The big story of the day is Railways Minister Piyush Goyal’s announcement that 200 non-AC trains will run daily from 1 June to transport stranded migrant workers.
Also, as the government goes in overdrive to promote its economic stimulus package, The Indian Express, Mint and The Economic Times have interviews with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman where she defends the five-part ‘Atma Nirbhar’ fiscal boost.
Cyclone Amphan, the fiercest super cyclone India has faced since 1999, is all set to hit West Bengal today.
The Times Of India focuses on Maharashtra — in its lead, ‘Curbs remain in big Maha cities…’ it reports that the Maharashtra government’s new set of lockdown restrictions for red zones drew “criticism from within the ruling coalition on the ‘inadequate’ measures taken to kickstart a dormant economy.”
On ‘Rlys to run 200 non-AC trains…’ TOI writes, “The new trains will be apart from Shramik Specials… with regular booking’’. The Shramik Specials also underwent a change after the home ministry issued a “revised standard operating procedure (SOP) that did away with the need for the consent of the receiving state.”
And talks about poor timing for Cyclone Amphan– even as Bengal, like the rest of the country grapples with coronavirus, a “Weakened but still packing a deadly punch, cyclone Amphan will make landfall close to Sundarbans between Digha (West Bengal) and Hatiya Islands (Bangladesh) as an ‘extremely severe cyclonic storm’ on Wednesday…, dumping heavy rain with winds howling at 155-165 kmph, gusting to 185 kmph.”
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharamn’s interview with The Indian Express is given an impressive six column display.
In ‘Too many unknowns, I have to be ready… the FM says, in reply to a question on why the government has not given migrant workers cash grants, that they had thought about it but then reasoned that a bank loan was the more effective way to go about it. “Yes, it’s not a grant. But that’s where I am asking, grants for how many, of how much?” she said.
Kerala continues to show the way in the battle against the pandemic: ín ‘Only four of 5,630 random samples positive in Kerala… . Express says, “After a lull of nearly three weeks, Kerala added 139 Covid-19 cases in the last 10 days but the government has ruled out community spread…”
And there’s something fishy going on in the national capital: ‘Delhi Health Secy flags a mismatch: cases are up, containment zones down’. Express reports, “The Delhi Health Department has, in a letter to all district magistrates, red-flagged the fact that even though coronavirus cases are rising in the city, the number of containment zones is going down.”
It is not visible here, but Hindustan Times’ flap asks, ‘Is worst yet to come for Maha? Experts weigh in’. The paper reports, “State health minister Rajesh Tope indicated earlier this week that the worst is yet to come. But some experts differ, saying that the number of new cases may come down after May 31.”
HT also highlights the ordeal of the migrant workers with ‘22 DEAD IN ROAD ACCIDENTS AS MIGRANTS HEAD FOR THEIR HOMES’. The paper says they died in “separate road accidents in five states…’’ taking the death toll in incidents involving migrant labourers to at least 162 during the lockdown.
On the other side of the globe, US President Donald Trump obsession with the global health organisation gathers steam — ‘Trump threatens to break off from WHO’.
“In a four-page letter to WHO director general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, which he posted on Twitter on Monday, Trump accused him personally and the organisation of ‘repeated missteps’ in responding to the Covid-19 pandemic”, writes HT.
Meanwhile, some non-Covid news, ‘Top Hizb terrorist among 2 killed in J&K encounter’. J&K Police chief Dilbag Singh said they were killed in “a gunbattle with security forces in Srinagar on Tuesday.”
‘Health Ministry issues new guidelines for workplaces is The Hindu’s lead story. The paper reports, “The guidelines make it mandatory to maintain a physical distance of at least one metre to be followed at all times along with use of face covers/masks.”
The paper also focuses on the gas leak in Visakhapatnam in ‘A.P. gas leak: SC declines to interfere with NGT order’.
It states, “The Supreme Court did not interfere on Tuesday with an order passed by the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which ordered LG Polymers to pay ₹50 crore as interim compensation for the gas leak at its Visakhapatnam plant and set up a five-member fact-finding committee to inquire into the incident leading to the death of several innocents.”
The New Indian Express’ morbid reports on the economy, rife with death imagery, continue.
Yesterday, it rang the “death knell” on the Indian economy, and today, the paper reckons we are “one step closer to death’s door”. In ‘States hit the most by coronavirus account for 60% of GDP, says Crisil’, NIE names 8 Covid-hit states — Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Telangana — that account for 58.4 per cent of the workforce, 65.5 per cent of manufacturing output and in terms of GDP, 64 per cent of agriculture, 63 per cent of industry and 53 per cent of the service sector.
Mint also leads with an interview with Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. In ‘I’ve Done The Best For India Inc: FM’, she says that “a surge in growth… may be gradual…given the uncertainty related to labour”. But, how can a surge be gradual?
The daily’s second lead, ‘Startups brace for the worst amid lockdown’ notes how startups “that set out to disrupt entire industries are themselves getting disrupted”, have started cutting costs and conserving cash. The report, however, seems to have little sympathy for startups and links their struggle to their mantra of “moving fast and breaking things”. More than 250 startups have shut shop over the last two months, adds the report.
Like Mint and Express, Economic Times also interviewed Sitharaman. The report focuses on her comment that the government kept the lessons of the 2008-13 period in mind when designing the economic package.
Contrary to popular belief, she said the measures “put money in the hands of people who will spend and create demand” and shouldn’t be clubbed as “supply side measures”.
In some hopeful news, beleaguered NBFCs may receive a lifeline. ‘Govt Working on NBFC Package Delivery’ notes the Centre and RBI are in talks on how to ensure that the Rs 30,000 crore relief package for NBFCs “is targeted at those that need it most, particularly since lower-rated paper of investment grade will be the focus”.