Daily Briefing: How 41 trapped workers are coping in Uttarkashi, what’s happening in Vasundhara Raje’s bastion, and more

Basic media editing and computer skills, a ‘clean’ phone, some determination and Rs 300 — that is all it takes to turn the tables on predatory lending apps.

Find out how borrowers are scamming the scammers, in part 2 of our investigation into fake loan apps. 

ICYMI, catch up with part 1 here.

In a significant development in the operation to rescue 41 workers trapped inside the under-construction Silkyara-Barkot tunnel in Uttarakhand’s Uttarkashi, a six-inch pipe to supply essential commodities successfully reached the men on Monday. 

The men, meanwhile, have found different ways to keep themselves going, physically and mentally: from yoga, to regular communication with their loved ones. We talk to Dr Abhishek Sharma, a government-appointed psychiatrist overseeing their mental health, to find out more about their resilient spirits. 

We also talk to experts about the tunnel collapse: why it happened, and what preventive measures are crucial in avoiding such incidents. 

📌 In strong remarks, the Supreme Court on Monday asked why the Tamil Nadu Governor had acted on some Bills sent for his assent only after the matter had reached the court. Saying that the Bills had been pending since January 2020, it asked: “What was the Governor doing for three years?” Read our report for more.

📌 What does the Constitution say about the Governor’s right to withhold assent to Bills? We explain. 

📌 A team of researchers from IIT-Ropar has detected the presence of tantalum, a rare metal used in manufacturing of electronic components, in the Sutlej river sand in Punjab. Find out why this is significant

📌 Former President Ram Nath Kovind, who heads the government-appointed committee on ‘one nation, one election’, on Monday said that holding simultaneous polls would benefit the public as well as whichever party was in power at the Centre. Read more here

📌 While hearing The Kashmir Walla news portal founder Fahad Shah’s plea, the Jammu & Kashmir High Court has said that an investigating agency has to justify the arrest of an accused under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on the anvil of “clear and present danger” to the society when opposing his bail, reports Bashaarat Masood.

📌 Liz Mathew reports on the disquiet in Rajasthan’s Hadoti region, known as Vasundhara Raje’s bastion, over her place in the state BJP. Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh, Samajwadi Party Akhilesh Yadav, stung by Congress’ ignoral of calls for alliance, is going all guns blazing, hoping to make a bang, writes Lalmani Verma. 

📌 In Opinion section, Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov argues that the “so-called rules of the international order are never formulated but are designed to retain the decisive say of the Global North in international affairs.” 

🏏 At the end of 48 matches where Australia, perhaps inevitably, were crowned champions, there is a lingering question that the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup leaves us with. What is a “World Cup” supposed to be?

🤫 In Delhi Confidential, rumours of Madhuri Dixit joining the BJP gains force after she receives a special award at IFFI, Goa, and Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya buys cotton garments from the Tribes India stall at the International Trade Fair and pays via UPI.

🎧 In today’s 3 Things podcast, we discuss the ban on ‘halal’ products, quota in private companies, and the latest updates from Uttarakhand tunnel rescue.

Business As Usual by E P Unny