NATIONAL NEWS
Experts warn of imminent third wave of COVID-19 in Sept-Oct
An expert panel, set up by an institute under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), has predicted a third wave of Covid-19 hitting the country anytime between September and October and suggested significantly ramping up the pace of vaccination. The committee of experts, constituted by the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), also said that children will have a similar risk as adults since paediatric facilities, doctors and equipment like ventilators, ambulances, etc. are nowhere close to what may be required in case a large number of children become infected. The report, which has been submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), observed that only around 7.6% (10.4 cr) people are fully vaccinated in India and if the current vaccination rate is not increased, India can witness six lakh cases per day in the next wave. Leading experts have repeatedly warned of an imminent third Covid-19 wave in India. Epidemiologists predict a series of surges till we achieve herd immunity through infection or vaccination and the disease becomes endemic, the report said. The NIDM report quoted the prediction of experts from IIT Kanpur which suggested three likely scenarios for the third wave based on the level of unlocking. In scenario one, it said that the third wave could peak in October with 3.2 lakh positive cases per day. In scenario two, with the emergence of new and more virulent variants, the third wave could peak in September with likely five lakh positive cases per day. In scenario three, the experts predicted that the third wave could peak in late October with two lakh positive cases per day. According to the report, earlier, it was proposed that if 67% of the population became immune (a few by infection and rest through vaccination), herd immunity could be achieved. But this has now been complicated by the new and more virulent mutated variants of SARS Cov-2 that have the ability to escape immunity from earlier infections and in some cases even the prevalent vaccines, it said. This has pushed the target immune population for achieving herd immunity to 80-90%, it said. The report said there isn’t sufficient data to back widespread fears that children will be hit more severely in the anticipated third wave of the pandemic. However, as the virus continues to evolve, this is going to be a major challenge for children as there is no approved vaccine for children in India yet (first week of August). Children with Covid-19 infection have largely been seen to be asymptomatic or develop mild symptoms. But this becomes worrisome in case children have any comorbidity or other special needs. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, out of all the children hospitalised due to Covid-19, 60-70% had comorbidities or low immunity. Children have also been seen to develop MIS-C (Multi-system Inflammatory Syndrome) which is a rare but extremely serious condition developed post-Covid recovery, it said. According to a parliamentary standing committee report in 2015, there is an 82% shortage of paediatricians in India’s primary health centres and up to 62.8% of positions for paediatricians in community health centres were vacant. According to a recent study done by professors and alumni from Pandit Deendayal Energy University (PDEU) in collaboration with Nirma University, the vaccination rate of India is currently 3.2% and if does not improve, India can witness six lakh cases per day in the third wave.
CM Nitish-led all party team from Bihar meets PM Modi for caste census
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar along with a delegation of leaders from ten parties from the State, including RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and BJP representatives, met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to press for a caste census. Modi, it is learnt, has not given any assurances, though the meeting was described as positive. So far the BJP has walked a tightrope on the issue, with leaders from Bihar speaking in favour of a caste census while the party leadership at the Centre has kept mum. The wider implication of such a census on the party’s carefully crafted OBC bloc in U.P. has kept it on tenterhooks. Sources said the Prime Minister did not counter the delegation nor did he express the Centre’s inability to carry out such an exercise. Given that the last caste census was done in 1931, the delegation argued that it would be a historic step, if the Prime Minister was to hold a census now. At the end of the meeting after listening to each member of the delegation, Modi, as per sources, said he will get the issue thoroughly examined. Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Kumar said all parties spoke in one voice. It is up to the Prime Minister and the Union government to decide. We explained our stand and he sincerely heard us out, he said. He also said that the fear that a caste census will bring a return of the Mandal days with widespread protests and chaos is misplaced. Every person no matter which caste or religion he is from wants the caste census to take place. Once we have the caste data, then we can formulate policies for upliftment of each and every caste, the Chief Minister said. Tejashwi Yadav, who was part of the delegation, said that if the animals and trees can be counted so can people. The caste census is in national interest. It will help the poor and deprived sections of the society. The recent narrative on caste census built up by the Bihar parties could impact the U.P. elections. A senior leader who was part of the delegation said that when every political party in the country is demanding a caste census, and with BJP themselves claiming that they are not against it, the Centre will be hard put to delay it. The OBC community in every State is getting restive. They feel that their population, which is more than 55%, is not getting the benefits that they deserve. The reservation somehow is only applicable to class four posts. There is not a single secretary in any of the ministries here in Delhi who is from the OBC community, JD (U) leader K.C. Tyagi said. Former Deputy CM of Bihar and Rajya Sabha MP Sushil Modi, ahead of Monday’s meeting in a series of tweets, had said, BJP has never been against caste census; that’s why we supported the resolution passed in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council on this issue. BJP is also included in the delegation of Bihar to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
No immediate plan to ban two Hurriyat factions, says official
The Central government is currently not thinking about any ban on the two Hurriyat factions, said a government official on Monday. Responding to reports in a section of the media that the Centre was considering a ban on the Hurriyat factions under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the official said there was no such plan at this stage. The Ministry of Home Affairs had banned the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) under the UAPA in March 2019, days after the Jamat-e-Islami (JeI-J&K) was proscribed under Section 3(1) of the Act. The decision to ban the JKLF followed a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The government decides to ban any organisation based on evidence warranting such a step. In the past, probe agencies like the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Enforcement Directorate (ED) have taken legal action against several separatists in Jammu and Kashmir. In July 2017, the NIA arrested seven persons, including Altaf Ahmed Shah who is the son-in-law of Syed Ali Shah Geelani. In a charge sheet filed in January 2018, it arraigned several separatist leaders for their alleged involvement in orchestrating violent protests in J&K. The NIA also conducted searches in February 2019 at multiple locations, including the premises of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, JKLF chief Yasin Malik, Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party president Shabir Shah, Tehreek-e-Hurriyat chairman Mohammad Ashraf Khan and All Party Hurriyat Conference general secretary Masarat Alam.
I-T portal glitches: Finance Minister sets September 15 as deadline for Infosys to resolve issues
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday conveyed to Infosys CEO Salil Parekh in no uncertain terms the government’s deep disappointment and concern over the continuing glitches in the new income tax filing portal and set September 15 as the deadline for the software major to resolve all snags. As glitches continued to mar the functioning of the portal even after over two months of its launch, Sitharaman summoned Infosys MD & CEO Parekh at her office here to know the reasons for not resolving the snags in the portal. A statement issued by the Income Tax Department said that during the meeting the finance minister emphasised that there is a need for putting in more resources and efforts on the part of Infosys so that the much delayed delivery of agreed services is ensured. Hon’ble Finance Minister demanded that the issues faced by taxpayers on current functionalities of the portal should be resolved by the team by 15th September 2021 so that taxpayers and professionals can work seamlessly on the portal, the I-T department said in a statement after the meeting. Sitharaman, the statement said, conveyed the deep disappointment and concerns of the government and the taxpayers about the continuing glitches in the e-filing portal. She sought an explanation from Infosys for the repeated issues faced by taxpayers, it added. During the meeting, Parekh was also sensitized on the difficulties that the taxpayers were facing and the problems that are arising on account of the delays in the functioning of the portal. Parekh explained that he and his team are doing everything to ensure the smooth functioning of the portal. Further, he said, over 750 team members are working on this project and Pravin Rao, COO of Infosys, is personally overseeing this project. He also assured that Infosys is working expeditiously to ensure a glitch-free experience to the taxpayers on the portal, the statement added. The portal, which went live on June 7, was not accessible on August 21 and 22 till late evening. It came back after what the tech major described as an emergency maintenance. This is the second time that Sitharaman has met the Infosys team over the issue. She had on June 22 met Parekh and Rao. Infosys was awarded the ₹4,242 crore contract in 2019 to develop the new portal. The project was aimed at developing the next-generation income tax filing system to reduce processing time for returns from 63 days to one day and also expedite refunds. Between January 2019 to June 2021, the government has paid ₹164.5 crore to Infosys for developing the portal. The new income tax e-filing portal ‘www.incometax.gov.in’, however, faced tech glitches from day one with users complaining that certain functionalities were either unavailable or working slow. Consequently, the I-T department had to allow the manual filing of remittance forms and also extend due dates for electronic filing of forms related to intimation by pension funds and sovereign wealth funds. PHDCCI Chair Direct Tax Committee Mukul Bagla said India has around 7 crore persons or entities who file their income tax returns. Due to glitches in the income tax portal, their day-to-day functioning has been adversely affected since June 7. Taxpayers are unable to download documents filed earlier with the income tax department or file their income tax returns for AY 2021-22 if they opt for new rates u/s 115BAC. The assessee is not able to file returns pursuant to notice u/s 148, file reply to penalty proceedings etc. Many other important tax functions have been affected, he said. In the absence of a fully functional income tax portal, we should suspend all income tax proceedings till it is functional and further extend due dates of filing ITR. Otherwise the life of the tax payer as well as the tax professional is very miserable, Bagla added.
₹6 lakh cr national monetisation plan announced for infrastructure assets
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday announced a ₹6 lakh crore National Monetisation Pipeline (NMP) that will look to unlock value in infrastructure assets across sectors, ranging from power to road and railways. She also said the asset monetisation does not involve selling of land and it is about monetising brownfield assets. Projects have been identified across sectors, with roads, railways and power being the top segments. NMP estimates aggregate monetisation potential of ₹6 lakh crores through core assets of central government over the four-year period from FY 2022 to FY 2025, she said. Ownership of assets will remain with the government and there will be a mandatory hand-back. Asset monetisation will unlock resources and lead to value unlocking, she said. Union Budget 2021-22 had identified monetisation of operating public infrastructure assets as a key means for sustainable infrastructure financing. Towards this, the Budget provided for preparation of a ‘National Monetisation Pipeline’ of potential brownfield infrastructure assets. NITI Aayog in consultation with infra line ministries has prepared the report on NMP. The aggregate asset pipeline under NMP over the four-year period is indicatively valued at ₹6 lakh crore. The estimated value corresponds to 14% of the proposed outlay for Centre under the National Infrastructure Pipeline (₹43 lakh crore). The end objective of this initiative is to enable infrastructure creation through monetisation wherein the public and private sector collaborate, each excelling in their core areas of competence, so as to deliver socio-economic growth and quality of life to the country’s citizens, she added.
Clinical trial participants to get digital vaccination certificates
Digital Covid-19 vaccination certificates will now be issued to the clinical trial participants of Covishield and Covaxin through Co-WIN, tweeted Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday. The Minister added that the nation thanks them (trial participants) for their incredible commitment & contribution to COVID-19 vaccine research & treatment. He said participants can download their individual certificates through Co-WIN Portal, Aarogya Setu, Digilocker or the UMANG application. The Union Health Ministry in its release noted that Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in partnership with Serum Institute of India (SII) had conducted phase II/III bridging studies of Covishield from August 2020. Phase III efficacy clinical trials for Covaxin were also conducted by Bharat Biotech International Limited from November 2020.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
U.S. grants Pfizer vaccine full approval, triggers new mandates.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday fully approved the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, a move expected to trigger a new wave of vaccine mandates as the Delta variant batters the country. Around 52% of the country is fully vaccinated, but health authorities have hit a wall of vaccine hesitant people, impeding the national campaign. The FDA’s approval of this vaccine is a milestone as we continue to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement. While all three COVID vaccines have met FDA’s strict standards for emergency use, this FDA approval should give added confidence that this vaccine is safe and effective. If you’re not vaccinated yet, now is the time, tweeted President Joe Biden. The vaccine, which will. Now be marketed under its brand name Comirnaty, is the first to receive full approval. More than 200 million shots have already been administered under an emergency use authorization (EUA) that was granted on December 11, 2020. The FDA is continuing to investigate safety data regarding myocarditis (heart inflammation), particularly within seven days after the second dose. The U.S. military said shortly after the announcement that it would mandate the vaccine, and a slew of, more businesses will private businesses and un- require the vaccine as a coniversities are expected to follow. Immediately after the announcement, New York City said it would require all its department of education employees to receive at least one dose of vaccine by September 27. The vaccine remains available under emergency use authorisation to children aged 12 to 15, but because it has now been fully approved, physicians may prescribe it to children under 12 if they believe it will be beneficial. One of the talking points of the anti-vaccine movement which has falsely claimed that this was an ‘experimental vaccine’ has been removed, Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security said.
Nepal PM Deuba behind silent campaign against Oli: Bhattarai.
The Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba has launched a silent campaign against former premier K.P. Sharma Oli that is fast reconfiguring the political set-up in Nepal, said a leading member of Mr. Oli’s party, CPN-UML. The allegation by Mr. Rajan Bhattarai, the chief of the foreign affairs cell of the party, came on a day when Mr. Vijay Chauthaiwale of Bharatiya Janata Party’s foreign affairs cell held extensive discussion on the changing political scenario of Nepal. He has changed the rules of formation of Nepal’s political parties and helped Madhav Kumar Nepal in splitting away from CPN-UML. This was done to reduce the size and influence of our party which is the largest communist party of Nepal. This is aimed at strengthening the position of the government, said Mr. Bhattarai, explaining that the move will have widespread ramification in Nepal’s political system. The government of Prime Minister Deuba on August 18 passed an ordinance that allows split in a political party with the support of 20% central committee or parliamentary party members. Earlier, the requirement for registering a new party was support from 40% members of central committee or parliamentary party. The ordinance has benefited former PM Madhav Kumar Nepal, who was among the main challengers against Mr. Oli and created a series of political crises for Mr. Oli that ultimately led to his dismissal by the Supreme Court of Nepal. Mr. Nepal has formed a separate party. The ordinance is expected to reconfigure the setting of the political parties in Nepal and influence the equation between the government of Mr. Deuba and the rest of the political class. In the midst of the ongoing political reconfiguration, Mr. Chauthaiwale held a meeting with the leaders of several political parties in Kathmandu. Mr. Chauthaiwale is the first high-level Indian delegate to visit Nepal since the August 18 amendment was passed by the Deuba government. The Opposition led by CPN-UML has been criticising the amendment as a move to corner more political power. In last 24 hours, I met four senior-most leaders of Nepal, Sher Bahadur Deuba, K.P. Sharma Oli, Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda and Mahanta Thakur Ji, representing diverse ideological and political spectrum, said Mr. Chauthaiwale in a social media post.
