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Crude oil, once used to be called liquid gold, is plumbing the depths only The Economist had dared to predict. The Economist, London-based magazine founded by 19th century most prominent public intellectual, Walter Bagehot, had written that oil price would slump to $5 per barrel. After that, oil price had often shot through the roof and it was inconceivable that oil should ever be cheap in the heydays of global capitalism.

Time has come for the state chieftains to show their leadership qualities to fight the Coronavirus after the lockdown exit. The coming days are crucial but there is a kind of healthy competition among the chief ministers to excel in dealing with the pandemic. It is a heartening to note that most states have risen to the challenge as each chief minister is trying to show off his or her individuality in tackling the pandemic. Their response was quick and positive and they are leading from the front. For instance, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has set up a committee of experts including some Nobel Laureates to advise on the relief measures in her state. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot has shown that his Bhilwara model could be emulated by other states to contain the pandemic. Kerala model has won praise from all around. There are others like B.S. Yediyurappa, K. Chandrashekhar Rao, Captain Amarinder Singh, and Naveen Patnaik who have done a good job. Interestingly most of the non-NDA chief ministers have done quite well.

The complete lockdown throughout India began from March 24. Ever since our news was flooded with visuals of migrant workers who had no means to sustain themselves and were stranded helplessly across the nation.

The host of guidelines recently issued by the Supreme Court, permitting video conferencing for ensuring robust functioning of the judicial system across the country, is a welcome step. Though issued mainly in the backdrop to contain the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, these guidelines will bolster the use of modern technology in administration of justice for future as well. These guidelines mainly focus on advocating the use of video conferencing for hearing arguments in the courts, at both the trial stage and the appellate stage. Another facet of these guidelines is that they enable the recording of evidence, in some circumstances, through the medium of videoconferencing.

Even as the people of India face terrible hardships, suffering and distress during the lockdown and yet continue to observe instructions given by governments, the central government and the ruling party continue to push a sectarian agenda. The highly irresponsible behavour of the Tablighi Jamaat became the pretext for the Sangh warriors to unleash a vicious campaign against Muslims in general. This led to several direct attacks on Muslims, including some reprehensible attacks on street vendors even in the capital. Even after the warning given by the UN and disapproval expressed even by the US, the sanghi trolls on twitter continue spreading their poison. While the Prime Minister calls for unity, he has not uttered a single word against such a divisive communal campaign. However, apart from this, there is a serious development in the capital of India where abuse of power by the government in targeting certain sections is going on.

The life-and-death struggle against coronavirus doesn’t appear to have dissuaded the BJP from pursuing its Hindutva agenda although there may have been a slowing down. For instance, the party is no longer actively propagating the virtues of the citizenship act or the National Register of Citizens or the National Population Register even if no one is lulled into believing that these measures have been shelved in deference to internal protests and international condemnation.

The second round of lockdown in the country provide enough time for the government and industry think tanks to carefully workout plans to restart the economy post-lockdown, rebuild strong supply-chain network, depend more on domestic production than imports, float attractive long duration government bonds to raise funds, help create more supplies and push employment. Economy must get back on its feet steadily. The effort is not going to be easy. The basic purpose of lockdown will be lost if it is reversed overnight. There is no escape from a gradual withdrawal of lockdown. It has to be properly planned and prioritised.

The people were looking forward to the prime minister’s address to the nation on the last day of the three-week countrywide lockdown. These three weeks have thrown up many experiences that need to be addressed urgently in order, both, to strengthen our fight against the Covid-19 pandemic and to protect the lives and survival of crores of our fellow citizens. On none of these issues of vital importance did the prime minister have anything substantial to say. This address by the prime minister, hence, has not provided the needed confidence to the people that the central government is sincere in addressing the most important concerns.

After a cursory glance at a catena of recent judicial decisions, it can be surmised that individuals ought not to be criminalised for exercising their fundamental rights within permissible boundaries. But the actions of the executive reek of clear abomination for the ones who criticise the ones in power, even if they are constitutionally entitled to criticise and dissent. The recent manifestation of this abomination for dissent, in the words of Siddharth Vardarajan, has been “the criminalisation of media”.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Kerala is not happy with the financial package announced by Reserve Bank Governor, Shaktikanta Das.