Daily Briefing: India, China agree on disengagement along LAC; patient care at R G Kar hospital takes a hit

With that, let’s move on to today’s edition:

• Why Naidu, Stalin are talking of larger families
• Maharashtra poll view by Neerja Chowdhury
• Rajinder Singh set to make his international hockey debut

🚨Big Story

More than four years after the military standoff sent bilateral ties between India and China south, the two countries have agreed on the disengagement and patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).

Stage set: The announcement on the agreement was made Monday by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri in New Delhi, ahead of the meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the two-day BRICS Summit starting Tuesday (Oct 22) in Kazan.

“We can say that the disengagement process with China has been completed…,” External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also said that the agreement on patrolling takes the situation back to where it was in 2020 before the issues rose following Chinese incursions in the area.

Friction points: About 50,000 to 60,000 troops are stationed on both sides of the border in eastern Ladakh. In line with the agreement, patrolling rights in Depsang Plains and Demchok are expected to be restored. Sources also told the Express that the situation at the other friction points — in Galwan Valley and Pangong Tso — where disengagement of troops was achieved two years ago with the creation of buffer zones would remain the same.

The logistics, as per sources:

• Patrolling will be carried out at a frequency of twice a month
• While the normal strength of a patrol is about 13 to 18, at least 14-15 troops will be there in a patrol to avert any clash.
• Any clash of date and time will be avoided with an exchange of patrol programmes of both sides.
• Overall deployment of troops along the LAC will also be thinned down. This was, in any case, part of the Army’s winter plan in Ladakh.

⚡Only in Express

Close to call: With the Maharashtra Assembly election date inching closer, Neerja Chowdhury makes her point(s) on why the poll scenario in Maharashtra is “unclear, uncertain, and too close to call.” Also, she decodes the poll strategy and how it is poised between the Haryana, Maratha and Sharad Pawar factors.

🎧 While on poll talk, today’s episode of the 3 Things Podcast has a quick update on Shrikant Pangarkar, an accused in the murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh, who was re-inducted into CM Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena and also appointed as the poll campaign in-charge for the Jalna Assembly seat under. Following the backlash, the appointment has now been declared as “null and void”.

In our Opinion section today, Yogendra Yadav argues for better politics for Muslims in contemporary India. He writes: “While every other social group can choose to vote on bijali, sadak, pani or on padhai, dawai, kamai and what have you, Muslims are condemned to vote for survival, to escape lynching, bulldozers and riots. The party they cannot vote for treats them with antipathy and the party they cannot but vote for treats them with indifference, if not contempt.”

📰From the Front Page

As protests in Kolkata rape and murder case continue, patient care at the R G Kar hospital, the epicentre of the movement, has taken a big hit. Over the last three months, services have been severely paralysed, with patient footfall down by half and major surgeries down 91%, according to patient data accessed by The Indian Express.

Khar Gymkhana, one of Mumbai’s oldest clubs, cancelled the membership of Indian women cricket team’s leading batter Jemimah Rodrigues. This comes after some members objected to her father Ivan using the club premises for “religious activities” and alleged that events were organised to “convert” the “vulnerable”.

📌Must Read

‘Why not 16?’: Just days after Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu advised couples to have more children, Tamil Nadu CM M K Stalin joined his reign, renewing the debate over delimitation. In his speech at a mass wedding ceremony, Stalin, expressing his concerns over a potential reduction of South India’s share in parliamentary seats due to lower population growth rates, joked: “Why not aim for 16 children?”

‘India Aging’: According to Population Projection data, as India’s population is projected to age with each passing year, the proportion (percentage) of people in the 60+ age bracket will rise across the board — even though the increase in Northern states will be smaller than in the South. Why is an aging population, and a relatively smaller population, a concern? What is the way forward? We explain.

Cracking down: As a spate of bomb hoaxes over the past week sent airlines, airports, and security agencies into a tizzy, the government has planned to take legislative action and make the punishments harsher to deter pranksters from posting such threats. One such measure would enable inclusion of those behind these threats to the no-fly list, banning them from flying on Indian carriers’ flights.

⏳And Finally…

‘Sardar’s clone’: Knocking on the doors of the national hockey team, Rajinder Singh, the 21-year-old midfielder fetched a high bid at Hockey India League auction as part of Hyderabad Toofans. Singh belongs to the same village as Sardar Singh, plays in the same position as the legendary midfielder and is mentored by the former India captain. Mihir Vasavda talks about the great coincidences between Sardar and Rajinder here.

That’s all for today.

Until tomorrow
Vibha B Madhava and Ariba

Business As Usual by E P Unny