On April 4 2023, China’s Ministry of Civil Affairs announced the “standardization” of the names of 11 places in India’s Arunachal Pradesh, accompanied by a map suggesting this region is part of a Southern Tibetan area known as “Zangnan”. This is yet another attempt from China to lay claim to parts of Indian territory. Reaching close to the state’s capital Itanagar, the situation might turn sour if not resolved in a timely manner.
The Election Commission asked the Union Government to take responsibility for the question whether disqualified lawmakers should be banned from contesting elections for five years or not. Further, unrest broke out in West Bengal following communal clashes during Ram Navami processions.
Good news come from the economic front, as India’s net direct tax collections have risen 17.63% in 2022-23 with over ₹16.61 lakh crore collected. Suspicion led to a Noida carpenter emerge as the prime suspect in the arson attack in a coach of the Alappuzha-Kannur Executive Express in Kerala. The Union Health Minister, Mr. Mansukh Mandaviya, stated that India has enough vaccine stock, and no additional procurement is needed yet.
The political war of words has continued in West Bengal between the TMC and BJP over the communal flare-ups. Meanwhile, the Health Minister also announced that the price of 651 essential drugs had gone down 6.7% from April 1 due to fixing of the ceiling prices by the NPPA.
BJP questioned the competency of the Bihar Chief Minster, Nitish Kumar, after the recent communal violence that erupted in the state. The party also stated that Mr. Kumar has lost his will to govern and should focus more on state. Last, but not least, France is entering a discussion to legalise euthanasia, and Malaysia has voted to scrap mandatory death sentences.
On the sports front, Chennai Super Kings returned home to a warm welcome and secured a 12-run victory against Lucknow Super Giants in IPL. Ruturaj Gaikwad, Devon Conway and Moeen Ali starred for CSK to earn the win.
Overall, the day had important news from multiple domains – politics, economy and sports. It will be important to keep in mind the legal implications of the Chinese announcement, and effects from the economic and political updates from West Bengal, Bihar and France over the upcoming days.
