As north India continues to reel under heatwaves, the weather department has downgraded its June rainfall prediction from ‘normal’ to ‘below normal’. The monsoon arrived over Kerala on time, and progressed well until June 10. But it has been dry and hot over the Southern peninsula thereafter. Where is the monsoon, and when will it progress? We explain.
Only in Express
The National Testing Agency (NTA) has been under fire over its conduct of the NEET examinations. While in Patna there have been paper leak allegations, in Godhra, there are allegations that students had help while filling in answers at two exam centres. The NTA, however, has told the Education Ministry that examinees in the two cities do not appear to have had any unusual advantage as per an analysis of their marks. Here’s what The Indian Express has learnt.
From the Front Page
Why did Hindu voters get divided along caste lines? Did decisions of the government play a role in a loss? Having nearly halved its seat tally in Uttar Pradesh this Lok Sabha election, the BJP is undertaking a review of its performance – with a checklist.
Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, with the Mahayuti alliance facing defeat in seats along the proposed route of a 802-km highway project connecting Nagpur to Goa, the state government has put the work on hold. Amid protests from farmers, the fate of the project will be decided by the new government post Assembly elections.
Must Read
In his weekly column, C Raja Mohan outlines five geopolitical challenges before Modi 3.0, and makes a case for why India must leverage the world for the rapid expansion of domestic prosperity and equity.
At the village in Madhya Pradesh’s Mandla, where 11 homes were demolished, 16 remain standing — painting a picture of contrast. Authorities acknowledge that the remaining ones are illegal too, but they were not demolished due to “constraints”. The SHO of Nainpur police station says, “We demolished the homes where beef was found and left the others alone for now.”
Had there been a Lady Whistledown in the real world, would she have faced consequences for malicious gossip? “In real life, the Whistledowns don’t cease to exist because of someone’s moral crisis. And much like the world of Bridgerton, they would get away with it just as smoothly, and here, they wouldn’t even have to out their identity,” Sampada Sharma writes.
And Finally…
🏏 Sandip G writes about the joy of watching fast bowlers this T20 World Cup. Pacers have captured seven spots on the Top 10 wicket-takers list, but beyond the numbers or their role in setting up games, they have achieved a bigger feat. They have been genuine spectacles, the batsmen truthfully fearing them.
Delhi Confidential: There may not be big changes in the Union Cabinet in the new government, but one difference is visible — the emergence of Defence Minister and BJP veteran Rajnath Singh as the key figure for coordinating with the NDA partners.
In today’s episode of the ‘3 Things’ podcast, we discuss the changes made to NCERT political science textbooks for Class 11 and 12. We also discuss why activists Arundhati Roy and Dr Sheikh Showkat Hussain may soon face prosecution under the stringent UAPA.
Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta
Business As Usual by EP Unny