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Boats spray water on the sea at the Gulf of Mexico after gas leakage causes pipelines to catch fire, leaves netizens puzzled

OpIndia Staff
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Boats spray water on the sea at the Gulf of Mexico after gas leakage causes pipelines to catch fire, leaves netizens puzzled

On Friday (July 3), a fire broke out in the Gulf of Mexico after a gas leak from an underwater pipeline of a State-owned oil company Pemex.

According to Pemex, the fire broke out in an underwater pipeline near Ku Maloob Zaap oil development. It ignited at around 5:15 am local time and extinguished by 10:30 am. Reportedly, the adjoining boats used water streams as well as nitrogen to extinguish the fire. In visuals that have surfaced online, it showed orange flames coming out of water. The company informed no injuries were reported and that production was not affected.

Ku Maloob Zaap, located near the southern rim of the Gulf of Mexico, is the largest producer of crude oil for Permex. It had vowed to investigate the cause of the fire. Citing sources, Reuters reported, “The turbomachinery of Ku Maloob Zaap’s active production facilities were affected by an electrical storm and heavy rains.”

Netizens react to the ‘eyes of fire’ in ocean

Netizens were initially left wondering as to how water can extinguish fire on water. “The ocean is on fire is one of those things that you can type and it’s true and yet it doesn’t feel believable,” wrote popular Twitter user Brian Kahn.

“I am not sure how spraying water on a fire that is literally in the ocean is going to help put it out. I need someone to make it make sense for me,” wrote Christopher Bouzy.

Another user wondered whether the boats should be in close proximity of the fire to extinguish it.

Another user lamented, “Why not? The ocean being on fire/ Portal to hell opening seems par for the course for 2021..”

ASEA, the oil safety regulator of Mexico, denied any oil spills but couldn’t explain what was burning on the surface of the water.

‘Security of the BJP MLA lies on the shoulders of the state’: Calcutta HC asks Mamata Banerjee govt to reinstate Suvendu Adhikari’s security

OpIndia Staff
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‘Security of the BJP MLA lies on the shoulders of the state’: Calcutta HC asks Mamata Banerjee govt to reinstate Suvendu Adhikari’s security

The Calcutta High Court has ordered the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal to immediately reinstate the security cover of BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari, which it had withdrawn on May 18, 2021. The Leader of Opposition in the state assembly had approached the High Court over the matter.

While hearing the BJP leader’s petition, the single judge bench of Justice Shivkant Prasad observed that the security of the BJP MLA lies on the shoulders of the state and it should be its responsibility to ensure Adhikari is not exposed to threats. 

The Calcutta HC stated that since Suvendu Adhikari already has Z-category security cover provided by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the state need not provide any additional security besides the one which was withdrawn.

Meanwhile, in its defence, West Bengal Government told the court that the BJP leader is well-maintained according to the scale of Z category protectee as per the “Yellow Book” by the Government of West Bengal.

Irrespective, the Calcutta High Court asked the Mamata Banerjee govt to reinstate Suvendu Adhikari’s previous security cover.

Union Home Ministry provides ‘Z’ category security to Suvendu Adhikari

The Union Home Ministry had provided ‘Z’ category security to Suvendu Adhikari. The sanctioning of ‘Z’ security to Adhikari came after accessing the growing threats to the rebel TMC leader following his resignation from the party. Recently, Adhikari had said he has been attacked 11 times in West Bengal.

Suvendu Adhikari was on May 10, 2021 appointed the leader of the opposition in West Bengal. The BJP MLA from Bengal defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from Nandigram in the hotly contested assembly elections in the state. He had only recently joined the BJP from the Trinamool Congress in December last year.

Exclusive: BJP leader, whose farmland in Punjab was destroyed by protesting farmers points to nexus between Congress, terrorists and police

OpIndia Staff
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Exclusive: BJP leader, whose farmland in Punjab was destroyed by protesting farmers points to nexus between Congress, terrorists and police

On July 2 (Friday) a group of protesting ‘farmers’ destroyed paddy from 1.5 acres of land that is owned by BJP leader Harjeet Singh Grewal in his native place in the Dhanaula village of Barnala district of Punjab. The so-called farmers, which included women, entered the BJP leader’s field on Friday afternoon, uprooted the paddy saplings and later ploughed the entire land with a tractor, thus destroying the entire transplanted crop.

These ‘farmers’ under the banner of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), made videos of the act and also raised anti-BJP slogans while destroying the crop.

Among those present at Friday’s protest were Balwant Singh Uppali, convener of Samyukta Kisan Morcha for Barnala district, Jagsir Singh Chhiniwal, president of Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU), Kadian, Karnail Singh Gandhi, president of BKU. Sidhupur, among other leaders.

After the incident, the Union leaders claimed they had only gone to talk to the farmer who had taken Grewal’s land on rent but some angry protesters damaged the saplings. They said that they had earlier warned farmers not to rent the BJP leaders land as he has always spoken in favour of the farm laws.

“We had appealed to the farmer to not work on Grewal’s land. However, he transplanted the paddy. When we visited for a talk today, the mob abruptly uprooted the saplings. We have no personal vendetta against the BJP leader but he should not use derogatory language against farmers,” said Balwant Singh Uppali, the convener of Samyukta Kisan Morcha for Barnala district.

‘Yeh aatanki, Congress aur Maowadi sab mile hue hain’: BJP leader Harjeet Singh Grewal tells OpIndia

Meanwhile, OpIndia got in touch with BJP leader Harjeet Singh Grewal to get his take on the entire incident. The BJP leader informed that a group of 100-200 people who called themselves farmers, entered the field on Friday afternoon. “At first, they hurled abuses while going live on social media. They destroyed the paddy crops and openly threatened and abused PM Modi and myself”, said Grewal, adding that these people are not farmers but terrorists.

He said: “Yeh aatanki (terroists) kisan, Congress aur Maowadi (Maoist) sab mile hue hain”, roughly translated as “these terrorists (farmers) are hands in gloves with Congress and the Maoists.

‘Farmers’ have the backing of Punjab police, alleges BJP leader

The BJP leader alleged that these people are being able to carry out such felonious activities with impunity because of the backing of Punjab police. He mentioned how difficult it was for him to file a police complaint against these miscreants, as the Punjab police, working at the behest of the Congress government in the state, were reluctant to register a complaint against them. It was only due to the intervention of higher authorities, that the case could be registered.

Punjab police reluctant to register complaints against these ‘farmers’: BJP leader Harjeet Singh Grewal

Speaking on how the entire system is in cahoots with these criminals, who identify themselves as farmers, Grewal informed that it was not only his complaint the Punjab police is unwilling to register any case against them. They have a free hand and can get away by doing whatever they want. They are not farmers but some sort of extortionists. They are a disgrace to society.

When asked whether the incident was a retaliation to his pro-farm law opinions, Grewal opined that in a democracy, everyone has the right to protest, but peacefully, definitely not by resorting to violence like these miscreants have been doing.

According to reports, the BJP leader has filed a complaint with the DGP of Punjab and also apprised Home Minister Amit Shah about the incident, who, in turn, also had a word with the DGP. An FIR has also been lodged in Dhanaula police station against the culprits,” said Grewal.

The BJP leader has also told The Indian Express that the incident would not have any financial impact on him as he had already got an annual contract of this land. The poor farmer, Nachhatar Singh, who took the 1.5 acres of land on rent is the one at loss, said Grewal, adding that he has assured Nachhatar that he will compensate him for his loss as it was not his fault and he is just a poor farmer.

“The loss will be that of Nachhatar Singh because I had already got an annual contract of this land. I have a total of 17 acres of family land in different patches, out of which paddy was transplanted only in this patch. This land in question belongs to my brother, who is in the UK. I have promised Nachhatar to compensate him for his loss as it was not his fault and he is just a poor farmer,” Grewal was quoted by The Indian Express as saying.

How these ‘Farmers’ have carried out rampant violence in the name of protest

This is not the first such incident where these so-called farmers have resorted to violent means in the name of agitating against the farm laws. The scars of the January 26 insurgency, when so-called farmers opposing Centre’s three agriculture bills marched into Delhi from various sites to lay siege to the Red Fort, have remained with the people.

After this tragic incident too, these ‘farmers’ refused to relent. On June 12, OpIndia reported how these protesting ‘farmers’ announced that they will stage ‘Raj Bhavan gherao’ across the country on June 26.

These are, of course, a few, of the many such incidents which have been carried out by these criminals disguised as farmers. In fact, details had emerged revealing how the very people who had instigated JNU violence and the Anti-Hindu riots in Delhi early this year are now fanning the ‘farmer protests’ along the Haryana-Punjab border. Furthermore, the Greta toolkit had also exposed how the anti-farm law protests in India is nothing but a systematic and well-planned conspiracy to destabilise India and dismantle the Indian democracy.

Blind leading blind: Navjot Singh Sidhu has not paid electricity bill worth lacs while he gives lectures on solving power crisis in Punjab

OpIndia Staff
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Blind leading blind: Navjot Singh Sidhu has not paid electricity bill worth lacs while he gives lectures on solving power crisis in Punjab

In a classic case of the blind leading the blind, on Friday (July 2), Congress heavyweight leader Navjot Singh Sidhu offered solutions to tackle the power crisis in the State of Punjab. However, the plan backfired and Sidhu was instead called out for defaulting on his own electricity payments.

At the very onset, Navjot Singh Sidhu claimed that it was possible to supply uninterrupted electricity for 24 hours to the people of Punjab. He claimed, “There is No need for Power-Cuts in Punjab or for the Chief Minister to regulate office timings or AC use of the Common People…”

“If we Act in the right direction…Punjab is buying Power at an average cost of Rs. 4.54 per unit, National Average is Rs. 3.85 per unit & Chandigarh is paying Rs. 3.44 per unit.” He added that Punjab is over-dependent on 3 privately owned Thermal plants, which charged between ₹5 – ₹8 per unit,” he clarified.

Navjot Singh Sidhu had accused the previous Badal government of signing Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with 3 private Thermal power plants. He further alleged that the government had paid ₹5400 until 2020 and is expected to shell out an additional ₹65000 as fixed charges.

Sidhu noted, “Punjab can purchase power from National Grid at much cheaper rates, but these Badal-signed PPAs are acting against Punjab’s Public Interest. Punjab may not be able to re-negotiate these PPAs due to them having legal protection from Hon’ble Courts, But there is a way forward..”

In another tweet, the Congress leader urged the Punjab government to bring in a legislative measure retrospectively and cap purchase costs to protect the taxpayer’s money. “Punjab’s revenue per unit of consumption is one of the lowest in India, due to gross mismanagement of the complete power purchase & supply system … PSPCL pays Rs. 0.18 per unit “Extra” on every unit supplied, even after receiving over 9000 Crore in Subsidy from the State,” he emphasised.

He added, “Renewable Energy is becoming cheaper along with being environmental-friendly, But Punjab’s potential from Solar & BioMass Energy remains unutilised even though Central financial schemes can be availed for these projects. PEDA spends its time just on energy efficiency awareness…”

Navjot Singh Sidhu said, “Punjab already gives 9000 Crore Power Subsidy but Delhi gives only 1699 Crore as Power Subsidy. If Punjab copies Delhi Model, we will get merely 1600-2000 Crore as Subsidy. To better serve the People of Punjab – Punjab needs an Original Punjab Model, Not a copied Model.” He also said that the money spent on unreasonable Thermal plants must be used for providing power subsidy imnstead.

Doublespeak of Navjot Singh Sidhu

Despite talking in detail about the need to conserve energy, it has come to light that Navjot Singh Sidhu is yet to clear his dues of ₹8,67,540. Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL)’s websites showed that the last date for clearing the bills was July 2.

However, PSPCL officials have refused to comment on whether they intend to serve him a notice over his existing power bill. Reportedly, Navjot Singh Sidhu has not paid the electricity bill of his Amritsar home for three months.

Screengrab of the power bill of Navjot Singh Sidhu

“Normally, a connection is temporarily disconnected if the consumer fails to make the bill payment within a month. Following the pandemic, we have asked the consumers to pay in instalments. We will find out why the payment has not been made,” an official said when asked if the electric connection of Navjot Singh Sidhu was disconnected. While Navjot Singh Sidhu has been advocating to resolve the power crisis in the state, his lack of public accountability

Thrissur Mayor cribs about police officers not saluting him, police say ‘no standing order to salute mayor’: Read what happened

OpIndia Staff
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Thrissur Mayor cribs about police officers not saluting him, police say ‘no standing order to salute mayor’: Read what happened

In a bizarre incident, Thrissur Mayor VK Varghese has filed a complaint with the Kerala police chief saying police officials in the state disrespected him often by not offering the customary salute when he passes through the city in his official vehicle.

According to the reports, rebel Congress leader MK Varghese, who joined hands with the LDF to become Thrissur Mayor in December last year, has sent an official complaint to the state police chief alleging that Kerala police officers have not shown any respect to him or give him the customary salute despite him being a mayor.

In his letter, the Thrissur Mayor claimed that according to the state protocol, the mayor of the corporation is in the third position after the Governor and the Chief Minister and Mayor is considered the first citizen of the corporation he or she governs, he said.

Urging the Kerala DGP to look into the matter and do the needful, Varghese said that he was elected as the mayor of Thrissur Corporation only a few months back and added that he had been noticing this attitude of police officers for a long time now.

“They salute the ministers and even MLAs but not the mayor, who is actually above the other categories as per the protocol. Hence, I wrote to the police chief so that there would be a clarification on the matter,” said Varghese.

“When we go out in the field meeting people and ensuring that their needs are addressed, some police officers disrespect us by showing their back to us,” he added.

Meanwhile, the police officers have contended that they give salutes to people as per the standing order of the department and not protocol. The state police chief has directed Thrissur range DIG to inquire into the complaint and take necessary action.

Government includes retail and wholesale trade under MSMEs: Read how it will benefit 2.5 crore traders

OpIndia Staff
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Government includes retail and wholesale trade under MSMEs: Read how it will benefit 2.5 crore traders

The central government on Friday revised its guidelines on MSMEs, including retail and wholesale trade as Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Minister of MSME and Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari said. The landmark decision means that retail and wholesale trade will also now be able to avail benefits such as priority sector lending under RBI guidelines.

“Retail and wholesale trade were left out of the ambit of MSME. Under the revised guidelines, the Ministry of MSME has issued an order to include retail and wholesale trade as MSME and extending to them the benefit of priority sector lending,” said Nitin Gadkari, who also added that the inclusion would benefit 2.5 crore retail and wholesale traders, and they would now be able to register on the Udyam Registration Portal.

Retail and trade associations have welcomed the move announced by the central government, stating that it would provide access to traders to the much-needed capital that had been impacted severely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. After their inclusion, several measures announced for the MSME sector over the past year will now be applicable to retail and wholesale traders as well.

The decision comes at a time when the retail and wholesale business has taken a hit because of the coronavirus-induced lockdowns and restrictions, causing a severe liquidity crunch for the said businesses. A survey conducted by the Retailers Association of India (RAI) said the sector, which is dominated by small traders, witnessed a contraction of whooping 79 per cent in terms of monthly sales in May as compared to pre-COVID levels due to lockdown-like restrictions imposed by states to blunt the second wave of coronavirus pandemic.

Retail and Trade associations welcome government’s move to include retail and wholesale traders within the ambit of MSME

The CEO of RAI, Kumar Rajagopalan, said the move is a major fillip to small retailers across the country since this has been the specific ask of the industry since last year. “This monumental decision will have a structural impact for the sector, aiding it to get formalised by providing better finance opportunities for businesses that want to get structured. It will give retail MSMEs the support they need to survive, revive and thrive,” he added.

The Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT) also welcomed the move. Praveen Khandelwal, Secretary-General, CAIT, said the demand for MSME status was on for more than a year and will benefit crores of small businesses. “The Covid pandemic-affected traders will now be able to restore their businesses by obtaining finances from banks, which was earlier denied to them. This will prove to be a milestone step in reviving not only the economy but even the retail sector,” Khandelwal said.

CAIT said in a statement that with this decision traders will be able to avail requisite finances from the banks and financial institutions under Priority Sector Lending along with several other benefits of various other Government schemes currently available for MSMEs. Khandelwal further added that the longer-term benefit of the move is that it would provide retailers a benefit to get registered under MSME schemes, hence formalising more businesses.

The move would not only help small traders get loans from banks and financial institutions, but it would also make them eligible for several government schemes that were hitherto extended only to the MSME sector. A week ago, the Finance Ministry expanded the emergency credit line guarantee scheme (ECLGS) to ₹4.5-lakh crore, mainly for the MSME sector. Now, retail and wholesale traders can also tap into this credit line to give a boost to their businesses.

Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao announce divorce: Read what they said in their statement

OpIndia Staff
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Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao announce divorce: Read what they said in their statement

Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and his wife for 15 years, Kiran Rao, have released a statement announcing their divorce. In the statement, they said that they had been planning the separation for a long time and while they would go their separate ways, they would continue to be co-parent their son, Azad. The statement also said that they will continue to work together for, Paani Foundation.

Here is the text of their statement:

“In these 15 beautiful years together we have shared a lifetime of experiences, joy and laughter, and our relationship has only grown in trust, respect and love. Now we would like to begin a new chapter in our lives – no longer as husband and wife, but as co-parents and family for each other. We began a planned separation some time ago, and now feel comfortable to formalise this arrangement, of living separately yet sharing our lives the way an extended family does. We remain devoted parents to our son Azad, who we will nurture and raise together”.

The statement further read, “We will also continue to work as collaborators on films, Paani Foundation, and other projects that we feel passionate about. A big thank you to our families and friends for their constant support and understanding about this evolution in our relationship, and without whom we would not have been so secure in taking this leap. We request our well-wishers for good wishes and blessings and hope that – like us – you will see this divorce not as an end, but as the start of a new journey. Thanks and love, Kiran and Aamir.”

Read why controversial song-writer Javed Akhtar has approached the court to stop Kangana Ranaut’s passport renewal

OpIndia Staff
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Read why controversial song-writer Javed Akhtar has approached the court to stop Kangana Ranaut’s passport renewal

Controversial Bollywood songwriter Javed Akhtar continues to target four-time national award winner actress Kangana Ranaut and this time, he has filed an intervention application in the Bombay High Court claiming that the actress failed to disclose certain facts while seeking speedy renewal of her passport.

According to reports, Javed Akhtar, who is spending his free time fighting a legal battle against the national award-winning actress Kangana Ranaut, has filed yet another petition before the High Court claiming that she had presented misleading statements to the High Court to obtain a favourable order to get her passport renewed. 

Last month, Ranaut also filed an interim application, seeking the court to direct the regional passport authority to renew her passport as she intends to travel to Hungary for a film shoot. In her petition, Kangana Ranaut had alleged that the passport authority was delaying the renewal citing the criminal cases pending against her.

During a hearing on this application on June 28, Additional Solicitor General Anil Singh, appearing for the passport authority, had submitted before the High Court that Ranaut’s plea was vague and claimed that she had not clarified regarding the criminal proceedings that were pending against her.

However, the lawyers representing the actress had told the bench led by Justice SS Shinde that there were only two FIRs registered against the actor, but criminal proceedings in these FIRs had not started yet. Following the submissions, the Bombay HC had disposed of the petition after the passport authority gave an assurance that it would decide on her application expeditiously.

Javed Akhtar claims Kangana Ranaut did not mention the defamation case filed against her

A few days after Bombay High Court ruled in favour of Kangana Ranaut, Javed Akhtar filed an intervention application on Friday challenging Kangana Ranaut’s submissions to the Bombay HC.

In his intervention application, Akhtar said he had filed a criminal defamation complaint against Ranaut in November 2020 over her remarks about him during a TV interview, and criminal proceedings against her were pending.

In the plea, Javed Akhtar claimed that the response by Ranaut’s counsel was limited to criminal proceedings arising out of two FIRs and failed to mention about pending criminal defamation case against her filed by him. Hence Akhtar was required to be heard by HC, the petition argued.

The actor had failed to disclose this before the high court as she sought directions from the court, Akhtar claimed in his petition.

“In spite of knowledge of the criminal case (Akhtar’s complaint) pending before the magistrate’s court, Andheri, the petitioner no 1 (Ranaut) deliberately failed to disclose the same…With an intention to mislead and obtain a favourable order,” Akhtar’s application alleged.

Interestingly, the intervention petition by Javed Akhtar against Kangana Ranaut’s passport application comes just a few weeks after the actress had accused the Maha Vikas Aghadi government of deliberately delaying her passport renewal.

In an Instagram post, Kangana Ranaut, referring to the Maharashtra government as the “Mahavinashkari government”, had said that she was facing indirect harassment again for voicing her opinion against the Congress-Shiv Sena-NCP led Maharashtra government.

Javed Akhtar’s defamation case against Kangana Ranaut

Last year, Javed Akhtar had filed a defamation case against Kangana Ranaut, stating that the actress had made defamatory statements on national and international television “in what appears to be a clear campaign to malign and tarnish” his reputation.

The lyricist had claimed that the actress had defamed him during an interview in July 2020 following the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

Speaking to Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, Ranaut had alleged that after her controversy with actor Hrithik Roshan, Akhtar had called her to his house and asked her to apologise to Roshan, warning her that if she did not do so, she would have to commit suicide.

“Javed Akhtar called me to his house, he said if you do not say sorry to Hrithik Roshan you will commit suicide because they will put you in jail. They have found all the clues, all the evidence. They know the case is completely in their hands,” she said.

In another interview given to Republic TV, Ranaut stated that the likes of Javed Akhtar who pretend to be ‘atheists’, in reality, keep an eye on people within the industry to check whether they are pro-Islam or not. She added then that these people ‘filter’ Islam-friendly people in the industry and promote them.

Bharat Biotech releases Phase-3 trials data of Covaxin: Indian-made vaccine 77.8% effective against mild cases, 93% against severe cases

OpIndia Staff
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Bharat Biotech releases Phase-3 trials data of Covaxin: Indian-made vaccine 77.8% effective against mild cases, 93% against severe cases

On Saturday, Bharat Biotech announced the safety and efficacy analysis data from Phase-3 clinical trials of Covaxin – an indigenous vaccine developed to fight the deadly pandemic Covid-19.

Citing pre-print data from the country’s largest efficacy trial, Bharat Biotech revealed that the Indian-made Covaxin achieved an overall efficacy of 77.8% against symptomatic Covid-19 patients.

The Hyderabad-based biotech company elaborated on its findings from the efficacy analysis to state that Covaxin also demonstrated 93.4% effectiveness against severe symptomatic Covid-19 cases. In addition, Covaxin provides 65.2% protection against the B.1.617.2 or Delta strain, which caused the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

After the conclusion of its Phase-3 efficacy trial, Bharat Biotech said Covaxin provided safety and efficacy of 63.6% against asymptomatic Covid-19 patients. Phase-2 trials of a vaccine are conducted to assess the safety of a vaccine, while Phase-3 trials are conducted to assess the efficacy and effectiveness of a vaccine.

Here are the overall efficacy rates of Covaxin after Phase-3 trials as published by Bharat Biotech in its pre-print analysis:

  1. Asymptomatic cases: 63% efficacy
  2. Mild, moderate, and severe cases: 78% efficacy
  3. Severe Covid-19 cases: 93% efficacy
  4. Delta variant: 65% efficacy

The Covaxin Phase-3 analysis, published on the medRxiv pre-print server, was carried out across 25 hospitals in India as trial sites.

According to Hindustan Times, the final trials deployed a double-blind, randomised, multi-centre clinical trial, using a sponsor-supplied randomisation scheme where volunteers received two intramuscular doses of either the Covid-19 vaccine or a placebo in a span of four weeks. It consisted of 25,800 volunteers from the age group of 18 to 98 years, the report said.

Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin is one of three vaccines currently being inoculated to the Indian population, along with Serum Institute’s Covishield and Russian-made Sputnik V. Covaxin was granted approval for emergency use in the Indian population in January.

The publication of Phase-3 trial results by Bharat Biotech comes just days after it had received a massive endorsement from America’s top medical research agency.

America’s National Institute of Health says Covaxin effective against Delta variant

Earlier, the top medical research agency of the United States government had stated that India’s first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine effectively neutralises both the Alpha (B.1.1.7) and Delta (B.1.617) variants that caused the second wave of the Chinese pandemic across the country.

The National Institute of Health, the primary agency of the US government responsible for biomedical and public health research, had endorsed Covaxin, developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research, stating that the vaccine effectively neutralises both Alpha and Delta variants of coronavirus.

Following its latest results, the NIH said their analysis of blood serum from two people who had received Covaxin showed them that the vaccine generated antibodies that effectively neutralise the B.1.1.7 (Alpha) and B.1.617 (Delta) variants of Sars-CoV-2.

Twitter India fails to respond to Standing Committee for blocking the account of IT Minister RS Prasad, Shashi Tharoor

OpIndia Staff
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Twitter India fails to respond to Standing Committee for blocking the account of IT Minister RS Prasad, Shashi Tharoor

Twitter India has failed to respond to the notice sent by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information and Technology, reported News 18. The micro-blogging site was given a period of 48 hours to respond in writing about the locking of the accounts of Minister for IT Ravi Shankar Prasad and Congress leader Shashi Tharoor.

Twitter blocks Ravi Shankar Prasad

On June 25, the micro-blogging site Twitter again came under the scanner for blocking Union Minister of Law and Justice, Electronics and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad (RS Prasad) for allegedly violating the copyright act of the United States of America. The action against him was taken in connection to a video that he posted on Vijay Diwas in 2017 and had allegedly used copyrighted music ‘Maa Tujhe Salam.’

This information came to the fore after Twitter published the Lumen data where it showed clearly that it was based on this post that access to Ravi Shankar Prasad’s Twitter handle was blocked on June 25, 2021. The post by RS Prasad that used Maa Tujhe Salaam as the background music was flagged as a copyright violation by the International Federation of Phonographic Industry (IFPI) as can be seen from the ‘sender’ information on the DMCA notice. The post was reported by Sony Music Entertainment.

Parliamentary Committee pulls up Twitter

The Parliamentary Panel for IT headed by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor had directed the Secretariat to seek an explanation from Twitter in writing regarding the locking of the accounts of Minister for IT Ravi Shankar Prasad and Shashi Tharoor. Twitter was asked to submit an explanation within two days. In the absence of a satisfactory answer from Twitter, the Committee can summon an official from the company. 

Shashi Tharoor said, “As Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Information Technology, I can state that we will be seeking an explanation from @TwitterIndia for the locking of @rsprasad’s & my accounts & the rules & procedures they follow while operating in India.” Twitter has been going through a tough time since the passage of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021. Following its refusal to obey Indian laws, it has lost its intermediary status after which multiple FIRs have been filed against the platform.

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