From The Newsroom: Govt has no data on migrant labourers' job loss; 25 MPs test positive for Covid-19

In your evening news brief, From The Newsroom, Government has no data about job loss of migrant labourers during lockdown; KSRTC switches to environment-friendly ticketing technology; 25 MPs, including Meenakshi Lekhi, Anant Kumar Hegde and Parvesh Sahib Singh, test positive for Covid-19, and Centre tells Delhi High Court that marriage between same-sex couples was "not permissible".

Here are the top news of today, Sunday: September 14, 2020:

The government has no data about deaths and job loss of migrant labourers during the national lockdown imposed due to the Covid-19, the Ministry of Labour and Employment informed Lok Sabha on Monday.

It also did not have any report of forced retention of migrant labourers who wanted to return to their home states. This was disclosed by Labour Minister Santosh Gangwar in a series of written replies in Lok Sabha.

Gangwar also said that the Centre does not have a state-wise break up of distribution of free ration to migrant workers though the government pegged the number of migrant labourers who returned to their home states at 1.04 crore as per data available at present.

Among the states, Uttar Pradesh saw the highest number of migrant labourers returning home at 32.49 lakh followed by Bihar with over 15 lakh. Railways operated at least 4,611 Shramik Special (Workers' Special) trains and ferried around 63.07 lakh migrant workers to various destinations by providing free water and food during the journey.

"No such data is maintained" was the Minister's answer to separate questions seeking the number of migrant labourers who lost their jobs, who died while returning to home during lockdown and ration provided to them.

While state-wise details on free ration was "not available", Gangwar said 80 crore people are being provided additional five kg wheat or rice and one kg of preferred pulses, free of cost every month till November to all the beneficiaries under provisions of National Food Security Act.

To a question on the total quantum of amount withdrawn from Employees’ Provident Fund account during the pandemic from March 25 to August 31, the Minister pegged the figure at Rs 39,402.94 crore. Maharashtra topped the list with Rs 7,837.85 crore followed by Karnataka at Rs 5,743.96 crore.

The KSRTC will do away with the plastic pipe holding the small rolls of paper in the electronic ticketing machines (ETM) as the corporation switches to environment friendly technology.

Karnataka State Road Transoprt Corporation (KSRTC) and its sister corporations use about 1.5 crore of ETM rolls per year to print the tickets.

The corporation procures the paper which is then cut into smaller rolls in the Karnataka State Transport Press. Established in 1952, the press has been supplying various materials to the corporations.

On Monday, KSRTC installed two new slitting machines that cuts the jumbo reels into small rolls used by the bus conductors in the hand-held ETMs.

Earlier, the paper was rolled around plastic pipes each of which cost about 50 paise. The corporation said that the switch to environment friendly technology will save about Rs.75 lakhs per year to the corporation.

The machines can produce 16,000 rolls per day and KSRTC press can earn up to Rs 4.80 crore annually.

KSRTC Chairman M Chandrappa, who inaugurated the machines, said two more such machines will be installed in the coming days. The press can they supply the rolls to BMTC, NEKRTC and NWKRTC as well.

25 MPs, including Meenakshi Lekhi, Anant Kumar Hegde and Parvesh Sahib Singh, tested positive for Covid-19 on first day of Parliament Monsoon Session, reports ANI.The infected MPs include 12 from BJP, two from YSR Congress and one each from Shiv Sena, DMK and RLP, according to reports.

The Centre on Monday told the Delhi High Court that marriage between same sex couples was "not permissible" as it is not recognised by "our laws, legal system, society and our values".

The submission was made before a bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice Prateek Jalan by Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta during hearing of a PIL seeking a declaration that same sex marriages be recognised under the Hindu Marriage Act (HMA) and Special Marriage Act.

Mehta opposed the relief sought in the petition saying "our laws, our legal system, our society and our values do not recognise a marriage, which is a sacrament, between same sex couples".

He said the plea to grant recognition to or permit registration of such marriages was "not permissible" for two reasons -- firstly, the petition was asking the court to legislate and secondly, any relief granted "would run contrary to various statutory provisions".

"Unless court does violence to various laws, this cannot be done," he added.

Mehta also said that under the HMA, the various provisions regulating marriages or prohibited relationships talk of husband and wife and therefore, who would be assigned these roles where a same sex couple was concerned.

The bench observed that the world over things were changing, but it may or may not be applicable to India.

Israelis reacted with anger and dismay Monday at an imminent nationwide lockdown aimed at curbing one of the world's highest novel coronavirus infection rates.

"It's unfair!" lamented Eti Avishai, a 64-year-old seamstress, hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced a three-week lockdown will start on Friday.

"They didn't stop the big gatherings in synagogues, the weddings and the other events, and now I can't be with my children and grandchildren during the holidays?" she added.

The shutdown will be implemented hours before the start of the Jewish New Year and the High Holidays, which also include the Day of Atonement and Sukkot.

While Israelis largely accepted the strict lockdown imposed at the onset of the pandemic in March, this time many are frustrated at the way the health crisis has been handled since businesses and schools reopened in May.

Source: DHNS / PTI/ AFP

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