Grant visa to Afghan students, patients and businessmen, Taliban urge India

Hours after India and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan held their first high-level meeting, the Taliban announced that they had urged Delhi to issue visas to Afghan businessmen, patients and students.

The issue of granting visas is complicated and a hard ask for mainly three reasons: the Indian government does not officially recognise the Taliban government; the Indian security and intelligence establishment has flagged security threat perceptions regarding visa seekers from Afghanistan; and the Indian government does not have a functional visa section at the Indian embassy in Kabul or functional consulates in Afghanistan.

SC rejects review of its order that had said no to same-sex marriage

The Supreme Court dismissed petitions seeking review of its October 17, 2023 ruling that had rejected the prayer to grant legal recognition to same-sex marriages. A five-judge bench of Justices B R Gavai, Surya Kant, BV Nagarathna, P S Narasimha and Dipankar Datta, which considered the petitions in chamber, found no error apparent on the face of the record of the majority view authored by Justice (retired) S Ravindra Bhat in the 2023 ruling.

Genome data of 10k Indians available for research, PM says milestone

The Genome sequencing data of 10,000 Indians, sequenced from 99 distinct populations, will now be available for researchers to develop medicines tailored to the local population. Launching the mammoth dataset 8 petabytes of data stored at the Indian Biological Data Centre-Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed the "milestone" in biotechnology research. The Department of Biotechnology also released a framework for sharing the highly sensitive dataset. Researchers wishing to utilise the data will have to respond to a call for proposals and collaborate with the department. The research will be funded by the government.

Centre links farmer ID to PM-Kisan, makes it a must for new applicants

The centre has made it mandatory for new applicants to obtain a farmer ID for enrolment into the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-Kisan) to get benefits under the scheme. The move by the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare to make farmer ID mandatory for registering new beneficiaries under the PM- Kisan is significant as it receives about 2 lakh new applications monthly. "

The 10 states in which farmer ID has been made mandatory for registration of new beneficiaries under the PM-Kisan are Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. These 10 states account for about 84 per cent (9.25 crore) of 11 crore PM-Kisan beneficiaries.

ENGAGING TALIBAN

Governments might come and go in Kabul, but India's ties with Afghanistan have largely retained their strategic character. India's stepped-up engagement with the Taliban-marked by the recent meeting of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri with the acting Foreign Minister of Afghanistan Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai - underlines this basic geopolitical reality of the Subcontinent. The return of the Taliban was also viewed as a major gain for Pakistan, which was deeply hostile to the regime that fell in Kabul. Yet, since its return, the Taliban consistently signaled its eagerness to improve relations with India. Delhi has been cautious in its interaction with the Taliban. That policy has changed now with the elevation of the engagement to the level of foreign secretary. Delhi has responded to requests from Kabul for Indian support for humanitarian assistance and developmental cooperation.

A reason to talk 

Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri's meeting with the Taliban's acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Dubai is not just part of the engagement of the regime in Kabul but a significant elevation in the level of dialogue. Pakistan's claim that the target was the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) camps has not cut ice with Kabul, which has labelled these brazen acts as "aggression against Afghanistan". The TTP is fighting to evict all Pakistani forces from Pashtun tribal lands across the so-called Durand Line. India has committed to 'provide further material support in the first instance to the health sector and for the rehabilitation of refugees' by way of humanitarian assistance. Pakistan has expelled more than 5,00,000 refugees, creating a humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan. Given that Iran too has had border skirmishes with Pakistan on account of the latter providing sanctuaries to separatists, this is an opportune moment to work in tandem with Iran, using Chabahar Port to expand trade and send assistance to the refugees.

MUSK AND ZUCKERBERG

Before the inauguration of the second Trump presidency, Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, announced sweeping changes to its fact-checking programme, starting with the US. Describing the recent elections as a "cultural tipping point towards once again prioritising speech", CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a five-minute video that the company's platforms would switch to a Community Notes model, along the lines of X and would be less restrictive on topics like immigration and gender.

For many users, these platforms don't just serve as a way to connect with other people; they're sources of news and information, shaping their world views. The danger posed by mis/disinformation cannot be overstated, as seen during the Covid-19 pandemic when rumours about vaccines being used by governments to track people contributed to vaccine hesitancy.

A more empathetic justice

In SV vs State, Justice Pratibha M Singh and Justice Amit Sharma held that all hospitals are required by law to provide free medical treatment for victims of rape, child sexual abuse and acid attacks. The Delhi High Court reiterated that Section 397, BNSS, and Section 357C, CrPC makes it mandatory for all hospitals, public or private, whether under the jurisdiction of the central government, state government, local bodies or persons to provide free first-aid and medical treatment. Further, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Guidelines (2014) also directs that survivors of rape must receive all services such as OPD/inpatient registration, pathology tests, radiology investigations and medicines for free.

In an important act of co-governance, the court issued guidelines to all hospitals and medical establishments to sensitise doctors, nurses, paramedics, and administrative staff that denying free medical treatment to survivors of rape, child sexual abuse and acid attack is a criminal offence. 

Add a new layer to MSP: PDP

The most fertile farmlands be it on both sides of the Grand Trunk Road, the Ganga- Yamuna Doab riverine plains or the Krishna- Godavari, Cauvery and Mahanadi alluvial delta basins - are getting diverted for real estate development, if not for building infrastructure, factories and smart cities. Andhra Pradesh's capital, Amaravati, is coming upon 33,000-odd acres of what used to be lush paddy, banana and turmeric-growing fields on the right bank of the Krishna. The same goes for farmers. India officially has 146.5 million "operational holdings" (2015-16 Agriculture Census) and 105-115 million beneficiaries under the PM-Kisan Samman Nidhi income support scheme. The challenge before Indian agriculture isn't just one of feeding 1.7 billion mouths by the early-2060s. It's about retaining the best available agricultural lands and human talent in farming.

Migration of data transmission system led to gold counting error, says govt

The commerce and industry ministry said that the overestimation of gold import figures between April to November was a result of an error that took place due to migration of data transmission mechanisms and subsequent double counting of imports coming into special economic zones (considered foreign territory) and clearance to domestic zones. The explanation comes a day after the ministry revised the gold import figures for November lower by $5 billion to $9.9 billion from $14.8 billion narrowing the overall goods trade deficit for the month to $33 billion from $38 billion.

Meta's fact-checking snub in US sets alarm bells ringing for fact-checkers in India

As Meta announced the end of its third-party fact-check programme in the US, a palpable sense of panic has gripped fact- checkers in India. For, a number of fact-checkers that popped up in India in the last few years are heavily reliant on funding from Meta, and any potential spillover effects of the company's stance in the US could possibly mean the end of the road for several of them. Meta co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a slew of major content-related changes to Meta platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Key among them was Meta's decision to end its third-party fact-checking programme in the US, with the company looking to move to a community-driven system similar to X's Community Notes.

Pressure on rupee to ease, India to grow at 6.6%: UN

India's Economy is projected to grow by 6.6 per cent in 2025, largely driven by strong private consumption and investment, while pressures on the domestic currency are expected to ease, the United Nations World Economic Situation and Prospects (WESP) report released said. The RBI has kept its policy rate at 6.5 per cent since February 2023, as inflation risks have persisted. In contrast, Pakistan and Sri Lanka's central banks have cut their key policy rates to support economic recovery, while Bangladesh has continued its tightening cycle to address inflationary pressures arising from weaker agricultural production, supply chain disruptions, and currency depreciation.