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“Too much pressure on me, I can give one machine to each Khan Market friends”, Navneet Kalra’s purported audio clip goes viral

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“Too much pressure on me, I can give one machine to each Khan Market friends”, Navneet Kalra’s purported audio clip goes viral

Days after Delhi Police carried out raids on three restaurants and recovered 524 oxygen concentrators, the police have accessed an audio clip where businessman Navneet Kalra, the owner of all three restaurants, can allegedly be heard marketing and discussing the allotment of the oxygen concentrators.

According to the reports, the Delhi Police has recovered an audio clip in which Navneet Kalra is allegedly heard discussing the allotment of oxygen concentrators to his “friends” in the Khan Market area.

In the audio clip, Navneet Kalra can be heard saying that he has “too much pressure” on him and he cannot answer all the calls.

“I have 2 lakh calls to attend, so I won’t be able to answer each and everybody’s personal question. Which model is sent to you is detailed in the self-explanatory messages…I can give one machine [oxygen concentrator] per person to the people in Khan Market for their use,” Navneet Kalra is heard saying.

Further, Kalra in the audio says that if anyone needed a machine, then they have to block by 3 o clock. “I am out of machines, so I can’t allocate the machines to even Khan Market friends. So please share this message…I have too much pressure on me,” Navneet Kalra is heard saying.

Delhi Police raids Navneet Kalra’s restaurant in Khan Market

It is pertinent to note that Delhi Police on Friday had recovered 105 oxygen concentrators during the raids at two restaurants – Khan Chacha and Town Hall, situated in Lutyen Delhi’s Khan Market. On Thursday, Delhi Police had also recovered 419 oxygen concentrators from a restaurant-cum-bar in south Delhi’s Lodhi Colony area.

Navneet Kalra is the owner of all three restaurants. Following the raids, Kalra switched off his mobile phone and believed to have fled the city. It is important to note that Navneet Kalra was felicitated by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government in 2020. He was among the 48 personalities honoured as ‘Delhi ke Nirmata’ by the AAP government after returning to power.

According to the police, Kalra took orders for oxygen concentrators were taken via an online portal as well as through WhatsApp groups. The accused has been importing the oxygen concentrators since October last year. As demands for Oxygen concentrators increased in February this year, he imported more such machines and stored them at different restaurants.

The seized oxygen concentrators were imported from China by a company. The cost of one oxygen concentrator was between Rs 16,000 to Rs 22,000. However, the accused were selling the machines at exorbitant prices anywhere between Rs 50,000 to 70,000.

The Delhi Police had also arrested another person identified as Gourav Khanna in connection with hoarding of Oxygen concentrators at a popular restaurant Khan Chacha in the national capital.

The 47-year-old Gourav Khanna, the CEO of Matrix Cellular Services Ltd, was arrested in connection with the alleged black marketing of the Oxygen concentrators. Khanna’s companies were involved in importing the equipment, said Delhi Police. The Delhi Police had said that Matrix Cellular had received a consignment of 650 oxygen concentrators, of which 524 have been recovered.

Centre gives nod for experimental use of drones to deliver vaccines

OpIndia Staff
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Centre gives nod for experimental use of drones to deliver vaccines

From rails to road to air, the Government of India is leaving no stone unturned to expand its capacities to battle the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. In an innovative move, the Civil Aviation Ministry has given a nod to the Telangana government to use drones for experimental delivery of vaccines using drone flights.

Sharing the update via a Tweet, “MoCA grants conditional exemption from Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Rules, 2021 to Government of Telangana for conducting experimental Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone flights for delivery of vaccines,” informed the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

“This exemption will remain valid for a period of one year from the date of approval of the said SOPs or until further orders, whichever is earlier,” said the letter of approval.

Order letter by Ministry of Civil Aviation

In a press release from the office of Telangana IT and Industries Minister K. T. Rama Rao, the airspace in Vikarabad has been identified for the project and is currently being reviewed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. 

Informing about the commencement of the trials, the Union Ministry in another Tweet informed, “approval of the proposed airspace for trials is to be obtained from MHA. SOPs need to be approved by @DGCAIndia. Trials likely to commence by May end.”

Trial model and planning

Subject to clearances, the drone flight trials will be conducted with the Area Hospital in Vikarabad as the hub. The program which is said to be spread over 24 days will include four batches of selected firms performing sorties for six days each.

The release additionally stated that the payload would be vaccine cold storage boxes equipped with temperature sensors and data loggers to record the performance. 

The project, as per the official statement, aims at achieving dual objectives of faster vaccine delivery and limiting human exposure to COVID-19 prone areas.

Currently, one of the conditions for the trial remains the maximum permitted height for drone operations that is at not more than 400 feet Above Ground Level (AGL).

Project ‘Medicine from the Sky’

The initialization of supplying vaccines through drones will also mark the beginning of the ‘Medicine from the Sky’ project launched by Mr.Rama Rao in late 2019. An initiative of the Emerging Technologies Wing of the State IT Department in partnership with the World Economic Forum, the program invited participants for the study which included undertaking flights under the project in Vikarabad. 

Bengaluru Hospitals use drone

Last week four Bengaluru hospitals made use of drones to deliver vaccines and medicines within their campuses to improve the availability of drugs in Covid wards. The hospitals- Victoria, Vanivilas and Bowring government hospitals — and the Jagjivan Ram Nagar Referral Hospital deployed drones manufactured by Chennai- headquartered Garuda Aerospace.

‘India does not need lecture from anyone on vaccine supplies’: French Pres Macron expresses solidarity with PM Modi

OpIndia Staff
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‘India does not need lecture from anyone on vaccine supplies’: French Pres Macron expresses solidarity with PM Modi

As India fights the deadly pandemic Covid-19, France – one of the country’s trusted allies, has affirmed its faith in India’s leadership to tackle the Chinese coronavirus pandemic. Addressing the India-EU virtual summit, French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday expressed his solidarity with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the presence of 26 other EU leaders saying India did not need a “lecture from anyone” on vaccine supplies.

Amidst the massive propaganda unleashed by a section of foreign media to humiliate and shame India in international fora over its Covid-19 strategy, especially on the supply of vaccines, French President Macron asserted that India does not need to be ‘lectured from anyone’ on vaccine supplies. French President also highlighted India’s vaccine exports to several countries in the time of the pandemic. 

“India does not need to listen to lectures from anyone about vaccine supplies. India has exported a lot for humanity to many countries. We know what situation India is in,” the French President said. The virtual summit was attended by Germany’s Angela Merkel and the EU president Ursula von der Leyen and amongst leaders of the European nations.

Condemning first world countries for blocking vaccines to other countries, President Emmanuel Macron said that the immediate priority of the developed countries should be to first donate more doses to poor countries.

“Evidently, we must turn this vaccine into a global public good,” President Macron said. He also added that the European Union was leading the way in vaccine donations and called for the United States and Britain to share more.

Vaccine Maitri initiative by India

Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, India had yet again come to the world’s aid by successfully supplying vaccines to its neighbouring and other developing countries at an extremely affordable cost, besides giving away millions of doses to friendly nations for free. At a time when Covid-19 wreaked havoc across the world, India exported indigenous vaccines to as many as 95 countries under its ‘Vaccine Maitri’ initiative.

More than 67 million COVID-19 jabs have been exported to countries worldwide, including Iran, Uganda, Ukraine, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Brazil, amongst others since India began manufacturing the vaccines. However, the export of vaccines to other countries has been currently stopped as domestic requirements have increased.

Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath gets on the ground to boost people’s confidence in fight against coronavirus pandemic

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath gets on the ground to boost people’s confidence in fight against coronavirus pandemic

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday visited homes of people in Muradabad and asked them if they are doing well amid the Chinese coronavirus pandemic.

As per reports, he first visited the COVID command centre and then went on to meet the people in Manoharpur village. He asked people if they are getting required medicines and they are taking precautionary measures to fight coronavirus.

He also visited Bareilly where he instructed the administration to be prepared for a third wave of the pandemic. He instructed the officers to ensure that the beds and oxygen supply is increased. He said that the third wave of the pandemic could be a reality and hence they should not let their guards down. The UP CM also added that the state government and the central government are working together to deal with the second wave of coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking to media, Yogi Adityanath informed that in past eight days, over 65,000 active coronavirus cases have been reduced in the state.

On Saturday, UP recorded 26,636 new cases and 34,721 recoveries. The active cases in the state currently stand at 2,45,736.

Iran: 20 year old youth Alireza Fazeli Monfared beheaded by half brother, cousins for being gay

OpIndia Staff
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Iran: 20 year old youth Alireza Fazeli Monfared beheaded by half brother, cousins for being gay

Alireza Fazeli Monfared, a 20 year old Iranian youth, was murdered by his brother and cousins due to his sexual orientation. He was homosexual and his murdered is believed to be due to an act of honour killing.

According to reports, he was murdered three male members of his family opened a letter from the country’s conscription service which stated that he had been exempted from the two-year compulsory military service because of “moral and sexual depravities such as transsexualism”.

According to reports, Monfared’s partner has revealed that he was murdered by his half-brother and two others. “Alireza’s killing as a result of his sexual orientation being stated on his military service [exemption] card has once again provided proof for our warning several years ago about the risks caused by the military service exemption process for gay Iranian men and underlines the need for legislation to prevent these safety risks,” activist group 6rang said in a statement.

The murderers phoned the mother of Alireza Fazeli Monfared and told her where to find the beheaded body of her son. She has reportedly been hospitalised with shock.

The Iran International report stated further, “6Rang also wrote that it had warned earlier that the laws allow the law enforcement, judiciary, employers and educational authorities “to identify gay men with only once glance at the military service exemption card,” thereby depriving those “diagnosed” with such “depravities” from employment in government organizations and the private sector.”

His partner said that they were planning to move to Turkey to seek asylum in Europe. The three accused have reportedly been arrested. According to the report, the Persian website of the BBC had reported on May 7th that Monfared was in imminent danger from his family. LGBT are persecuted in Islamic countries, often by law, due to religious sanction against same sex relationships.

Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan transfers ₹1500 crore to 75 lakh farmers under Mukhyamantri Kisan Kalyan Yojana

OpIndia Staff
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Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan transfers ₹1500 crore to 75 lakh farmers under Mukhyamantri Kisan Kalyan Yojana

On Friday (May 7), the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh transferred ₹1500 crore to the bank accounts of 75 lakh farmers in the State. The amount was disbursed under the Mukhyamantri Kisan Kalyan Yojana.

As per reports, Singh informed that there are 78 lakh farmers in Madhya Pradesh. He added that only around 24 lakh farmers among them can benefit from the Minimum Support Price scheme. Madhya Pradesh CM emphasised that under the Pradhan Mantri Yojana, farmers with half an acre of land will receive ₹6000 per annum from the Union government. He added that about 77 lakh farmers have received ₹8,465 crores so far.

The government has procured more than 1 lakh metric tonnes of gram and 80 lac metric tonnes of wheat from the farmers. The Madhya Pradesh government has also extended the last date of procurement of food grains from May 5 to May 25. The date for the Indore division has been extended only up to May 15. The last date for loan repayment for the farmers of the State have also been extended.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan addresses farmer organisations, seeks support to fight pandemic

Shivraj Singh Chouhan also addressed farmers and farmer organisations via video conferencing and reiterated that the government is farmer-friendly and will procure every crop from them. He had also urged the farmers to support the government in the fight against the Coronavirus pandemic. The Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister was also joined by Agriculture Development Minister Kamal Patel during the virtual address.

Hindustani Bhau detained by Mumbai police for protest demanding cancellation of 12th exams, had used an ambulance to reach Shivaji Park

OpIndia Staff
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Hindustani Bhau detained by Mumbai police for protest demanding cancellation of 12th exams, had used an ambulance to reach Shivaji Park

On Saturday (May 8), controversial Youtuber and former Big Boss contestant ‘Hindustani Bhau’ aka Vikas Fhatak was detained by the Shivaji Park police for violating Coronavirus protocols in pursuit of his scheduled protest.

Hindustani Bhau had announced on Twitter on Wednesday (May 6) that he would launch a protest if the Uddhav Thackeray-led-Maharashtra government did not cancel exams for students. The Youtuber had said, “Your Hindustani Bhau will launch a demonstration for students and their family members. At 12:30pm on Saturday, I will raise my voice for the students of India at the Shivaji Park in Dadar.”

He further added, “I will continue with my protests until exams are cancelled or the students receive a concession for their fees.” To ensure that his plan succeeds, Hindustani Bhau decided to travel to Shivaji Park by ambulance. Due to the ongoing lockdown in Maharashtra, vehicular movement is highly restricted in the state. Individuals are permitted to travel in public only in case of emergencies. In a bid to avoid vehicle checks by the police, the Youtuber had arranged for an ambulance.

Screengrab of the tweet by Hindustani Bhau

It must be mentioned that ambulances are not stopped by the police, given that it falls under the category of emergency service. On learning that Hindustani Bhau reached Shivaji park, a local police team immediately rushed to the scene and detained him. Interestingly, a group of 15 reporters was already at the spot even before the police arrived.

While speaking about the matter, DCP (Zone 5) Pranaya Ashok emphasised, “Yes. It’s a gross publicity stunt with misuse of a vital medical facility. He has been detained. An FIR is being registered. He is likely to be arrested.”

Before the arrival of police, Vikas Fhatak told the reports that he is demanding the cancellation of the 12th exams, and the fees for students should be waived off. ‘Hold the exams after this Covid pandemic is over, do not play with the life of the children,’ he kept saying even as police took him from the spot and made him sit in a police vehicle.

Hindustani Bhau shot to fame for making roast videos of politicians, celebrities and Pakistanis. Due to the abusive nature of his content, his account was terminated by Youtube.

Imran Khan arrested in Amethi after playing ‘Imran aaya, naya Pakistan laaya’ song during victory procession

OpIndia Staff
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Imran Khan arrested in Amethi after playing ‘Imran aaya, naya Pakistan laaya’ song during victory procession

A newly elected Gram Pradhan in Amethi, Uttar Pradesh and his supporters have been arrested after pro-Pakistan songs were played during his bike rally which was part of his victory procession. Accused Imran Khan was elected from Mangra village in Ramganj area of Amethi.

The lyrics of the song went ‘Dekho Imran Khan aaya, naya Pakistan laaya’ (Look Imran Khan has come, he has brought new Pakistan with him). A video of the song being played had subsequently gone viral on the internet. An FIR was registered on the 6th of May and arrests were made on Friday.

Imran Khan also violated the Election Commission’s order barring victory processions in the wake of the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. Aides Zabir Rehman, Maqsud, Ishtikhar, Aleem, and Shahrukh Khan were also arrested along with the Gram Pradhan.

Circle Officer, Amethi, confirmed that the bike rally had indeed taken place. “The footage from the CCTV cameras installed on the procession’s route also confirmed that the bike rally was taken out by the winning pradhan,” he said.

According to a TOI, the accused have been booked under sections related to speaking and circulating words against national integration (153-B) of the IPC, the Epidemic Act, and negligent act likely to spread disease, apart from illegal payments in election. 50 unnamed individuals have also been booked in the matter.

Supreme Court forms National Task Force to streamline oxygen allocation, orders audit of oxygen supplied to states to ensure accountability

OpIndia Staff
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Supreme Court forms National Task Force to streamline oxygen allocation, orders audit of oxygen supplied to states to ensure accountability

Amidst the rising demand for oxygen from several states due to rising Covid-19 cases, the Supreme Court of India has set up a National Task Force to streamline medical oxygen allocation across the country on a “scientific, rational and equitable basis”.

A bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud, in its order, constituted a 12 member National Task Force (NTF) on Friday to assess, recommend the need and distribution of oxygen for the entire country. The court said that the NTF which has medical experts and doctors from across the country as its members will have the Cabinet Secretary to the central government as its convenor.

While constituting the Task Force, the court specified that the purpose of it would be to assess and make recommendations to the central government. The allocation of medical oxygen would, however, remain with the central government, said the court. It may be noted that the central govt had agreed to the formation of the task force during the hearing in the matter.

The names included in the Task Force are:

  • Dr Bhabatosh Biswas, Former Vice-Chancellor, West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Kolkata
  • Dr Devender Singh Rana, Chairperson, Board of Management, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi
  • Dr Devi Prasad Shetty, Chairperson and Executive Director, Narayana Healthcare, Bengaluru
  • Dr Gagandeep Kang, Professor, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu
  • Dr JV Peter, Director, Christian Medical College, Vellore, Tamil Nadu
  • Dr Naresh Trehan, Chairperson and Managing Director, Medanta Hospital and Heart Institute, Gurugram
  • Dr Rahul Pandit, Director, Critical Care Medicine and ICU, Fortis Hospital, Mulund (Mumbai, Maharashtra) and Kalyan (Maharashtra)
  • Dr Saumitra Rawat, Chairman & Head, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and Liver Transplant, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital
  • Dr Shiv Kumar Sarin, Senior Professor and Head of Department of Hepatology, Director, Institute of Liver and Biliary Science (ILBS), Delhi
  • Dr Zarir F Udwadia, Consultant Chest Physician, Hinduja Hospital, Breach Candy Hospital and Parsee General Hospital, Mumbai
  • Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India (ex officio member)
  • The Convenor of the National Task Force, who shall also be a member, will be the Cabinet Secretary to the Centre

The court informed that the Union Government had suggested possible names to be included in the Task Force.

While passing the order, the apex court bench comprising of Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah specified that NTF would be entrusted with addressing issues relating to streamlining medical oxygen allocation to different various states. It would derive methodologies for the allocation of medical oxygen to the States and UTs on a scientific and equitable basis.

Further, NTF would review and suggests measures to ensure the availability of essential and crucial medicines. Additionally, it would work out corrective measures to ensure better preparedness for future emergencies and also facilitate audits to determine whether the supplies allocated by the central government reach the concerned state to Union territory, said the court.

Supreme Court orders audit of oxygen supply to states

Another significant decision of the Supreme Court in the matter was audit of oxygen supplies to various states and union territories. During the hearing, the union govt had said that an audit of the oxygen use by the states is needed as the demand by several states are not realistic. The Delhi govt had opposed this proposal.

But the Supreme Court agreed with the centre and said that the Task Force will facilitate audits by sub-groups within each State and UT to determine whether they are receiving oxygen allotted by the centre, efficacy of the oxygen distribution networks, effectiveness and transparency of the supply, and accountability in regard to the utilisation oxygen supplied to the states.

The apex court said that the Task Force will constitute sub-groups/committees for such oxygen audit comprising one state govt official, one central govt official, two doctors, and A representative from the Petroleum and Explosives Safety Organisation (PESO). For Delhi, the court said that the sub-committee will consist of AIIMS Delhi director, Dr Randeep Guleria, Max Healthcare director Dr Sandeep Budhiraja, and one IAS officers each from the central and state govt.

The Court made it clear that the purpose of conducting audits is not to scrutinise the decisions made in good faith by doctors while treating their patients. The court said, “the purpose of conducting audits is to ensure accountability in respect of the supplies of oxygen provided to every State/UT. The purpose is to ensure that the supplies which have been allocated are reaching their destination; that they are being made available through the distribution network to the hospitals or, as the case may be, the end-users efficiently and on a transparent basis; and to identify bottlenecks or issues in regard to the utilization of oxygen.”

Supreme Court explains rationale behind formation of the Task Force

Explaining the logic behind its decision to set up the task force, the two-judge bench said: “The rationale for constituting a Task Force at a national level is to facilitate public health response to the pandemic based on scientific and specialised domain knowledge. We expect leading experts in the country shall associate with the Task Force, as members and resource persons,” the court said.

“This will facilitate a meeting of minds and the formulation of scientific strategies to deal with an unprecedented human crisis,” the court added in its final order, asking the Union and state governments, ministries, agencies and departments to “provide complete and real-time data for facilitating the work of the task force”.

Task Force would only have advisory powers

The court in its order cleared that the NFT would, however, have only advisory powers. The court said that based on the Task Force’s recommendations, the union government would take appropriate decision in regard to the allocation of oxygen and all other recommendations. It said that the Task Force shall also share its suggestions from time to time with the apex court.

Saying so, the court requested the Task Force to commence work immediately. The SC recommended that initially, the tenure of this Task Force would be six months and asked the central government to provide all necessary assistance to it.

The apex court concluded that the proceedings of the Task Force should be listed before it on May 17, 2021.

Call girl from Thailand passes away in Lucknow due to Covid-19, had come to India recently with help from agent Salman

OpIndia Staff
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Call girl from Thailand passes away in Lucknow due to Covid-19, had come to India recently with help from agent Salman

A call girl from Thailand has passed away in Lucknow at the Lohia Hospital due to Covid-19. The call girl was brought to India by the son of a businessman after having spent Rs. 7 lakhs for the same. She fell sick two days after arriving in India, as per reports, and passed away on the 3rd of May.

The Police contacted the Thailand Embassy to hand over the dead body to her family. However, after nobody came forward to claim the body, her last rites were performed in the presence of the agent who helped her come to India. The agent has been identified as one Salman, according to reports.

The Police has already initiated an investigation into the international sex racket in the city. They are also investigating who came in contact with her. According to the Police, she was in contact with a travel agent from Rajasthan. It was the travel agent that sent her to Lucknow.

The son of the businessman had himself contacted the Thailand Embassy and informed them of the situation when she fell sick. Following the call, the Thailand Embassy with help from India’s External Affairs Ministry admitted her to the hospital.

Uttar Pradesh has been hit hard by the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic. The state currently has 2,54,118 active cases of Covid-19.

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