Tag: PO

NATIONAL NEWS

A) Farooq Abdullah, Mehbooba Mufti to attend talks with PM on June 24

Top leaders of the Gupkar alliance, including the National Conference’s Farooq Abdullah and Peoples Democratic Party’s Mehbooba Mufti, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 24 in New Delhi.  We have received an invitation from the PM and we are going to attend it. We will place our stand before the PM and Union Home Minister and apprise the people about the response [from the PM] later, Gupkar alliance president Dr. Abdullah said. Earlier, there was speculation that Mufti would nominate Dr. Abdullah as the leader of the alliance to attend the meeting. However, sources said she decided to attend the meeting after the Gupkar alliance leaders convinced her. Their government is talking to the Taliban in Doha. There should be a dialogue with the people of J&K and also with Pakistan for a resolution, Mufti said. The Gupkar alliance’s meeting was attended by all its five constituents, including the NC, PDP, CPI(M), Awami National Conference and J&K Peoples Movement. The meeting started at 11 a.m. at the residence of Dr. Abdullah in Srinagar.  On the return of statehood, Mufti said it would be like offering a shoe after cutting the feet. Statehood is not a favour, she told a Delhi-based news channel. 

 

B) Oxygen may have saved lives, PM’s tears didn’t, says Rahul Gandhi.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday claimed at a press meet that 90% of the deaths during the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic were needless as lives could have been saved if oxygen and medicines were available. Releasing a white paper on the Union government’s handling of the pandemic, he said it should now prepare for a third wave by ramping up health infrastructure and vaccinating citizens on a war footing so that the virus did not get a ‘chance’ to mutate. The white paper suggests the creation of a Covid-19 compensation fund and a commission to find out what went wrong in the fight against the previous waves. Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for getting emotional in one of his virtual addresses, Gandhi said, The Prime Minister’s tears cannot wipe the tears of those who lost their loved ones. The Prime Minister’s tears did not save their lives but oxygen may have saved them. The Prime Minister didn’t take this seriously. He was busy fighting elections in Bengal and his focus was in another direction. The purpose of the white paper was not to point fingers at the government, but to help it deal with the third wave by preparing a blueprint to react, he stressed. In a subsequent tweet, he said the government of India must work on our constructive inputs in the interest of the country. The white paper, he observed, was the result of extensive discussions held with experts and within the Congress structure and had four main pillars. The first pillar talked about what went wrong and the Congress’s suggestions, including one to have a commission to probe the shortcomings; the second one focussed on developing the critical infrastructure such as oxygen supply and hospital beds; the third one highlighted financial assistance to the poorest families and the final one was about creation of a Covid-19 fund to compensate the families that have lost the breadwinner. The corona virus was not just a biological phenomena but also an economic and social phenomena and that’s why economic support must be given to the poorest people as well as small and medium businesses, Gandhi asserted. The Centre is making ₹ 4 lakh crore from taxes on diesel and petrol every year. It is taking money out of the pockets of people who have lost family members. So, I don’t understand, why it can’t put some money back into their pocket, he noted.

 

C) Arnab Goswami booked in TRP manipulation case

The Mumbai Police have named Arnab Goswami, the editor-in-chief of Republic TV and owner of ARG Outlier Media, as an accused in the Television Ratings Points manipulation case. Goswami has been named along with Shivendu Mulekar, chief operating officer Priya Mukherjee and chief financial officer Shiva Sundaram in the 1,800-page chargesheet. On October 8, 2020, Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh had said that a TRP racket had been busted which involved Republic TV, Box Cinema, and Fakt Marathi. He had said that the channels were manipulating TRPs and were involved in distorting the system used by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to rate television channels. On March 17, 2021, the Bombay High Court had asked why the Mumbai Police hasn’t named Goswami as an accused in the FIR in the case. The other accused include Partho Dasgupta, former chief executive office of BARC, and 14 others. They have been charged under Sections 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent), 420 (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property), 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust), 465 (punishment for forgery), 468 (forgery for purpose of cheating), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender), 204 (destruction of document or electronic record to prevent its production as evidence), and 212 (harbouring offender) of the Indian Penal Code.

 

D) Rashtra Manch meeting at Sharad Pawar’s residence sees lukewarm response.

The Rashtra Manch meeting hosted by Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar at his home in New Delhi turned out to be a damp squib with the majority of the opposition parties giving it a miss and many of them sending in their second line leaders. The Rashtra Manch is an action group founded by Yashwant Sinha in January 2018 when he was not in any political party. He is currently with the Trinamool Congress (TMC). The NCP was at pains to explain that Pawar was only playing the host and did not organise the meeting. It also explained that there was no deliberate exclusion of the Congress. Other than the Congress, DMK, RJD and BSP too did not send in any representatives.  Speaking to the media after the two-and-aahalf hour long meeting, NCP leader Majeed Memon said, It has been reported in the media that this meeting of Rashtra Manch was held by Sharad Pawar to unite anti-BJP political parties. This is totally incorrect. I want to clarify that this meeting took place at Pawar’s residence but he didn’t call this meeting. He also stressed that the meeting should not be misconstrued as a big political step taken by Pawar excluding the Congress. Congress leaders Vivek Tankha, Manish Tewari, Kapil Sibal, Dr Abhishek Manu Singhvi and Shatrughan Sinha were invited. Some of them expressed genuine difficulties. The perception that there is going to be a big Opposition group excluding the Congress is wrong, Memon said. Among those who attended the meeting were National Conference leader Omar Abdullah, Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Jayant Chaudhary, Aam Aadmi Party’s Susheel Gupta, poet Javed Akhtar, former Chief Election Commissioner SY Qureshi, former diplomat KC Singh and Justice AP Shah, among others. Left leaders, CPI General Secretary D Raja and CPI (M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury too gave it a miss. Instead CPI was represented by Rajya Sabha MP Binoy Viswom and CPI (M) by Polit Bureau member Nilotpal Basu. The Rashtra Manch coordinator and Samajwadi Party Spokesperson Ghanshyam Tiwari said that Yashwant Sinha, who is the convenor of this platform, will set up a team that will put forth its vision on important issues affecting citizens.  Summary of today’s meeting is that there is a need for preparation of an alternate vision in the country, that is able to properly address the issues related to the common man, Tiwari said. 

 

E) Insistence on physical exams for Class 12 is ‘irrational’, says Supreme Court.

The Union of India’s question who is to blame if a student dies saw the Supreme Court toss out insistent pleas by some parents claiming that the Covid-19 graph is in free fall and the internal assessment schemes for Class 12 CBSE and ICSE students should be chucked in favour of physical exams. A Bench of Justices A.M. Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari on Tuesday stood by the Union’s principle that every student’s life is precious. Attorney General K.K. Venugopal, for the Union, said, Suppose a number of students who attend written exams get the infection, suppose a student dies… Who is to blame? It is neither safe nor prudent to have written exams. The court asked Andhra Pradesh, which intends to conduct the State Board exams but has deferred a final decision to July, to make its position clear in an affidavit by Wednesday. If there is even a single fatality, we will make the State responsible, it warned. Kerala had filed an affidavit opting for exams for Class 11. The court said it would pass orders on the State’s choice. The court found the insistence on physical exams irrational. Justice Maheshwari said students cannot be left in uncertainty about their health and future.

 

E) NCLT approves Jet Airways revamp plan.

The Mumbai Bench of the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) on Tuesday approved the resolution plan of Kalrock Capital and entrepreneur Murari Lal Jalan for the revival of Jet Airways. The bankruptcy court has granted 90 days to the consortium to apply for airport slots. Though the government in its affidavit had earlier maintained that Jet Airways can’t claim a right on slots held by it earlier, the court has urged that the issue be addressed by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The bid by the consortium of Kalrock Capital and Murari Lal Jalan was approved by the Committee of Creditors in October last year. As per the resolution plan, the successful bidder has proposed a total cash flow of ₹1,375 crore for the revival of the company. The revival plan envisages starting operations with 30 aircraft within six months from the approval of the plan by NCLT. In October 2020, the airline’s Committee of Creditors (CoC) approved the resolution plan submitted by the consortium of the UK’s Kalrock Capital and the UAE-based entrepreneur Murari Lal Jalan. Jet Airways has been undergoing a resolution process under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) for two years, and its affairs are being managed by resolution professional Ashish Chhawchharia. 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) U.S. shares plan to allocate 55mn vaccine doses globally. 

The Biden administration, on Monday announced how it would allocate 55 million of the 80 million doses from its vaccine supply to other countries. It is unclear how many doses India will receive in this second allocation. The administration already outlined its plans to share the first 25 million doses of its stockpile both bilaterally and via COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access, abbreviated as COVAX – an international coalition to distribute vaccines globally. Three quarters of the 80 million are being shared via COVAX and one quarter directly. Of the 80 million, 60 million are AstraZeneca vaccines, not yet approved for use in the U.S. Of the 55 million doses, 41 million will be shared via COVAX. Of this, approximately 14 million will go to Asian countries, including India, some 10 million for Africa (coordinated by the African Union) and approximately 16 million for Latin American countries. Another 14 million doses will be shared with regional priorities and other recipients, the White House statement said. This includes African, Asian, Eastern European and South American countries as well as three South Asian countries – Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The specific number of vaccines will be determined and shared as the administration works through logistical and regulatory specifics for each region, the White House said. At the G7 in the U.K. last week, President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. would purchase and donate 500 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to low and middle-income countries. The G7 also committed to provide a total of 1 billion vaccine doses from this summer onwards. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that the world needs 11 billion vaccines to respond to end the pandemic.

B) Taliban capture Afghanistan’s main Tajikistan border crossing.

The Taliban captured Afghanistan’s main border crossing with Tajikistan, officials said on Tuesday, with security forces abandoning their posts and some fleeing across the frontier. The seizure of Shir Khan Bandar, in the far north of Afghanistan, about 50 km from Kunduz city, is the most significant gain for the Taliban since the United States began the final stage of its troop withdrawal in May. Unfortunately this morning and after an hour of fighting, the Taliban captured Shir Khan port and the town and all the border check posts with Tajikistan, said Kunduz provincial council member Khaliddin Hakmi. Separately, an Army officer said: We were forced to leave all check posts … and some of our soldiers crossed the border into Tajikistan. By morning, Taliban fighters were everywhere, hundreds of them, he added, on condition of anonymity. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid confirmed the insurgents had seized the crossing, across the Pyanj River. Our Mujahideen are in full control of Shir Khan Bandar and all the border crossings with Tajikistan in Kunduz, he said. Insurgents and Afghan forces were engaged in fierce battles on Monday on the outskirts of Kunduz city itself.

C) UNESCO to downgrade status of Great Barrier Reef; Australia blames political interference.

The Great Barrier Reef should be added to a list of in danger World Heritage Sites, a UN committee recommended on Tuesday, prompting an angry response from Australia, which said it had been blindsided by the move and blamed political interference. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation committee, which sits under UNESCO, said the world’s biggest coral reef system should be added to the list due to the impact of climate change. Australia has for years been battling to keep the Great Barrier Reef, a major tourist attraction that supports thousands of jobs, off the in danger list. In 2015, UNESCO noted the outlook for the reef was poor but kept the site’s status unchanged. Since then, scientists say it has suffered three major coral bleaching events due to severe marine heat waves. Australia’s Minister for the Environment Sussan Ley said Canberra had been assured there would be no recommendation on the reef by the UN before July. Ley said she and Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne spoke overnight with the Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay. This decision was flawed. Clearly there was politics behind it, she said. Ley did not elaborate, but a government source said Canberra believes China was responsible amid a souring of relations between the two countries. Chinese officials enjoy strong sway on three committees, while a Chinese lawmaker is chairman of the World Heritage Committee, the source said. We will appeal but China is in control, the meeting is in China, we don’t have much hope, the source said, declining to be named as he is not authorised to talk to the media.  Environmental groups, however, rejected Australia’s assertion that the recommendation was political. The recommendation from UNESCO is clear and unequivocal that the Australian Government is not doing enough to protect our greatest natural asset, especially on climate change, said Richard Leck, Head of Oceans for the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia, in an emailed statement.

NATIONAL NEWS

A) What’s the decision on ex gratia for Covid-19 victims’ kin, SC asks Centre.

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the government whether it has taken a decision to not pay ex gratia to families who lost their loved ones to Covid-19. Is there any decision taken that there is no need to pay ex gratia? Is there a decision or is it a case of ‘no decision Justice Ashok Bhushan asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. Where is the decision that there is no need for ex gratia? Justice M.R. Shah, the other judge on the Bench, also enquired. He even asked whether the government, by maintaining that Covid-19 was not a one-time disaster, was inferring that the Disaster Management Act would not apply to the pandemic. The questions from the Bench came even as the Union government clarified that it had money, but the focus was on utilising funds for food, medical care, oxygen, vaccination and pumping up the economy rather than pay a one-time compensation of ₹4 lakh each to families of people who died of Covid-19. It is not that we do not have money… It is that our focus is rather on expenditure of money for other things [like public health interventions, social protection and economic recovery for the affected communities, etc], Mehta submitted. He said the contents of the government’s June 19 affidavit, explaining its financial priorities for Covid-19 management, was twisted and misrepresented on Twitter. Justice Shah said the government need not defend itself in court against what was said on Twitter. He, however, agreed that Mehta was right to clarify. To say that the Centre has no money has wide repercussions, he observed. Senior advocate S.B. Upadhyay, for the petitioners, said, But if they do have the money, why should they not comply with their statutory obligation under Section 12 of the Disaster Management Act to provide ex gratia assistance to Covid-19 victims? The government had itself declared Covid-19 a national disaster, he submitted. The petitioners have highlighted a 2015 notification, which requires the government to pay an ex gratia of ₹4 lakh each to victims’ families under Section 12. The Centre cannot cite financial constraints to elude its statutory duty to pay compensation now, Upadhyay contended.

 

B) Class 12: Optional exams ‘anytime between August 15 and September 15’

The CBSE informed the Supreme Court on Monday that optional exams for Class 12 students unhappy with their assessment will be held anytime between August 15 and September 15. The CBSE clarified that results after the assessment would be declared by July 31. The Board, in a short additional affidavit, told the court that Class 12 exams for private/patrachar/second chance compartment candidates would also be conducted between August 15 and September 15 in accordance with the assessment policy for the academic year 2019-2020. Their examinations shall be conducted in such a manner that they will fall within the Assessment Policy for the Academic Year 2019-2020 as approved by this court… Their results shall be declared in accordance with the said Assessment Policy. Their examinations shall also be conducted anytime between 15.08.2021 to 15.09.2021, subject to conducive situation, the affidavit read. This is when over 1,100 CBSE students have already approached the court seeking the cancellation of compartment, private and repeat exams for Class 12 this year. These petitions have urged the court to direct evaluation through an assessment formula in line with the regular CBSE students. The CBSE affidavit said it has issued a ‘Policy for Tabulation of Marks for Class XII Board Examination 2021’ to ensure standardisation of marks. Marks of Classes 11 and 12 components will be awarded at school level. Therefore, they will strictly not be comparable across schools due to variations in the quality of question papers, the evaluation standard and processes, the mode of conduct of exams, etc. To ensure standardisation, each school will have to internally moderate the marks to account for the school level variations by using a reliable reference standard, the CBSE said.

 

C) Poll strategist Prashant Kishor meets Sharad Pawar for second time in a month over anti-BJP front.

Poll strategist Prashant Kishor on Monday met Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) supremo Sharad Pawar in New Delhi, their second meeting this month amid heightened speculation about the possible formation of a Third Front to take on the BJP, PTI reported. The closed-door discussions between Kishor and Pawar at the latter’s residence lasted for about one-and-a-half hours, sources said. The meeting comes a day before the NCP’s general body meeting scheduled to be held at Pawar’s residence. Kishor, who is said to have been instrumental in the Trinamool Congress’s victory in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections, had also met Pawar on June 11, fuelling the talk of opposition parties coming together against the BJP. According to sources, former finance minister and now a TMC leader Yashwant Sinha, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Jha, and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sanjay Singh are also expected to call on Pawar on Tuesday. Kishor, who had been part of the BJP’s 2014 Lok Sabha campaign, later became a poll strategist for several non-NDA parties. He had handled the poll strategy of the TMC in the West Bengal Assembly polls and for the DMK in the Tamil Nadu assembly elections this year. He had also been a poll strategist for the Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) alliance in the 2015 Bihar assembly polls.

 

D) Nobel Laureate Esther Deflo, Raghuram Rajan, Jean Dreze, to join TN economic council.

The Tamil Nadu government will constitute an Economic Advisory Council to the Chief Minister to chart out a rapid and inclusive economic growth path for the State, said Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Monday. The council will include Nobel laureate Esther Duflo of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), former Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan, former Chief Economic Advisor to the Centre, Arvind Subramanian, Development Economist Jean Dreze, and former Union Finance Secretary S. Narayan. Based on the recommendation of the council, the government will revitalise the State’s economy and ensure that benefits of economic growth reach all segments of society, said Purohit in his address to the State Legislative Assembly. He said that as the first step towards bringing down the overall debt burden and improving fiscal position, a white paper detailing the true state of the State’s finances would be released in July so that the people were fully informed. The Governor also announced the government’s decision to introduce a separate annual budget for agriculture with the objective of increasing productivity and protecting farmers’ welfare. The government will take all steps to achieve the target of 125 metric tonnes of food production in 2021-22, he said, adding that water for Kuruvai cultivation had already been released.

 

E) SC urges Centre to simplify Covid-19 death certification process.

The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Union government what it plans to do in cases of Covid-19 patients whose death certificates cited some other reason for the cause of death. What is the remedy in the case of Covid-19 patients who have already been issued death certificates showing some other reason as cause of death, Justice M.R. Shah, who accompanied Justice Ashok Bhushan on the Bench, asked Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. The court suggested that the government should simplify the process for certification of Covid-19 deaths. It asked the government whether the reason of death could be given as Covid-19 in the certificate if the family could produce a Covid-19 report, no matter whether the patient died in a hospital or outside. The court pointed out that some patients were not even given their medical records. Mehta reiterated the government’s stand that any lapse in stating Covid-19 as the cause of demise in a death certificate would have penal consequences for those found responsible, including the certifying doctor. In its affidavit on Sunday, the Centre said, It is mandated that any death resulting from Covid-19 shall have to be so certified i.e. as Covid death, failing which, everyone responsible, including the certifying doctor, shall be responsible for penal consequences. The government stated that deaths with the diagnosis of Covid-19, irrespective of comorbidities, have to be certified as pandemic deaths. The only exception to the rule was when there was a clear alternative cause of death, for example, accidental trauma, poisoning, etc. The Supreme Court recently told the Centre that the death certificates of those who died of Covid-19 often do not reveal that fact. The death certificates of persons who die from Covid-19 in hospitals show the reason as lung or heart problem or something else, Justice Shah had addressed Mehta. All deaths with the diagnosis of Covid-19, irrespective of co-morbidities, are to be classified as deaths due to Covid-19, the Centre had clarified in the affidavit.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Armenia PM wins majority in polls despite anger over war. 

Armenia’s acting prime minister, Nikol Pashinyan, kept power in a parliamentary election that boosted his authority despite being widely blamed for a military defeat last year in the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave, results showed on Monday. Mr. Pashinyan’s Civil Contract party won 53.92% of votes cast in Sunday’s snap election, according to preliminary results on Monday. Former President Robert Kocharyan’s Armenia Alliance trailed on 21.04%, and questioned the credibility of the result, the Interfax news agency reported. The government called the election to try to end a political crisis that began when ethnic Armenian forces ceded territory to Azerbaijan in and around Nagorno-Karabakh in six weeks of fighting last year. The hostilities caused international concern because the wider South Caucasus region is a corridor for pipelines carrying natural oil and gas to world markets. It is also a geopolitical arena with Russia, the U.S ., the European Union and Turkey all jostling for influence. Mr. Pashinyan, 46, faced protests after the defeat and demands for his resignation over the terms of a peace agreement under which Azerbaijan regained control of territory it had lost during a war in the early 1990s. He described the deal as a disaster but said he had been compelled to sign it in order to prevent greater human and territorial losses. He wrote on Twitter on Monday that his party would have a constitutional majority – at least 71 deputies out of 105 – and will form a government led by me. Mr. Pashinyan said Armenia would strengthen ties with Russia-led regional groups, the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU). We are determined to work on improving, deepening and developing relations (with CSTO and EAEU countries), and we will definitely move in this direction, Russia’s RIA news agency quoted Mr. Pashinyan as saying in an address broadcast on Facebook.

B) Myanmar’s Suu Kyi thanks supporters for flower protests. 

Deposed Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Monday thanked her supporters for defying the junta to celebrate her 76th birthday with flower protests, as her trial on a raft of criminal charges resumed. A mass uprising in Myanmar against a February military putsch has been met with a brutal crackdown that has killed more than 870 civilians, according to a local monitoring group. Protesters across the country on Saturday donned flowers in their hair – long a signature Suu Kyi look – to mark the birthday of the democracy icon, who turned 76 under junta house arrest. Many replicated the  putsch has been met hairstyle and uploaded pictures onto social media. Ms. Suu Kyi told her lawyers to convey her thanks and share her wishes for the people, her lawyer Khin Maung Zaw said, adding that she was in good health. Since last week, she has been on trial facing accusations of illegally possessing walkie-talkie radios and breaching coronavirus regulations while campaigning.

NATIONAL NEWS 

A) Excess deaths in Karnataka nearly six times official COVID-19 tally.

The number of excess deaths registered by the Civil Registration System (CRS) in Karnataka ever since the COVID-19 pandemic hit (from April 2020 to May 2021), was 1,67,788, which is 5.8 times the official reported figure of 29,090 deaths for the same period, a data analysis from The Hindu has revealed. This high number was largely due to the deaths registered in April 2021 (46,000) and May 2021 (77,000 and still being reconciled). In this period, which coincided with the second COVID-19 wave, the excess deaths were around 53,728, compared to the registered COVID-19 tally of 16,523, leading to an undercount factor of 3.25. The overall COVID-19 tally in Karnataka as of June 19 is 33,763. Excess deaths in Karnataka were calculated based on the month-wise number of deaths registered by the Civil Registration System (provisional figures) from January 2015 to May 2021, which were accessed. The undercount factor (5.8) and excess deaths for Karnataka (1,67,788) were comparable and similar to that of Tamil Nadu (6.2 and 1,51,408 respectively). For 2021 alone, the undercount factors for Karnataka and Tamil Nadu were 4.7 and 6.5, which is much lower than those for Madhya Pradesh (42) and Andhra Pradesh (34) respectively. It also accessed the corresponding CRS figures for the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike-BBMP (the Greater Bengaluru metropolitan area). The CRS registered 40,264 and 75,441 deaths (till May) in 2020 and 2021 respectively in the area, which accounted for 31,029 estimated excess deaths, compared to the baseline mortality of the pre-pandemic period (2015-2019). With officials of the Statistics Department tight lipped after oral gag orders from seniors, COVID-19 specific death reporting from districts has become inaccessible in the Karnataka. Though officially denied, the reconciliation exercise is underway in several districts and indicates a much higher toll than reported earlier. For example, last week, the official COVID-19 death toll in Mysuru, which was counted at 1,910, was revised to 3,300 after reconciliation.

 

B) Congress demands court-monitored probe into Ayodhya land deal.

The Congress on Sunday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence over alleged corrutption in the purchase of land in Ayodhya by the Ram Temple Trust, and urged the Supreme Court to ‘fulfil’ its duty of getting the matter probed under its supervision. Addressing a virtual press conference, Congress general secretary Randeep Surjewala alleged that a local BJP leader in Ayodhya, Deep Narayan, brought 890 sq. metres of land for ₹20 lakh in February and sold it to the Temple Trust for a whopping ₹2.5 crore, making a profit of 1,250% in only 79 days. He said the funds collected in the name of Lord Ram is being ‘looted’ by BJP leaders in Ayodhya and wondered why Mr. Modi hasn’t spoken out or the top court taken note of it. The Congress, however, reiterated that it favoured the speedy construction of a Ram temple at Ayodhya to fulfil the aspirations of millions of devotees of Lord Ram. Lord Ram’s temple is being constructed as per the orders of the Supreme Court. Is it not the responsibility of the Supreme Court and its judges and the Prime Minister who formed the Trust, to find out the truth and investigate this. Shouldn’t the Supreme Court take cognisance of the matter? The Supreme Court should discharge its duty hold an audit of the entire transactions under its monitoring and punish the culprits, Mr. Surjewala told reporters when asked if the party would move the court. Earlier, on June 14, the Congress had demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into a land ‘scam,’ alleging that a plot of land that was purchased for ₹2 crore was sold for ₹18.5 crore to the Trust within five minutes. The party had cited the land deed registered on March 18 this year to argue its case for a court-monitored probe. Posing five questions to Mr Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Mr Surjewala asked, What is the reason that Modi-Adityanath ji are completely silent on taking action against the sinners who openly looted funds for the construction of the Ram temple? President of Ram Mandir Construction Trust, Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, has publicly stated that he is not being consulted about the affairs of the Trust for last one year nor is any transparency being followed. Even Shankaracharya Swami Swaroopanand Saraswati has openly come out and spoken against irregularities in affairs of the Trust. Who is, then, accountable? asked the Congress leader.

 

C) Most infections in second wave in Tamil Nadu were due to Delta variant: study.

Most of the infections during the second wave of COVID-19 in the State were due to the Delta variant, a study has shown. A preliminary report of findings of samples collected from those infected with COVID-19 infection has revealed that the Delta variant (B 1.617.2) is the most common virus circulating in the State. The second most common is the Alpha (1.1.7) variant. The Directorate of Public Health (DPH), on Sunday, released the details of a study of whole genome sequencing of the virus it had carried out. According to the DPH, 1,159 samples were collected from district surveillance units and sentinel sites from December 2020 to May 2021, and brought to the State Public Health Laboratory in the city for preliminary screening followed by referral to InSTEM, Bengaluru. The samples were classified under eight categories, including community clusters; family clusters; reinfection cases; vaccination breakthrough cases; children up to 12 years; young adults with severe lung involvement; deceased without any co-morbidities; and international travellers. As on date the results of 554 samples had been received and that of 605 samples are awaited, according to Public Health Director T.S. Selvavinayagam. Delta variant was observed in 386 (70%) of the 554 samples and 47 samples (8.5%) had Alpha variant (B.1.1.7). The delta variant was found predominantly among adolescents (aged over 12 years) and adults, accounting for 81%; and 19% of children also had the variant. The delta variant was noticed in community clusters (30%) and family clusters (23%). Among the 554 samples 94 were from children aged up to 12 years and among them 73 (76%) had the delta variant. As many as 66 were vaccine breakthrough cases and among them 55 exhibited delta variant, Dr. Selvavinayagam said.

 

D) Tamil Nadu extends lockdown, fresh relaxations announced.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin on Sunday announced fresh relaxations in 27 districts, even as the government extended the COVID-19 lockdown till 6 am on June 28. In Chennai and neighbouring districts such as Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts, (categorised as Type-III districts) passengers would be allowed to travel in taxies, cabs and auto-rickshaws without e-registration. Excluding the driver, only three passengers in taxies and only two in case of autos would be allowed. The government allowed intra and inter-district public bus services within Chennai, Chengalpattu, Kancheepuram and Tiruvallur districts (categorised as Type-III districts) but only with 50% of the seating capacity. Chennai Metro would be allowed to operate by following the SOP but only with 50% of the seating capacity, an official release said. However, in the case of 23 other districts categorised as Type-II districts, passengers would be allowed to travel on taxies, cabs and auto-rickshaws but only with e-registration. Groceries, vegetable stores and meat stalls would be allowed to operate between 6 am and 7 pm. Shops selling flowers and fruits on pavements would also be allowed during this time. Eateries, restaurants and bakeries would be allowed but only for parcelled food between 6 am and 9 pm. Food delivery services would also be allowed to operate during this time period. All e-commerce companies would be allowed to serve their customers between 6 am and 9 pm.

 

E) Rigorously implement public health, social measures: WHO.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised countries in the South-East Asia region to scale up and rigorously implement public health and social measures, along with efforts to accelerate vaccination for COVID-19, to prevent another surge, as more countries confirmed prevalence of highly transmissible variants of concern. We need to continuously strengthen our efforts to test, trace and isolate. Societal interventions such as physical distancing, hand hygiene and proper wearing of masks need to be stringently implemented. These measures should be in full force and for longer periods in areas reporting more transmissible variants of concerns, said Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director, WHO South-East Asia. The release added that the public health and social measures were part of a wide range of non-pharmaceutical interventions, both individual and societal, and were cost-effective measures to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and save lives. In addition to personal protective measures, cleaning, disinfection, ventilation, surveillance, contact tracing, isolation and quarantine are recommended. Physical distancing measures include limiting the size of gatherings, maintaining distance in public or workplaces, restrictions in domestic movement, and international travel-related measures. These measures are critical for preventing infections, reducing transmission and saving lives, Dr. Khetrapal Singh said. Even as countries scale up vaccination against COVID-19, they need to implement public health and social measures in tailored and agile way, she said.

 

F) Students fear Central Universities Common Entrance Test may favour those with prior coaching.

A group of students who have just completed Class12 are objecting to the proposal to use a common entrance test for admission to all Central universities, including those such as Delhi University which have used only Class 12 board marks as the criteria so far. The students, who hail from different parts of the country, have written to the Education Ministry and the DU authorities, warning that such a move will favour richer students who have had access to coaching classes or are already preparing for standardised tests such as JEE or NEET. The National Testing Agency is yet to take a final decision on the scope or the date for the Central Universities Common Entrance Test (CUCET) this year. The test’s multiple choice question papers cover language, general awareness, mathematical aptitude and analytical skills, as well as domain knowledge in the candidate’s chosen subjects. Delhi University aspirants were entirely focused towards boards preparation. Since an entrance exam will contain aptitude part, many will face problems dealing with it as it entirely varies from what one has learnt in 10+2, said one common letter sent by students to the DU Vice-Chancellor, noting that science students may not be prepared for the general knowledge section, while arts and commerce stream students may need time to prepare for the logical reasoning and quantitative ability sections. Also, the students who were already preparing for professional degree courses would find it easier as they were already preparing for such a test since grade 11, it said, noting that lakhs of students do not have the resources to suddenly access online paid coaching classes at this stage. The students also noted that students looking to change streams would find it hard to attempt the subject-specific papers.

 

G) Concern over new IT rules highly misplaced, India tells Human Rights Council.

The new IT rules of India were framed after extensive consultation with stakeholders and are meant to protect the rights of online users, India has conveyed to the Human Rights Council in Geneva. The statement came soon after experts at the U.N. said the Rules are not in line with international human rights principles. India maintains the concerns of the experts are highly misplaced. The Rules are designed to empower ordinary users of social media. The victims of abuse at social media platforms shall have a forum for redressal of their grievances, said a special ‘brief’ that the Permanent Mission of India in Geneva had sent to the HRC on the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The ‘brief’ said both the Houses of Parliament ‘repeatedly’ asked the government of India to ‘strengthen’ the legal framework to hold online platforms accountable under Indian laws. Three Special Rapporteurs of the U.N. had on June 11 expressed serious concerns about the Rules and said they amount to infringement of a wide range of human rights. On the traceability of the first originator of the information, it may be noted that the Rules seek only limited information. Only when a message already in public circulation is giving rise to violence, impinging on the unity and integrity of India, depicting a woman in a bad light, or sexual abuse of a child and when no other intrusive options are working, only then the significant social media intermediary will be required to disclose as to who started the message. The issue has drawn attention in view of the continued differences between the government and  social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook. The differences with online social media platforms have added to India’s continued problems with Internet which was shutdown repeatedly over the last three years in Kashmir after the dilution of Article 370 in August 2019, and in other parts of the country like Assam and Delhi following protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA). However, India last week signed on the open societies statement at the G7 alongside other guest countries like South Africa and South Korea. The statement criticised rising authoritarianism, disinformation and politically motivated Internet shutdowns. Official sources clarified that the Indian concerns were accommodated in the statement. The statement indicated India’s commitment to protect digital civic-space and respect for human rights and international law.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Jordan’ coup plot’: two suspects plead not guilty.

Two officials accused of helping Jordan’s Prince Hamzah try to overthrow his half-brother King Abdullah II have pleaded not guilty, one of their lawyers said on Monday as the trial began. Former royal court chief Bassem Awadallah, who also holds Saudi nationality, and a former special envoy to Riyadh, Sharif Hassan bin Zaid, are charged with attempting to destabilise the kingdom’s security, according to court documents. The trial began behind closed doors at the State Security Court and will continue on Tuesday, an official said. According to state television, the court heard two out of a total of six witnesses-four military personnel and two civilians. Mr. Awadallah’s lawyer Mohammad Afif said the defendants both pleaded not guilty. Prince Hamzah, who is accused of attempting to overthrow the King and of seeking help from Saudi Arabia to do so, is not facing trial. Prince Hamzah, 41, was determined to satisfy his personal ambition to rule, in violation of the constitution and Hashemite (Jordanian ruling family) custom, according to an indictment. To succeed, he sought to exploit the concerns and problems of the population and to arouse sedition and frustration in society, it added.

Taliban, Afghan forces clash near Kunduz city. 

The Taliban and Afghan forces clashed on Monday on the outskirts of the strategic northern city of Kunduz, with the insurgents claiming to have captured three districts in the region in a week. The Taliban have launched major offensives targeting government forces since early May when the U.S. military began its final troop withdrawal, and claim to have seized more than 50 of the country’s 421 districts. Many of their claims are disputed by the government, and independent verification is difficult. The Taliban fighters are at the gates of the city and they are fighting Afghan forces, said Amruddin Wali, a Kunduz provincial council member. He said the insurgents have also taken up positions on highways that connect Kunduz city to neighbouring provinces. On Monday, the Taliban claimed they had captured the Imam Sahib district of the province, the third to be taken in a week. Kunduz police spokesman Inamuddin Rahmani confirmed the fighting, and said his forces had killed about 50 Taliban fighters in the past 24 hours. The Taliban have repeatedly attempted to capture the city, located not far from Tajikistan border. The insurgents briefly held Kunduz twice before – in September 2015, and again a year late