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The Ministry of Home Affairs banned the Masarat Alam faction of the Jammu and Kashmir Muslim League under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for five years.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah posted on his official X handle, “The ‘Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction)’/MLJK-MA is declared as an ‘Unlawful Association’ under UAPA.
This organization and its members are involved in anti-national and secessionist activities in J&K supporting terrorist activities and inciting people to establish Islamic rule in J&K.
The PM @narendramodi government’s message is loud and clear that anyone acting against the unity, sovereignty, and integrity of our nation will not be spared and face the full wrath of the law.”
A gazette notification issued on Wednesday by Additional Secretary Praveen Vashista said, “Whereas, the Muslim League Jammu Kashmir (Masarat Alam faction) (hereinafter referred to as the MLJK-MA), chaired by Masarat Alam Bhat is known for its anti-India and pro-Pakistan propaganda. And, whereas, the objectives of MLJK-MA are to get freedom of Jammu and Kashmir from India so as to realize the merger of Jammu and Kashmir with Pakistan and establish Islamic rule in Jammu and Kashmir.”
PM- KISAN beneficiaries dwindling, Govt adds 34 lakh in special drive (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
With the number of PM-Kisan beneficiaries dropping by over 20 per cent to 8.12 crore now from a peak of 10.47 crore in April-July 2022, the government has added back 34 lakh farmers under the “saturation drive” since the launch of the Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra on November 15.
The yatra, launched on November 15 — six months ahead of the elections to the Lok Sabha — will run till January 26, and is intended to ensure that all intended beneficiaries are covered under various flagship schemes of the government.
In the latest round of PM-Kisan payments on November 15, as many as 8.12 crore farmers received the instalment of Rs 2,000.
The 34 lakh farmers added now to the list of beneficiaries will be eligible to receive the next instalment of PM-Kisan before the end of 2023-24 financial year.
Of the 34 lakh, Uttar Pradesh accounts for the most — 8.50 lakh, followed by Rajasthan 2.39 lakh, Manipur 2.27 lakh, Jharkhand 2.2 lakh, and Maharashtra 1.89 lakh.
Express Network
Rs 5500 cr project for Bihar NE get cabinet nod (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave a boost to infrastructure projects in Bihar and the North-East, approving road and bridge projects worth over Rs.5,500 crore.
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs approved a 4.56 km-long six-lane bridge over the Ganga connecting Digha and Sonepur in Bihar at a cost of Rs.3,064.45 crore.
Announcing the decision, Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur said the new bridge would connect north and south Bihar, and would allow transport by heavy vehicles.
Digha, in Patna district, and Sonepur, in Saran district, are currently connected by a rail-cum-road bridge that can be used by light vehicles only.
“Therefore, the present road cannot be used for transport of goods and commodities which is a major economic blockade.
The constraint will be removed by providing this bridge, between Digha and Sonepur; and goods and commodities can be transported once the bridge is constructed, unleashing the economic potential of the region,” a CCEA statement said.
Editorial
Taking on the drone (Page no. 12)
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
In the early evening of December 23, the United Kingdom Merchant Traffic Organisation, the principal point of contact for merchant vessels and liaison with military forces in the Western Indian Ocean, reported a suspected armed drone strike on a merchant ship 200 miles off the Porbandar coast.
The MV Chem Pluto, a Liberia-flagged chemical tanker with a crew of 20 Indians, was reportedly on its way from Saudi Arabia’s Jubail port to New Mangalore when it was hit by an unmanned aerial vehicle, triggering a massive fire onboard.
The incident caused a stir in India’s security establishment. No sooner had the drone hit been reported than New Delhi dispatched an Indian Coast Guard vessel and an Indian warship to the site of the attack.
The Indian Navy, like other regional navies, has rarely, if ever, had to deal with drone attacks on civilian ships. Maritime forces in the Indian Ocean are adept at fighting pirates, but many navies, including the IN, are unaccustomed to dealing with such radical militant tactics as those employed by the Houthis.
The Iran-backed group has been carrying out aerial drone bombings and missile attacks on civilian shipping. Hours after the attack in the Arabian Sea, the Houthis carried out another drone strike on a Gabon-flagged crude oil tanker in the Southern Red Sea.
Crucially, the targeted vessel has no connections to Israel, which many interpret as an indication of the militants’ growing desperation.
Ideas Page
What we don’t ask, don’t get (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
In the recent state elections, all parties made many promises — higher MSP for crops, free electricity, subsidised gas cylinders, scooties, laptops and lots of cash.
And then there was a one-year extension of the Centre’s Garib Kalyan Yojana of grain at a negligible price for 81 crore people.
The fact is that they are much harder to provide. Moreover, many are trapped in a vicious cycle of centralisation.
Take drinking water.
By the 2011 Census and 2012 NSSO data, about 50 per cent of rural households in Maharashtra were fetching water from outside their premises, and about 85 per cent of this work was done by women. The Centre’s Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM), launched in 2019, aimed to change that.
Economy
Bank’s gross NPAs drop to 3.2% in Sept end helped by retail loans (Page no. 15)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The gross non-performing asset (GNPA) ratio of scheduled commercial banks (SCBs) fell to 3.2 per cent at end-September from 3.9 per cent at end-March, a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) report said.
The GNPA ratio remained the highest for the agricultural sector and the lowest for retail loans as at end-September, the report on Trends and Progress of Banking in India 2022-23 (FY23), released by the RBI, showed.
The GNPA ratio of SCBs fell to a decadal low of 3.9 per cent at end-March 2023 and further to 3.2 per cent at end-September 2023.
The asset quality of the industrial sector improved further, with its GNPA ratio at 4.2 per cent at end-September 2023.
Within the industry, the reduction in the GNPA ratio of large industries from 22.9 per cent at end-March 2018 to 4.6 per cent at end-June 2023 was noteworthy.
World
Egypt proposal for Gaza peace (Page no. 16)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
Egypt has held talks between Hamas and its allied Islamic Jihad to try and broker a permanent ceasefire in Israel's war in the Gaza Strip, which has killed tens of thousands, laid waste to the Hamas-governed territory, and displaced the majority of the 2.3 million Palestinian residents.
Egypt is proposing that Hamas and Islamic Jihad relinquish power in the Gaza Strip in return for a permanent ceasefire, said two Egyptian security sources.
Explained
How PM Janman can help PVTGs (Page no. 19)
(GS Paper 2, Social Justice)
On November 29, the Union Cabinet approved the Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN), aimed at providing PVTG households and habitations with basic facilities such as safe housing, clean drinking water and sanitation, improved access to education, health and nutrition, road and telecom connectivity, and sustainable livelihood opportunities.
In addition, saturation will also be ensured for schemes like Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), Sickle Cell Disease Elimination, TB Elimination, 100% immunisation, PM Poshan, PM Jan Dhan Yojana, etc.
This initiative is part of the Pradhan Mantri-PVTG Development Mission announced in India’s 2022-23 Union Budget, allocating Rs 15,000 crore over three years to develop them.
In 1960-61, the Dhebar Commission identified disparities among Scheduled Tribes, leading to the creation of the “Primitive Tribal Groups” (PTG) category. In 2006, this category was renamed Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs).