Morning Brief: Government Discusses Plans For Direct Income Support To Farmers; Internet Access In India Crosses 50 Crore Milestone; And More 

Good morning, dear reader! Here’s your morning news brief for today.

Government Discusses Plans For Direct Income Support To Farmers

The Narendra Modi government is looking at various plans to provide direct income support to farmers ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the Hindustan Times has reported. According to the daily’s report, Prime Minister Modi held a two-hour-long late night meeting on Wednesday with finance minister Arun Jaitley, Bharatiya Janata Party president Amit Shah and farm minister Radha Mohan Singh to discuss the issue. This was followed up in a series of inter-departmental meetings at the prime minister’s office, the finance ministry, the agriculture ministry and NITI Aayog on Thursday.

The schemes discussed during these meetings include a direct income support plan for the expenditure on seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and labour and direct benefit transfer of the difference between the Minimum Support Price and the market rate. The first option is modelled on Telangana's Rythu Bandhu scheme and the second on the Bhavantar scheme introduced in Madhya Pradesh.

Internet Access In India Crosses 50-Crore Milestone

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has said that there were 56 crore narrowband and broadband connections in India by the end of September 2018, the Times of India has reported. This suggests that there has been a 65 per cent growth in the number of connections in the country since March 2016. The Modi government had set the target of crossing the 50 crore mark three years ago.

Nearly 64 per cent, or 36 crore, of the total 56 crore connections are in the urban areas and 36 per cent, or 19.4 crore, are in the rural areas. In March 2016, there were only 36 crore connections in the country. The number of connections increased to 42 crore in March 2017 and nearly 49 crore in March 2018.

Government Bans Khalistan Liberation Force

The Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) has been banned for its involvement in killings, bombings and terror activities as part of its campaign for the “secession of Punjab”. The outfit, which is also believed to have links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), has been banned under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Several modules of the outfit have been unearthed by Indian agencies in the last few months. It is believed that the outfit is trying to revive militancy in the state.

The KLF was set up in 1986 as an organisation that would work towards the objective of establishing an independent Khalistan by secession of Punjab from India “through violent means”, the order said issued by the Centre said. “The KLF has committed acts of terrorism and promoting acts of terrorism and has been engaged in radicalisation and recruitment of youth for terrorist activities in India,” the Home Ministry has said.

Man Who Shot Cop During Bulandshahr Violence Arrested

The Uttar Pradesh police on Thursday claimed that it has arrested the man accused of shooting an inspector dead during the Bulandshahr mob violence early this month. The man, identified as Prashant Nat, has confessed to shooting inspector Subodh Kumar Singh on 3 December, the police have claimed.

Three other men named in the case, identified as Bajrang Dal’s Yogesh Raj, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Shikhar Agarwal, and Upendra Raghav, a Vishwa Hindu Parishad activist, remain on the run. The police have released posters a with pictures of 23 people wanted for the violence in Bulandshahr district.

Lok Sabha Passes Triple Talaq Bill

After a heated debate and protest by the opposition, the Lok Sabha passed the triple talaq bill on Thursday. The bill is aimed at making the practice of instant triple talaq a penal offence. It was introduced in the Lok Sabha on 17 December to replace an ordinance issued in September. Earlier, the Supreme Court declared the practice unconstitutional and asked Parliament to bring in legislation.

Congress and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam staged a walkout before the voting. An earlier version of the bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on 28 December last year. The government now faces the hurdle of getting it passed in the Rajya Sabha, where it is in a minority.

From Swarajya

No Invasion Or Migration, But Interaction: What This New Genetic Study Suggests About Prehistoric India: The Aryan invasion model was replaced by a migrationist explanation. Now, a new study seems set to replace the latter with an interactionist model.

Two Options That Union And State Governments Can Look At To Help Farmers: The utility of farm loan waivers is under debate now after Congress decided to write off short-term farm loans in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan. Here are two routes that the Union or state governments can consider to help farmers.

Sikh Militancy 2.0: Khalistan Movement On The Rise Again: Apprehensions have risen about the revival of the Pakistan-backed Sikh separatist movement, better known as the Khalistan movement, in Punjab.

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