(1) I-T surveys BBC offices
Over the last week, the I-T department “surveyed” BBC offices in Delhi and Mumbai on the allegation of “deliberate non-compliance with Indian laws, including transfer pricing rules and diversion of profits illegally”. The survey comes weeks after BBC released a two-part documentary - India: the Modi Question - related to the 2002 riots and the situation of minorities in India. The timing of the operation was similar to that done in the past at other news media houses, triggering protest from various quarters.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told journalists at the State Assembly on Wednesday that if the situation continued, it would drive out the media. “It is affecting freedom of the press; there will be no media left in this country. Media is already controlled by them,” she added. On Tuesday, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge had called the IT survey “an assault on freedom of the press”. CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury asked on Twitter: “First ban BBC documentaries. No JPC/inquiry into Adani exposures. Now IT raids on BBC offices! India: ‘Mother of democracy’?
Also read |Brazen intimidation: On the tax survey on the BBC
This is not the first time the I-T department has visited news media houses after their publication of critical coverage. Here is a map of locations and organisations the department has raided in the past couple years.
(2) 81.1% turnout in Tripura Assembly polls
The voting for the Tripura Assembly elections closed at 4 p.m. on February 16, with the voter turnout recorded at 81.10%, the Election Commission said. The polling was largely peaceful barring sporadic incidents of violence, Chief Electoral Officer Gitte Kirankumar Dinakarrao said.
Also read | Several injured as post-poll violence spreads in Tripura
Unlike in past elections, there does not seem to be a “wave” of support for any party or alliance this time, making the 2023 mandate unpredictable for both the general voter and the poll pundit.
The BJP, seeking to retain power along with its current ally, the Indigenous People’s Front of Tripura (IPFT), is contesting 55 seats. The IPFT is contesting the remaining five seats, all in the tribal domain. The Left Front headed by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which struck a seat-sharing deal with the Congress to eject the BJP, is contesting 47 constituencies. The Congress was allotted 13 seats.
Tipra Motha appears to have upset the calculations of both the BJP and the Left Front-Congress combine. They both wooed the Tipra Motha, but the smaller party stuck to its decision to contest the elections on its own terms, seeking written support for its demand for a Greater Tipraland to be created within the constitutional parameters.
(3) Equatorial Guinea has confirmed its first-ever outbreak of Marburg disease
The World Health Organisation (WHO) convened an urgent meeting on Tuesday after central African nation Equatorial Guinea confirmed its first outbreak of the highly infectious Marburg virus disease or MVD. So far, nine deaths and 16 suspected cases have been reported. Preliminary tests were positive for the deadly disease, similar to Ebola, the United Nations health body said in a statement on Monday.
Marburg virus disease (MVD) is a severe illness that causes viral haemorrhagic fever in humans (it was formerly known as Marburg haemorrhagic fever). The virus is transmitted to primates from bats which are considered natural hosts of the virus.
The virus was first identified after simultaneous outbreaks in Frankfurt and Marburg, Germany — from where it derives its name — and Belgrade, Serbia in 1967. Those first infected were exposed to Ugandan imported African green monkeys or their tissues while conducting research, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 30 fell ill, and seven deaths were reported.
Since then, cases have been reported in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda. In a 2004 outbreak in Angola, MVD killed 90% of the 252 infected. Last July, there were two reported MVD deaths in Ghana.
The virus takes between two and 21 days to incubate. During the severe phase of the illness, patients sustain high fevers. Involvement of the central nervous system can result in confusion, irritability, and aggression. In fatal cases, death often occurs eight or nine days after the onset of symptoms, usually preceded by severe blood loss and shock.
As of now, there are no authorised vaccines or drugs to treat the Marburg virus disease. The WHO, however, says that rehydration with oral or intravenous fluids and treatment of specific symptoms can improve chances of survival.
(4) Cheetahs arrive from South Africa
On Saturday, 12 cheetahs from South Africa arrived at Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Last year, eight cheetahs arrived from Namibia. About 10-12 cheetahs are expected to be brought into India every year and around 35 are believed to be necessary to create a sustainable population.
The Asiatic species Acinonyx jubatus venaticus went extinct in India in 1952 and survives only in Iran. The cheetah’s wipe-out is the only extinction of a large carnivore in India, coinciding with the end of the British empire. Rampant hunting for sport during British rule led to the cheetah’s eventual extinction.
Also read | Asiatic Lions sidelined for African Cheetahs
However, the government’s conservation efforts may be better placed elsewhere. One such focus area is Asiatic lions. While most Asiatic Lions are in Sub-saharan Africa, a small population resides in Gujarat’s Gir forest. Conservation efforts in this area have seen numbers increasing from 284 in 1990 to 674 in 2020. In 1995, a plan was approved to translocate some lions to Kuno National Park to have a second lion population in India. It did not happen even after in 2013, the Supreme Court ordered the translocation to occur within six months. Besides this, one of Project Cheetah’s goals is to use the cheetah as a symbol to bolster the conservation of open forest and savanna systems. For this, the argument is that grassland conservation will benefit more from the government removing the ‘wasteland’ label from open grasslands.
(5) Union Cabinet clears 7 ITBP battalions
On February 15, along with allocating ₹4,800 crore under the Vibrant Villages Programme (VVP) to stop migration and boost tourism in villages bordering China, the Union Cabinet approved raising of seven new ITBP battalions. The latter would entail recruitment of 9,400 personnel for deployment in Arunachal Pradesh where 47 new border outposts and 12 staging camps are under construction. The outposts were sanctioned in January 2020. In all, there are 176 outposts of the ITBP along the 3,488-km China border.
A senior government official said the additional ITBP personnel would be deployed in Arunachal to fill the gaps. Other than this, a sector headquarter for the ITBP was also announced.
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Anurag Thakur said the decision to raise additional battalions was taken keeping an eye on the need for effective monitoring in the border areas and the battalion and sector headquarter would be raised by 2025-26.
“Under this, ₹1,808.15 crore non-recurring expenditure has been approved for construction of official and residential buildings, land acquisition, arms and ammunition. A recurring expenditure of ₹963.68 crore per year for the salary and ration of personnel has been approved,” Mr. Thakur said. The decision will increase the strength of the ITBP from the current 88,000 to 97,000, making it the fourth largest Central Armed Police Force (CAPF). New ITBP battalions were last raised in 2011 and the present decision has been in the pipeline since 2014. Indian and Chinese troops are engaged in a stand-off at several locations since April-May 2020 in eastern Ladakh.
The graphics below showcase the expenditure of the home ministry on Central Armed Police Forces, including the ITBP, until FY21; and the force-wise details of funds allocated and spent during FY22 - where 66% of the funds allocated to the ITBP were spent.
