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It took fewer days for the Modi government’s Arogya Setu to change from ‘voluntary’ to ‘mandatory’ than the number of days taken for the doubling of Covid-19 cases, at least in states like Kerala and Telangana, requiring 37 and 58 days respectively. The Covid app was launched on April 2, but by a notification on May 4, the Union home ministry made its installation and use mandatory. The UP government has gone one step ahead by making absence of Arogya Setu on smartphones a punishable offence.

After the Israeli historian, Yuval Noah Harari, voiced concern over the emergence of the “inner demons” of hate, greed and ignorance among people in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, UN secretary general Antonio Gueterres has spoken of a “tsunami of hate and xenophobia” sweeping the world targeting, among others, migrants, refugees and Muslims.

It is time that India boasting nearly a half-trillion-dollar annual merchandise import picks up right trade partner and not those who embarrass the country and challenge its diplomatic clout on every opportunity before international forums. The continuing critical response from some of the countries in West Asia and East and South East Asia to India’s internal matters such as Kashmir’s changed status and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is highly embarrassing as these countries are also India’s preferred import partners. Some of them have been staunchly opposing India’s permanent membership in an expanded UN Security Council and even in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). India is not recognised as a nuclear weapon state under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty – a “privilege” bestowed only on the world’s five major nuclear powers: the U.S., UK, Russia, France and China, which are also NSG members. India’s imports contribute billions of dollars to the economies of some of these strong political or diplomatic adversaries.

From all indications Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not stepped out of his residence-cum-office complex from ever since Lockdown 1:0 kicked off on March 25. He’s been sticking to home at all times and leading by example the fight against Covid-19. That’s why we can say with certainty that Modi does not know the exact nature of the migrant workers crisis.

For the first time in seventy years since India became Republic, Indians were caught in an unprecedented crisis on two counts. First cause of the crisis was the need to fight the pandemic corona virus and second crisis of their life was due to the government measure that forced everyone to shun their normal life by staying away from their daily routines of economic activities, creating deep gorge in their social relations and keeping away from seeking solace from their devout idols.

Profiteering has become the new nationalism for India, if the two recent orders of the Modi government happen to be any indication. While 800 million people are facing the conditions of near starvation, the government has allowed diversion of millions of ton surplus rice with FCI to be converted to ethanol to be used primarily in biofuel, and has increased taxes on petroleum to the highest level in the world. Affordability of the people in precarious condition due to lockdown seems not to be the government’s consideration, since they have decided to sell petroleum at exorbitant prices. For example, one litre of petrol in Delhi costs only Rs 18.28 but is sold to consumer at Rs 71.26 and one litre of diesel cost only Rs 18.78 but is sold at Rs 69.39.

LUCKNOW: There is a great deal of opposition to the UP government move to bring an ordinance to suspend labour laws for three years in the state in order to revive economic activity in the region and recover lost profits.

Amidst the awkward and disturbing coronavirus pandemic, Afghan farmers who gave up poppy cultivation in the southern province of Kandahar are feared to go back into poppy farming, especially in extreme poverty-ridden areas such as Zhari district in the southern province of Kandahar, mostly inhabited by ethnic Pashtun people. Practically forced to return to poppy cultivation to fight against penury, a few farmers told Radio Free Afghanistan that the pandemic has aggravated the uncertainty.

Bad luck for the industries, builders and the owners of the real estate firms of Karnataka , their patron, the chief minister B S Yediyurappa could not keep his promise made to them to not to allow the poor labourers from moving out of the state.

It was around 5 pm in May evening in the season of Lockdown. The Noida-Greater Noida expressway was depressingly empty. Few vehicles were plying amidst vigilant patrol of the Expressway police. Warm atmosphere demanded the car’s air conditioning be switched on. A group of eleven people was walking tiredly along side of expressway, laden with bags and suitcases. They are the poor people of India hailing from villages work in the cities for meagre daily wages and fulfill the hunger for themselves and for their family. We call them nowadays migrant labourers. The slow speed car ensured we couldn’t help looking at their eyes which were full of despair.