- February 12, 2023
Morning Digest: February 12, 2023
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during a press conference after the 600th meeting of the Central Board of Reserve Bank of India (RBI), in New Delhi, on Feb. 11, 2023.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti said on Friday that there was a time when the Emergency was seen as one of the darkest periods of Indian democracy but even then, the “judiciary had the guts to unseat the Prime Minister” of the time but “today it cannot unseat even an MLA of the ruling party”. Ms. Mufti, the chief of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), said in an interview with The Hindu that all institutions, including the media, were subjugated to the ruling party.
Net Direct Tax kitty grows by 18.4% so far this year
India’s Gross Direct Tax collections had risen 24.1% to touch ₹15.67 lakh crore by Friday, with personal Income Tax collections rising 29.6%, much faster than corporate income tax inflows which are up 19.3% so far this year. Net of refunds, total tax collections are ₹12.98 lakh crore, 18.4% higher than a year ago, and constitute 91.4% of the Budget targets for 2022-23 and 78.65% of the revised estimates.
Indian found dead under rubbles in quake-hit Turkey’s Malatya
The mortal remains of the lone Indian missing after last Monday’s earthquake in Turkey have been found, the Embassy of India in Ankara has announced. The announcement coincided with the news that both Turkey and Syria had asked for additional supply of medicines and medical equipment.
Centre drafting response to SC concerns on Adani stock meltdown, says Nirmala Sitharaman
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 11, 2023 signalled that the government is drafting a response to the Supreme Court’s concerns about the meltdown in Adani group stocks in the wake of a research report published by US-based short seller Hindenburg Research, and stressed that India’s “experienced” regulators are already seized of the matter.
Warplane shot down object over northern Canada: PM Trudeau
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that on his order a U.S. warplane shot down an unidentified object that was flying high over northern Canada, acting a day after U.S. planes took a similar action over Alaska.
India to organise World Hindi Conference in Fiji
India is set to organize World Hindi Conference between February 15-17 in Fiji. A 270-member delegation from India will visit Fiji for the event. Representatives from 50 countries will participate in the event and representatives from South and Northeast India will be presenting papers at the conference.
BJP follows RSS, not Constitution, Kharge alleges
The BJP follows the orders of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, rather than the principles of the Indian Constitution, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on February 11, in a sharp attack against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Adani group firms pledge additional shares for key lender
Three Adani group companies have pledged additional shares for State Bank of India (SBI) (SBI.NS), a key lender to the Indian conglomerate whose listed entities have lost more than $100 billion in market value after a scathing report by a U.S. short seller. Adani Ports and Special Economic Zone (APSE.NS), Adani Transmission Ltd (ADAI.NS), and Adani Green Energy Ltd (ADNA.NS) pledged shares to SBICAP Trustee Co, the firm said in filings to the Bombay Stock Exchange on Friday.
Meghalaya polls | Congress promises free roofing materials, power and LPG cylinders for BPL families
The Congress party, seeking to reclaim Meghalaya, has promised free roofing materials, 200 units of free power and free LPG cylinders for every family below the poverty line in the poll-bound State. It has also committed to providing free healthcare for all citizens of the State and creating a corpus fund of ₹500 crore to build infrastructure for religious gatherings.
The cuts of Central Board of Film Certification run deep
The on-screen version of the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Pathaan introduces one of the villain’s henchmen as an ex-SBU agent. The SBU, or the Sluzhba Bespeky Ukrayiny, is the Security Service of Ukraine. However, the original, pre-screen cut of the film announced the character as ex-KGB, a former agent of the erstwhile Soviet Union’s spy agency, the Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti. The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC), which orders cuts and modifications to films before they are released, asked the filmmakers to make this change before it could be screened publicly.
Biden, Lula focus on democracy, climate during visit
President Joe Biden welcomed Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to Washington on February 10 for wide-ranging talks on climate and strengthening democracies, an issue of shared importance after both leaders faced far-right mobs storming their governments’ halls of power to try to overturn their election victories.
