News18 Daybreak | SC Issues Notices to Centre, States over Migrant Worker Crises and Other Stories You Need to Watch Out For

Today’s Big Stories

Crises of migrant workers continue, need action: Supreme Court issues notices to centre and states

After innumerable stories of their plight and agony, the Supreme Court on Tuesday decided to look at the problems being faced by migrant workers left stranded in different parts of the country due to the lockdown. The top court admitted that crises is continuing today with large sections still stranded on roads, highways, railway stations and state borders. Fixing the matter for hearing on Thursday, the bench recorded in its order that “there have been inadequacies and certain lapses” although the Centre and states have maintained they were taking all necessary steps.

PM chairs meeting with NSA, CDS and 3 service chiefs; Xi Jinping orders battle preparedness

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday headed a meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and the three Service Chiefs to discuss the ongoing border standoff with China in Ladakh. Earlier, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh held a security review meeting with Rawat. Sources say China has put forward a condition that India stop building infrastructure even on its own side of the LAC, a condition unacceptable to New Delhi. On the other side of the border, Chinese President Xi Jinping ordered the military to scale up the battle preparedness and asked them to resolutely defend the country’s sovereignty.

In Other News

Trading barbs: Rahul Gandhi said that the Congress was not a key player in running the Maharashtra government; and Devendra Fadnavis criticised the statement saying it seeks to abandon responsibility “and blame the Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray for the mess”. A few ministers also picked holes in Piyush Goyal’s statement over the Shramik Special trains to the state.

HCQ use: Despite the WHO’s decision to press pause on the HCQ trials, India will continue its use as preventive care against COVID-19 among healthcare workers. Dr Balram Bhargava, the Director General of ICMR said the government’s latest advisory regarding expanding the use of HCQ to paramilitary and police personnel is based on “risk-benefit analysis”.

Cases rise: The nationwide tally of COVID-19 cases crossed 1.45 lakh with states like Bihar, West Bengal, Assam and Odisha reporting significant rise in their numbers amid large-scale return of migrant workers. The Health Ministry said the recovery rate in India has seen an upward trend and is better than many other countries.

Locust attack: At least 10 districts in Uttar Pradesh that border Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have been put on alert after swarms of locusts attacked crops in the two states. The infestation in East Africa and India could aggravate with the monsoons, which creates a favourable environment for them to breed. The infestation could further threaten food security in these regions.

Infections aboard: A 24-year-old passenger who took the Chennai-Coimbatore IndiGo flight on the first day of resumption of air services tested positive for COVID-19. In Ludhiana, a staff member of Air India- who had taken a flight from Delhi on May 25 – also tested positive for the disease.

On Our Specials

Lockdown powerplay: VIP culture — it’s a thing those wielding power in India and Britain seem to share. A case in point is the tale of two heavyweights: union minister DV Sadananda Gowda in India and Britain’s top prime ministerial aide Dominic Cummings. Rakhi Bose writes that the Indian minister and British PM’s aide have triggered controversies because of their actions amid Covid-19 lockdown, but ruling establishments in their respective countries are backing them.

Survival: History is merely a list of surprises, said Kurt Vonnegut. If so, the first year of Modi 2.0 sprung more than its fair share, and the Modi charisma survived it all. Bhavdeep Kang writes that for Modi’s legions, he is living proof of the Great Man Theory, the leader who arises when society needs him most. But as the year progressed, the man who had won the nation’s confidence, appeared to be losing his own.

On Reel