The Evening Wrap: ₹76,000-cr semiconductor manufacturing scheme gets Cabinet nod

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a ₹76,000 crore scheme to boost semiconductor and display manufacturing in the country, taking the total amount of incentives announced for the electronics sector to ₹2.30 lakh crore, a government statement said. The comprehensive programme for the “development of sustainable semiconductor and display ecosystem in the country” was aimed at making India a global hub of electronic system design and manufacturing, the statement noted. “The programme will usher in a new era in electronics manufacturing by providing a globally competitive incentive package to companies in semiconductors and display manufacturing as well as design,” the government stated. The scheme would provide fiscal support of up to 50% of the project cost for setting up semiconductor and display fabrication units. In addition, the Centre would work with the States to set up high-tech clusters with the necessary infrastructure such as land and semiconductor-grade water, the government clarified. “In order to drive the long-term strategies for developing a sustainable semiconductors and display ecosystem, a specialised and independent ‘India Semiconductor Mission’ will be set up. The India Semiconductor Mission will be led by global experts in semiconductor and display industry. It will act as the nodal agency for efficient and smooth implementation of the schemes on semiconductors and display ecosystem,” the statement read. Trusted sources of semiconductors and displays had strategic importance in the current geopolitical scenario and were “key to the security of critical information infrastructure”. “The approved programme will propel innovation and build domestic capacities to ensure the digital sovereignty of India. It will also create highly skilled employment opportunities to harness the demographic dividend of the country,” the statement said. While announcing the scheme at a press briefing, Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said electronics manufacturing in the country had increased to $75 billion over the past seven years and was expected to reach $300 billion in the next six years. The “chips to start-ups” programme would develop 85,000 well-trained engineers, he claimed. Semiconductor designers would be given the opportunity to launch start-ups. The government would bear 50% of the expense under the design-linked incentive scheme. The entire programme would lead to 35,000 high-quality direct jobs and 1 lakh indirect employment. Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the decision was expected to attract an investment of ₹1.67 lakh crore and lead to production worth ₹9.50 lakh crore. Be dispassionate, consensual on Mullaperiyar: SC tells Kerala, T.N. The Supreme Court on Wednesday told Kerala and Tamil Nadu to not approach the court for every issue regarding the Mullaperiyar dam, urging them to behave like normal litigants and not use the court as a platform to score political brownie points. A Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar said the States should approach the Mullaperiyar issue in a dispassionate manner and take decisions in a consensual manner. It reminded the two neighbours that the Supreme Court should not be compelled into the day-to-day management of the dam. The court’s stern words came after Kerala filed an application complaining that Tamil Nadu was releasing water from the dam in the middle of the night without any prior warning, endangering the lives of thousands living downstream, unaware in their sleep of the danger to their lives. Kerala said Tamil Nadu should inform 24 hours before opening the shutters to release water. The court said the State should first approach the Supervisory Committee constituted on the orders of the court to hear such grievances. It said Kerala has a representative on the committee, who could inform the State beforehand about the impending release of water. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, for Kerala, claimed the committee has not responded to the pleas made by the State. Senior advocate Shekhar Naphade, for Tamil Nadu, drily reacted that “such applications will keep coming” from Kerala’s side on one issue or the other. The court said it was up to the Supervisory Committee to consider the need for the release of water from the dam, and when or how it should be released. “But every activity should be consensual and the committee will take a decision...your [Kerala’s] representative is also there,” Justice Khanwilkar addressed Gupta. “All political statements are being made here and such statements cannot be made in court. Let there be a dispassionate approach. Applications cannot come here on a daily basis. This is all generated by somebody’s ingenuity,” Justice Khanwilkar remarked. “We deem it appropriate for such requests made first approach the Supervisory Committee before taking steps for release or management of the Mullaperiyar dam. If such request is made, the committee shall consider such request expeditiously in right earnest,” the court ordered. It posted to January 11 a batch of petitions raising safety concerns over the Mullaperiyar dam. Tamil Nadu, in an affidavit, has said the safety of the dam has been supported by reports of the expert committee and the empowered committee after extensive study. It said the height of the storage level of the dam at 142 ft. was endorsed by the Supreme Court in 2014 in a judgment. Kerala, in turn, has been demanding reconsideration of the rule curve as the dam is situated in a seismic zone. It had accused Tamil Nadu of adopting an “obsolete” gate operation schedule dating back to 1939. BJP rejects Opposition demand for minister's resignation, says Lakhimpur Kheri issue sub-judice The BJP on December 15 rejected as “unfounded” the Opposition’s demand for the resignation of Union Minister Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’ and all but ruled out a discussion on the Lakhimpur Kheri issue as the matter is sub-judice. The Opposition intensified its demand for Misra’s resignation and forced an adjournment of Lok Sabha’s proceedings after a Special Investigation Team probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence termed the October 3 incident a “pre-planned conspiracy”. Misra's son, who is under arrest, is one of the accused in the case. “The probe is on under Supreme Court’s directions. Such comments (of the Opposition) are unfounded,” Union minister and senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal told reporters. Asked about the demand for a discussion, he added, “Parliamentary rules dictate that a sub-judice matter is not discussed (in Parliament).” Lone survivor of chopper crash, Group Captain Varun Singh succumbs to injuries Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the Mi-17 helicopter crash in which Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat and 12 others were killed last week, succumbed to his injuries early on December 15, the Indian Air Force has said. “IAF is deeply saddened to inform the passing away of braveheart Group Captain Varun Singh, who succumbed this morning to the injuries sustained in the helicopter accident on December 8, 21. IAF offers sincere condolences and stands firmly with the bereaved family,” it said on social media. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Twitter that he was pained beyond words to learn of the demise of Gp. Capt. Singh. “He was a true fighter who fought till his last breath. My thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends. We stand firmly with the family in this hour of grief,” he stated. The Mi-17 V5 with Gen. Rawat, his wife and 12 other military personnel was on its way from Sulur to the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington, when it crashed in the Nilgiris close to the destination. Gp. Capt. Varun Singh was posted to the DSSC as an instructor when he passed away. Gp. Capt. Singh, who belongs to Bhopal, graduated from the National Defence Academy in 2003. He was commissioned as a fighter pilot in 2004 and mainly flew Jaguars and Tejas during his flying career. He was also an experimental test pilot. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. After the crash, Gp. Capt. Singh, who was the Directing Staff at the DSSC, was taken to the Military Hospital, Wellington, and later moved to the Command Hospital, Bengaluru, where his medical condition remained critical despite best efforts by doctors. He had sustained severe burns and remained unconscious, officials said. Supreme Court dismisses Maharashtra plea for SECC-2011 raw data The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the law negated a caste census and “the Constitution believes in population and not in caste or religion” even as the Centre insisted that data collated during a Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) in 2011 was “fraught with mistakes and unusable” for any purpose whatsoever. The court’s oral observations came moments before it dismissed a writ petition filed by Maharashtra to direct the Centre to part with the raw data collected in the SECC-2011. The State stated it wanted to use the data for implementing reservation to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) in its local body polls. “The law is that there should be no caste census. The Constitution believes in population, not in caste or religion,” the court addressed the Maharashtra counsel, senior advocate Shekhar Naphade. “Caste, religion, all come within the spectrum of census. They [Centre] are showing extreme reluctance to pass on the data [SECC] to us,” Naphade submitted. The Centre, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, clarified to the court that the SECC was not a “census” undertaken under the Census Act of 1948 by the office of the Registrar General of India. It was an “executive act”, independent of the census exercise, and done on the orders of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The SECC was organised not as an OBC survey but to get the caste status of all in the country in order to improve the delivery of targeted benefits. An affidavit filed by the Social Justice Ministry in the Supreme Court in September maintained that a caste census of the Backward Classes was “administratively difficult and cumbersome”. The Centre had clarified in the affidavit that “exclusion of information” regarding any other caste -- other than Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes -- from the purview of the census is a “conscious policy decision”. The Centre’s position in court had come amid a growing clamour by political parties for a caste-based census, and the ruling BJP’s silence. Senior advocate P. Wilson, who is also a Rajya Sabha member and advocate for an intervenor in the case, said ₹4,893 crore and two years were spent on the SECC. Maharashtra said the State had a right to know about the data collected in the SECC, regardless of whether the census was done on the basis of an executive fiat or under the Census Act. Naphade said the Centre ought to produce the Ministry order for conduct of an SECC. But the court observed that it cannot issue a mandamus to produce the raw data if the SECC was inaccurate and had no “force of law”. “The affidavit [of the Centre] emphatically states that the data which is collated is not accurate and is unusable for any purpose whatsoever. If that is the stand taken by the respondents [Centre], we fail to understand as to how mandamus can be issued to the respondents to permit State of Maharashtra to use the data for any purpose. Such a direction, if issued, would lead to more confusion and uncertainty which cannot be countenanced,” the court noted in its order. Columbia Journalism School alumni award for The Hindu Group chairperson Malini Parthasarathy The Columbia Journalism School on Tuesday named The Hindu Group chairperson Malini Parthasarathy as one of its alumni award recipients for 2022. In a statement, the Columbia Journalism School Office of Alumni and Development said the award is presented every year to distinguished graduates who “exemplify the best of the Journalism School's high standards of journalism.” “As head of The Hindu Group, which publishes several daily newspapers and bi-monthly magazines, Malini Parthasarathy is steering a journey of digital transformation of the company’s editorial products, particularly the 143-year old flagship national daily newspaper, The Hindu,” it said. Dr. Parthasarathy, who was in the class of 1982, had earlier served separate stints as the editor and executive editor of The Hindu, the statement said. “She led the launch of the Mumbai edition of the paper and helped increase readership by 20 percent. Parthasarathy has been a political journalist for over three decades, writing news stories and editorials on major themes in Indian politics, including the rise of Hindu nationalism and the consequent challenges to the existing political consensus,” the statement read. Responding to the announcement, Dr. Parthasarathy said in a tweet: “Am deeply honoured by and grateful for this recognition by my iconic alma mater @columbiajourn. This is certainly one of my happiest moments in my long journey in journalism. It makes all the struggles so worthwhile!” Dr. Parthasarathy also founded a think tank, the Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy, “intended as a credible and independent platform for an exploration of ideas and public policies with the aim of rebuilding public faith in India’s democratic process”, the Columbia Journalism School statement said. She has earlier received the First Bank of India Award for Excellence in Journalism in 1997 and the Haldighati Award for Excellence in Journalism in 2000. Other recipients of the awards included Eric Marcus, the founder and host of the “Making Gay History” podcast; Stuart Schear, the vice-president for communications and marketing at American Jewish World Service; and Thomas Maier, an investigative journalist with Newsday and author. Bombay High Court allows Aryan Khan not to go to NCB office every Friday The Bombay High Court on Wednesday allowed Aryan Khan’s plea seeking modifications in his bail conditions in the drug racket case against him. A single Bench of Justice Nitin Sambre exempted Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, from appearing before the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) office every Friday. Counsel for the NCB agreed to the plea, provided Khan appears before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the case. The court recorded, “The applicant shall attend office at Delhi as and when summoned with a 72-hour prior notice.” Aryan Khan moved an application on December 9 seeking a relaxation in mandatory attendance before the NCB office as the matter is now being probed by the SIT. He also urged the court that there should be police presence when he has to attend the NCB office because of the media presence there. On October 29, the court granted bail to Khan, 23, and two others and directed that they be released from the Arthur Road Jail after executing a cash bond of ₹1 lakh with one or more sureties. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,17,02,524 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 4,76,428. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. [logo] The Evening Wrap 15 DECEMBER 2021 [The Hindu logo] Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. [[Arrow]Open in browser]( [[Mail icon]More newsletters]( ₹76,000-crore semiconductor manufacturing scheme gets Cabinet nod The Union Cabinet on Wednesday [approved a ₹76,000 crore scheme to boost semiconductor and display manufacturing]( in the country, taking the total amount of incentives announced for the electronics sector to ₹2.30 lakh crore, a government statement said. The comprehensive programme for the “development of sustainable semiconductor and display ecosystem in the country” was aimed at making India a global hub of electronic system design and manufacturing, the statement noted. [Chip sales into the United States were $94.15 billion, up 19.8% from the previous year.]  “The programme will usher in a new era in electronics manufacturing by providing a globally competitive incentive package to companies in semiconductors and display manufacturing as well as design,” the government stated. The scheme would provide fiscal support of up to 50% of the project cost for setting up semiconductor and display fabrication units. In addition, the Centre would work with the States to set up high-tech clusters with the necessary infrastructure such as land and semiconductor-grade water, the government clarified. “In order to drive the long-term strategies for developing a sustainable semiconductors and display ecosystem, a specialised and independent ‘India Semiconductor Mission’ will be set up. The India Semiconductor Mission will be led by global experts in semiconductor and display industry. It will act as the nodal agency for efficient and smooth implementation of the schemes on semiconductors and display ecosystem,” the statement read. Trusted sources of semiconductors and displays had strategic importance in the current geopolitical scenario and were “key to the security of critical information infrastructure”. “The approved programme will propel innovation and build domestic capacities to ensure the digital sovereignty of India. It will also create highly skilled employment opportunities to harness the demographic dividend of the country,” the statement said. While announcing the scheme at a press briefing, Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said electronics manufacturing in the country had increased to $75 billion over the past seven years and was expected to reach $300 billion in the next six years. The “chips to start-ups” programme would develop 85,000 well-trained engineers, he claimed. Semiconductor designers would be given the opportunity to launch start-ups. The government would bear 50% of the expense under the design-linked incentive scheme. The entire programme would lead to 35,000 high-quality direct jobs and 1 lakh indirect employment. Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur said the decision was expected to attract an investment of ₹1.67 lakh crore and lead to production worth ₹9.50 lakh crore. [underlineimg] Be dispassionate, consensual on Mullaperiyar: SC tells Kerala, T.N. The Supreme Court on Wednesday [told Kerala and Tamil Nadu to not approach the court for every issue regarding the Mullaperiyar dam]( urging them to behave like normal litigants and not use the court as a platform to score political brownie points. A Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar said the States should approach the Mullaperiyar issue in a dispassionate manner and take decisions in a consensual manner. It reminded the two neighbours that the Supreme Court should not be compelled into the day-to-day management of the dam. The court’s stern words came after Kerala filed an application complaining that Tamil Nadu was releasing water from the dam in the middle of the night without any prior warning, endangering the lives of thousands living downstream, unaware in their sleep of the danger to their lives. Kerala said Tamil Nadu should inform 24 hours before opening the shutters to release water. The court said the State should first approach the Supervisory Committee constituted on the orders of the court to hear such grievances. It said Kerala has a representative on the committee, who could inform the State beforehand about the impending release of water. Senior advocate Jaideep Gupta, for Kerala, claimed the committee has not responded to the pleas made by the State. Senior advocate Shekhar Naphade, for Tamil Nadu, drily reacted that “such applications will keep coming” from Kerala’s side on one issue or the other. The court said it was up to the Supervisory Committee to consider the need for the release of water from the dam, and when or how it should be released. “But every activity should be consensual and the committee will take a decision...your [Kerala’s] representative is also there,” Justice Khanwilkar addressed Gupta. “All political statements are being made here and such statements cannot be made in court. Let there be a dispassionate approach. Applications cannot come here on a daily basis. This is all generated by somebody’s ingenuity,” Justice Khanwilkar remarked. “We deem it appropriate for such requests made first approach the Supervisory Committee before taking steps for release or management of the Mullaperiyar dam. If such request is made, the committee shall consider such request expeditiously in right earnest,” the court ordered. It posted to January 11 a batch of petitions raising safety concerns over the Mullaperiyar dam. Tamil Nadu, in an affidavit, has said the safety of the dam has been supported by reports of the expert committee and the empowered committee after extensive study. It said the height of the storage level of the dam at 142 ft. was endorsed by the Supreme Court in 2014 in a judgment. Kerala, in turn, has been demanding reconsideration of the rule curve as the dam is situated in a seismic zone. It had accused Tamil Nadu of adopting an “obsolete” gate operation schedule dating back to 1939. [underlineimg] BJP rejects Opposition demand for minister's resignation, says Lakhimpur Kheri issue sub-judice The BJP on December 15 [rejected as “unfounded” the Opposition’s demand for the resignation of Union Minister Ajay Mishra ‘Teni’]( and all but ruled out a discussion on the Lakhimpur Kheri issue as the matter is sub-judice. The Opposition intensified its demand for Misra’s resignation and forced an adjournment of Lok Sabha’s proceedings after a Special Investigation Team probing the Lakhimpur Kheri violence termed the October 3 incident a “pre-planned conspiracy”. Misra's son, who is under arrest, is one of the accused in the case. “The probe is on under Supreme Court’s directions. Such comments (of the Opposition) are unfounded,” Union minister and senior BJP leader Piyush Goyal told reporters. Asked about the demand for a discussion, he added, “Parliamentary rules dictate that a sub-judice matter is not discussed (in Parliament).” [underlineimg] Lone survivor of chopper crash, Group Captain Varun Singh succumbs to injuries Group Captain Varun Singh, the lone survivor of the Mi-17 helicopter crash in which Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Bipin Rawat and 12 others were killed last week, [succumbed to his injuries early on December 15]( the Indian Air Force has said. [File photo of Group Captain Varun Singh]  “IAF is deeply saddened to inform the passing away of braveheart Group Captain Varun Singh, who succumbed this morning to the injuries sustained in the helicopter accident on December 8, 21. IAF offers sincere condolences and stands firmly with the bereaved family,” it said on social media. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Twitter that he was pained beyond words to learn of the demise of Gp. Capt. Singh. “He was a true fighter who fought till his last breath. My thoughts and deepest condolences are with his family and friends. We stand firmly with the family in this hour of grief,” he stated. The Mi-17 V5 with Gen. Rawat, his wife and 12 other military personnel was on its way from Sulur to the Defence Services Staff College (DSSC), Wellington, when it crashed in the Nilgiris close to the destination. Gp. Capt. Varun Singh was posted to the DSSC as an instructor when he passed away. Gp. Capt. Singh, who belongs to Bhopal, graduated from the National Defence Academy in 2003. He was commissioned as a fighter pilot in 2004 and mainly flew Jaguars and Tejas during his flying career. He was also an experimental test pilot. He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter. After the crash, Gp. Capt. Singh, who was the Directing Staff at the DSSC, was taken to the Military Hospital, Wellington, and later moved to the Command Hospital, Bengaluru, where his medical condition remained critical despite best efforts by doctors. He had sustained severe burns and remained unconscious, officials said. [underlineimg] Supreme Court dismisses Maharashtra plea for SECC-2011 raw data The Supreme Court on Wednesday said the law negated a caste census and “the Constitution believes in population and not in caste or religion” even as the Centre insisted that data collated during a Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC) in 2011 was “fraught with mistakes and unusable” for any purpose whatsoever. The court’s oral observations came moments before it [dismissed a writ petition filed by Maharashtra to direct the Centre to part with the raw data collected in the SECC-2011](. The State stated it wanted to use the data for implementing reservation to the Other Backward Classes (OBC) in its local body polls. “The law is that there should be no caste census. The Constitution believes in population, not in caste or religion,” the court addressed the Maharashtra counsel, senior advocate Shekhar Naphade. “Caste, religion, all come within the spectrum of census. They [Centre] are showing extreme reluctance to pass on the data [SECC] to us,” Naphade submitted. The Centre, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, clarified to the court that the SECC was not a “census” undertaken under the Census Act of 1948 by the office of the Registrar General of India. It was an “executive act”, independent of the census exercise, and done on the orders of the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The SECC was organised not as an OBC survey but to get the caste status of all in the country in order to improve the delivery of targeted benefits. An affidavit filed by the Social Justice Ministry in the Supreme Court in September maintained that a caste census of the Backward Classes was “administratively difficult and cumbersome”. The Centre had clarified in the affidavit that “exclusion of information” regarding any other caste -- other than Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes -- from the purview of the census is a “conscious policy decision”. The Centre’s position in court had come amid a growing clamour by political parties for a caste-based census, and the ruling BJP’s silence. Senior advocate P. Wilson, who is also a Rajya Sabha member and advocate for an intervenor in the case, said ₹4,893 crore and two years were spent on the SECC. Maharashtra said the State had a right to know about the data collected in the SECC, regardless of whether the census was done on the basis of an executive fiat or under the Census Act. Naphade said the Centre ought to produce the Ministry order for conduct of an SECC. But the court observed that it cannot issue a mandamus to produce the raw data if the SECC was inaccurate and had no “force of law”. “The affidavit [of the Centre] emphatically states that the data which is collated is not accurate and is unusable for any purpose whatsoever. If that is the stand taken by the respondents [Centre], we fail to understand as to how mandamus can be issued to the respondents to permit State of Maharashtra to use the data for any purpose. Such a direction, if issued, would lead to more confusion and uncertainty which cannot be countenanced,” the court noted in its order. [underlineimg] Columbia Journalism School alumni award for The Hindu Group chairperson Malini Parthasarathy The Columbia Journalism School on Tuesday named The Hindu Group chairperson [Malini Parthasarathy as one of its alumni award recipients for 2022](. In a statement, the Columbia Journalism School Office of Alumni and Development said the award is presented every year to distinguished graduates who “exemplify the best of the Journalism School's high standards of journalism.” “As head of The Hindu Group, which publishes several daily newspapers and bi-monthly magazines, Malini Parthasarathy is steering a journey of digital transformation of the company’s editorial products, particularly the 143-year old flagship national daily newspaper, The Hindu,” it said. Dr. Parthasarathy, who was in the class of 1982, had earlier served separate stints as the editor and executive editor of The Hindu, the statement said. “She led the launch of the Mumbai edition of the paper and helped increase readership by 20 percent. Parthasarathy has been a political journalist for over three decades, writing news stories and editorials on major themes in Indian politics, including the rise of Hindu nationalism and the consequent challenges to the existing political consensus,” the statement read. Responding to the announcement, Dr. Parthasarathy said in a tweet: “Am deeply honoured by and grateful for this recognition by my iconic alma mater @columbiajourn. This is certainly one of my happiest moments in my long journey in journalism. It makes all the struggles so worthwhile!” Dr. Parthasarathy also founded a think tank, the Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy, “intended as a credible and independent platform for an exploration of ideas and public policies with the aim of rebuilding public faith in India’s democratic process”, the Columbia Journalism School statement said. She has earlier received the First Bank of India Award for Excellence in Journalism in 1997 and the Haldighati Award for Excellence in Journalism in 2000. Other recipients of the awards included Eric Marcus, the founder and host of the “Making Gay History” podcast; Stuart Schear, the vice-president for communications and marketing at American Jewish World Service; and Thomas Maier, an investigative journalist with Newsday and author. [underlineimg] Bombay High Court allows Aryan Khan not to go to NCB office every Friday The Bombay High Court on Wednesday [allowed Aryan Khan’s plea]( seeking modifications in his bail conditions in the drug racket case against him. A single Bench of Justice Nitin Sambre exempted Khan, son of Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, from appearing before the Narcotics Control Bureau’s (NCB) office every Friday. Counsel for the NCB agreed to the plea, provided Khan appears before the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the case. The court recorded, “The applicant shall attend office at Delhi as and when summoned with a 72-hour prior notice.” Aryan Khan moved an application on December 9 seeking a relaxation in mandatory attendance before the NCB office as the matter is now being probed by the SIT. He also urged the court that there should be police presence when he has to attend the NCB office because of the media presence there. On October 29, the court granted bail to Khan, 23, and two others and directed that they be released from the Arthur Road Jail after executing a cash bond of ₹1 lakh with one or more sureties. [underlineimg] Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The [number of reported coronavirus cases from India]( stood at 3,17,02,524 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 4,76,428. [underlineimg] Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. Today's Top Picks [[A doctor speaks on the fundamental questions about health, sickness and medical treatment | The Hindu on Books Podcast] A doctor speaks on the fundamental questions about health, sickness and medical treatment | The Hindu on Books Podcast]( [[Watch | India's first food museum] Watch | India's first food museum]( [[Pop that ice for some fun] Pop that ice for some fun]( [[In a first, NASA spacecraft ‘touches’ sun] In a first, NASA spacecraft ‘touches’ sun]( Copyright @ 2021, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. If you are facing any trouble in viewing this newsletter, please [try here]( If you do not wish to receive such emails [go here](