85% FALL IN COVID-19 CASES SINCE MAY PEAK; MICRO CURBS THE KEY, STATES TOLD

As the country’s daily new Covid-19 cases fell 85 per cent from the May 7 peak and daily positivity dropped to a three-month low of 3.45 per cent, surging crowds at metros, malls, railway stations and tourist hubs worried the government with the Health Ministry advising people to minimise the use of public transport, avoid crowding and told states to continue focusing on micro-containment.

“The gains can be reversed in a day,” Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Health, cautioned, asking people to cycle or walk instead of using public transport and to absolutely avoid rush hours.

The second Covid wave has receded significantly from its peak of 4.14 lakh cases on May 7 to about 62,000 yesterday signalling localised infections.

“We are seeing drastic reductions in active cases in all states and 20 states now have less than 5,000 active cases. The recovery rate has improved from 81.8 per cent on May 3 to 95.6 per cent today. But these gains can end in a day if we become lax,” Agarwal said.

As a warning, the government added that the war on Covid is “not over”.

NITI Aayog member VK Paul said transmission was low and latent, and the state governments must adopt aggressive containment to localise the transmission. “We also know the new variants are relatively highly transmissible and that means we have to be very cautious,” he said.

“The pace of vaccines will pick up from next week,” Paul said hours after the government assured that adults could walk into the nearest vaccine centre and get inoculated without having to pre-register.

KEY COVID NUMBERS

Current Active Cases Countrywide: 8,60,362

New Cases in last 24 hours: 62,209

Recovered in last 24 hours: 1,07,854

Change in no. of Active cases in last 24 hours: -48,185

No. of deaths in last 24 hours (Total Covid Deaths so far): 2,540 (3,79,601)

Daily Tests (Monday): 17,51,358

Daily Positivity Rate (Proportion of Positives among total Tested): 3.4%

Percentage of Population Vaccinated (At Least One Dose / Two Doses): 15.8% / 3.7%

Most Affected States:

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

1          Karnataka         1,62,282           /           5,041    /           115

2          Maharashtra     1,38,361           /           7,652    /           1,458

3          Tamil Nadu       1,25,215           /           11,805  /           267

4          Kerala  1,12,365           /           12,246  /           166

5          Andhra Pradesh            75,134  /           5,741    /           53

6          Odisha 44,305  /           3,405    /           42

7          Assam  39,837  /           3,415    /           34

8          West Bengal     20,046  /           3,268    /           75

9          Telangana        19,933  /           1,556    /           14

10        Jammu and Kashmir     12,407  /           715       /           10

11        Chhattisgarh     11,717  /           609       /           8

12        Punjab  10,802  /           628       /           48

13        Gujarat 8,884    /           352       /           4

14        Manipur            8,744    /           785       /           8

15        Uttar Pradesh   7,221    /           270       /           56

16        Rajasthan         5,619    /           172       /           14

17        Tripura 4,988    /           528       /           4

18        Puducherry       4,668    /           355       /           5

19        Meghalaya        4,430    /           450       /           7

20        Bihar    4,359    /           410       /           9

21        Goa      4,175    /           327       /           10

22        Himachal Pradesh         4,050    /           321       /           12

23        Haryana           3,703    /           228       /           38

24        Uttarakhand      3,642    /           274       /           25

25        Madhya Pradesh           3,610    /           224       /           27

26        Mizoram           3,370    /           268       /           Nil

27        Sikkim  3,239    /           209       /           3

28        Delhi    3,078    /           228       /           12

29        Nagaland          2,972    /           101       /           3

30        Arunachal Pradesh        2,849    /           290       /           4

31        Jharkhand        2,646    /           184       /           4

32        Chandigarh       486       /           40        /           3

33        Lakshadweep    484       /           61        /           1

ARMY RELEASES VIDEO IN TRIBUTE TO ‘HEROES OF GALWAN’

On the first anniversary of the Galwan valley clashes, the Indian Army on Tuesday released a video song in a tribute to the Indian soldiers who fought valiantly in a fierce hand-to-hand combat with Chinese troops in the treacherous region of eastern Ladakh to defend India’s territorial integrity.

Sung by popular singer Hariharan, the song titled ‘Galwan ke Veer’ highlights the valour of the Indian troops guarding the Galwan and some other inhospitable regions along the country’s northern frontier and says the “heroes” had risen to the occasion when challenged on the mountains.

Twenty Indian Army personnel laid down their lives in the clashes on June 15 last year in Galwan Valley, an incident that marked the most serious military conflicts between the two sides in decades.

In February, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clashes with the Indian Army though it is widely believed that the death toll was higher.

Colonel Bikumalla Santosh Babu, the commanding officer of the 16 Bihar regiment, had led from the front against the Chinese aggression near Patrolling Point 14 in Galwan Valley. In January, he was posthumously awarded Mahavir Chakra, the second-highest military award for acts of gallantry in the presence of the enemy.

COME CLEAN ON LAC CLASH, SAYS SONIA GANDHI

Congress president Sonia Gandhi yesterday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to come clean on the Galwan incident and said the party hoped the government would keep the nation in confidence over what happened.

“Having patiently waited for the government to come clean and inform the nation about the circumstances in which the unprecedented incident happened and reassure the people that the sacrifice of our brave jawans was not in vain, the Congress reiterates its concern that no clarity is yet available and the PM’s last word on the subject a year ago was that no transgression had occurred. We have repeatedly sought details of the episode in light of the PM’s statement, as well as details of what progress has been made towards restoring the status quo ante prior to April 2020. The disengagement agreement with China appears to have worked entirely to India’s disadvantage so far,” she said.

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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US TO COMBAT DOMESTIC TERROR AFTER YEARS OF FOCUS ON ISLAMIC EXTREMISM

Acknowledging the growth of domestic terrorism in a country that for many years trained its guns on Islamic terrorism beyond its shores, the Biden White House on Tuesday published its first ever national strategy for countering domestic extremism, five months after a violent, mostly white mob stormed the Capitol in Washington. Describing the domestic threat as more serious now than potential attacks from overseas, the 32-page strategy seeks to coordinate efforts across the government in law enforcement and prevention, while addressing the factors contributing to the problem, such as systemic racism.

Anticipating right-wing objections that the Democratic administration could use counter-terrorism tools to persecute supporters of former President Trump, the strategy calls for domestic terrorism to be tackled in an “ideologically neutral” manner, while protecting civil liberties.

LARGEST INCURSION: 28 CHINA FIGHTER JETS ENTER TAIWAN AIR DEFENCE ZONE

Twenty-eight Chinese air force aircraft including fighters and nuclear-capable bombers entered Taiwan’s air defence identification zone (ADIZ) on Tuesday, the island’s government said, the largest reported incursion to date. Tuesday’s flights — which included fighter jets, bombers, and anti-submarine and early warning aircraft — surpassed the previous peak of 25 planes reported on April 12. Taiwan’s air force deployed its combat air patrol forces in response and monitored the situation with its air defence systems, the ministry of national defence said.

China’s show of force comes after G7 nations issued a statement on Sunday calling for a peaceful resolution of cross-Taiwan Strait issues. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday said the G7 was deliberately “interfering in China’s internal affairs.” “China’s determination to safeguard national sovereignty, security and development interests is unwavering,” he said.

THE REST

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DELHI HC CALLS OUT MISUSE OF ANTI-TERROR LAW

Right to protest is a fundamental right and cannot be termed as a ‘terrorist act’, the Delhi High Court Tuesday said while granting bail to JNU student Devangana Kalita in a case related to the communal violence in north east Delhi during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

A Division Bench said the court must be careful in employing the definitional words and phrases used in the anti-terror law UAPA (Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act) “in their absolute, literal sense or use them lightly in a manner that would trivialise the extremely heinous offence of ‘terrorist act’, without understanding how terrorism is different even from conventional, heinous crime.”

It said it was constrained to say that in its anxiety to suppress dissent and in the morbid fear that matters may get out of hand, “the State has blurred the line between the constitutionally guaranteed ‘right to protest’ and ‘terrorist activity’. “If such blurring gains traction, democracy would be in peril,” a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Anup Jairam Bhambhani said.

The high court, by separate judgements, also granted bail to another JNU student Natasha Narwal and Jamial Millia Islamia student Asif Iqbal Tanha in the UAPA case.

Referring to a Supreme Court verdict, the high court said that the extent and reach of a terrorist activity must travel beyond the effect of an ordinary crime and must not arise merely by causing disturbance of law and order or even public order. “The Supreme Court says that the effect of terrorist activity must be such that it travels beyond the capacity of the ordinary law enforcement agencies to deal with it under the ordinary penal law,” it said.

The high court said the intent and purpose of Parliament in enacting the UAPA and in amending it in 2004 and 2008 to bring terrorist activity within its scope, was and could only have been, to deal with matters of profound impact on the ‘Defence of India’, nothing more and nothing less.

AGE-WISE LITTLE CHANGE BETWEEN FIRST AND SECOND WAVES, DATA SHOWS

With apprehension being expressed by several quarters that the second wave had hit the younger population and children hard compared to the first one last year, the Health Ministry released official data Tuesday showing that the distribution of cases age-wise showed no significant change.

Dr V K Paul, head of the Covid-19 task force, said: “It is now clear that the age incidence in the first wave and the second wave is the same. We saw more young people (getting affected) only because of the fact that in a very short period of time, more cases emerged.”

However, Paul underlined, the real incidence of Covid among children, who largely remain asymptomatic, will be captured in the next serosurvey. “In children, not every case will be a confirmed case because if the cases are asymptomatic, they would not get tested,” he said.

Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, Lav Agarwal said the data also counters claims by some that a third wave would hit the young and children the hardest. “The data shows that we need to remain vigilant for every age group.”

DHANKHAR SLAMS MAMATA’S ‘STUDIED SILENCE’ ON VIOLENCE, STATE HITS BACK

Before leaving for Delhi on Tuesday, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar wrote to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, complaining to her about the state government’s alleged inaction in cases of post-election violence and her “studied silence” on the matter.

Dhankhar’s letter to Banerjee came a day after a delegation of BJP MLAs led by Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari met him to discuss the alleged deterioration of law and order in the state.

Dhankhar told the CM that her “studied silence” coupled with the absence of any steps to rehabilitate and compensate people affected by the violence had led to the “inevitable conclusion that all this is state-driven”.

The Home Department chastised Dhankhar for disrupting the “sanctity of such communications” by making the letter public. “The unusual step of going public in this manner abruptly and unilaterally has shocked the Government of West Bengal all the more because the contents are fabricated,” it added.

ASSAULT ON AN OLD MAN: CULPRITS BOOKED AND ALSO THOSE ALLEGEDLY COMMUNALISED IT

Ghaziabad Police has booked Twitter, Congress leaders, and journalists Mohammed Zubair and Rana Ayyub over tweets in connection with the assault of an elderly man in the district.

Apart from Zubair and Ayyub, the FIR names Congress’s Salman Nizami, Shama Mohamed and Maskoor Usmani, writer Saba Naqvi, online media organisation The Wire, and Twitter Inc and Twitter Communications India Pvt.

Three people were earlier arrested for allegedly assaulting the elderly man, Abdul Samad Saifi. While Saifi has alleged the men offered him an auto ride, took him to an isolated spot and beat him up, forcing him to chant Jai Shri Ram, police said the accused beat him up because he had sold them a “taveez (amulet)” that they believed did not work.

The FIR filed against Twitter, the journalists and Congress leaders alleges that the tweets were an attempt to destroy communal harmony. These false tweets had been retweeted by thousands of people. The accused include journalists and political persons who did not make an attempt to establish the truth in the case and spread false news.”

The FIR further states that despite Ghaziabad Police clarifying the issue, the accused did not delete their tweets, neither did Twitter make any efforts to delete them.

YOGI, RAHUL IN A TWITTER SPAT OVER ASSAULT ON SAIFI

UP CM Yogi Adityanath on Monday reacted to a tweet by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who earlier posted a news report on alleged thrashing of Abdul Samad Saifi in Ghaziabad to question the state government.

“Never expected this inhumanity from the followers of Lord Ram,” Gandhi said tagging the report that claimed the elderly man was being forced to chant a religious slogan.

Adityanath retorted to Gandhi saying, “The first lesson of Lord Ram is speak the truth which you’ve never done in your life. It’s shameful that you continue to sow seeds of poison in society even after the state police have clarified matters. You are embarrassing humankind in your lust for power. Stop insulting and defaming the people of UP.”

SUPREME COURT CLOSES MURDER CASE AGAINST TWO ITALIAN MARINES

More than nine years after two Italian Marines killed two fishermen off the coast in Kerala, the Supreme Court on Tuesday closed all proceedings in connection with murder case they faced in India.

A Bench of Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice MR Shah said the compensation of Rs 10 crore paid by the Italian government over and above payments already made was adequate.

The compensation amount of Rs 10 crore will be given to kin of two deceased fishermen -- Rs 4 cr each -- and the owner of the boat St Antony will get Rs 2 crore, it added.

Now Italy must immediately start criminal proceedings against the two marines Massimilano Latorre and Salvatore Gironde under its jurisdiction, it said. The case details along with evidence will be provided by the Centre and the Kerala governments to Italy, it said.

The order follows the Centre's decision to accept the award of an arbitration tribunal under UNCLOS which said Italy had the jurisdiction to prosecute the marines.

The Marines were on board Italian-flagged commercial oil tanker MV Enrica Lexie when they allegedly fired at two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast on February 15, 2012 in India's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

ONLY ONE CONFIRMED DEATH SO FAR AS A RESULT OF COVID-19 VACCINATION

A government panel studying Covid-19 vaccine side effects has confirmed the first death due to anaphylaxis following vaccination.

According to a report by the National AEFI (Adverse Events Following Immunisation) Committee, a 68-year-old man died due to anaphylaxis (severe allergic reaction) after being vaccinated on March 8, 2021.

"It is the first death linked to Covid-19 vaccination due to anaphylaxis. It re-emphasises the need to wait for 30 minutes at the inoculation centre after receiving the jab. Most of the anaphylactic reactions occur during this period and prompt treatment prevents deaths,” says Dr NK Arora, chairperson, National AEFI committee.

As per data in the first week of April, the reporting rate is 2.7 deaths per million vaccine doses administered and 4.8 hospitalizations per million vaccine doses administered, the report stated. The panel said mere reporting of deaths and hospitalizations as serious adverse events does not automatically imply that the events were caused due to vaccines.

The panel said the benefits of vaccination are overwhelmingly greater than the small risk of harm and as a measure of utmost precaution, all emerging signals of harm are being constantly tracked and reviewed periodically.

INDIA PLAY OUT 1-1 DRAW AGAINST AFGHANISTAN, QUALIFY FOR ASIAN CUP THIRD ROUND

India scored from an own goal by Afghanistan goalie as they ended their World Cup Qualifiers campaign with a 1-1 draw to book a berth in the next qualifying round of the Asian Cup here on Tuesday.

A howler by Afghanistan goalie Ovays Azizi handed India a 1-0 lead in the 75th minute but Hossein Zamani equalised in the 81st minute in a match marred by poor refereeing.

The two sides had also played out a 1-1 draw in the first leg match in Dushanbe in 2019.

Both sides were almost equal in ball possession and India had 10 shots on target as against seven from Afghanistan. But the Afghans committed 16 fouls as against nine by the Indians. Three Afghan players were shown yellow cards as against one of India.

With seven points from eight matches, India finished third in Group E behind toppers Qatar and Oman, and ahead of Afghanistan (4th in group with six points from eight matches).

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Pride is an established conviction of one's own paramount worth in some particular respect; while vanity is the desire of rousing such a conviction in others.  - Arthur Schopenhauer

OFF TRACK

Once upon a time, in a land far away, a beautiful, independent, self-assured princess happened upon a frog as she sat, contemplating ecological issues on the shores of an unpolluted pond in a verdant meadow near her castle.

The frog hopped into the princess’s lap and said: "Elegant Lady, I was once a handsome prince, until an evil witch cast a spell upon me. One kiss from you, however, and I will turn back into the dapper, young prince that I am, and then, my sweet, we can marry, live in a beautiful castle, where you can prepare my meals, clean my clothes, bear my children, and forever feel grateful and happy doing so."

That night, the princess dined sumptuously on a repast of lightly sauteed frog legs seasoned in a white wine and shallot cream sauce.