Unlock 1.0, though not for all

The Hindu Newsletter - Unlock 1.0, though not for all Monday 01, June 2020 [alt_text]( The Evening Wrap [Here's your guide to the biggest stories of the day]( [alt_text]( Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying home and staying safe. Here are the big stories that you need to follow today: Unlock 1.0, though not for all The first phase of a three-stage ‘unlock plan’ came into effect today as restrictions on several activities were lifted across the country, except in containment zones and a handful of cities that are the worst affected. However, coming as it does at a time when new cases seem to be peaking, not everyone was having it. [States like Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Telangana extended the lockdown till June 30, though with several relaxations](. Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, meanwhile, said the Delhi-Noida border will be sealed for a week, in view of rising coronavirus cases in the city, with exceptions being made only for those providing essential services and those with valid passes. He said further decisions on this matter would be crowd-sourced from citizens. Railways, buses increase operations [Passengers aboard the Habibganj-Jabalpur Intercity Express at Habibganj Railway Station in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on June 1, 2020. ] Passengers aboard the Habibganj-Jabalpur Intercity Express at Habibganj Railway Station in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh on June 1, 2020. Some activities did, however, pick up, particularly in the transport sector. The Indian Railways operated 200 new trains today, moving about 1.45 lakh passengers. The Railways said the new trains were added to the “Shramik Special” services the Ministry has been running since May 1 to ferry migrant labourers. News agency ANI is also reporting that bus services have resumed in several states, including Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu (excluding Chennai). Covid watch: Numbers and Developments India’s total count of cases stood at 1,97,905 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 5,599. India now has the seventh highest number of Covid-19 infections in the world. Date for Upper House elections fixed [ A view of the logo of Election Commission of India at the headquarters in New Delhi. File ] A view of the logo of Election Commission of India at the headquarters in New Delhi. File Elections to 18 Rajya Sabha seats, which had been deferred owing to the lockdown, [will be held on June 19, the Election Commission of India (ECI) said.](Polling for the 18 seats — four each in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat, three each in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, two seats in Jharkhand and one each in Manipur and Meghalaya — had been originally scheduled for March 26 (the national lockdown began on March 25). The ECI said that after taking into account the Union Home Ministry’s May 30 guidelines and inputs from the chief electoral officers of the States concerned, it decided to hold the polling and counting on June 19. PM speaks up for frontline workers Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said [violence and misbehaviour towards frontline workers fighting Covid-19 were not acceptable](. He was speaking at the 25th foundation day and silver jubilee celebrations of the Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bengaluru. Modi participated in an online event from New Delhi. Observing that “Due to mob mentality, those on duty — doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers — are being subjected to violence,” he said, “At the root of India's brave fight against Covid-19 is the hard-work of the medical community and our corona warriors. In fact, doctors and medical workers are like soldiers, but without the soldiers’ uniform.” Problem with the middle The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has asked airlines to try and leave the middle seats on planes vacant to ensure physical distancing. The order comes a week after the Supreme Court pulled up the regulator and Air India for putting passengers at risk by allowing booking for those seats. “The airline shall allot the seats in such a manner that the middle seat is kept vacant if the passenger load and seat capacity permits the same,” DGCA said in its order. “However, members of the same family may be allowed to sit together.” South West monsoon better than forecast [ Cloud-laden sky at Kava near Malampuzha dam catchment area at Palakkad on Sunday. As per the India Meteorological Department, the southwest monsoon will set in the State on June 1 itself, as against earlier reports of monsoon reaching the state on June 5. Photo: K. K. Mustafah. ] Cloud-laden sky at Kava near Malampuzha dam catchment area at Palakkad on Sunday. As per the India Meteorological Department, the southwest monsoon will set in the State on June 1 itself, as against earlier reports of monsoon reaching the state on June 5. Photo: K. K. Mustafah. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) today said that the south-west monsoon [has arrived in Kerala and that a cyclone brewing in the Arabian Sea]( is likely to hit north Maharashtra and the Gujarat coast by June 3. The IMD added that the monsoon would be better than normal. “India would likely get 102%, or 2% more rain, during June-September than what the agency had initially forecast in April. In April, we had said that India is likely to get 100% of its long period average for June-September. The good news is that we are likely to get some more,” an official said. Trump shifts to bunker, protests intensify As protests over the killing of George Floyd shook several cities in the United States for the sixth straight day, President Donald Trump was taken to a secure underground bunker at the White House, according to the New York Times. The paper also reported that the White House turned off exterior lights as demonstrators gathered outside. Some protesters reportedly set fire to road signs near the White House. The situation remains tense in states and cities across America, with protesters defying curfew orders in many places. They are demanding that charges be brought against all the four police officers involved in the incident that saw Floyd die last week. In Brief: The Union Cabinet today cleared a ₹20,000-crore debt scheme, which could help nearly two lakh Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) raise funds. With the idea of encouraging private investment, it further approved a Fund of Funds worth ₹50,000 crore for MSMEs. It also amended the MSME definition: the annual turnover limit for ‘medium enterprises’ has been revised upward, from ₹100 crore to ₹250 crore. The Cabinet also approved an increase in minimum support prices (MSP) for 14 kharif crops. The Centre clarified on Monday that it had [withdrawn the list of 1,026 “imported products” that could no longer be sold](in the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) canteens from June 1. Many products manufactured by Indian companies had been included in the list. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. Today's Top Picks [alt_text]( [Remove China Apps crosses a million downloads]( [alt_text]( [‘NFDC Film Bazaar Goes to Cannes’ will pitch five debut indie films]( [alt_text]( [Online classes begin for school students in Kerala]( [alt_text]( [Winning Dhoni's trust key to getting India captaincy: Virat Kohli]( You are receiving this email because you are a user of [thehindu.com]( If you do not wish to receive any such emails, [unsubscribe here.](mailto:rm-0b4jqq1pbf2f90kauhrxfebysa8hkt8@newsalert.thehindu.com?subject=Unsubscribe&body=You will be unsubscribed from our mailing list.) 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