Daily News Dose: Sri Lanka president revokes emergency order | Apr 6, 2022

Hello, this is your daily dose of news from Onmanorama. I'm Ajish Jimmy George, and these are the major news stories of the day:

1. Sri Lanka president revokes emergency order, govt in disarray as economic crisis deepens

2. Should Congress be part of Left-Secular alliance: Yechury's views at odds with Kodiyeri's

3. PM Modi's meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar sparks buzz

4. Kerala Police develops counter-drone mechanism, launch soon

5. Tata Motors plans longer range EVs in 2 years with new design

Let’s get into the details.

Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa revoked a state of emergency late on Tuesday after dozens of lawmakers walked out of the ruling coalition, leaving his government in a minority in parliament as it struggled to quell protests amid the country's worst economic crisis in decades.

In another setback for the administration, Finance Minister Ali Sabry resigned a day after his appointment and ahead of crucial talks scheduled with the International Monetary Fund for a loan programme.

Rajapaksa dissolved his Cabinet on Monday and sought to form a unity government as public unrest surged over the ruling family's handling of the debt-heavy economy that has led to shortages of food and fuel and prolonged power cuts. A doctors' body also told the government there was an acute shortage of medicines that could collapse the health system.

CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury, in what looked like a rebuff of the anti-Congress line adopted by the Kerala unit of the CPM, has called for the “broadest possible front of all secular forces” to defeat the BJP. The CPM state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan, on the other hand, had consistently maintained that the Congress was a spent force and aggressively called for a national alliance with resurgent regional parties. 

Kodiyeri's argument was that regional parties strongly opposed to the Hindutva project were gaining strength in states. He even stood vindicated after the pathetic showing of the Congress and the stupendous victory of Aam Aadmi Party in the just concluded five Assembly polls. Kodiyeri's argument had also stemmed from the realisation that only by undermining the political significance of the Congress can the Left improve its Lok sabha tally from Kerala, the only state in the country where it is dominant.

However, while delivering the inaugural address at the delegate conference of the 23rd Party Congress in Kannur on Wednesday, Yechury made it evident that an alternative to the BJP would not be complete without the Congress party though it has shrunk to a pitiable state. 

Nonetheless, Yechury was critical of what the CPM perceived as the Congress's soft-Hindutva line. 

NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Wednesday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi against the backdrop of central agencies intensifying investigation against leaders of the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi.

Pawar was closeted with Modi at the Prime Minister's Office in Parliament for nearly 20 minutes.

The meeting comes on a day when the CBI took custody of former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh.

Deshmukh was taken into custody by the CBI team from the Arthur Road Prison in Central Mumbai and placed under arrest in connection with corruption allegations raised against him by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

The meeting also comes a day after the Enforcement Directorate attached assets worth more than Rs 11.15 crore of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut's wife and two of his associates in a money-laundering investigation linked to certain land deals.

Soon, the Kerala Police will launch an indigenously-developed 'killer drone' aimed at neutralising and destroying fighter drones.

The work of the product, which is being given finishing touches at the Kerala Police's Drone Forensic Research Institute functioning at the Special Armed Police (SAP) camp at Peroorkada in Thiruvananthapuram, is expected to be completed in two months.

The anti-drone can be fitted on jeeps and its radar can identify drones flying within a 5-km radius. The details such as the speed of the approaching drone and its direction will appear on the computer screen.

The approaching drone can be neutralised either using jammers or through lasers. Since it has been fitted on a jeep, the anti-drone can be used anywhere.

Tata Motors said it plans to launch electric vehicles, including SUVs, using a new design which will allow for a larger battery and a range of up to 500 kilometres.

The auto major, which on Wednesday showcased the electric SUV concept, aims to cater to the consumers who seek individuality and design differentiation, with the new product.

The vehicles launched under its new Curvv design will be based on a new architecture adapted for electric models.

Tata Motors plans to introduce the electric version of the coupe-style SUV first, and then follow it up with internal combustion engine trims.

Now, let’s check out the covid update:

With 1,086 new coronavirus infections being reported in a single day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,30,30,925 while the active cases dipped to 11,871.

The death toll climbed to 5,21,487 with 71 fresh fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry.

The daily positivity rate was recorded as 0.23 per cent and the weekly positivity rate as 0.22 per cent.

That brings us to the end of this episode. Be sure to come back tomorrow. As always, thanks for listening to Daily News Dose.