Anura Kumara Dissanayake, Sri Lankan President on Monday expressed gratitude to India for economic support during the island nation’s financial meltdown and crucial assistance in restructuring bilateral debt. President Dissanayake is on his first bilateral visit to New Delhi after assuming power in Colombo.

Anura Kumara Dissanayake said that they faced an unprecedented economic crisis some 2 years ago and India supported them immensely to come out of that quagmire. He added that the economic assistance also helped them immensely after that, especially in the debt-free structuring process. He further noted that Sri Lanka secures a very significant place in India’s foreign policy.

In a joint press statement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that India’s bilateral projects in Sri Lanka are always based on Colombo’s development priorities. The Prime Minister said that India has so far provided 5 billion dollars in line of credit and grant assistance to Sri Lanka, and have cooperation in all 25 districts of Sri Lanka.

Narendra Modi also announced new projects including assistance for the rehabilitation of the signalling system at the Maho-Anuradhapura railway section and Kankesanthurai Port. He further declared monthly scholarships to 200 students in the universities of Jaffna and Eastern Province. He also affirmed that in the next 5 years, India will also train 1500 civil servants from Sri Lanka.

PM Modi stated that along with housing, renewable energy and infrastructure, India will also cooperate for the development of agriculture, dairy and fisheries in Sri Lanka. India will also participate in the unique digital identity project in Sri Lanka, he continued.

Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan president also assured that his country will not allow its territory to be used in any manner that is detrimental to India’s interest. He conveyed that PM Modi assured full support and he also assured that he will always protect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Sri Lanka. He added that the cooperation with India will certainly flourish and wants to reassure continued support for India.

PM Modi also said that India will soon finalise a defence cooperation agreement with Sri Lanka. He said that cooperation on hydrography has also been agreed upon, and they believe that the Colombo Security Conclave is an important platform for regional peace, security and development. Under this, cooperation will be enhanced on topics like maritime security, counter terrorism, cyber-security, fight against smuggling and organised crime, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The Commission for Air Quality Management said that GRAP-III recommendations have been reimposed across Delhi and the national capital region following highly unfavourable meteorological conditions, including calm winds and very low mixing height.

Under GRAP-III restrictions, all schools in Delhi-NCR must switch to a hybrid class mode for students till Class V, and there will be restrictions on the entry of diesel-powered commercial vehicles.

Furthermore, goods vehicles with engines below the BS-IV certification cannot run, except for those used for emergency purposes or to provide essential services, and goods carriers registered outside the national capital cannot, till further notice, enter the city if their engine is below the BS-IV mark.

Individuals with disabilities are exempt from the restrictions on BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel vehicles in Delhi and the surrounding districts of Gurugram, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar under Stage III.

In addition, the Delhi and NCR state governments have been instructed to stagger working hours for public offices and municipal bodies during Stage III. Reportedly, the Centre may also implement similar staggered timings for central government offices in the Delhi-NCR region.

At around 2.30 pm the city’s AQI was 366, which is in the higher end of the very poor category. Notably, this is a sharp spike from seven days ago; on December 7 it was 233, which classified it as moderate. Also, three days before that, Delhi’s AQI was at 211.

This improvement in air quality meant the Supreme Court, on December 5, allowed the CAQM to relax anti-pollution measures from GRAP-IV, the strictest of a four-stage Graded Response Action Plan meant to tackle deteriorating air pollution in the national capital region.

Previous month the air quality in Delhi and the surrounding areas was consistently in the severe and very poor category, prompting annual health warnings from medical professionals and triggering a rush of cases before the Supreme Court asking for directions to the government.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday launched a scathing attack on the Congress during the debate to mark the Constitution’s 75th anniversary in Rajya Sabha. She accused the grand old party of repeatedly trying to undermine the Constitution through amendments.

Targeting India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the Finance Minister referred to the first Constitutional amendment in 1951, adding that it was essentially to curb the freedom of speech and expression. Mentioning that though India even today prides itself on the freedom of expression, she claimed that the first interim government came up with a Constitutional amendment to curb the freedom of speech of Indians. She explained the amendment was because the first Prime Minister deplored press scrutiny of his government even as he publicly praised the freedom of press. 

 Additionally, Nirmala Sitharaman also referred to the arrest of poet-lyricist Majrooh Sultanpuri and actor Balraj Sahni in 1949. She pointed out that during one of the meetings organised for mill workers, Majrooh Sultanpuri recited a poem that was written against Jawaharlal Nehru. Therefore, he had to go to jail, she claimed. The Finance Minister asserted that when the poet refused to render an apology and was jailed along with Balraj Sahni, an eminent actor of those days. Taking a swipe at Congress’s Constitution pitch, she added that is the level of tolerance and today they hold the Constitution in their hand and say freedom of speech, there is a sense of fear in our country.

She also remarked that the Congress government banned a book, Nehru: A Political Biography, by Michael Edwardes and a film, Kissa Kursi Ka, in 1975 because it questioned Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, her son and also the Information and Broadcasting Minister then. She added that in 1988 Salman Rushdie’s book The Satanic Verses was banned. So, this spree of curtailing the freedom of expression, containing freedom of press happened before 1949 and continues after 1951, she asserted.

Finance Minister Sitharaman said that the amendments brought by Congress governments were not aimed at strengthening democracy but to shield those in power. She said that in the aftermath of the Second World War, more than 50 countries became independent and framed their Constitution. But while many of them have changed it completely, India’s Constitution has stood the test of time, she exclaimed.

She hailed that today they are extremely proud of the way India’s democracy is growing. She underlined that it is time to reaffirm their commitment to build India, that is Bharat, that shall uphold the spirit enshrined in this sacred document.

She further referred to amendments brought in to nullify an Allahabad High Court judgment in 1975 against Indira Gandhi in an election malpractices case. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also referred to the Shah Bano case during Rajiv Gandhi’s term as Prime Minister. After the judgment from the Supreme Court in the Shah Bano case, the Congress passed the Muslim Women Protection of Rights on Divorce Act 1986 which denied Muslim women their right to alimony, she noted.

Additionally, referring to the imposition of the Emergency in 1975, she said that the amendments were not about strengthening democracy but protecting those in power.