News Digest: In Age of E-Tailing, 'Dakiya' To Get Smart & Look Smart Too

Here are some important reports from the biggest newspapers of India.

1.) In age of e-tailing, 'Dakiya' to get smart & look smart too

The good old dakiya is in for a corporate makeover. Out goes dull khaki, in come baseball caps and a colourful uniform. With e-commerce-backed logistics companies breathing down their necks, thousands of postmen and women will soon be seen in a new avatar to keep up with the competition, The Times of India reports.

The move comes along with the plan to set up India Post's payments bank under which postmen will also be given smartphones and iPads to help them facilitate transactions at doorsteps. E-commerce companies including Flipkart and Snapdeal are looking to invest in the sec tor to cut down on delivery times. Flipkart has announced that it will invest around $2 billion in logistics over the next four years.

2.) Flipkart shuts 30-day window for returns

Flipkart has revised its return policy, narrowing the window when a customer can send back a product bought on its website to 10 days from the previous 30 on most top-selling products. The leader of India's ecommerce space also told sellers on the platform that they will have to pay higher commissions from June 20, The Economic Times reported.

The no-questions-asked return policy followed by ecommerce firms has led to a logistical nightmare and additional operational expenses for sellers on online marketplaces as they have to pay for the return shipping.

3.) NDA has taken Kashmiris from IS to IAS: Mukhtar

It was with a rather puzzling statement that Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi sought to emphasise the progress he said minorities had made under the Modi government. “Youths in Kashmir earlier joined ISIS. They have now started joining the IAS (Indian Administrative Service). The second-ranker in this year's civil services examination is a Kashmiri,“ the minister of state for minority affairs said.

Naqvi was referring to the success of Kashmiri youth Athar Aamir-ul-Shafi Khan. For the record, not a single case has been filed against a Kashmiri for joining the terror outfit, The Times of India reported.

4.) Govt tunes hare rama hare krishna with UP polls

Ahead of UP elections, the Culture Ministry has set up two national committees for the Ramayana and Krishna circuits, bringing in religious leaders, spiritual gurus, educationists associated with RSS-backed organisations and a journalist. The teams were set up last week to advise the government on developing the two circuits as religious tourism destinations.

The Ramayana Circuit National Committee will be chaired by Ram Avtar Sharma, who heads the Shri Ram Sanskritik Shodh Sansthan Nyas, The Economic Times reported.

5.) NCRB figures show highest suicide rates among Christians, Dalits, tribals

A Christian in India is 1.5 times more likely to commit suicide as compared to a Hindu while tribals and Dalits have some of the highest suicide rates among caste groups, the Union Home Ministry has revealed in response to an RTI application filed by The Indian Express on religion and caste-based suicide data.

In 2014, the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), for the first time, collected data on suicides based on religion and caste groups. However, the data, which was to be published in 2015, was never released by the Home Ministry.

6.) Delhi has just 14 inspectors to check 18,000 pharmacies

Are the pills you consume safe and effective? There is no way to find out. The city’s drug regulatory body does not have enough officers to conduct regular inspections of all the manufacturing units, wholesale markets and neighbourhood chemist shops in Delhi.

Currently, there are 18,000 licensed wholesale and retail drug dealers and 63 allopathic drug manufacturers, 6 homeopathic drug manufacturers and 500 cosmetic manufacturers, who are also regulated under the same act and have to be inspected by the department. The drug control department is also responsible for ensuring the quality of blood at the city’s 62 blood banks, The HIndustan Times reports.

7.) DMRC helping Jakarta, Dhaka in building their Metro networks

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has gone global, with its consultancy wing now helping cities in other countries in the construction of their metro networks. It is currently helping Jakarta (Indonesia) and Dhaka (Bangladesh) in coming up with their own Metro systems.

Back home, the corporation is helping cities like Kochi, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Kolkata in either construction of new metro networks or improving their existing ones, The Hindustan Times reports.

8.) Sister clears cop recruitment test to fulfil dead brother's dream

Passion to fulfil her dead brother's wish was drive enough for Virar's 22-year old Vaishnavi Mahajan to overcome shortcomings like her frail physique and her lack of experience as an athlete, to sail through the physical round of the police recruitment drive to get chosen to be a constable.

Vaishnavi's younger brother Saiprasad Mahajan died due to over-exertion while trying his luck for the police recruitment drive in 2014. Saiprasad was running the 5km lap when he suddenly collapsed on June 8, 2014. He was rushed to a Vashi hospital for treatment. But he died on June 11. Meanwhile, Vaishnavi had just completed her graduation in BCom, and was set to enroll herself for Chart Accountancy (CA) classes. But Sai prasad's death changed the course of Vaishanavi's life, The Mumbai Mirror reported.

9.) Khadse's exit sparks race for prominence, portfolios

Senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse's exit from the Devendra Fadnavis government over corruptions allegations has set the stage for a cabinet reshuffle, an exercise that the Chief Minister had been hoping to avoid, the Mumbai Mirror reports.

Already, there is a scramble among current ministers to replace Khadse, who headed 12 departments, as the second most important figure in the government. Political observers say Sudhir Mungantiwar, who currently holds the finance and forest portfolios, may bag the spot. Fadnavis is reportedly considering to give him the additional responsibility of the revenue department, which Khadse managed.

10.) Tankers ply 1.5 lakh litres water daily to parched Corbett

Soaring temperatures are taking a toll on Corbett National Park. With natural water sources inside the park practically drying up due to the intense heat, officials have been forced to arrange for water tanks to ensure that the animals' drinking water requirements are met. According to estimates, almost 1.5 lakh litres of water is being procured every day to fill up more than 100 water holes in the park, The Times of India reported.

The exercise started in April with the onset of summer but as temperatures have risen, the quantum of water being bought has also gone up. According to officials, every day, 35-40 tankers arrive at the park, each carrying 4,000 litres of water. This is then filled in the water holes either manually or with pump sets.