Five must-read stories—December 26

To print currency notes abroad or not?

A meeting of secretaries last week decided not to go ahead with the move "at this point of time". A source said the decision was taken "as it would go against the spirit of the Make in India movement". The adverse comments made by a parliamentary committee about a previous order to print notes abroad are also weighing on the government. The panel had dubbed the earlier step "an unconventional and uncalled-for measure" and cited the risk of foreign printers printing excess notes and using them. In The Telegraph.

Irshad Ali does not expect even an apology from the Govt

Ali says there was one thing that kept his hopes alive. “I had scores of calls from Majid, other IB officials, Special Cell officers, even calls from the Home Ministry’s landline… Majid had sent me a message on Eid from ACP Sanjeev Kumar’s phone. All this record was crucial evidence.”

“I don’t know what this acquittal means. My children couldn’t go to school. My parents died waiting for justice… When I was in jail, my children didn’t have anything to eat for days. My wife held the family together by cooking meals for factory workers.” He doesn’t expect action against his “tormentors” too anymore, Ali adds. “That wasn’t even discussed. We won’t even get an apology from the government.” In The Indian Express.

When Nawabs played hockey

If Punjab is about brawn and Coorg/Tamil Nadu is about brain, beauty defines a player from Lucknow, or Uttar Pradesh in general, the best. It’s ingrained in their DNA. “Agar koi UP ke player ke paas skill nahi hai, toh woh gadha hai (If a UP player doesn’t have skills, he’s a fool),” Sujit Kumar, a stylish right out in the 1980s, says. “India khelna, aur style mein khelna alag cheez hai. (Playing for India and playing in style are two different things).” In The Indian Express.

Vegetable growers say they are ruined

Devendra Sharma, an independent agriculture expert, termed the situation as worse than drought saying that farmers could seek compensation for a natural calamity but not for loss because of demonetisation. “I think farmers will take a lot of time to recover from the impact” he added. While Centre has a minimum support price for grains, there is no such cushion for horticulture products, leading to farmers facing market vagaries. In Hindustan Times.

Victim, eyewitness, convict join AAP

Not only Bant Singh, but his assaulter Navdeep Singh, a local Congress leader and Jat Mahasabha general secretary, as well as eyewitness Surjit Singh, now a panchayat member, also joined AAP today. In The Tribune.