‘ONE NATION, ONE RATION CARD’ MUST BY JULY 31: SUPREME COURT

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed states and UTs to implement the ‘one nation, one ration card’ (ONORC) scheme by July 31, while asking the Centre to provide dry ration for free distribution among migrant workers till the pandemic continued.

Maintaining that right to food was included in right to life under Article 21 of the Constitution, a Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan said governments were duty-bound to provide food security to migrant workers exposed to financial and other hardships amid Covid.

The SC directed the Centre to allocate additional foodgrain to the states and UTs as per their demand for distribution among migrants. It also asked the Centre to set up a portal for registering migrant workers to create a national database for the scheme. “We direct the states to bring in place a scheme for distribution of dry ration to migrant labourers,” said the Bench, which also included Justice MR Shah. The SC pulled up the Labour Ministry for its “lackadaisical attitude” in dealing with the issue. “When the unorganised workers are waiting for registration to reap the benefits of welfare schemes, the apathy of the Ministry of Labour and Employment is unpardonable,” the court noted.

The ONORC scheme is aimed at enabling migrant workers and their family members to buy subsidised ration from any fair price shop anywhere in the country under the National Food Security Act, 2013. While the migrant can buy foodgrains as per his or her entitlement under the NFSA at the place where he or she is based, members of his or her family can still go to their ration dealer back home.

RELAX CURBS IN CALIBRATED MANNER: MHA TO STATES

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Tuesday issued an order under the Disaster Management Act to implement the actions suggested by Ministry of Health for Covid management on Monday.

In a letter issued to all states, the MHA has also reiterated that despite declining numbers, states must relax restrictions in a calibrated manner. It had issued similar advice on June 19.

“With the decline in the number of active cases, many States and UTs have started relaxing restrictions. …the process of relaxing restrictions should be carefully calibrated; and prompt and targeted actions need to be implemented by the States and UTs in line with the advisory of MoHFW,” a letter sent by Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla to all states said.

The letter said states/UTs should closely monitor case positivity and bed occupancy on regular basis, taking district as an administrative unit.

AT UN, INDIA FLAGS THREAT OF WEAPONISED DRONES

Two days after a suspected drone attack on the Jammu air base, India flagged the issue at a UN conference that discussed terrorism and the current and emerging threats.

“Another add-on to existing worries is the use of drones. Being a low-cost option and easily available, utilisation of these platforms for sinister purposes by terrorist groups has become an imminent danger and challenge for security agencies worldwide,” said VSK Kaumudi, Special Secretary (Internal Security), Ministry of Home Affairs.

Kaumudi said the possibility of the use of weaponised drones for terrorist purposes against strategic and commercial assets called for serious attention by the member states. “We have witnessed terrorists using them to smuggle weapons across the border,” he said.

The Special Secretary emphasised that the trans-border nature of this threat called for collective and unified action by the international community to hold accountable the countries sheltering terrorists.

Other new avenues for spread of terrorism were misuse of new payment methods and crowd-funding platforms, the official observed. The increased use of closed group communications on Internet and social media platforms added to the concern, he said. “Continuing advancements in evolving technologies—artificial intelligence, robotics, Deepfakes, Blockchain, Dark-web—can also be abused by terrorists. Already, crypto currencies and virtual assets are helping terror financing, helped by the anonymity and un-traceability nature of these technologies,” he said.

KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 5,31,803

New Cases in last 24 hours: 45,694

Recovered in last 24 hours: 60,289

Change in no. of Active cases in last 24 hours: - -15,411

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 816 (3,98,484)

Daily Tests (Monday): 17,68,008

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 2.1%

Most Affected States:

(S. No. / State / No. of Active Cases / New Cases in last 24 Hrs / Deaths in Last 24 Hrs)

1            Maharashtra     1,17,098             /             8,085    /             231

2            Kerala   99,177  /             13,550  /             104

3            Karnataka          85,997  /             3,222    /             93

4            Andhra Pradesh              40,074  /             3,620    /             41

5            Tamil Nadu        39,335  /             4,512    /             118

6            Odisha  28,099  /             2,640    /             40

7            Assam  25,692  /             2,672    /             27

8            West Bengal      21,116  /             1,595    /             35

9            Telangana          13,487  /             987        /             7

10          Manipur             5,923    /             780        /             11

11          Chhattisgarh     5,914    /             383        /             1

12          Jammu and Kashmir      4,805    /             308        /             6

13          Mizoram            4,309    /             364        /             1

14          Meghalaya         4,263    /             378        /             4

15          Tripura 3,571    /             476        /             3

16          Punjab 3,347    /             215        /             22

17          Gujarat 3,230    /             93          /             2

18          Uttar Pradesh   2,946    /             172        /             18

19          Arunachal Pradesh         2,577    /             NA         /             NA

20          Puducherry        2,345    /             196        /             3

21          Uttarakhand     2,245    /             194        /             3

22          Goa       2,241    /             213        /             2

23          Sikkim  2,065    /             142        /             1

24          Bihar     1,831    /             190        /             1

25          Himachal Pradesh          1,654    /             167        /             1

26          Rajasthan          1,565    /             121        /             2

27          Delhi     1,531    /             101        /             4

28          Haryana             1,495    /             78          /             16

29          Nagaland           1,381    /             94          /             Nil

30          Jharkhand          1,005    /             NA         /             NA

31          Madhya Pradesh            630        /             38          /             18

32          Lakshadweep    306        /             27          /             Nil

33          Chandigarh        163        /             24          /             1

34          Andaman and Nicobar Islands   42          /             4            /             Nil

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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US HOUSE PASSES RESOLUTION URGING BIDEN ADMIN TO FACILITATE COVID ASSISTANCE TO INDIA

The US House of Representatives has expressed solidarity with India in its fight against the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and in a resolution urged the Biden administration to urgently facilitate Covid assistance to India.

The bipartisan resolution, co-authored by Congressmen Brad Sherman and Steve Chabot that had 41 co-sponsors, recognised that when the US was in the midst of a devastating spike in Covid cases, India lifted its export ban on certain therapeutics in response to a request by the US government.

The resolution recognised that India’s pharmaceutical industry is a vital part of the global solution to the pandemic, especially for much of Asia, Africa and Latin America, and is the world’s biggest producer of Covid vaccines having exported 66.36 million doses to 93 countries and accounting for over half of global vaccine manufacturing.

“The resolution stands with the people of India as they collectively work to stem the spread of COVID-19,” said Sherman.

“The US must work with our partners around the world to quell the virus everywhere it persists,” he added.

PRESSURE FROM WEST WON’T ALTER TIES WITH CHINA: PAK PM

Pakistan PM Imran Khan said on Tuesday that his country was under pressure from the US and Western powers over its close ties with China as he vowed to never buckle under that pressure. Pakistan and China enjoy a “very special relationship” spanning over 70 years and nothing could change these time-tested ties, Khan said in an interview with English-language state-broadcaster China Global Television Network, an excerpt of which was shared on his Instagram account.

Talking about the evolving regional rivalry between the US and China, he said that “Pakistan thinks it is very unfair for the US or other powers — western power” to pressurise “countries like us to take sides” in a conflict with China. “Why should we take sides? We should have good relations with everyone. It is not going to happen if pressure is put on Pakistan to change its relationship or downgrade its relationship with China, it wouldn’t happen,” Khan said. Emphasising the deep relationship with China, Khan said that Pakistan would never bend under any kind of pressure. “Whatever will happen, our relationship between the two countries — no matter what pressure is put on us — is not going to change,” he said.

THE REST

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EVEN AS KERALA BATTLES GRIM NUMBERS, GOVT ALLOWS BODIES OF COVID VICTIMS TO BE TAKEN HOME FOR LAST RITES

Even as Kerala’s pandemic situation remains grim, the state on Tuesday allowed ferrying of the bodies of Covid-19 patients to their homes to enable relatives to conduct the last rites. Thus far, the pandemic protocol had not allowed the bodies of Covid victims to be laid at their homes for this.

While the second wave has subsided in other parts of the country, Kerala continues to add five-digit cases daily. The test positivity rate of the state has been hovering at 10 per cent for the last week as against the country’s weekly figure of 2.74 per dent. Of the 5.52 lakh active cases in the country, Kerala accounts for 1 lakh.

After a review meeting, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told the media that one of the biggest issues during the pandemic was that relatives could not see the bodies of their loved ones (who died due to Covid). “The government wants that the bodies of Covid-19 victims should be laid for homage at their homes for a specific time and for conducting rituals as per their faith. An hour would be allowed for this,” he said.

Pointing out that the state’s Covid-19 situation remains a concern, the CM said the average TPR is still above 10 per cent. “We could gradually bring down the TPR from 29.75 per cent to 10 per cent. But there is no further decline on expected lines. It is a concern that the TPR is not going below 10 per cent. Last week’s figures show there is no fall in the number of active cases,” he said.

He said that the highly infectious Delta variant is causing the fast spread of the infection in the state. Although the second wave had engulfed the state much faster than the first wave, the second wave was arrested in such a manner that the health infrastructure could manage the caseload, he said.

A CONGRESS MEET THAT WAS NOT TO BE

A much anticipated meeting between former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and party leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has raised a banner of revolt against Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, did not happen on Tuesday. But, party sources said the meeting is likely to be held on Wednesday.

Amid the infighting in the Punjab Congress unit, Sidhu’s team had said on Monday that he would meet Rahul and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in the Capital on Tuesday. But, in an unusual move, Rahul told mediapersons on Tuesday that no such meeting was scheduled.

This was immediately interpreted as a snub to Sidhu. But party sources in Delhi said Rahul is likely to meet Sidhu on Wednesday.

There was no meeting between the Gandhis and the Chief Minister when the latter was in Delhi last week.

GOVT GIVES MODERNA EMERGENCY USE NOD, MAY FIRST COME IN ONLY AS DONATIONS

The national drug regulator on Tuesday granted emergency use authorisation to US biotechnology firm Moderna for its vaccine against the novel coronavirus, paving the way for its Indian partner Cipla to import the first mRNA Covid-19 vaccine into the country for commercial use. This is also the first internationally developed vaccine to be granted a waiver from conducting bridging trials in India.

The government said details on the quantity of doses to be imported to India by Cipla are still under consideration.

Emphasising that Tuesday’s decision is only a regulatory step, and that import details of the vaccine are being worked out, Dr V K Paul, head of the national Covid task force, said, “(The emergency use authorisation) potentially opens up a clear possibility of the vaccine being imported into India in the near future. There are other formalities we have to follow but very important licensure has been given (to Moderna),” Paul said.

TMC TO INTENSIFY CALLS FOR DHANKHAR REMOVAL OVER ‘HAWALA LINK’: MP

The TMC on Tuesday said it would intensify its call for the dismissal of West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, a day after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee linked him to the Jain Hawala scandal. The latest remarks came on a day a TMC MP accused the governor of being involved in a case of illegal residential land allotment in Haryana that was later cancelled by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

At a press conference, TMC’s Rajya Sabha deputy leader Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said the party would discuss what steps could be initiated to seek Dhankhar’s removal.

His party colleague and Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra, meanwhile, tweeted, “‘Man of integrity’ Governor WB was beneficiary of illegal residential land allotment which later came to be cancelled by a Full Bench of Punjab & Haryana HC. Was this also constitutional…?”

Following the TMC’s latest remarks, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh lashed out at the ruling party for making “bogus and nasty allegations”.

Dhankhar has denied the allegations of corruption, saying on Monday, “I never expected a leader of her stature to create a sensation, engage in misinformation and misrepresentation.”

ANOTHER CASE AGAINST TWITTER. THIS TIME OVER CHILD PORNOGRAPHY

The Delhi Police cyber cell has registered an FIR against Twitter Inc and Twitter Communication India Pvt Ltd on a complaint by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR).

The police action comes amid the ongoing tussle between the Centre and Twitter over the new IT rules and according to officials the NCPCR complaint pertains to alleged display of child pornographic content on the micro-blogging platform.

Meanwhile, the UP govt has moved the SC challenging an order of the Karnataka High Court which granted protection from arrest to Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari in a case relating to a viral video of attack on an elderly man in Ghaziabad.

GANDHI ASHRAM MEMORIAL PROJECT: PROCESS BEGINS TO CLEAR RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES

Gujarat state authorities have started the process of clearing residential properties within the Sabarmati Ashram premises to develop a world class memorial as part of a project planned under Project Gandhi Ashram Memorial and Precinct Development.

Over the past two days, Ahmedabad district Collector Sandip Sagale disbursed cheques worth Rs 40 lakh each to 19 families living on the premises who have consented to vacate the properties in lieu of the fixed settlement amount. The final settlement amount has been fixed at Rs 60 lakh.

The plan for the project is estimated to cost Rs 1,200 crore.

GOA’S ICONIC TITO’S SOLD DUE TO ‘HARASSMENT’

Ricardo D’Souza, the co-owner of Tito’s, among the most prominent nightclubs in Goa since 1971, Tuesday said that he decided to sell his business in Goa with a heavy heart. His remarks came a day after he posted on social media that they had sold their “entire business in Goa” on account of harassment by “officials”.

“I am sorry I didn’t have the strength to fight anymore. It really tired us out. This is the culmination of all the harassment we have received over the last 40 years from the police, the excise, from the MLA, from sarpanchs, panch members,” D’Souza told a local news channel. While he clarified that he had nothing against the present sarpanch of Calangute or IAS officers who, he said had been “brilliant”, he said that the “crab mentality” of local Goan officials had made it increasingly difficult for Goan businesses to continue.

“Sarpanch will not give you a license because he will see you at the next wedding but he will give it to the Delhi guy”, said D’Souza. “The (business) environment is not conducive for us because we are Goans.”

ENGLAND 2-0 GERMANY; UKRAINE 2-0 SWEDEN

England beat Germany 2-0. Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling scored in the 2nd half to give England 2-0 lead in the Round of 16 clash against Germany. With the defeat, the former World Champions Germany were knocked out of Euro 2020.

In the second match yesterday, Ukraine beat Sweden 2-1. Artem Dovbyk scored late in extra time to give Ukraine a 2-1 win over Sweden and a spot in the European Championship quarterfinals.

Oleksandr Zincheko had given Ukraine the lead in the 27th minute and Emil Forsberg equalized in the 43rd with his fourth goal of the tournament.

Artem Dovbyk’s 30th-minute winner in extra-time sends Ukraine to their first-ever European Championships quarter-final.

Quarter Finals Line-up

Switzerland vs Spain 2/July

Belgium vs Italy 2/July

Czech Republic vs Denmark 3/July

England vs Ukraine 4/July

DAY 2 AT WIMBLEDON: A MURRAY WIN AT WIMBLEDON AFTER FOUR YEARS

The Centre Court crowd roared when Andy Murray walked out onto the green grass for his first Wimbledon match in four years. He smiled and replied with a thumbs-up. Murray won the title at the All England Club in 2013 — giving Britain its first male champion there in 77 years — and again in 2016, but since has needed two hip operations and dealt with other assorted injuries.

Much to the fans’ delight and, naturally, his own — Murray yesterday pulled out a 6-4 6-3 5-7 6-3 seesaw of a victory over 24th-seeded Nikoloz Basilashvili.

Eight-time champion Roger Federer survived a mid-match wobble, losing two sets against Adrian Mannarino, but booked his place in the second round after the Frenchman retired injured following a fall on court. The match was locked at 6-4 6-7(3) 3-6 6-2 when Mannarino called it quits.

World No.1 Ash Barty overcame a mid-match blip to beat Spaniard Carla Suarez Navarro 6-1 6-7(1) 6-1 on Centre Court and advance to the second round

Former world No.1 Karolina Pliskova began her quest for a maiden Grand Slam title with a 7-5 6-4 victory over Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek. The eighth seed was joined in the second round by Ons Jabeur, who beat Rebecca Peterson 6-2 6-1. Greece’s Maria Sakkari powered past Aranxta Rus of the Netherlands 6-1 6-1

Five-time champion Venus Williams overcame a mid-match wobble to beat Romanian Mihaela Buzarnescu 7-5 4-6 6-3

INDICATORS

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Pak Re 158.14 /US$, Phil Peso 48.58 /US$, Russian Rouble 72.53 /US$, NZ$ 1.42 /US$, Thai Baht 32.02 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 27.01 /US$

Bitcoin - USD 35,803

Dollar Index 92.01 Brent Crude 75.14  BDI 3,418

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,764 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,720 / 4,620, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 73,300

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Never give a man up until he has failed at something he likes. - Lewis E. Lawes

OFF TRACK

A man was being interviewed for a post of a commando in Army!

Interviewer: We want a person with suspicious mind , always alert, merciless, ready to attack, acute sense of hearing, detective ability and most importantly having a killer instinct!!! So do you think you are eligible???

Man: Sir.... Can my wife apply?