

RBI Rate Cut Likely In December Monetary Policy Review: Depending on how domestic conditions play out, the RBI will have room for deeper rate cuts than we had deemed feasible a month ago, but the extent will depend on how the system and policy evolves over the next few quarters.

SWARAJYA SPECIAL

Why Delhi Has Overtaken Mumbai As India’s Commercial Capital: There could be two reasons: one is demographic; the other is the slower-than-expected dismantling of the licence-permit raj, especially during the UPA years.

Five Ways To Measure Success Or Failure Of Modi’s Demonetisation Gamble: As things stand on Day 21 of Demonetisation, the possibility of success seems 50:50. Modi’s gamble could still go either way.

How Bengal Will Cheer Banerjee To Self-Destruction: Bengal’s masses applaud her for speaking their coarse language and being perpetually in the ‘fight’ mode.

Some Longstanding Problems Of Indian Railways Continue, But Here’s How They Can Be Resolved: The Indian Railways is ageing and every segment of its vast structure has to be rationalised to keep pace with technology and meet public expectations.

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

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