INDIA WILL COMPLETE COVID VACCINATION EXERCISE BY DECEMBER, SAYS UNION MINISTER PRAKASH JAVADEKAR

Amid mounting criticism over the crippling shortage of Covid vaccines, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar Friday cited recent remarks of the Health Ministry and stated that India will be fully vaccinated by December this year.

Addressing a press conference, Javadekar said that by December, 216 crore doses of vaccine doses will be ready meaning 108 crore people will be able to get their jabs.

Javadekar’s response came hours after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi lashed out at the government for its Covid management and held Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Nautanki” responsible for the second coronavirus wave and warned of more waves to come at the current rate of vaccination. With the current pace of vaccinations, he said, the entire inoculation exercise will be completed by May 2024. Gandhi called on the government to evolve a vaccine strategy for the entire population and pointed out that only 3 per cent of the people have received their jabs so far.

Coming down heavily on Gandhi, Javadekar said the kind of language the Congress leader used and the way he tried to stoke “fears” has confirmed that the “toolkit” was produced by his party. Referring to a purported document about targeting the government, Javadekar alleged that Gandhi’s choice of words like “nautanki” for the Prime Minister at a time when Modi is working to curb the virus is part of the toolkit’s script.

KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 22,14,981

New Cases in last 24 hours: 1,71,689

Recovered in last 24 hours: 2,80,626

Change in no. of Active cases in last 24 hours: -1,12,560

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 3,563 (3,22,384)

Daily Tests: 20,70,508

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 8.7%

Most Affected States:

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

1          Karnataka                     3,72,373           /           22,823  /           401

2          Tamil Nadu       3,12,386           /           31,079  /           486

3          Maharashtra     2,89,088           /           20,740  /           973

4          Kerala              2,37,816           /           22,318  /           194

5          Andhra Pradesh            1,80,362           /           14,429  /           103

6          West Bengal     1,09,806           /           12,193  /           145

7          Odisha             90,118  /           7,216    /           33

8          Rajasthan                     62,492  /           2,648    /           78

9          Assam              53,721  /           NA       /           NA

10        Uttar Pradesh   52,244  /           2,276    /           154

11        Chhattisgarh     49,420  /           NA       /           NA

12        Punjab              44,964  /           3,706    /           176

13        Gujarat             43,611  /           2,521    /           27

14        JnK                  41,382  /           2,803    /           56

15        Telangana                    37,793  /           3,527    /           19

16        Madhya Pradesh           34,322  /           1,854    /           63

17        Uttarakhand      33,994  /           1,942    /           60

18        Haryana                       25,075  /           2,007    /           96

19        Bihar                24,809  /           1,785    /           61

20        Himachal Pradesh         18,495  /           1,523    /           64

21        Goa                  15,326  /           1,055    /           32

22        Delhi                14,581  /           1,141    /           139

23        Puducherry       13,896  /           1,223    /           21

24        Jharkhand        11,782  /           687       /           20

25        Meghalaya        8,025    /           731       /           20

26        Manipur                        7,602    /           732       /           13

27        Tripura             7,252    /           783       /           6

28        Nagaland                      4,990    /           192       /           5

29        Sikkim              3,802    /           420       /           3

30        Arunachal Pradesh        3,692    /           NA       /           NA

31        Chandigarh       2,758    /           161       /           6

32        Mizoram                       2,704    /           239       /           1

33        Lakshadweep    2,109    /           178       /           1

DEALING WITH CHINA IN ‘NON-ESCALATORY’ MANNER: ARMY CHIEF

Army Chief Gen MM Naravane on Friday said there could be no de-escalation without complete disengagement at all friction points in eastern Ladakh and that the Indian Army was prepared for all contingencies in the region.

In an interview, Gen Naravane said India was dealing with China in a “firm” and “non-escalatory” manner to ensure the sanctity of its claims in eastern Ladakh. It has been more than a year since the military standoff between the two sides erupted in eastern Ladakh on May 5 during which there were fatalities on both sides for the first time in 45 years.

Gen Naravane asserted that the Indian Army was currently holding onto all important areas in the high-altitude region and had adequate personnel in the form of “reserves” to react to any contingencies.“We are very clear that no de-escalation can take place before disengagement at all friction points. India and China have signed a number of border agreements which have been unilaterally breached by the People’s Liberation Army,” Gen Naravane said.

MHA INVITES APPLICATIONS FOR INDIAN CITIZENSHIP FROM NON-MUSLIM REFUGEES FROM AFGHAN, PAK, BANGLADESH

The Centre on Friday invited non-Muslims like Hindus, Sikhs, Jains and Buddhists belonging to Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan and residing in 13 districts in Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab to apply for Indian citizenship.

The Union home ministry issued a notification in this effect for immediate implementation of the order under the Citizenship Act 1955 and Rules framed under the law in 2009 even though the rules under the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) enacted in 2019 are yet to be framed by the government.

According to the CAA, Indian citizenship will be given to non-Muslim persecuted minorities from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan — Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian — who had come to India till December 31, 2014.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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BIDEN BUDGET: PRESIDENT SETS OUT $6TN SPENDING PLAN

US President Joe Biden has released his first annual budget - a $6tn spending plan that includes steep tax increases for wealthier Americans.

The bumper proposal would include huge new social programmes and investment in the fight against climate change.

But it needs approval from Congress, where Republican Senator Lindsey Graham condemned it as "insanely expensive".

Under the plan, debt would reach 117% of GDP by 2031, surpassing levels during World War Two. That would be in spite of at least $3tn in proposed tax increases on corporations, capital gains and the top income tax bracket.

The Biden budget includes a $1.5tn request for operating expenditures for the Pentagon and other government departments. It also incorporates two plans he has previously publicised: his $2.3tn jobs plan and a $1.8tn families plan.

Biden said his budget "invests directly in the American people and will strengthen our nation's economy and improve our long-run fiscal health".

AS INDIA WATCHES KEENLY, SRI LANKA SEEKS FDI IN PORT CITY

Sri Lanka on Friday invited international investment into the Colombo Port City that it described as a “fully Sri Lankan project”, while official sources in New Delhi said they were “keeping a close eye” on the project and its “security implications”.

“If it is only a commercial venture then that is their [Sri Lanka’s] choice… We will continue to engage Sri Lanka, while watching our national interest,” said a government source in New Delhi, awaiting the final version of the Bill whose blueprint the Sri Lankan Parliament’s Speaker signed on Thursday. The ‘Colombo Port City Economic Commission Act’ is yet to be made public.

Addressing concerns around the recently passed legislation on laws governing the Colombo Port City, which critics fear might be a “Chinese enclave” in the Sri Lankan capital, a team of government Ministers said the China-backed $1.4 billion-Port City, pitted as a financial hub, had the potential to create 83,000 jobs and bring in up to $15 billion in investments.

Constitutional experts and opposition legislators argue that the 269-acre “financial hub”, coming up on reclaimed land adjoining Colombo’s seafront, would enjoy, besides a tax-free status, immunity from Sri Lankan law. Sections within Sri Lanka, including from the political opposition, trade unions and the influential Buddhist clergy, see it as a “threat” to Sri Lanka’s sovereignty.

EUROPEAN REGULATOR OKS PFIZER COVID VACCINE FOR ADOLESCENTS

The European Medicines Agency on Friday recommended that the use of the vaccine made by Pfizer and Bio-NTech be expanded to children ages 12 to 15, a decision that offers younger and less at-risk populations across the continent access to a Covid-19 shot for the first time during the pandemic. The EMA’s recommendation was based on a study in more than 2,000 adolescents in the US that showed the vaccine was safe and effective. The decision needs to be rubberstamped by the European Commission and individual national regulators, he said.

The recommendation follows similar decisions by regulators in Canada and the US last month. Inoculating children is considered a critical step toward reaching “herd immunity” and taming the pandemic. Immunising children might also give authorities more confidence to reopen schools.

THE REST

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MAMATA SKIPS REVIEW MEET WITH PM ON CYCLONE YAAS, LEAVES BJP LEADERS IRKED

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Friday skipped a review meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Cyclone Yaas, drawing criticism from top BJP leaders.

However, CM Banerjee met the Prime Minister and submitted a report on the damage caused by the cyclone in her state. In the 15-minute interaction with PM Modi, she also sought a Rs 20,000-crore relief package for the worst-affected areas.

Earlier in the day, PM Modi visited Odisha and Bengal to review the post-cyclone situation. He undertook an aerial survey of the cyclone-ravaged areas and held review meetings in both states. While Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik attended the meeting with Modi, Banerjee skipped the review meeting in her state.

Coming down heavily on the Bengal CM, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said Banerjee has put “arrogance above public welfare”. “Didi’s conduct today is an unfortunate low. Cyclone Yaas has affected several common citizens and the need of the hour is to assist those affected. Sadly, Didi has put arrogance above public welfare and today’s petty behaviour reflects that,” he tweeted.

BJP national president J P Nadda accused her of “murder of constitutional ethos and the culture of cooperative federalism”.

A release issued by the Prime Minister’s Office said PM Modi has announced a financial aid of Rs 1,000 crore for immediate relief activities. “Rupees 500 crore would be immediately given to Odisha. Another Rs 500 crore has been announced for West Bengal and Jharkhand, which will be released on the basis of the damage. The Union Government will deploy an inter-ministerial team to visit the states to assess the extent of damage, based on which further assistance will be given,” it said.

The Prime Minister has also announced an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to the next of kin of the deceased and Rs 50,000 for those seriously injured in the cyclone, the release said.

7 SOCIAL MEDIA GIANTS COMPLY WITH NEW IT RULES, TWITTER DITHERS

After days of face-off with the government over the new and stringent information technology intermediary rules, seven social media giants on Friday complied with major provisions of the regulations that require the platforms to create India-based redressal mechanisms.

Government sources said Facebook, WhatsApp, Koo, Sharechat, LinkedIn, Telegram and Google today complied with the new rules and shared with the Ministry of Information Technology details of their chief compliance officers, nodal contact persons and grievance officers to address local complaints regarding unlawful messages. Sources said Twitter had not complied yet.

Officials said after a firm response from the government on Thursday, Twitter sent a communication late last night sharing details of a lawyer working in a law firm in India as their nodal contact person and grievance officer.

“But this does not tantamount to compliance. The new rules require that these designated officers of significant social media companies must be the employees of the company and residing in India. Twitter has not yet sent the details of the chief compliance officer to the ministry,” an official said.

IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had yesterday clarified that the government fully recognised and respected the right of privacy of people and that ordinary users of WhatsApp had nothing to fear about the new rules. “The objective is to find the first originator of an offensive message already in circulation,” he said.

It is due to this end-to-end encryption that its users — including government officials, law enforcement officials, journalists, members of ethnic and religious groups, scholars, teachers, and students — are able to “exercise their right to freedom of speech and expression without fear of retaliation”, WhatsApp has said in its plea.

Prasad said that as much as the government respected the privacy of individuals and would follow the Supreme Court’s instructions on the same, it should also be kept in mind that the same judgment had mentioned that a “terrorist, a criminal or a corrupt person does not have any right to privacy”.

“How could Cambridge Analytica obtain information of lakhs of social media users? Are all these lectures (on privacy) reserved for India? You (WhatsApp) are updating the privacy policy, saying that users who are interacting with the business account, their data will be shared with Facebook. There, they (WhatsApp) are themselves trying to compromise with privacy and here they are giving us gyaan on privacy. These are double standards,” Prasad said.

TMC LEADERS GET BAIL, CALCUTTA HIGH COURT ASKS CBI WHY ARRESTS NOW

A five-judge Bench of the Calcutta High Court on Friday granted interim bail to four Trinamool Congress leaders who were arrested by the CBI in the Narada case on May 17.

The four TMC leaders had been under house arrest since May 19, when a two-judge Division Bench of the court passed a split verdict on the question of interim bail, and referred the matter to a five-judge Bench.

Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta opposed the grant of interim bail, saying the accused were influential people who could gather a mob by arousing public emotions again.

The bench asked Mehta why the TMC leaders, who had not been arrested during the CBI’s investigation for over four years after the case was registered, should be kept under house arrest now, when they were required to carry out their public responsibilities during the pandemic.

In their order granting interim bail, the judges said: “The…accused persons shall make themselves available for interrogation in the course of further investigation, if any, of the alleged offence, as and when required by the CBI. Considering the lockdown imposed in the State of West Bengal, the interrogation may be carried out by virtual mode. The…accused…shall not tamper with the evidence or attempt to intimidate or influence the witnesses. (They) shall not give any press interview or make any public comments in connection with the cases pending in this Court or in the trial Court, pertaining to the alleged offence concerning themselves or any other co-accused.”

IDENTIFY COVID ORPHANS, PROVIDE RELIEF: SUPREME COURT TO STATES

Observing that it cannot even imagine how many children in this large country have been orphaned due to the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court on Friday directed the state authorities to immediately identify them and provide relief.

The top court asked state governments to understand the agony of children starving on the streets and directed the district authorities that they be immediately taken care of without waiting for any further orders from the courts.

A Vacation Bench of Justices LN Rao and Aniruddha Bose directed district administrations to identify the orphans in their areas and upload the data on the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) website by Saturday evening.

KERALA, MUMBAI EASE INOCULATION FOR STUDENTS HEADED ABROAD

The Kerala Health Department Friday tweaked vaccination norms for those travelling abroad, allowing them to take the second dose of Covishield vaccine after four to six weeks of the first one, as against the existing 12-16-week interval recommended now.

Last week, the state government had included those travelling abroad for jobs and studies among priority groups for vaccination, to be administered Covishield procured by the government.

Health Minister Veena George said Kerala had brought issues being faced by foreign-bound passengers to the notice of the Centre, and requested it to allow concession for them in administering the second dose of Covishield. The state government decided to go ahead as there was no direction from the Centre, she said.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation also announced Friday that those going abroad for studies would be given priority among the 18-44-year age group for Covid-19 vaccination. The municipal corporation has set aside three days in the week (Monday to Wednesday) for their vaccination without pre-registration, at specified centres in Mumbai.

DRDO’S ANTI-COVID DRUG PRICED AT RS 990 PER SACHET

The anti-Covid drug developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has been priced at Rs 990 per sachet.

The drug, developed in collaboration with Hyderabad-based pharma company Dr Reddy’s Laboratories (DRL), will be provided to central and state government hospitals at a discounted price, officials said.

Earlier, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had said that 10,000 sachets of the anti-Covid drug, known by the name 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG), will be available in the market initially.

The drug was approved by the Drugs Controller General of India (DGCI) earlier this month for emergency use as an adjunct therapy in moderate to severe coronavirus patients.

The drug accumulates in virus-infected cells, and prevents the growth of the virus by stopping viral synthesis and energy production. Its selective accumulation in virally-infected cells makes this drug unique, a government release said.

The drug is available in powder form in a sachet, and can be taken orally after dissolving in water.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge -- myth is more potent than history -- dreams are more powerful than facts -- hope always triumphs over experience -- laughter is the cure for grief -- love is stronger than death. - Robert Fulghum

OFF TRACK

Some Funny Signs 

On a desk in a reception room: "We shoot every 3rd salesman , and the 2nd one just left."

At the electric company: "We would be de-lighted if you send in your bill. However, if you don''t you will be."

Inside a bowling alley: "Please be quiet, we need to hear a pin drop."

In the front yard of a funeral home: "Drive carefully, we''ll wait."

In a counsellors office: "Growing old is mandatory, growing wise is optional.