Daily Briefing: Indian, Chinese military leaders back at LAC talks table; Farmer tractor rally to enter Capital on R-Day

From a bridge in Bastar — crucial for both security and the people of the district, to the growing disquiet within the ranks of the BJP ahead of next month's civil polls; here are today's top stories.

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It has been more than two-and-a-half months since Indian and Chinese military commanders last met to discuss the standoff along the Line of Actual Control in Ladakh. Representatives from the two sides will meet again today and try to make headway in talks. Sources said the meeting has been scheduled following word from China on a memo that India sent.

Only in the Express

“At scale, an ad-supported product serves the company that shows you ads, it does not serve you.” With this thought, Sridhar Ramaswamy and Vivek Raghunathan, IIT alumni and former Google executives, are ready to roll out Neeva, an ad-free, private search product, which, by the middle of this year, hopes to offer a customer-paid and customer-first alternative, at a time of growing concerns over the control wielded by tech megaliths.

Indian cricket’s tryst with history in Australia didn’t happen overnight. The Indian Express looks at all that went into the making of this Winning XI — from talent-spotters turning up at nets to coaches and selectors exchanging notes, parents and mentors to self-motivated players, some dreams, and a lot of foresight. 

One of the key announcements in the Union Budget is likely to be a new flagship programme — Jal Jeevan Mission-Urban (JJM-Urban) — to provide tap water connections to all statutory towns, and, separately, sewer connections to all cities with a population of over 1 lakh, by 2026.

From the Front Page

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee refused to speak at an official event to mark the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose after she was interrupted by BJP supporters who raised ‘Jai Shri Ram’ slogans. Banerjee, who was sharing the dais with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said they had no right to “humiliate a person after extending an invitation”.

Farmers protesting at Delhi borders will get their tractor parade after all as Delhi Police laid down some conditions for them before they enter the capital city. The rally will be restricted to adjoining areas of the border and will begin only after the Republic Day parade on Rajpath. 

There is a growing disquiet within the ranks of the Punjab BJP ahead of next month’s civic polls. With the farmers’ agitation being allowed to fester for so long, more than 15 BJP leaders have quit the party in the past 10 days and joined the Akali Dal. A source said not many BJP leaders are keen to contest in the polls given the anger. 

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Chintavaagu is an important line for the security forces in Chhattisgarh as it controls access to the Maoist heartland of Bastar. Three years after security forces reached Pamed and made considerable headway  laying down roads in the area, they are now hoping to build a bridge over the stream. But apart from being a security landmark for the 64 villages between Pamed and Basaguda, the residents of the village believe they will also benefit from the project.

Sameera Fazili, one of the 20 Indian-Americans who will be part of the Joe Biden Administration, has a unique India connect: her cousin Mubeen Shah was among those held under the Public Safety Act (PSA) in the Valley clampdown coinciding with the scrapping of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir. At the time, the family had tapped into their Washington and Delhi connections to help secure his release. 

ICYMI

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked PM Modi for his continued support to the global Covid-19 response, saying acting together, including sharing of knowledge, will help in combating the novel coronavirus.

Pune City Police on Saturday granted permission for the Elgaar Parishad event being organised in the city on January 30.

RJD chief Lalu Prasad was on Saturday flown to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Delhi for “high-level check-up and treatment”.

A 17-year-old boy in Ghazipur district has been detained under the new anti-conversion law and on kidnapping charges.

Larry King, a prominent  name in US television history, died at the age of 87 in Los Angeles, weeks after testing positive for Covid-19.

And Finally

The marching of soldiers and children in the parade, folk dances and jhankis (tableau) presented by different states with the same pride as school children presenting “projects” — these are some of our collective memories of India’s Republic Day. With Chhabees Janvari merely two days away, Delhi-based historian Narayani Gupta visualises a jhanki for our own millennium city — Delhi. 

Until tomorrow, 

Leela Prasad G and Rahel Philipose

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