Morning Brief: Modi’s ‘Kadak’ Action Hurting Rich; RBI Waives ATM Charges; Israel Backs India’s War On Terror

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

Modi’s ‘Kadak’ Action Hurting Rich: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday urged people to bear some inconvenience to root out corruption. He agreed the demonetisation decision was somewhat ‘kadak’ (strong). “When I was young, poor people used to tell me: Modiji, chai jara kadak banana.” He said he knows the same ‘kadak chai’ doesn’t go down well with the rich.

Opposition To Take The Battle To Parliament: Opposition parties met on Monday to find ways to corner the government over demonetisation in the winter session of Parliament. The government, however, made it clear that there will be no rethinking over the issue.

RBI Waives ATM Charges: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday waived levy on ATM withdrawals until the end of this year and stepped up the supply of cash to post offices as part of a string of new measures to ease fund flows across the country. The government has allowed the use of the high-value notes for some purposes for 10 more days.

India Widens Panama Papers Probe: The Panama Papers probe into alleged tax violations by Indians named in the global expose has become the largest offshore inquiry initiated in the country. So far, 415 Indians have come under scrutiny.

Pakistan Protests Killing Of Soldiers: Seven Pakistani soldiers were killed during heavy shelling at Bhimber sector along the Line of Control on Sunday night, the largest number of army casualties Islamabad has conceded in a long time. Pakistan foreign office summoned Indian high commissioner to protest against "ceasefire violations", denied subsequently by Indian authorities.

Israeli President Starts Crucial India Visit: Israeli president Reuven Rivlin arrived in India on a six-day visit on Monday. He is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The two nations are expected to sign 15 agreements. Rivlin pledged full support to New Delhi’s fight against terror.

New Push To Resolve Ayodhya Dispute: A new proposal to settle the Ayodhya dispute was presented to Faizabad divisional commissioner suggesting that a temple and a mosque be built at the site. About 10,000 members from Hindu and Muslim communities have signed the petition with former High Court judge Palok Basu leading the initiative.

Kashmir Students Defy Separatists To Write Board Exams: Thousands of students on Monday appeared in the annual board examinations in unrest-hit Kashmir, where life is showing signs of limping back to normalcy. At least 95 per cent of Class XII students appeared for their state board exams, defying separatists' diktats, officials said.

2016 Likely To Be Hottest Year On Record: This year will be “very likely” the hottest on record, with global temperatures breaking the previous record, set in 2015, scientists at the World Meteorological Organisation announced on Monday. Average temperatures for the year were set to hit about 1.2 Celsius over pre-Industrial Revolution levels.

Big Fat Wedding Under The Scanner: The forthcoming wedding of Karnataka’s former BJP minister Gali Janardhan Reddy’s daughter has come under the scanner of the Income-Tax Department on account of the multi-crore expenditure the event is expected to incur.

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SWARAJYA SPECIAL

The Nanak Our ‘Establishment’ Historians Don’t Want You To Know About: The intentional belittling and distortion of Sikh tradition by some historians is the result of an inherent inability in the establishment historiography to understand the social dynamics of Indic spirituality.

Who Gains, Who Loses In Government’s Demonetisation Of Rs 500 & Rs 1,000: How will demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes impact the various sectors, institutions and levels of the Indian economy? A complete guide.

Jawaharlal Nehru: Tough To Judge: Jawaharlal Nehru is and will remain central to our national narrative. We will continue to study his benign and malign legacies for centuries to come.

10 Things Modi Sarkar Can Do To Ease The Post-Demonetisation Cash Crisis: The goodwill generated by deciding to go after black money through demonetisation can quickly turn into public disenchantment.

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

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