NATIONAL NEWS
A) Finance Ministry bats for 24/7 vaccine drive.
An accelerated vaccination drive is imperative to avoid or lower the ferocity of subsequent waves of the spread of Covid-19 and boost economic growth, the Department of Economic Affairs noted in its monthly economic report for May 2021. Calling for a doubling of shifts or even 24×7 vaccination drives for a couple of months, particularly in August and September when supply is expected to increase significantly, the Finance Ministry said this can enable the ambitious, but possible, target of 1 crore shots a day. Terming the vaccination of 70 crore people with at least the first dose till September 2021 as ‘paramount’ for boosting consumers and investors’ confidence and reinvigorating economic growth, the Finance Ministry pitched for it to be taken up on a ‘mission’ mode. Around 93 lakh vaccinations are required per day to achieve the herd immunity (by September-end). The peak daily vaccination rate attained till date is 42.65 lakh. This peak was achieved using one shift of 8-9 hours of vaccination, it pointed out. While attempts are being made to fast-track procurement of vaccines from the international market and 216 crore doses are expected to be made in India between August and December, the ministry suggested aligning supplies with the September 2021 target and a system whereby people already having antibodies (are) vaccinated later while people who have not been exposed (are) given priority. The operational challenges can be met by careful planning and upscaling of transportation, storage and vaccine administration capacity. Use of technology to ease the administration of the vaccine, increased shifts at vaccination centres, and integration of mass vaccination sites e.g., shopping areas, drive-ins, along with schools and primary health care centres will enhance faster coverage under vaccination, it noted. With the peaking of the second wave in the first half of May 2021 and the localised restrictions adopted to combat its spread, its economic impact is expected to be restricted to the first quarter of 2021-22, the Finance Ministry noted. The second wave’s spread to rural India has been rapid, but the share of rural districts in new cases was still lower than the levels seen at the first wave’s peak, the Finance Ministry said. This proportion stood at 57.9% in May, compared to 63.6% in September 2020. However, the number of rural districts bearing 20% of new cases increased sharply from 12 in March to 43 in April and 47 in May, which in turn is 3.4 times greater than their share during the peak of the first wave.
B) Congress leader Jitin Prasada joins BJP.
Former Union Minister Jitin Prasada on Wednesday quit the Congress where, he said, he felt he was unable to serve the interests of his people and society, and joined the BJP. His induction took place at the BJP’s national headquarters here in the presence of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal and BJP media cell in charge Anil Baluni. Goyal, sources said, was instrumental in negotiations between Prasada and the BJP top leadership before the induction. Interestingly, Jitendra Prasada had contested against Congress president Sonia Gandhi in organisational polls in November 2000. He was also a signatory to the G-23 missive sent to the Congress leadership pointing to organisational failures and was seen as a semi-rebellion in the ranks. Sources said Prasada’s induction was a response to heavy feedback from the Uttar Pradesh unit of the BJP that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s reported close identification with the Rajput community was alienating Brahmins, who form at least 12% of the vote in the State. The community also punches above its weight in terms of societal influence, said a source in the BJP. Prasada, who had formed a Brahmin Chetana Manch, with a patchy record of influence, is being seen as a part of the BJP national leadership’s move to press the reset button on the Brahmin-Rajput equations, and settle the upper caste vote consolidation. Meanwhile, reacting sharply to Prasada’s exit, the Congress accused him of playing politics of convenience and concentrating on short term gains instead of fighting the ideological battle. Speculations about Prasada joining BJP have been doing the rounds for the last seven years. He was a permanent invitee to the Congress Working Committee, which is the highest decision making body of the party. Ahead of the West Bengal elections, Prasada was appointed as state in-charge. The Congress drew a blank in the elections. Prasada also participated in the CWC meeting where he presented a report on the reasons for the party’s debacle in the polls. Prasada’s exit has also raised questions about the fate of senior party leader Sachin Pilot, who has once again questioned the leadership for not settling his grievances against the state Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Shrinate said that the issues raised by Pilot will be addressed soon. Prasada’s close friend Jyotiraditya Scindia, who had last year joined the BJP from Congress, is still waiting for his induction in the Narendra Modi cabinet. He was awarded with a Rajya Sabha berth, but so far has not got any crucial assignments within the party.
C) Hybrid hearings to continue, says Supreme Court.
Supreme Court e-Committee Chairperson Justice D.Y. Chandrachud has written to the Chief Justices (CJs) of the High Courts that hybrid hearings will have to continue in view of the pandemic situation, dispelling notions that courts may revert to the physical hearing mode soon. The onset of the pandemic in March 2020 witnessed a quick transition within the judiciary from physical hearings to video-conferencing. Justice Chandrachud noted that 96,74,257 cases were examined through video-conferencing across the country during the pandemic. Considering the present situation of the pandemic, consistent with the need to protect the safety of lawyers, litigants, court staff, judges and other stake-holders, it may not be possible to conduct only physical hearings of court proceedings and we may have to rely upon a hybrid model of hearing for some time. We need to plan effectively to be able to deal with all exigencies, he wrote to the CJs. Justice Chandrachud, who has spearheaded the transition of the courts from physical to virtual mode, said the committee was working on a uniform video-conferencing mechanism for courts across the country. However, until then, the letter requested the CJs to opt for a suitable video conferencing solution from any of the available options. Until the e-Committee can eventually provide one video-conferencing solution for all High Courts, certain steps can be taken to facilitate judicial work, on the re-opening of courts after the summer recess. We must ensure that a robust, efficient and user-friendly video-conferencing solution is available to users for effective hearing of court proceedings, Justice Chandrachud wrote. He urged the CJs to take corrective measures, intervene personally, and keep an eye to help improve the virtual court system, especially if advocates and litigants have grievances about its quality and connectivity impeding their right to access to justice.
D) Mamata writes to CMs to support farmers.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday extended support to the farmers protesting against the three Central farm Bills. She said she would write to the Chief Ministers of the Opposition-ruled States to support the cause of farmers. During the day, Banerjee met leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha, including Rakesh Tikait, at the State Secretariat. He congratulated her for her landslide victory in the Assembly polls. After defeating the BJP, Banerjee should now strive to make West Bengal a model State for farmers, farm leaders said. We have been supporting the protesting farmers from the start. We also passed a resolution in the Assembly against the Bills, Banerjee said. Farm leaders requested her to visit Delhi after the Covid-19 situation improves. The Chief Minister stated that she would take the initiative so that she could have a meeting with the Chief Ministers of the Opposition-ruled States on the issue. She asked why the Centre was not holding talks with the protesting farmers for the past seven months. Former Union Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Yashwant Sinha said the Centre was trying to hand over traditional agriculture to corporates. If traditional agriculture is dismantled, India will cease to be India.
E) BJP received ₹785 crore in donations in 2019-20, Congress ₹139.01 crore.
The BJP received ₹785.77 crore in donations from companies and individuals in 2019-2020, over five times as much as contributions to the Congress, according to the party’s annual contribution report submitted to the Election Commission of India (ECI). The party’s contribution report for 2019-2020, though filed on February 12, was published by the ECI on Tuesday night. The report includes all contributions of ₹20,000 or more made via cheque and bank transfer. Out of the total ₹785.77 crore in contributions declared by the party, ₹217.75 crore came from the Prudent Electoral Trust, which in turn received funds from DLF Limited, Bharti Airtel Limited, GMR Airport Developers, and other major corporate houses. The BJP also received ₹45.95 crore from the Jankalyan Electoral Trust, which received funds from companies of the JSW Group, including JSW Cement, JSW Energy and JSW Energy. Samaj Electoral Trust and AB General Electoral Trust, which was funded by Hindalco Industries Limited, gave the party ₹3.75 crore and ₹9 crore respectively. A range of companies, big and small, also donated to the party, from ITC Limited to Haldiram Snacks. Of the other recognised national parties, the Congress received ₹139.01 crore in contributions, according to its contribution report published in February. The All India Trinamool Congress declared ₹8.08 crore and the Communist Party of India declared ₹1.29 crore in their contribution reports for 2019-2020 that were published on Monday. The Communist Party of India (Marxist) declared contributions of ₹19.69 crore, the Nationalist Congress Party declared ₹59.94 crore, and the BSP declared nil contributions.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A) UN rights rapporteur warns of starvation deaths in Myanmar.
The UN’s special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar has warned of mass deaths from starvation and disease in the wake of fighting between rebel groups and junta forces in the east of the country. Myanmar has been in chaos and its economy paralysed since a February putsch and a brutal military crackdown on dissent that has killed over 800, according to a local monitoring group. Fighting has flared in several communities especially in townships that have seen a high death toll at the hands of the police and some locals have formed defence forces. Clashes have escalated in Kayah State near the Thai border in recent weeks. The UN estimates around people have been displaced. The junta’s brutal, indiscriminate attacks are threatening the lives of many thousands of men, women and children in Kayah, Tom Andrews said in a statement on Twitter on Tuesday. Let me be blunt. Mass deaths from starvation, disease, and exposure, on a scale we have not yet seen could occur in Kayah State absent immediate action. Diplomatic efforts to halt the bloodshed have been led by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) of which Myanmar is a member but the bloc is riven with infighting and has managed to put little pressure on the junta.
B) U.S. Senate passes huge innovation Bill.
The U.S. Senate passed a sweeping industrial policy Bill on Tuesday aimed at countering the surging economic threat from rival China overcoming partisan divisions to support pumping more than $170 billion into research and development. With both American political parties increasingly worried about competition from Asia’s largest power, the measure cleared the chamber on a 68-32 vote, one of the most significant bipartisan achievements in Congress since Joe Biden’s presidency began in January. It abo represents the largest investment in scientific research and technological innovation in according to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. The Bill now heads to the House of Representatives, which earlier Passed a different version. The two will have to be reconciled into a single Bill before it is sent to the White House for the President’s signature. Biden encouraged Mr. Biden said he was encouraged by the Senate’s passage of the United States Innovation and Competition Act. We are in a competition to win the 21st century, and the starting gun has gone off, Mr. Biden said. As other countries continue to invest in their own research and development, we cannot risk falling behind. America must maintain its position as the most innovative and productive nation on Earth. The package, a key provision of which addresses a shortage of semiconductors that has slowed U.S. auto production this year, will help U.S. industry bolster its capacity and improve technology. It is seen as crucial for U.S. efforts to avoid being out-maneuvered by Beijing as the adversaries compete in the race to technological innovation. Today, the Senate took a critical bipartisan step forward to make the investments we need to continue America’s legacy as a global leader in innovation, U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said in a statement praising the passage of the Bill. This funding isn’t just about addressing the current semiconductor chip shortage, it is about long-term investments, she said.
