ORDINANCE FOR TOUGH ACTION AGAINST THOSE ASSAULTING DOCTORS, NURSES

Assault of doctors, nurses, paramedics and ASHA workers will now be a cognisable and non-bailable offence with the union cabinet on Wednesday approving amendments to the Epidemic Diseases Act 1897 to protect health staffers in the frontline of COVID 19 management and response.

Following several instances of attacks on health fraternity members including damages to their property, the Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi finalised promulgation of an ordinance to amend the 123-year-old law on Wednesday.

The ordinance proposes investigation of assault on health staff in one month, and justice in a year.

Assault on health and paramedical staff is proposed to be punished with jail ranging from three months to five years and fine between Rs 50,000 and Rs 2 lakh. Grievous assault will attract stricter sentences from six months to seven years jail and Rs 1 lakh to Rs 5 lakh fine.

“Anyone damaging the property of a healthcare professional will be made to pay twice the market cost of such property,” union information minister Prakash Javadekar said.

Home Minister Amit Shah, who held a meeting with doctors and members of the Indian Medical Association along with Health Minister Harsh Vardhan on Wednesday, tweeted: “PM @narendramodi’s govt is committed to protecting those who are protecting India during these challenging times. Bringing an ordinance to end violence against our doctors & health workers is a testimony of the same. Safety and dignity of our doctors at their work place is non-negotiable.”

The IMA, which had earlier threatened a protest, has decided to withdraw it.

AFFLUENT IN OBC, SC/ST NOT LETTING QUOTA BENEFITS TRICKLE DOWN, REVIEW LISTS: BENCH

Pointing to concerns within the OBCs and the SC/STs that reservation benefits are not reaching the truly deserving among them, the Supreme Court Wednesday said the government is “duty-bound” to periodically review the process in order to ensure that the benefits “trickle down and are not usurped by” the affluent in these categories.

Ruling as unconstitutional a January 2000 order of the Governor of the erstwhile state of Andhra Pradesh which provided 100 per cent reservation to ST candidates in posts of school teachers in Scheduled Areas, a five-judge Constitution Bench said: “Now there is a cry within the reserved classes. By now, there are affluents and socially and economically advanced classes within Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. There is voice by deprived persons of social upliftment of some of the Scheduled Castes/Tribes, but they still do not permit benefits to trickle down to the needy. Thus, there is a struggle within, as to worthiness for entitlement within reserved classes of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.”

The Bench, comprising Justices Arun Mishra, Indira Banerjee, Vineet Saran, M R Shah and Aniruddha Bose, agreed with Senior Advocate Rajeev Dhavan that the lists of those entitled to reservation must be revised from time to time.

TRUST DEFICIT WIDENS BETWEEN CENTRE AND WEST BENGAL GOVT

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused the Centre of dispatching faulty COVID-19 testing kits to the state, and strongly criticised it for sending teams to assess the situation on the ground.

“They are showing an attitude that they would have been happy if there were more COVID-19 cases in Bengal,” Banerjee told a press conference. “Rapid test kits sent to the state have now been withdrawn because they were faulty. Thankfully, our health department ordered some kits which were very useful. If there has been a health hazard here, then we are not responsible for it. Whose fault is it? We have to conduct timely tests. If we fail to do so, then patients may die,” she said.

“Canards are being spread that Bengal is not conducting enough tests,” the chief minister said. However, against the 14,000 test kits sought by the state, the Centre had sent only 2,500, she said.

“Every day, they (the Centre) are telling us what to do and what not to do, sending people to look into the law and order situation and whether lockdown is being imposed or not. They are sending people to find out whether people in Bengal are getting rations or whether they are being able to take a bath. They are also sending us strongly-worded letters. We can also send them letters. But that’s not the point. Our government is doing the best it can to stem the spread of the pandemic,” she said.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar questioned the state government’s handling of the pandemic. “There are no takers for the COVID-19 death figures on account of the series of discrepancies by the state government. The concern of the political parties, the medical fraternity and citizens is well premised. The trust deficit on this count between the government and the medical fraternity as also between the government and the people has attracted national and global focus. The concept of Audit Committee, unheard of so far, has worsened the situation,” he said.

The Governor also took a critical view of the state’s public distribution system during the lockdown.

COVID-19 DASHBOARD – (Nos. IN INDIA / Nos. WORLDWIDE)

(Indian data from covid19india / and World Data from worldometers.info/coronavirus/ )

Total Cases 21,370 (+1,290) / 26,37,790 (+80,609)

Total Deaths 681 (+36) / 1,84,230 (+6,589)

Total Recovered 4,370 (+395) / 7,17,812 (+27,368)

Active Cases 16,319 (+859) / 17,35,748 (+46,652)

Serious / Critical Cases (Not Available) / 56,679 (-566)

Top 7 impacted nations so far: (Country / Total No of cases / Deaths)

USA 8,48,994 / 47,676

Spain 2,08,389 / 21,717

Italy 1,87,327 / 25,085

France 1,59,877 / 21,340

Germany 1,50,648 / 5,315

UK 1,33,495 / 18,100

Turkey 98,674 / 2,376

Top 17 impacted Indian States so far: (Total No. of Confirmed case / No. Of Deaths)

Maharashtra 5,649 / 269

Gujarat 2,407 / 103

Delhi 2,248 / 48

Rajasthan 1,888 / 27

Tamil Nadu 1,629 / 18

Madhya Pradesh 1,587 / 80

Uttar Pradesh 1,449 / 21

Telangana 943 / 24

Andhra Pradesh 813 / 24

Kerala 437 / 2

Karnataka 427 / 17

West Bengal 423 / 15

Jammu and Kashmir 407 / 5

Punjab 278 / 16

Haryana 264 / 3

Bihar 141 / 2

Odisha 83 / 1

INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS

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TRUMP SIGNS ‘VERY POWERFUL ORDER’, SUSPENDS ISSUE OF NEW GREEN CARDS FOR 60 DAYS

US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order pausing immigration for 60 days to protect the jobs of Americans laid off due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The temporary suspension of immigration will affect those who are legally seeking entry into the United States for employment purposes but not the ones who are already living in the country, the order said.

Trump described it as “a very powerful order”. “By pausing immigration, we’ll help put unemployed Americans first in line for jobs as America reopens. It would be wrong and unjust for Americans laid off by the virus to be replaced with new immigrant labour flown in from abroad,” he said.

The suspension, the executive order said, does not apply to those foreign nationals already inside the country on a green card. It provides exemptions to healthcare workers, or seeking to enter the US as a legal permanent resident under investment category. Spouses of a US citizen, 21 years and younger kids of American nationals, or those who are under the process of being adopted are also exempted from this temporary suspension of immigration.

COVID-19 VACCINE TRIAL SET TO BEGIN IN UK; 4 OTHERS IN RACE TOO

The race to develop an effective vaccine against the novel coronavirus gathered pace this week, as clinical trials on humans were approved in Germany and another one launched in the UK.

Though there are now around 150 development projects worldwide, the German and British plans are among only five clinical trials on humans which have been approved across the globe.

In Britain, volunteers in a trial at the University of Oxford are today set to be given the first dose of a potential vaccine. Research director Professor Sarah Gilbert estimated that it has around an 80 percent chance of being successful. The institute aims to develop a million doses of the vaccine by September, so as to distribute it as quickly as possible after approval. Apparent taking a risk, the institute is going ahead with production even as they await approvals.

Meanwhile on Wednesday, German regulatory body PEI green-lighted the country’s first trials on human volunteers for a vaccine developed by German firm Biontech and US giant Pfizer.

Last week, UN Secy-Gen Antonio Guterres said a vaccine was the only thing to return “normalcy” to the world, and called for development projects to be accelerated.

Aside from Biontech and Oxford, three other clinical trials on humans have been approved worldwide since mid-March, with Chinese and US developers among the first to move.

THE REST

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GOVERNMENT PAVES WAY FOR CREW CHANGE IN INDIAN PORTS

​The government has come out with guidelines for change of crew at Indian ports, a move that will put an end to hardships faced by stuck seafarers and pave way for them to return to their homes. "Change of crew of ship (seafarers) is an important measure for operation of merchant ships. The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued standard operating procedure (SOP)... This SOP has been formulated to streamline the sign-on/sign-off of Indian seafarers at Indian ports for merchant shipping vessels," the shipping ministry said in the statement.

Under the SOP, any seafarer would be allowed sign-on at the port of embarkation only after test for COVID-19 is found negative.

"The seafarers will intimate their travel and contact history for last 28 days to the ship owner /RPS agency by e-mail, as per the procedure laid down by DGS (Directorate General of Shipping). The seafarer would be examined by a DGS-approved medical examiner, as per the guidelines prescribed for this purpose. At the same time, the seafarer shall also be screened, and his travel and contact history examined for the last 28 days," according to the SOP.

Local authorities in the area where the seafarer resides will be intimated about his clearance for sign-on and for issue of a transit pass from the place of residence to the place of embarkation on the shipping vessel, it said.

"The transit pass for such movement by road, for the seafarer and one driver, may be issued by the government of the state/union territory where the seafarer resides. The transit pass (to and fro) will be issued for a fixed route and with specified validity and will have to be adhered to strictly. Such transit pass would be honoured/ allowed by the authorities of the state/ union territory along the transit route," it added.

It said that social distancing and other hygiene norms, as per standard health protocol, would be followed by the vehicle transporting the seafarer to his destination.

The signing-off seafarer would undergo the COVID-19 test for confirmation that he/she is negative for COVID-19. The statement said if the seafarer is found negative of COVID-19 and signed off, the local authorities in the area where the seafarer disembarks will be intimated about his/ her clearance for sign-off, and for issue of a transit pass from the place of disembarkation to the place of his/ her residence.

MINISTER RELEASES NAMES OF PALGHAR ACCUSED, SLAMS ‘COMMUNAL POLITICS’

Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Wednesday released the names of 101 individuals who have been arrested for the lynching of three men in Palghar last week, and reiterated that there was no communal angle to the crime.

Deshmukh accused the opposition in the state of indulging in “communal politics”, and mocked their claims as “Mungeri Lal ke haseen sapne” (daydreaming).

After two sadhus — Kalpruksh Giri and Chikne Maharaj — from an ashram in Kandivili, Mumbai, and their driver Nilesh Telgade were lynched in the presence of police in Gadchinchle village in Palghar on April 16 night, allegations were made on social media that the killers were Muslim. A video of the lynching surfaced on April 19 and quickly went viral.

“I have put out the list of 101 people… not one among them is Muslim. While the incident took place, someone in the video said ‘oye bas, oye bas… now stop, now stop… however, it was twisted as… Shoaib bas (Shoaib, stop)… It was given a communal colour and then communal politics was played using this,” Deshmukh said during an interaction on Facebook.

RELIANCE-FACEBOOK DEAL WILL HELP 3 CRORE SMALL KIRANA SHOPS, SAYS MUKESH AMBANI

In the largest FDI in the Indian technology sector, US Internet giant Facebook will be buying 9.99% stake in Reliance Industries Ltd’s digital unit Jio Platforms Ltd, for $5.7 billion (more than Rs 43,450 crore). While helping Reliance pare its debt of nearly Rs 3 lakh crore, the deal will also give the Reliance access to the over 400 million-strong database of WhatsApp, as it seeks to jumpstart its commerce business under JioMart. Facebook, in turn, makes its long-awaited foray into Indian telecom space.

RIL said that concurrent to the investment, Jio Platforms, Reliance Retail Ltd and WhatsApp, which is owned by Facebook, have reached an agreement to “further accelerate” business on JioMart. Under this, the company said, it would offer consumers the ability to access the nearest kirana, which can deliver products and services after transactions via JioMart using WhatsApp.

“In the very near future, JioMart and WhatsApp will empower nearly three crore small Indian kirana shops to digitally transact with every customer in their neighbourhood. This means all of you can order and get faster delivery of day-to-day items from nearby local shops. At the same time, small kiranas can grow their businesses and create new employment opportunities,” RIL Chairman and Managing Director Mukesh Ambani said Wednesday.

Since the deal with Reliance is only for a minority stake, neither Facebook nor RIL is bound in any way to an exclusive arrangement. So, apart from Jio, Facebook can look at similar partnerships on other platforms, including within WhatsApp.

ONLY NEGLIGENT EMPLOYERS TO BE CHARGED FOR COVID-19 CASES, CLARIFIES GOVT

The Union government on Wednesday clarified that companies would be penalised only for negligence or cognisance in case their employees tested positive for the novel coronavirus (Covid-19), a day after India Inc raised concerns over the official guidelines to restart economic activity.

“The MHA (Ministry of Home Affairs) guidelines misinterpreted. Penalties under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, applicable if an offence occurs with consent, cognisance or negligence of the employer," a home ministry spokesperson said on Twitter.

Industry had flagged the issue once again on Wednesday to Union Labour and Employment Secretary Heera Lal Samariya, who promised to take up the matter at “the highest level”.

“Companies should follow the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) guidelines…The most important (element) is that there should not be any criminality (clause) and I fully agree with you. (I) will take it up at the highest level,” Samariya said during an interaction with the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry via videoconferencing.

Industry representatives also raised concerns over the inability to pay the wages of employees during the lockdown period and suggested ways by which the government could help them. However, the secretary dismissed the demand for utilising the ESIC corpus to give out wages.

FIR AGAINST ARNAB GOSWAMI OVER ‘DEROGATORY’ REMARKS AGAINST SONIA GANDHI

The Chhattisgarh unit of the Congress on Wednesday lodged a formal complaint against Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief and founder of Republic TV channel, and accused him of “deliberately making inflammatory statements” and using derogatory language against Congress president Sonia Gandhi in his show.

As of late evening, Raipur police were in the process of registering an FIR, officials said.

Congress communications in-charge Randeep Surjewala tweeted a clip of Goswami’s purported comments on Sonia on his show.

In the clip tweeted by Surjewala, Goswami ostensibly says: “Aapki party aur aapke party ke Rome se aaye hue Italy waali Sonia Gandhi chup nahin rahti. Aaj woh chup hain, man hi man main mujhe lagta hai woh khush hai…woh khush hai ki santon ko sadkon pe maara gaya, jahan pe unki sarkar hai. Report bhejegi woh, woh Italy main report bhejegi main bol raha hoon.dekhiye jahan pe maine ek sarkar bana li, wahan pe Hindu santon ko main marwa rahi hun. Aur wahan se wah-wahi milegi.wah beta, wah..bohot acha kiya Sonia Gandhi Antonio maino.”

Thanking those who stood by him “ever since Sonia Gandhi threw a tantrum telling her few remaining chief ministers that she wants me immediately arrested”, Goswami said, “I have no hesitation in saying to Sonia Gandhi, come arrest me”. Addressing the Congress chief, he said, “Nobody is scared of you or your family any more”. He said the “thousand FIRs you are filing across India” showed her “nervousness”. He called Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh chief ministers as Sonia’s “puppets”, who, he said, have been asked by the Congress chief to arrest him.

JAIL TERMS ON HOLD, CONVICTS TO BE TRACKED VIA WHATSAPP, GOOGLE MAPS

With more than 3,000 convicts across Delhi being granted bail or furlough to prevent overcrowding in jails in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, the Delhi High Court has devised a new way of making sure convicts mark their attendance — via WhatsApp video calls and through Google Maps.

In three different orders temporarily suspending the jail terms of three convicts, Justice Anup Jairam Bhambhani said the step has been taken “in view of the dire need of decongesting prisons, considering the unprecedented public health emergency existing at this time”.

Justice Bhambhani ordered that the convicts, Ompal, Rahat and Babu Lal, make a video call to the investigating officer or share their live location via WhatsApp so they don’t have to visit the police station every week.

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

It is the quest for honor that makes one honorable. - Jedi Proverb

OFF TRACK

There's this new age woman who says: "I've never been married, but I tell people I'm divorced so they won't think something's wrong with me."