Morning Digest | Ban on production of specific plastic goods from July 2022; Industry’s practices are against national interest, says Piyush Goyal, and more

Come July next year, the manufacture of a range of plastic products will be banned. These include ear buds with plastic sticks, plastic sticks for balloons, plastic flags, candy sticks, ice-cream sticks, thermocol for decoration, plates, cups, glasses, cutlery such as forks, spoons, knives, straws, trays, wrapping or packing films around sweet boxes, invitation cards, and cigarette packets, plastic or PVC banners less than 100 microns, and stirrers.

An unprovoked 19-minute tirade from Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on August 12, asserting that Indian industry’s business practices went against national interests, has left India Inc CEOs baffled, with Mr. Goyal repeatedly singling out the 153-year old Tata group in comments that he said came straight from his ‘heart’.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin reiterated that the DMK government would not go back on its electoral promises because of the financial crisis and said that rather than freebies, they should be seen as schemes to improve the livelihood of people.

A Class 12 student from Delhi has moved the Supreme Court to direct the Union and State governments to stop vacillating and take a “holistic, equitable and speedy” decision on the reopening of schools that were closed due to the pandemic.

Three persons accused of assaulting a Muslim man and forcing him to chant Jai Shri Ram, were released on bail less than a day after they were arrested, Kanpur police said on Friday.

The Bombay High Court will pronounce its order on August 14 in pleas challenging the new Information Technology Rules, 2021 and seeking a stay on its implementation as they violate fundamental rights .

Swollen waters of river Ganga inundated many places from Buxar to Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district of Bihar on Friday and threatened to flood the State capital, Patna. Thousands of people have been shifted from flooded areas to relief camps set up by the government.

For the second time in the past week, Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mukul Roy, who switched camp to the party from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) after the West Bengal Assembly election results, expressed his support to the BJP.

China on Friday rejected the World Health Organization’s calls for a renewed probe into the origins of COVID-19, saying it supported “scientific” over “political” efforts to find out how the virus started.

Skipper Joe Root and Rory Burns helped England recover from early setbacks, to reach 118 for three in their first innings in reply to India’s 364 all out at stumps on the second day of the second Test against England in London on Thursday.