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Here’s what you need to know today.



NDA government said yesterday that it is committed to giving reservation in promotions to SC, ST, OBCs and is ready to bring the bill in Parliament for the same if the Congress gives in writing that it would support it. These remarks came after Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge exhorted the government to make use of its majority and push the bill.



Putting a stop to military aid gravy train, US has asked Pakistan to fund the purchase of F16s all by itself. It means that the funds from the US govt’s Foreign Military Financing allocation can not be used to purchase the aircraft. The bipartisan sentiment is strong in Congress on the matter and the lawmakers feel Pakistan needs to do more in the war on terror.



If Intelligence reports are to be believed, Pakistan’s notorious Intelligence agency, ISI, has ordered to shift Jaish’s base, which was used to train the terrorists who attacked the Pathankot airbase. Training units have been moved at the Jaish’s main seminary at Bahawalpur, 62 km away, but without their weapons.



Rajya Sabha finally passed Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) (Amendment) Bill which will make the mergers and acquisitions (M&A) of steel and cement companies easier. Both sectors have been badly hit by the slowdown in global commodity prices. Also, companies will be able to transfer their leases to others. Banks hit by bad loans will also benefit as assets will shift from the books of stressed groups to better-off balance sheets.



Vijay Mallya has resigned his Rajya Sabha seat voluntarily just a day before the upper house’s ethics panel was scheduled to meet to expel him. In a letter to the RS Chairman, Hamid Ansari, Mallya said that he didn’t expect to get a fair trial or justice. In an another letter to Ethics panel chairman, he lamented he was facing the media trial.



MPs salaries are about to be hiked again. The only obstacle is Prime Minister Modi who doesn’t seem to be in favour of the idea of MPs deciding their own salaries and instead want such decisions to be taken by a body similar to the pay commission. A Joint Committee, headed by Yogi Adityanath, on the matter of salary increase, has given its suggestions. The ball is in PM’s court now.



Op-eds You Shouldn’t Miss



India’s Lost History Of Mathematical Genius: Many Indian discoveries have been wrongly attributed to European scholars.



Everybody Loves A Good Quota: Unless there is a procedure for notification of groups moving out of the reserved category, demands for reservation by groups like the Jats, Gujjars and Patidars will continue.



Disinvestment - More Than Just Revenue: An ad-hoc approach towards divestment only reduces the incentive for the firm’s managers to make a significant investment in the enterprise.



Swarajya Special



India’s Secularism Is Anti-Hindu, BJP Govt Should Remove This Anomaly : David Frawley on why India’s secularism is not secularism as much as it state-sanctioned discrimination against Hinduism.



We hope you enjoyed reading our morning brief. Have a great day ahead!