The government on Thursday suspended the Free Movement Regime between India and Myanmar – an arrangement that allows people from either nation to enter up to 16km without travel documents – Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on X (formerly Twitter)

“It is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “resolve to secure our borders,” Mr Shah posted, adding, “Ministry of Home Affairs has decided Free Movement Regime (will) be scrapped to ensure the internal security of the country, and to maintain demographic structure of north-eastern states.”

The decision comes two days after Mr Shah said India will fence the entire 1,643-km border with Myanmar and build a patrolling track next to the barrier.

The announcement comes amid the ethnic violence in Manipur between the hill-majority Kuki-Zo tribes, who share ethnic ties with communities in Myanmar’s Chin State, and the valley-majority Meiteis.

The parliament witnessed a rare bonhomie this morning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi praising his predecessor Manmohan Singh for being an “inspiration” for lawmakers.

Bidding farewell to the retiring members, the Prime Minister recalled when Mr Singh arrived at the Parliament in a wheelchair to cast his vote over a key legislation.

“I remember during the voting in the House, it was known that the treasury bench would win but Dr Manmohan Singh came on his wheelchair and cast his vote. This an example of a member being alert of his duties. He was an inspirational example,” he said.

The Prime Minister said it wasn’t about who Mr Singh was supporting and that he believes “he was only strengthening this democracy.”

“I pray that he lives long and keep guiding us,” he added.

In August, Mr Singh had reached the parliament in a wheelchair during a discussion on a key bill that sought to empower the central government to make rules in affairs related to the Delhi government. During Presidential elections too, he had arrived in a wheelchair to cast his vote.

Manmohan Singh’s contributions as a leader and in the opposition has been immense, the Prime Minister said. “Ideological differences are short lived, but the way Manmohan Singh has guided this House and the country for such a long period, he will be remembered for his contributions during every discussion on our democracy,” he added.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, who spoke next, thanked PM Modi for his words about Manmohan Singh.

“Manmohan Singh did good work. I thank the PM for his words. This is how things should be. Appreciate good work and criticise the bad,” said the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha.

Manmohan Singh, a six-time MP, has served as the country’s 13th Prime Minister between 2004 and 2014. He was also the Finance Minister in the PV Narasimha Rao government and RBI Governor from 1982-1985.

The Reserve Bank of India today said that the clampdown on Paytm Payments Bank was a result of persistent non-compliance of the regulator’s norms. RBI Deputy Governor Swaminathan J said that they are monitoring Paytm Payments Bank and will take suitable steps as warranted going forward.

Addressing the media, RBI Governor Shaktikanta Das also said the strict action was taken keeping in mind the gravity of the violation.

“All actions of RBI are in best interest of systemic stability, protection of customers’ interest. Restrictions are always proportionate to the gravity of the situation,” Mr Das said.

“When constructive engagement doesn’t work we go for imposing business restrictions,” the Governor added.

Shaktikanta Das said that he cannot disclose the granular details of the case, but will issue a FAQ by next week as they have received several queries from the public.

The RBI last week ordered Paytm Payments Bank to stop accepting new deposits in its accounts or popular digital wallets beginning March, citing supervisory concerns and non-compliance with rules.

Hundreds of accounts created on Paytm Payments Bank without proper identification were one of the major reasons for the Reserve Bank of India to impose stringent curbs on the company. These accounts with inadequate Know-Your-Customer (KYC) conducted transactions worth crores of rupees on the platform, leading to fears of potential money laundering.

More than 1,000 users were found to have linked the same Permanent Account Number (PAN) to their accounts. The compliance submitted by the bank was found to be incorrect during verification processes conducted by both the RBI and auditors.