Political prisoner’s life-threatening ailment remains untreated: Atiq Ur Rahman, a student activist, was arrested under anti-terrorism law UAPA when he was on his way with journalists to Hathras in Uttar Pradesh after on the rape and killing of a Dalit woman; he has a heart ailment that requires immediate treatment, but has been systemically denied this by the authorities

Vaccination pace too slow, India Ratings lowers GDP forecast: Linking India’s growth to the pace of vaccination, Fitch group company India Ratings on Thursday revised down its GDP forecast for the Indian economy; “Going by the pace of vaccination, it is now almost certain that India will not be able to vaccinate its entire adult population by 31 December 2021”

Taliban takes over Afghanistan: Taliban wanted India to retain its diplomatic presence in Afghanistan; A quick assessment done by the Indian side and its Afghan counterparts came to the conclusion that the request from the Taliban side could not be taken at face value and that the evacuation of the Indian diplomats and others should go ahead as planned

Casteism and reservations: BJP leaders raise pitch for ‘upper caste panel’ days after OBC bill gets Parliament approval; BJP leaders say general category is being neglected and a commission should be formed to address their complaints and grievances; this is despite the fact that upper caste groups are dominant in every desirable socio-economic indicator

Loss of momentum in economic recovery: The strong surge in India Inc’s profits seen after the first wave of Covid-19 is now losing momentum as demand recovery falters; The combined net profit of India’s top listed companies was down 12.4 per cent on a quarter-on-quarter basis while net sales declined 7.8 per cent