Tag: motivation

CURRENT AFFAIRS
19 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) Railways to run ‘Oxygen Express’ trains over next few days.

As the country battles an acute shortage of medical oxygen, the Indian Railways will run ‘Oxygen Express’ trains over the next few days to transport liquid medical oxygen and oxygen cylinders across the country. Empty tankers will begin their journey from Kalamboli and Boisar railway stations in and near Mumbai on Monday to load liquid medical oxygen Vishakhapatnam, Jamshedpur, Rourkela and Bokaro, officials said. Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra State governments had earlier approached the Railways Ministry to explore whether liquid medical oxygen tankers could be moved by the rail network, they said. ‘Oxygen Express Train’ being used through green corridors to trasnport Liquid Medical Oxygen (LMO) and 0xygen cylinder, required for treatment of COVID-19 patients. On the receipt of the request from the two States, the Railways immediately explored the technical feasibility of transportation of liquid medical oxygen. It has to be transported through roll-on-roll-off service with road tankers placed on flat wagons. Since the first empty tankers will move on April 19, we hope to begin operations of Oxygen Express over the next few days. We would be able to send oxygen wherever there is such demand. Green Corridor is being created for fast movement of Oxygen Express trains, an official said. A meeting was held between Railway Board officials and State transport commissioners and representatives of the industry on April 17 on issues related to transportation of liquid medical oxygen, according to the Press Trust of India.

B) Bihar and Tamil Nadu re-introduce COVID-19 restrictions.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced night curfew from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. across the State and closure of schools, colleges, cinema halls, parks, religious places and swimming pools till May 15. After a long meeting today with officials, the crisis management group decided to impose night curfew in view of the surge in Covid-19 cases, Mr. Kumar told media persons, adding, they will keep monitoring the situation to take our next course of action. Shops, organisations, vendors will be opened till 6 p.m. and all government and non-government offices will be shut by 5 p.m., added Mr. Kumar. They have also discussed at length about availability of oxygen cylinders, beds, ambulances and other things at the meeting, he said. Tamil Nadu too has announced restrictions beginning from April 20 including a night ‘curfew’ between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. and a complete lockdown on Sundays. After a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami, the government on April 18 announced that access to beaches, zoos, parks, museums and all tourist spots will be banned on all days. The government also postponed class 12 State Board examinations, without specifying a date, while allowing practical examinations to proceed as scheduled. During the night ‘curfew’, private and public transport, auto rickshaws, taxis and private vehicles will not be allowed to operate. However, vehicles for medical emergencies, auto rickshaws, taxis and private vehicles for transport to hospitals, airports and railway stations will be allowed. On all days, hotels and restaurants (except on Sundays), tea shops, vegetable shops, grocery stores and all other shops, shopping malls, jewellery stores, big format stores can function with a maximum capacity of 50% at any given point of time, till 9 p.m.

C) Manmohan Singh writes to Modi suggesting ways to tackle second wave.

Former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on Sunday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering suggestions on fighting the second wave of COVID-19 by ramping up vaccination efforts, giving more flexibility to State governments to decide on the categories that need to be vaccinated and invoking compulsory licensing provisions to expand the number of vaccine producers. Noting that India has vaccinated a very small fraction of its population, Dr. Singh said the government must scale up vaccination efforts and asserted that with the right policy design, the country can do much better and very quickly. States should be given some flexibility to define categories of frontline workers who can be vaccinated even if they are below 45 years of age. For example, States may want to designate schoolteachers, bus, three-wheeler and taxi drivers, municipal and panchayat staff, and possibly lawyers who have to attend Courts as frontline workers. They can then be vaccinated even if they are below 45, Dr. Singh said. Currently, only those who are 45 years and above are eligible for vaccination. The former Prime Minister’s letter to Mr. Modi is a follow up of Saturday’s deliberations at the Congress Working Committee (CWC) that had decided to offer key suggestions to the government to fight the pandemic.

D) Let political parties switch to virtual rallies, Gopal Gandhi writes to poll panel.

Former West Bengal Governor Gopalkrishna Gandhi on Sunday wrote to the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) to immediately ban all political rallies and door-to-door campaigning in the State and switch to virtual rallies to avoid the spread of COVID-19. Mr. Gandhi asked the Election Commissioner (CEC) to immediately ban all political rallies and door-to-door campaigning in the State and switch to virtual rallies to avoid the spread of Covid-19. In his letter, Mr. Gandhi said the electoral democracy and public health should not be out of harmony. Please consider placing an immediate ban on all public rallies and door-to-door campaigning in the State till the last vote has been cast on April 29. And direct them to move to virtual campaigning. It should not be said that India’s electoral democracy and India’s public health are out of harmony, he wrote in his letter to the CEC. The former Governor said the surge in virus in West Bengal that has coincided with the on-going Assembly elections has jeopardised the health of the electors, the election staff and security personnel on duty simultaneously and staggeringly. It places the election process at dire risk, apart from endangering public health, he said.

E) Modi should resign over COVID-19 crisis, says Mamata

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday demanded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s resignation for mishandling of the Covid-19 second wave and alleged that the Prime Minister failed in planning to contain the rise in the number of infections. Asserting that PM Modi did little to address the possible crisis in the supply of medical oxygen and vaccines in the five-six months when the virus had lost its sting before its resurgence this year, Ms. Banerjee accused Mr. Modi of exporting vaccines to other countries to boost his image in the international arena while there was a scarcity in his own nation. For the rise in COVID-19 cases PM Modi has to resign. He is the man responsible for the present situation. He did not make any administrative planning for 2021. And look at the situation in Gujarat. The BJP cannot tackle the COVID-19 spike even in Gujarat, and has brought the entire country, including West Bengal, to such a pass, the TMC supremo said. Highlighting that the West Bengal government had asked for 5.4 crore doses of vaccine from the Prime Minister for vaccinating every citizen of the State free of cost, the Chief Minister said, we are yet to get any response from him. West Bengal would have borne the entire cost of the COVID-19 vaccines, the Chief Minister had said.

F) DRDO sets up 500-bed COVID-19 facility, Centre issues directives to hospitals affiliated to PSUs and Central Ministries.

A 500-bed COVID-19 facility being set up by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) near the airport in New Delhi will start accepting patients by Monday. The 1000 bed facility which was set up near airport (last year) was wound up in February 1st week. Now again 500 bed facility is being set up at same place. By Monday it should start taking patients. 250 beds will be ready by Monday. Remaining in another few days, said Dr. Narendra Kumar Arya, spokesperson of DRDO. A medical team from the Directorate General Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) has arrived in Delhi and will look after the facility. Major General S.S. Bhatia will be commanding the facility and the team will also be two doctors from Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF). For admission into the facility, a Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT PCR) COVID positive report and Aadhar card would be necessary. Meanwhile, the Centre has asked hospitals affiliated to public sector units and Central Ministries to set up dedicated blocks or even exclusive hospitals to administer to COVID-19 patients. The need of the hour is to prioritise and systematise all our combined efforts towards effective management and ensure availability of sufficient healthcare infrastructure in the States to meet increased demand for providing treatment, said Rajesh Bhushan, Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in a letter to several Ministries including Defence, Railways, Atomic Energy, Shipping and Education.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Call for protests amid Navalny’s ‘failing health’

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny on Sunday called for massive protests in the heart of Moscow and St. Petersburg on Wednesday, saying Mr. Navalny’s health is deteriorating severely during a hunger strike. On Saturday, a doctor said on Saturday that test results he received from Mr. Navalny’s family showed sharply elevated levels of potassium, which could lead to cardiac arrest, and kidney failure. Our patient could die at any moment, the doctor, Yaroslav Ashikhmin, said. Leonid Volkov, a top strategist for Mr. Navalny, said the demonstrations were called on short notice for Wednesday because his life hangs in the balance. The 44-year-old Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s persistent critic, started hunger strike more than three weeks ago to protest prison authorities’ refusal to allow him to be seen by a private doctor for diagnosis of severe back pain and loss of feeling in his legs.

B) Myanmar shadow govt. wants invite for ASEAN crisis talks.

Myanmar’s shadow government on Sunday urged Southeast Asian leaders to give it a seat at the table during crisis talks next week, and not to recognise the military regime that seized power in a February coup. Junta leader Min Aung Hlaing is expected to join a special ASEAN summit on Myanmar on Saturday in Jakarta his first official overseas trip since the putsch that ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu. The Army has moved to quell mass protests against its rule, killing at least 730 people according to a local monitoring group. The military chief’s invitation to the meeting of the IO country Association of Southeast Asian Nations has drawn scorn from activists and former lawmakers who have urged foreign leaders not to formally recognise the junta. Moe Zaw Oo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for the parallel national unity government formed on Friday by ousted lawmakers mostly from Ms. Suu Kyi’s party, as well as ethnic-minority politicians said ASEAN had not reached out to them. If ASEAN wants to help solve the Myanmar situation, they are not going to achieve anything without consulting and negotiating with the NUG, which is supported by the people and has full legitimacy, he told Voice of America’s Burmese service. It’s important that this military council is not recognised. This needs to be handled carefully. Unrest continued across the country on Sunday, with protesters rallying in Mandalay, Meiktila, Magway and Myingyan, showing support for the national unity government.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
18 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) Centre blocking supply of Remdesivir to Maharashtra, alleges NCP leader Nawab Malik; BJP denies allegations.

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and State Minister Nawab Malik has alleged that the Central government was not allowing Remdesivir-producing companies to sell the export-bound stock in Maharashtra, which is facing an acute shortage of this medicine, used to treat Covid-19 patients, amid a sharp surge in cases. The Minister tweeted that 16 export-oriented units in India have 20 lakh vials of Remdesivir as the Central government has banned exports. He claimed that these units are seeking permission to sell this medicine in India but the central government is denying the permission. It is sad & shocking that when Government of Maharashtra asked the 16 export companies for #Remdesivir, we were told that Central Government has asked them not to supply the medicine to #Maharashtra. These companies were warned, if they did, their license will be cancelled. This is a dangerous precedent and under these circumstances, Maharashtra Government will have no choice but to seize the stock of Remdesivir from these exporters and supply it to the needy, the Minister tweeted. The government says it (Remdesivir) should be sold only through 7 companies that are producing it. These 7 companies are refusing to take responsibility. This is a decision-making crisis. While there is a requirement of this medicine and availability too, a quick decision is the need of the hour. This problem must be solved and the vials must be supplied to government hospitals in all States immediately, Nawab added in a series of tweets. Speaking to the media he claimed that State Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has been trying to contact Prime Minister Narendra Modi since Saturday morning seeking help to streamline oxygen and Remdesivir supply but the CM was informed that PM Modi was busy campaigning in West Bengal. Meanwhile, Keshav Upadhye, Maharashtra BJP’s chief spokesperson said that instead of making such wild and baseless allegations, Nawab Malik should provide proof or else should apologise. It is high time that the State government stops the blame game and does its job of handling the pandemic, he said.

B) Modi seeks curtailment of Kumbh Mela amid spike in Covid-19 cases.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today sought a curtailment of the Kumbh Mela underway in Haridwar, with the Juna akhara, a prominent congregation of Hindu seers, announcing that it was ending its participation in the event at his behest. Tweeting on Saturday morning, Modi said that he had spoken to Swami Awadeshananda Giri over the telephone and, after enquiring about the health of the Hindu seers gathered for the Kumbh, suggested that the event be curtailed. He made a suggestion that now that the Shahi Snans (rituals baths in the Ganga on specific dates) were done, the rest of the events could be undertaken in a symbolic way, he tweeted about his conversation with Swami Awadeshananda Giri. Swami Awadeshananda Giri, who heads the Juna akhara, later announced that protecting the lives of Indians was more important amid the rising pandemic and that the akhara had today performed the ritual immersion of deities, which usually happens at the end of the Kumbh. Modi’s suggestion to curtail the Kumbh follows a huge spike in cases in Uttarakhand, the State hosting the event.

C) Sonia Gandhi presses for reducing immunisation age to 25 years and above.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi in an address to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) has said that the government must reconsider its priority for vaccine candidates by reducing the immunisation age to 25 years and above, especially for those in this age group with comorbidities. The CWC met on Saturday to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 situation in the country. Gandhi said that the second wave of Covid-19 had caught us off guard once again, despite the fact that the government had an year to prepare. She also urged the government not to take adversarial position. Let us ensure that the suggestions our party puts forward are considered by the government of India in the spirit of true democratic traditions. Taking on these challenging times as Indians, rather than as political opponents, will be true Rajadharma, Gandhi added. She has urged the government to waive GST on medicine and medical equipment required to fight Covid-19. She said the high GST rate was also flagged by the Congress Chief Ministers in a recent meeting with her. Drugs like Remdesivir and medical oxygen as also other basic supplements were subjected to GST @ 12%. Even basic equipment like oxymeters and life-saving critical equipment like ventilators were subjected to 20% GST. In the current state of affairs, this is inhuman and untenable, she added. Fresh partial curfews and travel restrictions to control the situation would once again restrict economy activity, pushing the daily wagers to an edge, Gandhi pointed out. It is, therefore, imperative to provide monthly income support and transfer an amount of ₹6,000 in every eligible citizen’s account, she said.

D) My phone is being tapped, will order CID probe: Mamata.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday alleged that her phone is being tapped and said her government will order a probe by the CID. She was addressing a rally in Galsi in Bardhaman, a day after the BJP released audio tapes where she is heard speaking to her party candidate at Sitalkuchi in Cooch Behar after four persons were killed when Central forces opened fired on the polling day on April 10. While the BJP leadership alleged that the conversation in the audio tape proves that the TMC was doing politics over bodies, the Trinamool leadership said there was nothing wrong in the audio tapes. Senior TMC leaders on Saturday also wrote to the Chief Electoral Officer alleging that tapping the Chief Minister’s phone by the BJP is an illegal act. They said tapping the phone was violation of the right to privacy of the Chief Minister. At another rally in Purbosthali, the Chief Minister accused the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of aggravating the Covid-19 situation in the State. BJP leaders have come from outside and occupied all the hotels and guest houses and all of them are COVID positive. Now after all this, if the COVID cases rise in Bengal then Narendra Modi and BJP will be responsible for it. The State today saw the fifth phase of polling of the ongoing assembly elections. The turnout, in the 45 constituencies that saw voting, was 78.3%.

E) Jharkhand High Court grants bail to Lalu, paving way for his release from jail.

The Jharkhand High Court on Saturday granted bail to imprisoned Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad in the Dumka Treasury case related to the multi-crore fodder scam. The decision will pave way for his exit from jail after 39 months. Prasad is currently admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi for treatment. Earlier, he was granted bail in three other cases of the ₹950 crore fodder scam cases related to fraudulent transctions in the Deoghar and Chaibasa treasuries. He was convicted and imprisoned in four fodder scam cases for fraudulently withdrawing money from different district treasuries of Jharkhand (in undivided Bihar) from 1990-96 when he was chief minister of Bihar. Prasad has been lodged at Birsa Munda Central jail in Ranchi since December 23, 2017. The single bench of justice Aparesh Kumar Singh of Jharkhand High Court granted bail to the RJD chief in Dumka treasury case of fraudulent withdrawal of ₹3.13 crore. Earlier, the trial court had held Prasad guilty in Dumka treasury case under sections 120(B), 420, 409, 467, 468 and 471 of the Indian Penal Code and Prevention of Corruption Act and served him seven years jail term in the case. Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal appeared for Prasad in the virtual court of Jharkhand High Court. With the bail granted in the Dumka treasury case in which Mr Prasad has already served 3.5 years in jail he is likely to be released from jail by Monday-Tuesday after 39 months and 25 days in incarceration, said Mandal.

F) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments.

The global death toll from the coronavirus topped a staggering 3 million on April 17, 2021, amid repeated setbacks in the worldwide vaccination campaign and a deepening crisis in Brazil, India and France. India is currently reporting the sharpest growth rate of 7.6% in new Covid-19 cases, which is 1.3 times higher than the growth rate of 5.5% reported in June 2020, Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday. The Minister added that this is leading to an alarming rise in daily number of active cases and also a sharp growth of 10.2% in the number of Covid-19 deaths. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has called a review meeting with top officials over the Covid-19 situation and the ongoing vaccination exercise in the country. Top officers from various Ministries participated in the meeting. The meeting comes amid a huge surge in cases across the country, with reports pouring in from many states about the shortage of hospital facilities and essentials like oxygen supply. A record single-day rise of 2,34,692 cases and 1,341 fatalities have pushed India’s Covid-19 tally to 1,45,26,609 and the death toll due to the viral disease to 1,75,649, the Health Ministry said earlier on Saturday. The number of active coronavirus cases in the country has also surpassed the 16-lakh mark, the Ministry’s data updated at 8 a.m. showed. Registering a steady increase for the 38th day in a row, the tally of active cases has climbed to 16,79,740 in the country, accounting for 11.56% of its total caseload, while the national Covid-19 recovery rate has dropped to 87.23%.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Four Sikhs killed in FedEx facility mass shooting in U.S.

At least eight people, including four Sikhs, were killed and five others were left injured in a mass shooting at a FedEx facility in the U.S. state of Indiana. The gunman, identified as 19-year-old Brandon Scott Hole of Indiana, died by suicide after the shooting on early Friday morning, taking the toll to nine. About 90% of the workers at this delivery service facility are said to be Indian-Americans, mostly from the local Sikh community. This is very heart-breaking. The Sikh community is devastated by this tragic incident, community leader Gurinder Singh Khalsa told PTI over the phone after meeting family members of the employees of the FedEx facility. Maninder Singh Walia, community activist, said the four Sikhs who have died are Amarjt Kaur Sekhon (female), 48, Jaswinder Kaur (female), Amarjit Kaur Johal (female) and Jaswinder Singh (male). The age of the last three deceased was not immediately available. Vice President Harris and he have been briefed by our homeland security team on the mass shooting at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, where a lone gunman murdered eight people and wounded several more in the dark of night, President Joe Biden said in a statement. Biden issued a proclamation in honour of the deceased. He ordered that the national flag be flown at half-staff at the White House and upon all federal buildings. This is the worst Sikh massacre in the U.S. after the Oak Creek Gurdwara mass shooting in Wisconsin on August 5, 2012, where six members of the community were killed.

B) Raul Castro steps down as head of Communist Party of Cuba.

Raul Castro said on Friday he is stepping down as head of Cuba’s Communist Party, ending an era of formal leadership that began with his brother Fidel and country’s 1959 revolution. The 89-year old Castro made the announcement in a speech at the opening of the eighth congress of the ruling party, the only one allowed on the island. He said he was retiring with the sense of having ful- filled his mission and confident in the future ofthe fatherland. Nothing, nothing, nothing is forcing me to make this decision, said Mr. Castro, part of whose speech to the closed Congress was aired on state television. As long as I live I will be ready with my foot in the stirrup to defend the homeland, the revolution and socialism with more force than ever. Mr. Castro didn’t say who he would endorse as his successor as first secretary of the Communist Party. But he previously indicated he favours yielding control to 60 year-old Miguel Diaz-Canel, who succeeded him as President in 2018 and is the standard bearer of a younger generation of loyalists who have been pushing an economic opening without touching one-party system. Photographs released by the official Cuban News Agency showed Mr. Castro, dressed in an olive green uniform, entering the compound with Mr. Diaz-Canel by his side. Mr. Castro’s retirement means that for the first time in more than six decades Cubans won’t have a Castro formally guiding their affairs and many had been expecting the change.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
17 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) Centre promises more oxygen for U.P., Chhattisgarh.

Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan has informed Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh that their demand for 10 litre and 45 litre jumbo oxygen cylinders and additional ventilators having high flow nasal canula will be met very soon, a statement from the Union Health Ministry said. Union Home Secretary Ajay Kumar Bhalla has also written to all States to ensure that no restriction is imposed on the movement of medical oxygen between States and Union Territories. In the letter he asked the States not to limit supply only to hospitals run in a particular State. There shall be free movement of vehicles carrying oxygen in cities without any time limit or inter-city restriction, the letter stated. Bhalla and Bhushan chaired high-level meetings on Friday to review the status of Covid-19 in Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh. Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra are the only States that have more than 1 lakh active cases. Both Chhattisgarh and Uttar Pradesh are reporting very high number of daily new cases and high deaths. The Ministry said Chhattisgarh has reported nearly 6.2% increase in weekly new cases based on 7-day moving average. In last two weeks, the State has seen an almost 131% increase in weekly new cases, the Ministry said. Uttar Pradesh has reported a growth rate of 19.25% in daily new cases. 46 districts in Uttar Pradesh have crossed their reported highest number of cases in the last 30 days Lucknow, Kanpur, Varanasi and Prayagraj are the most affected districts. The Union government has mapped the manufacturing sources of Oxygen with the 12 States reporting the highest number of daily new cases. States have been advised to increase dedicated Covid-19 beds and use the available buildings in the hospital campus (including AIIMS) for creation of additional Covid-19 dedicated wards, the Ministry said.

B) Gujarat HC asks govt to publish data on tests, deaths.

A day after raising doubts about the actual number of Covid-19 cases and the numbers given by the State government during its hearing on the suo motu petition initiated by it, the Gujarat High Court on Friday asked the State to publish actual data on RT-PCR tests and people found positive for Covid-19. In an order on Friday, the division bench of Chief Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Bhargav Karia also asked the State government to release the actual figures of patients who had died of Covid-19 and those who had died with co-morbid conditions. The Court observed that transparency is needed to remove general conception from the minds of people that data shared by the government on Covid-19 tests and positive cases was not accurate. Accurate reporting of RT-PCR testing (considered gold standard in diagnostic testing) with correct figures of positive results be made public. The State should not feel shy of publishing the correct data of RT-PCR testing results, if such figures are not being correctly reported, said the bench. Emphasising on the transparency, the Court held that there was no gain for the State from not giving the real and actual data, saying suppression and concealment of accurate data would generate more serious problems, including fear, loss of trust and panic amongst public at large. Necessary arrangements should be made by issuing statement by responsible officer of the State with regard to the number of positive COVID patients, number of deaths due to COVID-19 and number of deaths due to COVID with co-morbidity so that faith and trust can be restored in the minds of public at large, the court said.

C) ‘Strong evidence’ Covid-19 predominantly spreads through air, says Lancet study.

There is consistent, strong evidence to prove that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, behind the Covid-19 pandemic, is predominantly transmitted through the air, according to a new assessment published on Friday in The Lancet journal. The analysis by six experts from the UK, the US and Canada said public health measures that fail to treat the virus as predominantly airborne leave people unprotected and allow the virus to spread. The evidence supporting airborne transmission is overwhelming, and evidence supporting large droplet transmission is almost non-existent, said Jose-Luis Jimenez, from the University of Colorado Boulder in the US. The researchers highlighted the super-spreader events such as last year’s Skagit Choir outbreak in the US, in which 53 people became infected from a single infected case. Studies have confirmed these events cannot be adequately explained by close contact or touching shared surfaces or objects, the researchers said in their assessment. They noted that transmission rates of SARS-CoV-2 are much higher indoors than outdoors, and transmission is greatly reduced by indoor ventilation. The team cited previous studies estimating that silent asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2 from people who are not coughing or sneezing accounts for at least 40% of all transmission. The researchers also highlighted work demonstrating long-range transmission of the virus between people in adjacent rooms in hotels, who were never in each other’s presence. On the contrary, the team found little to no evidence that the virus spreads easily via large droplets, which fall quickly through the air and contaminate surfaces.

D) Yediyurappa, Javadekar test positive.

Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on Friday tested positive for Covid-19. This is the second time he has contracted the infection and he is undergoing treatment at Manipal Hospital. Yediyurappa announced the news on Twitter. Upon having mild fever, he got tested for COVID-19 and my report has come out as positive. Although he is doing fine, he is being hospitalised based on the advice of doctors. He request all those who came in contact with me recently to exercise self-quarantine, he wrote. He had tested positive for Covid-19 for the first time in August 2020. Yediyurappa has also received the first dose of vaccination. Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar announced on Twitter on Friday that he has tested positive for Covid-19. He have tested #COVID positive today. All those who have come in contact with me in the last 2-3 days may please get themselves tested, Javadekar tweeted. The Union Labour Minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath too are in quarantine with Covid-19 infection.

E) IMD forecasts normal monsoon.

India is likely to receive ‘normal’ monsoon rainfall this year, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said as part of its official April forecast. Except for parts of eastern and northeastern India, many parts of the country are expected to get above normal rainfall, the IMD’s models show. Normal rainfall refers to a range: 96%-104% of the Long Period Average (LPA) of 88 cm. Earlier this week, private weather forecasting company, Skymet Weather, too, said it expected India to get normal rainfall but said this was likely to be 103% of the LPA, whereas the IMD, on Friday, has estimated it to be 98% of the LPA. The April forecast, which is based on an analysis of select meteorological factors in March, is updated in May along with estimates of how the monsoon will perform in different geographical regions. In 2019, the IMD forecast 96% LPA in April but India ended up with record excessive rainfall of 110%. In 2020, it said 100% LPA but India wound up with 109%. IMD officials, however, said that it was unlikely there would be such excessive rain this year.

F) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments.

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 1,44,85,313 with the death toll at 1,75,376. The Union Health Ministry has advised Central Ministries and their PSUs to dedicate their hospital beds for Covid-19 management in States/ UTs and to ensure that details of such dedicated hospitals/blocks be provided to the public. In a release issued on Friday, the Ministry said, to substantially augment the hospital infrastructure for effective clinical management of severe Covid-19 patients across the country, the Health Ministry has advised all Central Ministries to issue instructions to the hospitals under their control or their PSUs to set-up exclusive dedicated hospital wards or separate blocks within the hospitals for COVID Care, as was done last year. The Election Commission on Friday ordered curbs on campaigning for the last three phases of the eight-phase West Bengal elections, including extending the silence period before voting from 48 hours to 72 hours and barring all campaigning from 7 pm to 10 am, in view of the rising Covid-19 cases. The EC’s decision came on the eve of the fifth phase of polling on Saturday. Haffkine Biopharma Corporation, Mumbai, has received permission from the Union government to manufacture Covaxin, an anti-coronavirus vaccine of Bharat Biotech, on technology transfer basis. The State government had sent the proposal to the Centre in the last week of February saying the infrastructure of Haffkine, which is known for vaccine production, could be used for corona vaccine production in the country.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) U.K. Home Department approves extradition of Nirav Modi.

The United Kingdom’s Home Department has approved the extradition of diamond merchant Nirav Modi to India in connection with the ₹13,758-crore Punjab National Bank fraud, about two months after the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London ruled that a prima facie case was made out against him. The Secretary of State for the UK’s Home Department, Priti Patel, has approved Nirav Modi’s extradition, said a CBI official on Friday. The accused now has the legal recourse of approaching the U.K. High Court, within 14 days, to seek permission for moving an appeal against the Secretary of State’s decision. Unless there is an appeal, a requested person must be extradited within 28 days of the Secretary of State’s decision to order extradition (subject to any appeal), according to the UK’s official website. In its order, the Westminster Magistrates Court had found sufficient grounds warranting Nirav Modi’s trial in India. It also took on record the evidence furnished by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate, alleging that he conspired to destroy the proof against him and intimidate witnesses. The agencies alleged that he kept his employees, some of who were dummy directors in the firms floated by him, in illegal confinement in Cairo and got their mobile phones disposed of in Dubai. A Dubai-based server, in which information about the communications between the accused persons used to be stored, was also destroyed. The businessman had fled the country along with his relatives in January 2018. On India’s request, he was arrested in London on March 19, 2019, and since then he has been in judicial custody there.

B) Serum Institute CEO appeals to U.S. to lift embargo on raw materials export.

Adar Poonawalla, CEO, Serum Institute of India (SII), the world’s biggest vaccine maker, on Friday tweeted an appeal to U.S. president Joe Biden seeking lifting of the embargo on U.S. exports of raw materials, which he said is hurting its production of Covid-19 shots. In his tweet he said that if we are to truly unite in beating this virus, on behalf of the vaccine industry outside the U.S., he humbly request you to lift the embargo of raw material exports out of the U.S. so that vaccine production can ramp up. Your administration has the details. SII is making the AstraZeneca COVID-vaccine. The appeal comes when World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday urged countries in South-East Asia Region to apply all tools to prevent further infections and save lives. Cases are rising for the past several weeks. These are worrying trends as we continue to see opening of societies and emergence of variants. Basic public health measures remain the foundation of pandemic response and we need to reinforce them. We need to apply all the tools we have, and apply them together said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia Region.

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.