| Good morning, In London, Indian cricket’s past and future came together at a glittering charity gala hosted by Yuvraj Singh’s YouWeCan Foundation. Team India, led by new captain Shubman Gill, coach Gautam Gambhir and other players, helped raise over £1 million for cancer care. Among the crowd were cricket legends Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, and Kevin Pietersen, who praised Yuvraj’s resilience post-cancer. Yuvraj took a playful dig at Gambhir at the event: “There needs to be a bid on making him smile.” The London-based Virat Kohli arrived later, recalling Dhoni and Yuvraj’s ODI stand in Cuttack after Yuvraj’s comeback. Gill reminisced about sneaking into Mohali to meet Yuvraj as a teenager. What began as a fundraiser became a tribute to generations of Indian cricket and its enduring spirit. On that note, let’s get to the rest of today’s edition.
🚨Big Story Today, the Supreme Court will hear a challenge to Bihar’s ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, a process that has sparked anxiety across the state. The process marks a significant break from precedent in two key ways. For the first time, already-registered voters must provide proof of citizenship at the draft roll stage. The Election Commission (EC) also appears to disregard the historic “sanctity” of existing rolls. This shift contradicts past EC policy, upheld by court rulings Now, for the process to be completed and the new voters’ list put out, nearly 78,000 Booth Level Officers (BLOs) are struggling to meet the July 25 deadline for uploading voter forms. The Indian Express, as such, followed one BLO, a schoolteacher, as he juggled slow internet, shifting rules, and mounting pressure. Forms must be uploaded via a glitchy mobile app, and many voters lack the documents required. Initially told to insist on complete documentation, BLOs now face mixed signals. Some officers urge uploads “with or without documents.” The BLO, working 14-hour days since June 25, had uploaded just 50 of 1,200 required forms. “We need time and proper tools,” he said, adding: “I’m just a teacher — and a BLO.” Amid debates over the electoral rolls revision in Bihar, former Chief Election Commissioner of India S Y Quraishi writes: “In a time when an EC-directed exercise of electoral roll revision is sparking fears of disenfranchisement of a large number of voters in Bihar, the story so far is worth telling. From manufacturing EVMs in Bengaluru and Hyderabad factories to returning machines to strongrooms after polling, India’s electoral chain is a closed-loop system of enormous complexity. That it runs mostly without breakdowns speaks volumes.”
⚡Only in Express A government release over the weekend claimed that “India is not only the world’s fourth largest economy, it is also one of the most equal societies today”. Using data from the World Bank’s latest Poverty and Equity Brief, it said India’s Gini Index was at 25.5, which made it the world’s “fourth most equal country…after the Slovak Republic, Slovenia and Belarus”, reflecting how fruits of economic progress were being shared “more evenly across its population”. However, what does this conclusion miss, and what are the pitfalls of relying solely on the consumption-based Gini Index? We Explain.
📰 From the Front Page At least 12 people were killed and nine injured after a 43-year-old bridge collapsed in Gujarat’s Vadodara district on Wednesday. Several vehicles — including trucks, a van, a pickup, and an autorickshaw — plunged into the Mahisagar River while a tanker was precariously balanced at the edge. However, a local official warned three years before the collapse that the structure was “dangerous” and emitted “unusual vibrations.” That letter, reviewed by The Indian Express, was forwarded to the Roads & Buildings (R\&B) department. The department carried out surface repairs last year but claimed no structural damage was found. Survivors and locals say warning signs — gaps, shaking under heavy vehicles — were clear. Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad is under fire after a video surfaced showing him assaulting a canteen worker at the Mumbai MLAs’ Hostel. Gaikwad was seen slapping staff over allegedly spoiled food. The Maharashtra FDA has, thereafter, suspended the canteen operator’s licence and sent food samples for testing. Despite public outrage, Gaikwad defended his actions, claiming he had complained multiple times and warning, “I will repeat it if needed.” Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condemned the incident, saying it had “tarnished” the Legislature’s image. Vedanta Ltd shares fell nearly 9 per cent after US-based Viceroy Research alleged the company’s debt load is “unsustainable.” Shares of Hindustan Zinc, a subsidiary, also dropped 5 per cent. The report described Vedanta’s London-based parent, Vedanta Resources Ltd (VRL), as a “financial zombie” reliant on cash from its Indian operations. Viceroy, which holds short positions in Vedanta, accused VRL of draining Vedanta Ltd (VEDL) via excessive dividends, brand fees, and intercompany loans, contributing to mounting net debt.
📌 Must Read This year’s Amarnath Yatra has been marked by an alarming sight — the rapid melting of the sacred ice Shivling, which disappeared just a week into the pilgrimage. Pilgrims, braving soaring temperatures in the Kashmir Valley, are witnessing climate distress firsthand. The Shivling, once visible in August, now recedes within days. In 2024, it melted by July 6, its shortest lifespan yet. Scientists attribute this to retreating glaciers, rising temperatures, and shrinking snowfall. Police in Maharashtra’s Thane arrested a school principal and an attendant, and booked four teachers and two trustees, after a group of around 10 schoolgirls were allegedly stripped to check if they were menstruating. The incident followed the discovery of bloodstains in a washroom. According to the Police, girls from Classes 5 to 10 were summoned to a hall, shown images of the stains via a projector, and asked to identify if they were on their period. Those who did not respond were allegedly taken to the washroom and subjected to a physical check.
⏳ And Finally... Shubman Gill’s elegance with the bat. Jofra Archer’s long-awaited return with the ball. The series is delicately balanced, and the stage is set at the Lord’s as the third Test between India and England begins today. Level 1-1, the teams return to cricket’s most iconic ground. India thrashed England in the second Test, just as England had dominated the first. There is no clear favourite, but there are plenty of storylines: the slope of Lord’s, the pace of Bumrah and Siraj, the form of Gill and Jaiswal, and the unsettled English spin combination. In today’s edition of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, we discuss the changes in Maharashtra's political landscape with estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray reuniting, discuss a fuel ban on End-of-Life Vehicles that was implemented and then quickly deferred in Delhi, and finally take a look at the sudden bridge collapse in Gujarat’s Vadodara that killed 12 people. That’s all for today, folks! Until next time, Rounak Bagchi |
No comments:
Post a Comment