Morning Brief: Al Qaeda Plot To Attack Modi Foiled; Demonetisation Blow To Maoists; Harshad Mehta’s Brother Convicted

Good Morning, Swarajya Readers! Here's What You Need To Know Today.

Al Qaeda Operatives Planning Attack On Modi Arrested: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday arrested three suspected Al Qaeda operatives in raids at several places in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, police said. Police said the three allegedly planned to attack 22 top leaders of the country including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

PM To Speak In Parliament If There Is Proper Debate On Demonetisation: In a fresh bid to end the deadlock over the controversial issue that has stalled both Houses for the eighth consecutive day, the government said on Monday that the Prime Minister could speak on demonetisation in Parliament if there is a proper debate.

RBI Says 60 Per Cent Demonetised Notes Already Accounted For: According to data released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) on Monday, around 60 per cent of the value of the demonetised notes (Rs 14 lakh crore), has already been accounted for. Some reports say that the printing of Rs 2,000 notes has been stalled to generate more of the new Rs 500 notes.

Tax Dodgers Get Another Chance To Come Clean: The government is providing yet another opportunity for people with black money to come clean at a total cost of 50 per cent and having a quarter of their unaccounted wealth locked up for four years, warning that they'll be slapped with a penalty of 85 per cent charge if they don't take advantage of this and get caught subsequently.

Demonetisation Blow To Maoists: The government’s latest demonetisation decision seem to be making a strong impact in left-wing extremism affected states, with 564 Maoists and their sympathisers surrendering before the authorities in the last 28 days, the highest number in a month ever. Their ability to procure weapons and other essentials have been badly hit due to demonetisation.

From Bihar To Tihar: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) supported the demand to move gangster-turned-politician Mohammad Shahabuddin out of Bihar jail to Delhi-based Tihar jail. This comes after the Supreme Court mulled shifting Shahabuddin, facing trial in 45 criminal cases, from Siwan jail in Bihar to Tihar Central Jail saying it is test case for the “concept of fair trial and witness protection”.

Harshad Mehta’s Brother Convicted Of Fraud: A special court has convicted Harshad Mehta's brother Sudhir Mehta and five others, in a case relating to defrauding of National Housing Bank to the tune of more than Rs 700 crore. They were found guilty under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code relating to cheating, forgery and criminal breach of trust, and under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

SC Rejects Plea To Review Jallikattu Verdict: The Supreme Court has dismissed the Tamil Nadu government's plea seeking review of its 2014 verdict banning use of bulls for jallikattu events in the state and bullock-cart races across the country, saying that there was no connection of jallikattu with the right to freedom of religion under the Constitution.

Pakistan Ready For India Talks: Pakistan on Monday said it will "positively consider" if India, as a host, proposed a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Heart of Asia conference in Amritsar. India, however, was cold to the latest overtures from Pakistan.

Women Activists To Enter Haji Ali Dargah: Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) activists will visit the Haji Ali Dargah's sanctum sanctorum today for the first time after they challenged the ban on women's entry to the iconic place of worship. BMMA co-founder Noorjehan Safia Niaz said women activists welcomed the decision to accord men and women equal treatment.

MUST READ OP-EDS

Swapan Dasgupta: Toppling Of Nehruvian Political Order: The challenge to the Nehruvian order has come from quarters that have a marked anti-intellectual bias, not least because their relevance stemmed from electoral politics.

Forget Growth To Achieve Growth: The forces of premature de-industrialisation, limitations of a services-led growth model, plateauing of global trade, secular stagnation in developed economies, and the costs of climate change are formidable long-term headwinds.

Industrial Alliances And The Internet Of Things: This requirement for ‘disrupting’ oneself first before attempting to help others in the digital space will be a resounding refrain — you need to be a convert before you can proselytise.

Opposition Out Of Sync With People: These parties will pay a heavy price if they continue to champion wrong causes. People say that left can never be right. That’s why, the Left parties are being gradually left out by the people.

SWARAJYA SPECIAL

Demonetisation: How Neo Middle Class Is Redefining The Political Landscape: If the government follows through on demonetisation with other measures that manage to reduce corruption, then India will take a quantum leap in development.

Why IT Exemption Limit Must Be Raised To Rs 5 Lakh Post-Demonetisation: In order to avoid converting lakhs of Indians into technical tax evaders once digital payments become the norm, the government has to raise the limits for tax-exemption.

Why The Akshayakalpa Agri-Experiment In Karnataka May Well Grow Into A Movement: Akshayakalpa acts as a training institution for farmers guiding them through efficient methods of dairy farming in Karnataka.

Here’s All You Need To Know About Gen Bajwa, The New Pakistan Army Chief: Pakistani Army chief General Raheel Sharif’s exit brings General Qamar Javed Bajwa to the hot seat, and therefore, throws up yet another challenge for Indian analysts, to predict what course the new boss will follow.

We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!

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