150 DISTS WITH 15%+ POSITIVITY RATE MAY GO UNDER LOCKDOWN

A proposal has been drawn up for a lockdown, with exemptions for a set of defined essential services, in around 150 districts with Covid-19 positivity rate of over 15% as health systems in these areas are seen to be under stress due to the pandemic.

The steps were recommended by the Union health ministry at a high-level meet Tuesday, but a final decision will be taken by the Centre in consultation with states. The proposal may be further refined, but the need to tackle the spread in high-caseload, high-positivity districts was underlined by the ministry. “Our analysis suggests stringent lockdown measures in such districts are essential to break the chain of transmission in the next few weeks,” an official said.

Officials in the health ministry expressed concern over rising positivity in certain states during the second wave of the pandemic, resulting in burdened health systems. The Centre has already advised states to limit unnecessary movement.

KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 29,72,106

New Cases in last 24 hours: 3,62,712

Recovered in last 24 hours: 2,62,362

Increase in Active cases in last 24 hours: 97,065

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 3,285 (2,01,165)

Daily Tests: 16,58,700

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 19.7%

Most Affected States:

(S. No. / State / No. of Active Cases / New Cases in last 24 Hrs / Deaths in Last 24 Hrs)

1          Maharashtra     6,72,434           /           66,358  /           895

2          Uttar Pradesh   3,06,458           /           32,921  /           264

3          Karnataka                     3,01,899           /           31,830  /           180

4          Kerala              2,47,177           /           32,819  /           32

5          Rajasthan                     1,55,182           /           16,089  /           121

6          Gujarat             1,27,840           /           14,352  /           170

7          Chhattisgarh     1,19,068           /           14,893  /           246

8          Tamil Nadu       1,08,855           /           15,830  /           77

9          West Bengal     1,00,615           /           16,403  /           73

10        Andhra Pradesh            99,446  /           11,434  /           64

11        Delhi                98,264  /           24,149  /           381

12        Madhya Pradesh           94,276  /           13,417  /           98

13        Bihar                94,275  /           12,604  /           85

14        Haryana                       84,129  /           11,931  /           84

15        Telangana                    69,257  /           10,122  /           52

16        Punjab              51,936  /           5,916    /           100

17        Jharkhand        51,252  /           6,126    /           131

18        Odisha             46,869  /           6,073    /           10

19        Uttarakhand      43,032  /           5,703    /           96

20        JnK                  22,283  /           3,164    /           25

21        Assam              19,923  /           3,132    /           18

22        Goa                  16,591  /           2,110    /           31

23        Himachal Pradesh         15,151  /           2,157    /           24

24        Puducherry       7,828    /           1,021    /           13

25        Chandigarh       5,980    /           837       /           6

AT TIME OF NATIONAL CRISIS, TOP COURT CANNOT BE A MUTE SPECTATOR: SC

Maintaining that it can't be a mute spectator during a national crisis, the Supreme Court on Tuesday sought to know how the Centre planned to meet the increased demand for COVID19 vaccines once vaccination begins for all above 18 from May 1.

"As on date vaccination is for 45 years and above and from May 1 vaccination is to be opened to all ages who are above 18. The union shall clarify the projected requirements of vaccines due to enhancement of coverage," a three-judge Bench led by Justice DY Chandrachud told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

It asked the Centre to clarify the basis and rationale for pricing of COVID19 vaccines.

In view of senior advocate Harish Salve's decision to recuse himself as an Amicus Curiae, the Bench appointed senior advocates Jaideep Gupta and Meenakshi Arora to replace him.

The court wanted to know about projected demand for oxygen in future, steps taken to augment supplies to affected states and monitoring mechanism.

It also asked the Centre to apprise it of the steps taken to ensure the supply of drugs such as Remdisivir and the modality put in place for seamless communication between district collectors with the Ministry of Health along with daily monitoring.

Directing the states to file their replies by Thursday 6 pm, it posted the matter for further hearing on Friday. The Centre has already filed its affidavit.

The Centre told the Court that medical oxygen in any country cannot be unlimited and with the active and constant supervision of the prime minister it is augmenting the oxygen supply on a war footing to provide relief to COVID-19 patients.

IN BUILD-UP TO CEASEFIRE THAW, NSA DOVAL MET ISI CHIEF IN UAE LAST YEAR

National Security Adviser A K Doval and Pakistan’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt. Gen Faiz Hameed held at least one secret meeting in the UAE late last year in the lead-up to the February 25 joint statement from the militaries of the two neighbours agreeing to strict adherence to the 2003 ceasefire understanding.

This is one of the details to emerge from a four-hour-long interaction Pakistan’s Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa had on April 23 with about 20 top journalists at an official iftar.

Held last Friday, the interaction was an “off-the-record” briefing on various issues, including the Covid pandemic, but some details have begun trickling out.

Bajwa told the journalists that the two sides had agreed that rather than “Kashmir first” , or “terrorism first”, all issues would be addressed at the same time, including trade. However, there have been no further contacts between the two sides since the ceasefire began on February 24-25, Bajwa said.

Asked about the Pakistan government’s U-turn on trade in cotton and sugar with India, with Prime Minister Imran Khan declaring that this could happen only after status quo ante was restored in Kashmir, Bajwa suggested that the political leadership may have had its own compulsions but — sooner than later — all would see there was no way forward towards peace other than trade with neighbours.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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LANKA CABINET APPROVES PROPOSAL TO BAN FACE COVERINGS IN PUBLIC PLACES

Sri Lanka’s Cabinet on Tuesday approved a controversial proposal to ban all forms of face coverings in public places, citing a threat to national security. The move came weeks after Minister of Public Security Sarath Weerasekara signed a note in March, seeking the approval of the Cabinet to ban burqas—outer garments that cover the body and face worn by some Muslim women.

Cabinet spokesperson and information minister Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters that the decision was taken two years after a wave of coordinated terror attacks on hotels and churches on Easter Sunday. “All forms of face covers are a threat to national security,” he said.

The proposal now must be approved by Parliament to become a law.

Last month, Pakistan’s High Commissioner to Sri Lanka Ambassador Saad Khattak had criticised the proposal to ban the wearing of burqas in the country, saying such “divisive steps” in the name of security will not only hurt the sentiments of Muslims but also strengthen wider apprehensions about the fundamental human rights of minorities in the island nation.

Muslims make up about 9 per cent of the 22 million people in Sri Lanka, where Buddhists account for more than 70 per cent of the population. Ethnic minority Tamils, who are mainly Hindus, comprise about 12 per cent, while Christians account for over 7 per cent of the population.

US COVID-19 GUIDANCE: FULLY VACCINATED PEOPLE DO NOT NEED MASKS OUTSIDE

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has announced that fully vaccinated Americans do not need to wear a mask when they are outdoors.

Those who have received all required jabs can ditch their face coverings if alone or in small groups of vaccinated people, the new guidelines say.

But the CDC left in place its guidance to don a mask indoors and in crowded settings or venues.

Over 95 million Americans have been fully vaccinated thus far.

Following the CDC announcement on Tuesday, President Joe Biden celebrated the new guidance as "extraordinary progress".

"Our scientists are convinced by the data that the odds of getting or giving the virus to others is very, very low," Mr Biden said. "The bottom line is clear: if you're vaccinated you can do more."

THE REST

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ELECTION COMMISSION BANS VICTORY CELEBRATIONS OVER POLL RESULTS

The Election Commission on Tuesday issued an order banning all kinds of victory celebrations and processions on and after May 2, the day the counting of votes will take place for the assembly elections in the four states and Union Territory (UT) of Puducherry.

The Commission in its order said, “In view of the surge in COVID-19 cases throughout the country, it has decided to make more stringent provision to be followed during the process of counting, in addition to exiting Broad Guidelines issued earlier in August, 2020.”

Noting that no victory procession after the counting on May 2, 2921 “shall be permissible”, the poll panel in its direction to all the Chief Electoral Officers said, “Not more than two persons shall be allowed to accompany the winning candidate or his/her authorised representative receive the certificate of election from the Returning Officer (RO) concerned.”

It also said that the order concerning the ban on victory procession “should be brought to notice of all concerned”.

The counting of votes will be held in the states of Assam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Kerala and the UT of Puducherry on May 2.

'SET YOUR HOUSE IN ORDER', OR WE’LL ASK CENTRE TO TAKE OVER: DELHI HC

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday said the Aam Aadmi Party government’s entire system has failed as black marketing of oxygen cylinders and crucial medicines for treating COVID-19 patients is going on. A bench of Justices Vipin Sanghi and Rekha Palli observed it was not the time to become vultures.

“Are you aware of black marketing. Is it a good human gesture?" the bench said to oxygen refillers. The bench further said this is a mess that the state government has been unable to resolve.

“Our confidence in you is shaken. Set your house in order. If you cannot manage, tell us. We will ask the Central government to take over," the court said.

'INDIAN STRAIN' OF CORONAVIRUS SPREADS FASTER: EXPERTS

The B.1.617 variant of SARS-CoV2, also being called a 'double mutant' or the 'Indian strain', has been found prevalent largely in Maharashtra and Delhi that have been severely hit by a devastating second wave of the pandemic.

In many cities in Maharashtra -- the worst-hit state in the country -- the B.1.617 variant was found in more than 50 per cent of samples on which genome sequencing was conducted, while the proportion of the UK variant was 28 per cent in the second week of March, Sujeet Singh, the Director of the National Centre for Disease Control, had said in a webinar on genome sequencing last week.

Anurag Agrawal, the director of the Institute of Genomics and Integrative Biology, said, "As far as we know, neither the UK variant nor this one (B.1.617) is associated with increased severity of illness or death. The UK strain is proven to have higher transmissibility and B.1.617 may have increased transmissibility." "But this (that the B.1.617 variant has more transmissibility) has not been proven and there are several characterises to prove it and the studies have not been completed," he said.

"But looking at Maharashtra's experience, it looks more transmissible, but it is yet to be proven. Looking at the general evidence, it (B.1.617) may be more transmissible," he said.

AMARINDER, SIDHU IN SPAT AGAIN AS CRISIS IN PUNJAB CONGRESS DEEPENS OVER DESECRATION ROW

The crisis within the Punjab Congress over the desecration row deepened Tuesday, with Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh and his one-time cabinet colleague, Amritsar MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu, once again taking on each other over the issue.

It comes at a time when the chief minister is facing a virtual rebellion in the party over what is being seen as his government’s failure to defend the investigation into the cases lodged over the desecration of the Guru Granth Sahib.

In an interview to a Punjab TV channel, Amarinder accused Sidhu of indiscipline, saying that he was constantly attacking “his chief minister” and it was “clear that he wanted to leave the party”.

Amarinder also said that it seemed that no political party wanted Sidhu, adding that he didn’t mind contesting against the cricketer-turned-politician at Patiala, the chief minister’s constituency.

Sidhu in turn tweeted that he was only “fighting for justice”.  “Efforts to derail Punjab’s conscience will fail … My Soul is Punjab and Punjab’s Soul is Guru Granth Sahib Ji,” he tweeted. “Our fight is for Justice & punishing the guilty, an assembly seat is not even worth discussion in the same breath!!”

DELHI HC SAYS ISSUED NO SUCH ORDER AFTER EXCLUSIVE COVID FACILITY FOR JUDICIAL STAFF DRAWS OUTRAGE

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday said it has not made any request for creating COVID-19 facilities for its judges, staff, and their families at a five-star hotel, after news of such an order caused general outrage in a city that has been crippled by the COVID-19 health crisis.

In an order issued by the sub-divisional magistrate of Chanakyapuri on April 25, it was stated that the COVID facility at Ashoka Hotel will be associated with Primus Hospital. The order also said that the facility was being set up at the request of the Delhi High Court.

Terming the order as "wrong", the bench said the image being projected as a result of it was that the Delhi High Court judges have taken it for their benefit or that the Delhi government has done it to appease the court.

The high court also did not agree with senior advocate Rahul Mehra's claim that the media played "mischief", saying "the media is not wrong".

It said that the media only pointed out what was wrong in the order and it was the SDM's order, which was wrong.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia in a late night tweet said that the direction was issued to withdraw the order. Earlier in the day, Delhi government sources claiming that the order was issued without knowledge of the chief minister, his deputy or even health minister, said that Sisodia had summoned the file related to the order to examine how it was passed.

POSITIVE START TO Q4 CORPORATE EARNINGS; COMBINED NET PROFIT 36.2%

The corporate earnings season for the fourth quarter of FY21 has started on a positive note for India Inc.

The combined net profit of 81 companies that declared their quarterly results by Monday evening is up 36.2 per cent year-on-year (YoY).

These companies reported all-time high net profits of Rs 39,540 crore in Q4FY21, up from Rs 29,033 crore a year ago.

The early-bird companies’ earnings are, however, down 4 per cent on a quarter-on-quarter basis, hinting at a plateauing of corporate profitability after three quarters of recovery from Covid-19 lockdown.

Earnings growth in the early-bird sample has been driven BY banks and iron & steel companies. While banks gained from a decline in interest cost, steel producers saw a sharp rise in their product prices, resulting in higher margins and profits.

The top line growth of early-bird companies is, however, greatly influenced by IT services companies such as Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, Wipro, and HCL Tech, which account for nearly 50 per cent of the sample’s combined revenues.

IPL MATCH 22: DELHI CAPITALS FALL ONE RUN SHORT AGAINST RCB

AB de Villiers struck a breathtaking unbeaten 75 to power Royal Challengers Bangalore to a thrilling one-run victory over Delhi Capitals in the 22nd match of IPL-14 here tonight.

De Villiers ploughed the Delhi attack for 55 runs off the final 23 balls he faced, including 23 runs in the last over bowled by Marcus Stoinis, to take his team to 171/5.

In the chase, Delhi seemed out of the game at 116/4 in 16 overs, requiring another 56 from only 24 balls. However, Shimron Hetmyer nearly did the job in the company of captain Rishabh Pant (58* off 48 balls) with an unbeaten partnership of 78 runs off only 7.2 overs. Hetmyer, who finished with 53* off 25 balls, signalled the final onslaught with three sixers off Kyle Jamieson in the 18th over. Delhi got 11 off the next over, bowled by Harshal Patel, and Delhi needed 14 off the last over, from Mohammed Siraj.

Siraj managed to keep Pant and Hetmyer to only four runs off the first four balls, and Pant needed to make 10 runs off the final two balls. Pant, however, could manage only two fours and the chase ended in disappointment. They ended on 170/4.

With this win RCB have 5 wins from 6 matches while Delhi have 4 from 6.

WE’D GET YOU HOME: BCCI ASSURES FOREIGN PLAYERS

The BCCI has attempted to calm the frayed nerves of foreign cricketers — especially from Australia — who are playing for various teams in the IPL and are worried about being locked out of their countries due to the alarming Covid-19 crisis in India.

The Australian government yesterday suspend air flights from India to their country, with prime minister Scott Morrison asking the players to make their “own arrangements” for return.

The fear of being locked out of Australia made Andrew Tye take a flight back home Monday. Two other Australians, Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa, exited their team Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bio-bubble in preparation for leaving for their country.

“We understand that many of you are apprehensive about how you will get back home once the tournament concludes... We want to apprise you that you have nothing to worry about,” BCCI chief operating officer Hemang Amin said in a letter to the players.

“The BCCI will do everything to ensure that you reach your respective destinations seamlessly. The BCCI is monitoring the situation very closely and is working with the government authorities to make arrangements to get you home once the tournament concludes,” he added. “Be rest assured that the tournament is not over for BCCI till each one of you has reached your home, safe and sound.”

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

This is the highest wisdom that I own; freedom and life are earned by those alone who conquer them each day anew. - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

OFF TRACK

A young executive was leaving the office at 6 p.m. when he found the CEO standing in front of paper shredder with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Listen," said the CEO, "this is a very sensitive and important document, and my secretary has left. Can you make this thing work?"

"Certainly," said the young executive. He turned the machine on, inserted the paper, and pressed the start button.

"Excellent, very excellent!" said the CEO as his paper disappeared inside the machine. "I just need one copy."