– Polity: secularism: Karnataka High Court hijab verdict (2022): Q1) wearing the hijab is part of essential religious practice in Islamic faith under Article 25 of the Constitution? Karnataka HC Ruled: NO! wearing of the hijab by Muslim women does not make up an essential religious practice in Islamic faith. There is no “Quranic injunction” on wearing the hijab. It is not that if the alleged practice of wearing hijab is not adhered to, those not wearing hijab become the sinners, Islam loses its glory and it ceases to be a religion. Petitioners have miserably failed to meet the threshold requirement of pleadings and proof as to wearing hijab is an inviolable religious practice in Islam and much less a part of ‘essential religious practice. Article 25 of the Constitution, which provides for freedom of religion, has also placed reasonable restrictions on the freedom of religion. (हिजाब पहनना इस्लाम धर्म का अभिन्न हिस्सा नहीं है इसलिए उसे संवैधानिक अनुच्छेद 25 के तहत सुरक्षा नहीं मिल सकती. क़ुरान में ऐसा नहीं लिखा है कि जो हिजाब नहीं पहेने वो पापी माना जाएगा.)

– Polity: secularism: Karnataka High Court hijab verdict (2022): Q2) Article 19(1)(a) ‘freedom expression’ and Article 21: right to life & privacy. → Is students right to wear a hijab / student’s right to reject school uniform permitted under this fundamental rights? Karnataka HC Ruled: NO! School is “qualified public spaces” – similar to detainees in prison who cannot assert their individual fundamental rights. If too much individual rights allowed then it’ll be detriment of their general discipline & decorum in qualified public space. If students should be free to choose their attire in the school individually, if countenanced, would only breed indiscipline that may eventually degenerate into chaos in the campus and later in the society at large.” (विद्यार्थियों पर गणवेश नहीं थोपा जाना चाहिए क्योंकि उन्हें अभिव्यक्ति और निजता का अधिकार है। कोर्ट ने यह दलील को ख़ारिज किया कि ये स्कूल और जेल “ख़ास क़िस्म के सार्वजनिक स्थान” – यहाँ रहने वाले लोगों को सभी मौलिक अधिकार नहीं मिल सकते वरना अनुशासन पर असर होगा।)

– Polity: secularism: Karnataka High Court hijab verdict (2022): Q3) Articles 14 and 15 of the Constitution, which guarantee the right to equality and protection against discrimination. On one hand Union government’s Kendriya Vidyalayas allow hijab to be worn with the school uniform. But Karnataka government is prohibited in this. Is this not a violation of article 14 and 15? Karnataka HC Ruled: NO! If such freedom is allowed then there shall be two categories of girl students viz., those who wear the uniform with hijab and those who do it without. That would establish a sense of ‘social-separateness’, which is not desirable. dress-code is designed to bring feel of uniformity amongst all the students regardless of their religion and faiths. Young students are able to readily grasp from their immediate environment, differentiating lines of race, region, religion, language, caste, place of birth, etc. The aim of the regulation is to create a ‘safe space’ where such divisive lines should have no place and the ideals of egalitarianism should be readily apparent to all students alike. Q4) College officials must be punished for not allowing girls to attend the class because they were wearing Hijab. Karnataka HC Ruled: NO! 🤔 Karnataka HC also recorded Govt’s argument that some ‘unseen hands’ are at work to engineer social unrest and disharmony. hijab issue came up only recently on account of students “being brainwashed by some fundamentalist Muslim organisations like Popular Front of India, Campus Front of India, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Students Islamic Organization of India”. (केंद्रीय विद्यालय में हिजाब की अनुमति है लेकिन कर्नाटक सरकार मनाई करवा रही है, यानी कि ये संवैधानिक रूप से समानता के अधिकार का उल्लंघन है। कोर्ट ने इस बात को भी ख़ारिज किया कि अगर एक ही स्कूल में कुछ लड़कियाँ हिजाब पहनकर आए और कुछ लड़कियाँ हिजाब नहीं पहन रही तो उसमें सामाजिक भेदभाव शुरू होगा और ये समाज के लिए अच्छा नहीं है।)

– Polity: secularism: UN General Assembly adopted a resolution to proclaim March 15 as International Day to Combat Islamophobia. This was introduced by Pakistan. India disliked/ expressed concerns because 1) there are growing contemporary forms of religiophobia, especially anti-Hindu, antiBuddhist and anti-Sikh phobias. So, over phobia against one religion being elevated to the level of an international day- is no good. This will lead to multiple resolutions on phobias based on selective religions and divide the UN into religious camps of Islam, Hinduism Buddhism Sikhism etc. United Nations need to remains above such religious matters which may seek to divide us. (संयुक्त राष्ट्र में 15 मार्च को इस्लाम घृणा विरोधी दिवस के रूप में मनाने का पाकिस्तान का प्रस्ताव. भारत ने एतराज़ जताया कि हिंदू, बौध, सीख, इस्लाम समेत कई धर्मों के लोगों के प्रति विभिन्न देशों में घृणा का माहौल है। इसलिए किसी एक दिवस को किसी एक धर्म की गुणा विरोधी दिवस के रूप में मनाना → संयुक्त राष्ट्र के सदस्यों को धर्म के हिसाब से छोटे छोटे खेमों में/ गुटों में बाँट देगा- जबकि संयुक्त राष्ट्र ने संयुक्त रहने की कोशिश करनी चाहिए।)

– Polity: comparing Constitution / Blood Money: A Yemeni Businessman Talal Mahdi helped Indian nurse Nimishapriya to start clinic. But then he snatched her passport and harassing her for sex and money. Indian Nurse injected Sedatives to retrieve her passport to flee the country. But man died after injection. Priya’s nurse colleague chopped man’s body parts & threw in river. Nurse Priya sentenced to death in Yemen. Her relatives filed a petition in India. Indian Govt has assured the Indian court that we will also help the relatives to get in touch with the murdered man’s family for payment of blood Money (then murdered man’s family main forgive the nurse and then she may be removed from jail / death penalty reduced to lifetime imprisonment). 🤔Points to Reflect: 🤔 1) blood Money system not allowed in India but in Yemen/Pak etc. To protect its own citizens Indian government is facilitating such deal. 🤔 2) Enrica Lexi case – when Italian marines killed Kerala fishermen the Italian government had also gone at length to get them released from India. (यमन का एक व्यापारी ने एक भारतीय नर्स को क्लीनिक खोलने में मदद की लेकिन फिर वो उसका आर्थिक और यौन शोषण करने लगा और भारतीय नर्स का पासपोर्ट उसने अपने क़ब्ज़े में रखा ताकि वह वतन में लौट न सके। अपना पासपोर्ट वापस हासिल करने के लिए नर्स ने नींद का इंजेक्शन इस व्यक्ति को दिया लेकिन ये मर गया। यमन की कोर्ट ने भारतीय नर्स को मृत्युदंड दिया है। नर्स के परिवार ने भारतीय कोर्ट में मदद के लिए याचिका दायर की तो भारत सरकार ने भारतीय कोर्ट को आश्वासन दिया है कि हम इसकी मदद करेंगे ताकि ये परिवार मृतक के परिवार से मिल सके और रक्त-धन/ ब्लड-मनी देकर नर्स की सजा माफ़ करवा सके। भारत में ऐसी प्रणाली वैध नहीं है लेकिन कुछ इस्लामिक देशों में वैध हैं।२) इटली के मरीन सैनिकों ने केरला के मछुआरों की हत्या की थी तब वो भी इटली की सरकार ने एड़ी चोटी का ज़ोर लगाया था अपने नागरिकों को बचाने के लिए। इस बार कुछ ऐसा ही भारत सरकार भी कर रही है।

– ⚾️📻⚾️🎙✋ SC stays Centre’s ban on MediaOne: Averse to sealed cover jurisprudence.

– SC slams Kerala over pension for ministers’ staff after 2-yr service. ⚾️📻⚾️🎙✋let the final verdict come.

– CONVEYING ITS disappointment over fraudulent applications being filed for claiming ex gratia for Covid-19 deaths, the Supreme Court Monday indicated that it may order a probe by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG). ⚾️📻⚾️🎙✋let the final verdict come.
Page Columns
– Columns 1) EPFO’s interest rate needs to be aligned with broader economy. But it also needs to better manage the investment corpus 2) India Post opens a café in Kolkata 3) PRAGUE SPRING, KYIV WINTER 4) – Columns: great geopolitical reset Russia’s attack on Ukraine- RajaMohan.
Page IR

– Ethics- Leadership qualities: 🤔 Enemy of my enemy is my friend. But fairweather friends are of little use. 🤔 “Dependence begets subservience and venality (Corruption). Dependence suffocates the germ of virtue.”- Thomas Jefferson (American Freedom Fighter). Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy admits the “Our country realises that it can’t join NATO.” He over-dependended on USA, EU and NATO to counter Russia. But those Fairweather friends chose not to help Ukraine for their own schemes or incompetence. HongKong activists also need to keep this in mind while dealing with China. (दुश्मन का दुश्मन मेरा दोस्त होता है लेकिन केवल अच्छे दिनों में साथ रहने वाले दोस्त फ़ायदेमंद नहीं होते हैं। सबसे पहले आदमी में निर्भरता आती है और उसके बाद अधीनता/ग़ुलामी आती है- जिससे सद्गुणों का नाश होता है- भ्रष्टाचार और दुराचार और शोषण का उद्भव होता है। यूक्रेन को धीरे धीरे ये समझ में आ गया है कि वो नाटो की सदस्यता नहीं ले सकता और उसके अच्छे दिनों के साथ ही अमेरिका और यूरोप उसकी पुरज़ोर से मदद नहीं कर पा रहे है। हांगकांग के आंदोलनकारियों ने भी इस सबको याद रखना चाहिए।)

– ⚾️📻⚾️🎙✋ why Islamic State continues to be a formidable threat
Page Economy
– EcoPill2-Budget Taxation: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Budget of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir in Parliament for 2022. (केंद्रीय वित् मंत्री ने जम्मू कश्मीर का बजट किया पेश, लोक सभा में)

– Polity: Federalism: Ladakh politicians want A) UT with Legislature Status and/or B) Inclusion in Sixth Schedule of the Constitution. Reasons- UT with Legislature- run by Administrator- so budgeted funds remain underutilised (लद्दाख के नेता चाहते हैं कि वो ऐसा केंद्र शासित प्रदेश बने जहाँ विधानसभा होगा क्योंकि बिना विधानसभा वाली केंद्र शासित प्रदेशों में बजट का कामकाज सरकारी बाबू देखते हैं तो वह असल में पैसों का उचित उपयोग नहीं हो रहा है.)

– EcoPil5-INFRA: Karnataka’s Bhoomi project → digitize all land records. Dishaank app to enable citizens to avail the information about the land and its ownership as recorded in the Bhoomi database. (कर्नाटक में सभी ज़मीन दस्तावेजों का भूमि प्रोजेक्ट के अंतर्गत डिजि-करण किया गया है। आम नागरिक भी ये सारी जानकारी अपने मोबाइल पे देख सके इसलिए दिशांक नाम की एप बनायी गई)

– EcoPill1C: special situation funds (SSFs) → it is a sub-category of Category I Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs). It buys bad debt securities from secondary market. SEBI introduce some guidelines but the topic is technical in nature not very useful. We already have enough points on how to deal with the bad loans so ignored. ⚾️📻⚾️🎙✋

– EcoPill6: HRD: public Health: draft National Policy for Medical Devices, 2022 by Department of Pharmaceuticals under the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilisers. Encourage domestic production through public-private partnership focus on the research development training Tax benefit subsidies etc. medical devices sectorregulated under provisions of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act of 1940. (चिकित्सा उपकरणों में भारत ज़्यादातर आयात पर निर्भर है इसलिए ख़ुद को आत्म-निर्भर बनाने के लिए नई नीति का मसौदा जिसमें वही सब चिकनी चुपड़ी बातें की सार्वजनिक निजी भागीदारी करेंगे, नवाचार को प्रोत्साहन देगी तालीम, कर-सब्सिडी देंगे इत्यादि। )

– ⚾️📻⚾️🎙✋ Sri Lanka reaches out to IMF for help

– ⚾️📻⚾️🎙✋ Explained Export avenue for Indian farmers in Russia-Ukraine crisis.

– ⚾️📻⚾️🎙✋ QUICK COMMERCE delivery firm Blinkit is learnt to have shuttered 50 of its dark stores across the country, resulting in hundreds from its workforce, including dark store managers. Startup BizGK not imp.

– ⚾️📻⚾️🎙✋ Blinkit, Zomato eye merger; $150-mn loan for cash-dry e-grocer
– ⚾️📻⚾️🎙✋ Softbank representative resigns from Paytm

Science/ Env
– ⚾️📻⚾️🎙✋ Covid cases more than double in China’s growing outbreak

– Science-6-Corona: Corbevax vaccine from Hyderabad-based Biological E, is India’s first indigenously developed receptor binding domain (RBD) protein subunit vaccine against Covid-19. Getting approval for persons aged less than 15.

– Environment/ Biodiversity: Blackbuck National Park at Vevalvadar in Bhavnagar district, Gujarat. → artificial ponds created for drinking water for the Blackbuck.

– Book: “Sarhul”- drawings painted by prisoners. Jharkhand govt publisher ]

– GPSC: CM to launch Covid vaccination drive for 12-14 age group in Gandhinagar