CURRENT AFFAIRS
18 April 2021
NATIONAL NEWS:
A) Centre blocking supply of Remdesivir to Maharashtra, alleges NCP leader Nawab Malik; BJP denies allegations.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and State Minister Nawab Malik has alleged that the Central government was not allowing Remdesivir-producing companies to sell the export-bound stock in Maharashtra, which is facing an acute shortage of this medicine, used to treat Covid-19 patients, amid a sharp surge in cases. The Minister tweeted that 16 export-oriented units in India have 20 lakh vials of Remdesivir as the Central government has banned exports. He claimed that these units are seeking permission to sell this medicine in India but the central government is denying the permission. It is sad & shocking that when Government of Maharashtra asked the 16 export companies for #Remdesivir, we were told that Central Government has asked them not to supply the medicine to #Maharashtra. These companies were warned, if they did, their license will be cancelled. This is a dangerous precedent and under these circumstances, Maharashtra Government will have no choice but to seize the stock of Remdesivir from these exporters and supply it to the needy, the Minister tweeted. The government says it (Remdesivir) should be sold only through 7 companies that are producing it. These 7 companies are refusing to take responsibility. This is a decision-making crisis. While there is a requirement of this medicine and availability too, a quick decision is the need of the hour. This problem must be solved and the vials must be supplied to government hospitals in all States immediately, Nawab added in a series of tweets. Speaking to the media he claimed that State Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has been trying to contact Prime Minister Narendra Modi since Saturday morning seeking help to streamline oxygen and Remdesivir supply but the CM was informed that PM Modi was busy campaigning in West Bengal. Meanwhile, Keshav Upadhye, Maharashtra BJP’s chief spokesperson said that instead of making such wild and baseless allegations, Nawab Malik should provide proof or else should apologise. It is high time that the State government stops the blame game and does its job of handling the pandemic, he said.
B) Modi seeks curtailment of Kumbh Mela amid spike in Covid-19 cases.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today sought a curtailment of the Kumbh Mela underway in Haridwar, with the Juna akhara, a prominent congregation of Hindu seers, announcing that it was ending its participation in the event at his behest. Tweeting on Saturday morning, Modi said that he had spoken to Swami Awadeshananda Giri over the telephone and, after enquiring about the health of the Hindu seers gathered for the Kumbh, suggested that the event be curtailed. He made a suggestion that now that the Shahi Snans (rituals baths in the Ganga on specific dates) were done, the rest of the events could be undertaken in a symbolic way, he tweeted about his conversation with Swami Awadeshananda Giri. Swami Awadeshananda Giri, who heads the Juna akhara, later announced that protecting the lives of Indians was more important amid the rising pandemic and that the akhara had today performed the ritual immersion of deities, which usually happens at the end of the Kumbh. Modi’s suggestion to curtail the Kumbh follows a huge spike in cases in Uttarakhand, the State hosting the event.
C) Sonia Gandhi presses for reducing immunisation age to 25 years and above.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi in an address to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) has said that the government must reconsider its priority for vaccine candidates by reducing the immunisation age to 25 years and above, especially for those in this age group with comorbidities. The CWC met on Saturday to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 situation in the country. Gandhi said that the second wave of Covid-19 had caught us off guard once again, despite the fact that the government had an year to prepare. She also urged the government not to take adversarial position. Let us ensure that the suggestions our party puts forward are considered by the government of India in the spirit of true democratic traditions. Taking on these challenging times as Indians, rather than as political opponents, will be true Rajadharma, Gandhi added. She has urged the government to waive GST on medicine and medical equipment required to fight Covid-19. She said the high GST rate was also flagged by the Congress Chief Ministers in a recent meeting with her. Drugs like Remdesivir and medical oxygen as also other basic supplements were subjected to GST @ 12%. Even basic equipment like oxymeters and life-saving critical equipment like ventilators were subjected to 20% GST. In the current state of affairs, this is inhuman and untenable, she added. Fresh partial curfews and travel restrictions to control the situation would once again restrict economy activity, pushing the daily wagers to an edge, Gandhi pointed out. It is, therefore, imperative to provide monthly income support and transfer an amount of ₹6,000 in every eligible citizen’s account, she said.
D) My phone is being tapped, will order CID probe: Mamata.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday alleged that her phone is being tapped and said her government will order a probe by the CID. She was addressing a rally in Galsi in Bardhaman, a day after the BJP released audio tapes where she is heard speaking to her party candidate at Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar after four persons were killed when Central forces opened fired on the polling day on April 10. While the BJP leadership alleged that the conversation in the audio tape proves that the TMC was doing politics over bodies, the Trinamool leadership said there was nothing wrong in the audio tapes. Senior TMC leaders on Saturday also wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer alleging that tapping the Chief Minister’s phone by the BJP is an illegal act. They said tapping the phone was violation of the right to privacy of the Chief Minister. At another rally in Purbosthali, the Chief Minister accused the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of aggravating the Covid-19 situation in the State. BJP leaders have come from outside and occupied all the hotels and guest houses and all of them are COVID positive. Now after all this, if the COVID cases rise in Bengal then Narendra Modi and BJP will be responsible for it. The State today saw the fifth phase of polling of the ongoing assembly elections. The turnout, in the 45 constituencies that saw voting, was 78.3%.
E) Jharkhand High Court grants bail to Lalu, paving way for his release from jail.
The Jharkhand High Court on Saturday granted bail to imprisoned Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad in the Dumka Treasury case related to the multi-crore fodder scam. The decision will pave way for his exit from jail after 39 months. Prasad is currently admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi for treatment. Earlier, he was granted bail in three other cases of the ₹950 crore fodder scam cases related to fraudulent transctions in the Deoghar and Chaibasa treasuries. He was convicted and imprisoned in four fodder scam cases for fraudulently withdrawing money from different district treasuries of Jharkhand (in undivided Bihar) from 1990-96 when he was chief minister of Bihar. Prasad has been lodged at Birsa Munda Central jail in Ranchi since December 23, 2017. The single bench of justice Aparesh Kumar Singh of Jharkhand High Court granted bail to the RJD chief in Dumka treasury case of fraudulent withdrawal of ₹3.13 crore. Earlier, the trial court had held Prasad guilty in Dumka treasury case under sections 120(B), 420, 409, 467, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act and served him seven years jail term in the case. Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal appeared for Prasad in the virtual court of Jharkhand High Court. With the bail granted in the Dumka treasury case in which Mr Prasad has already served 3.5 years in jail he is likely to be released from jail by Monday-Tuesday after 39 months and 25 days in incarceration, said Mandal.
F) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments.
The global death toll from the coronavirus topped a staggering 3 million on April 17, 2021, amid repeated setbacks in the worldwide vaccination campaign and a deepening crisis in Brazil, India and France. India is currently reporting the sharpest growth rate of 7.6% in new Covid-19 cases, which is 1.3 times higher than the growth rate of 5.5% reported in June 2020, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday. The Minister added that this is leading to an alarming rise in daily number of active cases and also a sharp growth of 10.2% in the number of Covid-19 deaths. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a review meeting with top officials over the Covid-19 situation and the ongoing vaccination exercise in the country. Top officers from various Ministries participated in the meeting. The meeting comes amid a huge surge in cases across the country, with reports pouring in from many states about the shortage of hospital facilities and essentials like oxygen supply. A record single-day rise of 2,34,692 cases and 1,341 fatalities have pushed India’s Covid-19 tally to 1,45,26,609 and the death toll due to the viral disease to 1,75,649, the Health Ministry said earlier on Saturday. The number of active coronavirus cases in the country has also surpassed the 16-lakh mark, the Ministry’s data updated at 8 a.m. showed. Registering a steady increase for the 38th day in a row, the tally of active cases has climbed to 16,79,740 in the country, accounting for 11.56% of its total caseload, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has dropped to 87.23%.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A) Four Sikhs killed in FedEx facility mass shooting in U.S.
At least eight people, including four Sikhs, were killed and five others were left injured in a mass shooting at a FedEx facility in the U.S. state of Indiana. The gunman, identified as 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole of Indiana, died by suicide after the shooting on early Friday morning, taking the toll to nine. About 90% of the workers at this delivery service facility are said to be Indian-Americans, mostly from the local Sikh community. This is very heart-breaking. The Sikh community is devastated by this tragic incident, community leader Gurinder Singh Khalsa told PTI over the phone after meeting family members of the employees of the FedEx facility. Maninder Singh Walia, community activist, said the four Sikhs who have died are Amarjt Kaur Sekhon (female), 48, Jaswinder Kaur (female), Amarjit Kaur Johal (female) and Jaswinder Singh (male). The age of the last three deceased was not immediately available. Vice President Harris and he have been briefed by our homeland security team on the mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, where a lone gunman murdered eight people and wounded several more in the dark of night, President Joe Biden said in a statement. Biden issued a proclamation in honour of the deceased. He ordered that the national flag be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all federal buildings. This is the worst Sikh massacre in the U.S. after the Oak Creek Gurdwara mass shooting in Wisconsin on August 5, 2012, where six members of the community were killed.
B) Raul Castro steps down as head of Communist Party of Cuba.
Raul Castro said on Friday he is stepping down as head of Cuba’s Communist Party, ending an era of formal leadership that began with his brother Fidel and country’s 1959 revolution. The 89-year old Castro made the announcement in a speech at the opening of the eighth congress of the ruling party, the only one allowed on the island. He said he was retiring with the sense of having ful- filled his mission and confident in the future ofthe fatherland. Nothing, nothing, nothing is forcing me to make this decision, said Mr. Castro, part of whose speech to the closed Congress was aired on state television. As long as I live I will be ready with my foot in the stirrup to defend the homeland, the revolution and socialism with more force than ever. Mr. Castro didn’t say who he would endorse as his successor as first secretary of the Communist Party. But he previously indicated he favours yielding control to 60 year-old Miguel Diaz-Canel, who succeeded him as President in 2018 and is the standard bearer of a younger generation of loyalists who have been pushing an economic opening without touching one-party system. Photographs released by the official Cuban News Agency showed Mr. Castro, dressed in an olive green uniform, entering the compound with Mr. Diaz-Canel by his side. Mr. Castro’s retirement means that for the first time in more than six decades Cubans won’t have a Castro formally guiding their affairs and many had been expecting the change.
