Person has right to specify only mother’s name in identity documents; none should suffer insult faced by ‘Karna’ now: Kerala HC - Business Guardian
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Person has right to specify only mother’s name in identity documents; none should suffer insult faced by ‘Karna’ now: Kerala HC

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It is most heartening to note that in a very pertinent, pragmatic, powerful and progressive judgment titled XXX v. Registrar of Births and Dead Pathanamthitta Municipality and Ors. in WP(C) No. 4262 of 2022 and cited in 2022 LiveLaw (Ker) 373 that was delivered as recently as on July 19, 2022 while allowing a writ petition, the Kerala High Court held in no uncertain terms that a person has the right to not specify the name of their father in identity documents. The Court minced no words to state upfront that, “A child of an unwed mother is also a citizen of our country, and nobody can infringe any of his/her fundamental rights, which are guaranteed in our Constitution. He/she is a son/daughter of not only the unwed mother but this great country “India”.” The Court passed this superb order while recognizing and conceding the agonies faced by children of unwed mothers and rape victims. While robustly referring to the Mahabharat character Karna, the Court observed in its judgment that, “We want a society with no such characters like “Karna”, who curses his life because of the insult he faced for not knowing the whereabouts of his parents.”

To start with, this brief, brilliant, bold and balanced judgment authored by a Single Judge Bench of the Kerala High Court comprising of Hon’ble Mr Justice PV Kunhikrishnan sets the pitch in motion right from the beginning by putting forth in para 1 that, “This is a sad story of a mother and her son. The 2nd petitioner is an unfortunate mother who conceived the 1st petitioner while she was a minor under a mysterious circumstance by an unidentified person. This writ petition is filed by the petitioners to expunge and remove the father’s name from the birth register maintained by the office of the 1st respondent with respect to the 1st petitioner and issue a certificate showing the mother’s name only as a single parent. A child of an unwed mother is also a citizen of our country, and nobody can infringe any of his/her fundamental rights, which are guaranteed in our Constitution. He/she is a son/daughter of not only the unwed mother but this great country “India.” We need to live in a country where there will be no example to cite for the word “bastard” and let that word continue in the dictionary pages without getting an opportunity to give examples to the young student generation of English. The children of unwed mothers and the children of raped victim can also live in this country with the fundamental rights of privacy, liberty, and dignity. None can intrude into their personal life, and if it happens, the constitutional Court of this country will protect their fundamental rights. The Apex Court has held that a woman’s reproductive choice is a fundamental right and compassed the same under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. In Suchita Srivastava and Another v. Chandigarh Administration [AIR 2010 SC 235], the Apex Court held thus:

“There is no doubt that a woman’s right to make reproductive choices is also a dimension of “personal liberty” as understood under Article 21 of the Constitution of India. It is important to recognize that reproductive choices can be exercised to procreate as well as to abstain from procreating. The crucial consideration is that a woman’s right to privacy, dignity, and bodily integrity should be respected.””

While citing yet another relevant case law, the Bench then states in para 2 that, “Referring to the above judgment, the Apex Court in Devika Biswas v. Union of India and Others [AIR 2016 SC 4405] observed thus: “This Court recognized reproductive rights as an aspect of personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution in Suchita Srivastava v. Chandigarh Administration. The freedom to exercise these reproductive rights would include the right to make a choice regarding sterilization on the basis of informed consent and free from any form of coercion”.”

While citing yet another most relevant case law, the Bench then mentions in para 3 that, “The Apex Court in K.S. Puttuswamy v. Union of India [2017 (4) KLT 1], observed like this:

“To live is to live with dignity. The draftsmen of the Constitution defined their vision of the society in which constitutional values would be attained by emphasising, among other freedoms, liberty and dignity. So fundamental is dignity that it permeates the core of the rights guaranteed to the individual by Part III. Dignity is the core which unites the fundamental rights because the fundamental rights seek to achieve for each individual the dignity of existence. Privacy with its attendant values assures dignity to the individual and it is only when life can been enjoyed with dignity can liberty be of true substance. Privacy ensures the fulfilment of dignity and is a core value which the protection of life and liberty is intended to achieve.””

Needless to say, the Bench then observes in para 4 that, “In the light of the above decisions, the facts of the present case are to be considered. To keep the anonymity of the son and the mother, who are the petitioners in this writ petition, the 1st petitioner son is referred to as “X” and the 2nd petitioner mother is referred to as “Y”. The name of the father of the 1st petitioner is given differently in three different documents, and therefore, the father’s name is referred as “Z”, “Z1” and “Z2”.”

To put things in perspective, the Bench then envisages in para 5 that, “The 1st petitioner was conceived by the 2nd petitioner, the mother of the 1st petitioner, while she was a minor under mysterious circumstance by an unidentified person. Therefore the father’s name of the 1st petitioner happened to be recorded differently in different documents. The name of the mother of the 1st petitioner is correctly recorded in all identification and education certificates. In the birth registration certificate of the 1st petitioner before the Registrar of Births and Deaths, Pathanamthitta, the father’s name is recorded as “Z”. Ext.P1 is the copy of the birth certificate. In the Secondary School Leaving Certificate (SSLC), the name of the father of the 1st petitioner is recorded as “Z1”. Ext.P1(2) is the copy of the certificate(SSLC). In the Higher Secondary Examination (HSE) Certificate, the parents’ names are not recorded on the face. Ext.P1(3) is the copy of the HSE certificate. In the Election ID, mother’s name is recorded on the face. Ext.P1(4) is the copy of the Election ID card of the 1st petitioner. In AADHAR card, name of the father of the 1st petitioner is recorded as “Z2”. Ext.P1(5) is the copy of the AADHAR card. In the driving licence, the name of the mother alone is recorded on the face. Ext.P1(6) is the copy of the driving licence of the 1st petitioner. In the card showing the Permanent Account Number (PAN), name of the mother, “Y” alone is recorded on the face. In the Passport, the name of the father is recorded as “Z3”. The same is produced as Ext.P1(8).”

As we see, the Bench then lays bare in para 6 that, “Since the paternal name of the 1st petitioner appears differently in different documents and the name is uncertain, the petitioner did not want the father’s name to be recorded in any of the documents and certificates. Hence the 1 st petitioner sent a request to the 1st respondent as well as respondents 2 to 8 requesting to delete the name of the father of the petitioner appears in all identity certificates, records, and databases concerning the 1st petitioner and after deleting the name of the father, to issue new corrected identity cards and certificates. Ext.P1 is the request submitted by the petitioner.”

Truth be told, the Bench then specifies in para 7 that, “The 1st respondent is the statutory authority under the Central Act, namely The Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969 (for short, the Act 1969). The 1st respondent is chronologically the first authority to record the name of the parents. Section 15 of the Act 1969 gives power to the 1st respondent to correct the entries. The State of Kerala framed Rules as per the Act, which enables such correction and deletion of errors that are wrongly or improperly made. Moreover, the Government of India, as per Ext.P3 letter, circulated to all Chief Registrar of Births and Deaths in the country directing that the name of the single parent will be written in the birth record, and the name of the other parent must be left blank if such requests are made. This letter was issued in the light of the judgment of the Apex Court in ABC v. State (NCT of Delhi) [2015 (10) SCC 1]. In the light of the law declared by the Apex Court and clarified by the direction in Ext.P3, it is the case of the petitioner that the 1st respondent is bound to expunge the name of the father from the Birth Register and based on which the other respondents are also bound to correct the records in tune with the same. Hence this writ petition is filed with following prayers:

A. Direct Respondent No.1 to expunge and remove the name of father from the Birth Register maintained at his office regarding petitioner no.1 and issue certificate showing the name of the mother only as a single parent.

B. Direct respondents 2 to 8 effect consequential expunge of name of the father from their official records and databases,

C. Grant such other reliefs which may be prayed for hereafter and this Hon’ble Court deems fit and proper to grant in the facts and circumstances. (SIC).”

It deserves mentioning that the Bench then observes in para 10 that, “Section 15 of the Act 1969 deals with the correction or cancellation of entry in the register of births and deaths. It will be beneficial to extract Section 15 of the Act 1969:

“15. If it is proved to the satisfaction of the Registrar that any entry of a birth or death in any register kept by him under this Act is erroneous in form or substance, or has been fraudulently or improperly made, he may, subject to such rules as may be made by the State Government with respect to the conditions on which and the circumstances in which such entries may be corrected or cancelled correct the error or cancel the entry by suitable entry in the margin, without any alteration of the original entry, and shall sign the marginal entry and add thereto the date of the correction or cancellation.””

Quite usefully, the Bench then illustrates in para 11 stating that, “As per Section 15, if it is proved to the satisfaction of the Registrar that any entry of a birth or death in any register kept by him under this Act is erroneous in form or substance or has been fraudulently or improperly made, he may, subject to such rules as may be made by the State Government with respect to the conditions on which and the circumstances in which such entries may be corrected or cancelled, correct the error or cancel the entry by suitable entry in the margin, without any alteration of the original entry, and shall sign the marginal entry and add thereto the date of the correction or cancellation. The Kerala Registration of Births and Deaths Rules, 1999 (for short, the Rules 1999) was framed in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 30 of the Act 1969. Rule 11 of the Rules 1999 is relevant, and the same is extracted hereunder:

“11. Correction or cancellation of entry in the register of births and deaths –

(1) If it is reported to the Registrar that a clerical or formal error has been made in the register or if such error is otherwise noticed by him the Registrar shall enquire into the matter and if he is satisfied that any such error has been made, he shall correct the error (by correcting or cancelling the entry) as provided in section 15 and shall send an extract of the entry showing the error and how it has been corrected to the State Government or the officer specified by it in this behalf.

(2) If any person asserts that any entry in the register of births and deaths is erroneous in substance, the Registrar may correct the entry in the manner prescribed under section 15 upon production by that person a declaration setting forth the nature of the error and true facts of the case made by two credible persons having knowledge of the facts of the case. Notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (1) and sub-rule (2) the Registrar shall make report of any correction of the kind referred to therein giving necessary details to the State Government or the officer specified in this behalf.

(3) If it is proved to the satisfaction of the Registrar that any entry in the register of births and deaths has been fraudulently or improperly made, he shall make a report giving necessary details to the officer authorised by the Chief Registrar by general or special order in this behalf under section 25 and on hearing from him take necessary action in the matter.

(4) In every case in which an entry is corrected or cancelled under this rule, intimation thereof should be sent to the permanent address of the person who has given information under section 8 or section 9.””

Simply put, the Bench then notes in para 12 that, “As per Rule 11(2), if any person asserts that any entry in the register of births and deaths is erroneous in substance, the Registrar may correct the entry in the manner prescribed under Section 15 upon production by that person, a declaration setting forth the nature of the error and true facts of the case made by two credible persons having knowledge of the facts of the case. It is also stated that notwithstanding anything contained in sub-rule (1) and subrule (2) of Rule 11, the Registrar shall make report of any correction of the kind referred to therein, giving necessary details to the State Government or the officer specified in this behalf. Therefore, on a combined reading of Section 15 of the Act 1969 and Rule 11 of the Rules 1999, it is clear that a correction of an entry in the Register of Births and Deaths is possible in certain circumstances mentioned in it.”

Most significantly, the Bench then minces no words to mandate unambiguously in para 18 that, “From the above discussions, it is clear that it is the right of a person to include his mother’s name alone in the birth certificate, identity certificates and other documents. As I observed earlier, there are children of rape victims and children of unwed mothers in this country. Their right of privacy, dignity and liberty cannot be curtailed by any authority. The mental agony of such person is to be imagined by every citizen of this country while intruding into their privacy. In some cases it will be a deliberate act and in other cases it may be by mistake. But the State should protect citizens of all such kind as equal to other citizens without disclosing their identity and privacy. Otherwise, they will face unimaginable mental agonies.”

Briefly stated, the Bench then observes in para 19 that, “The mental agony faced by a person, who does not know their parents is picturised by the character of “Karna” in the ancient epic “Maharabharatha”. “Karna” was not aware of his parents till his mother “Kunthi Devi” told him about the truth. The mental agony and insult faced by “Karna” is picturised way back in the ancient time itself by “Vedavyasa” in “Mahabharatha”. In tune with the above story, Mali Madhavan Nair wrote a story (Aattakadha) in “Kathakali” which is popularly known as “Karnashapadham”. The mental agony and insult faced by “Karna” is picturised in a “Padham” (verse) of “Karnashapadham”.”

Quite graciously, the Bench then concedes in para 20 mentioning that, “It is difficult to translate the above “padham” to English with the same artistic beauty. However, since the language of this judgment is in English, the meaning in plain words is to be stated. The meaning is like this:

“Why doubts and indecision are going

through my heart!

Even though I am the King of Angarajya

I do not know where I was born!

Does anybody know where I was born and what is the sect?

Oh my God! Who are my parents?

Will I be able to see them, or is it my fate

to die before meeting them!”

When the above “Padham” was sung by the legends like Late Kalamandalam Hyderali and Kalamandalam Gopi (who was honoured by Padmasree by the country) on stage to act the scene, even a person who is not a lover of “Kathakali” would find tears in their eyes. We want a society with no such characters like “Karna”, who curses his life because of the insult he faced for not knowing the whereabouts of his parents. We want the real brave “Karnas” who was the real hero and fighter in “Mahabharatha”. Our Constitution and the constitutional Courts will protect all of them and the new age “Karnas” can live like any other citizen with dignity and pride.”

Finally and as a corollary, the Bench then concludes by holding in para 21 that, “In the light of the above discussions, the prayers in this writ petition are to be allowed. Therefore, this writ petition is allowed in the following manner:

1. There will be a direction to the 1st respondent to expunge and remove the name of the father from the Birth Register maintained at his office regarding the 1st petitioner and issue certificate showing the name of mother only as a single parent, if such a request is made by the petitioners. The 1st respondent will do the needful as directed above, as expeditiously as possible, at any rate, within two weeks from the date of receipt of such request and issue the necessary certificate to that effect during the above said period itself.

2. If the petitioners produce the corrected certificate issued by the 1st respondent, respondents 2 to 8 will effect consequential expunge of the name of the father from their official records and databases.

3. The Registry will not mention the names of the petitioners in the cause title of the judgment while uploading to the official site of this court. The registry will give sufficient number of certified copies of the judgment along with the details of the petitioners in a separate sealed cover if a copy application is filed for that purpose by the petitioners for production before the respondents.”

No doubt, this most commendable, cogent and convincing judgment deserves to be applauded in totality in all such similar cases! The Single Judge Bench of Hon’ble Mr PV Kunhikrishnan has taken great pains to meticulously dwell on all significant points and have elaborated exhaustively on the irrefutable fact that every person has right to specify only mother’s name in identity documents and none should suffer insult as suffered by legendary “Karna” now! Absolutely right!

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Policy&Politics

Kejriwal unveils ‘Guarantee’ for LS Polls: AAP’s pledge for change

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On “Kejriwal ki Guarantee”, he said 24X7 power supply, good education and health facilities, and arranging two crore jobs for youths every year are part of it.

Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal declared “Kejriwal ki Guarantee” on Sunday, outlining 10 urgent initiatives to be pursued swiftly, including the liberation of Indian territory from Chinese control, should the INDIA bloc come to power at the Centre. This opposition alliance, comprising parties like AAP, Congress, Trinamool Congress, and Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam, was established to challenge the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the Lok Sabha elections.

A day after his release from jail on interim bail, Kejriwal on Saturday said the INDIA bloc will form the next government and his AAP will be part of it. Addressing a press conference on Sunday, the AAP leader said people will have to choose between “Modi ki Guarantee” and “Kejriwal ki guarantee”. The latter is a “brand”, Kejriwal said.

On the announcement of his guarantees, Kejriwal said, “I have not discussed with my INDIA bloc partners about this. I will press upon my INDIA bloc partners to fulfill these guarantees.”

Kejriwal said while the AAP has fulfilled its “guarantees” of free power, good schools, and Mohalla Clinics in Delhi, “(Prime Minister Narendra) Modi has not fulfilled his guarantees”.

On “Kejriwal ki Guarantee”, he said 24X7 power supply, good education and health facilities, and arranging two crore jobs for youths every year are part of it.

“We worked on management to ensure 24×7 power supply in Punjab and Delhi. We can do it in the entire country. The government schools in the country are in a bad shape. We will arrange good quality education across the country. We know how to do it,” he said.

Kejriwal also promised to end the Agniveer scheme and ensure that farmers get MSP for their crops as per the Swaminathan Commission’s report. “Rashtra Sarvopari is our guarantee. China has occupied our land and we will free it from their occupation,” he said. Kejriwal also promised to provide full statehood to Delhi.

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Macro & financial stability, boost to infra, extended PLI likely key areas in Modi 3.0

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If one were to go by the Central Government’s poll manifesto which has stayed aligned to the pre-poll interim Budget, a strong adherence to the path of macro and financial stability as priorities, marked by low inflation, strong external balances, high growth, and fiscal prudence, appears to be the likely scenario if it comes back to power. A DBS Group research by Radhika Rao, senior economist, DBS Group Research and Taimur Baig, MD and Chief Economist, DBS Group Research indicates that the government will continue with the infrastructure push, policies to expand the manufacturing sector, and establish the country’s position as a voice of the Global South.

On the first, the focus will be on improving physical and digital infrastructure, marked by new metro networks, new railway tracks, new-age trains, improved connectivity, new bullet trains, roads, and energy infrastructure. Concurrently, besides expanding the 5G network, improving rural broadband connectivity, exploring 6G technology and the digitization of land records, amongst others, were highlighted in the to-do lists, as per Rao and Baig.

Secondly, Make-in-India and PLI schemes are likely to be expanded, with an emphasis on employment creation, simplification of regulatory processes, appropriate infra for manufacturing hubs, and R&D. A mix of traditional and new-age sectors will likely be prioritized, including a globally competitive food-processing industry, and core sectors (steel, cement, metals, engineering etc), besides a push towards indigenous defense manufacturing, pharma, new age & chip manufacturing, auto and electric vehicles, amongst others.

Existing social welfare programs are likely to be enhanced with better outreach, including, a middle-class focus through the provision of high-value jobs, quality healthcare and infra to improve ease of living, amongst others. Also on the radar is affordable housing program expansion with a focus on slum redevelopment, sustainable cities, etc. The PM Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana is to be a priority, which will continue to provide free foodgrain ration to about 800 mn residents. On healthcare, Rao and Baig see continuity to provide quality free health treatment to up to 500,000 poor families under Ayushman Bharat.

The economists are also of the view that the PM Ujjwala Yojana, which has already benefited 100 mn with cooking gas connections, will be expanded. Subsidies for solar panels on roofs of 10 mn households up to 300 units/month under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, unorganized workers, farmers and continuation of financial assistance to farmers under PM Kisan, farm self-sufficiency, etc.), start-ups and micro-credit enterprises, will be the other focus areas to boost the economy from a bottom-up approach.

Rao and Baig foresee limited fiscal implications from these announcements as part of these were included in the interim budget and the manifesto did not outline any new big-bang reforms or fresh social welfare spending programs. “We maintain our FY25 fiscal deficit assumption at -5.1% of GDP with the existing borrowing program,” says the economists.

A broad-based push towards more contentious structural reforms (land, labor, farming, etc.) did not receive a mention in the manifesto, which may still be prioritized if the party returns for a third term. In our view, the incoming government is neither limited by nor will be restricted by the poll promises. To that extent, the scope of reforms can be wider than what has been laid out in the respective manifestos.

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Govt extends date for submission of R&D proposals

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The Government has extended the deadline for submission of proposals related to R&D scheme under the National Green Hydrogen Mission. The R&D scheme seeks to make the production, storage, transportation and utilisation of green hydrogen more affordable. It also aims to improve the efficiency, safety and reliability of the relevant processes and technologies involved in the green hydrogen value chain. Subsequent to the issue of the guidelines, the Ministry of New & Renewable Energy issued a call for proposals on 16 March, 2024.

While the Call for Proposals is receiving encouraging response, some stakeholders have requested more time for submission of R&D proposals. In view of such requests and to allow sufficient time to the institutions for submitting good-quality proposals, the Ministry has extended the deadline for submission of proposals to 27th April, 2024.

The scheme also aims to foster partnerships among industry, academia and government in order to establish an innovation ecosystem for green hydrogen technologies. The scheme will also help the scaling up and commercialisation of green hydrogen technologies by providing the necessary policy and regulatory support.

The R&D scheme will be implemented with a total budgetary outlay of Rs 400 crore till the financial year 2025-26. The support under the R&D programme includes all components of the green hydrogen value chain, namely, production, storage, compression, transportation, and utilisation.

The R&D projects supported under the mission will be goal-oriented, time bound, and suitable to be scaled up. In addition to industrial and institutional research, innovative MSMEs and start-ups working on indigenous technology development will also be encouraged under the Scheme.

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Policy&Politics

India, Brazil, South Africa to press for labour & social issues, sustainability

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The Indian delegation also comprises Rupesh Kumar Thakur, Joint Secretary, and Rakesh Gaur, Deputy Director from the Ministry of Labour & Employment.

India, on Thursday, joined the G20’s two-day 2nd Employment Working Group (EWG) meeting under the Brazilian Presidency which is all set to address labour, employment and social issues for strong, sustainable, balanced and job-rich growth for all. India is co-chairing the 2nd EWG meeting, along with Brazil and South Africa, and is represented by Sumita Dawra, Secretary, Labour & Employment.

The Indian delegation also comprises Rupesh Kumar Thakur, Joint Secretary, and Rakesh Gaur, Deputy Director from the Ministry of Labour & Employment. India has pointed out that the priority areas of the 2nd EWG at Brasilia align with the priority areas and outcomes of previous G20 presidencies including Indian presidency, and commended the continuity in the multi-year agenda to create lasting positive change in the world of work. This not only sustains but also elevates the work initiated by the EWG during the Indian Presidency.

The focus areas for the 2nd EWG meeting are — creating quality employment and promoting decent labour, addressing a just transition amidst digital and energy transformations, leveraging technologies to enhance the quality of life for al and the emphasis on gender equity and promoting diversity in the world of employment for inclusivity, driving innovation and growth. On the first day of the meeting, deliberations were held on the over-arching theme of promotion of gender equality and promoting diversity in the workplace.

The Indian delegation emphasized the need for creating inclusive environments by ensuring equal representation and empowerment for all, irrespective of race, gender, ethnicity, or socio-economic background. To increase female labour force participation, India has enacted occupational safety health and working conditions code, 2020 which entitles women to be employed in all establishments for all types of work with their consent at night time. This provision has already been implemented in underground mines.

In 2017, the Government amended the Maternity Benefit Act of 1961, which increased the ‘maternity leave with pay protection’ from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for all women working in establishments employing 10 or more workers. This is expected to reduce the motherhood pay gap among the working mothers. To aid migrant workers, India’s innovative policy ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ allows migrants to access their entitled food grains from anywhere in the Public Distribution System network in the country.

A landmark step in fostering inclusion in the workforce is the e-Shram portal, launched to create a national database of unorganized workers, especially migrant and construction workers. This initiative, providing the e-Shram card, enables access to benefits under various social security schemes.

The portal allows an unorganized worker to register himself or herself on the portal on self-declaration basis, under 400 occupations in 30 broad occupation sectors. More than 290 million unorganized workers have been registered on this portal so far.

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Policy&Politics

India to spend USD 3.7 billion to fence Myanmar border

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India plans to spend nearly $3.7 billion to fence its 1,610-km (1,000-mile) porous border with Myanmar within about a decade, said a source with direct knowledge of the matter, to prevent smuggling and other illegal activities. New Delhi said earlier this year it would fence the border and end a decades-old visa-free movement policy with coup-hit Myanmar for border citizens for reasons of national security and to maintain the demographic structure of its northeastern region.

A government committee earlier this month approved the cost for the fencing, which needs to be approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, said the source who declined to be named as they were not authorised to talk to the media. The prime minister’s office and the ministries of home, finance, foreign affairs and information and broadcasting did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.

Myanmar has so far not commented on India’s fencing plans. Since a military coup in Myanmar in 2021, thousands of civilians and hundreds of troops have fled from there to Indian states where people on both sides share ethnic and familial ties. This has worried New Delhi because of risk of communal tensions spreading to India. Some members of the Indian government have also blamed the porous border for abetting the tense situation in the restive north-eastern Indian state of Manipur, abutting Myanmar.

For nearly a year, Manipur has been engulfed by a civil war-like situation between two ethnic groups, one of which shares lineage with Myanmar’s Chin tribe. The committee of senior Indian officials also agreed to build parallel roads along the fence and 1,700 km (1,050 miles) of feeder roads connecting military bases to the border, the source said.

The fence and the adjoining road will cost nearly 125 million rupees per km, more than double that of the 55 million per km cost for the border fence with Bangladesh built in 2020, the source said, because of the difficult hilly terrain and the use of technology to prevent intrusion and corrosion.

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Policy&Politics

ONLY 2-3% RECOVERED FROM $2-3 TN ANNUAL ILLEGAL TRADE THROUGH BANKING: INTERPOL

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However, Stock highlighted the enormity of the challenge, noting that between 40% and 70% of criminal profits are reinvested, perpetuating the cycle of illicit financial activity.

In a press briefing held on Wednesday, Interpol Secretary General Jurgen Stock unveiled alarming statistics regarding the extent of undetected money laundering and illegal trade transactions plaguing the global banking network. Stock revealed that over 96% of the money transacted through this network remains undetected, with only 2-3% of the estimated USD 2-3 trillion from illegal trade being tracked and returned to victims.

Interpol, working in conjunction with law enforcement agencies and private financial sectors across its 196 member countries, is committed to combating the rising tide of fraud perpetrated by illicit traders. These criminal activities encompass a wide spectrum, including drug trafficking, human trafficking, arms dealing, and the illicit movement of financial assets.

Stock emphasized the urgent need to establish mechanisms for monitoring transactions within the global banking network. Currently, efforts are underway to engage banking associations worldwide in setting up such a framework. However, Stock highlighted the enormity of the challenge, noting that between 40% and 70% of criminal profits are reinvested, perpetuating the cycle of illicit financial activity. The lack of real-time information sharing poses a significant obstacle to law enforcement agencies in their efforts to combat money laundering and illegal trade.

Stock underscored the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in exacerbating this problem, citing its use in voice cloning and other fraudulent activities. Criminal organizations are leveraging AI technologies to expand their operations and evade detection on a global scale. Stock emphasized the importance of enhanced cooperation between law enforcement agencies and private sector banking groups. Realtime information sharing is crucial in the fight against illegal wealth accumulation.

Drawing inspiration from initiatives such as the “Singapore Anti-Scam Centre,” Stock called for the adoption of similar models in other countries to strengthen the collective response to financial crimes. In conclusion, Stock’s revelations underscore the pressing need for concerted action to combat global financial crimes. Enhanced cooperation between public and private sectors, coupled with innovative strategies for monitoring and combating illicit transactions, is essential to safeguarding the integrity of the global financial system.

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