The Evening Wrap: Delhi, Punjab CMs, INDIA leaders join Kerala’s protest against Centre in Delhi

The protest organised by the Kerala government at Jantar Mantar here on February 8 (Thursday) against the alleged attacks on federalism by the Centre, especially anomalies in devolution of resources, turned out to be a gathering of Opposition States. Besides Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who inaugurated the protest, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann joined the protests. Senior political leaders such as CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI general secretary D. Raja, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, Rajya Sabha member and lawyer Kapil Sibal, Tamil Nadu Minister and DMK leader Palanivel Thiaga Rajan and several Ministers, MPs and MLAs belonging to the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala too attended the gathering. Members of INDIA bloc partners other than the Congress and the Trinamool Congress also participated in the protest. In his inaugural address, Vijayan said when federalism is destroyed, it will cause losses to all the States. “On top of that are the politically motivated actions against non-BJP-run States. Efforts are on by certain sections to depict the genuine demands of States as an issue of north-south divide. It is totally untrue, unfounded and baseless. Ours is a democratic protest against the undoing of federal structure and the sheer discrimination against the States irrespective of north-south considerations. However, taking into account the interests of our people and our State, we cannot be quiet,” he said. Kejriwal said the situation has become such that the States have to come to Jantar Mantar to protest demanding their rights. “Mr. Vijayan is not here to ask some money for his family. He is here to get the allocations due to Kerala,” said Kejriwal, adding that other than denying resources, the Centre is using Governors and Lieutenant Governors to create impediments to the Opposition-ruled governments. He referred to the arrests of Opposition leaders and said it is “a tactic” used by the BJP to silence Opposition. “We, the Opposition parties, represent 70 crore people of this country. Are you considering these States as your enemies?” Kejriwal asked, seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s explanation on the “attacks on federal rights.” Mann said the Centre has denied shares of revenues to Punjab too. He said the BJP is “busy communalising” the country and that Punjab needs no lessons from the Sangh Parivar on patriotism. FM Nirmala Sitharaman tables white paper on Indian economy in Lok Sabha Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 8 tabled a ‘White Paper on the Indian Economy’ in the Lok Sabha. “When we formed the government in 2014, the economy was in a fragile state; public finances were in a bad shape; there was economic mismanagement and financial indiscipline, and there was widespread corruption. It was a crisis situation” the white paper, tabled by the Finance Ministry, noted. “Now that we have stabilised the economy and set it on a recovery and growth path, it is necessary to place in the public domain the seemingly insurmountable challenges – left behind as a legacy by the UPA Government,” it said. According to the Finance Ministry, the White Paper has four objectives. Firstly, to apprise people of the “nature and extent of governance, economic and fiscal crises” when the Narendra Modi-led government took over in 2014. The paper also said it is to inform about the policies and measures taken by the government under Modi to “restore the health of the economy and make it vigorous and capable of fulfilling the growth aspirations of the people in the present and in the Amrit Kaal”. The Ministry, through the paper, also “hopes to generate a wider, more informed debate on the paramountcy of national interest and fiscal responsibility in matters of governance over political expediency”. And lastly, “to commit ourselves to national development, with new inspirations, new consciousness, new resolutions, as the country opens up immense possibilities and opportunities.” The 47-page paper, with a few additional pages of data annexures, is spliced into three parts and concludes by stressing: “Our government, unlike its predecessor, invested in the foundations of the economy along with building a sturdy superstructure. Looking back at the last ten years, we can say with humility and satisfaction that we have successfully overcome the challenges left behind by the previous government. That said, we are not resting on our laurels. There are miles to go and mountains to scale before we sleep.” “The Amrit Kaal has just begun and our destination is “India a developed nation by 2047”. It is our Kartavya Kaal.” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge releases ‘Black Paper’ against Modi government Ahead of the tabling of the ‘white paper’ on economy in Parliament, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge released a ‘black paper’ against the Narendra Modi government to highlight the government’s failure. Kharge said, “There is a danger to democracy in the country...In last 10 years, 411 MLAs were taken on there by the BJP. They toppled so many Congress governments. They are finishing democracy.” He said the Congress is raising the main issue of unemployment, which the BJP never talks about and that discrimination is being done with non-BJP States such as Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana. “Whenever PM Modi presents his views in Parliament, he hides his failures,” the Congress president said. “Whenever we speak about the failures of the government, it is not given importance. Therefore, we want to bring out a ‘Black Paper’ and tell the public about the failures of the government,” Kharge said. PM Modi lies that he was born OBC, alleges Rahul Gandhi in Odisha Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying that he was born Other Backward Class during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the western Odisha town of Jharsuguda on Thursday. “Your Prime Minister was not born OBC and he was born in general caste. He was born in Teli caste in Gujarat. The Bharatiya Janata Party government had included his caste in OBC category in 2000. He keeps lying everywhere that he was born OBC,” said Gandhi addressing a public meeting. “Do you know how do I know that he was not born OBC? I don’t require birth certificate to ascertain the fact. He does not embrace any OBC person. He does not hold hands of farmers and labourers. He only holds hand of Adaniji,” he said. “In his lifetime, he (PM Modi) will not allow the conduct of the caste census because the PM is lying to the country that he was born OBC. The truth is that he was born general caste. Take it in writing,” the Congress leader said. “The caste census can only be undertaken by Congress and Rahul Gandhi. When I raised the issue of caste census and social justice, Modi delivered a speech saying there are only two castes – one rich and another poor. If there are two castes which caste do you (PM) belong to? You cannot be poor. You wear suits that cost in crores. If there are two castes, how come you are an OBC,” he said. “He [Modi] wears one dress in the morning and it subsequently gets changed during noon and evening. His attires keep changing every day. And he lies that he belongs to OBC community. Modi is from Modh-Ghanchi caste. He was made PM to fool all backward class communities,” charged Gandhi. “When it comes to economic justice, your PM is destroying small businesses. He has implemented GST and demonetisation to help Adaniji. In the country including Odisha, youths cannot get employment. Big industrialists are selling products made in China helping youths of China make money. People in India are only spending,” said the Congress leader. He remarked, “People are only fighting with inflation. People are hurt by rise in petrol and food prices. It does not affect Adaniji and Modiji. Does Mr. Modi buy expensive clothes himself? The salary of PM is ₹1.60 lakh whereas his dresses cost ₹2 lakh to ₹3 lakh. He spends ₹7 to ₹8 lakh daily on his attire. Where do they come from? PM always misleads people.” “In Odisha, BJP and BJD are looting money of farmers. There is only difference of letters P and D in the name. They operate in partnership. They are busy stealing, grabbing of tribal land. They survey tribal land by drone. The information about the land reaches Adaniji and Ambaniji. The industrialists would come and take away the land,” Congress leader said. West Bengal government presents ₹3.6 lakh crore budget, says Centre imposed ‘financial blockade’ West Bengal Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya on February 8 presented the budget for 2024-25 with a slew of policies for social welfare and employment generation, even as she accused the Centre of imposing a “financial blockade” on the State. Tabling a budget of ₹3,66,166 crore, Bhattacharya said the monthly financial assistance under the ‘Lakhsmir Bhandar’ scheme has been raised to ₹1,200 for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities, whereas for other categories, it has been increased to ₹1,000. “The Centre has imposed a financial blockade on West Bengal. But, we will not cow down. The State’s dues from the central government is nearly ₹1.18 lakh crore,” she said. The Minister also announced an additional 4% dearness allowance (DA) for State government employees from May, in addition to the 4% that was declared in January. Bhattacharya said her government introduced a ‘Gender and Child Budget Statement’ in this year’s Budget. The West Bengal Assembly Budget session began on February 8 amid chaos over the State song being played and BJP legislators singing the national anthem simultaneously. Speaker Biman Banerjee after entering the House instructed officials to play the State song “Banglar Mati Banglar Jal” before the beginning of the State Budget session. As the song was being played, BJP legislators stood up and started singing the national anthem. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the BJP for insulting the national anthem. “National anthem is being played at the end. The BJP singing the national anthem when the state song is being played is an insult to the national anthem,” Banerjee said. India suspends Free Movement Regime with Myanmar Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on February 8 that the Government has decided to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along Myanmar border to ensure the internal security of the country and to maintain the demographic structure of India’s North Eastern States. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recommended the immediate suspension of FMR, he said. “It is Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji’s resolve to secure our borders. MHA has decided that the FMR between India and Myanmar be scrapped to ensure the internal security of the country and to maintain the demographic structure of India’s North Eastern States bordering Myanmar. Since the Ministry of External Affairs is currently in the process of scrapping it, MHA has recommended the immediate suspension of the FMR,” Shah posted on X. Under the FMR, any member of a hill tribe, who is a citizen of either India or Myanmar, and who resides within 16 km of the border on either side, can cross on the production of a border pass, usually valid for a year, and can stay up to two weeks per visit. India and Myanmar share an unfenced 1,643 km-long border and people on either side have familial and ethnic ties, which had initially prompted the arrangement. A 1968 government notification limited the free movement of people up to 40 km on either side of the border, which was further reduced to 16 km in 2004. The FMR’s provisions were last revised in 2016. In its 2011-12 annual report, the MHA observed that the FMR makes the international border extremely porous, and the hilly and inhospitable terrain provides cover to the activities of various Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs). “The unfenced Indo-Myanmar border with FMR is thus being exploited by various IIGs,” the report said. The India-Myanmar border passes through the States of Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Nagaland (215 km), Manipur (398 km), and Mizoram (510 km). The Union government had initially planned to fence a 10 km stretch along the border at Moreh in Manipur in 2010 and 4.07 km of fencing had been put up till 2013-14, while the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power. The MHA’s latest annual report for 2022-23 says that 6.81 km of fencing has been completed, which means that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has added less than three km of fencing over a nine year period. Out of 1,643 km, the demarcation of 1,472 km has been completed. Earlier on February 6, Shah announced that a fence will be constructed along the entire 1643-km border with Myanmar. “Out of the total border length, a 10 km stretch in Moreh, Manipur, has already been fenced. Furthermore, two pilot projects of fencing through a Hybrid Surveillance System (HSS) are under execution. They will fence a stretch of 1 km each in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. Additionally, fence works covering approx 20 km in Manipur have also been approved, and the work will start soon,” he added. A tender floated last year for HSS estimated the cost of the project at ₹3.2 crore for one km. Officials pointed out that FMR had several drawbacks and its implementation always fell in the grey. “There is no standard document or border pass recognised by both the countries. Though Assam Rifles, a central force is deployed along the Myanmar, the implementation of FMR through border passes is done by the State government officials. The other international borders such as Bangladesh and Pakistan, the border check posts are manned by Bureau of Immigration officials under MHA,” said the official. The official added though FMR allows two visits per week, there is no mechanism to check when the person has entered. “If someone is caught along the border, they simply say that they entered a while ago. There are people who live in Myanmar but work in India during the day,” the official added. Shah’s announcement on the FMR comes soon after his February 3 meeting with Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in Delhi. The CM has often blamed the FMR for the ongoing ethnic violence between the tribal Kuki-Zo and the Meitei communities in the State, though in fact, Manipur had suspended the regime in 2020 itself due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tribal Zo people have a major presence in Manipur and Mizoram, as well as in parts of Assam and Nagaland, and adjoining areas of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Similarly, Nagas live in Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam, as well as in neighbouring Myanmar. Women prisoners in custody getting pregnant; Calcutta HC prohibits entry of male employees The Calcutta High Court on Thursday took a serious view of a submission made by an amicus curiae that women prisoners were getting pregnant while under custody in prisons in West Bengal. The amicus curiae informed that about 196 babies were said to have been born in different jails in the State. “The learned amicus curiae has presented a note pointing out certain serious issues. One such issue is that women prisoners while in custody are getting pregnant and at present there are as many as 196 babies staying at different prisons of West Bengal. The learned amicus curiae has suggested the prohibition of the entry of male employees of correctional homes into the enclosure of women’s presence,” the Court recorded. The Division Bench of T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Supratim Bhattacharya said that the matter would be placed before a division bench hearing criminal cases next Monday. During the mentioning, the amicus curiae also submitted he had visited one correctional home where he found one woman pregnant. He added that 15 children born in the prison were also there in the said correctional homes. The division bench also added that the amicus curiae has placed his note on January 25, 2024, and has submitted a copy of this note in the office of the learned Advocate General. “In order to have an effective adjudication of all these matters, we deem it appropriate that the matter should be placed before the honourable division bench having a criminal roster determination,” the bench said. The Prison Statistics of India report for 2022, compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau, pointed out that there were 1,537 women prisoners with 1,764 children as on December 31, 2022. “Uttar Pradesh has reported the highest number of Women with children [325 women with 365 children] followed by Bihar [300 women with 331 children] and West Bengal [160 women with 213 children] as on December 31, 2022,” the report stated. In briefIsrael PM Netanyahu orders troops to prepare for push into Rafah Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered troops to prepare to enter the overcrowded Gazan city of Rafah, even as a new round of talks aimed at securing a truce with Hamas were set to open on February 8 in Cairo. Netanyahu announced the order after rejecting Hamas’s response to a ceasefire proposal at the centre of intense recent diplomatic efforts, though visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted on Wednesday that he still saw “space for agreement to be reached”. RBI’s MPC keeps repo rate unchanged at 6.5% to bring down inflation, support growth The Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India on February 8 after a detailed assessment decided to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility unchanged at 6.50%. Announcing the bi-monthly monetary policy, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said the Monetary Policy Committee has decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 6.5%. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 08 February 2024 [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]( Delhi and Punjab CMs, INDIA leaders join Kerala’s protest against Centre’s policies The [protest organised by the Kerala government at Jantar Mantar here on February 8]( (Thursday) against the alleged attacks on federalism by the Centre, especially anomalies in devolution of resources, turned out to be a gathering of Opposition States. Besides Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan who inaugurated the protest, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann joined the protests. Senior political leaders such as CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI general secretary D. Raja, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah, Rajya Sabha member and lawyer Kapil Sibal, Tamil Nadu Minister and DMK leader Palanivel Thiaga Rajan and several Ministers, MPs and MLAs belonging to the ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala too attended the gathering. Members of INDIA bloc partners other than the Congress and the Trinamool Congress also participated in the protest. In his inaugural address, Vijayan said when federalism is destroyed, it will cause losses to all the States. “On top of that are the politically motivated actions against non-BJP-run States. Efforts are on by certain sections to depict the genuine demands of States as an issue of north-south divide. It is totally untrue, unfounded and baseless. Ours is a democratic protest against the undoing of federal structure and the sheer discrimination against the States irrespective of north-south considerations. However, taking into account the interests of our people and our State, we cannot be quiet,” he said. Kejriwal said the situation has become such that the States have to come to Jantar Mantar to protest demanding their rights. “Mr. Vijayan is not here to ask some money for his family. He is here to get the allocations due to Kerala,” said Kejriwal, adding that other than denying resources, the Centre is using Governors and Lieutenant Governors to create impediments to the Opposition-ruled governments. He referred to the arrests of Opposition leaders and said it is “a tactic” used by the BJP to silence Opposition. “We, the Opposition parties, represent 70 crore people of this country. Are you considering these States as your enemies?” Kejriwal asked, seeking Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s explanation on the “attacks on federal rights.” Mann said the Centre has denied shares of revenues to Punjab too. He said the BJP is “busy communalising” the country and that Punjab needs no lessons from the Sangh Parivar on patriotism. FM Nirmala Sitharaman tables white paper on Indian economy in Lok Sabha [Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on February 8 tabled a ‘White Paper on the Indian Economy’ in the Lok Sabha.]( “When we formed the government in 2014, the economy was in a fragile state; public finances were in a bad shape; there was economic mismanagement and financial indiscipline, and there was widespread corruption. It was a crisis situation” the white paper, tabled by the Finance Ministry, noted. “Now that we have stabilised the economy and set it on a recovery and growth path, it is necessary to place in the public domain the seemingly insurmountable challenges – left behind as a legacy by the UPA Government,” it said. According to the Finance Ministry, the White Paper has four objectives. Firstly, to apprise people of the “nature and extent of governance, economic and fiscal crises” when the Narendra Modi-led government took over in 2014. The paper also said it is to inform about the policies and measures taken by the government under Modi to “restore the health of the economy and make it vigorous and capable of fulfilling the growth aspirations of the people in the present and in the Amrit Kaal”. The Ministry, through the paper, also “hopes to generate a wider, more informed debate on the paramountcy of national interest and fiscal responsibility in matters of governance over political expediency”. And lastly, “to commit ourselves to national development, with new inspirations, new consciousness, new resolutions, as the country opens up immense possibilities and opportunities.” The 47-page paper, with a few additional pages of data annexures, is spliced into three parts and concludes by stressing: “Our government, unlike its predecessor, invested in the foundations of the economy along with building a sturdy superstructure. Looking back at the last ten years, we can say with humility and satisfaction that we have successfully overcome the challenges left behind by the previous government. That said, we are not resting on our laurels. There are miles to go and mountains to scale before we sleep.” “The Amrit Kaal has just begun and our destination is “India a developed nation by 2047”. It is our Kartavya Kaal.” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge releases ‘Black Paper’ against Modi government Ahead of the tabling of the ‘white paper’ on economy in Parliament, Congress president [Mallikarjun Kharge released a ‘black paper’]( against the Narendra Modi government to highlight the government’s failure. Kharge said, “There is a danger to democracy in the country...In last 10 years, 411 MLAs were taken on there by the BJP. They toppled so many Congress governments. They are finishing democracy.” He said the Congress is raising the main issue of unemployment, which the BJP never talks about and that discrimination is being done with non-BJP States such as Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana. “Whenever PM Modi presents his views in Parliament, he hides his failures,” the Congress president said. “Whenever we speak about the failures of the government, it is not given importance. Therefore, we want to bring out a ‘Black Paper’ and tell the public about the failures of the government,” Kharge said. PM Modi lies that he was born OBC, alleges Rahul Gandhi in Odisha Senior Congress leader [Rahul Gandhi accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of lying that he was born Other Backward Class]( during his Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in the western Odisha town of Jharsuguda on Thursday. “Your Prime Minister was not born OBC and he was born in general caste. He was born in Teli caste in Gujarat. The Bharatiya Janata Party government had included his caste in OBC category in 2000. He keeps lying everywhere that he was born OBC,” said Gandhi addressing a public meeting. “Do you know how do I know that he was not born OBC? I don’t require birth certificate to ascertain the fact. He does not embrace any OBC person. He does not hold hands of farmers and labourers. He only holds hand of Adaniji,” he said. “In his lifetime, he (PM Modi) will not allow the conduct of the caste census because the PM is lying to the country that he was born OBC. The truth is that he was born general caste. Take it in writing,” the Congress leader said. “The caste census can only be undertaken by Congress and Rahul Gandhi. When I raised the issue of caste census and social justice, Modi delivered a speech saying there are only two castes – one rich and another poor. If there are two castes which caste do you (PM) belong to? You cannot be poor. You wear suits that cost in crores. If there are two castes, how come you are an OBC,” he said. “He [Modi] wears one dress in the morning and it subsequently gets changed during noon and evening. His attires keep changing every day. And he lies that he belongs to OBC community. Modi is from Modh-Ghanchi caste. He was made PM to fool all backward class communities,” charged Gandhi. “When it comes to economic justice, your PM is destroying small businesses. He has implemented GST and demonetisation to help Adaniji. In the country including Odisha, youths cannot get employment. Big industrialists are selling products made in China helping youths of China make money. People in India are only spending,” said the Congress leader. He remarked, “People are only fighting with inflation. People are hurt by rise in petrol and food prices. It does not affect Adaniji and Modiji. Does Mr. Modi buy expensive clothes himself? The salary of PM is ₹1.60 lakh whereas his dresses cost ₹2 lakh to ₹3 lakh . He spends ₹7 to ₹8 lakh daily on his attire. Where do they come from? PM always misleads people.” “In Odisha, BJP and BJD are looting money of farmers. There is only difference of letters P and D in the name. They operate in partnership. They are busy stealing, grabbing of tribal land. They survey tribal land by drone. The information about the land reaches Adaniji and Ambaniji. The industrialists would come and take away the land,” Congress leader said. West Bengal government presents ₹3.6 lakh crore budget, says Centre imposed ‘financial blockade’ [West Bengal Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya on February 8 presented the budget for 2024-25]( with a slew of policies for social welfare and employment generation, even as she accused the Centre of imposing a “financial blockade” on the State. Tabling a budget of ₹3,66,166 crore, Bhattacharya said the monthly financial assistance under the ‘Lakhsmir Bhandar’ scheme has been raised to ₹1,200 for the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes communities, whereas for other categories, it has been increased to ₹1,000. “The Centre has imposed a financial blockade on West Bengal. But, we will not cow down. The State’s dues from the central government is nearly ₹1.18 lakh crore,” she said. The Minister also announced an additional 4% dearness allowance (DA) for State government employees from May, in addition to the 4% that was declared in January. Bhattacharya said her government introduced a ‘Gender and Child Budget Statement’ in this year’s Budget. The West Bengal Assembly Budget session began on February 8 amid chaos over the State song being played and BJP legislators singing the national anthem simultaneously. Speaker Biman Banerjee after entering the House instructed officials to play the State song “Banglar Mati Banglar Jal” before the beginning of the State Budget session. As the song was being played, BJP legislators stood up and started singing the national anthem. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee condemned the BJP for insulting the national anthem. “National anthem is being played at the end. The BJP singing the national anthem when the state song is being played is an insult to the national anthem,” Banerjee said. India suspends Free Movement Regime with Myanmar Union Home Minister [Amit Shah said on February 8 that the Government has decided to scrap the Free Movement Regime (FMR) along Myanmar border]( to ensure the internal security of the country and to maintain the demographic structure of India’s North Eastern States. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has recommended the immediate suspension of FMR, he said. “It is Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi Ji’s resolve to secure our borders. MHA has decided that the FMR between India and Myanmar be scrapped to ensure the internal security of the country and to maintain the demographic structure of India’s North Eastern States bordering Myanmar. Since the Ministry of External Affairs is currently in the process of scrapping it, MHA has recommended the immediate suspension of the FMR,” Shah posted on X. Under the FMR, any member of a hill tribe, who is a citizen of either India or Myanmar, and who resides within 16 km of the border on either side, can cross on the production of a border pass, usually valid for a year, and can stay up to two weeks per visit. India and Myanmar share an unfenced 1,643 km-long border and people on either side have familial and ethnic ties, which had initially prompted the arrangement. A 1968 government notification limited the free movement of people up to 40 km on either side of the border, which was further reduced to 16 km in 2004. The FMR’s provisions were last revised in 2016. In its 2011-12 annual report, the MHA observed that the FMR makes the international border extremely porous, and the hilly and inhospitable terrain provides cover to the activities of various Indian Insurgent Groups (IIGs). “The unfenced Indo-Myanmar border with FMR is thus being exploited by various IIGs,” the report said. The India-Myanmar border passes through the States of Arunachal Pradesh (520 km), Nagaland (215 km), Manipur (398 km), and Mizoram (510 km). The Union government had initially planned to fence a 10 km stretch along the border at Moreh in Manipur in 2010 and 4.07 km of fencing had been put up till 2013-14, while the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) was in power. The MHA’s latest annual report for 2022-23 says that 6.81 km of fencing has been completed, which means that the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has added less than three km of fencing over a nine year period. Out of 1,643 km, the demarcation of 1,472 km has been completed. Earlier on February 6, Shah announced that a fence will be constructed along the entire 1643-km border with Myanmar. “Out of the total border length, a 10 km stretch in Moreh, Manipur, has already been fenced. Furthermore, two pilot projects of fencing through a Hybrid Surveillance System (HSS) are under execution. They will fence a stretch of 1 km each in Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur. Additionally, fence works covering approx 20 km in Manipur have also been approved, and the work will start soon,” he added. A tender floated last year for HSS estimated the cost of the project at ₹3.2 crore for one km. Officials pointed out that FMR had several drawbacks and its implementation always fell in the grey. “There is no standard document or border pass recognised by both the countries. Though Assam Rifles, a central force is deployed along the Myanmar, the implementation of FMR through border passes is done by the State government officials. The other international borders such as Bangladesh and Pakistan, the border check posts are manned by Bureau of Immigration officials under MHA,” said the official. The official added though FMR allows two visits per week, there is no mechanism to check when the person has entered. “If someone is caught along the border, they simply say that they entered a while ago. There are people who live in Myanmar but work in India during the day,” the official added. Shah’s announcement on the FMR comes soon after his February 3 meeting with Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh in Delhi. The CM has often blamed the FMR for the ongoing ethnic violence between the tribal Kuki-Zo and the Meitei communities in the State, though in fact, Manipur had suspended the regime in 2020 itself due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The tribal Zo people have a major presence in Manipur and Mizoram, as well as in parts of Assam and Nagaland, and adjoining areas of Bangladesh and Myanmar. Similarly, Nagas live in Nagaland, Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh, and Assam, as well as in neighbouring Myanmar. Women prisoners in custody getting pregnant; Calcutta HC prohibits entry of male employees The [Calcutta High Court on Thursday took a serious view of a submission made by an amicus curiae that women prisoners were getting pregnant while under custody in prisons in West Bengal](. The amicus curiae informed that about 196 babies were said to have been born in different jails in the State. “The learned amicus curiae has presented a note pointing out certain serious issues. One such issue is that women prisoners while in custody are getting pregnant and at present there are as many as 196 babies staying at different prisons of West Bengal. The learned amicus curiae has suggested the prohibition of the entry of male employees of correctional homes into the enclosure of women’s presence,” the Court recorded. The Division Bench of T.S. Sivagnanam and Justice Supratim Bhattacharya said that the matter would be placed before a division bench hearing criminal cases next Monday. During the mentioning, the amicus curiae also submitted he had visited one correctional home where he found one woman pregnant. He added that 15 children born in the prison were also there in the said correctional homes. The division bench also added that the amicus curiae has placed his note on January 25, 2024, and has submitted a copy of this note in the office of the learned Advocate General. “In order to have an effective adjudication of all these matters, we deem it appropriate that the matter should be placed before the honourable division bench having a criminal roster determination,” the bench said. The Prison Statistics of India report for 2022, compiled by the National Crime Records Bureau, pointed out that there were 1,537 women prisoners with 1,764 children as on December 31, 2022. “Uttar Pradesh has reported the highest number of Women with children [325 women with 365 children] followed by Bihar [300 women with 331 children] and West Bengal [160 women with 213 children] as on December 31, 2022,” the report stated. In brief Israel PM Netanyahu orders troops to prepare for push into Rafah Israeli Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu has ordered troops to prepare to enter the overcrowded Gazan city of Rafah]( even as a new round of talks aimed at securing a truce with Hamas were set to open on February 8 in Cairo. Netanyahu announced the order after rejecting Hamas’s response to a ceasefire proposal at the centre of intense recent diplomatic efforts, though visiting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted on Wednesday that he still saw “space for agreement to be reached”. RBI’s MPC keeps repo rate unchanged at 6.5% to bring down inflation, support growth The [Monetary Policy Committee of the Reserve Bank of India on February 8 after a detailed assessment decided to keep the policy repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility unchanged at 6.50%](. Announcing the bi-monthly monetary policy, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das said the Monetary Policy Committee has decided to keep the repo rate unchanged at 6.5%. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [Sign up for free]( Today’s Top Picks [[Understanding India-Iran relations | In Focus podcast] Understanding India-Iran relations | In Focus podcast]( [[Watch | Maharashtra anganwadi workers return but were all demands met?] Watch | Maharashtra anganwadi workers return but were all demands met?]( [[Sci-Five | The Hindu Science Quiz: On Wetlands] Sci-Five | The Hindu Science Quiz: On Wetlands]( [[Higher autonomy of panchayats leads to better health outcomes in rural India: Data] Higher autonomy of panchayats leads to better health outcomes in rural India: Data]( Copyright© 2024, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [click here]( Manage your newsletter subscription preferences [here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](