Good morning, From the latest on the economic crisis in Sri Lanka, to how TMC leader Babul Supriyo is now reinventing himself – here are the top stories from today’s edition. The Big Story
With rising risks of the monetary policy falling behind the curve, the Reserve Bank of India has finally shifted its priorities to tackle inflation from reviving growth, with the possibility of a hike in its key policy rate — the repo rate or the rate at which the RBI lends to banks — in the coming months. While maintaining an accommodative stance, the central bank has signalled a calibrated removal of accommodation in this financial year going forward. Only in the Express As the crisis grows and with just a week to go for the Tamil and Sinhala new year on April 14 — usually a time when all of Sri Lanka makes a beeline to grocery stores to stock up for the nearly weeklong holiday — the stores and their shelves are empty, and the lines at fuel pumps are long. Inside homes, the mood is despondent. On the streets, there is palpable anger against the family that the Sinhala Buddhist-majority had worshipped not so long ago for defeating the LTTE.
From the Front Page Along a narrow, bustling street at Topkhana Bazar in Lucknow, Qaiser Jahan stood under the summer sun with her vegetable cart. Around the same time, at a university ground in Potchefstroom in South Africa, her daughter Mumtaz slid in from the right of the goalpost on one knee, flung her hockey stick forward and deflected the ball past South Korea’s goalkeeper. The goal set the tone for India’s 3-0 win over South Korea in the quarterfinals of the Junior World Cup, making sure the team reached the last-four stage of the competition for only the second time in history. Issues like halal meat and hijab could win some votes, but the government must focus on the implementation of budgetary proposals and infrastructure projects; the state BJP unit is set for a complete overhaul; and early elections are unlikely. These are some of the messages Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai takes back from his recent visit to Delhi. The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare announced that the “precautionary” third dose of Covid-19 vaccines would be available for all those aged above 18 years who have completed nine months after their second dose, on payment at private vaccination centres, from April 10. So far, only those above 60 years, healthcare workers and frontline workers were eligible for the third dose. 
Devotees leave after offering prayers during the holy month of Ramadan, at Jama Masjid in New Delhi. (📸: Amit Mehra) Must Read
For TMC leader Babul Supriyo, more than his political rivals, his past in the BJP is being talked about as a hurdle in his attempt to get elected from the Ballygunge Assembly constituency, where a by-poll will be held on April 12. Supriyo was the MP from Asansol when communal violence broke out in the city in Paschim Bardhaman district during Ram Navami celebrations in 2018. This is a potential pitfall for the TMC candidate in Ballygunge where more than 30 per cent of the electorate is Muslim. Now he is on a drive to reach out to Muslims and dissociate himself from his time in the BJP. Economist and former Union Minister Yoginder K Alagh writes on the time Rajiv Gandhi and Mikhail Gorbachev set up a joint Indo-Soviet group to reform their economies: “I was told by the PMO to get cracking. I was aghast. We were well into reform. The last thing we wanted was bilateral exchange based trade. They told me I have no options. Clenching my teeth, working on second best options, I wrote to all the ministries. Check your list of projects not sanctioned but is of priority to you, and where you think the Soviets are doing well.” A district court in Delhi on Friday stayed a magistrate’s order directing the CBI to withdraw its Look Out Circular (LOC) against former Amnesty International India chief Aakar Patel, and asked him not to leave the country without the permission of the court. So what is a Look Out circular and under what circumstances is one issued? We explain. And Finally...
Check out Shalini Langer’s review ‘Fantastic Beasts The Secrets of Dumbledore’: “The problem with a film that calls itself The Secrets of Dumbledore is that it should have some secrets to tell. Admittedly, that can be difficult for a venture that is the 11th movie in the wizard film franchise, and third in the Fantastic Beasts series. However, this JK Rowing-David Yates endeavour almost rushes through that one big secret which this series has been building up to.” 🤫 Delhi Confidential: During a recent news conference, Union minister Giriraj Singh, who is known for controversial remarks with communal undertones, was nervous as it was the first time he was addressing reporters at the BJP headquarters. He was asked to talk on PM Awas Yojana. After his initial remarks, in which he compared the number of houses constructed during this government’s time with that of the previous ones, Singh announced that he would not take any question other than those on the scheme. Once done with the news conference, Singh was heard thanking God and his stars that he stuck to the topic and not touch any contentious issue. Until tomorrow, Rahel Philipose and Rounak Bagchi
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