Morning Digest | PM Modi unveils hologram of Netaji at India Gate; NIA links with Germans on probe into Sikhs for Justice; and more

A select list of stories to read before you start your day

Prime Minister Narendra Modi unveils the hologram statue of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose at India Gate, in New Delhi on January 23, 2022. Youtube/PMO

PM Modi unveils hologram of Netaji at India Gate; NGMA to make statue to replace it

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday unveiled a hologram of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose at India Gate, where he said a grand statue of the freedom fighter would be placed soon. Marking Netaji’s 125th birth anniversary, the hologram was installed under the canopy where a statue of King George V had stood till its removal in 1968.

Plea on conjugal rights pending in Supreme Court

A petition questioning a law that forces a woman to return to her husband and denies her sexual autonomy has been pending in the Supreme Court for months without a hearing.

Restitution of conjugal rights, a medieval ecclesiastical law from England codified in several statutes, including the Hindu Marriage Act and Special Marriage Act, owes its survival largely to the fact that marital rape is not recognised as crime.

NIA links with Germans on probe into Sikhs for Justice

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) is in touch with its German counterparts for assistance in the probe against Jaswinder Singh Multani of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). He has been booked along with his associates from other pro-Khalistani banned outfits on the charge of attempting to spread terror activities in Punjab.

Eminent archaeologist and epigraphist R. Nagaswamy is no more

R. Nagaswamy, the first Director of the Department of Archaeology, died of age-related complications on Sunday. He was 92, and is survived by two daughters and two sons.

CM Stalin opposes changes to IAS Rules

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, opposing the proposed amendments to the IAS (Cadre) Rules, 1954. He argued that it struck at the very root of the country’s federal polity and State autonomy. He urged the Prime Minister to engage with the States to further strengthen the nation’s federal spirit.

Gujarat’s deep-sea pipeline remains a non-starter

Billed as the innovative solution to the perennial problem of river pollution in Gujarat, the State government’s ambitious ₹2,300-crore sub-sea effluent disposal pipeline project remains a non-starter even as the pollution in the rivers has gone beyond critical level due to increasing industrialisation.

EC’s ban on rallies hits business of charter flight operators

The Election Commission’s ban on physical rallies in five poll-bound States since January 8 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic wave has hit the business of charter flight operators.

Just 10-15% of the 350-400 flight hours per month are election-related travel at this stage, the operators said.

Government should prevent K-shaped recovery: Raghuram Rajan

The Indian economy has “some bright spots and a number of very dark stains” and the government should target its spending “carefully” so that there are no huge deficits, noted economist and former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan said on Sunday.

Known for his frank views, Dr. Rajan also said the government needed to do more to prevent a K-shaped recovery of the economy hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Beijing to test 2 million ahead of Winter Olympics

China’s capital, Beijing, will test more than two million residents as it deals with a new cluster of COVID-19 cases just two weeks before it hosts the Winter Olympics, city officials said on Sunday.

Beijing’s Fengtai district, the centre of the latest outbreak, reported nine new cases on Sunday — a small number in most places but a break from normalcy in a city where a strict “zero-COVID” strategy has been in place — with the total number over the weekend nearing two dozen.

Taliban, Afghan civil society begin Oslo talks

The first Taliban delegation to visit Europe since returning to power in Afghanistan began talks Sunday in Oslo with Afghan civil society members focused on human rights, ahead of highly-anticipated meetings with Western officials.

SA vs Ind third ODI | South Africa keeps its nerve to win a thriller, completes 3-0 sweep

India failed to avoid a series whitewash against a South African team in transition despite Deepak Chahar's scintillating 34-ball 54, losing the third One-day International by four runs on Sunday to end a disastrous tour of the 'Rainbow Nation'.