Daily Briefing: Trajectory of Indian economy; 4 held for ICMR data leak; and more

In the latest edition of Idea Exchange, former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan and economic theorist Rohit Lamba spoke about the trajectory of the Indian economy, and how India should not push its tiger warrior image to become an antagonistic superpower.

Meanwhile, in an interview with The Indian Express, SBI chairman Dinesh Kumar Khara talks about the asset quality review (AQR) initiated in 2015 by Rajan, and how it has helped banks, and why he thinks India’s economy is in its “golden phase”.

⚡Only in Express

Four men have been held for the leak of personal details of more than 81 crore Indians from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)’s data bank. The suspects claimed to have also stolen data of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) — Pakistan’s Aadhaar counterpart — The Indian Express has learnt.

Former grappler Anita Sheoran, contesting to become Wrestling Federation of India’s first woman president, knows she is fighting an uphill battle. Up against her is Sanjay Kumar Singh, known to be close to outgoing president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of sexual harassment by six wrestlers. “If Brij Bhushan’s loyalists contest and win, there won’t be any reforms in the federation,” says Sheoran.

📰 From the First Page

The Assam Rifles is planning critical operational changes so that it can be deployed along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) if needed, while continuing to perform its traditional counter-insurgency duties in the Northeast and guarding the India-Myanmar border, The Indian Express has learnt.

A case of alleged rape and criminal intimidation has been registered against Sajjan Jindal, chairman and managing director of JSW Group, following a complaint filed by a 30-year-old woman in Mumbai. Jindal denied the allegations as “false and baseless”.

👩‍💻 Must Read

Amid the Opposition’s protests over the Parliament security breach, Pratap Simha, a two-term BJP MP from Mysore, has courted controversy after he allegedly signed entry passes for the intruders behind the Lok Sabha security breach on December 13. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first comments on the issue, underlined the gravity of the incident and said there should be no squabbling or confrontation on such issues.

In our Opinion section today, Fali S Nariman writes on the Article 370 verdict: “What was actually done by the Centre was, in my view, not according to the provisions of the Constitution, nor in accordance with well-settled principles of federalism, a basic feature of the Constitution as was held in a 1994 judgement of a Constitution Bench of nine judges.”

In Bihar, the state government’s Rs 72-crore plan to redevelop the Punourdham in Sitamarhi, which is believed to be the birthplace of Hindu deity Sita, the consort of Lord Ram, has sparked a war of words between the JD(U) and its former ally BJP. Here is all you need to know about the row unfolding.

⌛ And Finally…

In 2023, Shah Rukh Khan saved the world. He also saved Bollywood. Those who had been quiet during the months he had been resolutely silent, biding his time with his son in prison on a trumped-up charge, voted with their cash.

🤫 Delhi Confidential: At a time when the Parliament security breach issue has given the Opposition a handle to confront the government, the Treasury benches seemed short on MPs. As the party as well as the Prime Minister have urged leaders to be active on the ground and step up electioneering, many MPs have been missing from the House.

🎧 In the latest episode of our ‘3 things’ podcast, we discuss COP28 outcomes, the Sri Krishna Janmabhoomi and Shahi Idgah Masjid dispute, and PM Modi’s statement amidst the Parliament security breach case. Tune in!

Until next time,

Sonal Gupta and Ayesha Jain