CURRENT AFFAIRS
25 April 2021
NATIONAL NEWS:
A) 20 COVID-19 patients die in Delhi’s Jaipur Golden Hospital due to oxygen shortage.
As many as 20 critically ill COVID-19 patients died at Jaipur Golden Hospital in the national capital on Friday night due to low stock of oxygen. The hospital on Saturday morning said it had oxygen for only 45 minutes and sought urgent government help. The city has been grappling with a shortage in oxygen supply for the past seven days amid a huge surge in coronavirus cases. 20 critically ill COVID-19 patients died last night over the oxygen crisis. The oxygen stock was never completely dry, but the pressure was low as we were running out of stock, Dr. D.K. Baluja, Medical Director of Jaipur Golden Hospital in Delhi told. He added that they have stopped new admissions. Delhi government has been blaming Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments for not allowing the smooth supply of oxygen from private oxygen plants in the States to Delhi. Ideally, there should be a buffer stock of oxygen for at least 48 hours in hospitals, according to doctors. But since the record surge in COVID-19 cases in the city, hospitals have been working with lesser stock and they are refilling almost on a daily basis. Most hospitals are operating with oxygen stock which would last only for 12-18 hours, officials said. Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court today said that if any official at the central, state, or local administration was obstructing the picking up or supply of oxygen, then they will hang that man. The observation by a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli came during the hearing of a plea by Maharaja Agrasen Hospital over shortage of oxygen for seriously-ill Covid-19 patients. The court told the Delhi government to give it one instance of who was obstructing the oxygen supply and said that they will hang that man.
B) Kejriwal spending crores on publicity, doing nothing to augment oxygen supply in Delhi, says Congress.
The Congress on Saturday accused the Arvind Kejriwal government of spending crores on publicity but doing nothing in the past year to augment oxygen storage capacity and set up new plants in the national capital. Congress leader Ajay Maken said the Centre and the Delhi government can squabble later but they should at least work for public welfare and development during the Covid-19 pandemic. Addressing a virtual press conference, he said the Centre has informed the High Court that it has sanctioned eight pressure swing absorption (PSA) plants but only one plant has been set up. The Delhi government has not added even a single PSA plant in the past year and neither has it augmented the oxygen storage capacity in the national capital, he alleged. Why oxygen plants have not come up in Delhi, whereas States such as Rajasthan have set up 24 out of 37 PSA units sanctioned in the past year and seven big oxygen storage plants, he asked. Instead of doing their bit, they are trying to put the blame on each other to divert the attention. What the Delhi government and the Central government have done is criminal. They have not spent a single penny on enhancing oxygen supply and adding storage capacity in Delhi in the past year, he said, urging them to provide at least oxygen to people struggling to get it. Maken alleged that the Delhi government spent ₹355 crores on advertisement and publicity in the last year and another ₹467 crore has been earmarked as publicity budget for this year. With a total of ₹822 crores being spent on advertisements and publicity in Delhi in the last two years, one can set up as many as 800 oxygen plants, adding 750 metric tonnes capacity of oxygen, but the government will not take such a step in public welfare, he alleged.
C) Govt claim that there is no vaccine shortage is hollow, says P. Chidambaram.
Congress leader P. Chidambaram on Saturday pointed to the shortage of vaccines and warned the government of more protests if people were turned away at hospitals. He, however, welcomed the decision to vaccinate all above the age of 18 years from May 1. However, they have to caution the government that this decision brings with it huge responsibilities, he tweeted. The former Minister said the first and foremost requirement was the availability of vaccines, adding that there were widespread complaints about the lack of supply of the jabs. The government’s claim that there is no shortage of vaccines is hollow and untrue, he said. When the surge in demand happens on May 1 and more people flock to hospitals for vaccination, will there be adequate stocks of vaccines all over the country? he asked. If people are turned away at hospitals, there will be great resentment and protests. Chidambaram said the time to plan for May 1 started many weeks ago and wondered whether the government was prepared for it. All adults will be eligible for coronavirus vaccination from May 1 after the government announced its liberalized vaccine policy. Currently, only people above 45 years of age are eligible to get the vaccine.
D) Tamil Nadu to shut theatres, gyms, shopping malls as fresh restrictions come into effect from April 26.
Amid surging COVID-19 cases, the Tamil Nadu government on Saturday announced more restrictions, including mandatory e-registration for those entering the State (except Puducherry), which would come into effect from 4 a.m. on April 26 (Monday). Theatres, gyms, all bars, recreation clubs, big format shops, shopping complexes, and malls will not be allowed to operate, while industrial establishments can function as per existing norms. The government has made e-registration mandatory for those entering Tamil Nadu, including persons from abroad. The current 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. night curfew and Sunday total lockdown would continue to be in place. Auditoriums and meeting halls are not allowed to function, as per the new restrictions. Independent vegetable and grocery stores and departmental stores are allowed to operate without air conditioning and with only 50% footfall at any given point of time.
E) RSS warns against ‘anti-Bharat forces amid pandemic.
In the midst of a massive second wave of Covid-19 infections hitting India, the RSS on Saturday appealed for caution against destructive and anti-Bharat forces who, it said, could exploit the situation to create an atmosphere of negativity and distrust. RSS general secretary and second-in-command Dattatreya Hosabale released a statement that also asked the organization’s workers, and social and religious institutions to come forward to resolve current challenges. It is also possible that destructive and anti-Bharat forces in society can take advantage of these circumstances to create an atmosphere of negativity and mistrust in the country. The countrymen, apart from their positive efforts to resolve the situation, should also be cautious of the conspiracies of these destructive forces, said Hosabale in his statement. On behalf of the Sangh, he also requested all sections of the society including the media to contribute to maintaining an atmosphere of positivity, hope, and trust in the society. Those who are active on social media should play a positive role, he said.
F) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments.
The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 1,67,73,185 with the death toll at 1,90,421. Ahead of the rollout of vaccination for people aged between 18 and 45 from May 1, the Centre on Saturday asked States to register additional private vaccination centers and ensure effective crowd management at sites and stress on inoculation through only online registration for beneficiaries in the age bracket. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and ‘Empowered Group on Technology and Data Management to Combat COVID-19’ chairman R.S. Sharma held a high-level meeting on Saturday to guide States and Union Territories on effective implementation of the new vaccination strategy (Phase-3) and to review their augmentation plans so as to strengthen the existing hospital and clinical treatment infrastructure for Covid-19 patients. Six patients died at a private hospital in Amritsar due to a shortage of medical oxygen, even as the State government on Saturday ordered the shutdown of operations in iron and steel industries to divert oxygen for medical use, along with the immediate establishment of Oxygen Control Rooms at the State and district levels amid the escalating oxygen crisis. The government has decided to exempt basic customs duty on import of COVID-19 vaccines, and the basic customs duty and health cess on import of medical grade oxygen and other equipment related to providing oxygen to patients, for a period of three months. The decisions were taken at a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister to review steps taken to boost oxygen availability in the country, the Finance Ministry said on Saturday.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
A) Less than two months after the Quad summit on vaccine cooperation, U.S. denies India’s request to lift the ban on the export of COVID vaccine raw materials.
Defending U.S. restrictions on the export of key vaccine raw materials that threaten to slow India’s COVID-19 vaccination drive by slowing down production, a senior State Department official has said the Biden administration’s first obligation is to take care of the requirements of the American people. Interestingly, in a Quad summit held on March 12 this year, the leaders of the Quad countries, which include the U.S. and India, along with Japan and Australia, had highlighted mutual cooperation to boost the supply of COVID-19 vaccines to meet shortages in Southeast Asia. On being asked when the Biden administration would decide on India’s request to lift a ban on the export of vaccine raw materials, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said that the United States first and foremost is engaged in an ambitious and effective and, so far, successful effort to vaccinate the American people. That campaign is well underway, and we’re doing that for a couple of reasons. Number one, we have a special responsibility to the American people. Number two, the American people, this country has been hit harder than any other country around the world – more than 550,000 deaths, tens of millions of infections in this country alone, he said on Thursday. It is not only in the U.S. interest to see Americans vaccinated; but it is in the interests of the rest of the world to see Americans vaccinated, he said. The point the Secretary (of State Antony Blinken) has made repeatedly is that as long as the virus is spreading anywhere, it is a threat to people everywhere. So as long as the virus is spreading uncontrolled in this country, it can mutate and it can travel beyond our borders. That, in turn, poses a threat well beyond the United States, Price said in responses to questions. The Biden administration had recently conveyed to New Delhi that the current difficulty in the export of critical raw materials needed to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines is mainly due to an Act that forces American companies to prioritize domestic consumption. President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump had invoked the war-time Defence Production Act (DPA) that leaves U.S. companies with no option but to give priority to the production of Covid-19 vaccines for domestic production.
B) Defying Turkey, U.S. recognizes the Armenian genocide of 1915.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday recognized the 1915 killings of Armenians by Ottoman forces as genocide, a watershed moment for descendants of the hundreds of thousands of dead as he defied decades of pressure by Turkey. Mr. Biden became the first U.S. President to use the word genocide in a customary statement on the anniversary, a day after informing Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan that he would go ahead with this step. They remember the lives of all those who died in the Ottoman-era Armenian genocide and recommit ourselves to preventing such an atrocity from ever again occurring, Mr. Biden said. And they remember so that we remain ever-vigilant against the corrosive influence of hate in all its forms, he added. Turkey on Saturday accused the U.S. of trying to rewrite history. They will not take lessons from anyone on our history, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in a tweet. Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan thanked Mr. Biden for the powerful step towards justice and historical truth. As many as 1.5 million Armenians are estimated to have been killed from 1915 to 1917 during the waning days of the Ottoman Empire. Starting with Uruguay in 1965, France, Germany, Russia, and many others have recognized the genocide.
C) MP held over Sri Lanka Easter Attacks
Sri Lanka police Saturday arrested All Ceylon Makkal Congress leader and opposition parliamentarian Rishad Bathiudeen in connection with the April 2019 Easter Sunday attacks. In a pre-dawn raid, the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) took Mr. Bathiudeen into custody under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) that rights groups term draconian and want to be repealed. His brother Riyaaj Bathiudeen who was arrested in April 2020 and released months later due to lack of evidence was arrested again. They were arrested under the PTA based on circumstantial and scientific evidence that they had connections with the suicide bombers who carried out the attacks, police spokesman Ajith Rohana said in a statement. On April 21, Sri Lanka marked the second anniversary of the ghastly Easter Sunday terror bombings, carried out by a network of suicide bombers from an IS-inspired local radical Islamist group. A total of 279 people died, and several hundred were seriously injured in the serial blasts carried out at luxury hotels and churches in Colombo, and in the eastern city of Batticaloa. The arrest of the Bathiudeen brothers comes amid growing calls, from the Catholic church.
