| 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. LAC standoff: Rajnath categorically conveys India's position to Chinese counterpart Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has "categorically" conveyed India's position to China on the developments along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), in his meeting with his Chinese counterpart Gen Wei Fenghe in Moscow, Defence Ministry said on Saturday. On the other hand, in a statement issued by China's official media, Gen Wei was quoted as saying India was "entirely" responsible for the border tensions and China would not give up "an inch of its territory". "Defence Minister stated clearly that the Indian troops had always taken a very responsible approach towards border management, but at the same time there should also be no doubt about our determination to protect India's sovereignty and territorial integrity," the Ministry said. He also emphasised that the actions of the Chinese troops, including amassing of large number of troops, their aggressive behaviour, and attempts to "unilaterally alter the status quo" were in violation of the bilateral agreements. The two ministers met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting late on Friday evening and spoke for over two hours. They had "frank and in-depth discussions" about the developments in the border areas as well as on India-China relations. The meeting, the first between the Defence Ministers since the stand-off in Eastern Ladakh began in early May, came in the midst of a major escalation on the South Bank of Panging Tso last week. Singh further said that the current situation should be handled responsibly and that neither side should take any further action that could either complicate the situation or escalate matters in the border areas. "The Chinese Defence Minister suggested that both sides should maintain communication at all levels, including between the two Ministers," the Ministry said. For the first time, govt allows on-demand Covid-19 testing The Union Health Ministry on Saturday issued an updated advisory for Covid-19 testing, simplifying the process and giving more flexibility to the State authorities to facilitate enhanced ease of testing. "For the first time, along with more simplified modalities, the updated guidelines provide for 'on demand' testing in order to ensure higher levels of testing. These changes have been brought in on the recommendations of the National Task Force on Covid-19," said a release issued by the Ministry.  A health worker checks the temperature of a man at the Saidapet Metro Station in Chennai on September 5, 2020 during a trial run ahead of resumption of Chennai Metro services. "A totally new section, "Testing on Demand", has been added in the advisory which, for all practical purposes, does away with prescription by a registered medical practitioner, although the State governments have the freedom to decide on the simplified modalities," the Ministry said. As per the new addition, testing will be provided to all individuals undertaking travel to countries/Indian States mandating a negative Covid-19 test at the point of entry, and also to all individuals who wish to get themselves tested. Tracking and contact tracing mechanisms should be ensured by the testing laboratories by notifying the public health authorities,'' the Ministry said. Giving details on the frequency of testing, a senior health Ministry official noted that as per the advisory, a single RT-PCR/TrueNat/CBNAAT/ Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) positive test was to be considered confirmatory, without any repeat testing. NCW chief seeks arrest of Shiv Sena MLA for allegedly threatening Kangana Ranaut National Commission for Women chairperson Rekha Sharma on Friday sought the arrest of a Shiv Sena MLA for allegedly threatening Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut. Referring to reports about Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik threatening Ranaut, Sharma said she was taking suo motu cognisance of the matter. "He must immediately get arrested @CPMumbaiPolice. Taking suo motu," she said in a tweet. In a letter issued to Maharashtra DGP S.K. Jaiswal, Sharma said the Commission has taken serious note of the "hatred and threats" given on social media against a woman by persons holding responsible positions.  Kangana Ranaut "The Commission being concerned about the safety and security of women of the country advises that strict action may be taken against Pratap Sarnaik in the above mentioned matter as per the provision of law and a feedback be apprised to the Commission at an early date," she said. Sarnaik, in a tweet, had demanded that Ranaut be booked for sedition for comparing Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. "MP Sanjay Raut cautioned Kangana in a very mild way. If she comes here then our brave women will not leave without slapping her. I will demand Kangana to be booked for sedition for comparing Mumbai, the city which creates industrialists and film stars, to PoK," Sarnaik tweeted in Marathi. His comments come after Ranaut accused Shiv Sena leader Raut of threatening her. She had also claimed, in a tweet, that Mumbai now felt like Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to her. Akhilesh Gundecha steps down from Dhrupad Sansthan amid sexual harassment charges The Dhrupad Sansthan in Bhopal has said it has launched an inquiry into allegations of sexual misconduct against Akhilesh Gundecha, a pakhawaj player and a music teacher, who had voluntarily recused himself from all activities of the organisation which promotes the dhrupad style of Hindustani classical music. The Gundecha brothers – Umakant, Ramakant and Akhilesh – are eminent Hindustani classical musicians and vocalists. In a statement issued on September 3, the organisation's chairman Umakant Gundecha said, "We have instituted an internal committee for prevention and redressal of all issues. This committee shall be the primary point of contact for any and all issues relating to the safety of women." The committee will look into complaints brought to its notice and "strive to deliver justice without prejudice".  Akhilesh Gundecha. File Former students have also levelled similar charges, on Facebook, against late Ramakant Gundecha, part of the Gundecha Brothers duo with Umakant. He died last year. The organisation, located on the outskirts of Bhopal, houses a hostel which invites students from across the world. A Facebook post shared four days ago accused the two brothers of different forms of abuses for years. "We, men and women; from all over the world: India, Europe, Asia and America; adults but minor(s) too; witnesses and victims, are coming together to testify about psychological, physical and sexual abuses by Akhilesh and Ramakant Gundecha," the post said. Stating that they had been "prisoners of this silence" for the fear of reprisals, the post claimed the brothers weren't afraid to sexually harass them during one-on-one classes and told many students to oblige them if they wanted to have a career in music. Further, it claimed the organisation was tainted by the "psychological, physical and sexual assault; by the abuses of power of Ramakant and Akhilesh Gundecha", and "today they found the strength to break the silence". Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 40,95,906 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 70,609. Reacting to India's Covid-19 tally crossing the 40 lakh mark on Friday, former Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram on Saturday said the country may touch the 65 lakh mark by September end. In a series of tweets, Chidamabaram took a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's assertion about winning the battle in 21 days and claimed India was the only country that couldn't gain from the lockdown. "I had predicted that total number of infections will reach 55 lakh by September 30. I am wrong. India will reach that number by September 20. By end-September, the number may touch 65 lakh," he said. "The only country that is not reaping the benefit of the lockdown strategy appears to be India. PM Modi who promised that we will defeat coronavirus in 21 days must explain why India failed when other countries seem to have succeeded," he added. Parliament convened to pass a "few ordinances that will further scuttle democratic rights' says Yechury CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury has hit out at the BJP-led government at the Centre, saying it is pursuing the policy of 'Atma Samarpan Bharat' in the name of 'Atma Nirbhar Bharat' by privatising all government entities and PSUs.He also said the Centre was trying to muffle the Opposition voices by using draconian laws and slapping sedition charges against them. Speaking at a closed-door virtual meeting of the CPI(M) state committee on Friday night, Yechury expressed the apprehension that the coming Parliament session has been convened to pass a "few ordinances which will further scuttle the democratic rights of the people." Criticising the Modi government's foreign policy of "turning the country into a subordinate ally of the USA," he iterated the importance of peaceful talks to resolve the border crisis with China. In Brief: Andhra Pradesh has retained the top position in the ranking of states and union territories (UTs) based on the implementation of the business reform action plan, according to a report released by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday. Uttar Pradesh and Telangana were placed at the second and third place, respectively in the ease of doing business for 2019, prepared by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT).The parameters for evaluation included areas such as construction permit, labour regulation, environmental registration, access to information, land availability, and single-window system. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. | 
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