Centre tells probe panel to submit its report on Manipur violence by Nov. 20

The three-member Commission of Inquiry (CoI) notified by the Ministry of Home Affairs to probe the Manipur ethnic violence has been asked to submit its report to the Union government as soon as possible, but not later than November 20.

The Col has received around 11,000 affidavits comprising "statement, allegation or complaint" so far. The last date to submit the affidavits was January 24. On June 4, 2023, the Ministry appointed the Col headed by Ajai Lamba, former Chief Justice of the Gauhati High Court. 

The other members are Himanshu Shekhar Das, a retired IAS official, and Aloka Prabhakar, a former IPS officer. 

Last mile woes

The latest retail inflation data from the National Statistical Office yet again highlights the challenge of achieving durable price stability. 

Provisional estimates for year-on-year price gains in August show the headline rate based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) quickened marginally to 3.65%, from July's 3.60%, as a sharp rebound in vegetable inflation led to a wider acceleration in overall food price gains. 

Price gains in vegetables, the third-largest constituent of the Consumer Food Price Index, surged by more than 380 basis points last month to 10.7%, spurring food price inflation to 5.66%. 

Among vegetables, year-on-year inflation in the most widely consumed potato and onion remained in the high double digits for the sixth and 13th month at 64% and 54%, respectively, a moderation from July's levels notwithstanding. 

Weather gods

The Union Cabinet cleared the ₹2,000 crore Mission Mausam, which primarily involves a major upgrade of instruments used by organisations such as the India Meteorological Department, the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting and the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM). 

These organisations form the backbone of India's weather and climate forecasting system on multiple time scales. 

In the first tranche of the mission until 2026, the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), the nodal body executing the exercise, hopes to procure and install up to 60 weather radars, 15 wind profilers and 15 radiosondes. 

The shock of crumbling infrastructure and the solution

Reports on the collapse of a series of under-construction bridges in Bihar have highlighted the issues of quality control and project implementation in infrastructure in India. 

In some instances, these have been megaprojects. The number of such incidents where bridges have collapsed could be 10 or even more. 

The infrastructure sector has been one of the key drivers of the Indian economy. 

The government's aim of making India a developed nation by 2047 is linked to improvements in its infrastructure sector. 

Steps to advance India's infrastructure have taken shape in the form of the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan (NMP), the National Logistics Policy and the Smart Cities Mission among others. 

Further, the government increased its capital expenditure allocation to ₹11.11 lakh crore (3.4% of GDP) in Budget 2024, indicating its commitment to infrastructure development. 

Accused has right to be silent during interrogation: judge

Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan in his separate opinion allowing bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, upheld the right of an accused to remain silent during interrogation.

Justice Bhuyan, who was part of the two-judge Bench headed by Justice Surya Kant, observed that an investigating agency cannot presume guilt or make an adverse inference against an accused who chose to remain mum.

Justice Bhuyan invoked Article 20(3) of the Constitution, which mandated that an accused person must not be compelled to be a witness against himself. 

The judge observed that the protection against self-incrimination was not restricted to testimonies in court but also during the pre-trial stage, including at the time of interrogation by the police or a law enforcement agency.

High Courts should not sit on bail pleas, says top court

The Supreme Court held that a High Court must either relegate bail petitions to the trial court concerned then and there or promptly hear them on merits as the right to personal liberty was at stake. 

A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Ujjal Bhuyan observed in a judgment granting bail to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case. 

The top court was addressing the argument by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that Mr Kejriwal's bail application must be sent back to the trial court where chargesheets were filed. 

India broadens dialogue with interim govt. in Bangladesh

In a bid to regularise ties with Bangladesh after the Sheikh Hasina-led government fell, India has gradually broadened its engagement with the interim government in Dhaka led by Chief Adviser Mohammed Yunus. Starting September 2, High Commissioner Pranay Verma has met with the advisers in charge of various key departments in the interim administration.

Mr Verma met with Lt. General Jehangir Alam Chaudhury (Retd), Bangladesh's adviser for home affairs, to discuss "potential engagement to advance bilateral security cooperation". 

A statement from the High Commission of India said that they had "exchanged views on border management, capacity building, and safety and security of Indian nationals and students in Bangladesh." 

Port Blair to be renamed Sri Vijaya Puram, says Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that Port Blair, the capital city of Andaman and Nicobar Islands, will be renamed Sri Vijaya Puram to "free the nation from colonial imprints". 

Announcing the decision on X, Mr Shah said, "While the earlier name had a colonial legacy, Sri Vijaya Puram symbolises the victory achieved in our freedom struggle and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands' unique role in the same.” 

The island territory that once served as the naval base of the Chola Empire is today poised to be the critical base for our strategic and development aspirations, the Union Minister added. 

Das flags non-bank expansion risk in financial intermediation

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor Shaktikanta Das said the proliferation of non-bank institutions in financial intermediation may create risks to financial stability due to size, complexity and interconnectedness with local and global financial systems. 

"In recent years, several vulnerabilities have emerged in NBFIs in advanced economies, contributing to periods of market dysfunction," Mr Das said. 

"Hidden leverage and liquidity mismatches of these institutions can amplify shocks and propagate strains throughout the financial system," he added. 

WHO clears Bavarian fortress Nordic's shot

The World Health Organisation said that it had cleared Bavarian Nordic's vaccine as the first shot against Mpox.

The approval is an official list of medicines used as a benchmark for procurement by developing countries.

"This first prequalification of a vaccine against Mpox is an important step in our fight against the disease, both in the context of the current outbreaks in Africa and in future," WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.