Category: National

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan makes a statement on COVID-19. This is the third statement of the minister in the House, regarding the pandemic.

As on Sept.11, over 200 countries are affected, he says. As on Sept 11, 250 countries are affected.2.79 crore people infected with 3.2% case fatality rate. Over 45 lakh cases, more than 76,000 deaths reported in India. 77.65% cases have recovered.

With our endeavour to manage the COVID-19, India has been able to manage the pandemic. He points out that the case and death per million is lowest in India.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan makes a statement on COVID-19. | Photo Credit: Courtesy LSTV

As he goes on to list the symptoms of the disease, Speaker intervenes. “Why don’t give the important details alone,” he suggests.

“I won’t take more than 10-15 minutes, sir,” the minister says.

The four-month nationwide lockdown helped the country to successfully prevent the aggressive progress of COVID-19. He says the four-month lockdown help the country ramp up the healthcare infrastructure.  There has been 36.3 times increase in beds and 24.6 times increase in ICU beds since the breakout, he says.

He credits the Prime Minister for the successful COVID-19 management. Opposition members object to it.

With inputs from The Hindu

TRP ratings prove that Indian TV viewers prefer fiction over facts

The disparity between newspaper headlines and what the 24×7 TV news broadcasts daily couldn’t be any wider. If newspapers are frontpaging the unprecedented GDP growth rate contraction by – 23.9 per cent, or the fourdecade-high unemployment figures, with 21 million jobs lost in the wake of the COVID-19 induced lockdown, our TV channels are focused on hounding Rhea Chakraborty. Despite little evidence against the young actress, former girlfriend of the late Sushant Singh Rajput, Chakraborty is subjected to a daily witch-hunt, and if the BARC ratings are an indication, that’s exactly what the Indian news viewers want to see on their TV screens.

According to a report in the portal Newsminute, TV editors are quelling dissent in the newsroom by citing the soaring TV ratings, compelling the reporters to engage in the public mobbing, shoving and jostling of the 28-year-old actress, while she’s being summoned and arrested by government investigative agencies. Channels like Republic are pestering Chakraborty’s retired Army doctor father, the security guards in the building, the drivers, neighbours, and of course friends and family members. Reporters are stationed outside the multistorey building where the Chakrabortys live, and anyone going in or out, including officers of the Mumbai Police, are being subjected to humiliation, mistreatment and harassment.

As India overtook Brazil in the number of COVID-19 cases, and looks slated to push the USA to the second position in a matter of weeks, TV news saturates its coverage with Kangana Ranaut’s hysterical theatrics, ranting against the Mumbai Police, comparing Mumbai to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and getting Y category from the central government as a reward for steering the narrative. As Kangana and Rhea become two opposite ends of a macabre show over the dead body of a talented actor whose battle with mental health ended tragically, our TV news remains committed to sinking even lower in its unethical pursuit of salacious ratings.

Could the proximity of the Bihar assembly elections alone explain TV channels’s unhealthy obsession with the SSR saga, the collective throwing of caution to the winds? Apparently not. The TV ratings prove that a majority of urban Indians are more interested in microscopically examining every tasteless fabrication shown in the name of news than they are in the number of mental health issues rising as a result of lockdown, unemployment and the general social hysteria. Instead of questioning the Union government on its multiple failures, Indians are transfixed by TV screens, consuming Rhea’s public humiliation and Kangana milking the controversy to suit herself.

Almost 41,000 farmers and daily wagers took their lives in the past year, but only one suicide is holding the nation captive. Centre is saying it’s unable to pay the GST dues to the states, because of the economic contraction, thus endangering our federal structure even more. Economists like the World Bank’s Kaushik Basu, former RBI governors Raghuram Rajan and Urjit Patel, renowned academics like Arvind Panagariya, Jayati Ghosh, Amartya Sen, occupying different schools of economic thoughts, nevertheless agree that India’s economic situation is the worst since Independence, and will only go from bad to worse if governance doesn’t improve.

Yet, it seems TV editors consider a family tragedy and a limited investigation into an actor’s death more headline worthy than the multiple tragedies befalling the country now. As China gets more aggressive towards an increasingly diminished India, which it seems is economically sinking and socio-politically fracturing, the fourth estate prefers distraction over investigation, hounding the weak over questioning the powerful. What’s worse is that a whole lot of Indians prefer this elaborate fiction than the bitter truths taking our country down the rabbit hole of uncertainty. What could be more unfortunate than that?

With inputs from the National Herald

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Will be happy to take the first dose of the vaccine, the health minister said as he was interacting through Sunday Samvaad, his new social media interaction programme.

Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said no date for launching the Covid-19 vaccine has been fixed yet. “It may be ready by the first quarter of next year,” the minister said as he addressed the first episode of his Sunday Samvaad — a social media interaction programme.

His comments come a day after pharma giant Astrazeneca announced the resumption of its Covid-19 vaccine trial after it got a go-ahead from British regulators. Its India partner Serum Institute of India has paused the trials after it was issued a show-cause notice by the Drug Controller of India, following the red flags raised in the UK.

Grateful to thousands of you who wrote to me for #SundaySamvaad !

Great to have started a 2-way communication with social media friends. Learning a lot from the conversations.

Hope we can keep up & further strengthen the dialogue👍https://t.co/su977Pnzxk

— Dr Harsh Vardhan (@drharshvardhan) September 13, 2020

The minister assured the government is taking full precautions in conducting the human trials of the vaccine. “Issues like vaccine security, cost, equity, cold-chain requirements, production timelines, etc., are also being discussed intensely,” he said.

The vaccine, once ready, will be made available to those who need it the most. But the minister said he will be happy to receive the first dose of the vaccine.

In his one-hour interaction, the minister discussed several issues related to Covid-19 as he replied to several questions posed by social media users.

On which trial is most promising: 

“Several vaccine trials are going on in India. At present, we can’t predict which one will emerge as the most effective. But by the first quarter of 2021, we will definitely know the results,” the minister said.

On availability: 

A vaccine expert group has been set up, which is overseeing the entire process. While the trial results get assessed, the manufacturers will be advised to begin mass-production so that no time is wasted, the minister said.

On first dose:

 “Work has already started on prioritising vulnerable groups who will be administered the vaccine first. But if I need to take the vaccine to test the efficacy of it, I will happily take the first dose,” the minister said.

On Covid-19 vaccine price: 

“It is premature to comment on the price of the vaccine which is still under trial. But the government of India will assure that the vaccine will be made available to those who need it the most, irrespective of their paying capacity,” Harsh Vardhan said.

On emergency authorisation of Covid-19 vaccine:

“The government is thinking about this. If there is consensus, we may grant emergency authorisation of the vaccine for senior citizens, frontline workers. Normally, the third trial takes about six to nine months. But if the government decides, this period can be cut short by giving an emergency authorisation. Any emergency authorisation is always done by adopting reinforced safeguard so that people don’t worry about the safety. A high-level group has been formed to monitor the pace of the vaccine development under the direct guidance of PM Modi. There will be no shortcut on safety. Emergency authorisation will be given only if it meets the standards.”

On what could have been done better: 

“We have put in our heart and soul. We have done our best. Now as I look back and think of the events that unfolded after I held the fist meeting on Covid-19 on January 8, it is difficult for me to think what could have been done better,” Vardhan said.

With inputs from the Hindustan Times

In August, he tested positive for COVID-19 and later tested negative.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah was re-admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, on Saturday night almost two weeks after he was discharged from there. He was earlier admitted to the AIIMS for post COVID-19-care.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah | File Photo | Photo Credit: PTI

While the AIIMS has not released any statement on the health status of the Minister, Mr. Shah had in August tested positive for COVID-19. He later tested negative.

The Minister was admitted to the AIIMS on August 18 after he complained of “fatigue and bodyache.” He left the hospital after 13 days on August 31 after the doctors said the Home Minister had “recovered.

Official statement issued by the AIIMS on Minister Amit Shah’s hospital visit.

With inputs from The Hindu

PTI

New Delhi: India’s COVID-19 tally of cases sprinted past 47 lakh with 94,372 new infections being reported in a day, while 37,02,595 people have recuperated taking the national recovery rate to 77.88 per cent on Sunday, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

The total coronavirus cases mounted to 47,54,356, while the death toll climbed to 78,586 with 1,114 people succumbing to the infection in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The COVID-19 case fatality rate due to the coronavirus infection has further dropped to 1.65 per cent.

There are 9,73,175 active cases of COVID-19 in the country which comprises 20.47 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23 and it went past 40 lakh on September 5.

According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 5,62,60,928 samples have been tested up to September 12 with 10,71,702 samples being tested on Saturday.

Of the 1,114 new deaths, 391 are from Maharashtra, 94 from Karnataka, 76 each from Tamil Nadu and Punjab, 67 each from Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, 59 from West Bengal, 37 from Madhya Pradesh, 28 from Delhi, 24 from Haryana, 23 from Assam, 20 from Chhattisgarh, 15 each from Kerala and Gujarat, 14 each from Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.

Twelve fatalities have been reported from Tripura, 11 each from Bihar, Odisha and Telangana, 10 each from Goa, Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand, six from Chandigarh, five from Puducherry, three from Sikkim, two from Himachal Pradesh, while Meghalaya, Manipur and Ladakh have registered one fatality each.

A total of 78,586 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 29,115 from Maharashtra followed by 8,307 from Tamil Nadu, 7,161 from Karnataka, 4,846 from Andhra Pradesh, 4,715 from Delhi, 4,349 from Uttar Pradesh, 3,887 from West Bengal, 3,195 from Gujarat and 2,288 from Punjab and 1,728 from Madhya Pradesh.

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

PTI

New Delhi: India’s COVID-19 caseload raced past 46 lakh with a record 97,570 infections being reported in a day, while 36,24,196 people have recuperated so far taking the national recovery rate to 77.77 per cent on Saturday, according to Union health ministry data.

The total number of coronavirus cases mounted to 46,59,984, while the death toll climbed to 77,472 with 1,201 people succumbing to the infection in a span of 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The COVID-19 case fatality rate due to the coronavirus infection has further dropped to 1.66 per cent.

There are 9,58,316 active cases of COVID-19 in the country which comprises 20.56 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23 and it went past 40 lakh on September 5.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), a cumulative total of 5,51,89,226 samples have been tested up to September 11 with 10,91,251 samples being tested on Friday.

PTI

Aligarh: Aligarh Muslim University will begin its admission process from October 23, according to an official notification issued on Friday.

The entrance tests for admission to various university courses were postponed earlier due to the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Controller of Examinations Mujibullah Zubairi, wearing masks will be mandatory and social distancing will be observed by increasing the number of test centres.

The candidates found suffering from fever will be allocated special isolation rooms at the examination centres, he added.

The university will hold examinations in phases. In the first phase from October 23 to November 10, it will hold admission tests for several courses, including BA, BSc, BCom, BEd and MBA.

As per the revised schedule, the entrance for admission to Class 6 at schools affiliated to the university will be held on October 23. This will be followed by a test for admission to Class 9 on October 27, a spokesman of the university said. Admission tests for senior secondary schools will be held on November 1.

According to AMU spokesperson Shafay Kidwai, the schedule for remaining courses will be announced later. He said no date has been finalised for the completion of the examination process as of now.

PTI

New Delhi: Amid a prolonged standoff between India and China along the LAC in Ladakh, Chief of Defence Staff Bipin Rawat on Friday appeared before a parliamentary panel on defence.

While the official agenda for the meeting was listed as ”provision and monitoring of the quality of ration and livery items to the Defence forces, especially in border areas”, some members have said they will raise the issue of the Ladakh situation.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence is chaired by BJP leader Jual  Oram. Members who attended the meeting on Friday included Nationalist Congress Party chief Sharad Pawar and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

This is probably the first time Rahul Gandhi is attending this committee”s meeting since being nominated to the panel last year after Lok Sabha elections.

Pawar had told reporters earlier in the day that he will ask for a presentation for the members of the panel on the situation at LAC in Ladakh.

The Indian Army and the Chinese People”s Liberation Army (PLA) have been locked in a tense standoff in multiple areas along the LAC in eastern Ladakh since early May. Shots were fired across the LAC on Monday for the first time in 45 years with the two sides accusing each other of firing in the air.

However, the two countries reached an agreement during talks between External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi on Thursday evening for a five-point roadmap including quick disengagement of troops and avoiding any action that could escalate tensions for resolving the four-month-long face-off, while noting that the current situation at their border is not in the interest of either side.

Government sources said the Indian side strongly raised the deployment of a large number of troops and military equipment by China along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and conveyed its concern. The Chinese side could not provide a credible explanation for the troops” buildup, the sources had said earlier on Friday.

PTI

New Delhi: The government has issued a revised SOP for conducting examinations amid the COVID-19 pandemic, removing the provision that allowed symptomatic candidates who insist on taking an exam to do so in isolation.

According to the revised document by the Health ministry, in regular course, a symptomatic candidate should be referred to the nearest health centre and given an opportunity to undertake the examination through other means, or the university or educational institution shall arrange for taking the exam at a later date when the student is declared physically fit.

“However, if a student is found to be symptomatic, the permission or denial thereof, in such cases shall be granted as per the policy already enunciated on the issue by the Examination Conducting Authorities,” the revised Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) said.

The ministry had on September 2 issued guidelines as per which staff and examinees from containment zones shall not be permitted to be physically present at exam centres and there will be alternative arrangements for such students.

Such students shall be given an opportunity to undertake the examination through other means, or universities and educational institutions shall arrange for taking the exam at a later date for them.

According to the SOP, appropriate arrangements for personal protection gears like face covers or masks, and other logistics like hand sanitisers, soap, sodium hypochlorite solution etc. shall be made available by universities, educational institutions, examination conducting authorities or examination centres to the staff as well as students as per requirements.

“Exam functionary and examinees may also submit self-declaration about health status at the time of entrance to the examination centre. Such self-declaration form may be circulated at the time of issue of admit tickets,” the guidelines said.

If any examination functionary or examinee fails to meet the self-declaration criteria, they shall not be allowed entry, the SOP underlined.

Also, only asymptomatic staff and students shall be allowed inside the examination hall, the SOP stated, adding wearing face cover or mask is mandatory.

The face cover or mask has to be worn at all times inside the examination centre by all, it underlined.

Authorities concerned should plan out the examination schedule in a staggered manner so as to avoid overcrowding at any examination centre on any day, the SOP stated.

Examination centres in containment zones shall not be allowed to function, it said.

For pen and paper-based tests, the SOP outlines that the invigilator will sanitise his or her hands prior to the distribution of question papers or answer sheets and the examinees will also sanitise their hands before receiving or handing back these materials.

The collection and packing of the answer sheets at every stage will involve sanitisation of hands. The answer sheets will preferably be opened up after 72 hours have elapsed post collection of papers, the guidelines recommended.

“Use of spit/saliva for counting and distributing sheets shall not be allowed,” the SOP stated.

The examination centre should have a designated isolation room for isolating any person who is found symptomatic at the time of screening or during examination, till such time medical advice may be sought.

A clear policy on allowing or disallowing symptomatic candidates to undertake examinations shall be delineated by the examination conducting authorities in advance, the SOP stated.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar held face-to-face meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Moscow.

After a two and a half hour long meeting that went into the night in Moscow, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said they have agreed on a five point course of action to de-escalate the four month long standoff between troops at the Line of Actual Control.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi during a meeting in Moscow. Credit: Indian Embassy  

“The two Foreign Ministers agreed that the current situation in the border areas is not in the interest of either side. They agreed therefore that the border troops of both sides should continue their dialogue, quickly disengage, maintain proper distance and ease tensions,” a joint press statement issued after the meeting, the first face-to-face meeting between the two ministers since the LAC standoff began.

The five point plan includes abiding by the consensus between PM Modi and President Xi to “not allow difference to become disputes”, quick disengagement to ease tensions, abiding by existing India-China border protocols and avoiding escalatory action, continuing dialogue between the Special Representatives NSA Ajit Doval and Mr. Wang as well as the other mechanisms, and finally, to work towards new Confidence Building Measures (CBMs).

According to sources, Mr. Jaishankar conveyed “strong concern” over the Chinese PLA troops mobilisation along with equipment along various points of the LAC.

“The Chinese side has not provided a credible explanation for this deployment. The provocative behaviour of Chinese frontline troops at numerous incidents of friction along the LAC also showed disregard for bilateral agreements and protocols. The Indian side clearly conveyed that it expected full adherence to all agreements on management of border areas and would not countenance any attempt to change the status quo unilaterally,” the sources added.

While the agreement to de-escalate was made by the leaders, both sides said they have left it to the border commanders on the ground to work out the modalities of positioning for the troops, while they would give the process diplomatic support. Given that border commanders have been in contact on disengagement procedures since June and have made little headway thus far, it is unclear from the statement how the process would now change and hasten disengagement. Neither side has made a mention of restoring the “status quo ante” to positions held by troops in April, before the PLA mobilisation.

“The immediate task is to ensure a comprehensive disengagement of troops in all the friction areas. That is necessary to prevent any untoward incident in the future. The final disposition of the troop deployment to their permanent posts and the phasing of the process is to be worked out by the military commanders,” government sources said.

Sources on the Chinese side said that Mr. Wang had stuck to China’s “stern position” in the border areas, “emphasising the imperative is to immediately stop provocations such as firing and other dangerous actions.” However, the wording of statements from Chinese officials was more conciliatory and less accusatory than in the past week.

“Wang said China-India relations have once again come to a crossroads. But as long as the two sides keep moving the relationship in the right direction there will be no difficulty or challenge that can’t be overcome.”

The meeting between the Foreign Ministers in Moscow, which was facilitated and encourage by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who hosted them at the SCO meeting, and then a Russia-India-China lunch which set the stage for the bilateral talks on Thursday. It is expected to be followed by talks of the Special Representatives and another meeting of the Working Mechanism on Consultation and Coordination on India China border affairs (WMCC). In November, Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to attend the G-20 summit in Saudi Arabia, which will be the first time the two leaders, who have not spoken yet once during the standoff, could meet.

With inputs from The Hindu

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Kashmir Today staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)