MAHARASHTRA REPORTS 23K CASES, BUT THE SILVER LINING IS FEWER DEATHS

Maharashtra on Wednesday reported this year’s record high of 23,179 Covid-19 cases, accounting for over 60 per cent of new cases diagnosed in India. This is close to the peak of 24,886 that the state recorded in September last year.

Considering the speed with which coronavirus cases have been rising in the state, the National Centre for Disease Control has called for more virus samples from Maharashtra to be sent for genome sequencing to ascertain whether the current surge is the result of any new, faster-transmitting mutant.

State health secretary Dr Pradeep Vyas said they expect the surge to continue over the next few weeks. “But the case fatality rate is 0.4 per cent. Most cases are asymptomatic and as we continue to test more, we will detect more cases. We still do not need to worry as a second surge was always expected,” he added

The state is currently testing between 1 lakh and 1.20 lakh people a day, with a high positivity rate of 19.3 per cent. Nationally, the daily positivity rate is hovering around 3%.

While the surge was first noted in early February in Nagpur, Amravati, Akola and Buldhana that form the Vidarbha region, it has now spread to Mumbai, Pune, and is further expected to cover Aurangabad, Nashik and Ratnagiri.

State health minister Rajesh Tope said that the oxygen requirement had still not scaled to worrying levels. “We will cut industrial oxygen supply as and when needed,” he said.

The silver lining, health officials said, is the much lower hospitalisation and death rates as compared to last year. Of 3.70 lakh isolation beds in the state, over 60 per cent are vacant.

KEY COVID NUMBERS:

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 2,49,197

New Cases in last 24 hours: 35,826

Recovered in last 24 hours: 17,793

Increase in Active cases in last 24 hours: 17,862

No. of deaths in last 24 hours: 171

Most Affected States:

(S. No., State, No. of Active Cases, New Cases in last 24 hours)

1

Maharashtra

1,52,760

↑23,179

2

Kerala

25,394

↑2,098

3

Punjab

13,320

↑2,013

4

Karnataka

10,220

↑1,275

5

Gujarat

5,310

↑1,122

6

Tamil Nadu

5,811

↑945

7

Chhattisgarh

5,299

↑887

8

Madhya Pradesh

5,616

↑832

9

Haryana

3,740

↑555

10

Delhi

2,702

↑536

11

Rajasthan

2,851

↑313

12

West Bengal

3,188

↑303

13

Uttar Pradesh

2,014

↑260

14

Andhra Pradesh

1,694

↑253

15

Telangana

2,101

↑247

PM MODI CALLS FOR QUICK, DECISIVE STEPS AGAINST SURG IN COVID NUMBERS

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday urged states to take “quick and decisive steps” to stop the emerging “second peak” of the Covid-19 pandemic, including increasing the number of vaccination centres, taking corrective steps to reduce vaccine wastage, and augmenting RT PCR tests with special focus on smaller cities that are witnessing a surge.

Addressing a virtual meeting of Chief Ministers., PM said: “After showing a reduction in cases, some states are now reporting a sudden surge in cases… We are also seeing Maharashtra and MP reporting very high test positivity rate. Even those districts, which had protected themselves until now and were safe zones, are showing signals (of rise in cases). Seventy districts of the country have witnessed a 150 per cent rise in the last few weeks. If we do not stop this growing pandemic now, then a countrywide outbreak can occur. We need to take quick and decisive steps.”

“There has been an increase in the pace of vaccination in the country and vaccination rates have crossed more than 3 million in a single day. But at the same time, we take the problem of wastage of vaccine doses very seriously,” Modi said.

He specifically pointed to vaccine wastage to the tune of 10 per cent in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh. “States have to examine why vaccines are being wasted. There has to be a mechanism for monitoring this every evening. By wasting doses of the vaccine, we are denying another beneficiary the right to get vaccinated. States have to immediately correct the drawbacks of planning and governance at the local level to reduce vaccine wastage. States have to target zero wastage,” he said.

Modi also highlighted that in the second wave, the spread of infection is dispersed. “…Because now the whole country has opened up for travel and the number of people travelling has also increased. Therefore, there is need to build a mechanism for sharing information on travel among the states,” he said.

On testing, the Prime Minister said several states were giving more emphasis to the rapid antigen test, which can result in false negatives. “We have to be serious about test, track and treat, as we have been doing for the last one year. It is important to track every infected person’s contacts in the shortest time, and to keep the RT-PCR test rate above 70 per cent.

INDIA SHOULD MAKE A MOVE FOR PEACE, SAYS IMRAN KHAN

Pitching for trade between Pakistan and its neighbours like India, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said that the entire region would benefit “if India makes a move, if the Kashmir issue is resolved”.

“With India, it is very unfortunate that we have tried to resolve our issues through dialogue like civilised neighbours, but it has not worked out. Our only issue is basically over Kashmir,” Imran told experts and academics at the Islamabad Security Dialogue on Wednesday, repeating an earlier statement made in Colombo in February.

He called India’s decision to amend Article 370 and reorganise Jammu and Kashmir as a “big jolt” that led to a “full breakdown in ties”. After the move, Pakistan cancelled all trading ties with India.

“India will also benefit with more trade and connectivity to Central Asia. This [Kashmir] is the one issue that holds us back. We will try our full efforts but it is for India to make a move. Until they do that, we cannot move forward,” he added, in a possible indicator that Pakistan expects steps from New Delhi on Jammu and Kashmir’s status before making the next move on trade.

Mr. Khan’s visibly softened tone on India follows a speech by Foreign Secretary Harsh Shringla on Monday that also appeared to have toned down some of the language on Pakistan.

NO DECISION ON NATIONWIDE NRC YET, GOVT TELLS RAJYA SABHA

The Centre on Wednesday said it had not taken any decision on the nationwide roll out of the National Register of Citizens (NRC).

Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai was replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha on whether the Central government had any plans to implement the NRC throughout the country.

The NRC was updated in Assam under the supervision of the Supreme Court. When the final NRC was published on August 31, 2019, a total of 19.06 lakh people were excluded out of the total 3,30,27,661 applicants, which created a ripple across the country.

Replying to another question, Rai said there was no provision of detention centres under the Citizenship Act, 1955, and the National Register of Indian Citizens.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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BIDEN BRANDS PUTIN A ‘KILLER’, SAYS HE WILL PAY FOR POLL MEDDLING

President Joe Biden agreed that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a “killer”, and said in an interview with ABC News that Russia would pay for alleged interference in US elections. His comments, recorded Tuesday, came the same day as a US intelligence community report that Putin ordered influence operations to hurt Biden’s candidacy, favouring former President Trump just as the intelligence community says the Russian leader did in 2016 against then-Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.

Putin “will pay a price” for the interference, Biden said.

In a “long talk” with the Russian leader, Biden said he told him, “I know you and you know me. If I establish this occurred, then be prepared.” On being asked Biden if he believes Putin is “a killer”, Biden murmured agreement and said “I do,” without elaborating.

Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russia’s lower house, dismissed the comment as “hysterics born of helplessness”, saying they “insult citizens of our country”. The Kremlin on Wednesday called its ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, back to Moscow for consultations on the future of relationship with the US. The move was designed to ensure ties didn’t degrade irreparably, it said.

TANZANIA’S ‘BULLDOZER’ PRESIDENT AND COVID-19 SCEPTIC DIES AT 61

Tanzania’s President John Magufuli, admired by followers for his hostility to corruption and waste but regarded by foes as an irascible authoritarian intolerant of dissent and sceptical about COVID-19, has died aged 61.

Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan said on Wednesday he had died of heart illness, days after officials denied he had fallen ill amid rumours that he had contracted COVID-19.

Mangufuli decried lockdowns, was sceptical of COVID-19 drugs and suggested vaccines may be part of a foreign plot to steal Africa’s wealth. “Vaccines are not good. If they were, then the white man would have brought vaccines for HIV/AIDS,” he said. “Tanzanians should be careful with these imported things. You should not think that they love you a lot. This nation is rich, Africa is rich, everyone wants some of it.”

THE REST

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WAZE MESS FALLOUT: MUMBAI TOP COP IS SHUNTED OUT

In a major fallout of the case where a Scorpio with 20 gelatin sticks was found parked outside industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s South Mumbai residence ‘Antilia’ on February 25, the Maharashtra government Wednesday removed 1988 batch IPS officer Param Bir Singh as the Commissioner of Police, Mumbai, and posted him as Director General, Home Guards.

Singh was replaced by Hemant Nagrale, a 1987 batch IPS who was holding charge as Director General of Police, Maharashtra, in addition to being the DG, Legal and Technical.

The reshuffle came three days after the NIA arrested Assistant Police Inspector Sachin Waze in connection with the Ambani terror scare case. The NIA has alleged Waze was the perpetrator of this offence.

Over the last two days, leaders in Maharashtra’s three-party coalition Maha Vikas Aghadi have been in a flurry of meetings to decide on the course of action to be taken in the aftermath of Waze’s arrest, and the damage it had brought to the credibility of the government.

The Opposition, led by former Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, had demanded that Singh and Home Minister Anil Deshmukh both be transferred.

Param Bir Singh, who took over as Mumbai Police Commissioner from Sanjay Barve in February 2020, had an action-packed year with the pandemic striking Mumbai the hardest. He was in the midst of several politically-charged cases, from the death of Sushant Singh Rajput to the Television Ratings Points case.

CM ARVIND KEJRIWAL APPEALS TO CENTRE TO TAKE BACK BILL

Addressing supporters at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday, AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal appealed to the Central government to take back the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021, introduced in the Lok Sabha by the latter.

Hundreds of party supporters, MLAs, and Ministers, protested against the Bill at Jantar Mantar.

“People are unhappy that the BJP government has introduced a Bill in Parliament, which says that from now, Delhi government means L-G. Then what will be the meaning of us? What will be the meaning of the people of Delhi? What will be the meaning of the CM and the will of the people? Then why was the election conducted? Then why did people vote? Then there is no meaning of people giving us 62 out of 70 seats,” the AAP chief said.

He said the Supreme Court had said that all powers should be with the government and no file has to go to L-G. “The BJP does not believe in the people, democracy, and Constitution. It does not want to follow the orders of the Supreme Court,” he said.

“They are doing this across the country, they hold elections and where they cannot win, they dismantle the government. Now that they cannot buy AAP MLAs despite trying, they want to dismantle the government by bringing in a law,” he added.

TMC OFFERS BASIC INCOME TO 1.6CR FAMILIES

A basic income scheme for all economically disadvantaged families in Bengal—while attempting to make women heads of families a little more financially stable—was the headliner of Trinamool Congress’s “development-oriented” manifesto that its chief Mamata Banerjee released in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Banerjee declared that women heads of 1.6 crore households would benefit from the basic income scheme. “Female heads of general category families will be provided Rs 500 a month while SC, ST and families of other backward classes will be provided Rs 1,000,” she said. The Trinamool manifesto mentions that this would cost the exchequer approximately Rs 12,900 crore per year.

Banerjee also announced a “student credit card” scheme, which would enable youngsters to use up to Rs 10 lakh for higher studies at just 4% interest, in which the government would act as a guarantor.

GOVT CONSIDERING ELECTORAL ROLL-AADHAAR LINK TO CURB DUPLICATION

The government is considering a proposal to link electoral roll with Aadhaar with a view to “curb the menace of multiple enrolment of the same person at different places”, Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar Prasad informed Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.

“Electoral roll database system does not enter into the Aadhaar ecosystem, and the system is used only for authentication purpose keeping a tight air-gap between the two systems. These measures effectively prevent theft interception and hijacking of the voter system,” the reply stated.

The minister said that the proposal would require amendments to existing laws and is “under the consideration of the government.”

The minister was asked how the government plans to protect data linked with Aadhaar and voter ID from being misused.