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Here are 5 other deadly diseases apart from the Wuhan Coronavirus that originated from China

OpIndia Staff
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Here are 5 other deadly diseases apart from the Wuhan Coronavirus that originated from China

China has been struggling hard to wash its hands off its role in the spreading of the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic. It has claimed that calling it the ‘Chinese Coronavirus’ or the ‘Wuhan Coronavirus’ is racist even though the pandemic was widely reported in China first. At the heart of it all is the wet markets of Wuhan, where live animals are sold for consumption, and speculations that the virus was either accidentally or deliberately leaked by the Chinese government or that it could be a bioweapon.

As it so happens, China has been the ground zero of numerous epidemics over the years, epidemics that have inflicted great damage in terms of life and economy. From SARS to SARS-CoV-2 and the Asian Flu before that, China is a hotspot for the rise of severe epidemics. In this report, we shall go through a few of such devastating epidemics with their origins in China.

A H7N9 Flu

The first case of A H7N9 avian influenza (bird flu) was reported in Shanghai, China from where it spread to other regions. Later, it was confirmed that the virus jumped from chickens at a wet poultry market to humans by a study in the medical journal The Lancet. The virus is of concern as most patients have been observed to become severely ill due to the infection. Most patients reported recent exposure to live poultry or potentially contaminated environments. The silver lining appears to be that human-to-human transmission hasn’t been widely reported.

Having said that, limited human-to-human transmission has not been ruled out for the virus. Thus far, there have been five phases of the epidemic since it began in 2017, the latest begin in 2017. It hasn’t caused a significant damage to life as of yet. However, the virus does have the potential to cause widespread human devastation. “H7N9 viruses have several features typically associated with human influenza viruses and therefore possess pandemic potential and need to be monitored closely,” said Yoshihiro Kawaoka, one of the world’s leading experts on avian flu. “If H7N9 viruses acquire the ability to transmit efficiently from person to person, a worldwide outbreak is almost certain since humans lack protective immune responses to these types of viruses,” according to Kawaoka.

SARS

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) caused by SARS-CoV-1 first surfaced in 2002 in China. Fifteen years later, researchers discovered that the source of the virus could be traced to a group of infected bats at a remote cave in Yunnan province of China. SARS first appeared in November 2002 in Southern China before spreading around the world. It claimed the lives of 750 people across 37 countries before it was contained by placing patients in quarantine. The origin of the virus was traced to palm civets sold as exotic meat in southern Chinese food markets. SARS expert Jeremy Farrar noted, “There is no effective treatment and no vaccine. It was only contained the last time because it was possible to quarantine people while they were still infectious. Now we have a chance to create vaccines and treatments.”

The Wuhan Coronavirus is related to the SARS-CoV-1 and has been termed the SARS-CoV-2. The average incubation period of the SARS virus is 4-6 days, much shorter than the Chinese Coronavirus which has an average incubation period of two weeks. Symptoms of SARS are influenza-like and include fever, malaise, myalgia, headache, diarrhoea, and shivering (rigors). No individual symptom or cluster of symptoms has proved to be specific for a diagnosis of SARS.

H5N1 Bird Flu

The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus was first detected in China in geese in 1996 during a poultry outbreak in Hong Kong and has since been detected in poultry and wild birds in more than 50 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the USA, “Since its widespread re-emergence in 2003, rare, sporadic human infections with this virus have been reported in Asia, and later in Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Human infections with Asian H5N1 viruses have been associated with severe disease and death. Most human infections with avian influenza viruses, including HPAI Asian H5N1 viruses, have occurred after prolonged and close contact with infected birds. Rare human-to-human spread with this virus has occurred, but it has not been sustained and no community spread of this virus has ever been identified.”

Like avian viruses, the H5N1 has great pandemic potential. If the virus mutates to a form which can efficiently cause human-to-human transmission, then widespread devastation can be expected. Since emerging out of China, the virus has been reported from various other countries. Six countries are considered by the CDC to be endemic for Asian HPAI H5N1 virus in poultry (Bangladesh, China, Egypt, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam).

Hong Kong Flu (1968)

The Hong Kong Flu which emerged in Hong Kong in 1968 killed an estimated one million people all over the world between 1968 and 1969. It was caused by an H3N2 strain of the influenza A virus, descended from H2N2 through antigenic shift. The first recorded case of the outbreak appeared in Hong Kong on the 13th of July, 1968. By the end of the month, extensive outbreaks of the virus was reported in Vietnam and Singapore. By September, the flu had spread to India, Phillippines, Australia and Europe. It became widespread in the United States by December 1968. It reached Japan, Africa, and South America by 1969.

The virus had a low case-fatality ratio (CFR), it was below 0.5% of the cases. The virus is believed to have infected 500,000 residents in Hong Kong alone, an estimated 15% of the population. About 100,000 people died in the United States alone. The H3N2 virus continues to circulate worldwide as a seasonal influenza A virus.

Asian Flu (1957)

The Asian Flu, caused by the H2N2 virus, is believed to have been originated in China although CDC claims that the first reported case observed in Singapore in February 1957. However, most sources say that the virus was first reported in Guizhou province the same month in the southwest region of China. Estimated deaths caused by the virus range between one million to two million worldwide, the CDC puts it at 1.1 million with 116,000 in the United States itself. The flu impacted the economy gravely as well and India is believed to have suffered over a million cases as well.

China: A Hotspot for pandemics?

As early as in November 2017, the Smithsonian Mag published a detailed report on the H7N9 epidemic where it asked its readers the question, “Is China Ground Zero for a Future Pandemic?” Three years later, the question appears to have been answered. President Trump’s trade czar, Peter Navarro, described China as a “disease incubator,” and that was before the outbreak of the Wuhan Coronavirus. Dr. Jennifer Huang Bouey, an epidemiologist and senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, said, “There is quite a fair amount of epidemics originating in China or passing through China.”

There are numerous factors that make China a breeding ground for deadly viruses. The prominent among them being the unhealthy dietary preferences of the population. With epidemics originating from the country at such an alarming frequency, it could very well be that an even deadlier virus than the Wuhan Coronavirus emerged from China. Under such circumstances, it is of paramount importance that the world begins taking a greater interest in the underbelly of the country, in order to ensure the safety and security of its own population. Failing to do so could lead to a pandemic that has even more devastating consequences than the Wuhan Coronavirus.

Tripura reported its first coronavirus case after 44-year-old woman tests positive

OpIndia Staff
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Tripura reported its first coronavirus case after 44-year-old woman tests positive

A 44-year-old woman was tested positive for the Wuhan coronavirus in Agartala on Monday, making it the first case in Tripura. The woman, who is from Udaipur town in Gomati district, about 60 km from the state capital, is currently undergoing treatment at the Agartala Government Medical College and GB Pant Hospital. The information was confirmed by Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb in a tweet.

Biplab Deb, however, stated that there is no need to panic. Instead, he said, the need of the hour was to stay safe and stay at home. “Alert! First #COVID19 positive case detected at Tripura. The patient is from Udaipur. Don’t panic, we are taking proper care of the patient. Stay Home Stay Safe. Update at: 8 PM/April 6,” Biplab Deb said in a tweet.

As per reports, the patient has already been isolated. Her travel itinerary and the other trails are being identified.

The woman was admitted to a private hospital a few days back with cough, fever and breathing difficulty, officials said, adding that she was later shifted to the government facility.

Meanwhile, a notice from the office of West Tripura District Magistrate Dr Sandeep Namdeo Mahatme informed that the rapid response teams (RRTs) were instructed to prepare a contact list of any doctor, nurse, para-medical staff, patients, attended persons or anyone who might have come in contact with the patient including her family members.

The first case of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic in India was reported on January 30 2020, originating from China. With 354 fresh cases, the virus has infected 4421 people in the country. The countrywide death toll has climbed to 114. The number of recovered patients stands at 326.

Maharashtra: Aurangabad Police books a doctor for comparing Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad to a terrorist

OpIndia Staff
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Maharashtra: Aurangabad Police books a doctor for comparing Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad to a terrorist

A non-cognizable offence against a doctor have been lodged by Aurangabad Police for allegedly sharing a post on social media terming the Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Mohammad Saad a ‘terrorist’. According to the police, the doctor had posted Saad’s photograph on social media with a caption, “Wanted, please inform your local police if you have any input about the location of this terrorist.”

The Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi’s Nizamuddin has emerged as a hotspot for the pandemic after over 2100 people were evacuated from the building in last week of March. Addressing a gathering in the Markaz building on 23 March, Maulana Saad was heard instigating the Muslims present to defy lockdown and gather at mosques as it is the time to increase mosques. Mocking the government’s call to close mosques and religious places amidst the Chinese coronavirus outbreak, Maulana Saad had called the contagion a ‘conspiracy’ to create fear amongst Muslims and keep them away from mosques.

Tablighi Jamaat chief Maulana Saad has been absconding since March 28 and search operation is still underway. Maulana Saad is wanted in an offence lodged by the Delhi Police under sections of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and sections of the Indian Penal Code, for violating government directions on steps to be taken for avoiding spread of Wuhan Coronavirus.

Read: 30-year-old man shot dead in Prayagraj over remarks on Tablighi Jamaat’s role in spreading coronavirus, accused Md Sona nabbed

However, the Aurangabad Police under Shiv Sena-NCP and Congress government has decided to take action against the doctor who likened the man who defied government guidelines and wilfully exposed the citizens to the pandemic with a terrorist. Police Sub-Inspector Prabhakar Sonawane lodged the offence against the doctor under Section 505 (b)(c) of the Indian Penal Code. The Assistant Police Inspector, G B Sonawane of Pundaliknagar police station, “Offence was lodged against the doctor by police as preventive action. He was detained and issued notice as per law.”

The Tablighi Jamaat event have been an epicentre for maximum cases of coronavirus infection across the country. As per Union Health Ministry, they account for 30% of total COVID-19 cases in India and a staggering 50% cases in Uttar Pradesh. Hundreds of people including foreign nationals who participated in the religious congregation of Tablighi Jamaat have been found positive of novel coronavirus and approximately 25000 have been traced and quarantined.

OpIndia is deliberately choosing not to publish name and other details of the doctor who is arrested by Aurangabad Police.

Propagandists equate ISKCON in UK to Tablighi Jamaat in India after ISKCON devotees get infected by Coronavirus: Here’s why they are wrong

OpIndia Staff
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Propagandists equate ISKCON in UK to Tablighi Jamaat in India after ISKCON devotees get infected by Coronavirus: Here’s why they are wrong

The United Kingdom’s handling of the Wuhan Coronavirus has received widespread criticism from people across the board. Initially, the British Government chose to pursue the ‘herd immunity’ option but it was only when it became evident that the devastation caused by that foolhardy path would be so huge, the government was forced to course-correct. It is under these circumstances that one particular meeting of ISKCON became the source of infections for many devotees in the United Kingdom. And certain motivated actors from India are now equating ISKCON and their cases of Coronavirus in the UK with the malicious conduct of the Tablighi Jamaat in India.

Shahid Siddiqui, known to be an apologist for Islamism, claimed, “Andh Bhakti, blind faith is the source of all problems not TJ or ISKCON”.

Source: Twitter

Vidya Krishnan, ‘health and science journalist’, who has earlier spread malicious lies about India’s response to the Wuhan Coronvirus pandemic to achieve politically partisan goals, said, “In London, the Hindu diaspora is at the centre of a cluster outbreak. Their govt has not vilified the minority the way Health & Home Ministry does every single day during the briefing.”

Source: Twitter

Other Islamic apologists have also joined the fray and pretending as if the case of ISKCON in the UK and the Tablighi Jamaat in India are similar even though there is nothing remotely similar in the two cases.

Source: Twitter

Now, let us get to the truth of the matter. So far, 21 devotees have been confirmed to have been infected with the Wuhan Coronavirus, of which five have passed away due to it. Two meetings, on the 12th and 15th of March, have come into question which was attended by around a thousand devotees. The infections at ISKCON represent a minor fraction of the Wuhan Coronavirus cases in the United Kingdom. As of the time of writing this report, there were 51,608 cases in the country and 5,373 deaths.

Thus, ISKCON currently contributes to only 0.04% of the cases in the UK and the percentage of deaths is at 0.09%. Thus, ISKCON’s contribution to the number of cases and deaths in the UK due to the Chinese Coronavirus is incredibly low. Compare this number to the Tablighi Jamaat in India. As of the 6th of April, 1445 of the confirmed 4067 Chinese Coronavirus cases in India were linked to the Islamic Missionary organization. That is, 35.5% of the cases were linked to it. It’s a ridiculously high number when compared to ISKCON in the UK. The two cases are definitely not the same.

Furthermore, it is important to remember that the ISKCON was not in violation of any government guidelines or order when the event was conducted on the 12th and 15th of March. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson issued a stay at home order only on the 23rd of March, eight days after the second ISKCON event. Until then, it was still business as usual in the country. However, when Tablighi Jamaat had over a thousand members holed up at Markaz Nizamuddin, the Indian Government had already issued several social distancing guidelines and at the time of the religious event, they were clearly in violation of the orders against public gathering issued by the Delhi Government. Again, the two instances are definitely not the same.

The conduct of Tablighi Jamaat in India and ISKCON in the United Kingdom could not have been more different either. Unlike the Tablighi Jamaat, ISKCON devotees are not deliberately hiding the suspected cases to avoid detection and thereby, undermining the government’s efforts to curb the pandemic. Moreover, unlike the Tablighi Jamaat, the gathering did not claim that their God will somehow protect them from the pandemic or that the virus was a conspiracy against their religion. In fact, all ISKCON Temples were closed on the 16th of March, a week before Boris Johnson issued the lockdown orders.

The Tablighi Jamaat’s overall behaviour has been atrocious as well. Its members have misbehaved with the hospital staff, they roamed around the hospital naked and made sexually inappropriate gestures at the female healthcare staff. They threw tantrums over the food and demanded that they are served better served instead. They abused officials and spat at doctors in order to spread the virus further. Furthermore, they refused to adhere to social distancing norms in quarantine and huddled up together. They made unreasonable demands by claiming that they should be provided with entertainment and the ones which tested positive refused to take their medicines. ISKCON devotees have not done anything that is remotely comparable to any of it. People who are pretending that both cases are similar are running deliberate propaganda in order to dilute the severity of the Tablighi Jamaat’s atrocious conduct.

The people equating the conduct of the Tablighi Jamaat in India and the ISKCON in the United Kingdom are fully aware that the two cases have nothing in common with each other. But they are claiming so regardless of the truth because it serves their political agenda. It is not only in India that the Tablighi Jamaat has emerged as super spreader. The Islamic Missionary organization has spread the virus across the entire South Asian region and even in places as far off as Palestine. Therefore, to even claim that there is similarity between the cases is nothing short of acting as apologists for Radical Islam.

Moreover, certain individuals have claimed that the India government has ‘communalized’ the pandemic and is selectively targeting the Muslim community because Tablighi Jamaat has received great attention from all quarters due to its deplorable conduct. It is a familiar argument that props up every time a Radical Islamic organization indulges in criminal conduct. The same people who claim that not all Muslims are terrorists or bigots (something that everyone is well aware of) whenever a terrorist attack occurs equates the criticism directed at Tablighi Jamaat to hate spread against the entire Muslim community. It is a pathetic attempt to shield the Tablighi Jamaat from fair criticism.

In the latest instance, these people have attempted to put undue blame on ISKCON for sins they did not commit. It could be argued that they should not have organized the events on the 12th and 15th of March, something even ISKCON concedes, but their actions must be judged on the backdrop of the conduct of the British Government itself which did not take the virus seriously enough until it was too late. As such, the contribution of ISKCON to the Wuhan Coronavirus cases in the UK are not even remotely significant. It is clear that motivated propagandists are blaming ISKCON and comparing them their actions with the Tablighi Jamaat in order to shield the latter from all their fair criticism that is coming its way.

Coronavirus fear: Punjab man refuses to take his mother’s body despite assurances, deceased covid-19 patient cremated by district administration

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus fear: Punjab man refuses to take his mother’s body despite assurances, deceased covid-19 patient cremated by district administration

A 69-year-old woman had died of Wuhan Coronavirus infection in a private hospital of Punjab’s Ludhiana. As per a report in the New Indian Express, her family refused to take the body and cremate due to fear of infection.

Despite the repeated assurance by authorities to give him enough protective gear that will shield him against the infection, her son refused to perform the last rites of his mother, asserted Additional Deputy Commissioner(General), Iqbal Singh Sandhu.

The elderly woman who was a resident of Shimlapuri village was admitted to a private hospital in Ludhiana on 31 March and had later succumbed to the disease on Sunday, 5 April.

Sandhu said, “It was a big shock for everybody when relatives including, son of the deceased, did not come to claim her body. The body was later claimed by the district administration. The authorities approached the family twice, but they refused to claim the body.”

As per reports, the son of the deceased woman was assured by the authorities to be provided with requisite protective gear for cremation but they still refused to perform her last rites.

Eventually, the District administration had claimed the body of the woman and performed the last rites while the son and her other family members watched the process from over a 100-metre distance.

On 17 March 2020, the Government of India had released an advisory for dead body management of COVID-19 patients. The guidelines that were issued said that friends and family of the deceased can see the body but must avoid touching. Personal Protective Equipment is also to be used to avoid contact with the body. The religious rituals such as reading from holy books or scriptures, sprinkling holy water and other last rites that do not require touching of the body can be done. However, bathing, kissing and hugging of the dead body will be prohibited. The family of the deceased will have to be on guard while cremation.

Earlier, the BrihanMumbai Municipal corporation also issued a circular that those who die of Wuhan Coronavirus infection will have to be cremated irrespective of religion as the burying may spread infection. The Civic body withdrew the declaration later due to the intervention of Maharashtra Minority Development Minister Nawab Malik.

Coronavirus: Central govt contemplates extending lockdown after three-week period ends

OpIndia Staff
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Coronavirus: Central govt contemplates extending lockdown after three-week period ends

The central government is now contemplating extension of the lockdown which was to end on 14th April 2020 after several state governments and experts put in the request, said government sources to public broadcaster Prasar Bharati. On Tuesday, 24 March 2020, Prime Minister Modi in his address to nation had announced a three-week lockdown across the nation in wake of Chinese coronavirus outbreak.

The Union Health Ministry in its press briefing today said that the central government is in constant touch with the state governments and depending on the situation, the union will take a decision regarding extension of the lockdown. As of now, no decision regarding extension is taken.

Following the lockdown, the states had also sealed borders in a bid to contain the spread of Chinese coronavirus. However, Delhi government-run buses took migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar to the Delhi-UP border and left them on their own allegedly with the promise that the UP state government buses will take them home. This was after the state governments had suspended public and commercial transport. On humanitarian grounds, the UP government later sent buses to pick up the stranded migrant workers and took them to quarantine facilities and their desired destinations.

Read: Tablighi Jamaatis’ piece of sh*t: Attendees defecate in corridor at quarantine centre, FIR registered

Now, as we enter the third week of lockdown, more cases have emerged after the Tablighi Jamaat attendees at Delhi’s Nizamuddin have emerged as superspreaders taking the virus to other parts of the country. In light of this, it seems, that the state governments and experts seem to have recommended an extension of lockdown so that further spread of the contagion is controlled.

Uttar Pradesh: Coronavirus positive patient from Tablighi Jamaat flees the hospital in Baghpat, uses his clothes as rope

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Coronavirus positive patient from Tablighi Jamaat flees the hospital in Baghpat, uses his clothes as rope

After becoming the super spreader of the Wuhan coronavirus in the country, the Tablighi Jamaatis have been making things very difficult for authorities trying to contain the pandemic in India. In another incident, a 60-year-old coronavirus patient, a member of the Tablighi Jamaat, fled from covid Hospital Khekra in Uttar Pradesh’s Bhagpat last night.

He was admitted to the hospital on April 3, Friday, as part of a group of 28 people from Nepal, who had attended the Delhi Tablighi Jamaat gathering.

The man allegedly broke a windowpane of the isolation ward, used his own clothes to fashion a rope, climbed down a floor and ran away.

The Jammati’s from Nepal who came to Baghpat on March 19 from Nizamuddin Markaz of Delhi were quarantined at Sri Krishna College Balaini. The investigation found this 60-year-old Nepalese Jamaati was corona positive. After which he was kept in the isolation ward of covid Hospital Khekra. 

Authorities had started a hunt for the runaway patient in neighbouring villages. As per latest reports, the man was finally nabbed near a brick kiln in the Katha village.

It is imperative to note here that Tablighi Jamaat at the Nizamuddin Markaz held earlier in March has turned out to be a hot spot for coronavirus positive cases. Many of the attendees have been found misbehaving with the healthcare workers. The Jamaatis in a Ghaziabad hospital had resorted to spitting on doctors to harassing nurses and running amok naked in the wards. This morning, an FIR was registered against two Nizamuddin Markaz attendees in Narela quarantine centre after they had defecated outside in the corridor.

About 4858 people have been contracted with the COVID-19 so far in India and 136 have lost their lives to the deadly contagion. 

Bihar: Elderly woman killed by neighbours after fight over switching off lights on 5 April, Sulaiman, Khalil and others absconding

OpIndia Staff
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Bihar: Elderly woman killed by neighbours after fight over switching off lights on 5 April, Sulaiman, Khalil and others absconding

An altercation broke out on 5th April (Sunday) in Bihar’s Madhubani district between a Hindu and Muslim families, allegedly over switching off lights following PM Modi’s call, to show complete resolve and solidarity in the fight against coronavirus with this symbolic gesture, which led to the murder of an elderly Hindu woman.

The accused Sulaiman Nadaf, Khalil Nadaf, Malil Nadaf, Jalil Nadaf etc, who strangulated 70-year-old Kaili Devi after the argument, are now absconding. The deceased’s son Surendra Mandal has filed an FIR for murder against all the accused.

Rahika SHO Rahul Kumar confirmed that “The accused are absconding. A case under Section 302 has been lodged against the accused on the statement of the deceased’s son. The body was handed over to the family after postmortem,” adding that a dispute over switching off the lights between two neighbours led to the incident.

Copy of the FIR
Copy of the FIR

This incident has sparked anger and rage in the Hindus of the area. The locals have demanded justice and a compensation of Rs 10 lakh from the administration for the deceased’s family at an expeditious level. They have also demanded that the accused should be arrested soon and awarded the death penalty. Heavy police force has been deployed in the area to avoid communal tension after the incident.

The incident took place at around 9 pm on 5th April (Sunday) at Satlakha Mani Das Toll of Rahika Block under Bisfi Legislative Assembly, Madhubani, Bihar, when Surendra Mandal asked his two Muslim neighbours to switch off the lights of their houses to support PM Narendra Modi’s call. But the neighbours refused and kept the lights on.

Mandal again urged his neighbours to respect PM Modi’s appeal and switch off the lights, which led to an argument between the families. Suddenly the accused barged into Surandra Mandal’s house and strangulated his mother, Kaili Devi, to death.

The victim was rushed to the primary health centre at Rahika where the doctors declared her brought dead. A postmortem will be conducted on the deaceased after which the police will ascertain the reason for the death of the elderly woman.

Surendra Mandal, son of the deceased woman, has filed an FIR for murder against all the accused. His family has alleged that the murder accused are close to local MLA Fayaz Ahmed, and have expressed the fear that the case might be dismissed and the accused might not be booked due to their political connections.

Speaking about this incident, Madhubani’s Legislative Council member Suman Mahaseth said that the accused persons in the village of Satlakha, where this incident took place, started abusing Kaili Devi’s family members when asked to switch off the lights. Kaili Devi allegedly went to urge the Muslims not to get abusive and unnecessarily get into a fight, when few people from their side had attacked her.

Calling the incident unfortunate and tragic, the chief Jai Prakash Chaudhary appealed to the villagers to cooperate with the administration in finding out the reality of the incident. He also urged to maintain peace. Police officer Rahul Kumar said that an FIR has been registered on the application of the woman’s son. Postmortem of the body has been done. Madhubani SP Dr Satya Prakash said that the incident was caused due a mutual dispute. The case is being investigated, action will be taken against the culprits, said the SP.

PM Modi had on Friday urged people to turn off lights at their homes for nine minutes at 9 pm to display the country’s collective resolve and solidarity to defeat the deadly coronavirus.

After PM CARES collects Rs 6,500 crores in just a week, Sonia Gandhi wants it transferred to PMNRF: Here is the real reason

OpIndia Staff
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After PM CARES collects Rs 6,500 crores in just a week, Sonia Gandhi wants it transferred to PMNRF: Here is the real reason

Sonia Gandhi, the current President of the Congress party has asked the Prime Minister to transfer all the funds received under PM CARES, that was set up to fight the Coronavirus pandemic, to the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund (PMNRF). According to Sonia Gandhi, this should be done for ‘better transparency, accountability and efficiency’.

While it might seem like an innocuous statement that aims at simply playing politics at a time when the country is trying to deal with a global pandemic, there is more to it than meets the eye.

In this regard, it is pertinent to note that the PMNRF had a management committee that oversaw how the funds are employed. While the Prime Minister has discretion, the committee, when it was set up by Jawaharlal Nehru included the President of the Congress party.

When the Fund was constituent, the following people were included in the managing committee of the PMNRF. 

i) The Prime Minister.
ii) The President of the India National Congress party.
iii) The Deputy Prime Minister.
iv) The Finance Minister.
v) A representative of Tata Trustees.
vi) A representative of Industry & Commerce to be chosen by FICCI.

Read: Did you know that the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund has always had the President of Congress party in its managing committee

Rajiv Gandhi had then given the control of the PMNRF solely to the Prime Minister.

In the face of the Wuhan Coronavirus, Prime Minister Modi launched PM CARES Fund where he invited public contribution to fight the pandemic. The PM CARES Fund is an emergency fund that was set up to provide relief to those affected by the Wuhan Coronavirus. The PM CARES, or the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund has been set up as a public charitable trust. The Prime Minister is the chairman of this trust and its members include Defence Minister, Home Minister And Finance Minister. 

As soon as it was launched, the fund received a thumping reception with thousands of people donating to it, including industrialists, Bollywood stars and the average folk. However, one question that was repeatedly raised as to why a PM CARES Fund was created instead of simply using the PMNRF or even renaming the PMNRF to PM CARES.

As of now, the PM CARES Fund got a thumping reception and managed to collect Rs 6,500 crores in just a week.

It is rather interesting that Sonia Gandhi would now demand that Rs 6,500 crores and counting should be transferred to the PMNRF instead of being in a focussed fund that aims to fight the Coronavirus pandemic as opposed to PMNRF which is for every disaster that might strike the nation.

Perhaps it is because the PMNRF is now directly under the control of the Prime Minister and the hope that the fund will one day be under the control of a PM that comes from the Congress party, who is bound to be from the Gandhi family, plays an important part in that decision. It is important to note that after PMNRF was declared a trust, nobody knows what are the guidelines that govern the PMNRF and since it was ‘deemed a trust’, it has functioned without a title deed till date. Essentially, the PMNRF has far less transparent as compared to the PM CARES Fund and thus, perhaps Congress, which is today asking for ‘transparency’ by the fund being transferred to PMNRF, needs to answer why a party, whose sole aim is to install a Gandhi Prime Minister, keen on PM CARES fund being transferred to a far less transparent fund solely governed by the Prime Minister of the Country.

It thus suffices to say that the PM CARES Fund is far more adequate and transparent than the PMNRF is even though the latter has come to the rescue of several citizens as well. 

It is also now reported that the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations Fund (PM CARES Fund), which is a dedicated national fund with the primary objective of dealing with the Coronavirus pandemic, will have up to 13 eminent experts to undertake relief or assistance of any kind relating to a public health emergency including the creation and up-gradation of healthcare facilities. Most importantly, the eminent experts will be working pro bono. 

There is also a provision to set up an advisory board of not more than 10 persons — selected by the trustees from among the medical practitioners, healthcare professionals, academicians, economists and lawyers.

Read: PM CARES fund to have up to 13 eminent experts to undertake relief and assistance during emergencies: Report

“The responsibility of the trustees in PM-CARES has been defined, unlike in the Prime Minister National Relief Fund (PMNRF). The latter has no provision of an advisory board. PMNRF has the PM, deputy PM, finance minister, Congress president and a representative of the Tata Trust and industry representative chosen by FICCI, as members of the trust,” a senior official speaking to Economic Times revealed.

A senior BJP functionary said Congress was objecting to PM-CARES because the Congress president had not found a place in it unlike in the PMNRF. “The idea is not to make the PM-CARES fund political in any sense. There is no BJP representation on the PM-CARES fund – people will be on the trust based on their positions in government,” the functionary said.

“PM-CARES’s objectives include undertaking and supporting relief or assistance of any kind relating to a public health emergency or any other kind of emergency, calamity or distress either man-made or natural, including the creation or up-gradation of healthcare or pharmaceutical facilities, other necessary infrastructure, funding relevant research or any other type of support.”

Indian Army to take over Narela quarantine facility after Tablighi Jamaat attendees defecate in the corridor

OpIndia Staff
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Indian Army to take over Narela quarantine facility after Tablighi Jamaat attendees defecate in the corridor

Following the increasingly unruly demeanour espoused by Jamaat members at the Narela quarantine facility, a request was made to the Indian Army to take over the medical screening setup. Now, the Indian Army has confirmed that it is in the gradual process of assuming the responsibility of screening duties in the Narela camp.

The gross misbehaviour of the Tablighi Jamaat members in quarantine facilities continues unabated as they excreted in the corridor of the Narela quarantine centre earlier today. The Indian Army has ensured that the process of taking over the responsibility at the Narela camp from the civil medical professional will be gradual and progressive.

The situation at the quarantine facilities where the errant Tablighi Jamaat members were sheltered was increasingly worsening as the Jamaat miscreants indulged in decadent behaviour with the healthcare professionals such as nurses, attendants and doctors present at the facilities.

Initially, the Jamaat members threw tantrums and made unreasonable food demands to the authorities at the quarantine facilities. Then the reports emerged that the Jamaat members held in quarantine centres were spitting everywhere at the facilities, even on the nurses, attendants and doctors tending to them. Furthermore, Jamaat members were also accused of milling around naked in the quarantine facilities and making lewd gestures at the nurses attending to them.

This morning, two Markaz returnees Mohammad Fahad and Adnan Zahir reportedly created ruckus at Narela quarantine station and excreted in the corridor. The camp in-charge said that they are jeopardising the containment measures by their reckless behaviour. As per Amar Ujala report, the duo even misbehaved with office staff after defecating in the corridor. An FIR has been registered in this context.

About 1200 Tablighi Jamaat attendees are kept at the quarantine centre in Narela and the Army personnel have been deployed.

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