7. Virtual rallies & campaigns to be the flavour of election season?

• Setting the tone for Bihar Assembly polls, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the BJP-JD(U) alliance in the state will get a two-third majority in the state Assembly polls under the leadership of chief minister Nitish Kumar. This even as the former BJP president asserted that his virtual rally — where he addressed workers at 72,000 booths in the state — had nothing to do with the Bihar poll campaign and was aimed at connecting with people during the fight against Covid-19. “This rally is aimed at connecting people with the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat‘ campaign. The BJP will have 75 such meetings,” he said.
• Next up, Shah will be addressing people of Odisha via the digital platform today. The objective, again, will be to reach out to people at the booth levels and apprise them of the achievements of the Modi government in its first year of the second term and steps taken by the Centre to deal with the pandemic, said state BJP president Samir Mohanty. He added that the party will organise more such virtual rallies at the district level in the coming days.
• And though the West Bengal Assembly polls are less than a year away, the ruling TMC and principal challenger BJP are looking to connect with people in the virtual space as well. While chief minister Mamata Banerjee held a virtual meeting with functionaries and public representatives on June 5, outlining the party’s strategy for the polls, TMC’s public representatives have begun conducting virtual meetings in their Assembly constituencies. Its online team has been circulating videos and pictures of the apparent “mishandling” of the pandemic in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh as well.
• The Bengal BJP takes the plunge tomorrow, with Shah kicking off a virtual rally. The saffron camp, which had last week released a “nine-point charge-sheet” against Banerjee’s rule of as many years, has recently floated a social media drive christened ‘Aar Noi Mamata‘ (no longer Mamata’s rule) as well. According to state BJP sources, the party is planning to conduct more than 1,000 virtual rallies, covering every nook and corner of the state.

• A day before malls, shrines and several other public places are set to open in many parts of the country, fresh Covid-19 infections surged to a new high with over 10,700 cases reported on Sunday, even as India’s overall count of cases went past the 250,000 mark and fatalities crossed 7,000. India’s tally of Covid-19 cases stood at 257,334 after 10,785 new infections were added on Sunday, per the latest data from state governments. It took five days for the count to rise from 200,000 cases (on June 2) to 250,000.
• It was the second straight day when the country added more than 10,000 cases in a 24-hour period, having recorded 10,434 new infections on Saturday. To put it in perspective, it had taken 74 days for Covid-19 infections to rise from 1 to 10,000. The country’s first case was confirmed on January 30, while the count crossed 10,000 on April 13.
• Deaths from the virus remained over 250 for the fifth consecutive day, although Sunday’s toll, at 262, was lower than those on Saturday and Friday, when 297 and 295 fatalities, respectively, were recorded. The overall toll stood at 7,201.
• The spurt in cases on Sunday was led by Maharashtra, which reported 3,007 new infections, the second highest single-day number in the state after 3,041 cases recorded on May 24. At least four states/UTs reported their highest single-day jump in cases — Tamil Nadu (1,515 new cases), Jammu & Kashmir (620), Haryana (496) and Bengal (449). In an indication of the spread of the coronavirus in the country, as many as 32 states/UTs reported new cases on Sunday while 18 reported deaths from the virus.
• The government has also announced the opening of 821 centrally protected monuments under the ASI that house places of worship from today. All 3,691 ASI-protected sites in the country were shut on March 17 in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak.
• Finally, the government is monitoring the pandemic situation before exploring a revised Census-NPR schedule, but some experts, including two former Registrars General of India & Census Commissioners, say reworking of Census time-line may be inevitable.

• What: India’s corporate and income tax collection for 2019-20 fell for the first time in at least two decades. The gross direct tax collection in 2019-20 dipped by 4.92% to Rs 12.33 lakh crore (from Rs 12.98 lakh crore in 2018-19), the Income Tax Department said on Sunday. The corporate tax and personal income tax revenue mop up stood at Rs 6.78 lakh crore and Rs 5.55 lakh crore, respectively.

• Why: The government said the fall was on account of the reduction in corporate tax rate, increased standard deduction and personal income tax exemption limit. It also said that in 2019-20, refunds worth Rs 1.84 lakh crore were given, a 14% increase over Rs 1.61 lakh crore given in 2018-19. However, the overall economic slowdown is likely to be a bigger reason as the fall in demand has forced companies to cut investment and jobs and dented tax collections. Also, the tax department, which was relying on the direct tax dispute resolution or the Vivad se Vishwas (VsV) scheme to meet its tax mop-up, was unable to implement the scheme owing to the outbreak of the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown.
• So? Lower tax collection not only tests the government’s ability to contain the fiscal deficit, it also increases the need to borrow more. The road ahead can be even more challenging for the government as the economy is expected to contract in the current financial year.

• A day after Indian and Chinese army commanders held a long meeting to peacefully resolve the tense situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Sunday said both sides had agreed to peacefully resolve border issues in accordance with bilateral pacts and guidance provided by leaders of the two countries.
• The statement from the MEA further noted that peace and tranquility in the India-China border regions are essential for the overall development of bilateral relations. It indicated that the meeting was held in a cordial and positive atmosphere and hinted that it could be the first in the series of meetings, adding that the dialogue will continue at military and diplomatic levels. (Both the defence ministry and the army, as well as Beijing, were yet to comment on Saturday’s meeting.)
• Since the standoff began on May 5, Indian troops have not been allowed to go beyond Finger 4 on the north bank of Pangong Tso, compared with earlier when Indian patrols could go 8 km further till Finger 8, which is the LAC according to India. India also wants a mutually-agreed progressive reduction of heavy military equipment, such as artillery guns and tanks, from the rear areas of both sides.
• The border row coincides with the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations. In fact, the two sides had planned to celebrate with 70 events. “Both sides also noted that this year marked the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries and agreed that an early resolution would contribute to the further development of the relationship,” the MEA statement added.

• An order: Delhi’s hospitals, except those run by the Centre, will only treat patients from the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Sunday. “Over 90% people want Delhi hospitals to treat patients from the national capital during the coronavirus pandemic. Hence, it has been decided that government and private hospitals in Delhi will only treat patients from the national capital,” Kejriwal said at an online press conference. He said if people from other cities come to Delhi for specific surgeries, they will be provided treatment at private hospitals.
• The template: When Karnataka closed its borders with Kerala at Kasaragod due to a spurt in Covid-19 cases, it ended up blocking hospital access in Mangaluru to patients from Kerala. It took the death of a couple of patients due to denial of entry, a Kerala high court judgment and finally the Supreme Court’s and the Centre’s intervention to restore the access to hospitals for patients across the border. However, Karnataka agreed to allow only non-Covid patients to access healthcare in Mangaluru and that too after checking their papers at the border checkpost. That is the model that Delhi is now following.
• And then: The Thane Municipal Corporation has sent a request to the Maharashtra government to provide 100 doctors and 300 nurses from Kerala to contain the outbreak, news agency PTI reported quoting a senior civic official.

• Clue 1: It covers approximately 20% of the Earth’s surface and about 29% of its water surface area.
• Clue 2: In total, there are 52 different nations that have shorelines along the ocean.
• Clue 3: Icebergs are common from February to August in the Davis Strait, Denmark Strait and the northwestern part of the ocean.

Scroll below for answer

• A lifeline: In this moment of lockdown-driven crisis of jobs, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has come as a lifeline for lakhs of Indians. That includes graduates and post-graduates struggling to feed their families after losing their jobs. A record 4.89 crore persons from 3.44 crore households sought work under the scheme in May, the highest for the month in the last eight years.
• A limit: While the migrant workforce that has gone back to villages is a mix of skilled, unskilled and professionals, MGNREGA guarantees hundred days of wage employment a year to people willing to do unskilled manual work. The 260 permissible works under the scheme fall broadly under the categories of natural resource management, individual assets like houses for vulnerable sections and rural infrastructure. The scheme does not cover work in factories, shops, etc.
• Time for change? “MGNREGA must be realigned to help relocated labourers. Their skills could prove to be an asset for the state, if we are able to redeploy their skills in tune with the needs of enterprises and industries,” Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot had said last month. A ministerial panel has also recommended that works in private enterprises (factories, construction sites etc) can also be considered as eligible work under the scheme. Some public policy experts have suggested ‘reimagining MGNREGA‘ as a universal basic income guarantee scheme given the long-term effects of the pandemic on rural employment.
• Or not? However, some others say that MGNREGA should be used to create work and assets in rural areas for rural people as was its original mandate. For urban unemployment the government can consider creating an urban employment guarantee scheme.

• More than 140 scientists funded by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the philanthropic organisation founded by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan, have sent the Facebook CEO a letter criticising its content moderation policy, saying it stands in contrast to the Initiative’s mission to “build a healthier, just, and more inclusive future”.
• “Like many ,we were disconcerted to see that Facebook has not followed their own policies in regards to President Trump, who has used the Facebook platform to spread both misinformation and incendiary statements,” the letter said. The signatories of the letter include leading researchers at Harvard University, Stanford University, University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and also a Nobel laureate.
• Facebook’s lax content moderation policy has come in for greater criticism after the social media giant decided against labelling or taking down Trump’s post on protests against the death of Goerge Floyd in police custody — a post that Twitter labelled for “glorifying violence” on its platform. The decision even resulted in an extraordinary “digital walkout” by Facebook employees, including some senior executives.
• Under criticism, Zuckerberg said Facebook will review its policy. “I know many of you think we should have labeled the President’s posts in some way last week… “We’re going to review potential options for handling violating or partially-violating content aside from the binary leave-it-up or take-it-down decisions,” Zuckerberg said in a statement posted on Facebook.

• The Ultimate Fighting Championships’ (UFC’s) brightest star and biggest financial draw Conor McGregor aka ‘The Notorious’ announced his retirement via Twitter on Sunday — for the third time in the last four years. “Hey guys I’ve decided to retire from fighting. Thank you all for the amazing memories! What a ride it’s been!” McGregor wrote, alongside a photo of him with his mother.
• The 31-year-old Irishman is the first-ever two-division UFC champion in history and also the fighter to get a knockout in three weight divisions. An icon of the UFC, he first announced his retirement from the sport in March last year after being defeated by arch-rival Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018. In April 2016, McGregor again said he was retiring with a now-famous tweet: “I have decided to retire young. Thanks for the cheese. Catch ya’s later.”
• Having made his last appearance in January this year, after a 15 month-absence when he knocked out American Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone in a ruthless 40-second destruction in Las Vegas, McGregor has a record of 22-4 in the UFC. UFC President Dana White had already said McGregor was next in line for a title shot at the winner of lightweight champion Nurmagomedov’s bout with Justin Gaethje this summer.
• FYI: From Muhammad Ali and Floyd Mayweather to Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell, countless champions of boxing and MMA have gone back on their solemn announcements whenever need or ego brought them back to the sport.

• Protests against racial inequality and police brutality in the United States, triggered by the death of George Floyd, have settled into peaceful nationwide demonstrations, leaving the violence and riots that initial days witnessed behind, the US publications report. In Washington, the city mayor, Muriel Bowser, took the lead, calling on protests to gather and send a message. Bowser, a black woman, has been at odds with US President Donald Trump over the use of the military and National Guard to quell protests. She got a street overlooking the White House painted with “Black Lives Matter”, and renamed the plaza — “we turned on the night light for him so he dreams about #BlackLivesMatter Plaza,” she tweeted.

• More than 10,000 people poured into Washington on Saturday, the Washington Post reported. But unlike the last time, there were no military tanks or helicopters to push them back, it reported. Even the police stood back and allowed people to hold vigil, the Post reported. Similar protests were held in multiple cities. Earlier, the US Secretary of Defence had said he did not agree with Trump in deploying active-duty military officers on the streets to contain protests.

Atlantic Ocean. In 2008, the United Nations recognised World Oceans Day on June 8 as a time to celebrate the immense bodies of water that make up roughly 70% of the Earth’s surface. Celebrated annually since then, the goal of the day is to promote conservation efforts and engage activists in preserving these five crucial areas — the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic, and Southern (Antarctic) Oceans — and their inhabitants.