Latest News: Rainfall, Ladakh Policy, Kamal Haasan, and Covid-19
Support Our New Studio
We’re building a brand-new studio. It will bring you bold ground reports, sharp interviews, hard-hitting podcasts, explainers, and more. Support Scroll’s studio fund today.
Heavy Rainfall in North East Claims 36 Lives
Heavy rainfall in the North East has caused tragic incidents. Since Friday, 36 people have died.
- 11 deaths in Assam
- 10 deaths in Arunachal Pradesh
- 6 deaths in Meghalaya
- 5 deaths in Mizoram
- 3 deaths in Sikkim
- 1 death in Tripura
Over 5.5 lakh people have been affected by the severe rainfall. Mizoram alone reported over 550 landslides in the past 10 days. These landslides damaged more than 150 homes.
In Manipur, flash floods affected over 56,000 people. In Arunachal Pradesh, 156 villages in 23 districts were inundated. More than 10,000 people remain in relief camps in Tripura. Read on.
New Reservation and Domicile Policy for Ladakh
The Union government has announced new rules for a reservation and domicile policy in Ladakh. This comes after protests by political, religious, and social groups since 2019.
Key Points of the New Policy
- Only those who have stayed in Ladakh continuously for 15 years, starting from 2019, will qualify as domiciles.
- Non-native persons living in Ladakh will be considered domiciled only after 2034.
- 85% reservation for Scheduled Tribes in government jobs in Ladakh.
More than 97% of the population in Ladakh belongs to Scheduled Tribes. Earlier, only 80% of government jobs were reserved for them.
In August 2019, Ladakh residents lost exclusive rights to own immovable property and get government jobs. This was due to the rescinding of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370. Read on.
Kamal Haasan’s Remark and Film Release
Actor Kamal Haasan’s production house has told the Karnataka High Court that it will not seek to release the Tamil film Thug Life in Karnataka for now. The production house will discuss with the state’s Film Chamber of Commerce about Haasan’s remark that Kannada was “born out of Tamil”. This remark led to protests from pro-Kannada groups.
Haasan refused to apologize, saying he had “no malice” behind the remarks. However, the judge urged him to apologize, stating that his remarks had caused disharmony. The film, directed by Mani Ratnam, is scheduled for release on June 5. Read on.
Covid-19 Update: Active Cases Rise to 4,026
Active Covid-19 cases in India have risen to 4,026. Five new deaths were reported over the last 24 hours. This marks an increase of 65 active infections since Monday.
Details of the Deaths
- 2 deaths in Maharashtra
- 1 death in Kerala
- 1 death in Tamil Nadu
- 1 death in West Bengal
Four of the five people who died were elderly with pre-existing health conditions like diabetes and hypertension.
The number of active cases has surged since May 22, rising from 257 to more than 4,000. However, the variants causing the current rise in cases are not severe. They are sub-variants of Omicron. Read on.
Sign Up for Our Daily Brief Newsletter
If you haven’t already, sign up for our Daily Brief newsletter.
