AS ANNOUNCED BY SITHARAMAN EARLIER, CABINET APPROVES BIG FARM REFORMS

The Union cabinet headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday

approved amending the six-decade old Essential Commodities Act (ECA), days

after finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said the government will do

so.

The Act, which empowers government to impose curbs on stocking of farm

produce, will be amended to make it in tune with the times and to attract

investments into the farm sector.

After the amendment, through the ordinance route, commodities such as

cereals, edible oils, oilseeds, pulses, onions and potato are expected to be

deregulated.

"This is a visionary step towards transformation of agriculture and raising

farmers' income," agriculture minister Narendra Singh Tomar told reporters

adding that there would be no restrictions on farmers on selling their

produce to any buyer - a company or individual buyer or a cooperative.

"While India has become surplus in most agri-commodities, farmers have been

unable to get better prices due to lack of investment in cold storage,

processing and export as the entrepreneurial spirit gets dampened due to

hanging sword of Essential Commodities Act," said a background note issued

by the government,

The ECA was created when there were shortages in the country, I&B minister

Prakash Javedekar said today while briefing reporters about the Cabinet's

decisions. Today, "there is no question of shortage, today we have excess of

production."

The Union cabinet on Wednesday also approved the Farming Produce Trade and

Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Ordinance, 2020, Tomar said, adding

that this would pave the way for creating One India, One Agriculture Market.

"Farmers in India today suffer from various restrictions in marketing their

produce. There are restrictions for farmers in selling agri-produce outside

the notified APMC (agricultural produce market committee) market yards. The

farmers are also restricted to sell the produce only to registered licensees

of the state governments," Tomar said. Besides this, barriers exist in free

flow of agriculture produce between various states due to various APMC

legislations enacted by the state governments.

The Union cabinet also approved a third ordinance - Farmers (Empowerment and

Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Ordinance, 2020,

Tomar said. According to the government note cited above, "Indian

agriculture is characterized by fragmentation due to small holding sizes and

has certain weaknesses such as weather dependence, production uncertainties

and market unpredictability. This makes agriculture risky and inefficient in

respect of both input and output management." The ordinance "will empower

farmers for engaging with processors, aggregators, large retailers,

exporters etc. on a level playing field without fear of exploitation. It

will transfer the risk of market unpredictability from the farmer to the

sponsor and also enable the farmer to access modern technology and better

inputs. It will reduce cost of marketing and improve income of farmers," the

note said.

GOVT ALLOWS FOREIGN BUSINESSMEN, TECHNOCRATS TO VISIT INDIA

Almost three months after it suspended visas granted to foreigners, the

central government has finally allowed arrival of foreigners for purposes of

business, healthcare, engineering and technical works. It has said they

would be allowed to fly into India on non-scheduled chartered flights.

In an order issued on Monday, MHA said, "Foreign businessmen coming to India

on a Business visa (other than on B-3 visa for sports) in non-scheduled

commercial/ chartered flights would be permitted."

The ministry said certain other category of foreigners who could avail of

this relaxation included "foreign healthcare professionals, health

researchers, engineers and technicians for technical work at Indian health

sector facilities, including laboratories and factories".

INDIAN, CHINA GO QUIET ON BORDER STAND OFF

There was no comment from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on the

standoff which has entered the third week. It had last spoken on the issue

on May 21. China too has been reticent on speaking on the issue. A question

on the standoff has frequently failed to figure at its Foreign Office's

briefings. On Wednesday, it repeated its earlier formulation: "There have

been sound mechanisms and channels of communication...'' External Affairs

Minister S Jaishankar too has stayed away from webinars.

DELHI LIMITS ACCESS TO COVID-19 TESTING

The Delhi government has released a document underlining its new testing

strategy which, counter-intuitively restricts the access to the tests

further even as the number of cases in the state continue to grow.

The change means that direct contacts of infected people that are

asymptomatic will be tested only if they have co-morbidities or are

senior-citizens between Day 5 and Day 10 of coming in contact with a

confirmed Covid-19 case. The co-morbidities listed in the order are

diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. A senior citizen is one over the age of

60 years.

A doctor from a government laboratory confirmed that this would exclude all

asymptomatic contacts who do not have any co-morbid conditions.

The change will only make it more difficult for asymptomatic people that

have been exposed to infected people to be tested. Delhi ended Wednesday

with 23,645 cases of which 9,542 have recovered and 606 have died. It added

1,513 new cases on Wednesday.

To be sure, Delhi conducts the most tests in the country --- 11,285 per

million of population based on data till Tuesday night; the national average

is 3,078. While the aim of the new guideline is to dissuade frivolous

testing at a time when testing capacity is still limited, experts said it is

flawed because it leaves out direct asymptomatic contacts of infected people

if they do not have co-morbidities or are not old.

The Delhi govt order also clarifies that no emergency procedure should be

delayed for lack of a Covid-19 test. "However, samples can be sent for

testing if indicated as above (1-8) simultaneously," the order read.

COVID-19 DASHBOARD - (Nos. IN INDIA / Nos. WORLDWIDE)

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from

worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 2,16,816 (+9,636) / 65,68,644 (+1,16,678)

Total Deaths 6,088 (+259) / 3,87,959 (+5,480)

Total Recovered 1,00,285 (+4,531) / 31,69,264 (+1,02,586)

Active Cases 1,06,657 (+5,591) / 30,11,421 (+8,612)

Serious / Critical Cases - N.A. / 54,200 (-328)

Top impacted nations so far: (And some of India's Neighbours)

Country, Total Cases / Total Deaths / Recovered Cases / Active

Cases

1 USA 19,01,783 / 1,09,142 /

6,88,670 / 11,03,971

2 Brazil 5,84,562 / 32,568 /

2,66,132 / 2,85,862

3 Russia 4,32,277 / 5,215 /

1,95,957 / 2,31,105

4 Spain 2,87,406 / 27,128 / N/A

/ N/A

5 UK 2,79,856 / 39,728 / N/A

/ N/A

6 Italy 2,33,836 / 33,601 /

1,60,938 / 39,297

7 India 2,16,824 / 6,088 /

1,04,071 / 1,06,665

8 Germany 1,84,425 / 8,699 /

1,67,300 / 8,426

9 Peru 1,78,914 / 4,894 /

72,319 / 1,01,701

10 Turkey 1,66,422 / 4,609 /

1,30,852 / 30,961

11 Iran 1,60,696 / 8,012 /

1,25,206 / 27,478

18 Pakistan 80,463 / 1,688 / 28,923

/ 49,852

21 Bangladesh 55,140 / 746 / 11,590

/ 42,804

99 Sri Lanka 1,749 / 11 / 836

/ 902

Top 18 impacted Indian States so far: (Total No. of Confirmed case / No. Of

Deaths)

State / Confirmed Cases / Active Case / Recovered /

Deceased

Maharashtra 74,860 / 39,944 / 32,329 /

2,587

Tamil Nadu 25,872 / 11,348 / 14,316 /

208

Delhi 23,645 / 13,488 / 9,542 / 615

Gujarat 18,117 / 4,783 / 12,212 / 1,122

Rajasthan 9,652 / 2,699 / 6,744 /

209

Uttar Pradesh 8,870 / 3,383 / 5,257 /

230

Madhya Pradesh 8,588 / 2,772 / 5,445

/ 371

West Bengal 6,508 / 3,583 / 2,580 /

345

Bihar 4,326 / 2,276 / 2,025 / 25

Karnataka 4,063 / 2,494 / 1,514 /

53

Andhra Pradesh 3,971 / 1,439 / 2,464

/ 68

Telangana 3,020 / 1,365 / 1,556 /

99

Haryana 2,954 / 1,842 / 1,089 /

23

Jammu and Kashmir 2,857 / 1,816 / 1,007 /

34

Odisha 2,388 / 963 / 1,416 / 9

Punjab 2,376 / 300 / 2,029 / 47

Assam 1,831 / 1,410 / 414 / 4

Kerala 1,495 / 832 / 651 / 12

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

======================

DONALD TRUMP TO BAN CHINESE AIRLINES FROM FLYING TO US FROM JUNE 16

Amid escalating trade and travel tensions, the Donald Trump administration

on Wednesday moved to block Chinese airlines from flying to the US.

The Transportation Department said it would suspend passenger flights of

four Chinese airlines to and from the United States starting June 16.

The decision comes on the backdrop of China not letting United Airlines and

Delta Air Lines resume flights this week to the country after operations

were suspended earlier this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Transportation Department said that China was violating an agreement

between the two countries covering flights by each other's airlines. The

order allows Chinese carriers to operate one flight to the US for each

flight that nation grants to American carriers, the agency said. "The

Department will continue to engage our Chinese counterparts so both US and

Chinese carriers can fully exercise their bilateral rights," the agency said

in a statement.

GEORGE FLOYD DEATH: NEW CHARGES FOR ALL FOUR SACKED OFFICERS

A fired Minneapolis police officer will face a more serious murder charge

and three other sacked officers will be charged as aiding and abetting in

the death of an unarmed black man that triggered eight days of nationwide

protest, court documents said on Wednesday.

George Floyd, 46, died after Derek Chauvin, a white policeman, knelt on his

neck for nearly nine minutes on May 25, reigniting the explosive issue of

police brutality against African Americans five months before a presidential

election.

The new charge against Chauvin an carry a sentence of up to 40 years, 15

years longer than the maximum sentence for third-degree murder.

The other three former officers who were involved in the incident - Thomas

Lane, J. Alexander Kueng and Tou Thao - face charges of aiding and abetting

murder and arrest warrants have been issued against them.

ABOUT UK'S OFFER FOR HONG KONG'S BRITISH PASSPORT HOLDERS

The UK may offer British National (Overseas) passport holders in Hong Kong a

path to live and work in the UK soon. A press release issued by the UK

government on May 29 said that if China follows through with its new

national security law, the government will explore options to allow BN(O)s

to apply for leave to stay in the UK, for an extendable period of up to 12

months if eligible. Currently, Hong Kong citizens with BN(O)s have the right

to enter the UK for six months as a visitor.

As of February 24, there are over 350,000 holders of BN(O) passports and

over 2.9 million BN(O)s currently in Hong Kong. UK's Prime Minister Boris

Johnson wrote in an article published in The Times, "Britain would have no

choice but to uphold our profound ties of history and friendship with the

people of Hong Kong".

He added, "If China imposes its national security law, the British

government will change its immigration rules and allow any holder of these

passports from Hong Kong to come to the UK for a renewable period of 12

months and be given further immigration rights including the right to work

which would place them on the route to citizenship."

THE REST

========

MUMBAI ESCAPES NISARGA'S FURY; 2 DEAD IN PUNE DISTRICT

Mumbai and its surrounding areas escaped Cyclone Nisarga's fury as the storm

shifted course southwards and made landfall in neighbouring Raigad district.

The cyclone, however, left two people dead and three injured in Pune

district.

According to officials at the state government's disaster management cell,

the authorities were preparing for a worst-case scenario where Mumbai and

its neighbouring areas like Navi Mumbai, Thane and Panvel would have taken

the full might of the cyclone.

"The landfall of the cyclone began at 12.30 pm at Alibaug and the process

was completed by 2.30 PM.... The cyclone has started weakening and wind

speeds have fallen to 70 km per hour," IMD officials said on Wednesday

evening.

J&K ADMINISTRATION REVOKES PSA AGAINST SHAH FAESAL, TWO PDP LEADERS

After nearly ten months in detention, former bureaucrat-turned politician

Shah Faesal and two senior members of the People's Democratic Party - Peer

Mansoor Hussain and Sartaj Madani - were released on Wednesday after the

Jammu and Kashmir administration revoked the Public Safety Act against them.

All three of them were booked under PSA amidst the crackdown on the

political leadership in J&K after special status to the erstwhile state was

revoked on August 5 last year and split into two Union Territories.

In a tweet, former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah said, "Good to hear

@shahfaesal, Peer Mansoor & Sartaj Madani have been released from their

unjust PSA detention. Disappointed that @MehboobaMufti, Sagar Sb & Hilal

Lone continue to be detained. It's high time they are set free as well."

Tweeting from Mehbooba Mufti's handle, her daughter Iltija Javed said,

"Relieved that arbitrary & illegal detention of Shah Faesal, Sartaj Madni

and Peerzada Manzur under PSA has finally been revoked."

She also pointed out that political detainees, including Sajad Lone, Ali

Mohd Sagar, Hilal Lone, Nayeem Akhtar and Waheed Para, and civil society

members such as Mian Qayoom were still imprisoned in and outside J&K. "They

must be released immediately. Pertinent to mention that barring a few, most

political leaders cutting across party lines continue being under house

arrest. Their unlawful detention is an aberration of the law," she said.

DELHI, KARNATAKA, UTTARAKHAND ANNOUNCE NEW QUARANTINE NORMS

The Delhi Government on Wednesday reduced the 14 days mandatory home

quarantine period to seven days for all asymptomatic travellers arriving in

the national capital.

In an order, the city government also instructed all district magistrates to

keep a watch on the implementation of the norm.

Last week, the Karnataka Government had also reduced the mandatory 14 days

of quarantine period to seven days for asymptomatic travellers coming to the

state except for those coming from Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand Government on Wednesday extended the 14-day

quarantine period to 21 days for those returning from the country's 75 worst

coronavirus-hit cities, which included Delhi, Noida, Agra, Lucknow, Meerut,

Varanasi, Chennai and Hyderabad. According to an order issued by Chief

Secretary Utpal Kumar Singh, people coming from these cities will be

quarantined at an institutional facility for a week. Thereafter, they will

be home quarantined for 14 days.

KOLKATA PORT TRUST TO BE RENAMED

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to rename Kolkata Port

Trust after Jana Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mookerjee. "Mookerjee was a

minister in the first Central Government after Independence and martyred in

Kashmir," said I&B Minister Prakash Javadekar.

PIYUSH GOYAL ASKS PROPERTY DEVELOPERS TO CUT PRICES TO SURVIVE DOWNTURN

The Union Minister of Commerce & Industry Piyush Goyal in a webinar with

real estate developers on Wednesday asked them to reduce prices and sell

their inventory rather than wait for the market to bounce back.

He said that if developers feel the govt will finance them and they will

hold out longer for the market to improve, "the market will not recover in a

hurry". "Things are seriously stressed and your best bet is to sell. Those

who have sold should leverage less and get rid of bank loans and survive the

downturn. Those who are saddled with loans and holding on to prices have

suffered," he said.

Last month, HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh also echoed similar views in a call

with developers. Parekh said developers should be prepared for up to 20 per

cent fall in housing prices and create liquidity by selling their inventory

at whatever prices they get.

HYDROXYCHLOROQUINE CORONAVIRUS TRIALS TO RESUME, SAYS WHO

The WHO Wednesday said it will resume the clinical trial of anti-Malaria

drug hydroxychloroquine to explore the possibility of treating Covid-19, a

week after it suspended the trial pending review of its effectiveness.

"On the basis of the available mortality data. the executive group will

communicate with the principal investigators in the trial about resuming the

hydroxychloroquine arm," said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Last week, the WHO temporarily suspended allocation of patients in the

hydroxychloroquine arm of the Solidarity Trial in the wake of a series of

trials which did not find any benefit of HCQ on coronavirus patients.

India, however, continued to use the drug for prophylaxis among health and

other frontline workers and family members of Covid positive patients. It,

along with azithromycin, continues to be India's drug of choice for

treatment of severe cases.

US President Donald Trump has also announced he is taking hydroxychloroquine

as a COVID-19 preventive measure, contrary to medical warnings.

OUTRAGE AS ELEPHANT DIES AFTER EATING FRUIT PACKED WITH CRACKERS

The Kerala forest department had launched a manhunt for those responsible

for the death of a 15-year-old pregnant wild elephant, said an official. The

elephant had died after being seriously injured by firecrackers hidden in a

pineapple.

The incident drew outrage on social media after forestry officer Mohan

Krishnan posted an emotional apology to the elephant. Samuel Pachuau,

wildlife warden of Silent Valley National Park, near here said this was a

serious crime whosoever was behind it.

"We are quite certain to find the perpetrators of this crime, which is in no

way acceptable at all. We came to know about this incident on May 23 when

the elephant was spotted near a water source outside the national park,"

said Pachuau.

According to him, some people had placed firecrackers inside a pineapple and

this was eaten by the wild elephant and in the process of chewing, the

cracker burst and injured the elephant.

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Silver (Rs. Per KG) 48,900

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

No one is ever a failure when he has friends. - Unknown

OFF TRACK

"That was nice of you to set up a blind date for your ex-boyfriend."

"I know, but I don't hold any grudges."

"I'm surprised he trusted you enough to agree to go out with her."

"Well, I had to swear to him she's Jennifer Lopez's double."

"Wow! Is that true?"

"I wouldn't lie. She's twice her weight and twice her age."