Morning Brief: Emotional Modi Defends Demonetisation; ATM Withdrawal Limits Raised; Trump To Keep Deportation Vow

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

Modi Strongly Defends Demonetisation: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a strong defence of the decision to scrap Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes, casting it as a fight against the few corrupt. "I left my home and everything for the country. Whatever I have done, I have done with complete honesty and for the benefit of the people," Modi said as his voice choked and he struggled to contain his emotions.

Daily ATM Cash Withdrawal Limits Raised: The Finance Ministry on Sunday directed banks to increase the daily cash withdrawal limits at ATMs to Rs 2,500 from Rs 2,000 and over the counter exchange limit to Rs 4,500 from Rs 4,000. The government has also decided to increase the weekly withdrawal limit to Rs 24,000 from Rs 20,000, while the per day withdrawal limit of Rs 10,000 was removed.

Opposition Planning United Demonetisation Fight: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee spoke to the Congress and CPM leaderships and a host of other opposition leaders, and mooted the idea of a united fight against the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes. The Congress too reached out to several parties to chalk out a joint strategy ahead of the winter session of Parliament.

No Extra Commitment On Japan Nuclear Deal: India and Japan signed a note in addition to the civil nuclear agreement reflecting both countries' positions, Japan's reaffirmation of its national positions and India reiterating the non-proliferation commitment. Meanwhile, Pakistan asked the international community not to discriminate against Islamabad in favour of New Delhi.

Collegium Moves To Fill SC Vacant Posts: The Supreme Court (SC) collegium is learnt to have begun the process of filling vacant posts in the apex court. Sources said that the names of seven high court chief justices were discussed at a recent meeting of the collegium.

Tata Sons Stooped To A New Low: Mistry: Ousted Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry on Sunday hit back calling its criticism of independent directors as truly unfortunate. "To suggest that 'ulterior objectives' and 'clever strategy' can sway these eminent names is absolutely astonishing and really speaks to how low Tata Sons has unfortunately stooped in their public statements," he said.

Jayalalithaa Thanks People For Support: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Sunday released a letter saying "she has taken rebirth". She added that it was due to the continuous prayers by people in Tamil Nadu, in other states and across the world, thanking them for their support.

Trump To Deport Illegal Immigrants: US President-Elect Donald Trump will keep his campaign promise to deport millions of undocumented migrants from the US, he said in an interview on Sunday, declaring that as many as three million could be removed after he takes office.

Date With Supermoon: Tonight, prepare yourself for the largest and brightest moon in nearly 70 years. The upcoming “supermoon” will be the closest full moon to Earth since 1948 and people on Earth will not see another “supermoon” of this magnitude until 2034. It will be at perigee just after dusk in India.

MUST READ OP-EDS

Breaking The Back Of Black Money: It is a fact that Modi has broken the back of black money by banning high-value currency notes. But it is also true that small businessmen and the man on the street have been tremendously inconvenienced.

Premium On Honesty Has Been Restored: Here are my five reasons as to why this move will, if followed through, be a game-changer for India.

PM Narendra Modi Harnessing Sentiment Of Masses Against The Rich: He has walked the black money talk in hope that it enables another term in 2019 and becomes his hallmark. Time will tell if he made the right call or not.

Facts And Facebook: The problem with news on social media and from Internet searches is that (apart from running the risk of being taken in by fake news) users usually end up seeing news that’s customised for them and which reinforces their existing outlook.

SWARAJYA SPECIAL

Explained: What Demonetisation Does, And What It Doesn’t: Demonetisation does not cut corruption as has been touted. What it does is to make the stock of unaccounted money illegitimate.

Demography Watch: Christian Proselytisation Gaining Ground In Arunachal: Christian proselytisation has now come to dominate many of the major regions and tribes of Arunachal Pradesh, and as a result, traditional and local practices of the state are now in danger of being lost.

Badakhana: When The Generals Dine With The Soldiers: Badakhana’s importance in the armed forces today is as it was post the first war of independence, when the British revived this age-old military tradition to ensure there is no 1857 again.

Between The Hand And The Sickle: The Collapse Of Agriculture In Kerala: Disincentives generated by successive governments in Kerala through imposing artificial barriers on the freedom of farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs have resulted in the collapse of agriculture in the state.

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

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