CURRENT AFFAIRS
24 April 2021
NATIONAL NEWS:
A) 25 dead in Delhi’s Ganga Ram hospital due to oxygen shortage.
Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram hospital, which treats hundreds of coronavirus patients, saw the death of 25 “sickest” patients on Friday following low oxygen pressure, the hospital said on Friday. It had issued an SOS to the government at 8 a.m., saying that only two hours of oxygen was available, and the ventilator and BiPAP were not working effectively. The BiPAP machine (Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure) is a non-invasive machine used to provide oxygen to patients. A source at the hospital said that low pressure oxygen could be the likely cause of at least some of these 25 deaths over the past 24-hours. Two other hospitals in the city, Max Smart Hospital and Max Hospital Saket, too, said that they had less than an hour’s oxygen supply currently. Less than an hour’s Oxygen supplies at Max Smart Hospital & Max Hospital Saket. Awaiting promised fresh supplies from INOX since 1 a.m. Over 700 patients admitted, need immediate assistance, the hospital said in a statement. Later, the hospital group said that it has stopped new admissions in all its hospitals in Delhi-NCR due to low oxygen stocks. They regret to inform that we are suspending any new patient admissions in all our hospitals in Delhi NCR till oxygen supplies stabilise, Max Healthcare said in a statement. The group has at least six hospitals in the region and a total of over 1,000 beds. Hospitals in Delhi have been facing an oxygen shortage. Delhi government has blamed Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments for not allowing smooth supply of oxygen from private oxygen plants in the States to Delhi.
B) 13 COVID-19 patients die in Maharashtra hospital following a fire accident.
In yet another mishap in Maharashtra, 13 COVID-19 patients at an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Vijay Vallabh hospital in Palghar district’s Virar were killed in a fire early on Friday. According to district officials, the ICU unit is on the second floor of the four-storey hospital and a total of 17 patients were undergoing treatment at the time of the incident. The fire broke out at around 3 a.m. According to information from the State government, three fire engines reached the spot immediately and the inferno was doused by 5.20 a.m. While 13 patients died in the tragedy, the surviving patients have been moved to different hospitals to safety and further treatment, said an official. Two days ago, 24 patients lost their lives in Nashik after leakage in an oxygen tank at Dr. Zakir Hussain Hospital run by Nasik Municipal Corporation (NMC).
C) Covishield effective against double mutant variant, show preliminary studies.
Preliminary studies show that people who have been vaccinated with Covishield have protection against the double mutant variant (B.1.617) first found in India. Studies by researchers at the Hyderabad-based Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB), a CSIR lab, found that protection against the double mutant variant was also seen when convalescent plasma from people who have been infected and have already recovered was tested in the lab. Both Covishield vaccinated sera and convalescent sera were found to offer protection against the double mutant variant (B.1.167), says Dr. Rakesh Mishra, Director of CCMB. This is only a preliminary study involving four-five people for each group and was carried out among young people who have recovered from prior infection and another group of people who have received Covishield vaccine. Dr. Mishra says that in about 10 days, studies involving more people from both groups who have recovered and who have been vaccinated will be done. Also, the study will involve older people to understand the level of protection conferred by previous infection and by Covishield vaccine. The Institute is carrying similar studies using plasma from people vaccinated with Covaxin.
D) Centre responsible for people dying due to lack of oxygen, ICU beds, says Rahul Gandhi.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday said the Centre was responsible for people dying due to shortage of oxygen and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds in the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Corona can cause a fall in oxygen level but it’s #OxygenShortage & lack of ICU beds which is causing many deaths. GOI, this is on you, tweeted Gandhi, who himself tested positive and is in home isolation. The Congress leader and his party have been critical of the Narendra Modi government’s handling of the pandemic that has seen a massive shortage of oxygen, hospital beds with ICU facilities, and life-saving anti-viral drugs such as Remdesivir and vaccines. Over the last few days, the Congress has been advocating free and universal vaccination of all adult age groups and criticised the new vaccine policy that allows differential pricing. Former Finance Minister P. Chidamabaram suggested that States should jointly form a committee to negotiate with the manufacturers. The Central government’s decision to allow multiple prices for vaccines is discriminatory and regressive. States must unanimously reject the decision. The best way forward is for the State governments to jointly form a Price Negotiation Committee and offer to negotiate a uniform price with the two vaccine manufacturers, Chidamabaram said in a series of tweets. The joint purchasing power of the State governments will force the manufacturers to agree to a uniform price. States must take the initiative. The Central government has abdicated its responsibility and surrendered to corporate profiteering, the former Finance Minister added.
E) Modi raps Kejriwal for violating protocol of closed door meetings.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal got into a minor fracas during the Union government’s video conference with Chief Ministers of States with a high Covid-19 burden, after Kejriwal livestreamed his interjections at the meeting. Kejriwal, during his interjection at the meeting, while calling for help from the Centre for fulfilling the rising oxygen requirements of hospitals in Delhi, livestreamed his remarks, which Modi objected to as it was happening, saying it went against the protocol of such closed door meetings. At this, Kejriwal said that he would not make such a mistake again. Sources in the government said that Kejriwal’s actions were aimed at politicising the meeting to give the impression that the Centre was being heavy-handed with the States. Kejriwal’s office, however, provided a statement explaining his version of events. The chief minister’s address was shared live because there has never been any instruction, written or verbal, from the central government that the said interaction could not be shared live. There have been multiple occasions of similar interactions where matters of public importance which had no confidential information were shared live. However, if any inconvenience was caused we highly regret it, the statement said.
F) Govt announces 5 kg food grain to 80 crore beneficiaries under PMGKAY.
The Union government announced that 5 kg of food grains would be provided to 80 crore beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY) for the months of May and June as many States were undergoing curfews and the high rates of coronavirus infections had led to a slowdown in economic activity. The announcement came on the day Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with Chief Ministers, especially of States with high case burden. The outlay for the free grain programme has been pegged at ₹26,000 crore. Modi assured States that all resources, including the Indian Railways and the Indian Air Force (IAF), were being deployed to reach oxygen to different corners of the country. The meeting with Chief Ministers, followed by Modi’s meeting with oxygen manufacturers, the fourth such review of oxygen availability in the last week, assumes significance with daily new cases going past the 3.5 lakh mark on Friday.
G) You have imputed motives to us, Supreme Court tells senior lawyers.
A Special Bench of the Supreme Court led by Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde on Friday objected to senior lawyers imputing motives to the top court, and implying that it was attempting to stall proceedings in various High Courts concerning acute oxygen shortage and Covid-19 essentials for patients. The Bench was reacting to several senior lawyers voicing their perceptions on the Bench’s sudden intervention on Thursday, taking suo motu cognisance of the issue. According to them, the top court should have neither disturbed the High Court proceedings nor attempted to transfer the cases to itself midway. On Thursday’s two-page order, the Bench had asked the Centre for a ‘national plan’ to facilitate a uniform supply of Covid-19 essentials. It had issued formal notices to the Centre and States, the Union Territories, and parties who went to the various High Courts. The CJI Bench had asked them why the top court should not go ahead and pass uniform orders on the supply of oxygen, essential drugs, method and manner of vaccination and declaration of lockdown. This order on Thursday had triggered anticipation among the legal fraternity and the public that the sudden intervention of the top court would delay much-needed relief from the High Courts or derail their ongoing monitoring of oxygen supply by the States and the Centre. On Friday, the Bench accused senior advocates such as Vikas Singh and Dushyant Dave, who were vocal against Thursday’s order, of putting pressure on the court. Meanwhile, the court-appointed amicus curiae and senior advocate, Harish Salve, recused himself from the case. Salve said he was withdrawing from the sensitive case because of imputations made that he and the CJI were personal school friends. The court allowed him to recuse and posted the case for Tuesday. Dave had told the media on Thursday CJI Bobde and Salve were school friends.
H) SC intervention in COVID-19 situation wrong: Congress.
The Supreme Court of India’s intervention in the management of COVID-19 is wrong, uncalled for and may have the unintended effect of legitimation of the utter failure of the Central Government in handling the pandemic, the Congress said on Friday. Addressing a virtual press conference, senior advocate and Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said various high courts were upholding the citizens’ right to life and were providing relief to the common people. The Supreme Court’s intervention on April 22, 2021 is totally uncalled for. Unfortunately, it is wrong, wrong and wrong. It is wrong because it is not suo motu ameliorative but a reaction to palliative high court orders. It is wrong because decentralisation, not over centralisation, judicial, administrative and societal is the need of the hour, Singhvi said, reading out from a strongly worded statement. It is wrong because it may have the unintended effect of legitimation of the utter failure of the Central government on all fronts in its anti-Covid policies and actions. It is wrong because it in fact enhances the closed and incestuous circle of the Central government or connected/ affiliated persons and seeks to find a solution from amongst those responsible for the crisis in the first place, the Congress leader added. The Congress party’s sharp response follows criticism from several senior lawyers and jurists who had questioned the Supreme Court’s intervention.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A) Russia starts pulling back troops from Ukraine border.
Russian troops began pulling back to their permanent bases on Friday after a massive buildup that has caused Ukrainian and Western concerns. On Thursday, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu declared the sweeping maneuvers in Crimea and wide swaths of western Russia over, and ordered the military to bring the troops that took part in them back to their permanent bases by May 1. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the announcement. The Russian Defence Ministry said on Friday that its forces that took part in the massive drills in Crimea were moving to board trains, transport aircraft and landing vessels en route to their permanent bases. He thanked NATO and the EU countries for offering very firm and immediate support to Ukraine. While ordering the pullback of military personnel, Mr. Shoigu also ordered to keep heavy weapons in western Russia for a massive exercise later this year.
B) China’s national security office to open permanent base in HK.
Hong Kong is set to grant a site on the western Kowloon peninsula, close to the highspeed railway to the mainland, to Beijing’s national security office for its permanent base in the city, the government said on Friday. The office, which operates beyond the scrutiny of local courts or other institutions, will oversee the Hong Kong government’s enforcement of sweeping national security legislation that Beijing imposed on the city in June. China opened the last July, temporarily turning a hotel near a city-centre park on Hong Kong island that has been one of the most popular venues for pro-democracy protests into its new headquarters. The national security law has allowed officers from China’s security forces to take enforcement action in the city for the first time. The Hong Kong government said the site, measuring about 11,500 sq. m., is zoned for government use and the national security office would bear all construction costs. The former British colony of Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the guarantee of continued freedoms. Pro-democracy activists say those freedoms are being whittled away, especially with the national security law cracking down on dissent China denies the charge.
