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CURRENT AFFAIRS
16 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) Hold polls to remaining phases in one go, Mamata tells Election Commission.

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Mamata Banerjee urged the Election Commission of India (EC) to consider holding polls for all the remaining Assembly constituencies in West Bengal on a single day, instead of following the existing schedule with four phases still to go. So far, the West Bengal Assembly polls have been held for 135 seats, and the remaining 159 seats go to the polls between April 17 and 29. Amid an ongoing pandemic, we firmly opposed ECI’s decision to conduct West Bengal polls in eight phases. Now, in view of the huge surge in #COVID19 cases, I urge ECI to consider holding the remaining phases in ONE go. This will protect the people from further exposure to #COVID19, Banerjee tweeted. Party insiders said that the TMC would be raising the issue at a meeting called by the Chief Electoral Officer of West Bengal on Friday. The EC’s spokesperson in Delhi said that Friday’s meeting was only to ask all political parties to strictly adhere to the Covid-19 protocol issued by the Commission. The EC also clarified that there was no plan of clubbing the remaining phases. According to the Union Health Ministry’s numbers, West Bengal had reported 32,621 active Covid-19 cases as on Thursday morning. The situation in the State is grim. Congress candidate from Samserganj in Murshidabad, Rejaul Haque, died at a Kolkata hospital on Thursday morning. He had tested positive for Covid-19. TMC leaders said that they had always been opposed to the eight phases of elections announced by the Election Commission, and in view of the spurt in Covid-19 cases, it was imperative that the Assembly elections in the State were curtailed. Party president and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee had questioned the EC’s neutrality with regard to the eight-phase elections, saying States of a similar size, such as Bihar and Assam, only had three-phase polls. Meanwhile, the EC today imposed a 24-hour campaigning ban on West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh over his statement that the firing by central forces in Sitalkuchi on April 10 was just the beginning.

B) Kejriwal announces weekend curfew in Delhi; malls, gyms and spas to be closed.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on April 15 announced a weekend curfew in Delhi in an attempt to break the chain of transmission of Covid-19 in the national capital. The Chief Minister said that essential services will not be impacted during the curfew and e-passes will be provided for essential services providers and for those who need to attend weddings over the weekend as the wedding season is on. During the week, people have to step out to earn their livelihood. But over the weekend, people go out for entertainment and other activities that can be curtailed, Kejriwal said as the city reported over 17,000 cases on April 14. He added that malls, gyms, spas and auditoriums will be shut immediately, and cinema halls can run with 30% occupancy. Only one weekly market per day, per zone will be allowed to operate. At restaurants, there will be no dine-in facility and only take-away services will be permitted. Imposing these restrictions right now is very important and he hope everyone will cooperate with the government. We will also be enhancing our enforcement drive to ensure people are maintaining social distancing and wearing masks, Kejriwal said. He added that there was no shortage of beds in the national capital and over 5,000 beds in the Capital are vacant. Please do not insist on a hospital of your choice. There may be three-four hospitals that do no have any beds left but that does not mean that there are no beds left in the entire city, Kejriwal said.

C) Umar Khalid gets bail in Delhi riots case but will remain in jail.

A Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to former JNU student Umar Khalid in a case related to the communal violence in northeast Delhi in February last year, saying he was not physically present at the scene of crime on the date of incident, PTI reported. The applicant (Khalid) is not visible in any CCTV footage/viral video(s) pertaining to the scene of crime on the date of incident. There is no identification of the applicant either through independent public witness or any police witness of he being present at the scene of crime on the date of incident, Additional Sessions Judge Vinod Yadav noted in the order. The court further said that even the CDR location of the mobile phone of applicant was not found at the scene of crime on the date of incident. The applicant has merely been roped in the matter on basis of his own disclosure statement, fourth disclosure statement of co-accused Tahir Hussain, and disclosure statement of co-accused Khalid Saifi, it said, adding that no recovery of any sort has been effected from the applicant pursuant to his disclosure statement. The court rejected prosecution’s argument that Khalid had been in regular contact/touch with co-accused Tahir Hussain and Khalid Saifi over mobile phone and said that prima facie that does not in any way go on to establish the criminal conspiracy alleged against the applicant in the matter. The FIR in the present case was registered on the statement of Constable Sangram Singh, where he stated that on February 24, 2020 at about 2 PM, a large crowd gathered on the road in a locality in the northeast Delhi and started pelting stones in which he and other police officials got injured. Though Khalid has been granted bail in this case, he will remain in jail as the former JNU student leader is also accused in some other cases, including one related to criminal conspiracy under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

D) Over 1,700 people test positive in Kumbh Mela.

Over 1,700 people have tested positive for Covid-19 in the Haridwar Kumbh Mela area from April 10 to 14, confirming fears that one of the world’s largest religious gatherings may contribute further to the rapid rise in coronavirus cases. Medical workers conducted 2,36,751 tests over the five-day period in the mela site. Out of these, 1,701 came out positive for coronavirus. The numbers include both RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen Test reports of devotees and seers of different akharas (ascetic groups) over the five-day period in the entire mela site extending from Haridwar to Devprayag, Haridwar’s Chief Medical Officer Shambhu Kumar Jha said on April 15. More RT-PCR test reports are awaited and the trend shows that the number of infected persons in the Kumbh Mela site is likely to climb to 2,000, he said. The Kumbh Mela area is spread over 670 hectares covering parts of Haridwar, Tehri and Dehradun districts, including Rishikesh. A majority of the 48.51 lakh people who took part in the last two ‘royal baths’ (shahi snan) held on the occasion of Somwati Amavasya on April 12 and Mesh Sankranti on April 14 were seen openly violating Covid-19 precautions like wearing face masks and maintaining social distancing.

E) SC orders CBI to look into Nambi Narayanan case.

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the CBI to look into the Justice D.K. Jain Committee report on senior Kerala police officials who allegedly framed space scientist Nambi Narayanan in the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) espionage case of 1994. A Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar said the report concerned a serious matter warranting a CBI probe. This requires a thorough investigation, Justice Khanwilkar said. Registrar Judicial shall forward a copy of the report to the Acting Director, CBI, who may proceed in accordance with the law. Open to the CBI to treat the report as a preliminary enquiry report and proceed accordingly, the order said. The Supreme Court barred the public circulation of the contents of the report. The Supreme Court copy would be placed in a sealed cover. Advocate Amit Sharma, for one of the police officers, retired ADGP Siby Mathews, said while Narayanan was heard out by the committee, Mathews was not called or given an opportunity to state his case. The Centre has also put its weight behind a report filed by a three-member Committee chaired by former Supreme Court judge Justice D.K. Jain. The Centre had applied to the Supreme Court, urging it to accept on record the inquiry report submitted by the Justice Jain Committee and take suitable action on the suggestions made within against the erring officials. Narayanan, in his petition before the Supreme Court, had arraigned Mathews, K.K. Joshwa and S. Vijayan (the latter two had retired in senior positions in the police), as responsible. The Committee was constituted by the Supreme Court in September 2018 to find out ways and means to take appropriate steps against the erring officials.

F) Online census of Assamese Muslims launched.

The Janagosthiya Samannay Parishad, Assam (JSPA) on Thursday launched a portal for conducting the first-ever census of Assamese Muslims for distinguishing them from their migrant, Bengal-origin or Bengali-speaking counterparts. The JSPA represents three categories of Assamese Muslims Goriya who converted from various indigenous groups and tribes, Moriya whose ancestors were brought by the Ahom kings to make weapons and utensils, and Deshi, who converted specifically from the Koch-Rajbongshi community. The three-month exercise, seen as a small-scale version of the National Register of Citizens (NRC), has a cut-off period corresponding with the British annexation of Assam in the early 1800s. The JSPA considers the pre-British rule Muslims of Assam as indigenous, which is why the Jolahas converts from among tea plantation workers who were brought from central India by British planters have been kept out of the census. Released in August 2019, the NRC had excluded 19.06 lakh of 3.3 crore applicants for lack of documents establishing them as the citizens of India. The cut-off period for the NRC was March 24, 1971, as prescribed by the Assam Accord of 1985 for detecting and deporting foreigners or illegal immigrants. They launched the portal jspacensus.com portal today [April 15] to coincide with the Assamese New Year and hope to complete the exercise by the end of 2021, JSPA’s chief convenor Syed Mominul Aowal said.

G) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments.

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 1,42,63,074 with the death toll at 1,75,452. India’s drug regulator will take a decision on applications seeking approval for restricted emergency use of foreign-produced Covid-19 vaccines within three working days from the date of submission, the government said on April 15. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), which is headed by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), will process applications for registration certificate (registration of overseas manufacturing site and product, in this case Covid-19 vaccine) and import license within three working days from the date of approval of restricted use in emergency situation. In view of a spike in the number of Covid-19 cases, the National Eligibility-Cum-Entrance test (NEET), which was scheduled to be held on April 18, has been postponed, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Thursday. In light of the surge in #COVID19 cases, GoI has decided to postpone #NEETPG2021 exam which was earlier scheduled to be held on Apr 18. Next date to be decided later. Decision has been taken keeping wellbeing of our young medical students in mind, he said in a tweet. The Wholesale Price Index (WPI)-based inflation shot up to an 8-year high of 7.39% in March on rising crude oil and metal prices. Also, the low base of March last year, when the data was computed with a low response rate due to the nationwide lockdown, contributed to a spike in inflation in March 2021. The WPI inflation was 4.17 % in February and 0.42 % in March 2020. This is the third straight month of up-tick seen in WPI-based inflation. Such a high level of WPI was last recorded in October 2012, when inflation was 7.4 %.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) India, France sign agreement for cooperation on Gaganyaan.

Space agencies of India and France on Thursday signed an agreement for cooperation for the country’s first human space mission Gaganyaan, the French space agency CNES said. The agreement was announced during French Foreign Affairs minister Jean-Yves Le Drian’s visit to the Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) headquarters. ISRO has asked CNES to help prepare for Gaganyaan missions and to serve as its single European contact in this domain. Under the terms of the agreement, CNES will train India’s flight physicians and CAPCOM mission control teams in France at the CADMOS centre for the development of microgravity applications and space operations at CNES in Toulouse and at the European Astronaut Centre (EAC) in Cologne, Germany, the CNES said. The agreement provides for the CNES to support implementation of a scientific experiment plan on validation missions, exchange information on food packaging and the nutrition programme, and above all, the use by Indian astronauts of French equipment, consumables, and medical instruments. French equipment developed by CNES, tested and still operating aboard the International Space Station (ISS), will thus be made available to Indian crews. Thomas Pesquet, who is set to make his second flight to the International Space Station on April 22 for the Alpha mission, had previously tested these devices on his first spaceflight. The Gaganyaan orbital spacecraft project was kicked off in August 2018. It originally intended to send astronauts from Indian soil to mark the 75th anniversary of India’s independence in 2022. However, the mission has been delayed due to the restrictions imposed in view of the coronavirus pandemic.

B) Drone targets U.S. troops at Iraq’s Erbil airport.

A drone dropped explosives near U.S. forces stationed at Erbil airport in northern Iraq late on Wednesday, Kurdish officials said, with no immediate reports of casualties. It was the first known attack carried out by an unmanned aerial drone against U.S. forces in Erbil, amid a steady stream of rocket attacks on bases hosting U.S. forces and the embassy in Baghdad that Washington blames on Iran-backed militias. The Interior Ministry of the autonomous Kurdistan regional government, based in Erbil, said in a statement the drone was carrying TNT which it used to target the U.S. forces. It said no one was hurt in the attack. A group that Western and some Iraqi officials say is aligned with Iran praised the attack, but did not explicitly claim it. A barrage of rockets hit the same U.S.-led military base in the Erbil Airport vicinity in February, killing a non-American contractor working for the military.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
15 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) CBSE postpones Class 12 exams, cancels Class 10 exams due to spike in COVID-19 cases.

Due to the surge in COVID-19 cases, the Class 12 examinations of the CBSE have been postponed while the Class 10 examinations have been cancelled, the Education Ministry said on Wednesday. The decision was taken after a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to review the situation. Both exams were scheduled to be held from May 4 to June 14. With Class 12 results being the basis for admission into higher education institutions, it has been decided to postpone the exams. The CBSE will review the situation on June 1. A notice of at least 15 days will be given before the start of the examinations, said the Ministry statement. For Class 10 students, results will be prepared on the basis of an objective criterion to be developed by the Board. Any candidate who is not satisfied with the allocated marks will be allowed to write an exam as and when conditions are conducive, said the Ministry. The PM’s review meeting came amid rising demands from students, parents and State governments for the exams to be cancelled or postponed, given that the daily rate of infections is regularly crossing the 1.5-lakh mark. During the meeting, the Prime Minister reiterated that the well being of the students has to be the top priority for the government. He also said the Centre would keep in mind the best interests of the students and ensure that their health is taken care of and at the same time their academic interests are not harmed, said the statement. Schools have been shut down in 11 States due to the second wave of the pandemic. For many classes, schools have not reopened since the initial shut down of March, 2020. At least four State education boards scheduled to hold examinations in April have announced postponement. Unlike State Boards, the CBSE has an all-India character, and therefore, it is essential to hold exams simultaneously throughout the country, said the Ministry. However, no guidelines were given for State board exams, as had been demanded by some States.

B) Access to professional education is not government largesse, says Supreme Court.

Access to professional education is not a governmental largesse and the State has an affirmative obligation to facilitate its reach at all levels, the Supreme Court has said. This obligation assumes far greater importance for students whose background imposes formidable obstacles on their path to access quality education, the apex court said. A Bench of Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and M.R. Shah made these observations in a verdict on separate pleas filed by two students from Ladakh who were not admitted to the M.B.B.S. degree course in medical colleges in New Delhi despite due nomination by the Union Territory and in terms of the seats notified by the Centre. While the right to pursue higher [professional] education has not been spelt out as a fundamental right in Part III of the Constitution, it bears emphasis that access to professional education is not a governmental largesse. Instead, the State has an affirmative obligation to facilitate access to education, at all levels, the Bench said in its judgment delivered on April 9. This obligation assumes far greater importance for students whose background [by virtue of such characteristics as caste, class, gender, religion, disability and geographical region] imposes formidable obstacles on their path to accessing quality education, it said. While allowing the petitions filed by the two students, the top court directed that the admission formalities be completed immediately and, in any event, within a week. The Bench noted that both the petitioners were nominated by the Ladakh administration for admission to M.B.B.S. degree course under the ‘central pool’ seats set apart by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

C) BJP will not get even 70 seats in West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday said the BJP will not be able to win even 70 seats in the ongoing state assembly elections, which many expect to be a cliff-hanger. Speaking at a rally at Dabgram-Fulbari in Jalpaiguri district, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo ridiculed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent claim that BJP had already won 100 seats in the four phases of the election to the 294-seat assembly. Prime Minister Modi has said the saffron party has already won 100 out of the 135 seats where elections have been held. I can say that after the elections are over, BJP will not even get 70 out of total of 294 seats, she said. Banerjee today also met the families of those killed in the firing by security forces during the fourth phase of the Assembly elections and asserted that her government will launch a probe to bring the culprits to book. She lamented that she could not meet the next of kin of the deceased earlier owing to a 72-hour ban on entry of political leaders in Cooch Behar, where four people were gunned down by CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) personnel on April 10. Their inquiry will track everyone responsible for the cold-blooded killing and ensure they are punished as per law, she said. Banerjee said she will also ensure justice for the family of Ananda Burman, an 18-year-old first-time voter who was shot dead outside a polling booth in the same district.

D) Hope India reconsiders stance on RCEP, says Singapore Foreign Minister.

Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan said he hoped India would reassess its stand on regional trading agreements such as the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) pact that India withdrew from and that Delhi had a crucial role to play in the region at a time of increasing global instability. Speaking on Wednesday at the Raisina Dialogue, held virtually this year and hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) in partnership with India’s Ministry of External Affairs, Balakrishnan said he was making a plea for India to revisit its stand on the trade front. He hope India will reassess regional trade pacts like RCEP and even the CPTPP [Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership], he said. These trade pacts will give Indian companies a platform to showcase their strengths across even larger markets. The RCEP came into force in November 2020 and is the world’s largest trading agreement, covering the ten ASEAN nations, China, Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand. The CPTPP, the successor of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) which the U.S. withdrew from, includes Singapore, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam from ASEAN along with Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Canada, Mexico, Chile and Peru. India withdrew from the RCEP largely because of concerns that it would open up India to Chinese goods amid an already wide trade imbalance with China, and the failure of the agreement to adequately open up to services. Balakrishnan said Singapore hoped India could help build a regional architecture that was open and inclusive. Rising U.S.-China tensions, he said, were deeply worrying for the region, with the pandemic resulting in heightened tension which had implications for us all, with a contest over emerging technologies, divergence on human rights, as well as tensions related to defence and cyber security issues.

E) India will raise its climate action targets but not under pressure: Prakash Javadekar.

Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar has said India will raise its climate ambitions but not under pressure. He said India will also continue to ask developed countries for finance and support, and about their own climate actions. Javadekar made the remarks during a speech after a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian at the French Embassy. He said India is the only G-20 country to walk the talk on the Paris climate agreement and they have done more than they promised. Many countries have forgotten their pre-2020 commitments and they are now talking of 2050, he said. Many countries are now saying don’t use coal but the alternative has to be much cheaper than coal, only then people will do away with coal, he said. He said India is suffering because of the actions of others. The U.S., Europe and China emitted (greenhouse gas) and therefore, the world is suffering, he said, adding that historical responsibility is a major aspect of the climate debate. 

F) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments.

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stands at 1,40,00,437 with the death toll at 1,74,201. Over a 1,000 people at the Kumbh Mela have tested positive for COVID-19 in a span of 48 hours, agencies reported. Despite the sharp surge in COVID-19 cases, there are no plans to discontinue the mass religious gathering of predominantly mask-less pilgrims, which will go on till April 30, State government officials told the media. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said they had tested positive for COVID-19. He is under self-isolation and following the advice of doctors and carrying out all work virtually, Adityanath said on Twitter. The U.P. Chief Minister had recently campaigned in the West Bengal elections. Several officials in his office had tested positive on Tuesday. Former U.P. CM Akhilesh Yadav also took to social media site to announce that he had tested positive. He said he had self-isolated and was receiving treatment at home.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) NATO to exit Afghanistan along with U.S. 

Foreign troops under NATO command will withdraw from Afghanistan in coordination with a U.S. pull-out by September 11, Washington’s top diplomat said on Wednesday, after Germany said it would match American plans to leave after two decades of war. Around 7,000 non-U.S. forces from mainly NATO countries, also from Australia, New Zealand and Georgia, outnumber the 2,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. A key reason for a coordinated withdrawal is the fact that NATO relies on U.S. airlift capabilities and shipping to move valuable equipment in and out of landlocked Afghanistan. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in Brussels that it was time for NATO allies to make good on their mantra that allies went into Afghanistan together and would leave together. He was accompanied by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. An integral part of NATO’s current mission, Resolute Support, is to train and equip Afghan security forces fighting the Islamist Taliban, which was ousted from power by a U.S. invasion in late 2001 and has since waged an insurgency. With non-U.S. troop numbers reaching as high as 40,000 in 2008, Europe, Canada and Australia have moved in tandem with the U.S., also providing long-term funding to rebuild Afghanistan despite the resurgence of Taliban-led violence and endemic official corruption in the country.

B) Pak. to ban radical Islamist Party 

Pakistan on Wednesday decided to ban a radical Islamist party under the Terrorism Act after its supporters clashed with the law enforcement agencies for the third consecutive day, leaving seven persons dead and over 300 policemen injured. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told the media that the Pakistan (TLP) was being banned under the Rule Il-B of Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997. He have approved a proposal sent by the government of Punjab to ban the TLP, he said. They have also warned those who are funding the TLP. Mr. Ahmed said that at least two police officials were killed and 340 others injured in clashes with the protesters during the last two days. The announcement came hours after the Pakistani Rangers cleared the major thoroughfares of the country following sporadic clashes with TLP supporters in some towns and cities. The TLP had launched the country-wide protest on Monday after the arrest of its chief Saad Hussain Rizvi ahead of April 20 deadline the Islamists had given to the Imran Khan government demanding expulsion of the French Ambassador over the French government’s support for Charlie Hebdo magazine to republish cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed a move deemed blasphemous by many.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
14 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Govt fast-tracks approval for more foreign-produced vaccines.

In a major shift in vaccine approval policy, the government has decided to fast track approvals for Covid-19 vaccines that have been developed outside India and have been granted the emergency use authorisation (EUA) by other drug regulatory agencies. The decision was taken based on the recommendation made by the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for Covid-19 (NEGVAC) at a meeting held on April 11 to expand the basket of vaccines for domestic use and hasten the pace and coverage. The vaccines that would be eligible for the fast-track approval will include those that have been granted an EUA by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Medicines Agency (EMA), UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) of Japan, or those that have been pre-qualified by the WHO for emergency use. This would mean that Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines would be eligible for fast-track approval. Under the fast-track approval process, the bridging studies will take place in parallel to mass vaccination. So far, clinical trials conducted in India were needed before the Indian regulator could approve the vaccine. But before mass roll-out of the vaccines that are developed and tested abroad can happen, the vaccines will be first given to 100 beneficiaries and these individuals will be assessed for seven days for safety outcomes. The decision will facilitate quicker access to such foreign vaccines by India and would encourage imports, including import of bulk drug material, optimal utilisation of domestic fill and finish capacity etc., which will in turn provide a fillip to vaccine manufacturing capacity and total vaccine availability for domestic [use], said a government release.

B) Mamata stages dharna in Kolkata against EC’s 24-hour ban on campaigning.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday sat on a dharna to protest against the Election Commission of India (EC) barring her from campaigning for 24 hours beginning 8 p.m. on April 12. A few minutes before noon, Banerjee arrived at the venue and sat alone on a wheelchair in front of a table with books on it. She scribbled notes on paper and also painted on canvas. Hundreds of Trinamool Congress (TMC) supporters, including women, arrived at the venue and waited in silence. Within minutes of the EC order on Monday, the Chief Minister announced her decision to protest. To protest against the undemocratic and unconstitutional decision of the Election Commission of India, he will sit on dharna tomorrow at Gandhi Murti, Kolkata from 12 noon, Banerjee said on social media. The Trinamool chairperson was scheduled to address four rallies in the day, two in Nadia and two in North 24 Parganas, which had to be cancelled because of the ban. In a five-page order on Monday, the EC expressed dissatisfaction at Banerjee’s response to the notices it had sent to her on April 7 and April 8, for violation of the provisions of Model Code of Conduct, Section 123(3) and (3A) of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, among others. The notice on April 7 was related to her remarks that urged people of the minority community not to allow any split of votes and the one on April 8 concerned remarks directed at Central forces, in which she asked people to surround (gherao) the forces.

C) EC issues notice to West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh.

The Election Commission (EC) on Tuesday issued a notice to West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh for violating provisions of the Model Code of Conduct and the Indian Penal Code by making an inflammatory statement threatening the people of Bengal during a public rally in Barangar, North 24 Parganas. The EC said it had received a complaint from All-India Trinamool Congress MP Derek O’Brien about the speech that was an open threat to Bengal and its people. Referring to the Central forces firing on a mob on polling day on April 10 in Sitalkuchi, in which four people were killed, Ghosh said the incident would be the start. Where did so many naughty boys come from? Those naughty boys were shot at yesterday in Sitalkuchi. These naughty boys will not be there in Bengal. This is just the beginning. Those who thought that the Central forces’ rifles were meant to be just for show have well understood now the power of cartridges. And this will be carried on throughout Bengal, Ghosh was quoted as saying in the EC notice. Speaking of the fifth round of voting in the Bengal elections, Ghosh had said, Those who will take the law in their own hands will be given a befitting answer. He hope that you all will queue up to cast your votes in the morning on 17 April. Central forces will be there in the booths. No one can show you an angry eye. Because we are here. And if someone crosses his limits then you have seen what happened in Sitalkuchi. There will be Sitalkuchi in several places. So be careful. Finding the statement to be in violation of the MCC, the IPC and Representation of the People Act, 1951, the EC said Ghosh’s speech was provocative and can seriously incite the emotions and lead to breakdown of law and order thereby adversely affecting the election process. Issuing notice, the EC asked Ghosh to explain his stand by 10 a.m. on Wednesday. In another notice to BJP West Bengal leader Rahul Sinha, the EC said his speech on Monday saying that the Central forces should have killed eight, not four people, during the Sitalkuchi incident was a violation of the MCC, and it banned him from campaigning for 48 hours.

D) Congress debates ‘outsourcing’ political work after strategist’s chats are leaked.

The leaked contents of a virtual meeting between election strategist Prashant Kishor and senior journalists has triggered a debate within a section of the Congress party on the question of how far a political party could go in engaging with an external agency while fighting elections. The internal debate was also prompted by the party’s experience in Tamil Nadu, where Kishor’s organisation, the Indian Political Action Committee or I-PAC, advised the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which heads an alliance in which the Congress is a junior partner. Congress insiders claim they were witness to a sense of disquiet among senior DMK leaders as core political activities were decided by the external agency. The Congress’ Data Analytics chief, Praveen Chakravarty, who makes sense of the numbers for the party to help devise strategy, questioned the commitment of external agencies in terms of ideology. If a political party outsources its election-fighting to a commercial external vendor, then it leads to the eventual destruction of the very idea of a political party, [which is] building a cadre based on ideology. These vendors’ main objective is profits and they circulate strategic information, data, and knowledge of one party to another, said Chakravarty. A political party outsourcing election management to an external commercial vendor is like the Finance Minister outsourcing the Budget preparation to an external consultant. It is penny wise, pound foolish, he added. The question is important as, recently, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh re-engaged Kishor, who had advised Singh earlier, as his advisor, and offered him the rank of a Cabinet Minister. The debate is also important as it could decide the party’s strategy with regard to Uttar Pradesh elections, scheduled next year, based on the feedback from the current round of elections.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Top Republican senator urges CAATSA waiver to India for the S-400 deal.

A top Republican Senator has urged the Biden administration to give CAATSA waiver to India, saying that any plan to impose sanctions on New Delhi for buying the Russian S-400 missile defence system would undermine its relationship with the U.S. and also affect the QUAD’s ability to counter China. Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act or CAATSA is a tough U.S. law which authorises the administration to impose sanctions on countries that purchase major defence hardware from Russia. Senator Todd Young, a key member of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote in the prestigious Foreign Policy magazine that if the Joe Biden administration imposes sanctions on India, it would not deter New Delhi’s purchase of the S-400 missile system from Russia, but would weaken two strategic fronts at a critical time undermine Washington’s relationship with India and also affect the QUAD’s ability to counter China. Moreover, Russia could take advantage of the sanctions to reclaim its role as India’s military partner of choice. Paradoxically then, sanctioning New Delhi over its Russian-made defence system would actually prove to be a geo-strategic victory for Moscow, Young wrote. Alternatively, he urged the Biden Administration to give CAATSA waiver to India. The waiver is intended at preventing U.S. sanctions on countries like India. In October 2018, India signed a $5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding warnings from the then Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite U.S. sanction.

B) Japan to dump contaminated water from Fukushima nuclear plant into the sea.

Japan will release more than 1 million tonnes of contaminated water from the destroyed Fukushima nuclear station into the sea, the government said on Tuesday, a move opposed by neighbours, including South Korea and its own fishing industry. The first release of water will take place in about two years, giving plant operator Tokyo Electric Power time to begin filtering the water to remove harmful isotopes, build infrastructure, and acquire regulatory approval. Japan has argued that the water release is necessary to press ahead with the complex decommissioning of the plant after it was crippled by a 2011 earthquake and tsunami, pointing out that similarly filtered water is routinely released from nuclear plants around the world. Nearly 1.3 million tonnes of contaminated water, or enough to fill about 500 Olympic-sized swimming pools, is stored in huge tanks at the Fukushima Daiichi plant at an annual cost of about 100 billion yen ($912.66 million) and space is running out. On the premise of strict compliance with regulatory standards that have been established, we select oceanic release, the government said in a statement, adding the project would take decades to complete.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
13 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Expert panel recommends approving Sputnik V vaccine for emergency use in India.

Russia’s Covid-19 vaccine Sputnik V has been recommended for emergency use authorisation in India following a meeting of the Subject Expert Committee (SEC) on Monday. If approved by the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), Sputnik-V would be the third vaccine to be made available in India after Serum Institute of India’s Covishield, developed by Oxford-AstraZeneca, and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin. This vaccine was likely to be cleared for public use within 7-10 days. The recommendation comes amid the recent record surge of fresh COVID-19 cases the highest since the beginning of the pandemic last year. Sputnik V, developed by Russia’s Gamaleya Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology, claims to be one of the three vaccines in the world with efficacy of over 90%. The vaccine’s efficacy is confirmed at 91.6% based on the analysis of data on 19,866 volunteers, who received both the first and second doses of the Sputnik V vaccine or placebo at the final control point of 78 confirmed Covid-19 cases, noted the information released on the vaccine’s official website. It adds that the vaccine supplies for the global market will be produced by Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) international partners in India, Brazil, China, South Korea and other countries. While Dr. Reddy’s will market the vaccine in India, RDIF has tied up with other Indian companies Hetero Biopharma, Gland Pharma, Stelis Biopharma and Virchow Biotech to produce 850 million doses of Sputnik V in the country every year. RDIF jointly with partners and manufacturers is ramping up the production of Sputnik V. The cost of one dose of the vaccine for international markets is less than $10 (Sputnik V is a two-dose vaccine). The (freeze-dried form) of the vaccine can be stored at a temperature of +2 to +8 degrees Celsius, which allows for easy distribution worldwide, including hard-to-reach regions, noted the website.

B) Massive crowds at Kumbh as India records world’s highest tally of daily new infections.

Hundreds of thousands of Hindu devotees flocked on Monday to take a holy bath in the Ganges river, even as the nation racked up the world’s highest tally of new daily coronavirus infections, Reuters reported. With 168,912 new cases, India accounts for one in six of all new infections globally. But today, in Haridwar, nearly a million devotees thronged the banks of the Ganges to participate in the Kumbh Mela’. By mid-morning a million people had taken a dip in the river in what has all the signs of a super-spreader event. Monday’s new infections carried India past Brazil for a tally of 13.53 million, data compiled by Reuters shows, ranking it the second-most infected country after the United States, with 31.2 million. While several states have brought back partial restrictions to break the chain of transmission, thousands of people also attended political rallies today, including two events in West Bengal where Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave campaign speeches.

C) Sitalkuchi deaths: Impose ban on Bengal BJP president, Mamata tells EC; poll body bans her instead.

A war of words over the Sitalkuchi firing continued to rage on Monday. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured the voters that she would not spare those responsible for the firing and urged the Election Commission to ban State BJP president Dilip Ghosh. The poll body, however, has banned Banerjee from campaigning for 24 hours, citing highly insinuating and provocative remarks laden with serious potential of the breakdown of law and order as reason for the ban order. Ghosh had on Sunday warned of more Siltakuchi-like incidents if the bad boys of Trinamool Congress do not abide by the law. State BJP president is saying Central forces should open fire. Do they have anything in their heads? Those who speak about opening fire should be banned, the Chief Minister said at a public meeting on Monday. TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee also played a recording of Ghosh’s speech at a rally in north Bengal and said several BJP leaders had made statements that the forces should shoot to kill. Five persons had died in two separate incidents of firing at Sitalkuchi on April 10 when polling was underway in the Assembly constituency. At a public meeting during the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi blamed Banerjee for the violence which led to mothers losing their sons in Cooch Behar. The entire thing was planned by Home Minister Amit Shah and the Prime Minister was aware of the situation, Banerjee retorted. Former State BJP president Rahul Sinha, who is contesting polls from Habra in north 24 Parganas, said there was no big issue if eight instead of four people were killed and those killed were terrorists trying to disrupt the polling process.

D) Suo motu PIL on Covid-19 ‘health emergency’ in Gujarat: HC slams State govt.

The Gujarat High Court came down heavily on the State government during the hearing on a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) petition on the worsening Covid-19 situation and asked it to file a detailed affidavit by April 15 on the measures the authorities were taking to control the pandemic. During an online hearing, the Bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath expressed displeasure with certain policies of the State government regarding the tackling of the pandemic amid an increase in cases and deaths and told Advocate General Kamal Trivedi that corrections were required. They are in the third phase. It is so steep and galloping that the government never envisioned it. If you apply for a test, you will get a report after several days. It takes around seven days to get the RT-PCR report, Chief Justice Vikram Nath remarked. In fact, the Chief Justice himself had initiated the fresh suo motu petition on Sunday evening after terming the Covid-19 situation as a health emergency in the State. He constituted a Bench headed by him and listed the matter for urgent hearing on Monday morning. The Bench held that the situation was grim as per the media reports. The court was particularly concerned about the shortage of Remdesivir injections and long queues of kin of patients outside the hospitals to procure injection vials. The Chief Justice asked the Advocate General to ensure that the data of the injection stock was placed before the court before the next hearing on April 15. The Advocate General, during his submission, briefed the court about the steps taken by the government while suggesting that the media reports were overhyping the situation on the ground. After his lengthy submissions seeking to paint a picture of normalcy in the State, the Bench observed, after hearing them, they are mesmerised and feel that they have unnecessarily taken cognisance, but the situation is quite grim.

E) Rafale deal: SC says it will consider listing writ petition after two weeks.

The Supreme Court on Monday said it will consider listing after two weeks a writ petition filed by advocate Manohar Lal Sharma seeking registration of an FIR and an investigation under the Officials Secrets Act into a French media report that France’s anti-corruption agency, Agence Francaise Anticorruption (AFA), had found that aircraft manufacturer Dassault Aviation had paid €1 one million to an Indian company in connection with the 2016 Rafale deal. Sharma mentioned the petition, without explicitly referring to the details, before a Bench led by Chief Justice Sharad A. Bobde. The petition has made Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the first respondent, followed by Sushen Mohan Gupta, Defsys Solutions Private Limited, Dassault Reliance Aerospace Limited, the Centre and the CBI in that order. The petition urged the apex court to order the registration of an FIR under various offences including cheating, criminal breach of trust, Sections under the Prevention of Corruption Act and the Official Secrets Act. It urged the court to issue appropriate writ direction for cancelling/quashing agreement of September 23, 2016 for the purchase of 36 Rafale jet fighters from Dassault France for being hit by fraud, corruption and offence under the Official Secrets Act and to recover entire advanced money with penalty and to blacklist Dassault. Sharma said the first four respondents should be prosecuted.

F) CBI asks former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh to join probe.

The CBI has asked former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh to join the preliminary enquiry on Wednesday in connection with the corruption allegations, said an agency official on Monday. The statement of Assistant Commissioner of Police Sanjay Patil of the Mumbai police was again recorded on Monday, the official said. On Sunday, the agency had examined two personal assistants of Deshmukh, as their names had come up during the probe. The CBI has already recorded the statements of former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, suspended assistant police inspector Sachin Vaze, and a DCP of the Mumbai police, following the Bombay High Court’s directive to conduct the preliminary enquiry.

G) SC dismisses plea to scrap 26 verses from Quran, says it is ‘absolutely frivolous’

The Supreme Court on Monday threw out a writ petition filed by former chief of Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board Waseem Rizwi to scrap 26 verses from the Quran, saying they promoted terror. A Bench led by Justice Rohinton Nariman declared the writ petition as absolutely frivolous. The court imposed ₹50,000 as costs on Rizwi. He has to pay the amount to the legal aid services authorities. Do you really want to argue the petition, Justice Nariman asked the lawyer. The latter sought two minutes to present his case. He went on to argue how these verses were used to instill the sparks of Islamic terrorism in children held in captivity in madrasas.

H) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments.

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 1,35,97,831 with the death toll at 1,71,972. With Covid-19 cases on the rise across the country, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has barred airlines from serving in-flight meals for flights shorter than two hours. The order, which comes into effect from April 15, also requires airlines to ensure that passengers seated on adjacent seats are served food in a staggered manner. The passengers would be informed of the above practices for strict compliance before the start of the catering services by way of passenger announcements, the order stated. The Delhi government on Monday declared 14 private hospitals in the city as full COVID-19 hospitals and directed them not to admit any non-COVID patients till further orders. Nineteen private hospitals have been directed to reserve at least 80% of their ICU beds for coronavirus-related treatment. Eighty-two private hospitals have been asked to set aside at least 60% of their ICU beds for Covid-19patients, according to the order issued by the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) ‘Britain opens official probe into ex-PM’s lobbying efforts’

Britain has launched an official independent probe into former Prime Minister David Cameron’s efforts to lobby Ministers on behalf of financer Lex Greensill, The Sun newspaper and the BBC reported. The probe is likely to be independent and carried out on behalf of the Cabinet Office, the BBC said. While Mr. Cameron was British Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016, the Australian banker Greensill was brought in to work with the government to improve efficiency. After leaving office, Mr. Cameron in turn became an adviser to Greensill’s now-insolvent finance firm. The Financial Times and Sunday Times newspapers have reported that Mr. Cameron contacted Ministers directly to lobby on behalf of Greensill Capital, including sending texts to Finance Minister Rishi Sunak and arranging a private drink between Greensill and Health Secretary Matt Hancock. In his first comments on the row on Sunday. Mr. Cameron said that in his representations to government he was breaking no codes of conduct and no government rules.

B) Iran blames Israel for nuclear plant outage, pledges revenge.

Iran blamed Israel on Monday for a sabotage attack on its underground Natanz nuclear facility that damaged its centrifuges and vowed it would take revenge. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the attack. It rarely does for operations carried out by its secret military units or its Mossad intelligence agency. However, Israeli media widely reported that the country had orchestrated a devastating cyber attack that caused a blackout at the nuclear facility. While the extent of the damage at Natanz remains unclear, a former Iranian official said the assault set off a fire while a spokesman mentioned a possible minor explosion. The attack also further strains relations the U.S. which under president Joe Biden is now negotiating in Vienna to re-enter the nuclear accord, and Israel. whose prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to Stop the deal at all costs. His policy as Prime Minister of Israel clear. He will never allow Iran to obtain the nuclear capability to carry out its genocidal goal of eliminating Israel, Mr. Netanyahu said.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
12 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) Amid lockdown talk, migrant movement spikes on Mumbai-Agra road in Indore.

A severe spike in COVID-19 cases in Mumbai and persistent talk of a complete lockdown there to tackle it has made the National Highway No. 3 skirting past Madhya Pradesh’s commercial hub Indore a prime route for wary migrants returning home to States like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, according to the Press Trust of India. The number of motorcycles, black-and-yellow mini trucks and auto rickshaws, teeming with migrants, have been on the rise over the past few days on a bypass road connected to this route, popularly known as Mumbai-Agra road, eye-witnesses said on April 11. The virus outbreak has once again got very severe in Mumbai. There might be a lockdown and it may, like last year, render us jobless. So we have decided to return home, said Ramsharan Singh (40), making his way back to Ballia in Uttar Pradesh in an autorickshaw. Similar is the case with Mohammad Shadab, going back to his hometown in Bihar’s Bhojpur district. In 2020, the route witnessed bumper-to-bumper traffic as people trying to escape a crippling coronavirus-induced lockdown in Mumbai and adjoining areas made their way home to eastern and northern States in some of the most helpless and trying travel conditions. Mumbai on April 10 reported 9,330 fresh cases and 28 deaths, taking the count of infections to 5,10,512 and the toll to 11,944. Mumbai division, comprising the metropolis and adjoining districts, reported 18,241 new cases and 89 deaths during the day, raising the tally to 10,64,221 and the fatality count to 21,028.

B) Centre prohibits export of Remdesivir in view of spike in cases.

The Centre has prohibited the exports of injection Remdesivir and Remdesivir Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) in an order issued on Sunday stating that there has been a sudden spike in demand for injection Remdesivir used in treatment of COVID patients. India is witnessing a recent surge in COVID cases and there is a potential of further increase in demand for injection Remdesivir in the coming days, said the Centre in a statement. Seven Indian companies are producing injection Remdesivir under voluntary licensing agreement with M/s. Gilead Sciences, USA. They have an installed capacity of about 38.80 lakh units per month. In view of increased demand for Remdesivir due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Centre on April 11, 2021 said the export of the antiviral injection and its Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (API) has been banned till the situation improves. The release issued by the Health Ministry noted that to ensure easy access to the injection all domestic manufactures of Remdesivir have been advised to display on their website, details of their stockists/distributors to facilitate access to the drug. Drugs inspectors and other officers have been directed to verify stocks and check their malpractices and also take other effective actions to curb hoarding and black marketing. The State Health Secretaries will review this with the Drug Inspectors of the respective States/UTs, added the release. It added that the Department of Pharmaceuticals has been in contact with the domestic manufacturers to ramp up the production of Remdesivir. As per the National Clinical Management Protocol for COVID-19 of the Central Government Remdesivir is listed as an Investigational Therapy (i.e. where informed and shared decision making is essential).

C) In survey, India Inc says it prefers strict safety measures to partial lockdowns.

Cautioning that partial lockdown measures could impact the movement of labour and goods and lead to a decline of up to 50% in production, India Inc believes stringent implementation of safety norms is a better option than partial lockdowns, according to a survey by the CII. The survey on the impact of partial lockdowns on industry, conducted among 710 CEOs and senior industry leaders from manufacturing and services sectors, comes at a time when several States are imposing restrictions such as night curfew and full lockdowns amid a surge in COVID-19 cases. Three out of four respondents feel that the implementation of night curfew or a partial lockdown will impact movement of labourers and workers to factories and workplaces, respectively. Out of these respondents, a further majority (52%) foresee a fall in production/sales ranging between 10%-50%, on a monthly basis, due to the restricted movement of labour, the CII said. About 31% of the industry leaders said they would accommodate their labour force in the factory in case of movement restrictions due to night curfew. T.V. Narendran, president-designate, CII, said, stringent enforcement measures to promote strict adherence to health and safety protocols are essential and any measures to restrict social gatherings should not be extended to regular functioning of industry and commerce. He also pitched for extending the vaccination programme to all people above 18 years of age. Protecting livelihoods along with lives is essential and industry is keen to work with the government on universal coverage [18 years and above] of vaccination programme and in implementing strict health and safety protocols.

D) Bengal BJP president warns of more Sitalkuchi-like shootings.

West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president Dilip Ghosh on Sunday courted controversy by warning that there will be Sitalkuchi cases in various places if anyone took the law into their own hands. Where have so many naughty boys come from? The kind of naughty boys who got shot in Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar won’t remain in Bengal. This is just the beginning. Those who take the law into their own hands will be dealt with in a befitting manner. If they want to fight, then they have seen what happened at Sitalkuchi. There will be Sitalkuchi cases in various places. So be careful, the State BJP president said while addressing a public meeting at Baranagar in North 24 Parganas. Mr. Ghosh, who is no stranger to making outrageous comments, said that those who thought that the guns carried by the Central forces were just for show were now realising the strength of the guns. The remarks drew condemnation from different political parties, including the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Left parties. Five persons were killed in two separate incidents of firing at Sitalkuchi at Cooch Behar during the fourth phase of polling on April 10. Four persons died when Central forces opened fire at booth number 126 at Jor Patki village in the Sitalkuchi Assembly segment.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Jordanian prince makes first appearance since house arrest.

Jordan’s Prince Hamzah on Sunday made his first public appearance since he was placed under house arrest last week, attending a ceremony with King Abdullah II in what appeared to be an attempted show of unity on a major Jordanian holiday. But it remained unclear whether the king and his popular half brother had put aside the differences that escalated last week into the most serious public rift in the ruling family in decades. Prince Hamzah joined members of the Jordanian royal family marking the centenary of the establishment of the Emirate of Transjordan, a British protectorate that preceded the kingdom. The royal palace released a photo and video with Abdullah, Hamzah, Crown Prince Hussein and other dignitaries at the grave of King Talal in Amman, Jordan’s capital. It was the first time that Prince Hamzah was seen in public since he was placed under a form of house arrest on April 3 following accusations that he was involved in a malicious plot to destabilize the kingdom. In statements leaked to the media, Prince Hamzah denied the accusations and accused the country’s government of corruption and incompetence. King Abdullah subsequently said authorities had thwarted an attempt at sedition involving his half brother and some 18 suspects, while saying he was angry and in shock. King Abdullah also suggested there was continued control over Prince Hamzah’s movements, saying the prince was with his family at his palace, under my care.

B) China considers mixing vaccine to boost efficacy.

China is considering the mixing of different COVID-19 vaccines to improve the relatively low efficacy of its existing options, a top health expert has told a conference. Authorities have to consider ways to solve the issue that efficacy rates of existing vaccines are not high, Chinese media outlet The Paper reported, citing Gao Fu, the head of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. His comments mark the first time a top Chinese expert has publicly alluded to the relatively low efficacy of the country’s vaccines, as China forges ahead in its mass vaccination campaign and exports its jabs around the world. China has administered around 161 million doses since vaccinations began last year, and aims to fully inoculate 40% of its 1.4 billion population by June. But many have been slow to sign up for jabs, with life largely back to normal within China’s borders and domestic outbreaks under control. Mr. Gao has previously stressed the best way to prevent the spread of COVID-19 is vaccination, and said in a recent state media interview that China aims to vaccinate 70% to 80% of its population between the end of this year and mid-2022. At the conference, Mr. Gao added that an option to overcome the efficacy problem is to alternate the use of vaccine doses that tap different technologies, referring to mRNA vaccines. Sinopharm’s vaccines have efficacy rates of 79.34% and 72.51% respectively, while the overall efficacy for CanSino’s stands at 65.28% after 28 days.

C) Two conservatives declare bids in race to succeed Merkel.

The head of Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its smaller Bavarian sister party both declared themselves willing to run for Chancellor on Sunday, with the bloc poised to decide who will represent it in the race to succeed the veteran leader in September elections. CDU chief Armin Laschet and Markus Soeder, the head of the smaller Bavarian CSU party, told reporters they were open to being the centre-right alliance’s candidate for Chancellor during a crunch meeting of conservative MPs in Berlin. They have established that they are both suitable and both willing, Mr. Soeder said. Mr. Laschet, 60, a long-time Merkel ally, took over as CDU leader in January, and would normally be first choice to lead the parties into the elections on September 26, when Ms. Merkel will retire from politics after 16 years as Chancellor. But the sister parties’ backing is tumbling over their recent handling of the coronavirus crisis, and some have called for Mr. Laschet to step aside in favour of the charismatic Mr. Soeder, 54. Mr. Laschet said on Sunday that he and Mr. Soeder had agreed that they would both stand, stressing: Their goal is to provide as much unity as possible between the CDU and CSU. Mr. Soeder had spent months avoiding showing any clear interest in the top job while doing little to dispel talk that he wants the chancellorship for himself. While Mr. Laschet remains more likely to win over party bigwigs, Mr. Soeder has also already drawn the support of several CDU lawmakers, as conservative MPs face falling poll ratings with growing nervousness.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
11 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) West Bengal Assembly Elections | Four killed in firing by security personnel, one more shot dead by miscreants.

Five people were killed in two separate incidents of firing during elections at Sitalkuchi Assembly constituency in north Bengal on Saturday, sending shockwaves across the State where voting for four more phases is yet to be held. Four persons were killed when central forces opened fire at polling booth number 126 at Amtali Madhyamik Siksha Kendra under Jor Patki gram panchayat at Sitalkuchi Assembly segment. The death triggered huge political reactions and elections at the polling booth were suspended. Superintendent of Police, Cooch Behar Debasish Dhar said that about 300 to 350 people, including women, attacked guards with crude weapons at the polling station after a rumour spread that security personnel have beaten up a person who had allegedly fallen ill. The incident evoked strong reactions from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), which has claimed that all those killed were party workers. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee blamed Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the incident and the manner in which polls are held are a shame on democracy. Describing it as a planned attack she said in a press conference, Home Minister Amit Shah is completely responsible for the incident and he himself is the conspirator. He don’t blame central forces because they work under Home Minister’s order. They will demand his resignation, she said in a press conference this evening. Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused Banerjee of inciting people against central forces. In another incident under the same Assembly constituency, an 18-year-old was killed when miscreants opened fire on him when he was returning from polling booth number 285 at Pathantuli under Bolenhati gram panchayat. Two persons have been detained in connection with the incident, the CEO said. Sitalkuchi, an assembly segment bordering Bangladesh in Cooch Behar district, was on the boil over the past few days and the convoy of BJP president Dilip Ghosh was attacked in the district. The ECI had deployed a maximum of 188 companies of central forces in Cooch Behar district. The Commission had deployed 793 companies of central forces across the state for the fourth round of polling. The State had recorded about 76.16 % polling till 5 p.m. in the 44 Assembly seats in the State that went to polls today.

B) Firing in Cooch Behar incident was in self-defence, says report by security forces.

According to a report prepared by the Border Security Force (BSF), coordinator of all central forces in Cooch Behar’s Sitalkuchi Assembly constituency where two incidents of violence were reported today, members of the police and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) fired more than 15 rounds in self defence in a span of two hours. The BSF report said that at around 9.35 a.m., a quick reaction team (QRT) of the CISF was attacked by a mob of 50-60 persons while it was patrolling the areas near booth number 126. Inspector Sunil Kumar of CISF was attacked when he was taking a round of the area along with the local police after getting complaints that voters were being stopped from reaching the polling booth, the report said. In the melee, one child fell down and miscreants started damaging the vehicle of the QRT and attacked the QRT personnel. QRT reacted in self-defence and fired six rounds in the air to disperse the mob. Deepak Kumar, deputy commandant of CISF reached the spot and pacified the mob. He then left, the report said. After an hour, a mob of around 150 people started manhandling the polling staff on duty at booth number 186. The report said the mob assaulted a Home Guard and an Asha worker. It said the CISF booth commander tried to pacify the miscreants but the mob entered the polling booth and assaulted the other polling staff. Few miscreants tried to snatch the weapons of CISF personnel deployed there. As a result, CISF personnel fired two rounds in the air but the mob didn’t pay any heed to the warning. In the meantime, QRT of CISF and police also reached at the spot. The mob further started advancing aggressively towards CISF personnel. Therefore, sensing imminent danger to their life, they fired 7 more rounds towards the advancing mob, the report said. While the above incident was going on, more police party also arrived at booth. It is reported that in self-defence they have also fired few rounds. As a result few miscreants were injured and immediately the mob dispersed. The polling was halted. More police personnel have reached the spot. It is reported that 5 to 6 miscreants have sustained fatal injuries and further they succumbed to injuries, the report said.

C) Sonia holds virtual meet with Congress CMs; charges Modi govt. with ‘mismanagement’ of Covid-19 crisis.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in a virtual meeting with Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled States on Saturday, charged the Narendra Modi government with mismanaging the Covid-19 situation by allowing exports of vaccines, resulting in a vaccine shortage in the country. The Modi government has mismanaged the situation exported vaccine and allowed a shortage to be created in India. Mass gatherings for elections and religious events have accelerated COVID for which all of us are responsible to some extent. We need to accept this responsibility and keep the interest of the nation above our own, Gandhi told her party colleagues in her introductory remarks. As the principal Opposition party, it’s our responsibility to raise issues and push the government to move away from PR tactics and act in the interest of the people, she added. The Congress chief said cooperation with the States showed respect to federalism and it was equally important for States to be constructive and cooperate with the Centre in its efforts to fight the pandemic. The Congress chief also took stock of the on-going farmers’ protests against the new farm laws, and of approval not being given by the President of India for State laws that negated the Central farm laws. Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and his Chhattisgarh counterpart Bhupesh Baghel were among those who participated in the meeting. Senior Congress Minister in the Maharashtra government Balashaeb Thorat, and Rameshwar Oraon of the Jharkhand government also participated in the meet. Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled States expressed concern over vaccine shortage, with Baghel stating that Chhattisgarh had stock that would last only three days. Punjab’s Captain Amarinder Singh said that while the State had stocks to last five days at current levels of vaccination, if it scaled up the vaccination target to 2 lakh shots a day, Punjab, too, would have vaccine stock for only three days. Singh also claimed that the anger against the Centre over the farm laws had impacted the State’s Covid-19 vaccination drive.

D) India, China agree to maintain stability on ground, avoid any new incidents in eastern Ladakh.

India and China have agreed at their 11th round of military talks to jointly maintain stability on the ground, and avoid any new incidents in eastern Ladakh. A day after the talks, the Indian Army on Saturday said the two sides agreed on the need to resolve the outstanding issues in an expeditious manner in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols. The two sides had a detailed exchange of views for the resolution of the remaining issues related to disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in Eastern Ladakh, it said. The two sides agreed on the need to resolve the outstanding issues in an expeditious manner in accordance with the existing agreements and protocols, the Army said in a statement. In this context, the Army said it was also highlighted that completion of disengagement in other areas would pave the way for the two sides to consider de-escalation of forces and ensure full restoration of peace and tranquillity and enable progress in bilateral relations. The 11th round of Corps Commander-level talks took place at the Chushul border point on the Indian side of the LAC in eastern Ladakh.

E) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments.

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 1,33,28,422 with the death toll at 1,70,403. Madhya Pradesh, among the 10 States that account for 84% of the new daily cases in the latest surge of Covid-19, is also facing a shortage of medical oxygen as well as the crucial drug remdesivir, used to treat infected patients and reduce time in hospital. The State has been placed under a 60-hour lockdown from 6 p.m. on Friday till 6 a.m. on Monday. Reports of shortage of oxygen and drugs have come in not only from Bhopal but also Indore, the State’s commercial capital, where a large number of attendants of corona patients staged a protest at the Dawa Bazar. Jabalpur also witnessed similar protests over lack of supplies for patients. Addressing a virtual meeting of the Cabinet on the pandemic, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the oxygen supply in the State had been tripled in the past three days to 180 metric tonnes. He added that one lakh Remdesivir injections will be made available in the State every month.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) U.S. Congress advances slavery reparation proposals.

U.S. lawmakers next Wednesday will consider a Bill to study paying reparations to descendants of enslaved people, which could open the door for a potential vote on an issue that has gained momentum in recent years. On April 14, the House Judiciary Committee will hold the first-ever markup the process by which committees debate and amend legislation on a Bill that creates a commission to study and develop reparation proposals for Black people. Friday’s announcement comes during the murder trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who is accused of killing Black man George Floyd, whose death triggered nationwide protests highlighting the country’s racial injustice. The Bill was first introduced more than 30 years ago but never advanced. It addresses the period of slavery and discrimination in the U.S. from 1619 to the present day, and will propose remedies including financial reparations. The historic markup of HR 40 is intended to continue a national conversation about how to confront the brutal mistreatment of African Americans during chattel slavery, Jim Crow segregation, and the enduring structural racism that remains endemic to our society, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler said. Americans still face racial disparities in access to education, health care, housing, employment and other social provisions, he added. President Joe Biden has repeatedly addressed the need to end systemic racism, and the White House has expressed support for the Commission.

B) Saudi Arabia executes 3 soldiers for ‘high treason’

Saudi Arabia on Saturday executed three soldiers for high treason, the Defence Ministry said, in a rare public announcement that accused them of colluding with an unspecified enemy. The executions come as a Saudi-led military campaign intensifies in neighbouring Yemen and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom’s de facto ruler, consolidates his grip on power. The soldiers were convicted of the crime of high treason in cooperation with the enemy in a way that threatens the kingdom, the Ministry said. The statement named the three soldiers Mohammed bin Ahmed, Shaher bin Issa and Hamoud bin Ibrahim without identifying which enemy they were accused of aiding. Saudi Arabia, a Sunni powerhouse, views Shiite Iran as its main regional foe and identifies Yemen’s Tehranaligned Houthi rebels as a major security threat to the oil-rich kingdom. The statement makes a rare announcement of military executions in the kingdom, which is known to be highly secretive about its armed forces. The fact that the names of the decedents were publicized means the Saudis must consider their alleged misconduct to be exceptionally egregious and thus worthy of exemplary punishment, David Des Roches, from the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies in Washington, said.