Firstpost Editor's Picks: Modi kicks off Maha poll campaign, e-cigarette ban, teaser loans; today's must-read stories

Narendra Modi in Nashik launches Maharashtra poll campaign: PM picks Kashmir to fire up domestic constituency, counter Pakistan propaganda

Addressing a huge gathering during the launch of the BJP's Assembly election campaign in Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about the achievements of the Devendra Fadnavis government, developmental initiatives taken by the Central government in its second term and how political pundits have often got predictions wrong. However, Modi's remarks on Kashmir were the highlight of his speech. The prime minister also took the opportunity to take on Opposition leaders Rahul Gandhi and Sharad Pawar.

Love, care have nothing to do with govt's e-cigarette ban; absurd to think people will stop vaping once stocks dry up

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PM Modi to chair 8th governing council meeting of NITI Aayog today

This announcement of a ban on e-cigarettes and vaping devices is a win-win for the government. It styles itself as a warm and fuzzy benefactor of public health. At the same time, it puts a friendly arm around tobacco farmers and the tobacco industry and ensures that the jobs of those employed by it remain intact. And it does that without letting on the fact that cost of treatment for diseases directly linked to consumption of tobacco amounts to a colossal $907 million for smoked tobacco and $285 million for smokeless tobacco (refer to tobaccocontrol.com) every year.

Teaser loans a rude shock for many homebuyers when interest rates shoot up; RBI right to decline SBI’s idea from Day One

This isn’t the first time SBI is making a case for return on teaser loans. Almost all SBI chiefs including Rajnish Kumar’s predecessor, Arundhati Bhattacharya, too, had said that there is room for teaser loan products in the market. But the RBI never bought the idea of luring the customer with a cheaper loan that, in reality, was not cheap at all. SBI’s quest for ‘teaser’ loans shows banks are in a panic state ahead of the new rules on external benchmarking in a bid to protect interest margins. The RBI is right in killing the idea, once again, in the interest of the common borrower.

Senthil Kumaran on documenting human-wildlife conflict, and photography as a socio-political tool

Senthil Kumaran's photography revolves around social and environmental issues, especially documenting the disturbing dynamics of the human-animal conflict. Within the conflict, he has special interest in documenting tigers, which stems from a personal instance. After first seeing a tiger on black and white television aged 10, it had been his dream to see one in the flesh, in all its majesty and litheness. He also documents the prevailing condition of elephants, and is involved in projects related to manual scavenging, tribal relocation, marine research, and Cambodia’s illegal animal trade.

Unbelievable review: Netflix's true crime drama is an essential and important watch in the #MeToo era

The account of Marie, a teen who reports that she has been raped, is considered ‘unbelievable’ by the police, and even those closest to her. They cite the lack of evidence, “inconsistencies” in Marie's story, and her troubled past — all to support their view that her story of rape cannot be believed. The sheer callousness of the police in investigating Marie’s assault, their ineptitude, that too is ‘unbelievable’. The Netflix series is a police procedural, but it’s also a commentary on attitudes towards survivors of rape. It is a buddy cop story and a crime drama. Some of these elements work better than others, and not all of them work all of the time.