The Evening Wrap Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day’s biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying home and staying safe. Here are the big stories that you need to follow today: No train or bus fare for migrants: Supreme Court The Supreme Court ordered today that stranded migrant workers will not be charged train or bus fares for their journey back home to their villages. These fares would be pooled between the State from where their journey originated, and the destination State, it said. The court also said shelter, food, and water would be provided by the originating State at notified places to workers waiting for their transport home. Besides these interim directions, in the course of a nearly three-hour video-conference hearing, the court also sought details from the government on the number of stranded workers, and plans for their registration and transportation. A hearing has now been scheduled for June 5. Notably, for the first time during the course of this Covid-19 sparked national emergency, the court questioned the government on its “lapses” in providing adequate food, shelter and transportation to thousands of migrant workers. The Centre maintained that the workers were “locally instigated” to walk home. Solicitor general Tushar Mehta blamed the “prophets of doom” and “armchair intellectuals” for stirring trouble and weakening the resolve of the country to battle the pandemic. He said the court should not be allowed to be made into a political platform. Terror attack in Pulwama averted A suicide attack was averted by security forces today after they tracked a vehicle laden with explosives and defused them in south Kashmir’s Pulwama. “A timely action of security forces averted a major tragedy. A suicide attacker jumped two checkpoints before leaving the vehicle behind another, late at night yesterday at Ayegund area of Rajpora, Pulwama”, said Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kashmir, Vijay Kumar. About 40 to 45 kg of explosive material were fitted in the vehicle and a blast could have been similar to the 2019 Pulwama explosion in south Kashmir that killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. “They were fitted in the vehicle jointly by Hizb-ul-Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Muhammad militants. Experts will study them”, the IGP said. Locusts descend on Rajasthan About 90,000 hectares in 20 districts of Rajasthan have been affected by a locust invasion, officials said on Thursday. About 4,000 hectares of crops in Sri Ganganagar and 100 hectares in Nagaur have been destroyed. Around 90,000 hectares in 20 districts have been affected in the state due to the locust attack, Om Prakash, Commissioner of the Agriculture Department, told PTI. He said the department carried out locust control operations on 67,000 hectares. Locusts can travel up to 150 km a day at a speed of 15-20 km per hour. Since there are no standing crops in the fields, they are targeting trees and other available vegetation, the official added. Sonia launches ‘Speak up India’ campaign Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday asked the government to transfer ₹7,500 to every migrant worker and poor family for the next six months and make an immediate cash transfer of ₹10,000 to tide over the difficulties caused by the COVID-19 lockdown. Launching the ‘Speak Up India’ campaign on social media platforms, she also asked the government to ensure free transport for migrant workers, free rations, and 200 days of employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the villages to which they had returned. “Once again, we appeal to the Union government to open the lock of the treasury and provide relief to the needy,” Gandhi said. Trump steps up battle with Twitter The BBC is reporting that US President Donald Trump will sign an executive order targeting social media firms, though it is unclear what kind of action the President can take without the law being first passed by Congress. This is the result of a feud sparked by Twitter’s move to introduce a ‘get the facts’ option for one of Trump’s tweets. He responded by accusing the social media company of interfering in the 2020 elections and stifling conservative voices. White House officials are yet to share details about the executive order which is set to be signed on Thursday. Covid watch: Numbers and Developments On Day 65 of the lockdown, India’s total count of cases stood at 1,60,382 at the time of publishing this newsletter, and the death toll has crossed 4,565. With several new coronavirus cases being reported over the past few days, Karnataka has banned the entry of people from five states: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Meanwhile, 827 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Tamil Nadu on Thursday, taking the total in the state to 19,372. In Brief: The Delhi High Court has questioned the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for acting in “inexplicable, frantic hurry” to whisk away civil rights activist Gautam Navlakha to Mumbai, even as his interim bail plea was pending before the high court here. The BJP will hold a series of digital rallies to mark the first anniversary of the second Modi government. The month-long campaign will see such “rallies” held in nearly every district in India, according to a spokesperson. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. | 
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