Tag: upscmotivation

CURRENT AFFAIRS
23 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Australia ends China deals on national interest grounds. 

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

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

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

CURRENT AFFAIRS
22 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) 24 Covid-19 patients die in Nashik hospital after oxygen tank leak.

At least 24 Covid-19 patients who were on life support have lost their lives in Nashik’s Dr. Zakir Hussain Hospital owing to acute shortage of oxygen following massive leakage of the gas from the main storage tank. The death toll in the incident reached 24 after two more patients died in the evening, a top district official said. Two more patients, who were on ventilator, succumbed in the evening. They could not get sufficient oxygen earlier in the day when its supply stopped due to the leakage in the tank, collector Suraj Mandhare told PTI. Earlier in the day, attributing the cause to a valve malfunction in the tank, State Health Minister Rajesh Tope said that a probe to ascertain negligence had been ordered into the incident. Sources said that the mishap occurred sometime around noon. Massive leakage from an oxygen tank caused disruption in vital oxygen supply for at least half-an-hour, resulting in the deaths of several patients who were on ventilator support. A fire brigade team was rushed to the spot of the mishap to contain the leak. Tope said 157 patients were undergoing treatment at the hospital, of whom 61 were in a critical condition and required oxygen. The tragedy comes at a time when Maharashtra, the worst-hit State in India in terms of Covid-19 cases and fatalities, is reeling under an acute shortage of oxygen. Along with Pune, Mumbai and Nagpur, Nashik has witnessed massive case spikes and Covid-19-related deaths in both waves of the pandemic.

B) Serum Institute fixes Covishield price at ₹400 per dose for States.

From May 1, Serum Institute of India (SII) will be selling Covishield to State governments at ₹400 dose and to private hospitals at ₹600 dose, Adar Poonawala, CEO, SII said in a statement on Wednesday. The vaccine would continue to be procured by the Centre at ₹150-200 per dose, resulting in a three-tier price structure. The vaccines, however, would not retail until 4-5 months and corporates and private individuals could in the meantime only get these vaccines from State-facilitated machinery, his statement added. On Monday, when announcing vaccination for all above 18, the Centre said vaccine companies could sell half their approved lot of vaccines in the open market, opening up avenues for States to directly procure them without intervention from the Centre. States have, however, expressed reservations. Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that such a policy would place additional burden on States’ finances.

C) Congress, Left slam Centre over differential pricing of Covishield vaccine.

Congress on Wednesday criticised the Centre over differential pricing of the Covishield vaccine, with former Union minister Jairam Ramesh calling it atrocious that the Centre could procure it for ₹150 per dose but States would have to pay ₹400 per dose. While former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram posed a series of questions on Twitter, party general secretary Ajay Maken, at an online press conference, charged the Narendra Modi government with reducing India from being a vaccine leader to a vaccine beggar. The party lashed out at the Modi government for not preparing for the second wave. Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in an interview to news agency ANI, said, This government can speak to ISI. They are speaking to ISI in Dubai. Can’t they talk to Opposition leaders? I don’t think there is any Opposition leader who is not giving them constructive and positive suggestions. The government needs to be sensitive at this time, the Prime Minister needs to show up, he needs to get off the stage of the rally where he is laughing and cracking jokes. He needs to come here, sit in front of people, talk to them and tell them how is he going to save lives. Vadra flagged the issue of shortage of vaccines, which she attributed to the Modi government’s PR exercise, lack of planning to ensure smooth supply of oxygen despite India being its largest producer, and allowing export of critical drugs like Remdesivir as well as oxygen. The party also sharply reacted to the announcement by the Serum Institute of India (SII) on vaccine pricing. Ramesh tweeted, the Central government will continue to pay ₹150 per dose for Covishield. State governments will now be charged ₹400 a dose. This is not cooperative federalism. This will bleed dry the already reeling State finances. Atrocious. We demand One Nation, One Price for Centre and State governments. Who will pay the ₹400 for one dose in government hospitals? The State government or the beneficiary? How many persons between 18 and 44 years can afford to pay ₹400 per dose? Will the beneficiary be burdened with the cost? How many States would be willing to pay the price of the vaccine and subsidise the people? asked Chidambaram. Pointing out that for 70 years India always had a free universal vaccination programme, CPM leader Sitaram Yechury tweeted, This is unacceptable. Centre must buy vaccines and distribute in a transparent equitable manner free to States. PM must spend the lakhs of crores hoarded in PMCares for this.

D) New coronavirus lineage found in West Bengal.

With elections ongoing in West Bengal, scientists report the emergence of a new lineage of coronavirus that may comprise as much as 15% of the genomes in the State from January to March. The new variant, B.1.618, has a major mutation called E484K found in several of the internationally identified variants of concern that helps it evade the immune system and possibly compromise vaccine efficacy. On April 8, INSACOG (Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics), a group of 10 Indian labs working across the country on sequencing genomes from coronavirus patients, named a double mutant variant as B.1.617, which contained two mutations, E484Q and L245R. Though more studies are underway, there’s suspicion that this variant, whose mutations have also been found in variants in other countries, may be playing a significant role in the nearly month-long exponential rise in cases that is now seeing over 270,000 new infections a day, the most in the world, and straining India’s health infrastructure to breaking point. The B.1.618 was first isolated on October 25, 2020 and most recently on March 17. The variants that carry some of the mutations associated with B.1.618 have also been found in the U.S., Switzerland, Singapore and Finland. While mutations occur in all parts of the coronavirus genome, key changes to the spike protein that help the virus bind better to the body’s cells are most closely tracked. In the case of B.1.618, there are four characteristic mutations to the spike protein associated with increased infectivity and immune escape. Scaria said there wasn’t ‘conclusive’ evidence that the lineage was driving the epidemic in West Bengal, other than the fact that the numbers and proportions were rising. Like other States, West Bengal too has seen a sharp spike in cases. On April 1, it was reporting 829 cases a day and that has since spiked to 7,000 cases everyday, with 53,000 active cases reported as of Tuesday. This has prompted some Opposition parties to announce withdrawing from campaigns and calls to club the remaining phases of the polling.

E) Updated data from Covaxin phase 3 trial shows 78% efficacy.

The efficacy of Covaxin has dropped a tad lower to 78% compared to the 81% reported in March. On Wednesday, Bharat Biotech, via a press release, announced results from an interim analysis of its phase 3 trial. The efficacy against severe Covid-19 disease was 100%, the company claimed, but that against protecting from asymptomatic Covid-19 infection was 70%. The analysis was on a data set of 127 Covid-positive volunteers. The safety and efficacy results from the final analysis would be available in June, and the final report will be submitted to a peer-reviewed publication. Based on the achievement of the success criteria, placebo recipients have now become eligible to receive two doses of COVAXIN, Bharat Biotech said in a statement. Prof. Balram Bhargava, Secretary Dept. of Health Research & Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research, said that he is also happy to note that COVAXIN works well against most variants of SARS-CoV-2. These findings together consolidate the position of our indigenous vaccine in the global vaccine landscape. So far around 11 million doses of Covaxin have been administered in India’s vaccination drive, far below the nearly 117 million doses of Covishield.

F) India again placed at 142nd rank on press freedom.

The 2021 World Press Freedom Index produced by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), a French NGO, has again placed India at 142nd rank out of 180 countries. This is despite the fact that for a year, under directions from the Cabinet Secretary, an Index Monitoring Cell worked to improve the world rankings. It even organised a meeting between the Ambassador to France and RSF officials in a bid to lobby for a change in the ranking. In 2016, India’s rank was 133. It has since steadily climbed down to 142 in 2020. The RSF report says India is one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists trying to do their job properly. They are exposed to every kind of attack, including police violence against reporters, ambushes by political activists, and reprisals instigated by criminal groups or corrupt local officials. Fearing such an adverse assessment, in February last year, on the directions of Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba, the Index Monitoring Cell was set up in 18 Ministries to find ways to improve the position on 32 international indices. Information and Broadcasting Ministry was delegated to look at the freedom of press index. As per the report of this Index Monitoring Cell, accessed by The Hindu, on April 26 last year, the PIB Additional Director General first wrote to Chairman of the RSF Pierre Haski asking for criteria for the survey on the basis of which they compile the index, for better understanding of the ranking. This was followed by a meeting of Ambassador to France, Javed Ashraf, with RSF’s Secretary General Christophe Deloire and Head of Asia Pacific desk Daniel Bastard. The minutes of this September meeting are part of the report of the Cell. Ashraf said the openness of the government to be criticised and questioned with respect to subjects like economy, international affairs and defence deals like Rafale are indicators of press freedom. The RSF representatives, however questioned the extended Internet ban in Jammu and Kashmir from August 5, 2019, which went on for nearly a year.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) EU reaches major climate deal ahead of Biden climate summit.

The European Union (EU) has reached a tentative climate deal that should make the 27-nation bloc climate-neutral by 2050, with member states and parliament agreeing on the targets on the eve of a virtual summit that U.S. President Joe Biden will host. Our political commitment to becoming the first climate neutral continent by 2050 is now also a legal commitment. The Climate Law sets the EU on a green path for a generation, said EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen early Wednesday. Under the provisional deal reached after officials negotiated through the night, the EU also commits itself on an intermediate target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. It was high time for the agreement, as Europe has to show where it stands in view of the positive developments in the USA and China, said MEP Peter Liese, the negotiator for the EPP Christian Democrat group. The United States, the world’s second-biggest polluter after China, is preparing to announce its new target for cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. The deal still needs to be officially approved by the member states and the legislature, but Wednesday’s agreement should make that little more than a rubber stamp.

B) Putin warns rivals against ‘crossing red line’ with Russia.

President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday warned Russia’s foreign rivals against crossing the red line with Moscow, as he gave a state Of the nation speech amid deep tensions with the West. Russia’s ties with the West have deteriorated to near Cold War lows, with Moscow and Western capitals at loggerheads overjailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, a RusSian troop build-up on Ukraine’s borders and a series of espionage scandals. In some countries, they have started an obscene custom of blaming Russia for anything, Mr. Putin told gathered lawmakers and regional governors in a speech broadcast on national television. Mr. Putin added that Moscow wants “good relations” with all members of the international community — even with those that it does not see eye to eye. “But ifsomeone perceives our good intentions as weakness… let them know that Russia’s response will be asymmetric and harsh,” he said. He hope that no one will think of crossing the red line in relation to Russia. And where it will be — we will determine that ourselves, he added. Moscow has seen its diplomats in recent months expelled from a host of Western countries, which have imposed sanctions on Russia over allegations of cyber attacks, hacking and the poisoning of Mr. Navalny. The Kremlin last week said it was “good” that U.S. President Joe Biden was seeking dialogue with Mr. Putin by offering a summit between the two leaders, even as Washington slapped Moscow with new sanctions. It has said, however, it is still considering the offer. Meanwhile, thousands of supporters of Mr. Navalny took to the streets in Moscow and elsewhere on Wednesday to protest his detention. police detained over 450 protesters, according to monitoring group COVID-Info.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
21 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

 

A) SC stays Allahabad High Court order on lockdowns in U.P. cities.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted interim stay on the Allahabad High Court order directing the Uttar Pradesh government to impose strict restrictions till April 26 in five cities amid a surge in Covid-19 cases. There shall be an interim stay on the order of the high court, a bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde said while hearing the state government’s plea against the order passed on Monday. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for Uttar Pradesh, said the state has taken several steps to contain the spread of coronavirus but to lockdown five cities by a judicial order may not be the right approach. He said the state government has issued several directions and taken adequate precautions on the issue. Mehta said the high court order would create immense administrative difficulties. The apex court, while granting interim stay on the high court order, appointed senior advocate P S Narasimha as amicus curiae to assist in the matter. The bench directed that the matter be listed after two weeks. Earlier in the day, the apex court agreed to hear the plea of the Uttar Pradesh government against the high court order after the state requested urgent listing of the matter. The high court had directed the Uttar Pradesh government to impose strict restrictions, including closing of malls, shopping complexes and restaurants till April 26 in five cities Allahabad, Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur, Nagar and Gorakhpur but stopped short of calling it a complete lockdown.

B) As Delhi hospitals run out of oxygen, HC tells company not to divert it from capital.

Multiple government hospitals in the city said that their oxygen stock will last only for seven to twelve hours and people will die if they do not get oxygen. Delhi has been witnessing a huge jump in cases, with a positivity rate of almost 30%. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also reiterated there was a serious oxygen crisis and again sought help from the central government. Serious oxygen crisis persists in Delhi. I again urge centre to urgently provide oxygen to Delhi. Some hospitals are left with just a few hours of oxygen, he said in a tweet. We need oxygen very badly. Have enough to last only seven to eight hours,Dr. D.S. Rana, chairman of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, a private hospital, told. If we don’t get oxygen on time then many will die. 120 patients in ICU are heavily dependent on oxygen. 80% of the other patients are also dependent on oxygen. We have informed about it to both central and state governments, Dr. Rana said. Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is one of the largest private hospitals in the city. Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court issued notice to INOX, which produces oxygen, as to why contempt action should not be initiated against it for not complying with court orders to supply oxygen and directed the presence of the company’s Managing Director on the next date of hearing on April 22, PTI reported. The court also sought the presence of the Uttar Pradesh government on the next date. The direction came after senior advocate Rahul Mehra told the bench that INOX did not supply oxygen to Delhi as directed by the court, claiming that doing so would lead to a law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh from where the supply was to come. The court in its order also directed the Centre to issue appropriate orders and also meet the representatives of the steel and petrochemical industries to divert some portion of their oxygen for medical needs for a period to tide over the prevailing pandemic.

C) In address to nation, PM bats for ‘micro-containment zones’ over lockdowns.

In a special address to the nation today evening, Prime Minster Narendra Modi urged the youth to take the lead in encouraging Covid-19-appropriate behaviour, and said that if everyone were to strictly follow COVID protocols, then there would be no need for a lockdown, which could disrupt economic activity. He also said that where needed, ‘mirco-containment zones’ could be used as a strategy to curb the spread of infections rather than a blunt instrument such as a lockdown. Pointing out that India is today much better equipped to tackle the second wave of the pandemic compared to the same time last year when the nation didn’t have many elements of the COVID-specific infrastructure such as test kits and PPEs, he said the government is fully cognizant of the current challenges and is working hard to ramp up production of oxygen cylinders, medicines, and vaccines to meet the surge in demand following a spike in infections. Stating that he shared the pain of ordinary citizens who have been hit hard by the pandemic and have lost loved ones, he saluted the contributions of thousands of frontline workers, or ‘COVID warriors’, who have worked tirelessly to save lives while risking their own.

D) ICSE Class 10 exams cancelled amid Covid-19 surge.

The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) on Monday told schools that the ICSE Class 10 examinations had been cancelled due to the rising Covid-19 cases. In a letter to all heads of schools that were presenting candidates for the exams, CISCE chief executive and secretary Gerry Arathoon said: Given the present worsening situation of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, the CISCE has decided to cancel the ICSE (Class 10) 2021 examination. The safety and well-being of our students and teaching faculty is our topmost priority and of paramount interest. He said the April 16 circular, which made the exams optional, had been withdrawn. In addition all CISCE-affiliated schools were advised to begin the admission process for Class 11, if they had not already done so, he said. Schools should prepare a schedule for starting online classes for Class 11 students. The CISCE was committed to a fair and an unbiased criterion on which basis the Class 10 results would be declared. The criterion and the date of result declaration would be announced later, he said.

E) Both election commissioners test positive.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra and Election Commissioner (EC) Rajiv Kumar have tested positive for Covid-19 and have been working from home, according to Election Commission of India (ECI) officials. Chandra, who took over as CEC from Sunil Arora on April 13, had assumed charge of the new role from home as he had been Covid-19 positive then, an official said. An ECI spokesperson confirmed on Tuesday that Chandra and Kumar had tested positive for the pandemic and were working from home. The development comes at a time when the Commission is short of one EC, following the elevation of Chandra from EC to CEC, and while the West Bengal Assembly elections are ongoing.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Pakistan Parliament to decide on French envoy’s expulsion.

A resolution was tabled in the lower house of Parliament on Tuesday for the expulsion of the French Ambassador from Pakistan over the issue of blasphemous cartoons being published in the European country. Amjad Ali Khan of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e lnsaf (PTI) party presented the resolution in the National Assembly. Technically, it was not an official document as it was moved by a member in his private capacity but it was accepted for discussion. The resolution condemned the publication of blasphemous caricatures by French magazine Charlie Hebdo in September last year and expressed regret over the French President’s encouragement of the elements hurting the sentiments of the hundreds of millions of Muslims in the name of freedom of expression. It stated that a debate should be held in the House on the expulsion of the French Ambassador from Pakistan. The main Opposition Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Jamiat Ulema-e-lslam (JUI-F) attended the session but the Pakistan People’s Party boycotted it. Ahsan Iqbal of PML-N demanded that the government should bring a new resolution after discussion with the Opposition. Speaker Asad Qaiser said that he would like to give time to the House for discussion to come up with the consensus document and adjourned the session until Friday.

B) U.S. envoy to Moscow returning to Washington for consultations.

Washington’s envoy to Moscow will return to the United States for consultations, the U.S. Embassy said on Tuesday, after Moscow recommended that Ambassador John Sullivan temporarily leave amid soaring tensions. Ambassador Sullivan is returning to the United States for consultations this week, the U.S. diplomatic mission in Moscow said in a statement. He believe it is important for me to speak directly with my new colleagues in the Biden administration in Washington about the current state of bilateral relations, the statement quoted Mr. Sullivan as saying. The announcement came amid a spike in tensions between Moscow and Washington over a litany of disputes, including alleged meddling in the U.S. elections, Russia’s troop build-up along Ukraine’s borders and the deteriorating health of President Vladimir Putin’s imprisoned critic Alexei Navalny. U.S. President Joe Biden is pursuing a tougher line against Mr. Putin but has also proposed that the two leaders meet for a summit in a third country later this year. Mr. Sullivan said he would return to Moscow in the coming weeks, before any meeting between Mr. Biden and Mr. Putin. Moscow has said it is studying the summit proposal. Moscow recalled its own envoy, Anatoly Antonov, from Washington for consultations in March and last week the former Cold War foes announced a wave oftitfor-tat sanctions and expulsions of diplomats.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
20 April 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) From May 1, everyone over 18 years eligible for Covid-19 vaccination.

Everyone above the age of 18 in India would be eligible for Covid-19 vaccination from May 1, 2021. The announcement came following a meeting on Monday chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi with doctors and members of the pharma industry. The government has said that procurement, eligibility, and administration of vaccines are being made flexible in Phase 3 of the world’s largest vaccination drive. Vaccine manufacturers have been incentivised to further scale up production, and attract new national and international players. Vaccine manufacturers have also been empowered to release up to 50% of their supply to State government and in the open market at pre-declared prices. States have been empowered to procure additional vaccine doses directly from manufacturers. The second dose for priority groups healthcare and frontline workers, population above 45 years wherever it is due will get priority, the government added.

B) Delhi to be under six-day ‘total curfew’ from April 19 midnight to April 26 5 a.m.

The national capital would be placed under a six-day ‘total curfew’ starting Monday night till early next Monday morning, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced today. The announcement came after Lieutenant Governor (L-G) Anil Baijal and Kejriwal met to discuss the Covid-19 situation in the city where both agreed that the city’s health system had reached its limit. According to Kejriwal, an estimated 23,500 new cases had surfaced in Delhi over the last 24 hours. The curfew will be in place between 10 p.m. on Monday night till 5 a.m. next Monday, April 26. According to the government, essential service providers such as doctors, police personnel, the media, and students going for exams will be allowed on the production of ID cards or admit cards. An e-pass will be required for movement by grocery shop employees, food and e-commerce delivery personnel. Religious places will be allowed to open but not allowed to have visitors. Those heading to weddings will be allowed to, given the production of an invitation card. The Delhi Metro and public buses will only cater up to 50% of their total capacity; malls, gyms, cinemas will be shut and no religious, political or social gatherings will be allowed.

C) But Central Vista-related construction work will continue during lockdown.

Construction of the new Parliament building under the Central Vista redevelopment project would continue during the lockdown announced by the Delhi government on Monday with those workers who are staying on site, government sources have confirmed. The new building, which is being built adjacent to the existing Parliament House, is scheduled to be completed by November 2022. While the Delhi government banned construction during the lockdown from Monday 10pm to April 26 5am, projects where workers are residing on-site would be allowed. Since some workers engaged for the project are on-site, the construction would continue to the extent possible, said a Central Public Works Department official. Earlier, the workers engaged for the project had been staying at a camp set up at Sarai Kale Khan and commuting by Metro and buses to the site in Lutyens’ Delhi. Work is continuing. All workers are staying on site and permissions for construction have been granted, said a spokesperson of Tata Projects Ltd., which is constructing the new Parliament building.

D) Allahabad HC orders week-long lockdown in Lucknow and other cities; U.P. govt refuses to impose it.

Amid a surge in coronavirus cases, the Allahabad High Court on Monday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to impose a week-long lockdown in Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar, Gorakhpur and Allahabad. A two-judge bench comprising justices Siddhartha Varma and Ajit Kumar passed the order on a PIL on the condition of quarantine centres in the State and treatment of coronavirus patients. They are of the considered view that in given scenario of present time if people are restrained from going outside their homes for a week in the first instance, the current chain of spread of COVID infection can be broken and this will also give some respite to the frontline medical and health workers, the Bench observed. It said, Accordingly, they are passing the directions in respect of cities of Prayagraj (Allahabad), Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur Nagar and Gorakhpur and they direct the government to strictly enforce them forthwith. All establishments be it government or private, except financial institutions and financial departments, medical and health services, industrial and scientific establishments, essential services including municipal functions, and public transport, shall remain closed till 26th April, 2021. The judiciary will, however, function on its own discretion, the Bench said. The state, however, said that it would not impose a complete lockdown as directed by the court but would implement other restrictions to curb the spread of infections.

E) No difference in mortality in Covid-19 ‘first’ and ‘second wave’: ICMR.

There was no difference in mortality among Covid-19 patients in the first and second wave, said leading doctors in charge of India’s national COVID management strategy. There was a relative increase in instances of those manifesting shortness of breath as a symptom of the infection but those over 60 as in the first wave continued to be most at risk from dying. A marginally higher proportion of patients younger than 20 years were present in the second wave (5.8%) compared to the first (4.2%). In the first wave, 25.5% of the patients were 20-40 years old compared to 23.7% in the ongoing second wave. Citing data from a section of hospitalised patients from the first and second wave, Director-General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Dr. Balram Bhargava said 47% of symptomatic patients presented ‘shortness of breath’ in the second wave (March-April 2021) compared to 41% in the first wave (Sept.-Nov.’20). In all other symptoms associated with Covid-19 — ‘fast breathing,’ cough, chills, joint pain, fatigue — there was a greater proportion who manifested these symptoms in the first wave than in the ongoing second wave. A key caveat to the data was that for the first wave analysis, 6,642 patients were analysed, and in the second wave, only 1,405 were analysed. Of 6, 650 admitted patients from September-November last year, 9.6% succumbed whereas from March-April, 9.7% of a group of 351 died from the virus. There was no difference in the proportion of patients who required mechanical ventilation in the first and second waves, Dr. Bhargava said. The second wave apart from a steep rise in coronavirus cases has been characterised by unprecedented demand for medical-grade oxygen, leading to severe shortages. Dr. Bhargava said the sudden surge may have triggered panic and a demand for more oxygen. This is data from hospital settings and so we don’t yet know what’s triggering the demand from outside these settings, he said at an online meeting. Dr. V.K. Paul, who chairs the empowered group on vaccinations and COVID management (NEGVAC), said there was no difference in mortality, in the first and second wave, in those 40 and under. There is no overarching extra/ excess risk of younger becoming COVID positive, he said.

F) ‘Crime against humanity’: Priyanka accuses Fadnavis of hoarding Remdesivir.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra today accused former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of hoarding Remdesivir, saying a BJP leader holding on to the drug at a time when people are scrambling to arrange it is a crime against humanity. Taking to Twitter, the Congress general secretary tagged a video of top Maharashtra BJP leaders, including Fadnavis, arguing with police officials after the Mumbai Police questioned a pharma company director following information that thousands of vials of the Remdesivir drug, considered critical in Covid-19 treatment, were to be flown out of the country. At a time when people from every corner of the country are requesting for being provided with Remdesivir, and many are struggling to procure a bottle of Remdesivir to save their lives, a BJP leader, who was in responsible position, hoarding Remdesivir is a crime against humanity, Vadra said in a tweet in Hindi. The Mumbai Police on April 18 said they had information that the Remdesivir stock was going to be flown abroad as air cargo, despite a ban on the export of the drug. While Fadnavis claimed the director was picked up because the BJP managed to get permissions in place for the supply of the drug to Maharashtra, activist Saket Gokhale wondered how did a private individual like Fadnavis procure Remdesivir stock from Gujarat when the sale is allowed only to the government. On learning that the pharma company director was being quizzed, Fadnavis and another State BJP leader Pravin Darekar rushed to the police station.

G) Mamata urges EC with ‘folded hands’ to curtail Bengal poll schedule amid Covid-19 surge.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday urged the Election Commission (EC) to re-consider its decision to stick to the original poll schedule, as she stressed that wrapping up the last three phases of polls on a single day or at least in two days would check the spread of Covid-19 to a certain extent, PTI reported. Indicating that the EC may have decided against clubbing the remaining phases at the behest of the BJP, Banerjee, while addressing her rally here in Uttar Dinajpur, requested the poll panel to prioritise public health. With folded hands, he request the EC to hold the next three phases on a single day. If not one day, conduct it in two days and save one day, she said.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) U.K. PM Boris Johnson calls off trip to India in view of worsening Covid-19 situation.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday cancelled his visit to India, due on April 25-26, in view of the prevailing COVID situation, both governments announced. The decision was taken after weeks of discussions over how to proceed with the visit despite the pandemic, and last week officials had said he would cut short the duration and limit his travel to Delhi. With no let-up in the surge of cases in India, however, officials in London and Delhi decided by mutual agreement to call off the trip. He do think it’s only sensible to postpone, given what’s happened in India, the shape of the pandemic there, Johnson told reporters, adding that while it will be ‘frustrating’ to hold the summit via video conference, he hoped to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi when circumstances allow, and expressed massive amounts of sympathy for India during the crisis. On Sunday, British Opposition parliamentarians had called on Johnson to cancel his trip in view of reports of the double mutant strain originating in India. Johnson said that a decision on whether to include India in the ‘red list’ of countries now, from which returnees must quarantine at a hotel for 10 days, would be taken by the UK Health Security Agency.

B) Greens name Baerbock as candidate to succeed Merkel.

Germany’s Green party on Monday named its co-chair Annalena Baerbock as their candidate to succeed Angela Merkel, throwing down the gauntlet to the Chancellor’s conservatives who were locked in increasingly vicious infighting for her Both of us want the job, but in the end, only one can do it. So today is the moment to say that the Greens’ first Chancellor candidate will be Annalena Baerbock, said the party’s joint cochairman Robert Habeck. Ms. Baerbock, 40, is the first Chancellor candidate ever nominated by the Greens. Yet with the party polling in second place behind Ms. Merkel’s divided conservatives, the Greens now have a chance of becoming the biggest party and taking the chancellery. Today, we begin a new chapter for our party and if we do well for our country, she said. A former trampolining ace who studied international law at the London School of Economics, she has never held a government role. As a teenager, she took part in trampoline competitions, winning many medals. The sport taught her to be brave, she has said. But the mother oftwo and trained lawyer has surged in popularity, using the media spotlight on the pandemic to criticise the government for not prioritising children during the crisis, while laying out her own proposals.

C) NASA Mars helicopter makes first flight on another planet. 

NASA successfully flew its tiny helicopter Ingenuity on Mars early on Monday, the first powered flight on another planet and a feat a top engineer called our Wright brothers’ moment. At 3:34 a.m. Eastern Time (0734 GMT), the 1.8 kg rotorcraft lifted off, hovered 10 feet above the Martian surface, then came back to rest after 39.1 seconds. Data and images from the autonomous flight were transmitted 278 million km back to Earth where they were received by NASA’s array of ground antennas and processed more than three hours later. Engineers were tensely watching their screens at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, where the mission had been designed and planned for the past six years. They broke into applause as one of them read off a checklist of tasks Ingenuity had achieved and concluded: Ingenuity has performed its first flight the first flight of a powered aircraft on another planet. Ingenuity quickly sent back a black-and-white image from its downward pointing navigation camera, showing its bug-like shadow cast on the surface. Then came a choppy colour video from the Perseverance rover showing Ingenuity on the ground, in flight.  The first powered flight on Earth was achieved by the Wright brothers in 1903 in North Carolina. A piece of fabric from that plane has been tucked inside Ingenuity in honour of that feat.

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.