Category: National

PTI

New Delhi: India’s COVID-19 tally raced past the seven-lakh mark on Tuesday after a single-day spike of 22,252 infections, five days after crossing the six-lakh post, while the death toll breached the 20,000 mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data.

It took 110 days for coronavirus infections in the country to reach the one-lakh, while just 49 days more to go past the seven-lakh mark.

This is the fifth consecutive day that COVID-19 cases have increased by more than 20,000.

The country’s coronavirus infection caseload increased to 7,19,665 on Tuesday, while the death toll climbed to 20,160 with 467 persons succumbing to the disease in the last 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The number of recoveries stands at 4,39,947, while there are 2,59,557 active cases of coronavirus infection presently in the country.

“Thus, around 61.13 per cent of patients have recovered so far,” an official said.

The total number of confirmed cases included foreigners.

According to the ICMR, a cumulative total of 1,02,11,092 samples have been tested up to July 6 with 2,41,430 samples being tested on Monday.

Of the 467 deaths reported in the last 24 hours, 204 are from Maharashtra, 61 from Tamil Nadu, 48 from Delhi, 29 from Karnataka, 24 from Uttar Pradesh, 22 from West Bengal, 17 from Gujarat, 11 each from Telangana and Haryana, nine from Madhya Pradesh, seven from Andhra Pradesh, six from Jammu and Kashmir, five each from Rajasthan and Punjab, two each from Bihar, Kerala and Odisha and one each from Arunachal Pradesh and Jharkhand.

Of the total 20,160 deaths reported so far, Maharashtra accounted for the highest 9,026 fatalities followed by Delhi with 3,115 deaths, Gujarat with 1,960, Tamil Nadu with 1,571, Uttar Pradesh with 809, West Bengal with 779, Madhya Pradesh with 617, Rajasthan with 461 and Karnataka with 401.

The COVID-19 death toll reached 306 in Telangana, 276 in Haryana, 239 in Andhra Pradesh, 169 in Punjab, 138 in Jammu and Kashmir, 97 in Bihar, 42 in Uttarakhand, 38 in Odisha and 27 in Kerala.

Jharkhand has registered 20 deaths, Chhattisgarh and Assam 14 each, Puducherry 12, Himachal Pradesh 11, Goa seven, Chandigarh six, Arunachal Pradesh two and Meghalaya, Tripura and Ladakh have reported one fatality each, according to the Health Ministry.

More than 70 per cent deaths took place due to comorbidities, it said.

Maharashtra has reported the highest number of cases at 2,11,987 followed by Tamil Nadu at 1,14,978, Delhi at 1,00,823, Gujarat at 36,772, Uttar Pradesh at 28,636, Telangana at 25,733 and Karnataka at 25,317, according to the ministry data.

The number of COVID-19 cases has gone up to 22,987 in West Bengal, 20,688 in Rajasthan, 20,019 in Andhra Pradesh, 17,504 in Haryana and 15,284 in Madhya Pradesh.

It has risen to 12,160 in Assam, 12,125 in Bihar, 9,526 in Odisha and 8,675 in Jammu and Kashmir. Punjab has reported 6,491 novel coronavirus infections so far, while Kerala has 5,622 cases.

A total of 3,305 people have been infected by the virus in Chhattisgarh, 3,161 in Uttarakhand, 2,847 in Jharkhand, 1,813 in Goa, 1,680 in Tripura, 1,390 in Manipur, 1,077 in Himachal Pradesh and 1,005 in Ladakh.

Puducherry has recorded 802 COVID-19 cases, Nagaland 625, Chandigarh 489 and Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu together have reported 297 cases.

Arunachal Pradesh reported 270 cases, Mizoram has 197 cases, Andaman and Nicobar Islands has 141, Sikkim has registered 125 infections so far, while Meghalaya has recorded 80 cases.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the ICMR,” the ministry said, adding that 5,034 cases are being reassigned to states.

State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation, it added.

PTI

Srinagar: Three security force personnel were injured in an encounter with militants in Pulwama district of Jammu and Kashmir on Tuesday, police said.

A police official said that a militant was believed to have been killed during the encounter as he was shot at when he tried to jump from a house. However, the body of the militant is yet to be retrieved.

On a tip off about presence of militants in Goosu village of Pulwama, security forces launched a cordon and search operation, the official said.

He said the search operation turned into an encounter after militants opened fire towards security forces positions.

Three security force personnel sustained injuries in the initial firefight. They have been evacuated to a hospital here, the official said.

The operation was going on till last reports came in.

A woman police sub-inspector (PSI) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, demanded Rs 35 lakh from a rape accused to not book a case against him.

India Today

woman police sub-inspector (PSI) in Ahmedabad has been arrested for allegedly accepting a bribe of Rs 35 lakh from a rape accused for not charging him under the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act.

An FIR was booked against Ahmedabad-West Mahila police station in-charge Shweta Jadeja for allegedly demanding Rs 35 lakh from a rape accused.

According to the FIR, two women employees of a private company in Ahmedabad had filed a rape complaint the company’s managing director, Kenal Shah.

The FIR said that Shweta Jadeja, during the investigation of the case, demanded a bribe of Rs 35 lakh from the accused. She demanded the money for not booking Shah under provisions of the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA) Act, where the police can send an accused to a jail outside his native district.

Shweta Jadeja demanded Rs 35 lakh from the Kenal Shah’s brother, Bhavesh, against whom she was investigating a rape case registered in 2019. Shweta Jadeja called Bhavesh to demanded the bribe and both sides agreed on Rs 20 lakh.

As per the FIR lodged by the city crime branch, Jadeja accepted Rs 20 lakh through a middleman and demanded an additional Rs 15 lakh from the rape case accused.

The complainant gave Rs 20 lakh to Jadeja in February, and she was forcing him to pay the remaining amount, the FIR said.

She was arrested on Friday and a case was registered against her under the Prevention of Corruption Act, the official said.

She was on Saturday produced before a sessions court where police sought her remand for seven days.

The court, however, granted three-day remand to the police for further investigation, public prosecutor Sudhir Brahmbhatt said.

“The main point is the police need to recover Rs 20 lakh accepted by the accused. So far, the investigation has revealed the bribe money was accepted by a middleman,” the prosecutor said.

Shah is the managing director of a crop solution company in Ahmedabad and is facing two separate rape cases under Indian Penal Code Section 376, one of which was being investigated by Jadeja.

PTI

Cong’s Rahul Gandhi attacks govt over rising coronavirus cases, says future Harvard Business School case studies on failure would include govt’s handling of COVID-19, demonetistion and GST implementation

Worldwide, the United States has registered the most number of cases so far (27.8 lakh), according to a Reuters tally. Brazil, is the second worst-hit nation with over 15 lakh cases

India on July 5 recorded the third highest coronavirus caseload in the world, overtaking Russia. The country now has 6,83,240 coronavirus cases at the time of publishing, 1989 postive cases more than Russia, according to official health ministry figures.

Worldwide, the United States has registered the most number of cases so far (27.8 lakh), according to a Reuters tally. Brazil is the second worst-hit nation with over 15 lakh cases.

There are currently 2,47,788 active cases in India. The death toll is 19,441. As many as 4,16,011 have recovered till date.

With inputs from The Hindu

PTI

New Delhi, Jul 5 (PTI) Days after nine individuals linked to Khalistani outfits were declared as terrorists, the government on Sunday announced that 40 websites belonging to Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), an outlawed organisation, have been blocked for supporting secessionist activities.

The US-based Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is a pro-Khalistan group.

“Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), an unlawful organisation under the UAPA, 1967, launched a campaign for registering supporters for its cause. On recommendation of MHA, MEITY has issued orders under Sec. 69 A of the I.T. Act, 2000, for blocking 40 websites of SFJ,” a home ministry spokesperson said.

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) is the nodal authority for monitoring the cyber space in India.

Last year, the home ministry had banned the SFJ for its alleged anti-national activities.

The SFJ had pushed for Sikh Referendum 2020 as part of its separatist agenda.

It openly espouses the cause of Khalistan and in that process challenges the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India, another official said.

On July 1, the home ministry had declared nine individuals linked to separatist Khalistani outfits, including four based in Pakistan, as designated terrorists under the provisions of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The individuals belonged to various terrorist organisations.

Among them were Wadhawa Singh Babbar, chief of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI); Lakhbir Singh, who heads International Sikh Youth Federation; Ranjeet Singh, chief of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZB) and Paramjit Singh, who leads Khalistan Commando Force. All these four are Pakistan-based.

The home ministry had said these nine individuals were operating from Pakistan and other foreign soil and were involved in various acts of terrorism.

“They have been relentless in their nefarious efforts of destabilising the country, by trying to revive militancy in Punjab through their anti-national activities and through their support to and involvement in the Khalistan movement,” it had said.

PTI

New Delhi: A former MLA serving jail sentence in a 1984 anti-Sikh riots case died due to COVID-19 at a hospital here, the second inmate of Mandoli prison to have succumbed to the infection, officials said on Sunday.

Mahender Yadav (70) was a former MLA from Palam constituency. He was lodged in Jail no. 14 of Mandoli prison, where he was undergoing a sentence of 10 years, and had been hospitalised on June 26, they said.

Another convict Kanwar Singh, who died last month and had tested positive for coronavirus, was also lodged in Jail no. 14.

Director General (Prisons) Sandeep Goel said that Yadav complained of uneasiness and some heart related problems on June 26. He was taken to DDU hospital, from where he was referred to LNJP hospital the same day and admitted there.

Later, on his family’s request, he was allowed to be shifted under police guard to a private hospital in Dwarka on June 30.

“We received information that Mahender Yadav expired in Akash hospital on July 4 evening,” he added.

Yadav was lodged in jail since December 2018, according to officials.

Kanwar Singh died on June 15 in his sleep. A COVID-19 test had turned out to be positive, officials said.

PTI | ANI

A 106-year-old man named Mukhtar Ahmed is now the oldest yet in the country to have come out of coronavirus.A resident of Central Delhi’s Nawabganj, Mukhtar Ahmed was admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital on April 14 and was discharged on May 1.

He had procured the infection from his son, who is still undergoing treatment at the moment.The doctors at the hospital were very proud to see him recover and put up a fight against the deadly virus. “Whenever a patient recovers, it is a proud moment for us. However, due to Ahmed’s age, is inspiring news for all of us,” the Medical Director of the hospital, Dr. BL Sherwal, told ANI.

Regarding Ahmed’s recovery, the hospital noticed his stern resolve to come out of this virus strong. Sherwal further added, “Our doctors who were treating him noticed his stern will to fight against the virus. It is the will that is most important to fight against coronavirus. He has set an example that even people above the age of hundred can fight the virus.”

For now, Ahmed has been advised to practice social distancing from his family members. Earlier the oldest people in the country to have recovered from COVID-19 were a couple from Kerala. Thomas, 93, and Mariyamma, 88 were the oldest couple from the state to have fought the virus very bravely.

It is encouraging to see that at least seven Indian companies are developing COVID-19 vaccines. All of them must be tested … and till we see results from these trials, we cannot predict which of them will be successful, says the Chief Scientist at WHO

A day after scientists and experts raised serious concerns over Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) letter to all 12 principal investigators to speed up the trial process of Bharat Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine and enable it to be launched for “public health use latest by August 15”, the nodal agency issued a clarification saying the letter was meant only to “cut unnecessary red tape” and “speed up recruitment of participants”. Experts around the world have been saying that it would take at least 12-18 months to launch a vaccine for COVID-19.

In an email to The Hindu, Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist at the World Health Organization, said: “A realistic (but very optimistic) timeline from the start of Phase-1 to the completion of Phase-3 could be about six to nine months (if all goes exactly according to plan).”

Bharat Biotech has got an approval to conduct only Phase-1 and Phase-2 trials. So launching the vaccine for public use before August 15 this year would mean that the Phase-3 trial, which tests the efficacy of the vaccine on a large number of participants and takes the longest time to complete, may have to be skipped or rushed up.

Responding to a specific question whether Phase-3 trial can be skipped for making the vaccine available for public use in light of the pandemic, Dr. Swaminathan said: “Any vaccine must demonstrate efficacy and safety in a sizable number of participants. The WHO has published target product profiles for a COVID vaccine [and] immunogenicity data alone would be insufficient for a vaccine use policy. It is possible to have protocols which flow seamlessly from Phase-2 to Phase-3 based on interim analysis of data.”

ACT accelerator

In the midst of the pandemic and in the absence of any safe and efficacious vaccine, attempts are being made to accelerate vaccine development.

On whether vaccine development can be rushed through by bypassing certain critical stages of testing, she said: “The pandemic demands unprecedented efforts to develop a vaccine. That is why the WHO and partners launched the ACT [Access to COVID-19 Tools] accelerator to accelerate the development, deployment and delivery of COVID vaccines. While clinical trials need to be performed with scientific rigour and demonstrate efficacy and safety, timelines can be shortened by investing in manufacturing upfront, preparing sites in advance, regulatory harmonisation, collaboration between the different government agencies and anticipating the next steps. Performing trials in areas and among groups with a high risk of infection will also help by accumulating the necessary endpoints in a shorter time.”

China has recently approved the use of one of its COVID-19 vaccines, which has completed Phase-1 and Phase-2 trials, to be used exclusively by the military for one year. The vaccine is not currently being made available for public use. Reiterating the need to conduct a Phase-3 trial before launching the vaccine for public use, Dr. Swaminathan told The Hindu: “Any vaccine that is going to be used at large scale must demonstrate efficacy and safety. The WHO has offered our support to vaccine developers all over the world to enable that the best science is performed, and to facilitate multi-country clinical trials.”

‘Important to start preparing for vaccine delivery’

“The scientific establishment in India has a long history of rising to national challenges and delivering the needed products. Indian manufacturers supply over half of childhood vaccines procured by the UNICEF and the GAVI. I am optimistic that with the capacity available in the public and private sector in India, that one or more successful vaccines will emerge,” she said.

She also added that the WHO, along with the GAVI and the CEPI, is in dialogue with Secretary, DBT, and five Indian vaccine manufacturers to provide any kind of support and facilitate advancing the candidates to trials.

Dr. Swaminathan added: “It is encouraging to see that at least seven Indian companies are developing COVID-19 vaccines. All of them must be tested, through the various phases, in collaboration with the DBT and the ICMR, and till we see results from these trials, we cannot predict which of them will be successful. Having a regulatory standard and clear criteria for advancing vaccines through the various stages, will be very helpful (the FDA has recently produced such a document, and so has the WHO). At the same time, it is important to start preparing for vaccine delivery and preparing the strategy and policy for deployment among various risk groups. Community engagement and preparedness will be an important component and must be addressed.”

With inputs from The Hindu

PTI

Uttar Pradesh: A 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped and later beaten up by a youth in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar district, police said on Sunday.

The incident happened in a village under Charthawal police station limits of the district on Saturday, its SHO Suresh Singh Yadav said.

According to Yadav, a complaint was lodged by the girl’s maternal uncle and a case was registered against the main accused and his three friends who beat up the victim.

All the accused men are absconding while the victim has been sent to hospital for a medical examination, the SHO added.

According to the complaint, it is alleged that the accused entered the teenager’s house while she was sleeping with her cousin sister.

The victim was forcefully taken to a nearby place where she was raped by the accused, it stated. Later, she was thrashed by him and his three friends as she opposed them.