Opposition parties on Wednesday walked out of Parliament to protest the government’s refusal to discuss the December 9 face-off between Indian and Chinese armed forces in Arunachal Pradesh’s Tawang. In the Lok Sabha, Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury led the walkout after being denied the discussion. In the Rajya Sabha, the leader of the Opposition and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge led the walkout. The protests came after leaders of 17 opposition parties at their strategy meeting convened by Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge and decided to relentlessly continue their demand for a discussion. The Opposition demand for a discussion and clarifications after defence minister Rajnath Singh’s statement in the House was not accepted. HT brings you a round-up of the most important and interesting stories, so you don’t miss your daily dose of news. |
THE BIG STORY Tawang face-off sparks political clash in House Opposition parties on Wednesday mounted an offensive against the government over clashes between Indian and Chinese soldiers in Arunachal Pradesh last week, triggering a logjam in Parliament with a flurry of adjournment motions and walkouts disrupting proceedings. Read more. |
STORIES YOU MAY HAVE MISSED |
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The Big Question Will the government’s measures to control inflation work? Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday assured Parliament of more measures to cool down inflation “for the sake of common people” while sticking to the target of reducing the fiscal deficit to 6.4% of GDP and defended the supplementary demand for grants of ₹4.35 lakh crore as “absolutely acceptable” in the extraordinary post-pandemic situation. Read more. |
 There are over 700 million internet users in India, almost 500 million Whatsapp users, over 200 million Facebook and Instagram users. But according to Oxfam’s report on digital divide, only 31% of a particular demographic owns a mobile phone. Who? |
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From the Edit Page India will prioritise data for development at G20  At the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Bali last month, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi pledged that the principle of “data for development” will be integral to India’s G20 presidency. New Delhi’s commitment to this principle and its vision of strengthening it through international cooperation are already apparent. The first side event of the G20 Development Working Group under the Indian presidency, held in Mumbai on Tuesday, addressed the theme “Data for development: The role of the G20 in advancing the 2030 Agenda”. Amitabh Kant, India’s G20 Sherpa, emphasised that the country’s strategic use of data for governance and public service delivery in its aspirational districts, for instance, has, in three years, wrought a transformation that would otherwise have taken six decades. Data has also powered India’s pandemic response, innovations in education, health care, and food security, and enabled digital financial inclusion at a near-population scale. Read more. |
Number Theory India’s vax pace stagnates as Covid surges globally India has made remarkable progress in vaccinating people against Covid-19 since the beginning of the immunisation drive in January 2021. However, since September, when a free window for boosters was discontinued, it has faltered in this initiative. Although a large proportion of adults is yet to take boosters and a large share of teenagers is yet to get the second dose, the speed of vaccination has slowed. This comes even as there is a surge in some western countries (and China, of course) led by new sub-variants. Read more. |
From the Field Global bodies being misused to protect terror perpetrators: Jaishankar at UNSC External affairs minister S Jaishankar took a tacit swipe at Pakistan and China on Wednesday while delivering a speech at the UN Security Council on reforming multilateral platforms, saying such bodies are being “misused to justify and protect perpetrators” of terrorist acts. Jaishankar is in New York to preside over two high-level events focused on reformed multilateralism and counter-terrorism during India’s rotational presidency of the UN Security Council for December. Read more. |
Infographic of the Day ‘Love is love’: Same-sex marriage made the law  (Click to expand) |
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Photo of the Day Shamsher’s curry |
HT This Day: Dec 15, 1956 Hindu adoptions bill approved  (Click to expand) The Hindu Adoptions and Maintenance Bill, providing for the adoption of both boys and girls, was approved by the Lok Sabha on Friday. Mr N. C. Chatterjee (Hindu Mahasabha) called the Bill a communal one. “ It is wrong for a secular State to single out Hindus alone for this kind of legislation.” he said. Read more. |
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