Front Page
The Supreme Court has approved reservations for SC/STs in promotions. Given the public and political backlash over the apex court’s decision to strike down the automatic arrest of those accused of violating the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, The Times of India reports, this move comes as major relief to the Centre. Quotas in promotions will be in “accordance with law”, which means that representation will not come at the cost of administrative efficiency.
Fresh attempts are being to establish peace in the Kashmir Valley as the Centre’s special representative for Jammu & Kashmir, Dineshwar Sharma, and the separatist leadership are set to meet. Hindustan Times tells us that home minister Rajnath Singh is visiting J&K Thursday, and, during their meeting, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti is expected to “strongly recommend” extending the so-called Ramzan ceasefire for another two months.
Defence minister Nirmala Sitharaman said Tuesday that the decision to suspend military operations in Jammu & Kashmir during Ramzan was a government decision and would be respected by all, including the Army, The Hindu reports.
The Centre has decided not to file any ‘counter-affidavit’ on Article 35A, which has been challenged in the Supreme Court through a PIL. The Hindu explains that Article 35A defines “permanent residents” of J&K, forbids a non-resident from buying property, and ensures reservation in employment for locals.
From rags to riches? It turns out the owners and directors of at least five Hong Kong firms that allegedly received about Rs 8,270 crore through the fraudulent LoUs issued by PNB on behalf of jeweller Nirav Modi earned only between Rs 8,000 and Rs 30,000 every month. The Indian Express reports this story based on the Enforcement Directorate’s alleged findings.
The BJP has realised it needs friends in 2019, and so party president Amit Shah has reached out to its bitter ally Shiv Sena. He will meet Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at Matoshree, the latter’s residence, Wednesday. Manasi Phadke reports for ThePrint that the meeting holds special significance as it comes close on the heels of the Lok Sabha bypoll at Palghar, where the BJP defeated the Shiv Sena. Hindustan Times adds that Shah is also likely to meet Shiromani Akali Dal leaders this week.
Baba Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved Limited, the company’s MD announced Tuesday, is relocating its Rs 6,000 crore mega food park project out of Uttar Pradesh, as “the state government did not cooperate”, Hindustan Times reports.
Air Commodore Sanjai Chauhan, who was on a routine training mission, was killed when the Jaguar fighter aircraft he was piloting crashed at Gujarat’s Beraja village Tuesday morning.
Business Class
Once bitten, twice shy. After the bitter experience of trying to sell Air India, where no bidder came forward, the government is reconsidering the route for strategic sale in IDBI bank, reports The Economic Times.
The Reliance and Bharti Airtel fight is set to enter the second phase, this time in the clouds. The ministry of electronics and IT has empanelled RIL subsidiary Reliance Corporate Information Technology Park as a cloud services provider, reports Business Standard. Nxtra Data, Bharti Airtel’s subsidiary, already had the government’s nod for the service.
Media Watch
Hindustan Times has launched a brand new edition of HT Gurugram, which will carry “in-depth coverage of local content including city affairs, corporate news, lifestyle & entertainment specials”.
The International News Media Association (INMA) adjudged Dainik Jagran the best newspaper brand in south Asia at the 2018 Global Media Awards in Washington, US.
News it’s just kinda cool to know
The external affairs ministry is trying to buy a 24-person dinner set that is “handmade crystal glassware, crested with seal” for Rs 22 lakh. Vice reports that the ministry put out a tender on 5 April for the same on the government’s e-procurement portal. The portal subsequently spoke to dozens of crockery suppliers in New Delhi, but failed to find a single shopkeeper who supplied “handmade crystal glassware”, or even heard of the product.
It was World Environment Day Tuesday, and it turns out that greening (increasing forest cover), isn’t necessarily a good thing. Sandhya Ramesh looks at the greening trend that is fast becoming the crutch of climate change deniers worldwide.
Point of View
West Bengal is continuing to witness political violence. The Indian Express, in its editorial, criticises the state’s Mamata Banerjee-led government for not doing enough to stop it. It writes, “The signs are ominous — they point to a state slipping into lawlessness, with a regime unapologetic about suppressing any opposition to its total domination of the polity.”
The Kairana bypoll defeat has forced the BJP to realise the stress in the sugarcane belt and unveil a package of Rs 8,000 crore to clear the farmers’ dues. The Times of India, in its editorial, criticises the ad hoc measure to address a systemic problem, “a mere palliative ahead of a general election”.
The defence ministry’s decision to reopen cantonment roads has unsettled many within and outside the Army. Nalin Mehta criticises the move in his column in The Times of India, saying it will have a negative impact on the civil-military relationship. He writes, “Even as the public respect for soldiers has increased in recent decades, many in the defence forces have begun to feel a growing lack of understanding of their concerns within the bureaucracy.”
There is no stopping China, which now has a road map to dominate the world in science and technology. Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar, in his column in The Economic Times, writes, “If Chinese technological progress threatens the US, surely it threatens India much more.”
ICICI Bank has announced an inquiry by an outsider into the allegations of wrongdoing by CEO Chanda Kochhar. IIM-Ahmedabad professor T.T. Ram Mohan, in his column in The Hindu, says the bank only needed to bring in an outsider because of its own failure to address charges, constituting “lapses of governance”.
Prime Time
Of politics and religion
As soon as he started his show, Zakka Jacob of CNN News 18 asked, “Why is the church mixing religion with politics?” Political analyst Ratan Sharda said the church should either stay away or “boldly say we are part of politics”. Johnson V. Lawrence, representing the All India Christian & Minority Association, contended that the church wanted PM Modi to do good work and serve the people.
Weighing in, journalist Saba Naqvi pointed out that “traditionally there is a great hostility between the RSS and the church in tribal areas”. Jacob said he wanted the final word: Neither should archbishops wield political messages nor should ‘sadhvis and sants’ become Cabinet ministers.
A discussion on simultaneous polls
Rajdeep Sardesai, on his show on India Today TV, moderated a debate on the idea of holding national and state elections simultaneously. Congress’ Pawan Khera accused the BJP of diluting the nature of the federal state. Former CEC S.Y. Quraishi, meanwhile, admitted that “it would be very much desirable if one looks at it from the eyes of the Election Commission, but whether federalism allows it, that is the issue”.
‘Bengal is a complete mess right now’
On her show on Mirror Now, Faye D’Souza questioned chief minister Mamata Banerjee on the deaths of BJP and CPI (M) members in West Bengal after the panchayat elections. “Bengal is a complete mess right now. As the chief minister and home minister of the state, you are responsible for the acts. No excuses will bring a dead family member back,” said D’Souza.
Union minister Babul Supriyo said, “She (Banerjee) is focusing on irrelevant events. No one, including Akhilesh Yadav, Sitaram Yechury or Rahul Gandhi, condemned the killings.”
(With inputs from Ratnadeep Choudhary, Sakshi Arora and Prateek Gupta)