Court seeks response on mentioning country of origin of products

The Hindu Newsletter - Court seeks response on mentioning country of origin of products Wednesday 01, July 2020 [alt_text]( The Evening Wrap [Here are the big news 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 safe. Here are the big stories that you need to follow today: Should e-commerce sites display country of origin? The Delhi High Court on Wednesday [sought responses from the Centre and major e-commerce companies, including Amazon, Flipkart, Snapdeal, Nykaa]( and others, on a petition seeking the display of the country of manufacture for products sold on their websites. A Bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan also asked the Ministry of Consumer Affairs to respond to the petition, filed by advocate Amit Shukla. It has posted the case for further hearing on July 22. Shukla said his petition was in sync with the recent ‘Vocal for local’ campaign by the government aimed at realising an [‘Atma Nirbhar’ Bharat.](He said that “the citizens of the country, particularly in view of the [tensions at the border]( and aggression of the neighbour, intend not to buy any products originating from the neighbour (Republic of China)”. The petition argues that the nation’s economy would suffer if e-commerce websites fail to mention the country of origin for the products on their websites. It said several e-commerce entities do not mention the country of origin for the products they sell. No Chinese companies for highway projects: Gadkari Union Minister Nitin Gadkari has said India [will not allow Chinese companies to participate in highway projects, including those involving joint ventures](. Gadakri also said the government will ensure that Chinese investors are not entertained in sectors critical for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). Coming close on the heels of a ban on 59 Chinese mobile apps, the move seems to be another step toward a partial economic blockade. With regard to existing tenders and future bids, Gadkari said re-bidding would be done in the case of Chinese joint ventures. “We have taken a decision to relax norms for our companies to ensure that they qualify in the bidding for large projects. I have directed the Highways Secretary and NHAI Chairman to hold a meeting for relaxing technical and financial norms so that our companies can qualify,” he said. Caste discrimination, even in Silicon Valley California regulators sued Cisco Systems Inc. on Tuesday, accusing it of discriminating against an Indian-American employee and allowing him to be harassed by two managers because he was from a lower Indian caste than them. Reuters reports that while U.S. employment law does not specifically bar caste-based discrimination, California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing has contended in the lawsuit that the Hindu faith’s lingering caste system is based on protected classes such as religion. [File photo of Cisco's campus in San Jose, California.] File photo of Cisco's campus in San Jose, California. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in San Jose, does not name the alleged victim. It states that he has been a principal engineer at Cisco’s San Jose headquarters since October 2015 and that he was a Dalit. Former Cisco engineering managers Sundar Iyer and Ramana Kompella, the defendants in the lawsuit, have been accused of harassment and attempting to enforce the caste hierarchy. Covid Watch: Numbers and developments The number of coronavirus cases in the country stood at 6,03,533 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 17,831. India on Wednesday recorded the biggest one-day increase in coronavirus deaths, with 507 new casualties reported. The Lalbaugcha Raja Ganesh Mandal, which installs Mumbai’s most famous Ganpati idol, has [announced the cancellation of the Ganesh Chaturthi celebration](this year in view of the pandemic – the first time this has happened in its 84-year history. Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu government has informed the Madras High Court (Madurai Bench) that the herbal concoction prepared by a Madurai-based Siddha doctor has been sent to the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha (CCRAS), New Delhi, after it was found that the formula may have an anti-viral effect. Third round of talks on LAC promises more talks At the third round of Corps Commander-level talks between India and China, [both sides emphasised the need for “an expeditious, phased, and step-wise de-escalation as a priority](” to reduce tensions along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Ladakh. They also agreed to hold more meetings to arrive at “a mutually agreeable” solution. “This is in keeping with the agreement between the External Affairs Minister and his Chinese counterpart, during their conversation on June 17, that the overall situation would be handled in a responsible manner, and that both sides would implement the disengagement understanding of June 6 sincerely”, a military source said. More meetings are expected, both at the military and the diplomatic level, sources said. This is a story with many angles and the developments around de-escalation have to be analysed against the larger backdrop of political messaging and machinations. We break this down and take a long view of the border dispute in this episode of [The Hindu’s In Focus podcast]( Six killed in another boiler blast at Neyveli Six persons were killed and 16 injured — 11 of them critically — after a boiler exploded at Unit V of the Thermal Power Station-II, in NLC India Ltd (NLCIL) in Neyveli on Wednesday. [ Smoke billows from a fire after an explosion at the Neyveli Lignite Corporation power plant in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district on July 1, 2020. ] Smoke billows from a fire after an explosion at the Neyveli Lignite Corporation power plant in Tamil Nadu’s Cuddalore district on July 1, 2020. Contract workers and permanent staff were active at the 210 MW unit when the accident occurred. The blast happened at around 10 am. This is the second accident at TPS-II. It may be recalled that five persons, including two permanent staff, were killed in a [boiler blast in Unit VI](on May 7. Boris Johnson offers refuge for 2.9 million Hong Kongers Denouncing the new security law that has been passed in Hong Kong as a violation of China’s treaty with Britain, U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in the House of Commons on Wednesday that he will introduce a new five-year visa scheme that could pave the way for British citizenship for as many as 2.9 million Hong Kong citizens who enjoy a British national (overseas) status. Asserting that the new security law imposed by China violates Hong Kong’s autonomy and threatens the freedoms and rights protected by the Sino-British joint declaration, Johnson said that if China continues down this path, then “we would introduce a new route to those with British national (overseas) status to enter the UK, granting them limited leave to remain with the ability to live and work in the UK and thereafter to apply for citizenship.” In brief: Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said governments [were trying to “manage the perceptions”]( and give a sense that the Covid-19 pandemic “is not as bad as it is”. In a conversation with four Indian nurses working in New Zealand, Australia, the U.K. and India, Gandhi asserted that it was important to accept and face the problem to effectively combat it. [Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi interacts with four Indian nurses working abroad. Photo: Twitter/@RahulGandhi ] Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi interacts with four Indian nurses working abroad. Photo: Twitter/@RahulGandhi Shortly after the ban on 59 Chinese apps came into force, Prime Minister Narendra Modi exited the Chinese social media platform Weibo. His account on Weibo went blank on Wednesday after his photo, posts, and comments were removed from the handle. The Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections for the April to June quarter stood at ₹1.86 lakh crore, a 41% drop in comparison to the ₹3.14 lakh crore collected in the same period last year. Revenues plunged during the lockdown but showed recovery by June, according to Finance Ministry data. Shashank Manohar will [step down as the first independent chairman of the International Cricket Council]( after his term came to an end on Wednesday. According to a media release sent by the ICC, Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja will take over as interim chairman till the election process is set in motion. A CRPF jawan was killed and three others were injured following a militant attack in north Kashmir’s Sopore area on Wednesday, a CRPF official said. An official said a civilian also died in the attack. Security sources said militants had opened indiscriminate fire on a CRPF patrol party in Model Town area of Sopore in the morning. A three-year old boy was also rescued during the attack. Yoga guru Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved has said there are no AYUSH Ministry restrictions [on selling Coronil](, a drug the company recently launched as a medicine for Covid-19. However, Patanjali is now calling it an “immunity booster”. The Union ministry confirmed that Patanjali can sell the product but not as a cure for Covid-19. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. 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