The Evening Wrap: Gotabaya Rajapaksa invites all parties to Cabinet to find solutions

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has invited all parties in Parliament to accept ministerial positions, and work with him to find solutions to Sri Lanka’s economic crisis. Attributing the crisis to “several economic factors and global developments”, Rajapaksa has sought solutions “within a democratic framework,” his office said. His outreach comes a day after en masse resignations in Sri Lanka’s Cabinet, as anti-government protests escalate in the wake of a worsening economic downturn, marked by a crippling shortages and long power cuts. Scores of citizens have been protesting incessantly, even defying a curfew this weekend, asking the President and his government to step down. While all Ministers in Cabinet, including three Rajapaksas, resigned Sunday night, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa remain in office. “Considering this a national need, the time has come to work together for the sake of all the citizens and future generations. The President invites all political parties representing in the Parliament to come together to accept ministerial portfolios in order to find solutions to this national crisis,” said a statement issued by the Presidential Media Division on Monday morning. Meanwhile, Sri Lankan police fired tear gas and water cannons at some 2,000 irate protesters who defied curfew orders and tried to storm Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s residence in Tangalle on April 4, demanding his resignation. Around 2,000 people descended near the Prime Minister’s residence known as Carlton House in Tangalle, situated 200 km south of Colombo, and pulled down barricades chanting anti-Rajapaksa slogans. Interestingly, Tangalle, which has a Sinhalese-majority population, is considered to be the bastion of the powerful Rajapaksa clan. According to eyewitness accounts, angry protesters managed to dodge the police and were seen running towards Rajapaksa’s gates clamouring for his resignation. The Government’s poor handling of the economic crisis where citizens currently endure long hours of power outages and scarcity of essentials has angered the public. These protests have prompted the Government to declare an emergency and impose a 36-hour curfew and a social media ban. The current economic turmoil and unrest in the island nation has precipitated a political flux with all 26 Cabinet Ministers submitting their resignation. On Monday, Sri Lankan President fired his brother and Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and invited the Opposition parties to join a unity Cabinet to tackle the raging public anger against the hardships caused due to the country’s worst economic crisis. Incidentally, Basil Rajapaksa had negotiated the Indian economic relief package to help Sri Lanka tackle the current foreign exchange crisis. He has been replaced by Ali Sabry, who was until Sunday night the Minister of Justice. Basil Rajapaksa was scheduled to leave for the U.S. to meet with the International Monetary Fund for a possible bailout package to get over the unprecedented economic crisis. He was at the centre of anger within the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna coalition. Last month, at least two Ministers were sacked from the Cabinet as they publicly criticised Basil Rajapaksa. After the resignation of the Cabinet Ministers, at least three other new Ministers were sworn in. Meanwhile, Governor of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal also announced his resignation on April 4. Samagi Jana Balavegaya, the principal Opposition party on April 4 termed this spate of resignations a “sham” and declined an invitation from the President to form an interim government. Lakhimpur Kheri: SC wonders why Uttar Pradesh did not appeal Union Minister’s son’s bail after ‘vehemently opposing’ it in HC The Supreme Court on Monday asked why Uttar Pradesh missed out on filing an appeal against bail granted to Ashish Mishra, prime accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri case and the son of a Union Minister, despite admitting to the gravity of the crime and in spite of the Special Investigation Team urging it to do so. The court is hearing the appeal made by the bereaved families for cancellation of bail granted to Mishra by the Allahabad High Court. “The question is why did you [Uttar Pradesh] not challenge the bail? You knew the circumstances under which we formed the SIT and requested a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to monitor the investigation... You yourself admitted the offence is very serious. You say you vehemently opposed the bail application of the accused in the High Court... So we expected you to have acted on the suggestion of the SIT and the monitoring judge to appeal against the bail... You did not...” Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, heading a three-judge Bench, asked Uttar Pradesh, represented by senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani. The allegation is that Mishra was part of the group that rammed the vehicle into the farmers who were participating in a rally against the controversial farm laws in Lakhimpur Kheri. Jethmalani agreed that the offence alleged, the crushing to death of farmers protesting farm laws and a journalist, was indeed “grave”. He argued that the SIT had recommended to the State to file an appeal against the bail order of the High Court under the apprehension that Mishra was influential and could tamper the evidence or “influence witnesses” while out. Jethmalani said the State had, however, already addressed this apprehension by providing witnesses with “extensive security”. Police officers would phone the witnesses to ask about their welfare. He said there had been no “untoward incidents” since February 10. But senior advocate Dushyant Dave and advocate Prashant Bhushan countered the claim by referring to an incident in early March when a key witness was brutally attacked and threatened about his fate with the return to power of the BJP in the State post the Assembly election win. “Anyway, what kind of an exercise is this where the police calls up witnesses to ask whether the State should file an appeal... It is unheard of,” Dave submitted. Justice Surya Kant, on the Bench, asked whether the victims were ever heard by the High Court before bail was granted. “No, they were not,” Dave replied. Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, for Mishra, said no court would ever grant his client bail in the case if the Supreme Court revoked it. “I will be in jail for all time to come... You could remand the case back to the High Court,” Kumar argued. He said the accused was willing to abide by any bail conditions. “What was your tearing hurry to apply for bail in the first place?” Justice Hima Kohli asked. Kumar said Mishra was not even at the site of the alleged crime at the time. Dave, in his arguments, however countered that the SIT had collected evidence prima facie indicating Mishra’s involvement in the crime after an extensive investigation which has led to detailed chargesheets in the case. “The SIT was very clear that the crime was the result of a premeditated conspiracy... Even if the vehicle slammed the farmers can be called a ‘rash and negligent’, such an act would attract Section 302 of the IPC (murder) if done with the intention of causing death,” Dave argued. He said the SIT had recorded the statements of 225 witnesses and had another 19 witnesses give their statements to a Magistrate. The investigation saw the SIT pore through call records and video recordings of the incident. “The SIT has gone into it extensively... But the High Court did not even avert to all that before granting bail,” Dave argued. The State said a plea for cancellation of bail could not be turned into a “mini trial” and facts of the case and question of intention should be gone into during trial. Jethmalani said the State was willing to file an appeal now. “We are not forcing you to file a special leave petition [an appeal]... This was not a matter in which you wait for months and days,” the Bench responded. The court reserved the case for orders. In Supreme Court, AG says no need to enact specific laws to ‘enforce’ fundamental duties on citizens ttorney General of India K.K. Venugopal on Monday said there was no need to enact specific laws to “enforce” fundamental duties on citizens. Venugopal, in his capacity as a constitutional office, said the Supreme Court cannot issue mandamus to Parliament to make such laws. A Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said the court had been very circumspect in entertaining a PIL petition filed by lawyer Durga Dutt to enforce the fundamental duties of citizens, including patriotism and unity of nation, through “comprehensive, well-defined laws”. Venugopal took objection to the petitioner’s lack of research, saying had he cared to look, the Ministry of Law and Justice website would have shown him detailed accounts of the “tremendous work” done by the government to create awareness among the public of their fundamental duties. Dutt had wanted to know what the government had done to comply with the Supreme Court’s direction in the Ranganath Mishra judgment of 2003 regarding the implementation of the Justice J.S. Verma Committee’s report on the “operationalisation of fundamental duties”. The committee’s work was a part of a report of the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution. The report had urged the government to sensitise people and create general awareness among the public about their duties and the protection of minorities and freedom of religion. The Supreme Court, on February 21, issued notice to the Centre and the States on this question. “I object to this petition... The Department of Justice website shows the tremendous amount of work which has been done for the purpose of sensitising people, both citizens and the students, about Article 51A. The duties are part of the school curriculum... The President and the Prime Minister have addressed this aspect from time to time. A one-year awareness drive was launched,” Venugopal, who was called in to assist the court, submitted. However, the court said the government could very well file an affidavit, based on which the Bench could deal with the petition. Counsel appearing for the Solicitor General’s office, representing the government, agreed to file the response in four weeks. The court listed the case in July, after the summer vacations. Imran Khan nominates Pakistan’s former Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed as caretaker Prime Minister Pakistan’s former Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed was on Monday nominated for the office of the caretaker Prime Minister by incumbent Imran Khan, amid ongoing political crisis in the country. Former Information Minister and senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party Fawad Chaudhry said that the premier made the decision after approval from the party’s core committee. The announcement comes after President Arif Alvi sent letters to Prime Minister Khan and Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif on Monday seeking suggestions for the appointment of a caretaker Prime Minister. “In response to the President’s letter, after consultation and approval by the PTI Core Committee, Prime Minister Imran Khan has nominated Pakistan’s former Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed for the post of caretaker Prime Minister,” Chaudhry said. In his letter, President Alvi told them in case they do not agree on the appointment within three days of the dissolution of the Parliament, they shall forward two nominees each to a committee to be constituted by the Speaker, comprising eight members of the outgoing assembly, or the Senate, or both, having equal representation from the treasury and the opposition. The Constitution has empowered the president to appoint a caretaker prime minister in consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the Opposition in the outgoing National Assembly, the President’s Secretariat said in a statement. Under Article 224-A(1) of the constitution of Pakistan, a caretaker government is set up to organise elections in the country. Khan will continue as the Prime Minister till the appointment of a caretaker Prime Minister. So far Shehbaz Sharif has refused to take part in the process, terming it illegal. Born in 1957, Justice Ahmed served as Chief Justice from December, 2019 until his retirement in February 2022. He was part of a five-judge bench that disqualified former premier Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case. He made headlines multiple times due to his strong verdicts and comments against governments and bureaucrats. Justice Ahmed had also ordered authorities to reconstruct a temple vandalised by a mob in northwest Pakistan and instructed them to recover the money for the restoration work from the attackers whose act had caused “international embarrassment” to Pakistan. He had also attended a grand function at the rebuilt temple to celebrate Diwali festival last year and to express solidarity with the members of the Hindu community. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing by a day in the high-profile case about the rejection of a no-confidence motion by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and the subsequent dissolution of the country’s Parliament. A larger bench of the apex court -- comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail -- took up the matter after Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri rejected the move to dislodge the Prime Minister by declaring the no-trust motion as ‘unmaintainable’ due to its link with a so-called foreign conspiracy. IndiGo suspends some pilots over calls for mass sick leave on Tuesday The country’s biggest airline, IndiGo, has suspended “some” pilots after simmering anger among them over continued pay cuts imposed at the beginning of the pandemic led to calls for mass sick leave on Tuesday. Pilots at IndiGo say they are “frustrated” at steep pay cuts that continue to be in place at the airline despite a revival in demand for air travel for the past few months and the ebbing of Covid-19 cases. A spokesperson at IndiGo confirmed to The Hindu that the airline had suspended some pilots. Last week, a few pilots had given a call for reporting sick on April 5 to protest the pay cuts as well as discussed forming a union of IndiGo employees, followed by a “grand union” of employees across various airlines. IndiGo had responded to these internal murmurs by partially reversing its pay cut last week. It reduced 28% of pay cuts to 20% for pilots and 38% for examiners to 30%. The airline also promised that an additional revision of up to 6.5% would be implemented from November 1, 2022. In brief India’s envoy to Nepal, Vinay Mohan Kwatra, was on Monday appointed as the new Foreign Secretary, succeeding Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who is retiring this month-end, a Personnel Ministry order said. Kwatra, a 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has held positions in India’s diplomatic missions in Washington DC and Beijing and has also served as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office during his 32 years of service. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow [logo] The Evening Wrap 04 APRIL 2022 [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]( Sri Lanka crisis: Gotabaya Rajapaksa invites all parties to Cabinet to find solutions [President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has invited all parties in Parliament]( to accept ministerial positions, and work with him to find solutions to Sri Lanka’s economic crisis. Attributing the crisis to “several economic factors and global developments”, Rajapaksa has sought solutions “within a democratic framework,” his office said. His outreach comes a day after en masse resignations in Sri Lanka’s Cabinet, as anti-government protests escalate in the wake of a worsening economic downturn, marked by a crippling shortages and long power cuts. Scores of citizens have been protesting incessantly, even defying a curfew this weekend, asking the President and his government to step down. While all Ministers in Cabinet, including three Rajapaksas, resigned Sunday night, Gotabaya Rajapaksa and Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa remain in office. “Considering this a national need, the time has come to work together for the sake of all the citizens and future generations. The President invites all political parties representing in the Parliament to come together to accept ministerial portfolios in order to find solutions to this national crisis,” said a statement issued by the Presidential Media Division on Monday morning. [A man waves a Sri Lankan flag as people shout slogans against Sri Lanka’s President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and demand that Rajapaksa family politicians step down, during a protest amid the country’s economic crisis, at Independence square in Colombo on April 4, 2022.] Meanwhile, [Sri Lankan police fired tear gas and water cannons at some 2,000 irate protesters]( who defied curfew orders and tried to storm Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa’s residence in Tangalle on April 4, demanding his resignation. Around 2,000 people descended near the Prime Minister’s residence known as Carlton House in Tangalle, situated 200 km south of Colombo, and pulled down barricades chanting anti-Rajapaksa slogans. Interestingly, Tangalle, which has a Sinhalese-majority population, is considered to be the bastion of the powerful Rajapaksa clan. According to eyewitness accounts, angry protesters managed to dodge the police and were seen running towards Rajapaksa’s gates clamouring for his resignation. The Government’s poor handling of the economic crisis where citizens currently endure long hours of power outages and scarcity of essentials has angered the public. These protests have prompted the Government to declare an emergency and impose a 36-hour curfew and a social media ban. The current economic turmoil and unrest in the island nation has precipitated a political flux with all 26 Cabinet Ministers submitting their resignation. On Monday, Sri Lankan President fired his brother and Finance Minister Basil Rajapaksa and invited the Opposition parties to join a unity Cabinet to tackle the raging public anger against the hardships caused due to the country’s worst economic crisis. Incidentally, Basil Rajapaksa had negotiated the Indian economic relief package to help Sri Lanka tackle the current foreign exchange crisis. He has been replaced by Ali Sabry, who was until Sunday night the Minister of Justice. Basil Rajapaksa was scheduled to leave for the U.S. to meet with the International Monetary Fund for a possible bailout package to get over the unprecedented economic crisis. He was at the centre of anger within the ruling Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna coalition. Last month, at least two Ministers were sacked from the Cabinet as they publicly criticised Basil Rajapaksa. After the resignation of the Cabinet Ministers, at least three other new Ministers were sworn in. Meanwhile, Governor of the Central Bank Ajith Nivard Cabraal also announced his resignation on April 4. Samagi Jana Balavegaya, the principal Opposition party on April 4 termed this spate of resignations a “sham” and declined an invitation from the President to form an interim government. Lakhimpur Kheri: SC wonders why Uttar Pradesh did not appeal Union Minister’s son’s bail after ‘vehemently opposing’ it in HC The [Supreme Court on Monday asked why Uttar Pradesh missed out on filing an appeal against bail granted]( to Ashish Mishra, prime accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri case and the son of a Union Minister, despite admitting to the gravity of the crime and in spite of the Special Investigation Team urging it to do so. The court is hearing the appeal made by the bereaved families for cancellation of bail granted to Mishra by the Allahabad High Court. “The question is why did you [Uttar Pradesh] not challenge the bail? You knew the circumstances under which we formed the SIT and requested a retired judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to monitor the investigation... You yourself admitted the offence is very serious. You say you vehemently opposed the bail application of the accused in the High Court... So we expected you to have acted on the suggestion of the SIT and the monitoring judge to appeal against the bail... You did not...” Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, heading a three-judge Bench, asked Uttar Pradesh, represented by senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani. [Ashish Mishra and other accused in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case, being produced in a court in Lakhimpur. File] The allegation is that Mishra was part of the group that rammed the vehicle into the farmers who were participating in a rally against the controversial farm laws in Lakhimpur Kheri. Jethmalani agreed that the offence alleged, the crushing to death of farmers protesting farm laws and a journalist, was indeed “grave”. He argued that the SIT had recommended to the State to file an appeal against the bail order of the High Court under the apprehension that Mishra was influential and could tamper the evidence or “influence witnesses” while out. Jethmalani said the State had, however, already addressed this apprehension by providing witnesses with “extensive security”. Police officers would phone the witnesses to ask about their welfare. He said there had been no “untoward incidents” since February 10. But senior advocate Dushyant Dave and advocate Prashant Bhushan countered the claim by referring to an incident in early March when a key witness was brutally attacked and threatened about his fate with the return to power of the BJP in the State post the Assembly election win. “Anyway, what kind of an exercise is this where the police calls up witnesses to ask whether the State should file an appeal... It is unheard of,” Dave submitted. Justice Surya Kant, on the Bench, asked whether the victims were ever heard by the High Court before bail was granted. “No, they were not,” Dave replied. Senior advocate Ranjit Kumar, for Mishra, said no court would ever grant his client bail in the case if the Supreme Court revoked it. “I will be in jail for all time to come... You could remand the case back to the High Court,” Kumar argued. He said the accused was willing to abide by any bail conditions. “What was your tearing hurry to apply for bail in the first place?” Justice Hima Kohli asked. Kumar said Mishra was not even at the site of the alleged crime at the time. Dave, in his arguments, however countered that the SIT had collected evidence prima facie indicating Mishra’s involvement in the crime after an extensive investigation which has led to detailed chargesheets in the case. “The SIT was very clear that the crime was the result of a premeditated conspiracy... Even if the vehicle slammed the farmers can be called a ‘rash and negligent’, such an act would attract Section 302 of the IPC (murder) if done with the intention of causing death,” Dave argued. He said the SIT had recorded the statements of 225 witnesses and had another 19 witnesses give their statements to a Magistrate. The investigation saw the SIT pore through call records and video recordings of the incident. “The SIT has gone into it extensively... But the High Court did not even avert to all that before granting bail,” Dave argued. The State said a plea for cancellation of bail could not be turned into a “mini trial” and facts of the case and question of intention should be gone into during trial. Jethmalani said the State was willing to file an appeal now. “We are not forcing you to file a special leave petition [an appeal]... This was not a matter in which you wait for months and days,” the Bench responded. The court reserved the case for orders. In Supreme Court, AG says no need to enact specific laws to ‘enforce’ fundamental duties on citizens ttorney General of India K.K. Venugopal on Monday said there was no need to enact specific laws to “enforce” fundamental duties on citizens. Venugopal, in his capacity as a constitutional office, said the Supreme Court cannot issue mandamus to Parliament to make such laws. A Bench led by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said the court had been very circumspect in entertaining a PIL petition filed by lawyer Durga Dutt to enforce the fundamental duties of citizens, including patriotism and unity of nation, through “comprehensive, well-defined laws”. Venugopal took objection to the petitioner’s lack of research, saying had he cared to look, the Ministry of Law and Justice website would have shown him detailed accounts of the “tremendous work” done by the government to create awareness among the public of their fundamental duties. Dutt had wanted to know what the government had done to comply with the Supreme Court’s direction in the Ranganath Mishra judgment of 2003 regarding the implementation of the Justice J.S. Verma Committee’s report on the “operationalisation of fundamental duties”. The committee’s work was a part of a report of the National Commission to Review the Working of the Constitution. The report had urged the government to sensitise people and create general awareness among the public about their duties and the protection of minorities and freedom of religion. The Supreme Court, on February 21, issued notice to the Centre and the States on this question. “I object to this petition... The Department of Justice website shows the tremendous amount of work which has been done for the purpose of sensitising people, both citizens and the students, about Article 51A. The duties are part of the school curriculum... The President and the Prime Minister have addressed this aspect from time to time. A one-year awareness drive was launched,” Venugopal, who was called in to assist the court, submitted. However, the court said the government could very well file an affidavit, based on which the Bench could deal with the petition. Counsel appearing for the Solicitor General’s office, representing the government, agreed to file the response in four weeks. The court listed the case in July, after the summer vacations. Imran Khan nominates Pakistan’s former Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed as caretaker Prime Minister [Pakistan’s former Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed]( was on Monday nominated for the office of the caretaker Prime Minister by incumbent Imran Khan, amid ongoing political crisis in the country. Former Information Minister and senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party Fawad Chaudhry said that the premier made the decision after approval from the party’s core committee. The announcement comes after President Arif Alvi sent letters to Prime Minister Khan and Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif on Monday seeking suggestions for the appointment of a caretaker Prime Minister. “In response to the President’s letter, after consultation and approval by the PTI Core Committee, Prime Minister Imran Khan has nominated Pakistan’s former Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed for the post of caretaker Prime Minister,” Chaudhry said. In his letter, President Alvi told them in case they do not agree on the appointment within three days of the dissolution of the Parliament, they shall forward two nominees each to a committee to be constituted by the Speaker, comprising eight members of the outgoing assembly, or the Senate, or both, having equal representation from the treasury and the opposition. The [Constitution has empowered the president to appoint a caretaker prime minister]( consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the Opposition in the outgoing National Assembly, the President’s Secretariat said in a statement. Under Article 224-A(1) of the constitution of Pakistan, a caretaker government is set up to organise elections in the country. Khan will continue as the Prime Minister till the appointment of a caretaker Prime Minister. So far Shehbaz Sharif has refused to take part in the process, terming it illegal. Born in 1957, Justice Ahmed served as Chief Justice from December, 2019 until his retirement in February 2022. He was part of a five-judge bench that disqualified former premier Nawaz Sharif in the Panama Papers case. He made headlines multiple times due to his strong verdicts and comments against governments and bureaucrats. Justice Ahmed had also ordered authorities to reconstruct a temple vandalised by a mob in northwest Pakistan and instructed them to recover the money for the restoration work from the attackers whose act had caused “international embarrassment” to Pakistan. He had also attended a grand function at the rebuilt temple to celebrate Diwali festival last year and to express solidarity with the members of the Hindu community. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing by a day in the high-profile case about the rejection of a no-confidence motion by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly and the subsequent dissolution of the country’s Parliament. A larger bench of the apex court -- comprising Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail -- took up the matter after Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri rejected the move to dislodge the Prime Minister by declaring the no-trust motion as ‘unmaintainable’ due to its link with a so-called foreign conspiracy. IndiGo suspends some pilots over calls for mass sick leave on Tuesday The [country’s biggest airline, IndiGo, has suspended “some” pilots]( simmering anger among them over continued pay cuts imposed at the beginning of the pandemic led to calls for mass sick leave on Tuesday. Pilots at IndiGo say they are “frustrated” at steep pay cuts that continue to be in place at the airline despite a revival in demand for air travel for the past few months and the ebbing of Covid-19 cases. A spokesperson at IndiGo confirmed to The Hindu that the airline had suspended some pilots. Last week, a few pilots had given a call for reporting sick on April 5 to protest the pay cuts as well as discussed forming a union of IndiGo employees, followed by a “grand union” of employees across various airlines. IndiGo had responded to these internal murmurs by partially reversing its pay cut last week. It reduced 28% of pay cuts to 20% for pilots and 38% for examiners to 30%. The airline also promised that an additional revision of up to 6.5% would be implemented from November 1, 2022. In brief [India’s envoy to Nepal, Vinay Mohan Kwatra]( was on Monday appointed as the new Foreign Secretary, succeeding Harsh Vardhan Shringla, who is retiring this month-end, a Personnel Ministry order said. Kwatra, a 1988-batch Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officer, has held positions in India’s diplomatic missions in Washington DC and Beijing and has also served as Joint Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office during his 32 years of service. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow  Today‘s Top Picks [[Data | How rising space debris will impact ISRO’s budget] Data | How rising space debris will impact ISRO’s budget]( [[Watch | Central Square - Chennai’s new landmark] Watch | Central Square - Chennai’s new landmark]( [[News Analysis | Deuba’s BJP HQ visit a change aimed at pragmatic engagement with Delhi players] News Analysis | Deuba’s BJP HQ visit a change aimed at pragmatic engagement with Delhi players]( [[Pakistan’s ongoing political crisis | In Focus podcast] Pakistan’s ongoing political crisis | In Focus podcast]( 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](