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CURRENT AFFAIRS
28 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Election Commission bans victory processions on or after counting day.

The Election Commission of India (ECI) on April 27 banned victory processions after the declaration of Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, West Bengal and Kerala Assembly election results on May 2, due to the surge in Covid-19 cases. The decision comes a day after the ECI faced flak from the Madras High Court over violations of Covid-19 protocols during campaigning for the five Assembly elections. The court blamed the ECI for the second wave of the pandemic in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. In view of the surge in Covid-19 cases throughout the country, the Commission has decided to make more stringent provision to be followed during the process of counting, in addition to the existing broad guidelines dated 21st August, 2020, the ECI said in a letter to the Chief Electoral Officers of all States. It said no victory processions would be allowed after the counting of votes and only a maximum of two people would be allowed to accompany the winning candidate or their authorised representative to receive the certificate of election from the Returning Officer. The ECI had issued guidelines for elections during the pandemic in August last year and then reiterated them during the latest Assembly elections.

B) SC says it can’t remain a ‘mute spectator’, but won’t transfer COVID-related cases from HCs.

The Supreme Court cannot remain a mute spectator in the face of a national calamity. However, the apex court will not interfere in the work done by various High Courts across the country to monitor and manage life-saving Covid-19 management amid a second wave of the pandemic, a Special Bench led by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud made it clear on Tuesday. The Bench, also comprising Justices L. Nageswara Rao and S. Ravindra Bhat, sat for almost the whole day, grilling the Centre, States and authorities on the various aspects of COVID-management in a suo moto hearing. During a national crisis, the SC cannot be a mute spectator. The role of the Supreme Court is complimentary in nature. The court will examine issues which travel beyond the boundaries of States and have national repercussions, the Bench said, assuaging apprehensions that the apex court would derail the ongoing work of the HCs. Over 11 State High Courts are hearing Covid-19-related cases and passing orders on a daily basis. High Courts are best suited to make an assessment of ground realities in each States and find flexible solutions for problems faced by citizens. No need to interfere in the work of the HCs, the Bench observed. The Bench questioned the Centre about its vaccine pricing policy. It asked why different manufacturers were pricing their vaccines differently. Justice Bhat asked whether the Centre should not invoke a statutory regime and introduce uniform rates. The Bench asked how vaccines sold in private hospitals turn out more expensive. What is the rationale or basis for different manufacturers coming out with different prices? What is the Centre doing about it? Control the prices and bring them under a statutory regime under the Drugs Control Act or the Patents Act, the Bench addressed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre. Justice Bhat pointed out to the law officer, this is a pandemic and a national crisis. If this is not the time to issue such powers (to control prices), then when is it? The court directed the government to file an affidavit by April 30.

C) SC allows Vedanta to produce oxygen at the Sterlite plant in Tamil Nadu.

Supreme Court on Tuesday allowed Vedanta to operate its oxygen production unit at its Sterlite Copper premises in Thoothukudi as an extraordinary measure to tide over the national shortage of oxygen amid the second wave of Covid-19. The court that the Tamil Nadu government had met stakeholders extensively both at the executive and political levels and decided to let Vedanta operate the plant, which would be able to produce up to 200 MT of liquid oxygen within 10 days. With this, the State overcame its initial objections to the reopening of the Vedanta premises, which were closed in 2018 due to environmental problems. They are inclined to allow Vedanta’s prayer to operate the oxygen plant as a standalone unit. The order is passed only in view of the national need for oxygen. The order will not create any equity in favour of Vedanta, Justice Chandrachud noted. The Bench asked the Tamil Nadu government to form a committee to monitor Vedanta, which will include the District Collector, Tuticorin; SP Tuticorin; District Environmental Engineer; Sub Collector Tuticorin; and two government officials with knowledge of the affairs. Vedanta will not be allowed to enter and operate the copper smelting plant under the garb of this order. It is in the nature of an oversight panel. The committee will work in tandem with local community members and address their concerns. The order will hold ground till July 31.

D) Thoothukudi residents oppose the plan to resume operations at a sealed Sterlite plant.

A cross-section of Thoothukudi has decided to oppose any move to allow Vedanta’s sealed Sterlite Copper plant to resume operations even to produce oxygen for medical needs. The copper smelter unit at SIPCOT Industrial Complex has remained idle after it was closed in May 2018 following the death of 13 anti-Sterlite protesters who were killed in a police firing. Sterlite Copper chief executive officer Pankaj Kumar had submitted an appeal to the State government seeking permission to operate its oxygen plant alone at the copper smelter complex to supply 1,050 tonnes of oxygen per day to hospitals. The company also moved the Supreme Court with its offer. On April 22, the Central government supported the company, while Tamil Nadu opposed it. The State government had asked the Thoothukudi administration to conduct a public hearing on the issue and send its report on April 23 to enable it to submit an affidavit before the Supreme Court. The district administration had invited select people both in favour of and against the move to resume operations for oxygen production for the public hearing at the Collectorate. As people protested against restricting the number of invitees, eventually about 50 were allowed to attend the public hearing chaired by Collector K. Senthil Raj. Journalists were asked to leave within minutes of the commencement of the hearing that ended within 30 minutes. The Collector did not brief journalists as he rushed to prepare his report to be sent to the State government.

E) Govt lashes out at the Australian newspaper for showing Modi in poor light.

Facing a barrage of criticism from a number of international newspapers for its handling of the coronavirus crisis, the government hit out at The Australian newspaper for reproducing an article that portrayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a poor light, accusing him of leading India into a viral apocalypse. In a letter addressed to the Editor of the Australian newspaper Christian Dore, the Indian High Commission in Canberra said that the article sought to undermine the Modi government for its approach to the pandemic, which the government said had been universally acclaimed. It is astonishing to see that your respected publication has chosen to reproduce a baseless malicious and slanderous article without bothering to check the facts of the case with any authorities in the Government of India, said the rejoinder, signed by India’s Deputy High Commissioner, who claimed that last year’s lockdown, the ongoing vaccination drive, an up-gradation in diagnostics and treatment facilities, as well as India’s “Vaccine Maitri” initiative, where it exported 66 million vaccines to 80 countries (now 95 countries), were counters to the article’s assertions. It is unclear why the government chose to respond to the article in Canberra, given that it had been reproduced from the original article in The Sunday Times, in the U.K. previously, and is one of the several scathing columns written internationally about the government’s response. On Monday, The Sydney Morning Herald also published a piece, written by the former High Commissioner to India and board member of the Australia India institute John McCarthy that said that Modi’s government has not distinguished itself, by allowing the Kumbh Mela and going ahead with massive rallies as the coronavirus pandemic spread.

F) No request for Covid-19 facilities at a five-star hotel, says Delhi High Court.

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday said it has not made any request for creating Covid-19 facilities for its judges, staff and their families in a five-star hotel. Taking suo motu cognisance of news reports which said that 100 rooms at Ashoka Hotel in the national capital have been converted into a COVID health facility for judges of Delhi High Court on its request, a bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli said, No communication has been made to anyone in this regard. They have not made any such request for taking over facilities of a five-star hotel, the bench said and directed the Delhi government to take corrective steps immediately. In an order issued by the sub-divisional magistrate of Chanakyapuri on April 25, it was stated that the COVID facility at Ashoka Hotel will be associated with Primus Hospital. The order also said that the facility was being set up at the request of the Delhi High Court. Terming the order as wrong, the bench said the image is projected as a result of it was that the Delhi High Court judges have taken it for their benefit or that the Delhi government has done it to appease the court. The High Court also did not agree with senior advocate Rahul Mehra’s claim that the media played mischief, saying the media is not wrong. It said that the media only pointed out what was wrong in the order and it was the SDM’s order which was wrong.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) The U.S. will share vaccines from AstraZeneca once the vaccine clear federal safety reviews. 

The U.S. will begin sharing its entire pipeline of vaccines from AstraZeneca once the vaccine clear federal safety reviews, the White House said, with as many as 60 million doses expected to be available for export in the coming months. The move greatly expands on the Biden administration’s action last month to share about 4 million doses of the vaccine with Mexico and Canada. The AstraZeneca vaccine is widely in use around the world but not yet authorised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The move comes as the White House is increasingly assured about the supply of the three vaccines being administered in the U.S., particularly following the restart of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot over the weekend. Given the strong portfolio of vaccines that the U.S. already has and that have been authorised by the FDA, and given that the AstraZeneca vaccine is not authorised for use in the U.S., we do not need to use the AstraZeneca vaccine here during the next several months, said White House COVID-19 coordinator Jeff Zients. Therefore the U.S. is looking at options to share the AstraZeneca doses with other countries as they become available.

B) Iran, U.S. warships engage in a tense encounter.

American and Iranian warships had a tense encounter in the Gulf earlier this month, the first such incident in about a year amid wider turmoil in the region over Tehran’s tattered nuclear deal, the U.S. Navy said on Tuesday. Footage released by the Navy showed a ship commanded by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard cut in front of the USCGC Monomoy, causing the Coast Guard vessel to come to an abrupt stop with its engine smoking on April 2. The Guard also did the same with another Coast Guard vessel, the USCGC Wrangell, said Commodore Rebecca Rebarich, a spokeswoman for the Navy’s 5th Fleet. Such close passes risk the ships colliding at sea. Iran did not immediately acknowledge the incident. The interaction marked the first unsafe and unprofessional incident involving the Iranians since April 15, 2020, she said. However, Iran had largely stopped such incidents in 2018 and nearly in the entirety of 2019, she said. In 2017, the Navy recorded 14 instances of what it describes as unsafe interactions with Iranians.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
27 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) ECI ‘singularly responsible’ for Covid-19 surge, says Madras HC.

The Madras High Court on Monday squarely blamed the Election Commission of India (ECI) for the raging second wave of Covid-19 in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry and asked if the officials were in some other planet when political parties took out Assembly election rallies without adhering to Covid-19 safety protocols despite several judicial orders. Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy said public health was of paramount importance and that it was distressing to note that Constitutional authorities had to be reminded of it. Only when a citizen survives, would he/she be able to enjoy the rights that a democratic republic guarantees to him/her, they said. They warned the ECI that a postponement of vote counting (scheduled for May 2) may be ordered if a blueprint on the maintenance of Covid-19 protocol at the counting centres was not produced before the court by April 30. The orders were passed on a writ petition filed by Transport Minister M.R. Vijayabhaskar, a contestant from Karur Assembly constituency, seeking a direction to the ECI to put in place stringent measures aimed at ensuring fairness in counting of votes. During the hearing, the Chief Justice expressed displeasure over the ECI having turned a blind eye to safeguarding public health.

B) MHA asks states to impose containment measures.

The Ministry of Home Affairs has asked States to impose localized restrictions and implement strict containment measures for at least 14-days to flatten the Covid-19 curve. In a letter to States on Monday, Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla said that considering the unprecedented surge, there is an urgent need for States and Union Territories to consider strict COVID management and control measures to bring the situation under control. States and UTs, based on their assessment of the situation, may impose local restrictions at district/sub district and city/ward level, with a view to contain the spread of COVID 19, the letter stated. The Health ministry had suggested night curfew, closure of malls and shopping complexes, and restricting office strength to 50% as some of the measures to contain the spread in areas that required intensive action. The spread of the infection has to be controlled through restricting the intermingling amongst people, the only known host for the COVID 19 virus. Social/ political / sports / entertainment / academic / cultural / religious / festival related and other gathering and congregations shall be prohibited. Marriages (attended by up to 50 persons) and funerals/ last rites (attended by up to 20 persons) may be allowed, Health Ministry said, adding that such localised restrictions should continue for 14 days. The Home Ministry also issued a clarification to the Sunday’s (April 25) order issued under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 on liquid oxygen. The order specifically excluded industries manufacturing ampules and vials, the pharmaceutical sector, and the defence forces from its ambit. The order had said that all liquid oxygen, including the existing stock with private plants shall be made available to the government and will be used for medical purposes only. Earlier on April 18, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had written to States prohibiting supply of oxygen for industrial purposes, except for the exempted nine industries that included the pharmaceutical, petroleum, nuclear energy and the steel sectors.

C) Govt. ordered Twitter to remove 50 posts critical of its handling of Covid-19 pandemic.

Twitter has removed over 50 posts from its platform following orders from the government. The majority of these tweets were critical of the Centre’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as India grappled with a record number of cases amid shortage of beds and medical oxygen. Many of the removed tweets had content related to shortage of medicine, beds, mass cremations, and the gathering of crowds at Kumbh Mela amid the pandemic. While blocked for viewing in India, these tweets will continue to remain visible outside the country. Some of the verified accounts which saw their tweets removed include Congress Spokesperson Pawan Khera, Member of Parliament Revanth Reddy, a minister from West Bengal Moloy Ghatak, ABP News editor Pankaj Jha, Actor Vineet Kumar Singh, filmmaker Avinash Das and filmmaker and former journalist Vinod Kapri. The details of the order received by Twitter have been put up on the Lumen database, a project of the BerkmanKlein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University that collects and analyzes requests to remove material from the web. This story was first reported by technology news website Medianama. Earlier in February, the Centre had asked Twitter to remove nearly 1,200 accounts that had posted content related to ‘farmer genocide’ amid the ongoing protests by farmers against the new farm laws.

D) Karnataka announces 14-day lockdown. 

The Karnataka Cabinet on Monday announced a partial lockdown across the State for 14 days starting from 9 pm on Tuesday (April 27). Only shops providing essential services would be open from 6 am to 10 am for the next two weeks, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa announced soon after a Cabinet meeting. There would be no public transport in the State and metro trains would not operate in Bengaluru City. All industries, except manufacturing, would remain closed. The garment industries, which hire lakhs of employees in the State, would remain closed. The Chief Minister said all agriculture-related activities would be allowed in rural areas. Agricultural markets in cities would remain closed. The government has also decided to provide free vaccination for Covid-19 for all those aged between 18 and 44 years in government hospitals and centres from May 1.

E) Tamil Nadu all-party meet resolves to allow oxygen production in Sterlite plant for four months. 

An all-party meeting convened by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami on Monday unanimously resolved to temporarily allow Vedanta’s sealed Sterlite copper smelter plant in Thoothukudi to produce oxygen alone for four months, albeit with conditions. Considering the need for oxygen and the prevailing Covid-19 situation, it was resolved that the temporary permit may be extended later on, an official release said. The meeting decided that production of copper or the operation of any other units would not be allowed in the plant under any circumstances. Tamil Nadu should be given priority in the [usage of] oxygen produced at the plant. After fulfilling the oxygen needs of Tamil Nadu, the supply could be provided to other States, said another resolution adopted at the meeting. After a specific period, the power supply from Tamil Nadu Electricity Board (Tangedco) would be disconnected, said the resolution. The parties favoured allowing technicians only in the area where oxygen would be produced. The State government would ensure necessary safety measures. Under any circumstances, any unit other than those producing oxygen would not be allowed. The meeting also resolved to constitute a monitoring committee to be headed by the District Collector to supervise oxygen production in the plant. Superintendent of Police, Sub Collector, Thoothukudi, engineers from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, two experts to be nominated by the State government, members of the general public from the area/environment experts from NGOs and three anti-Sterlite activists would be part of the panel that would decide on operating the plant producing oxygen.

F) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments.

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 1,73,95,241 with the death toll at 1,95,578. Dr V.K. Paul, Member (health) at the NITI Aayog, involved closely in India’s COVID management strategy, has recommended that everyone should wear masks even at home. The time has come to recommend wearing a mask even if you are at home, said Dr. Paul at the weekly press briefing by the Health Ministry. Other officials present at the briefing, including Joint Secretary, Lav Agrawal, Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi also emphasised the importance of masks and social distancing but underlined multiple times that people shouldn’t be panicking. Dr .Guleria said that 85% of those afflicted by the virus would recover without need of any medication and not everyone needed to rush to a hospital. There is unnecessary panic all around and this is causing more harm than good. This is causing hoarding of drugs and misuse of valuable medical resources. An oxygen level of 94-95 doesn’t need an oxygen concentrator and you shouldn’t try to raise it at those levels. Above 94 means your organs are getting adequate oxygen, said Dr. Guleria. Before the pandemic, we’ve managed patients with these machines at 88-90. If it’s below 94, consult with your doc. For hospitals, it’s important to prevent leakage. The benefits of (antiviral) Remdesivir aren’t well established, he added.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) Nomadland’ wins Oscar for Best Picture, ‘My Octopus Teacher’ wins ‘Best Documentary Feature’

‘Nomadland’, a recession-era tale about a community of van dwellers in the American West, won the Oscar for best picture on Sunday. The film stars Frances McDormand as a widow in a depressed Nevada mining town who turns her van into a mobile home and sets out on the road, taking seasonal jobs and making friends along the way. McDormand won her third Oscar for ‘Nomadland’, cementing her reputation as one of the best actresses of her generation. McDormand’s win makes her a member of an elite club that includes Meryl Streep, Daniel Day Lewis and Jack Nicholson as the winners of three acting Oscars. The late Katharine Hepburn won a record four. My Octopus Teacher, which has Indian filmmaker Swati Thiyagarajan as associate producer and production manager, won the best documentary feature at the Oscars, which also honoured actor Irrfan Khan and costume designer Bhanu in its ‘In Memoriam’ segment.

B) Radioactive material detected in Sri Lanka. 

Sri Lanka said last week it detected radioactive material on a China-bound vessel berthed at the southern Hambantota Port. The vessel has been asked to leave the Port, according to officials, as the shipping company failed to obtain prior clearance for dangerous cargo, as per Sri Lankan law. China’s Minister of Defence Wei Fenghe, meanwhile, will visit Sri Lanka this week, in the second high-level visit from Beijing to Colombo in the past six months. The Minister will arrive on April 27 and leave on April 29, Mohan Samaranayake, Director-General of the Department of Government Information, told The Hindu. The Chinese Defence Minister and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General’s visit follows that of a high-powered delegation, led by senior Chinese leader and top foreign policy official Yang Jiechi, in October 2020. China has provided crucial support to Sri Lanka in the pandemic year, by way of a $1 billion loan, as well as a $1.5 billion currency swap facility to help the Colombo government boost its foreign reserves. India has recalled the second Deep Submergence Rescue Vessel (DSRV) that was airlifted on Saturday morning to Indonesia after the Indonesian Navy declared that it had located debris of the missing submarine, KRI Nanggala, suggesting that it had sunk. The Indian Navy had dispatched its DSRV from Visakhapatnam to support the Indonesian Navy in search and rescue efforts for its submarine KRI Nanggala that went missing on Wednesday with 53 personnel onboard.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
26 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) Government asks social media to take down 100 COVID-19-related posts.

The government has asked social media platforms to take down around 100 posts which it believes were done to create panic about the COVID-19 situation in India by using unrelated, communally sensitive posts and misinformation. On April 24, Twitter had removed over 50 posts from its platform following orders from the government. The majority of these tweets were critical of the Centre’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic as India grappled with a record number of cases amid shortage of beds and medical oxygen. When contacted, an official of the Minister of Electronics and IT (MeitY) said that the Ministry, on the recommendation of the Ministry of Home Affairs, has asked social media platforms to remove around 100 posts or URLs. The official said this was done in view of the misuse of these platforms by certain users to spread fake or misleading information and create panic about the COVID19 situation in India by using unrelated, old and out of the context images or visuals, communally sensitive posts and misinformation about COVID-19 protocols. This decision has been taken to prevent obstructions in the fight against the pandemic and escalation of public order due to these posts, the official added. As per the order received by Twitter, some of the verified accounts for which the tweets have been removed include, Congress Spokesperson Pawan Khera, Member of Parliament Revanth Reddy, a Minister from West Bengal Moloy Ghatak, ABP News editor Pankaj Jha, Actor Vineet Kumar Singh, filmmaker Avinash Das and filmmaker and former journalist Vinod Kapri. Many of the removed tweets had content related to shortage of medicine, beds, mass cremations, and the gathering of crowds at Kumbh Mela amid the pandemic. While blocked for viewing in India, these tweets will continue to remain visible outside the country. Mr. Khera has sent a legal notice to Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad and social media platform Twitter for taking down his April 12 tweet on the surge of Covid-19 cases. The tweet had questioned the complete silence of the Union government in allowing the Kumbh Mela and election rallies to take place despite the worsening coronavirus situation in India. Russia is planning to fly special planes with a wide range of COVID-related assistance including oxygen generators and concentrators as well as drugs needed for the treatment of the coronavirus that is ravaging many parts of India, but may have to hold off sending the drug Remdesivir owing to U.S. patent violations.

B) PM CARES fund allocates funds for 551 oxygen plants.

The PM CARES Fund has approved allocation of funds for setting up 551 Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) medical oxygen generation plants at public health facilities in the country, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) on April 25. With 162 such plants approved earlier, the decision would lead to setting up of an oxygen plant in all districts with government hospitals, an official said. A tweet from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Twitter handle about the development said: Oxygen plants in every district to ensure adequate oxygen availability. An important decision that will boost oxygen availability to hospitals and help people across the nation. (Sic). The PMO said the Fund had given in-principle approval to 551 PSA oxygen generation plants in line with the Prime Minister’s direction of boosting availability of oxygen to hospitals. The decision came in the wake of oxygen shortages at hospitals in the country amidst a surge of Covid-19 cases. Prime Minister had ordered the plants to be set up as soon as possible and said they would boost oxygen availability at the district level, the statement said. The plants would come up in selected government hospitals in district headquarters and the procurement would be done via the Health and Family Welfare Ministry, it said.

C) Cancel diversion of 80KL oxygen, Tamil Nadu CM writes to PM.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking immediate cancellation of the diversion of 80 KL of liquid oxygen from Sriperumbudur to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. He reasoned that there was a need to ensure adequate oxygen availability in the State due to the active caseload crossing over a lakh. In his letter, Mr. Palaniswami said that in the latest National Medical Oxygen allotment, the oxygen allocation for Tamil Nadu has been fixed at 220 Metric Tonnes (MTs), while the State would require 450 MTs shortly, which would be more than the production capacity of 400 MTs. Based on this wrong allotment [of 220 MTs], 80 MTs of liquid oxygen has been diverted from the manufacturing facilities located at Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, to Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. This is based on the wrong position that the existing oxygen consumption in Tamil Nadu is lower than the manufacturing capacity, he said. The Chief Minister said according to the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisations data, the consumption of oxygen in Tamil Nadu has already reached 310 MTs as against the inadequate allotment of 220 MTs. Also, the States to which the allotment has been made have lower number of active cases than us and also have major steel industries located within the their State/close to their States. Hence, the diversion from the Sriperumbudur plant which supplies to Chennai city with the second biggest caseload in South India seems to have no justification. This needs to be immediately corrected, Mr. Palaniswami said.

D) Delhi lockdown extended by a week.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced that the lockdown in Delhi will be extended for another week to deal with the surge in COVID-19 cases and the health emergency due to shortage of oxygen. The six-day lockdown that was preceded by a weekend curfew was scheduled to end on April 26. The lockdown was out last weapon against Corona. We have spoken to several sections and have decided to extend the lockdown by one more week. They hope that this will further bring down the positivity rate, Mr. Kejriwal said. He added that despite the lockdown, cases continue to rise in the city and the spread has not stopped. However, he said that the positivity rate that rose to 36-37% (the highest in the country) during the start of the lockdown is now showing signs of improvement over the past two days, and has fallen in the past 24-hours below 30%. They have to monitor this situation closely and see if it comes down further, he said. On the oxygen shortage in the city that has lead to several deaths, the Chief Minister said that the government has been working all night to ensure that oxygen reaches hospital on time. They have failed at times and have been successful at times. They need to manage our oxygen resources properly and have started a portal which will provide updates on availability of oxygen every two hours. This is to get information from the stock available with manufacturers, suppliers and the need of hospitals as well so that we do not face an emergency, the Chief Minister said.

E) Covid watch: Numbers and Developments.

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stands at 1,71,96,471 with the death toll at 1,93,612. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Sunday announced that the State government will provide free coronavirus vaccine to people above the 18 years of age, who will be inoculated beginning May 1. He said the State government will spend about ₹3,000 crore on the exercise. Meanwhile, the first Oxygen Express train for Delhi carrying around 70 tonnes of the life-saving gas will depart from Jindal Steel Works plant in Raigarh on Sunday night, Railway Board Chairman Suneet Sharma said. The train, with four tankers, will reach Delhi by Monday night, he said.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) The U.S., other countries, promise support to India.

The U.S. will rapidly deploy additional support to India and its health care heroes amidst the horrific COVID-19 outbreak, Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said. Mr. Blinken’s remarks came as pressure grew on the Biden administration to ship COVID-19 vaccines along with several life-saving medical supplies to India. Our hearts go out to the Indian people in the midst of the horrific COVID-19 outbreak, Mr. Blinken said in a tweet on Saturday night. U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that the United States is deeply concerned by the severe COVID outbreak in India. They are working around the clock to deploy more supplies and support to our friends and partners in India as they bravely battle this pandemic. More very soon, Mr. Sullivan said. Several U.S. lawmakers, eminent Indian-Americans and the powerful U.S. Chambers of Commerce have voiced their concerns over the situation in India and have asked the Biden administration to extend assistance, release vaccines and other raw materials critical for India. Meanwhile, the European Union and Germany have also promised aid to fight the second wave of Covid that’s currently ravaging India. The assurance of help came this afternoon, as the daily Covid numbers almost touched 3.5 lakh the fourth straight day of 3 lakh-plus fresh infections. Upon request for assistance by #India, we have activated the #EU Civil Protection Mechanism. The EU will do its utmost to mobilise assistance to support people of IN. Our #ERCC is already coordinating EU MS that are ready to provide urgently needed #oxygen & medicine rapidly, tweeted Janez Lenarcic, the European Commissioner for Crisis Management. Also on Sunday, Russia is planning to fly special planes with a wide range of COVID-related assistance including oxygen generators and concentrators as well as drugs needed for the treatment of the coronavirus that is ravaging many parts of India, but may have to hold off sending the drug Remdesivir owing to U.S. patent violations. According to sources aware of the discussions between Delhi and Moscow, the grant-based assistance could begin to arrive this week, possibly in the next few days, and will include oxygen generating equipment for various purposes, ranging from use in individual homes to nursing homes and hospitals, as well as pharma supplies of drugs like Favipiravir, used to treat milder versions of COVID-19.

B) 82 killed in hospital fire, Iraq Interior Ministry confirms.

Iraq’s Interior Ministry said on April 25 that 82 people died and 110 were injured in a catastrophic fire that broke out in a Baghdad hospital. Among the dead were at least 28 patients on ventilators battling severe symptoms of the coronavirus, tweeted Ali al-Bayati, a spokesman of the country’s independent Human Rights Commission. The commission is a semi-official body. Negligence on the part of hospital authorities has been blamed for the fire, which initial reports suggest was caused when an oxygen cylinder exploded in an intensive care ward at he Ibn al-Khatib hospital. The hospital cares for patients with severe symptoms of the coronavirus. The semi-official Independent High Commission for Human Rights reported that at least 28 of the dead were on ventilators. Iraq’s prime minister fired key hospital officials Sunday hours after the fire broke out.

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.

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.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
23 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) Anyone above 18 can register for COVID-19 vaccines from April 28.

Registration for vaccination against Covid-19 for all those aged above 18 will begin on the CoWIN platform and Aarogya Setu app from April 28, a Press Information Bureau release has said. However, they will get appointments only after hospitals publish their schedules on CoWin, the nodal site for coordinating the vaccine drive. On Monday, the Centre announced that everyone above 18 years old will be eligible for a vaccine from May. Estimates for India’s adult population range from 800 to 900 billion and discounting those above 45 years and the 130 million who’ve got at least one dose, at least 500-600 million are expected to register for doses from Saturday. Unlike the ongoing vaccination drive, where the Centre is the sole buyer and supplier of vaccines to States, the May rollout will also include doses that have been independently purchased by States from vaccine manufacturers. It could also include shots of Sputnik V, the Russian vaccine authorised by the Central Drug Regulator. However, both Bharat Biotech and Serum Institute of India (SII) are fulfilling existing commitments to the Centre and have said that they are unable to substantially ramp up supply before July. It’s also unclear when the first doses of Sputnik V will be available. Under the existing arrangement, beneficiaries can register for a vaccination slot and opt for a centre nearest to them. There is also an option for registering on the spot.

B) Supreme Court takes suo motu cognisance of Covid-19 situation; Bar Association files plea against transfer of pandemic-related cases from High Courts.

As the country grapples with the current wave of Covid-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court on Thursday took suo motu cognisance of the prevailing grim situation and said it wanted a national plan on issues, including supply of oxygen and essential drugs for treatment of patients infected with the virus. Taking suo motu cognisance of the prevailing grim situation across the country, a Bench headed by Chief Justice S.A. Bobde said it would also consider the matter pertaining to the method and manner of Covid-19 vaccination, and the power of the high courts to declare lockdown amid the pandemic. It further said that at least six high courts are hearing Covid-19-related matters, leading to confusion and diversion of resources based on different priorities. The apex court appointed senior advocate Harish Salve as an amicus curiae to assist it in the suo motu proceedings. The Bench issued notice to the Centre and said it would hear the matter on Friday. The top court said at least six high courts — Delhi, Bombay, Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, Calcutta and Allahabad — are dealing with issues pertaining to the prevailing situation. It said these high courts are exercising their jurisdictions in bona fide and in the best interest. What is happening is that it is creating some kind of confusion and diversion of resources, the Bench observed. Incidentally, the various high courts, including the Delhi High Court, have been scathing in their criticism of the Centre’s handling of the Covid-19 situation.

C) Modi calls off campaign visit on April 23, to address voters virtually.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi cancelled his election rallies for Friday, looking at the exponential rise in Covid-19 cases in the country, which topped 3,15,000 cases on Thursday. Tweeting his decision, Modi said that tomorrow, will be chairing high-level meetings to review the prevailing COVID-19 situation. Due to that, I would not be going to West Bengal. He was scheduled to address four meetings, including one at Shaheed Minar grounds in Kolkata. It’s not clear at the moment whether the suspension of the campaign is only for Friday’s meetings or the rest of the campaign time for the last two phases of the West Bengal Assembly polls. The BJP and other political parties came under increasing criticism after big rallies and crowded road shows continued amid sky-rocketing Covid-19 cases. West Bengal crossed five figures in daily cases as the election phases passed.

D) Centre invokes Disaster Management Act to enable unhindered transport of medical oxygen.

The Centre invoked the Disaster Management Act on Thursday, making district magistrates and senior superintendents of police personally liable to ensure unhindered inter-State movement of vehicles carrying medical oxygen and ensure that supply is not restricted to the State where the oxygen plant is located. The order comes hours after Delhi’s deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia alleged that the governments of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh were blocking the supply of oxygen to Delhi. Delhi procures medical oxygen from neighbouring districts in these States. The Union Home Secretary is the Chairman of the National Executive Committee under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. Though the 2005 legislation was passed in the wake of the tsunami disaster, it was invoked for the first time in March 2020 to battle the pandemic. The order said that no restriction shall be imposed on the movement of medical oxygen between the States and transport authorities shall be instructed to accordingly allow free inter-State movement of oxygen carrying vehicles; No restrictions shall be imposed on oxygen manufacturers and suppliers to limit the oxygen supplies only to the hospitals of the State/ UT in which they are located. The order added that there shall be free movement of oxygen carrying vehicles into the cities, without any restriction of timings, while also enabling inter-city supply without any restriction and no authority shall attach the oxygen carrying vehicles passing through the district or areas for making supplies specific to any particular district(s) or area. It also prohibited supply of oxygen for industrial purposes, except those exempted by the Government.

E) New vaccine policy discriminatory, Sonia tells Modi, urges him to reverse it.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that the modified vaccine policy was not only discriminatory but also a complete abandonment of the youth and urged the government to reverse it. Gandhi, in her letter, said that in these said times, how can the Government of India permit such brazen profiteering from people’s misery? She said the aim of the government should be to vaccinate everyone above 18, regardless of their economic circumstances, but the policy implies that the Government of India has abdicated its responsibility to provide free vaccination for citizens between the age group of 18 to 45 years. It is surprising that despite the harsh lessons of last year and the pain inflicted on our citizens, the Government continues to follow an arbitrary and discriminatory policy, which promises to exacerbate existing challenges, she said. On Wednesday, the Serum Institute of India (SII), which manufactures Covishield, announced three rate slabs: ₹150 for the Central Government, ₹400 for State Governments and ₹600 for private hospitals per dose. This means that citizens will be compelled to pay these high rates to be vaccinated. This will also bleed the finances of State Governments. This begs the question, how can the same vaccine manufactured by the same company have three different prices? There is no rationale or justification that allows for such arbitrary distinction, Gandhi noted.

F) Assam unit of Congress moves poll candidates to resort.

The Assam unit of the Congress has herded its Assembly poll candidates to a resort in Sonapur, about 30 km east of Guwahati. The move ahead of election results on May 2 is apparently to stop the ruling alliance led by the BJP from luring its candidates away. The Congress had fielded 95 candidates in the three-phase poll that ended April 6. It left the remaining 31 seats to its coalition partners in the 10-party Mahajot, or grand alliance. The party believes the people will reject the BJP-led alliance and the party could indulge in horse-trading if the verdict on May 2 is fractured. Congress spokesperson Bobbeeta Sharma played down the decision to keep its flock together. The candidates want to stay together for a few days in a relaxed environment away from public contact, she said on Thursday. But Rupjyoti Kurmi, the party’s three-time MLA from Mariani constituency, told a group of reporters that the BJP has been sending feelers to a few candidates. Everybody knows what happened in Goa and Manipur. The BJP will try to buy some victors among us or browbeat the Opposition MLAs with threats of implicating them in some case or the other, he said.

G) Delhi High Court dismisses WhatsApp plea against CCI order to investigate new privacy policy.

The Delhi High Court on Thursday dismissed plea of instant messaging app WhatsApp challenging a decision of the Competition Commission of India (CCI) calling for an investigation into its controversial new privacy policy. WhatsApp had contended that since the issue of its privacy policy was before the Supreme Court, the CCI did not need to order the probe. Not only WhatsApp, but social media giant Facebook, which owns the instant messaging app, also filed a similar petition challenging the competition watchdog’s March 24 decision. WhatsApp had said the CCI jumped the gun and started the probe when this was not a competition issue. It had said the issue with respect to personal data of users, and sharing of personalised data was already before the Supreme Court, hence CCI ought not to have intervened. The High Court, however, noted that CCI’s order of investigation could not be quashed merely because it did not await the outcome of the pending cases before the Supreme Court and High Court. CCI, on the other hand, had argued the probe order was made to gauge whether access to data would lead to abuse of dominant position. The commission had said it was dealing with the instant messaging app’s new privacy policy that could lead to excessive data collection of consumers and the sharing of data in an anti-competitive context. The commission had said it was not concerned with the privacy aspect of the issue as the Supreme Court was already seized of it.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Australia ends China deals on national interest grounds. 

Australia said on Thursday that it cancelled two accords between Victoria State and China on the Belt and Road Initiative because they were out of line with the federal government’s foreign policy, which sees a free and open Indo-pacific as a key goal. A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman responded by urging Australia to abandon its Cold War mentality and ideological bias and immediately correct its mistakes and change course. The Chinese Embassy earlier criticised the move by Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne to veto two agreements signed by Victoria State as provocative, and said it would further damage ties. Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the accords were cancelled because his federal government did not want other levels of government to enter into agreements that are in conflict with Australia’s foreign policy. They will always act in Australia’s national interest to protect Australia, but to also ensure we can advance our national interest in a free and open Indo-Pacific and a world that seeks a balance in favour of freedom, he said. Under a new process, States must consult with the Foreign Minister before signing agreements with other nations. Ms. Payne earlier told local radio the policy was not aimed at any one country. Wang Wenbin, a spokesman at the Chinese Foreign Ministry, expressed doubt over that claim during a regular news conference in Beijing. He warned Australia against travelling further down the wrong path to avoid making the already strained China Australia relations worse.

B) Chinese Defence Minister Wei Fenghe to visit Sri Lanka. 

China’s Minister of Defence Wei Fenghe will visit Sri Lanka next week, in the second high-level visit from Beijing to Colombo in the past six months. The Minister will arrive on April 27 and leave on April 29, Mohan Samara. nayake, Director-General of the Department of Government Information, told. The Chinese Defence Minister and People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General’s visit follows that of a highpowered delegation, led by senior Chinese leader and top foreign policy official Yang Jiechi, in October 2020. China has provided crucial support to Sri Lanka in the pandemic year, by way of a Sl billion loan, as well as a Sl.5 billion currency swap facility to help the Colombo government boost its foreign reserves. Closer cooperation President Xi Jinping, in a call with President Gotabaya Rajapaksa last month, assured him that China was ready to support Sri Lanka’s postpandemic recovery with closer cooperation. General Wei’s visit to Sri Lanka is the second to the region in recent months and comes months after China signed a military deal with Pakistan in December 2020, during his visit to Islamabad. The scheduled visit next week also assumes significance in the wake of heightened scrutiny within Sri Lanka, over China’s role and presence in the country, through infrastructure projects. Sri Lanka’s Supreme Court is currently hearing a case, of nearly 20 petitions challenging a Bill, of proposed, special laws to govern the China-funded $1.4billion Port City coming up on reclaimed land on Colombo’s seafront. Critics of the Bill say it could pave the way to creation of a “Chinese colony” in Sri Lanka.