NEW DIGITAL RULES: IT MINISTRY DEMANDS COMPLIANCE REPORT FROM SOCIAL MEDIA COMPANIES

The Ministry for Information and Technology asked social media platforms to submit a compliance report to its controversial new digital rules—a development after Facebook-owned Whatsapp sued the central govt over the new rules.

The new rules, announced on February 25, require large social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter to follow additional due diligence, including the appointment of a chief compliance officer, a nodal contact person, and a resident grievance officer.

Non-compliance with rules would result in these social media companies losing their intermediary status that provides them exemptions and certain immunity from liabilities for any third-party information and data hosted by them. In other words, they could be liable for criminal action in case of complaints.

After the deadline ended, Whatsapp took the central govt to court over the new rules over privacy concerns. The petition in Delhi High Court that challenges the new rules asks the court to declare that one of the new IT rules is a violation of privacy rights in India's constitution since it requires social media companies to identify the "first originator of information" when authorities demand it.

A WhatsApp spokesperson said that requiring messaging apps to "trace" chats is the equivalent of asking us to keep a fingerprint of every single message sent on WhatsApp. "It would break end-to-end encryption and fundamentally undermines people's right to privacy. We have consistently joined civil society and experts around the world in opposing requirements that would violate the privacy of our users," the spokesperson stressed.

KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 24,15,761

New Cases in last 24 hours: 2,11,442

Recovered in last 24 hours: 2,82,715

Change in no. of Active cases in last 24 hours: -75,115

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 3,842 (3,15,263)

Daily Tests: 22,17,320

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 9.4%

Most Affected States:

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

1          Karnataka                     4,09,924           /           26,811  /           530

2          Maharashtra     3,15,042           /           24,752  /           992

3          Tamil Nadu       3,10,224           /           33,764  /           475

4          Kerala              2,48,526           /           28,798  /           151

5          Andhra Pradesh            1,92,104           /           18,285  /           99

6          West Bengal     1,23,377           /           16,225  /           153

7          Odisha             99,738  /           11,623  /           35

8          Rajasthan                     78,126  /           3,886    /           107

9          Uttar Pradesh   62,271  /           3,176    /           193

10        Gujarat             55,548  /           3,085    /           36

11        Chhattisgarh     53,480  /           2,829    /           56

12        Assam              52,884  /           5,699    /           90

13        Punjab              50,549  /           4,004    /           185

14        JnK                  43,892  /           3,037    /           40

15        Uttarakhand      43,520  /           2,991    /           93

16        Madhya Pradesh           43,265  /           2,182    /           72

17        Telangana                    38,632  /           3,762    /           20

18        Haryana                       31,644  /           3,138    /           106

19        Bihar                30,992  /           2,603    /           99

20        Himachal Pradesh         22,181  /           1,365    /           44

21        Delhi                19,148  /           1,491    /           130

22        Goa                  15,791  /           1,487    /           39

23        Puducherry       14,842  /           1,321    /           27

24        Jharkhand        14,196  /           977       /           19

25        Meghalaya        8,055    /           846       /           10

26        Tripura             8,038    /           667       /           3

27        Manipur                        7,243    /           847       /           10

28        Nagaland                      4,923    /           260       /           12

29        Chandigarh       3,573    /           224       /           8

30        Arunachal Pradesh        3,504    /           374       /           3

31        Sikkim              3,429    /           295       /           2

32        Mizoram                       2,611    /           316       /           Nil

33        Lakshadweep    2,247    /           118       /           Nil

NYT GIVES 3 ESTIMATES OF ACTUAL INDIA TOLL

A report in the New York Times has suggested that India’s actual toll from Covid could be about double the official count in an optimistic case scenario and up to nearly 14 times the recorded numbers in a worstcase scenario. That would imply at least 6 lakh deaths and at worst 42 lakh deaths.

The estimates, the report says, are based on extrapolations from sero surveys for the true number of infected people and assumptions about the infection fatality rate (IFR), a measure of the number of people who die for every 100 infected.

The report points out that while official figures miss deaths all over the world, “the undercount of cases and deaths in India is most likely even more pronounced, for technical, cultural and logistical reasons”. With hospitals overwhelmed, many Covid deaths occur at home, especially in rural areas, and are omitted from the official count.

The best-case scenario assumes that actual infections are about 15 times the number of cases detected, that is about 40.4 crore. It assumes an IFR of 0.15% which gives 6 lakh deaths. A second scenario, which the report describes as “a more likely scenario” takes the actual infections at 20 times what’s been detected by tests, or 53.9 crore. It assumes the IFR is 0.30%, “in line with what has been estimated in the US at the end of 2020”. That gives a figure of 16 lakh deaths or over five times the official count of 3 lakh.

The most alarming scenario assumes there are 26 actual infections for every detected case — based on the last national sero prevalence study that ended in January — which puts the number of infected at just over 70 crore. It also assumes an IFR of 0.6% “to take into account the tremendous stress that India’s health system has been under during the current wave”. Those assumptions yield a toll of 42 lakh or 13.7 times what the official numbers suggest.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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BIDEN CALLS FOR NEW US REPORT ON COVID-19 ORIGINS IN 90 DAYS

US President Biden on Wednesday asked US intelligence agencies to “redouble their efforts” to determine the origins of the coronavirus, saying that he was calling for a broad govt report that incorporated findings from American labs and other federal agencies on whether the virus was accidentally leaked from a lab or transmitted by an animal to humans. He asked intelligence officials to report back to him in 90 days on the results.

Biden’s statement came as top health officials renewed appeals this week for a more rigorous probe into the virus origins, as the WHO faced mounting criticism for an earlier report dismissing the possibility that it had accidentally escaped from a Chinese lab.

“The US will also keep working with like-minded partners around the world to press China to participate in a full, transparent, evidence-based international investigation,” said Biden. He still held out the possibility that a firm conclusion may never be reached. “The failure to get our inspectors on the ground in those early months will always hamper any investigation into the origins,” he said.

JAPAN BATTLES COVID INFECTIONS, CLOUD OVER OLYMPICS

Japanese leaders moved to extend a state of emergency in Tokyo and other major cities for several weeks into June, citing persistently high coronavirus infections with the Summer Olympics set to start in less than two months.

Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike asked the central govt on Wednesday for the extension beyond the current end date of May 31. Other regional leaders have made similar requests, and the govt is expected to make the move official later this week. Local media said the extension is likely to go through June 20, which would be just 33 days before the scheduled day of the Olympic opening ceremony.

All this has fueled domestic opposition to the Olympics including by leading CEOs. On Wednesday, the newspaper Asahi Shimbun—itself an Olympics sponsor—called on Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to cancel the Games.

THE REST

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CYCLONE YAAS WEAKENS AFTER POUNDING ODISHA-BENGAL COASTS

Cyclone Yaas, packing winds of up to 130-145 kmph, whiplashed the country's eastern coasts on Wednesday, dumping heavy rain, damaging houses and farmlands, and leaving at least four persons dead - three in Odisha and one in Bengal. Yaas, which was earlier classified as a very severe cyclonic storm, hit the coast north of Dhamra in Odisha's Bhadrak district and 50 km south of Balasore, close to Bahanaga block, around 9 am. The landfall process was over around 1:30 pm.

Yaas weakened into a severe cyclonic storm on Wednesday afternoon.

At least one crore people were affected and three lakh houses damaged in West Bengal, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Wednesday.

MOST STATES WANT CLASS XII BOARD EXAMS

In their feedback to the Education Ministry this week, as many as 32 states and Union Territories (UTs) have supported CBSE’s proposal to go ahead with the Class 12 Board examination, with only four — Delhi, Maharashtra, Goa, and Andaman & Nicobar — categorically opposing pen-and-paper examinations.

CBSE had proposed two options to the Education Ministry for conducting the Class 12 Board examinations for 19 major subjects.

Under Option A, exams for the 19 major subjects will be held in the “existing format” at designated examination centres, while marks for minor subjects are to be calculated based on performance in major subjects. The three states that opted for this format are learned to have justified their choice on the ground that students may not be comfortable with last-minute changes in the examination format.

Under Option B, exams for major subjects will be conducted in the students’ own schools, instead of at designated centres, and each exam will be for a shorter duration of 90 minutes.

The Education Ministry, in the national consultation held on Sunday with all states, has suggested that it is leaning towards Option B or the truncated exam format.

By Wednesday, all states and UTs, except Odisha, had shared their feedback with the Union govt.

Of the 32 that have said yes to the exams, about 29 states and UTs have either indicated a preference for CBSE’s Option B or agreed to support the Centre’s decision on the matter. Only Rajasthan, Tripura, Telangana have indicated a preference for Option A, or the existing format.

UT ADMINISTRATOR STIRS A ROW IN LAKSHADWEEP

Opposition has steps up protests against Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Khoda Patel over his proposals for the Union Territory.

The measures by Patel that have run into a controversy include a ban on beef in the Muslim-dominated Lakshadweep, introduction of a Goonda Act though the crime rate on the islands is very low, a proposal to disqualify panchayat poll aspirants with more than two children, and establishment of a development authority with powers to acquire land.

In Kerala, which has strong social and cultural links with the islands, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has slammed the proposals, while MPs from the Left and Congress have written to President Ram Nath Kovind and the PM seeking their intervention.

ARVIND KEJRIWAL: ASKING STATES TO GET VACCINES LIKE ASKING US TO GET WEAPONS FOR WAR

Pointing out that no state has been successful so far in procuring vaccines directly through global tenders, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal Wednesday lashed out at the Centre’s 50:50 vaccination policy, saying that directing states to make their own arrangements was like asking them to procure bombs and tanks if Pakistan declared war on India.

In Delhi’s case, he said, talks are underway to get the Sputnik V vaccine but there has been no commitment yet on how many doses will be made available.

“The Centre will have to show a sense of urgency and carry out the vaccination programme on a war footing. The situation we are in at present, where states are being asked to make their own arrangements, is like Pakistan declaring war on us tomorrow and the Centre asking if Delhi has made a nuclear bomb, if UP has bought tanks? This is not how it should happen. It is the Centre’s responsibility to procure vaccines,” Kejriwal said.

BLACK FLAGS HOISTED TO MARK SIX MONTHS OF FARMERS’ AGITATION

Farmers in Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday hoisted black flags atop their houses and vehicles and burnt effigies of the Union Govt to mark the completion of six months of their agitation against the three contentious agri laws. Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) leaders, spearheading the protest, said they were prepared to stretch the stir till 2024 when the next General Election is to be held.

Speaking at an event in Delhi, BKU leader Rakesh Tikait said the SKM was prepared for a long haul. “There is no going back,” he stressed.

COVID: FIRST INDIAN TO GET TRUMP COCKTAIL DISCHARGED FROM HOSPITAL

An 84-year-old Covid positive man who was given monoclonal antibody therapy in Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital – the therapy is said to reduce the chance of hospitalisation by 70 per cent in patients with mild to moderate symptoms - is back to his home, hospital authorities said on Wednesday.

"The antibody combination of Casirivimab and Imdevimab, now available in India is a cutting-edge treatment that will provide protection to COVID-19 positive patients with mild or moderate symptoms before they deteriorate further or require hospitalisation," the hospital said in a statement. Approved by the Drugs Controller General of India, this single dose infusion-based treatment can be provided on an outpatient or on day care basis, and marks a dramatic shift in COVID-19 care in India," it added.

The Drug cocktail came into the limelight after it was administered to former US President Donald Trump when he tested positive for the virus last year.

Similar to antibodies which are proteins that the body naturally produces to defend itself against the disease, monoclonal antibodies are artificially created in a lab and tailor-made to fight the disease they treat, hospital authorities said.

The therapy is not recommended in patients who are hospitalised due to severe COVID-19, require oxygen therapy due to COVID-19 or require an increase in baseline oxygen low rate due to COVID-19 or those on chronic oxygen therapy due to underlying non-Covid-19 related co-morbidity, it said.

The first batch of this therapy is now available, the firm said, and the second batch will be available by mid-June. “In total they can potentially benefit 200,000 patients as each of the 100,000 packs that will be available in India offer treatment for two patients,” Cipla, the marketing partner of Swiss multinational drug firm Roche, said.

The price for each patient dose [a combined dose of 1200 mg (600 mg of Casirivimab and 600 mg of Imdevimab)] is Rs 59,750 inclusive of all taxes.

UDAY KOTAK CALLS FOR FISCAL SUPPORT, WARNS AGAINST RUSH TO REOPEN

To mitigate the impact of the pandemic, the second wave of which has seen an unprecedented loss of lives and livelihood, Uday Kotak, CII president and a leading industry voice, has called for strong fiscal support measures from the govt — from income support to individuals to an additional emergency credit line guarantee scheme (ECLGS) for the stressed MSME sector.

Kotak, MD of Kotak Mahindra Bank, also emphasised the “need to be very cautious” about opening up the economy even after June, calling it a “very difficult dilemma” for states, and saying a lot depends on the progress made on the vaccination front.

“I believe the time has come for the state to get more active and I would strongly support fiscal support coming in for protecting livelihood and minimum requirements of individuals and households. I am quite comfortable if we go and spend from the fisc and expand the position. There is absolutely no issue as I see it and that’s what we need to do… Time may have come for the govt to be looking at an additional ECLGS scheme, including increasing the size from Rs 3 lakh crore to Rs 4-5 lakh crore,” said Kotak.

On May 13 last year, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced Rs 3 lakh crore collateral-free automatic loans for businesses, including MSMEs, at concessional rates.

GLOBAL SATELLITE COMMUNICATION COMPANIES GET GOVT'S SIGNAL BOOSTER

In a move that will enable global satellite communication companies like OneWeb (a consortium led by Airtel CEO Sunil Mittal) and Elon Musk’s Starlink to offer high-speed broadband services more efficiently to customers in India, the govt has removed the artificial caps on the data rates they can offer, which were pegged at speeds of 2Mbps to 4Mbps.

The new technology, based on low earth orbit satellites (LEO), which is being used by the two companies, can offer broadband speeds of over 5GBPS. What’s more, they are already working on R&D to come close to 5G mobile speeds.

The recent amendments to the Standards for Interface Requirements for Communications and Broadcast Networks issued by the Telecom Engineering Centre (TEC) under the Department of Telecommunications has done away with the legacy regulation of a low data speed limit. This is applicable to all satellite communication services companies in the country.

OneWeb, which has applied for a licence to operate satellite services in India, is building a satellite configuration of 648 satellites across the world. Starlink, which plans to have over 1000 satellites across the globe, has also stated its intent to come to India.

The TEC’s amendment allows satellite communications services to use the high-capacity Ka band between 27 Ghz and 40 Ghz (currently, they are allowed to use only C and Ku bands) for both broadband and broadcasting services by DTH operations. This will allow companies to provide high-speed broadband and help DTH operators offer many more channels and very high-resolution display.

OneWeb is expected to roll out services in India in the first half of 2022. The company has been launching 30-40 satellites every month.

FRENCH OPEN 2021 KICKS OFF THIS SUNDAY

Postponed by a week due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis the French Open 2021 is set to begin on May 30 from Stade Roland-Garros in Paris, France. The highlight of the 125th edition of the Slam will be Rafael Nadal - 13-time winner and 4-time reigning and defending champion at Phillippe Chatrier - who is looking to become the first man in history to cross 20 Grand Slam titles. The Women's draw will also have the potential for a major record as 23-time Grand Slam champion, Serena Williams, aims to equal Margaret Court's record of 24 titles.

INDICATORS

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GBP 0.70 /US$, Euro 0.81 /US$, Jap.Yen 108.94 /US$, Aus$ 1.28 /US$, Sing 1.32 /US$, Bang Taka 83.32 /US$, Can$ 1.20 /US$, Mal Ring 4.14 /US$,

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Bitcoin - USD 38,272

Dollar Index 90.14 Brent Crude 68.62  BDI 2,754

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,894 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 4,780 / 4,680, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 77,300

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Wisdom means keeping a sense of the fallibility of all our views and opinions and of the uncertainty and instability of the things we most count on. – Gerald Brenan

OFF TRACK

The first morning after the honeymoon, the husband got up early, went down to the kitchen, and brought his wife her breakfast in bed. Naturally, she was delighted.

Then her husband spoke: "Have you noticed just what I have done?"

"Of course, dear; every single detail!...And henceforth that's how I want my breakfast served every morning."