The Evening Wrap: G-7 likely to increase pressure on India to reverse wheat export ban

Members of the G-7 countries are expected to appeal to India to reverse the ban on wheat exports during the upcoming G-7 summit (June 26-28) in Germany which is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The information about the G-7’s stance towards the ban of wheat exports came as India sent Minister of State for External Affairs V Muralidharan to participate in a high-level ministerial meeting in New York on ‘Global Food Security -- Call to Action’. Sources have told The Hindu that as the future G20 chair, India has important responsibilities to ensure food security, especially in the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis that has disrupted global agriculture supply network. The consultation between India and the G7 countries will continue in the run up to the summit in Germany. Dammu Ravi, Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs will participate in the G-7 development ministers meeting on Wednesday in Berlin where the issue of food security is expected to dominate. The meeting is likely to produce a proposal but India may not endorse the document. The Government had prohibited export of wheat on May 13 in view of the sudden spike in prices of wheat in the domestic market. The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), the leading farmers outfit has alleged that the traders began hoarding wheat sensing export opportunity in the international market as the Russian attack on Ukraine from February 24 crippled the latter's agriculture sector. Absence of Ukraine’s wheat created a vacuum that the hoarders hoped to fill with Indian wheat. “The Government did not act to stop the private traders from hoarding, but woke up when prices went up because of fear of scarcity in the domestic market more than two months later,” said Yudhvir Singh of BKU who accused the Indian Government of being unaware of the impact of the Ukraine crisis on India’s agriculture sector. India’s ban on wheat exports has shocked the global agriculture market but G-7 countries hope that the ban would be ultimately reversed as it is necessary for Delhi to play a greater role in ensuring global food security. During the pandemic, India had banned export of medicines like paracetamol but had reversed the ban subsequently, and it is understood that in the similar way, the Government would reverse the wheat export ban once prices stabilise at home. The hint of the coming pressure from the G-7 was felt by the Indian side during the recently concluded Prime Ministerial visit to Germany, Denmark and France when the talks with the counterparts were “dominated” by the Ukraine crisis. Sources said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keen to know about the timespan that the war is likely to take. Both India and Germany also discussed agriculture cooperation, including in third countries like Malawi and Cameroon in Africa. The two sides had discussed a universal employment guarantee scheme in Peru. The issue of India’s wheat export ban is likely to dominate at the global food security meeting which will be hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday at the UN. The mood at the UN Security Council was conveyed by US envoy to the UN, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield who said US is asking other countries to avoid stopping wheat exports and added, “India will be one of the countries participating in our meeting at the Security Council, and we hope that they can, as they hear the concerns being raised by other countries, that they would reconsider that position”. Sweden signs NATO request, Finland formally endorses mov Sweden on Tuesday signed a formal request to join NATO, a day after the country announced it would seek membership in the 30-member military alliance. Finland’s Parliament has overwhelmingly endorsed a bid from the Nordic country’s government to join NATO. The moves by the two Nordic countries, ending Sweden’s more than 200 years of military nonalignment and Finland’s nonalignment after World War II, have provoked the ire of the Kremlin. While most NATO members are keen to welcome the two countries as quickly as possible, Turkey has potentially complicated their accession by saying it cannot allow them to become members because of their perceived inaction against exiled Kurdish militants. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday doubled down on comments last week indicating that the two Nordic countries´ path to NATO would be anything but smooth. All 30 current NATO countries must agree to open the door to new members. He accused the two Nordic countries of refusing to extradite “terrorists” wanted by his country. In Stockholm, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde signed the formal request to join the Alliance, which she said would be sent to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. “It feels like we have taken a decision that is the best for Sweden,” she said while signing the document. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto arrived in Sweden for an official two-day visit and was welcomed by Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, who had invited him. Niinisto addressed Sweden’s Parliament and said, “We took peace for granted; on Feb. 24 the peace was broken,” in a reference to the date that Ukraine was invaded by Russia. “Our old ways of handling things no longer correspond to the new situation,” Niinisto told Swedish lawmakers. “Our relations with Russia have changed.” He also spoke about Erdogan’s comments, saying they were “surprising and interesting.” “Turkey’s statements have changed and toughened very quickly in recent days, but I am sure that we will resolve the situation with the help of constructive talks,” Niinisto said. He is later to meet Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. On Twitter, Niinisto said that “the timing is excellent, a strong and stable Nordic region is our common cause.” During a brief press conference, Carl XVI Gustaf said “the visit is characterised by the serious situation in our vicinity.” Niinisto added that “our security policy line has long been similar and even now, when the situation demands it, we take our steps together.” In the neighbouring Finland, lawmakers at the 200-seat Eduskunta legislature voted 188-8 Tuesday to approve Finland seeking membership in the 30-member Western military alliance. The vote was seen a formality as Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced the intention on Sunday, and lawmakers’ approval wasn’t necessarily required. However, both Niniisto and Marin stressed that it was important for the Parliament to weigh in on the NATO bid, described by the Finnish head of state as “historic.” Finland is now expected to sign a formal application and file it to NATO headquarters in the coming days together with Nordic neighbor Sweden where the government announced a similar NATO bid on Monday. If Finland joins NATO it will be the biggest defense and security policy shift in the history of the nation of 5.5 million since World War II, after which the country adopted a policy of military nonalignment and neutrality. Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, fought two wars against Moscow during World War II and lost about 10% of its territory. CBI books Karti Chidambaram in visa scam, searches on in multiple locations Special teams of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) launched simultaneous searches on the premises of Congress MP Karti P. Chidambaram, and his associates at multiple locations across the country early on Tuesday in connection with a visa scam that allegedly took place some years ago The CBI registered a case against five accused, including Karti Chidambaram, private companies based at Mumbai, Punjab’s Mansa and so on, and unknown public servants and private persons. It alleged the private company based at Mansa was in the process of establishing a 1980 MW thermal power plant in Punjab and the work was outsourced to a Chinese firm. Since the project was running behind schedule, the company tried to bring in more Chinese persons/professionals to the work site for which it needed project visas over and above the ceiling imposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. For this purpose, the company’s Mansa-based representative allegedly approached Karti Chidambaram through his close associate S. Bhaskara Raman in Chennai. A backdoor entry was devised to defeat the purpose of ceiling (maximum of Project visas permissible to the company’s plant) by granting permission to reuse 263 Project visas allotted to the Chinese company’s officials, the CBI said. The company officials submitted a letter to the MHA making the request and the same was approved within one month. The investigative agency said “a bribe of ₹50 lakh was allegedly demanded by said private person based at Chennai through his close associate/front man which was paid by the said Mansa based private company.” Searches were conducted at 10 places, including in Chennai, Mumbai, Koppal (Karnataka), Jharsuguda (Odisha), Mansa, and Delhi. Others accused in the case were Bhaskara Raman, Vikas Makharia, representative of Mansa-based private company, M/s Talwandi Sabo Power Limited, Mansa (Punjab), M/s Bell Tools Limited, Mumbai, unknown public and private persons. Karti Chidambaram, who is a Lok Sabha member from Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu, is already facing allegations of financial irregularities, including in the INX media case. Earlier in the day, Karti Chidambaram posted a cryptic tweet wondering “how many times has it been?“ The CBI operation comes at a time when Chidambaram’s tenure comes to an end in the Rajya Sabha and he hopes to be re-nominated to the upper house from Tamil Nadu where the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has allotted one seat to its alliance partner, the Congress. Chidambaram said in a tweet that the CBI team that searched his Chennai residence showed “me a FIR in which I am not named as an accused”. He also pointed out the timing of the action but did not specify the Rajya Sabha polls. SC Collegium recommends elevation of five judges as Chief Justices The Supreme Court Collegium on May 17 recommended the elevation of five judges of various high courts as Chief Justices. It also recomended transfer of a Chief Justice. The collegium recommended the elevation of Delhi High Court judge Justice Vipin Sanghi as Chief Justice of Uttarakhand. It also recommended elevation of two judges from Bombay High Court — Justices Amjad A. Sayed and S.S. Shinde — as Himachal Pradesh Chief Justice, and Rajasthan Chief Justice respectively. The collegium recommended the elevation of Gujarat High Court judge Rashmin M. Chhaya as Gauhati Chief Justice. Telangana High Court judge Ujjal Bhuyan has been recommended as Chief Justice of Telangana High Court Chief Justice. Justice Bhuyan's parent High Court is Gauhati. Besides, Chief Justice of Telangana Satish Chandra Sharma has been recommended for a transfer to Delhi High Court. The Supreme Court Collegium is led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana and comprises senior-most judges Justices U.U. Lalit, A.M. Khanwilkar, D.Y. Chandrachud and L. Nageswara Rao as its members. In Brief An appeal has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court’s split verdict on the issue of criminalisation of marital rape on a batch of petitions challenging the exception in the law that exempts husbands from being prosecuted for non-consensual sexual intercourse with their wives. The appeal has been filed by Khushboo Saifi, one of the petitioners before the high court. The high court on May 11 had delivered a split verdict on the issue. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow [logo] The Evening Wrap 17 MAY 2022 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( G-7 likely to increase pressure on India to reverse wheat export ban [Members of the G-7 countries are expected to appeal to India to reverse the ban on wheat exports]( during the upcoming G-7 summit (June 26-28) in Germany which is likely to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The information about the G-7’s stance towards the ban of wheat exports came as India sent Minister of State for External Affairs V Muralidharan to participate in a high-level ministerial meeting in New York on ‘Global Food Security -- Call to Action’. Sources have told The Hindu that as the future G20 chair, India has important responsibilities to ensure food security, especially in the backdrop of the Ukraine crisis that has disrupted global agriculture supply network. The consultation between India and the G7 countries will continue in the run up to the summit in Germany. Dammu Ravi, Secretary of the Ministry of External Affairs will participate in the G-7 development ministers meeting on Wednesday in Berlin where the issue of food security is expected to dominate. The meeting is likely to produce a proposal but India may not endorse the document. The Government had prohibited export of wheat on May 13 in view of the sudden spike in prices of wheat in the domestic market. The Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), the leading farmers outfit has alleged that the traders began hoarding wheat sensing export opportunity in the international market as the Russian attack on Ukraine from February 24 crippled the latter's agriculture sector. Absence of Ukraine’s wheat created a vacuum that the hoarders hoped to fill with Indian wheat. “The Government did not act to stop the private traders from hoarding, but woke up when prices went up because of fear of scarcity in the domestic market more than two months later,” said Yudhvir Singh of BKU who accused the Indian Government of being unaware of the impact of the Ukraine crisis on India’s agriculture sector. [India’s ban on wheat exports has shocked the global agriculture market]( but G-7 countries hope that the ban would be ultimately reversed as it is necessary for Delhi to play a greater role in ensuring global food security. During the pandemic, India had banned export of medicines like paracetamol but had reversed the ban subsequently, and it is understood that in the similar way, the Government would reverse the wheat export ban once prices stabilise at home. The hint of the coming pressure from the G-7 was felt by the Indian side during the recently concluded Prime Ministerial visit to Germany, Denmark and France when the talks with the counterparts were “dominated” by the Ukraine crisis. Sources said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was keen to know about the timespan that the war is likely to take. Both India and Germany also discussed agriculture cooperation, including in third countries like Malawi and Cameroon in Africa. The two sides had discussed a universal employment guarantee scheme in Peru. The issue of India’s wheat export ban is likely to dominate at the global food security meeting which will be hosted by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday at the UN. The mood at the UN Security Council was conveyed by US envoy to the UN, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield who said US is asking other countries to avoid stopping wheat exports and added, “India will be one of the countries participating in our meeting at the Security Council, and we hope that they can, as they hear the concerns being raised by other countries, that they would reconsider that position”. Sweden signs NATO request, Finland formally endorses mov [Sweden on Tuesday signed a formal request to join NATO]( a day after the country announced it would seek membership in the 30-member military alliance. Finland’s Parliament has overwhelmingly endorsed a bid from the Nordic country’s government to join NATO. The moves by the two Nordic countries, ending Sweden’s more than 200 years of military nonalignment and Finland’s nonalignment after World War II, have provoked the ire of the Kremlin. While most NATO members are keen to welcome the two countries as quickly as possible, Turkey has potentially complicated their accession by saying it cannot allow them to become members because of their perceived inaction against exiled Kurdish militants. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday doubled down on comments last week indicating that the two Nordic countries´ path to NATO would be anything but smooth. All 30 current NATO countries must agree to open the door to new members. He accused the two Nordic countries of refusing to extradite “terrorists” wanted by his country. In Stockholm, Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde signed the formal request to join the Alliance, which she said would be sent to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. “It feels like we have taken a decision that is the best for Sweden,” she said while signing the document. Finnish President Sauli Niinisto arrived in Sweden for an official two-day visit and was welcomed by Sweden’s King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia, who had invited him. Niinisto addressed [Sweden’s Parliament and said]( “We took peace for granted; on Feb. 24 the peace was broken,” in a reference to the date that Ukraine was invaded by Russia. “Our old ways of handling things no longer correspond to the new situation,” Niinisto told Swedish lawmakers. “Our relations with Russia have changed.” He also spoke about Erdogan’s comments, saying they were “surprising and interesting.” “Turkey’s statements have changed and toughened very quickly in recent days, but I am sure that we will resolve the situation with the help of constructive talks,” Niinisto said. He is later to meet Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. On Twitter, Niinisto said that “the timing is excellent, a strong and stable Nordic region is our common cause.” During a brief press conference, Carl XVI Gustaf said “the visit is characterised by the serious situation in our vicinity.” Niinisto added that “our security policy line has long been similar and even now, when the situation demands it, we take our steps together.” In the neighbouring Finland, lawmakers at the 200-seat Eduskunta legislature voted 188-8 Tuesday to approve Finland seeking membership in the 30-member Western military alliance. The vote was seen a formality as Finnish President Sauli Niinisto and Prime Minister Sanna Marin announced the intention on Sunday, and lawmakers’ approval wasn’t necessarily required. However, both Niniisto and Marin stressed that it was important for the Parliament to weigh in on the NATO bid, described by the Finnish head of state as “historic.” Finland is now expected to sign a formal application and file it to NATO headquarters in the coming days together with Nordic neighbor Sweden where the government announced a similar NATO bid on Monday. If Finland joins NATO it will be the biggest defense and security policy shift in the history of the nation of 5.5 million since World War II, after which the country adopted a policy of military nonalignment and neutrality. Finland, which shares a long border with Russia, fought two wars against Moscow during World War II and lost about 10% of its territory. CBI books Karti Chidambaram in visa scam, searches on in multiple locations [Special teams of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) launched simultaneous searches]( on the premises of Congress MP Karti P. Chidambaram, and his associates at multiple locations across the country early on Tuesday in connection with a visa scam that allegedly took place some years ago The CBI registered a case against five accused, including Karti Chidambaram, private companies based at Mumbai, Punjab’s Mansa and so on, and unknown public servants and private persons. It alleged the private company based at Mansa was in the process of establishing a 1980 MW thermal power plant in Punjab and the work was outsourced to a Chinese firm. Since the project was running behind schedule, the company tried to bring in more Chinese persons/professionals to the work site for which it needed project visas over and above the ceiling imposed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. For this purpose, the company’s Mansa-based representative allegedly approached Karti Chidambaram through his close associate S. Bhaskara Raman in Chennai. A backdoor entry was devised to defeat the purpose of ceiling (maximum of Project visas permissible to the company’s plant) by granting permission to reuse 263 Project visas allotted to the Chinese company’s officials, the CBI said. The company officials submitted a letter to the MHA making the request and the same was approved within one month. The investigative agency said “a bribe of ₹50 lakh was allegedly demanded by said private person based at Chennai through his close associate/front man which was paid by the said Mansa based private company.” Searches were conducted at 10 places, including in Chennai, Mumbai, Koppal (Karnataka), Jharsuguda (Odisha), Mansa, and Delhi. Others accused in the case were Bhaskara Raman, Vikas Makharia, representative of Mansa-based private company, M/s Talwandi Sabo Power Limited, Mansa (Punjab), M/s Bell Tools Limited, Mumbai, unknown public and private persons. [Karti Chidambaram, who is a Lok Sabha member from Sivaganga constituency in Tamil Nadu,]( is already facing allegations of financial irregularities, including in the INX media case. Earlier in the day, Karti Chidambaram posted a cryptic tweet wondering “how many times has it been?“ The CBI operation comes at a time when Chidambaram’s tenure comes to an end in the Rajya Sabha and he hopes to be re-nominated to the upper house from Tamil Nadu where the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam has allotted one seat to its alliance partner, the Congress. Chidambaram said in a tweet that the CBI team that searched his Chennai residence showed “me a FIR in which I am not named as an accused”. He also pointed out the timing of the action but did not specify the Rajya Sabha polls. SC Collegium recommends elevation of five judges as Chief Justices The [Supreme Court Collegium on May 17 recommended the elevation of five judges of various high courts as Chief Justices](. It also recomended transfer of a Chief Justice. The collegium recommended the elevation of Delhi High Court judge Justice Vipin Sanghi as Chief Justice of Uttarakhand. It also recommended elevation of two judges from Bombay High Court — Justices Amjad A. Sayed and S.S. Shinde — as Himachal Pradesh Chief Justice, and Rajasthan Chief Justice respectively. The collegium recommended the elevation of Gujarat High Court judge Rashmin M. Chhaya as Gauhati Chief Justice. Telangana High Court judge Ujjal Bhuyan has been recommended as Chief Justice of Telangana High Court Chief Justice. Justice Bhuyan's parent High Court is Gauhati. Besides, Chief Justice of Telangana Satish Chandra Sharma has been recommended for a transfer to Delhi High Court. The Supreme Court Collegium is led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana and comprises senior-most judges Justices U.U. Lalit, A.M. Khanwilkar, D.Y. Chandrachud and L. Nageswara Rao as its members. In Brief An appeal has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the Delhi High Court’s split verdict on the issue of criminalisation of marital rape on a batch of petitions challenging the exception in the law that exempts husbands from being prosecuted for non-consensual sexual intercourse with their wives. The appeal has been filed by Khushboo Saifi, one of the petitioners before the high court. The high court on May 11 had delivered a split verdict on the issue. 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