Morning Brief: WaPo Loses 200,000 Subscribers For Not Endorsing Kamala Harris; Long-Awaited Census To Begin In 2025; ONDC Jumps On Quick Commerce Bandwagon

Dear reader, make sense of the day’s news with Swarajya's roundup of what’s making headlines this morning. 

WaPo Loses 200,000 Subscribers For Not Endorsing Kamala Harris

The Washington Post is facing a backlash, reportedly losing over 200,000 subscriptions after its surprising decision not to endorse a candidate for president. Despite years of portraying Donald Trump as a threat to democracy, the paper has now opted not to back his opponent, Kamala Harris, leaving many readers perplexed.

Meanwhile, The Post was recently caught colluding with the Canadian government in a smear campaign against India, adding to its list of controversies. This sharp subscription loss is a blow to a paper already grappling with financial pressures.

This is a major setback for The Post, which had more than 2.5 million subscribers last year, primarily digital, placing it behind The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal in circulation. This move follows a similar decision by the Los Angeles Times, which also opted out of endorsing a candidate, costing them thousands of subscribers as well.

Long-Awaited Census To Begin In 2025

The nationwide census is now scheduled to start in 2025 and conclude in 2026. The census would gather data on India's population, covering categories like religion, class, and caste, including General, Scheduled Caste, and Scheduled Tribe classifications.

For the first time, respondents may be asked to identify sects, such as the Lingayats in Karnataka, who fall under the general category but consider themselves a distinct sect. BJP allies, including the JDU, LJP (Ram Vilas), and TDP, have pushed for a caste-based census to support underprivileged groups with essential data. The RSS has also expressed support for caste census data, and BJP has shown less opposition recently.

ONDC Jumps On Quick Commerce Bandwagon 

The Open Network for Digital Commerce (ONDC) is launching a new initiative aimed at delivering groceries and other items within 30 minutes to two hours, tapping into the growing popularity of quick commerce in India. The first phase will be supported by business-to-business e-commerce startup ElasticRun, along with Ola and PhonePe’s buyer app Pincode, leveraging their dark stores and delivery fleets for swift deliveries.

Quick commerce has become increasingly popular, particularly in major cities, with consumers demanding faster delivery options. While ONDC's service may not match the speed of competitors like Zepto and Blinkit, Managing Director T. Koshy stated that the initiative is designed to integrate various company services to meet consumer preferences. Instead of competing with private players, ONDC aims to encourage them to join its network, fostering collaboration in the e-commerce space.

Import Quota Concessions For IT Hardware Manufacturers

The government is considering concessions in import quotas for electronic hardware manufacturing companies that can enhance domestic production under the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme for IT hardware. In a recent meeting with stakeholders, officials requested companies to submit concrete production plans for the upcoming fiscal year for items like laptops, tablets, and servers. An official emphasized the need for companies to increase domestic value addition while minimizing business disruptions.

The proposal to grant additional import quotas based on improved PLI production is under discussion, as domestic manufacturing has yet to gain traction. With import restrictions on certain IT hardware imposed in August 2023, the government extended the import management system timeline for products like personal computers and laptops until December 31. In FY24, imports of these products reached $8.4 billion against an authorization of approximately $9.5 billion, with most goods sourced from China.

Other Developments

Disengagement Nearly Complete In Depsang, Demchok

India and China have nearly completed their phased disengagement at the two remaining face-off sites in eastern Ladakh’s Demchok and Depsang, with troops pulling back to almost pre-April 2020 positions after dismantling temporary structures like posts, sheds, and tents. The next step involves fully verifying the mutual pullback over the coming two days, using both physical checks and UAV surveillance.

Once verified, coordinated patrolling by both sides will commence, with the Indian Army set to launch its patrols in Depsang and Demchok by month’s end after notifying the PLA to prevent any potential clashes. China’s PLA will similarly notify India before beginning its own patrols. Meanwhile, talks are ongoing to reduce tensions in other sensitive areas, including Yangtse, Asaphila, and the Subansiri river valley in Arunachal.

Pension In The Works For 85 Lakhs Construction Workers

The government is considering utilising the Rs 76,000 crore corpus generated from the building and construction workers’ cess to provide a minimum pension for unorganised workers over the age of 60. This initiative aims to offer social security to these workers in retirement and would require an amendment to The Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Act of 1996, according to sources familiar with the discussions.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment estimates that there are approximately 85 lakh workers engaged in building and construction across the country. To gather data on these workers, the ministry is relying on the eShram portal; however, only 27.3 million construction workers have registered on the portal so far. The BOCW fund, which supports this initiative, is financed by a 1 per cent cess on the construction costs of all infrastructure projects, collected by states and remitted to the welfare fund.

From The States

Punjab: SGPC Amplifies Trudeau's Propaganda

The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the governing body of gurdwaras, has passed a resolution expressing concerns about the safety of Sikhs in Canada, effectively amplifying Canadian propaganda. The resolution was adopted during the first meeting of the newly elected general body led by Harjinder Singh Dhami.

This stance overlooks the fact that India has always been open to collaborating with Canada, while it is Canada, under Justin Trudeau, that has chosen to hurl accusations without any proof instead of working together.

Dhami's call plays into narratives that favor Canadian perspectives. His recent victory over Bibi Jagir Kaur, backed by a dissident faction of the Shiromani Akali Dal, further consolidates his influence, raising concerns about the SGPC's role in promoting external interests over the welfare of the Sikh community.

Maharashtra: Confusion Reigns Over Seat Allocations As Deadline Approaches

The Maharashtra assembly election is clouded by confusion over seat allocations, both in the ruling alliance and the opposition. As the deadline for filing nominations approached, nine seats in the ruling alliance remained unannounced, while the Maha Vikas Aghadi struggled to finalize its seat-sharing arrangement, having previously discussed allocations of 85-85-95 but now presenting a mixed bag of numbers.

In the ruling alliance, the BJP initially planned to contest 150 seats but revised its target to 146, reserving four for smaller allies. Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena faction led by Eknath Shinde has now declared 80 candidates, including two seats allocated to smaller parties. In the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the Congress has announced 103 candidates, while Uddhav Thackeray's faction of the Shiv Sena and Sharad Pawar's NCP have declared 87 and 82 candidates, respectively, totaling 272 out of the 288 seats in the state.

Stay tuned for more insights throughout the day.