The Big Story
In what is being viewed as an official acknowledgement of the end of the third Covid wave, the Union Health Ministry wrote to chief secretaries of all states to ease, or even do away with, the additional restrictive measures that had been imposed to deal with the Omicron variant. The Centre’s letter comes at a time when the daily case count has dropped to about 30,000, around the lowest this year. The weekly positivity rate, at 3.2 per cent, is also back to where it was in the first week of January after going up to as high as 17 per cent.
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In an interview to The Indian Express, NCERT director Dinesh Prasad Saklani spoke about immediate priorities, changes to NCERT, and ideological refashioning.
From the Front Page
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has accorded central security cover to 25 BJP leaders, mostly from poll-bound Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, including Union Minister of State SPS Baghel — the party’s candidate against SP chief Akhilesh Yadav from Karhal constituency in Mainpuri. The Centre decided to upgrade his security after his convoy was pelted with stones in Mainpuri recently.
Addressing his second election rally in Punjab, Prime Minister Narendra Modi reminded the crowd that the AAP was supported by the Congress when it first came to power in Delhi without the numbers. “Who gave them support to become the CM? It is a Xerox copy of Congress. Vohi chaal chalan. If the Congress is original then, this second party is its photocopy,” he said.
Several girls had to return home without attending classes with authorities of several institutions refusing entry to hijab-wearing students citing the Karnataka High Court’s interim order last week. The issue echoed in the state assembly, with Chief Minister Basavraj Bommai clarifying that the restrictions apply only in colleges where uniforms are prescribed.
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In the Yogi Adityanath government’s development narrative, the Bundelkhand Expressway holds special place, for being the first expressway project to be conceptualised and rolled out under it. For the backward region, it comes with the promise of not just a four-lane road but also a defence corridor. However, with almost 86% of the work done, there is no special enthusiasm among villages along the expressway, which are waiting for the benefits to first reach them.
Tired of the Congress “corruption and laziness”, and still unwilling to forgive the BJP for its contentious farm laws, people residing along Punjab’s borders are increasingly being drawn to the AAP and its poll promises. “We have everything but no system… AAP is promising that; we want to give them a chance,” says Sukhnam Gill, a grocery shop owner from Sarai Amanat Khan in Tarn Taran district.
While Russia has announced that it has withdrawn some troops from its border with Ukraine, the elephant in the room remains — the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. To some, it is merely an undersea gas pipeline from Russia to Germany, to others, it is a geopolitical weapon. Ukraine is angry with the pipeline because it bypasses the country and thus denies it transit fees for Russia’s gas exports. It also fears that Russia could cut off gas supplies to Ukraine without endangering its own gas exports to Europe. We explain what’s at stake.
JNU researcher Shayma S writes on what the hijab ban in Karnataka is really about: “With exams in two months, it appears that the entire burden of maintaining “public order” and defusing “polarisation” has fallen on young Muslim women. The state has failed to maintain public order, allowing young men to heckle these girls, harass them and physically corner them as they try to enter their schools.”
And Finally
Bappi Lahiri passed away on Tuesday, leaving behind an enviable legacy. He heralded disco pop and ruled the 70s and 80s with a string of chart-topping songs in India. In fact, his fanbase stretched far beyond Indian borders. Starved of any ‘western’ popular culture, the Russia of the 80s was crazy about Bappi Lahiri’s ‘Jimmy Jimmy, aaja aaja’. While the 80s aren’t considered the finest years in terms of Hindi cinema music, Lahiri’s melodies were incalculably influential, turning him into a pioneer of disco in India.
Delhi Confidential: With the Punjab Assembly polls right around the corner, the Congress is increasingly worried about its fate in the upcoming elections. The party has now decided to carpet bomb its leaders in Punjab for the last two days of campaigning. The party is also training its guns on the AAP, which has made quite an impact on the people of Punjab.
In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, we give you a rundown of everything you need to know about the Punjab Assembly polls – the biggest issues, main political contenders, and how the state has traditionally voted.
Until tomorrow,
Leela Prasad G and Rahel Philipose
Express Cartoon by EP Unny.