Your SandeshBox for the week

India

• Himachal Pradesh Rajya Sabha betrayal

  1. Background: HP went to elections in November of 2022 with Congress winning by the slightest of margins getting 40 seats in the 64 seat parliament.

  2. Concept: In the Rajya Sabha, members aren't elected by the general public but by those who win state elections and serve in state legislatures. Ideally, winning a majority in the state should allow you to choose your party members for the Rajya Sabha.

  3. What happened? Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the Congress candidate, faced defeat as nine MLA’s, six from the Congress and three Independents, voted against him. Consequently, Harsh Mahajan, the BJP nominee, emerged victorious.

  4. There were demands for the resignation of CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. However, indicated that he still commanded a majority in the state by successfully steering the state budget through approval which also involved temporary suspension of 15 BJP MLA’s.

  5. Vikramaditya Singh, son of a ex-HP CM & a sitting MLA, had announced his resignation after the Rajya Sabha setback, citing neglect by the current CM and expressing dissatisfaction with the party's treatment of his father. He took back his resignation post discussions with senior Party leaders. Although not involved in cross-voting for the BJP, recent reports suggest he is now taking meetings with BJP leaders.

Business

• Reliance Entertainment Ops to merge with Disney’s India Ops

  1. Context: Disney acquired 21st Century Fox in 2019 for $71.3 Billion which included Indian assets like Star India and streaming platform Hotstar. Post Bob Iger's return as Disney CEO in 2022, Disney has been focusing on restructuring efforts leading to cutbacks, including in India operations. The loss of IPL streaming rights to Reliance’s JioCinema in June 2022 caused Hotstar to lose subscribers. In response, Disney has been looking to sell its India assets, with Reliance emerging as the main prospective buyer.

  2. Reliance Industries and Walt Disney on Wednesday announced the merger of their India TV and streaming media assets, creating an $8.5 billion entertainment juggernaut. Together, the Reliance-Disney merged entity will have 120 TV channels and two streaming platforms, plus TV and streaming cricket rights for key tournaments.

  3. Reliance will inject $1.4 billion in the merged entity, with the it holding a more than 63% stake with Disney owning the rest. The merger values the Disney’s Indian operations at just around $3 billion, far lower than the roughly $15 billion valuation when Disney acquired it as part of its Fox deal in 2019.

  4. Mukesh Ambani’s wife Nita will chair the board of the new entity while former top Disney executive Uday Shankar will serve as vice chair. Mukesh Ambani is also considering acquiring Disney's minority stake in Tata Play.

• Google delists 100+ apps from App Store over payments issue 

  1. Google delisted over a hundred apps by prominent Indian digital companies including Matrimony, Info Edge (which runs Naukri, 99acres, and Jeevansathi), Shaadi.com, and Kuku FM from Play Store for not complying with the company's app billing policy for an extended period of time.

  2. In recent years, Google has faced intense backlash from Indian developers over its app policies, particularly after the search giant's announcement in October 2020 that it will begin enforcing a mandatory integration of its Play billing system across the world.

  3. Google's action came after the Supreme Court refused to pass an interim order protecting internet firms like 99acres, Naukri from being delisted from Google's Play Store and listed the case for hearing on March 19. The app developers had approached the Supreme Court against Madras High Court's order that had dismissed its plea challenging Google's enforcement of its app billing policy.

  4. For apps that are delisted, Google said developers can resubmit their apps by integrating any of the three billing options — Google Play's own billing system, an alternate billing system alongside Google Play's, or operating on a consumption-only basis (without any service fee) where users have paid for the content or service outside the app.

  5. Alternatively, developers can distribute their apps through alternative Android app stores or directly through their websites. People who have already downloaded the app can also continue using them on their smartphones without any issues.

  6. It remains to be seen if the Competition Commission of India will get involved. The Supreme Court’s hearing on March 19 will also be closely watched. Union IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw criticised Google's move to delist Indian apps from the Play Store saying this kind of delisting cannot be permitted.

• Business Shots

  1. Paytm founder and CEO Vijay Shekhar Sharma is stepping down as part-time non-executive chairman and board member of the embattled Paytm Payments Bank. Sharma’s exit is part of a rejig in the board, which now has four new independent directors, including two former IAS officers. 

  2. Reportedly, the Adani Group is venturing into the cab service industry through a strategic partnership with Uber. This collaboration entails Adani's entry as a fleet operator, involving the purchase and listing of electric cabs on the Uber platform. 

  3. Debt-addled telco Vodafone Idea’s board of directors has cleared a ₹45,000 crore (~$5.4 billion) fundraise in a mix of equity and debt with participation from the promoters too. Vodafone Idea’s stock plunged 14% signaling lack of investor confidence in Vi’s ability to navigate its debt burden.

  4. Thrasio, the poster child of roll-up commerce that inspired Indian brands such as Mensa and GlobalBees, has filed for bankruptcy in the US and entered into a restructuring agreement with lenders. It was valued at $10 Billion in 2021.

Sports, Culture & Everything else

• Interesting tidbits

  1. A 53-carriage freight train in Jammu traveled approximately 84 km without a driver due to a engineer forgetting to apply the brake during a tea break. The train started moving on the downward slope reaching an estimated speed of close to 100 km/hr.

  2. In FY23, the EPFO rejected nearly 1/3 of PF final settlement claims, a significant increase from 13% in FY18. The rejections were attributed to seemingly minor issues like name spelling discrepancies and KYC, including Aadhaar details.

     Suggestion: Check your UMANG app and verify your details.

  3. PM Modi scuba-dived and did ‘darshan’ of the underwater sunken temple of the coast of Dwarka which is also part of the ‘Char Dham’ yatra and the history is fascinating.

  4. Elon Musk faced PC problem being annoyed at needing a Microsoft account for Windows setup. X's community fact-checked and resolved the issue. Musk then tagged Satya Nadella, Microsoft CEO, aiming for a smoother process. Even billionaires need IT help.

  5. A new study has found that smoking, vaping or ingesting marijuana poses a significantly higher risk of heart attack and stroke irrespective of a history of heart disease and smoking. found that men under 55 and women under 65 faced a 36% higher risk of heart disease as a result of using marijuana.

  6. Strongly criticizing the Central government and Patanjali Ayurved, the court urged the government to take action against Patanjali, which is currently restrained from advertising health products until further orders. The SC accused the government of being complacent and emphasized the need for accountability.

  7. Back in 1931, scientists discovered a 280 million-year-old fossil of a lizard-like reptile which was considered to be one of the best preserved specimens of its species for generations. Sadly, state-of-the-art imaging systems have revealed it to be a painting—that is just about 100 years old.

Global

• Russia update

  1. President Zelensky officially estimates 31,000 Ukrainian military casualties in the invasion, differing from Russian (60,000) and U.S. (70,000) figures. The disclosure aims to pressure the U.S. for delayed military aid.

  2. International discord emerged as France President refused to rule out the possibility of sending NATO troops to aid Ukraine. Countries like Germany and US expressed string disgareement with this while Denmark went to the other extreme by advocating for a sustained arms buildup, even at the expense of welfare spending in their own countries, to deter Russia.

  3. Confidential military papers suggest Russia's threshold for using nuclear weapons may be lower than believed, raising concerns about the potential for nuclear escalation in the Ukraine-Russia conflict.

• Gaza conflict update

  1. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has unveiled post-war plans for Gaza, emphasizing continued Israeli control with no specified time limit. The intention is to prevent the resurgence of terrorism and thwart potential threats emanating from the region. This proposal challenges the conventional notion of a two-state solution and raises concerns about the autonomy of Gaza.

  2. Aid Cut to UNRWA: Accusations by Israel against the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for its alleged involvement in attacks led to a substantial cut in aid from the US and Western nations. However, the evidence linking UNRWA to the attacks is contested, and the aid cut significantly impacts the agency's ability to provide relief during a critical humanitarian crisis in the region.

  3. Resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister: Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh resigned under pressure, aligning with a broader plan to revamp the Palestinian Authority (PA) to rule over both West Bank and Gaza strip. Netanyahu, however, rejected any potential role for the PA in the post-war reconstruction of Gaza, setting the stage for potential conflicts between the two entities.

  4. Ceasefire Talks and Threats to Rafah: While talks of a ceasefire are underway, Netanyahu maintains a firm stance, vowing to attack Rafah regardless of the negotiation outcome. The United States expresses optimism about reaching a ceasefire agreement by the following Monday, but Netanyahu's commitment to military action adds uncertainty to the prospects of a peaceful resolution in the region.

• Sweden all set to join NATO

  1. Background: NATO is a security alliance of 30 North American and European countries dedicated to safeguarding freedom and security through military cooperation. Sweden and Finland applied to join NATO in response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, departing from their historical positions of neutrality. While Finland's entry was relatively smooth, Sweden faced prolonged delays and challenges, particularly with Hungary and Turkey, due to the unanimous consent requirement of all members in NATO accession.

  2. Turkey's eventual approval of Sweden's NATO application came after Sweden made concessions, including tightening anti-terror laws and easing arms export rules, with additional support from the U.S., which approved the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey.

  3. Hungary, initially opposed, saw its concerns addressed as PM Viktor Orban and his Swedish counterpart engaged in discussions. Hungarian PM Viktor Orban was reportedly unhappy with Sweden's criticism of democratic backsliding in Hungary. Orban invited the Swedish counterpart to Budapest to discuss Hungary's concerns. After a joint press conference, Orban signaled readiness to approve Sweden's accession to NATO and emphasized a commitment to mutual defense.