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Beijing has not disclosed the number of soldiers it lost.

In his radio address, Modi said: “...the entire country comes together in paying tributes to the bravery of our jawans who attained martyrdom in Ladakh. The entire country bows to them in reverence, with gratitude. Just like their family members, every Indian painfully regrets the loss.” He added that India, which is facing multiple challenges including the coronavirus disease pandemic, cyclones and locust attacks, also has had to “deal with the designs of some of our neighbours”.

The Prime Minister also appealed to citizens to use indigenously made products, saying being “vocal for local” is also a way to strengthen the country and to serve it. Modi said India’s aim is to become self-reliant, its tradition is trust and friendship, and its spirit is brotherhood.

“We will keep moving ahead abiding by these principles,” he said.“a self-reliant India would be a tribute to our martyrs in the truest, deepest sense.”

In May, the government announced a ₹20-lakh-crore welfare package to boost the economy and make India “self-reliant” in the face of the disruptions triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic.

In his radio address, Modi referred to a woman from Assam, who, he said, wrote that she has resolved to buy only local products after watching the developments in eastern Ladakh. “I am receiving messages on these lines from every corner of the country,” Modi said.

Amid the border face-off with China, clamour to boycott Chinese goods has been growing. Backers of the move say this will hurt the neighbouring country economically. An analysis of the World Bank’s World Integrated Trade Solution (WITS) database by HT on February 15 showed Chinese imports had an average share of almost 40% in India’s total capital goods imports, onefifth of consumer goods imports, and 15% of intermediate goods imports. The analysis was based on import data from 2014 to 2018.

In his address, Modi said that before Independence, India’s defence sector was ahead of that in many countries. “There used to be a multitude of ordnance factories. Many countries that lagged behind us then, are ahead of us now. After independence, we should have made efforts in the defence sector, taking advantage of our prior experience… we did not. But today, in the fields of defence and technology, India is relentlessly endeavouring to advance on those fronts… India is taking strides towards self-reliance,” he said.

The opposition Congress party, which has been unsparing in its criticism of the government’s handling of the border situation, took a fresh dig at the Prime Minister. “In 33 minutes of Mann ki Baat, he did not take the name of China even once. Why is the PM afraid of China?” the Congress’s chief spokesperson, Randeep Singh Surjewala, said. Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, too, questioned the Prime Minister over his “18 meetings” with Chinese President Xi Jinping in the last six years. “I implore the Prime Minister to say China is an aggressor,” he said.

While the Congress says the government has not come clean on the border situation and ceded ground to China, the Centre accuses the principal opposition party of politicising an issue of strategic interest.

Both India and China have significantly reinforced their deployments with fighter jets, helicopters, tanks, heavy artillery and missile systems in the region that has garnered extensive global attention in recent weeks, particularly after the bloodshed along the LAC.

Senior Indian and Chinese military commanders reached a consensus on disengaging from friction points along the LAC on June 22. However, China has not halted — and instead ramped up — its military activities in Galwan Valley, Depsang sector and the Finger Area near Pangong Tso, according to satellite images. in the country.

After 68 days of lockdown since March 25, India entered the “Unlock 1” phase in June, allowing the resumption of shopping malls, dine-in restaurants and religious places. Before that, the government allowed the gradual reopening of shops, and partial passenger railway services and domestic air travel. A call is expected on the reopening of educational institutes in July in the second phase. And in the third phase, the government will decide on resuming international air travel, cinema halls, gyms, swimming pools, bars, and auditoriums, among others.

While releasing the guidelines for “Unlock 1” in May-end, the government said the plan will have an “economic focus” as it looked to bring stalled businesses back on track and bolster the third largest economy in Asia, which is in the grip of a slowdown due to the impact of Covid-19 and the lockdown prompted by the pandemic.

“...during this unlock phase, many other things are getting unlocked, which had hitherto, shackled the country for decades,” Modi said, referring to the reform measures his government has okayed in the fields of agriculture, space, mining, and other sectors. Not just the pandemic, he said, the country has had to face several other challenges in recent times. “A few days ago, our east coast had to face the fury of cyclone Amphan; on the west coast, it was cyclone Nisarga. In many states, farmers had to bear the brunt of swarming locusts... many parts of the country have been witnessing intermittent earthquakes,” Modi said.

But he stressed that India transformed adversities into stepping stones to success in the past. “...For centuries, myriad tyrants invaded India, pushing her to the edge of such an abyss of adversities that people once used to feel that the very idea, the fabric of Bharat would be wiped out: her culture would be annihilated. But India overcame the scourge, and more gloriously so,” Modi said. ties in a calibrated manner, cases are expected to rise in the coming days.

Thackeray, in his address through Facebook live, said that the risk of Covid-19 and the battle against the virus has not passed yet, but the government is relaxing curbs in a phased manner. The state government is expected to decide on relaxations in industrial, commercial activities after the Central government issues its guidelines. Thackeray is scheduled to hold high-level meetings with his cabinet colleagues and top officials over the next two days.

He also has warned that the government machinery will be forced to impose stricter lockdown curbs again if the guidelines were not followed by people. “I have been getting requests from a few civic authorities for permission to impose stricter lockdown, owing to the rising numbers. There are cases of violations of curbs in some cities such as Mumbai, Pune and even in rural areas. In case of violations of curbs, we will have no option, but to go for stricter imposition of lockdown in areas with rise in cases,” he said.

Thackeray said that there will be a spike in infections in the next few weeks. “As we have been opening up activities to ensure the revival of the economy, we have been witnessing a rise in cases. As part of the relaxation, people step out of their homes, come in contact and spread the virus. Even in the near future, there will be a rise in cases as we open up more activities,” he said.

State health department expects the rise in cases during July and August. “There will be a modulating trend in terms of cases for the next few weeks, before we expect the plateau in August,” the official said, requesting anonymity.

After allowing salons and beauty parlours to open from Sunday in the fourth phase of Mission Begin Again, the state government is expected to extend more relaxations in transport facilities and industrial operations. It has also hinted at allowing more workforce in private and even government offices.

State has been reporting more than 5,000 cases a day for the past three days. It has seen 32, 551 cases and 1,259 deaths in the past seven days, with a daily average of 4,650 cases and 180 deaths respectively. Mumbai’s growth of cases has comparatively improved as it reported 9,051 cases and 700 deaths during this period.

State’s case fatality rate (CFR) dropped to 4.51% from 4.69% on June 16, the day on which there was an addition of 1,328 deaths as part of the reconciliation of data. The CFR was 3.79% on June 15. The recovery rate of the state has improved to 52.59% as 86,575 patients were reported to have recovered from the infection.

Thackeray said that the state government is ready to take on the surge. “We have increased testing facilities. Instead of waiting for the virus to attack us, we have been chasing it. After it has proven successful in Mumbai, the ‘chase the virus’ drive is being implemented elsewhere in the state. It will help us in containing the spread. The government has received permission from the Centre for the use of remdesivir and favipiravin, the antiviral drugs, and they will be made available to citizens free of cost once adequate stock is procured,” he said.

Thackeray said that the government was inaugurating plasma therapy testing centres in Maharashtra on Monday and it will, perhaps, help us Maharashtra become the top state to provide the facility with the highest number of tests for the therapy. We appeal to people who recovered from the infection to come forward for the test of therapy so that other patients can benefit from them,” he said. The CM also appealed to doctors from the private sector to come forward and guide their colleagues from the healthcare sector to treat patients effectively. suspension of five policemen, including an inspector and two sub-inspectors. Reports have emerged that at least one of the policemen has a history of aggressive behaviour and violence. There are also unsubstantiated reports that Bennicks may have previously refused to sell a mobile phone on EMI to one of the policemen.

On Sunday, Palaniswami further said guidelines have already been issued to police on how to deal with the public and traders, indicating that the men in khaki must have a humane. “They have been advised that public cannot be disturbed. If there is any issue, a case has to be filed and due action taken,” he said.

Meanwhile, Chennai Police Commissioner AK Viswanathan said guidelines laid down for police on handling arrests or accused persons include not even using hurtful language against them, and that beating them up is “unlawful”. He told reporters that there are a number of guidelines, besides Supreme Court directions, vis-a-vis arrests.

“Assault and torture (of the arrested) should not be done. As far as the Greater Chennai Police or the state police is concerned, we have reiterated that even language that could hurt someone should not be used,” he said.