| 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 safe. Former Union Minister Jaswant Singh no more Former Union Minister Jaswant Singh, 82, passed away this morning after a long illness at the Army's Research and Referral Hospital in New Delhi. Hospital officials said he had been admitted on June 25 this year and was being treated for sepsis and multi organ dysfunction syndrome, and effects of an old severe head injury. He had a cardiac arrest this morning. He is survived by his wife and two sons, including former Barmer MP Manvendra Singh. A veteran leader, Singh held the key positions of finance, defence and external affairs minister in governments headed by late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of the former Union Minister, tweeting : "Jaswant Singhji served our nation diligently, first as a soldier and later during his long association with politics. During Atalji's Government, he handled crucial portfolios and left a strong mark in the worlds of finance, defence and external affairs. Saddened by his demise." Singh, a former Army man himself, had dabbled in politics in his native Rajasthan in the 1960s after leaving the army, but came into the limelight in 1980, being elected to the Rajya Sabha by the newly formed BJP. He remained a part of either House of Parliament between 1980-2014, being elected to the Rajya Sabha five times, in 1980, 1986, 1998, 1999, 2004 and four times to the Lok Sabha in the years 1990, 1991, 1996, 2009. Suave and well-versed in language and diplomatese, he soon became the go-to man in his party for strategic affairs as well as finance, also serving for a spell as deputy chairperson of the planning commission. He was also the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha between 2004-2009. Singh was a close personal friend of former Prime Minister Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani. Farmers can break free of APMC shackles: Modi Less than 24 hours after the oldest ally in the NDA, the Shiromani Akali Dal, announced a parting of ways over the three farm Bills passed last week by Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted the benefits of the Bills in his monthly radio broadcast, "Mann ki Baat". Mr. Modi highlighted instances of farmers breaking free from restrictions imposed by the Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Acts in various States to trade their crops freely and profitably. The Prime Minister's remarks come after a stormy monsoon session of Parliament where the Bills, aimed at reforming trade in agricultural produce were cleared, sparking protests in various parts of the country by farmers groups and opposition parties.  BJP supporters listen to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat radio address in Kolkata on September 27, 2020. Referring to the Bills, Mr. Modi said, "Farmers now have the power to sell their produce anywhere and to anyone and they have the freedom to grow any crop and to sell it at a price best suited to them." He said even in this time of crisis, the agricultural sector of our country has again shown its resilience. The agricultural sector of the country, farmers, villages are the very basis of Atmanirbhar Bharat, a self-reliant India. "If they (farmers) remain strong then the foundation of Atmanirbhar Bharat will remain strong," he said. President gives assent to farm Bills Meanwhile, President Ram Nath Kovind on Sunday evening gave his assent to the three farm Bills that were passed in the Parliament last week and triggered protests in several parts of the country, especially in Punjab and Haryana. Two Bills – the Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, the Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill – were passed in the Parliament on September 20. The last one, the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill, was also approved by a voice vote in Rajya Sabha on September 22. These proposed legislations are now going to be implemented as law. A quick round up of the key provisions in these bills: The Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020 aims to permit the sale of agricultural produce outside the mandis regulated by the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees (APMC) constituted by different state legislations. The Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement of Price Assurance and Farm Services Bill, 2020, provides for contract farming. The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Bill 2020 deregulates the production, supply, distribution of food items like cereals, pulses, potatoes, onion and edible oilseeds. Ladakh BJP delegation calls off council poll boycott Government of India is open to discuss protection available under Sixth Schedule of the constitution to Ladakh, said Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju at a press conference on Sunday. He said, "The delegation has agreed to withdraw their demand to boycott the elections." The People's Movement, a platform representing various politicians, religious and social organisations campaigning for the Sixth Schedule for Ladakh, had on Tuesday announced a boycott of the upcoming elections to the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council-Leh, scheduled for October 16.  Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju and MoS for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy briefing on Ladakh issue. Mr. Rijiju said, "The delegation was assured that all issues related to land, jobs will be considered by the government. After 15 days of elections to Leh council, we will begin the process to consider their demand. Government of India is committed to empower Ladakh autonomous council in Leh and Kargil and would safeguard their interest." The Sixth Schedule protects tribal populations and provides autonomy to the communities through creation of autonomous development councils, which can frame laws on land, public health, agriculture etc. As of now 10 autonomous councils exist in Assam, Meghalaya, Tripura and Mizoram. Covid watch — Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India has crossed 6 million and stands at 60,68,928 at the time of publishing this newsletter with the death toll at 95,498. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Sunday cautioned that the Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) first sero-survey should not create a sense of complacency in people with regard to the virus. Speaking in his social media interaction Sunday Samvaad-3, Mr. Vardhan said indications from the up-coming second sero survey "are that India is far from having achieved any kind of herd immunity which necessitates that all of us should continue following COVID appropriate behaviour."  A health worker collects nasal swab samples from CRPF personnel at Jwala Heri market area in New Delhi on September 27, 2020. In a reversal, the Minister said the Health Ministry has advised against the wide usage of investigational therapies such as Remdesivir and plasma therapies. "Private hospitals have also been advised against routine use of these investigational therapies and doctors in the States/UTs have also been made aware of this," he said. Meanwhile, senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Uma Bharti tested positive for the coronavirus. In a tweet on Saturday, Bharti said that she had developed a mild fever during her trip to the Himalayas. She added that she will stay in quarantine at the Vande Mataram Kunj between Haridwar and Rishikesh and urged all those who came into contact with her to get tested. In Brief: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested another person from West Bengal's Murshidabad district for his alleged involvement with a Pakistan-sponsored module of the al-Qaeda, a senior officer said on Sunday. The NIA apprehended Shamim Ansari from his residence at Jalangi on Saturday, he said. "We have found his involvement with those arrested earlier. We have seized his mobile phone. He is being interrogated," the official said. The agency had earlier arrested nine people- six from West Bengal and three from Kerala- for their association with the Pakistan-sponsored module of the al-Qaeda. Former Bihar Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey on Sunday joined ruling Janata Dal (United). Mr. Pandey is likely to contest upcoming assembly poll on JD(U) ticket from Buxar seat. Mr Pandey joined JD(U) at the official residence of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in presence of Mr. Kumar and party leaders Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, Vijay Chaudhury and Ashok Chaudhury. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow | 
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