Dear Reader,
Big Story
India is slowly raising the drawbridge for Chinese companies looking for a piece of its economic pie. First it was the Chinese apps. Now, it will be companies and investors looking to participate in highway projects and fund micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Meanwhile, a loose strategic coalition comprising Australia, Japan, United States, Asean and European countries is taking on China even as New Delhi tries to break the deadlock with Beijing amid the standoff along the Line of Actual Control.
From Front Page
It was only two weeks ago that Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke of green shoots being visible in the Indian economy after the lockdown was lifted. And Maruti Suzuki India and Hyundai Motor India appear to be the spark plug for this growth in the auto sector as both have seen a sharp rise in sales in June over the previous month--mostly driven by pent-up demand for cars, and a trend of first-time buyers choosing small and compact vehicles in order to avoid using public transport.
His grandfather was shot before his eyes during an encounter between militants and security forces in J&K. Soon after the shootout, the J&K Police tweeted pictures of an officer carrying the 3-year-old boy after his “rescue”. Minutes later, pictures appeared of him sitting on the body of his grandfather on social media, sparking outrage. The CRPF maintains the boy's grandfather was killed by militants, but his family accuses police of dragging him out of his car and shooting him.
Out of the 12 charged by Delhi Police for the brutal murder of 20-year-old waiter Dilbar Negi during the Delhi riots, confession statements of nine accused have statements near identical — words and sentences are repeated ad verbatim. These statements, recorded under Section 161 CrPC and attached in the chargesheet, are not substantive evidence but can be used to corroborate or contradict evidence during the trial.
The Pandemic
A system designed to prevent Covid-19 patients running from hospital to hospital for a bed has led to problems of its own in Bengaluru. After the Karnataka government forbade labs from conveying positive results of Covid tests to individuals concerned directly, ambulances, often carrying multiple people, are waiting for hours outside hospitals as the latter demand paperwork regarding tests, which is not being made available to patients.
Private laboratories have kick-started antibody testing for anyone who wants to undergo the same, with most requests coming from the private sector — people attached to salons, film industry, private hospitals, and industrial and corporate offices.
With the number of Covid-19 cases continuing to rise in Telangana, the High Court on criticised the government for “behaving in a manner that is violating the right to live”. By not declaring the required information regarding the spread of Covid-19, including information on where containment zones are, the state is endangering the lives of citizens, it said.
Beyond Covid-19
Only 13 per cent of 8 lakh metric tonnes of free food grains allocated for returning migrant workers under the Atmanirbhar Bharat package have actually reached migrants during May and June, government data reveals. Announcing this on May 14, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had suggested that the allocation was meant for about 8 crore migrant workers.
Months after the withdrawal of SPG protection to the Gandhis, the Union Government issued an order for Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to vacate the bungalow allocated to her in Lutyens Bungalow Zone. It said her allotment stands cancelled from Wednesday, and she owes Rs 3.46 lakh in dues to the government.
A woman in almost every household of Kaza village in Spiti has been booked by the local police for holding a demonstration against Himachal Pradesh Agriculture Minister Ram Lal Markanda earlier this month.
And Finally...
With 60,000 returning migrants, and a Covid count touching 500, Bhagalpur district in Bihar is the focus of a month-long assignment by The Indian Express to track how lives and livelihoods in smalltown India are coping with the unlockdown. At a market selling Chinese goods opposite the Bhagalpur railway station, the common refrain among traders: " Want to sell Indian goods but where are they?”
Until tomorrow,
Leela Prasad G
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