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In a move that Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed as “a golden day” for Assam and its people, the pro-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) signed a peace accord with the governments at the Centre and state, agreeing to shun violence, disband the organisation and join the democratic process.
Shah, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and representatives of the ULFA faction signed the accord in New Delhi, raising hopes and strengthening efforts to end decades of insurgency in the state.
Shah said Assam has suffered for a long time due to the ULFA violence and around 10,000 people have lost their lives since 1979.
Today is a golden day for Assam when peace is going to be established in the North-East and Assam, which have been bearing the brunt of violence for a long time.
After Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014, efforts were made to bridge the gap between Delhi and the North-East and talks with everyone started with an open mind.
Under the guidance of Prime Minister Modi, the Ministry of Home Affairs worked with the vision of a North-East free from extremism, violence and conflict.
8 ex Indian Navy men in Qatar moved out of death row handed jail terms from 3 to 25 yrs (Page no. 1)
(GS Paper 2, International Relation)
The appellate court in Qatar has commuted the death sentence of eight former Indian Navy personnel to imprisonment ranging between three years and 25 years, The Indian Express has learnt.
Among the seven former Navy officers and one sailor who were on death row, one has now been sentenced to 25-year imprisonment, four have been given 15 years in prison, two face 10 years, and one has been sentenced to three years.
According to sources, the only sailor among the eight men received the most lenient sentence, while the officer who served as the Managing Director of Dahra Global was handed the harshest.
An email sent to the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson on the subject did not elicit a response. However, on, responding to a question at MEA’s weekly media briefing about the details of the judgment commuting the death sentence of the 8 ex-Navy men, spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “We issued a detailed press release yesterday on this.
At the moment, I do not have any additional information to share until we see the judgment, or the legal team gets to see the detailed judgment.
Let me also emphasize the confidential nature of the case. I would urge again not to engage in speculation. The interest of the Indians and the family members is our foremost concern, so please bear with us.
Let’s find out exactly what it is. The sentences have been reduced, but until we have more details, I do not want to comment on it. We will, of course, be discussing the next possible steps with the legal team and the family members.”
Express Network
Nina Singh takes charge as CISFs first woman chief (Page no. 6)
(GS Paper 3, Defence)
Senior IPS officer Nina Singh took over as the first woman Director General of CISF, a central force that guards civil airports and other vital installations.
Singh, who served as DG in-charge of CISF after her predecessor Sheel Vardhan Singh retired on August 31, was accorded a guard of honour at the CISF headquarters. Among those present was her husband, IAS officer and Union consumer affairs secretary Rohit Kumar Singh.
The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC) issued an order for her appointment to the post on Thursday. Originally from Bihar, Singh studied at the Patna Women’s College before obtaining Master’s degrees from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) and Harvard.
She is also trained in the evaluation of social programmes at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA and co-authored research papers with Economics Nobel laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Esther Duflo, both from MIT on evidence-based police reforms initiatives.
She is recipient of the President’s Police Medal for Meritorious Service in 2005, the President’s Police Medal for Distinguished Service in 2014 and the ‘Ati Utkrisht Seva Medal’ in 2020. She has also been honored with the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award for outstanding contributions and the Nari Shakti Samman. She also earned the title of ‘Champion of Evidence-Based Policing’ from the Cambridge University Police Executive Programme.
Editorial
Order at sea (Page no. 8)
(GS Paper 3, Internal Security)
As the Yemen-based Houthi rebels have risen after the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel to pose a serious threat to Red Sea merchant-shipping traffic, one is reminded of the American strategist Alfred Mahan’s declaration that “the necessity of a navy, in the restricted sense of the word, springs, therefore, from the existence of a peaceful shipping, and disappears with it…”
The doughty Admiral was emphasising the paramount importance of foreign trade and commerce, as well as access to natural resources, for national prosperity and reminding us that navies were only a means to this end.
Shipping remains the cheapest and most efficient method of transporting goods over long distances, and thus forms the lifeblood of the global economy.
The waters of the Indian Ocean see nearly 1,00,000 merchantmen, in transit, annually, carrying 80 per cent of the world’s oil and 10 trillion tons of cargo to Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Amidst this mass of international shipping, there is the minuscule Indian merchant fleet of about 500 vessels, and approximately 1.5 lakh Indian sailors serving on foreign-flagged ships.
The maintenance of “good order” at sea is, therefore, not just essential in India’s own interest, but also an international commitment.
The commendable alacrity shown by the Indian Navy in responding to emergent situations in the Red Sea has been in keeping with its self-assigned role of “preferred security partner” in the region.
Ideas Page
Press pause and process (Page no. 9)
(GS Paper 3, Science and Technology)
On December 12, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) Summit in Delhi.
For some time now, he and his ministerial colleagues have been talking about making India the hub for the AI ecosystem.
The Prime Minister talked about the opportunities available for AI in India but also used the occasion to highlight some important concerns.
The explosion of digital age technologies is going to revolutionise the future of mankind. However, this frontier technology brings with it a set of serious challenges towards which the Prime Minister sought to draw global attention.
While there are “many positive aspects” of AI, it can “also play the greatest role in destroying the 21st century,” he warned, referring to challenges like deep fakes, cyber security, data theft and terrorists accessing AI tools.
The world has entered the era of Artificial Intelligence, big data and robotics. Machine learning, the process of creating “intelligent machines”, is taking new strides.
Google developed an AI-driven chess program called Alpha Zero in 2018. Alpha Zero’s unique AI mind has the capacity to think and improve upon its playing skills.
It practised against itself millions of times and acquired an ability that the most powerful digital chess programs, such as Stockfish, couldn’t stand up to.
Explained
ULFA peace accord : History of its 44 year long insurgency, peace talks (Page no. 11)
(GS Paper 3, Internal Security)
The pro-talks faction of the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) on Friday signed a historic tripartite peace deal with the Government of India and the state government of Assam. Here is the story of the outlawed insurgent outfit established in 1979.
Assamese people have their own, unique culture and language, and a strong sense of identity. Starting in the 19th century, however, as the region’s tea, coal and oil economy attracted migrants from all over, the indigenous population started to feel insecure.This was further exacerbated by the Partition, and the subsequent exodus of refugees into the state from the erstwhile-East Pakistan.
The competition for resources skyrocketed, resulting in a six-year long mass movement. Eventually, the Assam Accord, seeking to “find a satisfactory solution to the problem of foreigners in Assam” was signed in 1985.
However, amidst all this, a group of more radical thinkers, led by Bhimakanta Buragohain, Arabinda Rajkhowa, Anup Chetia, Pradip Gogoi, Bhadreshwar Gohain and Paresh Baruah formed ULFA on April 7, 1979.
Economy
Govt hikes rates on Sukanya Samriddhi 3 yr term deposit (Page no. 13)
(GS Paper 3, Economy)
The government raised the interest rates on Sukanya Samriddhi scheme by 20 basis points and three-year term deposit scheme by 10 basis points for the January-March quarter, while retaining the rates for all other small savings schemes.
According to a finance ministry circular, the deposit under Sukanya Samriddhi scheme would attract an interest rate of 8.2 per cent from the existing 8 per cent, while the 3-year term deposit would become 7.1 per cent from the current 7 per cent.
However, the interest rates for popular PPF and savings deposits have been retained at 7.1 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively.
The interest rate on the Kisan Vikas Patra is 7.5 per cent and the investments will mature in 115 months.
The interest rate on the National Savings Certificate (NSC) remained unchanged at 7.7 per cent for January 1 to March 31, 2024, period.
There is no increase in interest rate for the Monthly Income Scheme, and this will earn 7.4 per cent for the investors.