A 24×7 blur of headlines, breaking news and shouting matches, notifications and pop-ups — news, views and opinion have become an overwhelming flood that follows us all the time.
Plugged-In from ThePrint is a new feature that sifts through the mountain of content and explains the big headlines and commentary from across media — briefly, intelligently. A one-stop quick-read put together by the best minds in the business for the news junkie on the go. With links to the key pieces in case you want to read more.
So get Plugged-In every morning, Monday to Friday, for your daily capsule of the news and views that matter.
Front Page
In the Valley of death: 12 militants, 4 civilians, and 3 jawans have been killed in Kashmir encounters. These numbers haunt the front pages of all major dailies today with three separate encounters in south Kashmir on Sunday, as Rahiba Parveen reported for ThePrint. The encounters triggered massive protests across south Kashmir, where thousands of people hit the street, and hundreds were injured after clashes with the security forces, The Hindu and Indian Express report. Train services were suspended, and examinations scheduled for 2 April cancelled after students held demonstrations at Kashmir University. All schools will remain closed too, said an official.
Dude, where’s my satellite? The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is grappling with a reality that haunts most Indians daily — power failures. (ISRO) said Sunday that it had lost contact with the military communications satellite, GSAT-6A, that was launched on 29 March, ThePrint’s Sandhya Ramesh reports. They’re still trying to get the GSAT-6A to pick up their calls, but ironically the communication breakdown with the communications satellite continues. Check out the Hindustan Times coverage for more.
Oh, also, China’s space lab, Tiangong-1, “is expected to come crashing back to Earth in a fiery ball over the next 24 hours”, Times of India tells us. The rebel space station “ceased functioning and went out of control in mid-2017”. But there’s actually no reason to worry, we promise.
Looks like communal trouble follows the BJP wherever it goes. Indian Express reports that “since July 2017, when the JD(U), led by Nitish Kumar, broke its alliance with the RJD and the Congress and went back to the NDA, there have been 200 incidents of communal tension; as many as 64 this year alone”.
The curious case of the leaked CBSE papers seems to have made headway, as “two teachers of a private school and a coaching centre tutor, all from outer Delhi, have been arrested for allegedly leaking the CBSE’s Class 12 economics paper over an hour before the 26 March exam”, Hindustan Times quotes the police as having said Sunday.
The bodies of 38 of the 39 Indians killed by the IS terror group, whom the government finally declared dead last month, four years after they were reported missing, will arrive back in India today. The body of the 39th Indian will return later. To know what happened, read this.
After much dilly-dallying, the Centre has finally decided to move the Supreme Court today to seek a review of its judgment laying down stringent “safeguards” for the invocation of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. It’s probably because many Dalit organisations are calling for a Bharat bandh today against the order. In light of the call, the Punjab government announced that all public transport services would be temporarily suspended Monday, Indian Express reports.
It’s also a good time for the review because Dalit History Month began Sunday. Co-founder Sanghapali Aruna writes about why Dalit voices have been systematically erased, destroyed and jailed — because they threaten the powerful. Read her article for ThePrint here.
Self-appointed watchdog: The Central Vigilance Commission (CVC), the apex body for checking corruption in the government, has asked PM Modi to bring private banks under their jurisdiction, “citing the fact that they have been involved in many recent instances of malfeasance”, The Hindu reports. PS: ‘Malfeasance’ is just a fancy word for wrongdoing.
Business Class
The Reserve Bank of India has asked the Axis Bank board to reconsider the fourth three-year term it has granted to CEO Shika Sharma, reports The Economic Times. “The regulator addressed the letter to Axis Bank chairman Sanjiv Misra and gave its reasons for urging a review…” the report states.
In a first for itself, Tata Steel could become the largest steel-maker of the country, reports Business Standard. According to the report, “Just a week ago, the Tata group company was declared a successful resolution applicant by the committee of creditors (CoC) of Bhushan Steel for buying out its stressed assets.”
News it’s just kinda cool to know
That Facebook picture you should have deleted may just cost you a US visa. “The Trump administration wants all US visa applicants to submit details of their previous phone numbers, e-mail addresses and social media histories as part of its ‘vetting’ procedures and to prevent the entry of individuals who might pose a threat to the country,” Economic Times reports. Looks like it’s only going to get tougher to make it through Trump’s walls.
Petrol and diesel are a whole lot more expensive. Hindustan Times tells us that “the price of petrol in Delhi hit a four-year high of Rs 73.73 Sunday, while diesel rates touched an all-time high of Rs 64.58”. Apparently, this surge in crude oil prices is due to production curbs by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and high demand.
Somehow the wife always gets blamed, and sometimes she blames herself. Former Australia vice-captain David Warner’s wife Candice said she blamed herself for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal that has left Australian cricket in crisis. She said ‘the Sonny Bill Williams fiasco’, where she was taunted by South African fans for an alleged tryst in 2007 with the New Zealand rugby star, “took its toll”, NDTV reports.
Meanwhile, Sachin Tendulkar, whose term as Rajya Sabha member ended recently, has donated his entire salary and allowances to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. “In the past six years, Tendulkar has drawn nearly Rs 90 lakh in salaries and other monthly allowances,” Times of India tells us.
Point of View
The much talked-about privatisation of Air India has started. The government has proposed to off load 76 per cent of its stake in the carrier. The Hindu, in its editorial, writes about ways to make the proposal look more attractive for prospective bidders.
In 2015, a Delhi court acquitted all the accused in the Hashimpura massacre case, in which around 40 Muslim men were allegedly killed by Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) personnel. In light of new evidence, The Indian Express, in its editorial, explains why the case must be revisited.
Bureaucracy is considered the system’s steel framework. But these days, the steel framework is criticised too much for halting the growth and progress of countries. In his column today in The Indian Express, Brookings India head Vikram S. Mehta writes, “The much-maligned bureaucracy has become a hurdle in the way of populist misadventure.”
The opposition is looking to bring in an impeachment motion against Chief Jutsice of India Dipak Misra. In his column today in The Hindu, former additional solicitor general K.V. Viswanathan writes “…should there be some safeguards before the motion, tabled by the requisite number of Members of Parliament, is admitted?”
In light of the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica controversy, Thomas Abraham, in his column in The Hindu, writes “What is new and potentially worrying is the spotlight CA has thrown on how this information can be used to create psychological profiles of Facebook users (or psychographic targeting as it has been described) and direct political messages to people in ways that could move and manipulate our deepest emotions and impulses.”
Of late, there has been too much talk about the measures to be taken to de-stress farmers from the looming crisis. In his column today in The Indian Express, agriculture economist Ashok Gulati writes “Except paddy, wheat and sugarcane in major procuring states, the announcement of MSPs remains largely indicative in nature.” He adds, “The big issue, however, is not just announcing higher MSPs but how to ensure that farmers really get it.”
What’s disappointing is that media reports suggest Sachin has donated lakhs of rupees to schools, the most recent one in J&K – he’s done nothing of that sort apart from apparently using 7.5 crores out of his allocated 30 crores budget as an MP! Not a great role model for someone of his stature.