JOHNSON ARRIVES TODAY, DEALS WORTH £1 BILLION ON TABLE

AS British Prime Minister Boris Johnson lands in Ahmedabad on Thursday for the start of a two-day visit to India, UK and Indian businesses are set to announce investments and export deals worth over £1 billion, in areas from software engineering to health.

Science and tech collaborations, including a digital health partnership and a joint investment fund for Indian deep-tech and AI start-ups, supported by both the govts; new AI scholarships for Indian students jointly funded by the UK govt’s Chevening programme and India’s Adani Group; and a £6 million investment by AI healthcare specialists Qure.ai to open a centre of excellence in the UK are set to be announced.

On Friday, Johnson will hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi - he is expected to announce commercial agreements, hailing a new era in trade, investment and technology partnership between the two countries.

“The Prime Minister will use his visit to India to boost our collaboration with one of the world’s fastest growing economies, slashing trade barriers for UK businesses and driving jobs and growth at home,” the British High Commission said in a statement.

COVID: R-VALUE OVER 1 ACROSS INDIA, DELHI BRINGS BACK MASK MANDATE

India’s effective reproduction number (R-value) for Covid-19, an indicator of how quickly a disease is spreading in the population, has increased to over 1 for the first time since mid-January, during the third wave of the pandemic.

The R-value, which saw a steady increase over the last few weeks, was 1.07 for April 12-18, according to Sitabhra Sinha, a researcher from Chennai’s Institute of Mathematical Sciences who has been tracking the country’s R-value since the beginning of the pandemic. It was 0.93 the previous week.

Asked whether this could signal the beginning of the fourth wave, Sinha said: “It’s too early to say whether it will be a wave; there have been a couple of instances, for example in last August-September, when the R-value was higher than 1 but it was not termed a wave. An R-value of greater than 1 doesn’t mean that it is a wave, but yes, in the last 10 days or so, we have seen an increase.”

The current increase in R-value is mainly driven by the spike in Covid cases in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana in the north and Karnataka in the south. The R-value for the week ending April 18 stood at 2.12 for Delhi, 2.12 for Uttar Pradesh, 1.04 for Karnataka and 1.70 for Haryana.

On Wednesday, Delhi reported 1,009 new cases, one death and 5.70 per cent positivity rate. In view of the rising cases, the Delhi govt has decided to make masks mandatory again, with a fine of Rs 500 in case of a violation. Earlier this week, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana made masks mandatory in districts near Delhi. While the Delhi has decided not to shut schools, it will come up with separate Standard Operating Procedures for them.

Cities like Mumbai and Chennai have also reported an R-value of over 1 — 1.13 for Mumbai, 1.18 for Chennai and 1.04 for Bengaluru.

EYE ON CHINA, INDIA & US PLAN JOINT SEA PATROLS, INTEL SHARING

India and the US now plan to undertake ‘sea patrols’ and share intelligence in real-time to further expand their bilateral maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific as well as partner in new domains of space, cyber and artificial intelligence, with an eye firmly on a belligerent China, a senior defence ministry official said on Wednesday.

“Both countries expressed willingness and there was a broad understanding on the sea patrols as well as information-sharing, through satellites and other means, during the ‘two-plus-two’ dialogue in Washington last week,” the official said. India and the US regularly conduct the top-notch Malabar naval exercise, along with the other two ‘Quad’ countries of Australia and Japan, as well as provide refuelling and operational turnaround facilities to each other’s warships under a reciprocal military logistics pact.

The plan to undertake sea patrols, whether in a joint or coordinated manner, will be a significant step forward in the backdrop of the increasing forays by China —which already has the largest navy in the world with 355 warships and submarines —into the Indian Ocean Region. With defence minister Rajnath Singh also separately meeting his US counterpart Lloyd Austin and senior Boeing and Raytheon executives as well as visiting the Indo-Pacific Command at Hawaii, there was “forward movement” on several fronts, which included “business opportunities”, the official said.

PM MODI MOOTS 'HEAL IN INDIA', SAYS AYUSH VISA & MARK SOON

India will soon launch Ayush visa to promote medical tourism in the traditional medicine sector and a dedicated Ayush mark to certify export quality herbal products.

PM Narendra Modi made these announcements at Gandhinagar in Gujarat on Wednesday while addressing the first Global Ayurveda Investment Innovation Summit, a day after the launch of the WHO Global Centre for Traditional Medicine at Jamnagar.

Noting that “Heal in India” can become this decade’s great brand, the PM said India was developing Ayush mark to certify high quality herbal products.

“Ayush experts are now developing ISO standards with the Bureau of Indian Standards to create an export market across 150 countries,” said the PM.

Earlier, WHO Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus praised the PM for prioritising a relatively neglected area of healthcare and said, “Through Ayush, India will go to the whole world and the world will come to India.”

COVID DASHBOARD – INDIA

As of 0800 IST / April 21

from mohfw.gov.in ,

New Cases on Wednesday 2,364

Active Cases 13,433 (+1,093)

Total Deaths (Deaths Yesterday) 5,22,066 (8)

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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RUSSIA RAINS ARTILLERY, MISSILES ON E UKRAINE

Russian forces pressed their offensive in Ukraine on Wednesday, raining artillery and missile strikes along the long eastern front, as Moscow took the provocative step of test launching an intercontinental ballistic missile designed to evade defences. In announcing the test, President Putin said the new missile, known as the Sarmat, should cause anyone threatening Russia to “think twice. ”

For Ukraine and its allies, though, the more immediate concern was the battle for the east and the scene in the southeastern city of Mariupol, where Ukrainian soldiers holding out inside a sprawling steel factory warned that they could be killed within hours. Yet even as the troops defied a Russian deadline to surrender, a tentative deal was reached to allow women and children to evacuate the besieged port city. It was unclear whether civilians also sheltering inside the steel plant would be covered by the deal.

A Ukrainian marine commander in Mariupol said his troops may be able to hold out for only a few hours longer as Ukraine tried to evacuate 6,000 women, children and elderly people on Wednesday. Mariupol mayor Vadym Boichenko urged civilians to leave, saying 90 buses were waiting to head into what is left of the devastated city under a preliminary agreement with Russia — the first in weeks — on establishing a safe corridor.

In a video posted online hours earlier, Serhiy Volyna, commander of Ukraine’s 36th marine brigade which is still fighting in Mariupol, urged the international community to help evacuate wounded Ukraiian fighters and their families. “This is our appeal to the world. It may be our last. We may have only a few days or hours left,” he said, dressed in a camouflage jacket.

Russia said on Wednesday that it has presented Ukraine with a draft document outlining its demands as part of talks aimed at ending the conflict — days after President Vladimir Putin said the negotiations were at a “dead end”. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that “the ball is in their court, we’re waiting for a response.” He gave no details on the draft, and it was not clear when it was sent or if it offered anything new to the Ukrainians, who presented their own demands last month. A Ukrainian presidential adviser said Kyiv was reviewing the proposals.

FRESH PROTESTS ROCK SRI LANKA AFTER MAN KILLED BY POLICE

Fresh anti-govt protests spread across Sri Lanka on Wednesday, a day after police shot dead a demonstrator and triggered international condemnation.

The latest wave of demonstrations are the largest so far in the current unrest and again saw protesters blockading key highways, according to Sri Lanka’s public order ministry. On Tuesday, a 42-yearold father of two was killed when police dispersed a crowd in the town of Rambukkana with tear gas and live ammunition. Nearly 30 others were wounded in the confrontation.

People in Rambukkana, 95km east of the capital Colombo, defied an official curfew to again take to the streets in protest a day after the violence.

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa said he was “deeply saddened” by the police shooting and promised to uphold the public’s right to peacefully protest against his govt.

S1ri Lanka’s leader of opposition Sajith Premadasa on Wednesday claimed that parliament speaker Mahinda Yapa Abeywardene had assured that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was ready to resign if all political parties request him, media reports said on Wednesday. Speaker Abeywardene, however, denied it. “I only said the president is ready to handover the govt to anyone who commands majority,” he clarified in the parliament.

THE REST

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SUPREME COURT HALTS JAHANGIRPURI DEMOLITION DRIVE

The BJP-ruled North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC) yesterday launched an anti-encroachment demolition drive in the riot-hit Jahangirpuri, but within hours the bulldozers fell silent as the Supreme Court ordered status quo and stayed the action.

The Supreme Court had to intervene twice to stop the drive after it took cognisance of a petition filed by Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind against the demolition. Senior lawyer Dushyant Dave approached the Supreme Court Bench headed by the CJI for a second time after an earlier order failed to stop the civic body from continuing with the demolition.

“Despite communicating the (stay) order, they (authorities) are not stopping the demolition. They are saying that they have not officially received any communication. I request you to ask the Secretary-General to communicate the order to the Police Commissioner and the Mayor and the Commissioner of the NDMC,” Dave said.

The SC then directed the apex court’s Secretary-General to convey the earlier order to stop the demolition immediately.

Civic officials on the spot said the operation was part of an ongoing drive and no permanent structures were touched. They also ruled out giving any notices because they claimed they didn’t know the identities of the encroachers.

ON DEMOLITIONS, BJP HAS NO QUALMS

As the BJP-controlled North MCD’s demolition action in Jahangirpuri reached the Supreme Court and some among the Opposition slammed the use of bulldozers, the party indicated that there would be no backing down and its Delhi unit would “keep the pressure on illegal immigrants”.

Baijayant Panda, BJP vice president and the party in-charge of Delhi, said: “Just like we have seen in certain places in Europe — in Sweden, Holland and Belgium etc — where immigrant communities have created no-go zones where people or even police are afraid to go, it seems illegal immigrants have replicated the same in Delhi. It’s against the Indian Constitution. They don’t have the right to attack the Ram Navami procession — we have seen them using illegal guns and working from illegal constructions. You can see the demeanour of those people, dressed like dons. The BJP is not against any community, we work on Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas. But BJP govts will act against all criminal elements and terrorists. This is not to target any community, but the criminals, the mafia and people who have connection with terrorist outfits.”

Union Minister Anurag Thakur took on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remark urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to switch off “bulldozers of hate” and switch on power plants. “This is all you can expect from someone whose history is linked to corruption and riots… He is doing no good to the country by sowing the seeds of hatred. He is maligning the country’s image,” he said.

Delhi BJP chief Gupta said “rioters have no religion and they have to be given a reply in their language”.

AAP leader Atishi alleged that Shah and the BJP were behind all the recent incidents of communal violence in various parts of the country during Hanuman Jayanti and Ram Navami celebrations. "Bulldozers should be run on the BJP headquarters and on the residence of Amit Shah. After this, riots will not take place in the country," the Kalkaji MLA said.

PUNJAB POLICE BOOK EX-AAP NETAS VISHWAS, LAMBA

Punjab police served notices on Wednesday to former AAP member Kumar Vishwas and former AAP MLA Alka Lamba after FIRs were registered against them for making “inflammatory statements” against Delhi CM and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal. Police teams pasted the notices at their homes in Ghaziabad and Delhi, asking them to join the investigation in Ropar.

The two former AAP members have been charged at Ropar Sadar police station with wanton provocation with intent to cause a riot, indulging in vilification, voluntarily causing hurt, wrongful restraint, and criminal conspiracy under various sections of the law.

Just before the Punjab assembly elections, a video showed Vishwas speaking against Kejriwal and alleging that he has links with Khalistani terrorists.

Punjab’s opposition parties attacked the Mann govt, accusing it of misusing the police for vendetta.

GOVT KICKS OFF FESTIVITIES FOR 400TH BIRTH ANNIV OF 9TH SIKH GURU

Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh gave his life to protect Kashmiri Pandits from the brutality of the Mughals, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Wednesday as he kicked off the celebrations for the 400th birth anniversary of the ninth Sikh Guru who was beheaded on Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb’s orders.

Emphasising the quirk of fate that the 400th Parkash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur Singh was being celebrated at Red Fort, the same place from where Aurangzeb ordered his execution, Shah said the life of the Sikh Guru was an inspiration and a lesson in sacrifice and resolve.

Shah said the nation stands truly indebted to the great Sikh Gurus. “When Kashmiri Pandits told him about atrocities being committed on them by Mughals, he (the Guru) said, ‘go and tell Aurangzeb that they can convert others (only) after they can convert me’,” Shah said.

“Even 400 years on, everyone remembers Guru Tegh Bahadur and his sacrifice. Several crores live by his teachings and it is also why he continues to be remembered as ‘Hind ki Chadar’,” Shah said, asserting that the Sikh Guru is revered by everyone in the country, cutting across Hindus and Sikhs.

The two-day festivities will see Prime Minister Narendra Modi address the nation from the Red Fort on Thursday as a tribute to the Sikh Guru.

INDIA'S HIGH GROWTH RATE POSITIVE NEWS FOR WORLD: IMF MANAGING DIRECTOR

A high growth rate for India, as projected in the latest World Economic Outlook, is not only healthy for the country but also positive news for the world, Managing Director of the IMF Kristalina Georgieva has said. The IMF, early this week, projected a fairly robust growth of 8.2 per cent for India in 2022, making it the fastest-growing major economy in the world, almost twice faster than China's 4.4 per cent.

The global growth has been projected at 3.6 per cent in 2022, down from 6.1 per cent in 2021.

INFOSYS & TCS INVOKE JOB CLAUSE TO RETAIN TALENT

An overheated job market in the software and BPO space has triggered a surge in attrition rates at TCS and Infosys, the top two IT companies in the country by revenue, prompting tech companies to fall back on unconventional tactics in an attempt to retain talent.

A workers union representing IT and BPO sector employees has said that Bengaluru-based Infosys is enforcing a clause in the employee contract to prevent workers from joining some of its competitors. The union has written to the Ministry of Labour & Employment and the Ministry of Corporate Affairs, seeking intervention in the matter.

Infosys, on its part, has said that such a non-compete clause is a “standard business practice” in employment contracts.

IPL MATCH 32: COVID-STRICKEN DELHI CAPITALS THRASH PUNJAB

Delhi Capitals showed remarkable resilience to overcome the COVID-19 crisis in their camp and hand Punjab Kings a nine-wicket thrashing in the IPL match at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai on Wednesday.

Delhi, who had a chaotic build up to the game with a sixth COVID positive case being reported on the morning of the game, dished out a clinical bowling display to bowl out Punjab Kings for a below-par 115.

Delhi seemed in real hurry to close the game with Prithvi Shaw (41 off 20) and David Warner (60 not out off 30 balls) getting them off to a flying start. Their 83-run partnership off 39 balls ensured Delhi cantered to victory in 10.3 overs, giving a big boost to their net run rate.

Delhi are now placed 6th with 3 wins from 6 matches while PBKS are at No. 8 with 3 wins from 7.

INDICATORS

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GBP 0.76 /US$, Euro 0.92 /US$, Jap.Yen 128.19 /US$, Aus$ 1.34 /US$, Sing 1.36 /US$, Bang Taka 84.57 /US$, Can$ 1.25 /US$, Mal Ring 4.27 /US$,

Pak Re 184.57 /US$, Phil Peso 52.39 /US$, Russian Rouble 81.44 /US$, NZ$ 1.47 /US$, Thai Baht 33.75 /US$, Ukraine Hryvnia 29.30 /US$

Bitcoin - USD 41,520

Dollar Index 100.49 Brent Crude 107.11 BDI 2,115

Gold world Spot Price USD/aoz 1,954 India (Rs. per gm 24k/22k) 5,362 / 4,915, Silver (Rs. Per KG) 74,900

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time but to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment. – Dorothy Nevill

OFF TRACK

Abe was well known for his cheapness and his 'eye for a bargain'.

One day he was looking for a cheap wedding present for his niece when he noticed what was previously an expensive glass crystal vase lying in the corner in a shop.. It was in 3 pieces. After some haggling with the owner, Abe bought the broken vase for $5. He then filled in the congratulations card, wrote out his niece's name and address and gave the owner another $5 so that the broken vase could be gift wrapped and mailed.

Abe then left the shop feeling quite pleased with himself. He expected his niece to think the vase had broken in the mail.

A few days later, he called his niece to see if the present had arrived.

"Yes, Uncle Abe, but unfortunately, it was in 3 pieces when it was delivered."

"What terrible luck." said Abe, "The Post Office is getting worse all the time."

"It's a shame," she replied. "It was so beautifully wrapped. Each piece separately."