Morning Brief: PM Modi Speaks To Biden, Bengal Govt Pulls Out All Stops To Discredit And Foil Students' March, Centre To Launch 'Rapid' To Boost Manufacturing Value Addition

Dear Reader, here's your morning brief with the latest updates and key insights.

Modi Talks To Biden On Ukraine, Safety Of Hindus In Bangladesh

PM Modi spoke to US President Joe Biden just days after returning from Ukraine, briefing him on his visit to Kyiv. They discussed the situation in Bangladesh, where Modi stressed the need for restoring normalcy and ensuring the safety of Hindus. Modi has highlighted this concern at least three times since August 8, when Muhammad Yunus took over as interim leader in Dhaka. He first raised it after Yunus was sworn in, then during his Independence Day speech, and later in a call with Yunus. This was the first time the issue was discussed between India and the US at the highest level.

Kolkata Turns Fortress For Protest March

The Kolkata Police have deployed over 6,000 officers and set up 19 barricades in anticipation of the "Nabanna Abhijan" protest march, organized in response to the rape-murder of a 31-year-old doctor at RG Kar Medical College. The police claim to have intelligence of a conspiracy to incite violence. They allege that one of the organizers met with a political leader at a prominent hotel. It seems the Mamata Banerjee government is more focused on discrediting the protest than addressing the rising lawlessness in the state that allowed such a crime to occur in the first place. The INDI Alliance has distanced itself from the march, with the CPI(M) and Congress withdrawing their support due to alleged "RSS connections" among some of the organisers.

Govt To Launch 'Rapid' To Increase Value Addition In Manufacturing

The government is teaming up with industry to launch Rapid, a new manufacturing initiative aimed at boosting local value addition and encouraging private sector R&D, according to a report in Mint. Rapid, short for Research, Analysis, Programme Implementation, and Data Intelligence, will target sectors including automobiles, electronics, medical devices, drones, defense, aerospace, and space technology. The program seeks to raise India’s manufacturing share, which is currently at 17 per cent, up from 14.4 per cent in FY21, but still below the 25 per cent target for 2025.

Apple’s Ecosystem In India To Yield 600,000 Jobs By Year-End

Apple’s manufacturing expansion in India is anticipated to create 600,000 jobs by the end of the current financial year, according to the Economic Times. Of these, 200,000 will be direct positions, with women comprising 70 per cent of the workforce. Apple’s three contract manufacturers have already generated 80,872 direct jobs, while broader suppliers have contributed nearly 84,000 direct jobs. The remaining positions are indirect. This development makes Apple the largest blue-collar job creator in India in recent years.

Other Developments

1) PM Modi’s Plane Spent 46 Minutes in Pakistani Airspace

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's aircraft reportedly spent 46 minutes in Pakistani airspace on its return from Poland. According to Geo News, Modi's plane entered at 10:15 am on August 24 and exited at 11:01 am, traveling from Chitral through Islamabad and Lahore air control zones before reaching Amritsar. Pakistan had closed its airspace to India from February 26, 2019, and had previously denied a request from Modi to use its airspace for a trip to Germany.

 Zuckerberg Accuses Biden of Pressuring Meta

In a letter to US Congress, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg claimed that the Biden Administration "repeatedly pressured" Meta to censor certain COVID-19 content, including humor and satire. Zuckerberg expressed regret for not being more vocal about the pressure and for the changes made under it. He stated that, while Meta made the final decision on content removal, the government’s influence was improper.

Apple Sets iPhone 16 Launch Date

Apple has announced the launch event for the iPhone 16 series, scheduled for September 9 with the tagline "It's Glowtime." The event is expected to unveil four new iPhone 16 models. Key features include Apple Intelligence, likely to arrive later via software update, and a new physical capacitive Capture button for quick photo and video actions.

From The States

Political Shake-Up in Poll-Bound Jharkhand

Former Jharkhand CM Champai Soren will join the BJP on August 30 in Ranchi, as announced by Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma. This follows Soren's claim of being "humiliated" after being replaced as CM in July. CM Hemant Soren's camp sees this as advantageous, believing that Champai joining the BJP might prevent him from splitting the JMM vote, which could have happened if he ran independently. Champai became Chief Minister after former CM Hemant Soren's arrest on money laundering charges. 

New Row Over Land Allotment in Karnataka

A controversy has erupted over the allocation of a KIADB site to the Siddhartha Vihara Trust, run by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s family, in March 2024. Karnataka Industries Minister M B Patil confirmed the 5-acre site was granted at the prescribed price, with no rule violations. The land was part of a 45.94-acre allocation for civic amenities at the aerospace park, designated under the SC quota.

NC-Congress Seal Seat-Sharing Deal In J&K

The National Conference (NC) and Congress have finalised their seat-sharing arrangement for the upcoming Assembly elections in the Union Territory (UT) of Jammu and Kashmir. Of the 90 seats in the UT, the NC will contest 51 and Congress 32, leaving one seat each for CPI(M) and J&K Panthers Party. In five constituencies—Sopore, Banihal, Bhaderwah, Doda, and Nagrota—both parties will field candidates in a friendly contest. The agreement was reached after negotiations at NC President Farooq Abdullah's residence.

Embarrassment For BJP-Sena Government In Maharashtra

A 35-foot statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, unveiled by PM Modi in December 2023, collapsed on Monday due to heavy rain and strong winds. The opposition accused the ruling coalition of corruption in the statue's construction and demanded an investigation. In response, the government dispatched senior minister Ravindra Chavan to Malvan and announced legal action against officials, contractors, and sculptors.

Stay tuned—there’s much more to come as the day progresses!