The Evening Wrap: Government signs peace pact with insurgent group of Manipur

The Central Government and the Manipur Government on December 27 entered into a cessation of operation agreement with the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF), an armed insurgent group, which agreed to give up violence and join the peaceful democratic process. Representatives of the armed group, which had been active for more than a decade, agreed to “abjure violence and join the peaceful democratic process as established by law of the land”. In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said fulfilling the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of an ‘insurgency-free and prosperous Northeast’ and under the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Government of India and the Government of Manipur entered into a cessation of operation agreement in New Delhi with ZUF. “The agreement provides for the rehabilitation and resettlement of the armed cadres. A Joint Monitoring Group will be constituted to oversee the enforcement of the agreed ground rules,” the MHA said. Maharashtra Assembly passes resolution to ‘legally pursue’ inclusion of Marathi-speaking Karnataka villages The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on December 27, 2022, unanimously passed a resolution to legally pursue the inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking villages in Karnataka into the State, amid the raging boundary dispute between the two States. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde tabled the resolution during the winter session of the Legislature being held in Nagpur, to fight the case in the Supreme Court to include Belagavi, Karwar, Nipani, Bidar Bhalki and others into Maharashtra. Mr. Shinde said the Karnataka state legislature had passed a resolution on the issue to purposely fuel the border row. The resolution, passed unanimously, stated the Central government should urge the Karnataka government to implement the decision taken in the meeting with the Union Home Minister and the Karnataka government should ensure the safety of Marathi-speaking people in its State. Odisha police intensify probe into mysterious death of Russian lawmaker Pavel Antov The Odisha police intensified the probe into mysterious circumstances under which Pavel Antov, a known critic of President Vladimir Putin, died in the southern district of Rayagada, 400 km from here, on December 24. Antov (65) had come to Rayagada along with friend Bydanov Vladimir (61), and a Russian couple Turov Mikhail (63) and Panasenko Natalia as part of sightseeing, said Rayagada police on Tuesday. They were staying in Sai International Hotel at district headquarter town of Rayagada. After landing in Bhubaneswar, they had come to Rayagada via Daringbadi, a scenic place in Kandhamal district, said Rasmi Ranjan Pradhan, Inspector in Charge of Rayagada Police Station. They had also visited Chatikona, a traditional tribal market, before reaching Rayagada. DMK, Congress follow dynastic and family politics, alleges Nadda There is no difference between the Congress party and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) since both follow “dynastic and family politics” with one being “Gandhi and sons” and the other being “Karunanidhi and sons”, charged Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) national president J.P. Nadda, in Coimbatore on December 27. Addressing a public meeting near Karamadai, Mr. Nadda contended, “Tamil Nadu is not in safe hands. DMK is a not regional party but a family party, and it has nothing to do with regional aspirations. BJP believes in Nation first, party next, and self last, but for DMK it is self first, party next, and Nation last.” He also criticised the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and claimed that it aimed not to unite but to divide the country. “It was [former Prime Minister] Nehru who gave special provisions to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370, but it was Mr. Modi’s government that abrogated and united it.” Modi-Pinarayi meeting calls for strengthening Central-State relations and expediting development Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the latter’s office in the South Bloc on Tuesday. Both leaders discussed the emerging threat of another wave of COVID-19 infections and precautions the State and Centre took to contain the pandemic’s resurgence. Mr. Vijayan apprised Mr. Modi of the anti-pandemic measures initiated by Kerala. Both leaders agreed to strengthen State-Centre relations to expedite the development and complete joint infrastructure development projects in time. Mr. Vijayan briefed Mr. Modi about the steps taken by the Kerala government to speed up land acquisition for National Highway development. They also discussed the progress of the Jal Jeevan mission, a national scheme to pipe potable water to individual households. It was unclear whether the meeting weighed the social and economic impact of the Supreme Court’s proposed ecologically sensitive buffer zone within a one-km radius of protected forests or Central sanction for SilverLine, Kerala’s proposed semi-high-speed railway project. In brief The South Korean government of President Yoon Suk Yeol said Tuesday it will grant a special pardon to ex-President Lee Myung-bak, who was sentenced to a 17-year prison term for a range of corruption crimes. The Justice Ministry said in a statement that Lee is among 1,373 convicts who will be pardoned Wednesday. It said it has decided to include some politicians, such as Lee, as part of efforts to promote a national unity. Hyderabad-based Bharath Biotech said Tuesday that its nasally administered vaccine, iNCOVACC, would be available for public use from the fourth week of January and cost ₹800 for private markets and ₹325 for governments. iNCOVACC will be rolled out as a booster dose for those above 18 years of age and is the world’s first intranasal vaccine for COVID to receive approval for the primary 2-dose schedule, as well as a heterologous booster dose. [logo] The Evening Wrap 27 DECEMBER 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]( Dear reader, We have now made it easier for you to manage your The Hindu newsletter subscriptions in one place! 1. Visit [The Hindu newsletters page]( 2. Click MANAGE tab and then click LOGIN / SIGN UP 3. If you don’t have an account with The Hindu, please click SIGN UP OR If you already have an account with The Hindu with this email ID, please login using the email ID Government signs peace pact with insurgent group of Manipur The [Central Government and the Manipur Government]( on December 27 entered into a cessation of operation agreement with the Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF), an armed insurgent group, which agreed to give up violence and join the peaceful democratic process. Representatives of the armed group, which had been active for more than a decade, agreed to “abjure violence and join the peaceful democratic process as established by law of the land”. In a statement, the Ministry of Home Affairs said fulfilling the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of an ‘insurgency-free and prosperous Northeast’ and under the guidance of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the Government of India and the Government of Manipur entered into a cessation of operation agreement in New Delhi with ZUF. “The agreement provides for the rehabilitation and resettlement of the armed cadres. A Joint Monitoring Group will be constituted to oversee the enforcement of the agreed ground rules,” the MHA said. Maharashtra Assembly passes resolution to ‘legally pursue’ inclusion of Marathi-speaking Karnataka villages The [Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on December 27, 2022, unanimously passed a resolution]( to legally pursue the inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking villages in Karnataka into the State, amid the raging boundary dispute between the two States. [Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thakreay) Chief Uddhav Thakreay with MP Sanjay Raut, Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Ajit Pawar and party leader Aditya Thakreay interacts with the media during the Winter Session of Maharashtra Assembly, in Nagpur on December 27, 2022.] Chief Minister Eknath Shinde tabled the resolution during the winter session of the Legislature being held in Nagpur, to fight the case in the Supreme Court to include Belagavi, Karwar, Nipani, Bidar Bhalki and others into Maharashtra. Mr. Shinde said the Karnataka state legislature had passed a resolution on the issue to purposely fuel the border row. The resolution, passed unanimously, stated the Central government should urge the Karnataka government to implement the decision taken in the meeting with the Union Home Minister and the Karnataka government should ensure the safety of Marathi-speaking people in its State. Odisha police intensify probe into mysterious death of Russian lawmaker Pavel Antov The [Odisha police intensified the probe into mysterious circumstances]( under which Pavel Antov, a known critic of President Vladimir Putin, died in the southern district of Rayagada, 400 km from here, on December 24. Antov (65) had come to Rayagada along with friend Bydanov Vladimir (61), and a Russian couple Turov Mikhail (63) and Panasenko Natalia as part of sightseeing, said Rayagada police on Tuesday. They were staying in Sai International Hotel at district headquarter town of Rayagada. After landing in Bhubaneswar, they had come to Rayagada via Daringbadi, a scenic place in Kandhamal district, said Rasmi Ranjan Pradhan, Inspector in Charge of Rayagada Police Station. They had also visited Chatikona, a traditional tribal market, before reaching Rayagada. DMK, Congress follow dynastic and family politics, alleges Nadda [There is no difference between the Congress party and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)]( since both follow “dynastic and family politics” with one being “Gandhi and sons” and the other being “Karunanidhi and sons”, charged Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) national president J.P. Nadda, in Coimbatore on December 27. Addressing a public meeting near Karamadai, Mr. Nadda contended, “Tamil Nadu is not in safe hands. DMK is a not regional party but a family party, and it has nothing to do with regional aspirations. BJP believes in Nation first, party next, and self last, but for DMK it is self first, party next, and Nation last.” [BJP president J.P. Nadda with other leaders during a public meeting, in Coimbatore, on December 27, 2022.] He also criticised the Bharat Jodo Yatra of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and claimed that it aimed not to unite but to divide the country. “It was [former Prime Minister] Nehru who gave special provisions to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370, but it was Mr. Modi’s government that abrogated and united it.” Modi-Pinarayi meeting calls for strengthening Central-State relations and expediting development [Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan met Prime Minister Narendra Modi]( at the latter’s office in the South Bloc on Tuesday. Both leaders discussed the emerging threat of another wave of COVID-19 infections and precautions the State and Centre took to contain the pandemic’s resurgence. Mr. Vijayan apprised Mr. Modi of the anti-pandemic measures initiated by Kerala. Both leaders agreed to strengthen State-Centre relations to expedite the development and complete joint infrastructure development projects in time. Mr. Vijayan briefed Mr. Modi about the steps taken by the Kerala government to speed up land acquisition for National Highway development. They also discussed the progress of the Jal Jeevan mission, a national scheme to pipe potable water to individual households. It was unclear whether the meeting weighed the social and economic impact of the Supreme Court’s proposed ecologically sensitive buffer zone within a one-km radius of protected forests or Central sanction for SilverLine, Kerala’s proposed semi-high-speed railway project. In brief T[he South Korean government of President Yoon Suk Yeol]( said Tuesday it will grant a special pardon to ex-President Lee Myung-bak, who was sentenced to a 17-year prison term for a range of corruption crimes. The Justice Ministry said in a statement that Lee is among 1,373 convicts who will be pardoned Wednesday. It said it has decided to include some politicians, such as Lee, as part of efforts to promote a national unity. [Hyderabad-based Bharath Biotech said Tuesday that its nasally administered vaccine]( iNCOVACC, would be available for public use from the fourth week of January and cost ₹800 for private markets and ₹325 for governments. iNCOVACC will be rolled out as a booster dose for those above 18 years of age and is the world’s first intranasal vaccine for COVID to receive approval for the primary 2-dose schedule, as well as a heterologous booster dose. Interested in Science? Our "Science For All" weekly newsletter takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in! 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