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The facts about Ernakulam ‘war room’ for COVID control and how the ‘Kerala govt’ manages it

Venkat Goli
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The facts about Ernakulam ‘war room’ for COVID control and how the ‘Kerala govt’ manages it

In a recent twitter post, Arvind Jha, who currently serves as a Senior Vice President for Software Development in Newgen Software and a prominent supporter of the Aam Aadmi Party in New Delhi and the Rashtriya Janata Dal in Bihar tweeted extolling the way in which Kerala was managing the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Jha in a tweet on May 5th stated, “How Ernakulam, Kerala manages its “war” room. No need for desperate heroics’’ that contained a video of a control room with a voiceover explaining what was being achieved.

This was further retweeted and amplified by other verified handles who alluded to the fact that it was an initiative of the Government of Kerala.

Others were ostensibly taking a dig at the Prime Minister’s Mantra of “Maximum Governance” and asking the Prime Minister to emulate it.

The irony of this tweet is that Mr. Jha was actually tweeting about the Integrated Command and Control Centre that was fully funded by the Government of India as a part of the Smart City Mission. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) had conceived of 100 smart cities to drive economic growth and improve the quality of life of people by enabling local area development and harnessing technology, especially technology that leads to Smart outcomes. 

Individual cities could prioritise the interventions based on their needs. The Cochin Smart Mission Limited (CSML) is one such Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) set up to implement smart city projects in Cochin under Smart City Mission (SCM).

One of the tenders released in 2018 by CSML was for the establishment of Integrated Command, Control and Communication Centre (IC4). The IC4 was envisaged to act as the brain of the smart city, which gathers all the information of smart solutions of different departments of the city using ICT (Information and communication technology) and is analyzed for better planning of the city. It has Business Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence (AI) engine which will process all the information and generate insights. These insights will be helpful in managing incidents across the city and do a better planning for the development. It also plays the role of decision support system. 

The project was awarded for a cost of approximately 75 crores and this included Cloud infrastructure for hosting, Civil Work, Safety Instrumentation and Furniture (at CCR), the Video walls, workstations and other productivity tools, communication software and smart city solutions, GIS software and integrations with existing.

Several of the smart cities have gone live and have started to be deployed for planning and administration by various. The idea of such a Command and Control Centre while improving efficiencies during normal times have come as a real boon in the pandemic times.  In Early April, CM of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath visited the Lucknow Command and Control Center to see how it was being used by the city administration. YouTube link below:

Uttar Pradesh: Yogi govt to set up oxygen plants in 37 districts, GOI approves

OpIndia Staff
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Uttar Pradesh: Yogi govt to set up oxygen plants in 37 districts, GOI approves

With India’s capacity to produce medical oxygen increased by 300%, the Government of India is taking steady steps to increase the capacity further and mitigate any shortage of demand.

For the same, the Centre has given a nod to the state of Uttar Pradesh government for setting up new oxygen plants in 37 districts. Post-approval, the Yogi Adityanath government has directed its officials to start preparations for setting up these plants at the earliest.

With 743 tonnes of oxygen being made available, efforts are on to take it up to 800 tonnes per day, said Uttar Pradesh CM Adityanath.

“We are working to improve the availability of oxygen. Seven institutes like IIT-Kanpur, BHU, IIM-Lucknow, AKTU, MMTU Gorakhpur and Moti Lal Nehru Regional Engineering College Prayagraj, have been asked to carry out an oxygen audit in districts,” he added.

“They will look at the demand and supply in each district, number of beds available in all the hospitals, oxygen supplied etc. This will help us gauge the exact demand in the state and where we need to focus the resources,” the CM informed.

Enhancing infrastructural capabilities

The CM also informed that the Railways and the Air Force have been assisting the state by airlifting empty oxygen tankers and the Oxygen Express bringing them back after refills. 

A government spokesperson apprised of the arrangements made and informed that 4,370 oxygen concentrators have been made available to all districts with each community health centre being equipped with 20 concentrators.

Growth in medical oxygen production capacity

The excess demand for medical oxygen was unprecedented as even during the peak of the first COVID-19 wave in India, maximum demand was not more than 3,000 tonnes a day.

To bridge the gap, India’s corporate giants have pitched in to help increase the production capacity with the Reliance Group, Tata Steels, Jindal and AMNS producing medical oxygen and offering additional infrastructure to support the same.

The Government of India, in fag end of April gave in-principle approval for allocating funds to install 551 dedicated Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) Medical Oxygen Generation Plants and procuring 1 lakh oxygen concentrators for supply to high-burden states across the nation from the PM Cares Fund. 

As of date, medical oxygen availability has increased to 9,200 tonnes a day and attempts are being made to increase it further. 

Union Home Ministry forms four-member fact-finding team to probe post-election violence in West Bengal

OpIndia Staff
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Union Home Ministry forms four-member fact-finding team to probe post-election violence in West Bengal

Since the day Mamata Banerjee led Trinamool Congress Party regained power, the state of West Bengal has been marred with bloody violence by TMC workers. The goons have brutally assaulted political opponents, especially that of BJP and the communist parties. The central govt had asked the state govt to send a report on the ongoing violence, but as the state govt failed to that, now a four-member fact-finding central team has been sent to West Bengal by the Union Home Ministry of India to study the situation.

The team, which would be led by the additional secretary of the ministry, would have to assess the ground situation in the state and submit its report on post poll violence in the next 48-72 hours to the Union Home Ministry.

Centre repeatedly asks West Bengal Govt to submit report on post-poll violence, latter remains nonchalant

On Wednesday, the central government had sent a curt reminder to the Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal to submit a detailed report on the post-poll violence. It had also ordered the state govt to take necessary measures to stop such incidents “without any loss of time”.

The Ministry had on May 3 written a similar letter to the State government and sought a report. 

Despite repeated reminders from MHA, the Mamata Banerjee government did not respond until May 5, forcing the centre to depute a team that would now monitor the grim situation in Bengal.

Multiple reports of brutal killings, arson, loot, rape and vandalism have come forth from different parts of the state since May 2, when Trinamool Congress rose back to power for the third consecutive term in the state. As a result of the violence, hundreds of BJP workers and their families have crossed over to Assam from the Cooch Behar district in north Bengal, where they are being housed in several camps.

Concerned over these incidents which claimed several lives and left many injured, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also called Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday and enquired about the ‘alarming situation’ in the state. 

Prior to that, the West Bengal Governor had also summoned top bureaucrats in the state and asked them to submit an urgent report on the same.

TMC leadership waters down post-poll violence

Amid all this, TMC’s top leadership has not only blamed the victims but also brazened out the violence that was by and largely perpetrated by attackers from the Trinamool Congress Party.

Netizen who was hounded by the Uddhav Thackeray govt gets victory as Bombay HC quashes FIR against her

OpIndia Staff
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Netizen who was hounded by the Uddhav Thackeray govt gets victory as Bombay HC quashes FIR against her

On Wednesday, the Bombay High Court quashed the First Information Report (FIR) registered against activist and Twitter user Sunaina Holey by the Mumbai Police over her tweet over allegations that it promoted enmity between two communities.

A bench comprising Justice SS Shinde and Justice MS Karnik of the Bombay High Court, providing relief to Holey, observed that her tweet did not name any communities and it has to be judged from the perspective of a prudent man. The Maharashtra government had booked Sunaina Holey for her tweet on the mass congregation of migrant workers outside the Bandra station amidst the Covid-19 induced nationwide lockdown in April 2020.

Granting relief to Holey, the Court observed, “Neither community nor religion is named. If test of strong or prudent person is applied said tweet cannot be said to have created hatred between community or show the petitioner has mens rea”.

In a huge embarrassment for the Mumbai Police, the Bombay High Court said that the contents of the FIR do not constitute an offence. “After careful and in-depth consideration, we deem it fit to quash FIR,” the High Court observed.

Earlier, Holey had approached the Bombay High Court with three petitions seeking to quash three FIRs filed against her.

Maharashtra government’s witch hunt against Sunaina Holey

The Mumbai Police had registered an FIR against Holey on April 15, 2020, at the Azad Maidan Police Station under section 153A for allegedly promoting enmity between different groups. In addition to the FIR filed against Holey over her tweets, the Maharashtra government had also filed two more FIRs against her in connection with her tweets against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and State Cabinet Minister Aaditya Thackeray.

The Maharashtra government seems to have shown an unhealthy and eager alacrity to prosecute those who have dared to voice opinions that are at variance with the views held by the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state. Continuing to carry out a witch hunt against critics, Maharashtra Police had arrested Sunaina Holey for posting tweets against CM Uddhav Thackeray and Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray.

Holey was booked under Sections 153A, 505(2) and 500 of IPC in three different FIRs relating to three tweets posted by her. She was arrested in August last year. However, she was later released on bail in one of the cases registered against her by the police at Bandra Kurla Complex cyber crime department.

Wrestler murder case: Police looking for olympian Sushil Kumar as accused. What we know so far

OpIndia Staff
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Wrestler murder case: Police looking for olympian Sushil Kumar as accused. What we know so far

On May 4, an incident of a brawl among some wrestlers was reported at Chhatrasal Stadium in Delhi. As per reports, some wrestlers were injured and admitted to the hospital for treatment. According to the latest reports, one of the wrestlers has died in the hospital. Olympian Sushil Kumar has been named as one of the accused in the case.

Delhi Police has formed teams to trace wrestler Sushil Kumar after he was found to be missing from his residence. The Delhi Police have registered a case under Sections 302, 365, 120B of the Indian Penal Code. So far, Police had arrested one of the accused, identified as 24-years-old Prince Dalal.

The incident at Chhatrasal Stadium

On May 4, a quarrel took place between Sushil Kumar, Ajay, Sonu, Sagar, Prince, and others in the parking area of the stadium. The police report suggests that Sagar was staying in a house linked to Sushil in the Model Town area. Sushil had asked him to vacate the premises, but Sagar continued to stay there with his friends, which is believed to be the reason behind the fight between the two groups.

According to Police FIR, calls were made from Chhatrasal stadium at around 2 AM about a firing incident. The caller had claimed that he spotted two men with pistols firing at others. By the time Police reached the spot, there were five cars parked in the parking area, but there was no one inside. When Police inquired, they came to know that a PCR vehicle had come there earlier and rushed the inured to BJRM Hospital. Sagar succumbed to his injuries at the hospital while Amit and Sonu are undergoing treatment.

Several teams formed to trace Sushil Kumar

Guriqbal Singh Sidhu, the Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police – 1, North West Delhi, said that several teams had been formed to trace out alleged persons, including Sushil Kumar. “We’re probing the role of Sushil Kumar as allegations have been made against him, we sent our team to his house, but he was not found,” he added.

Sidhu said that they had found one double-barrel loaded gun with five live cartridges in one Scorpio, and two wooden sticks were also recovered from the spot. “All the five vehicles and weapons of offense were seized. The crime scene was further inspected by forensic experts of FSL, Rohini,” he said.

They were not our wrestlers, claimed Sushil Kumar

After the incident, Sushil Kumar had told news agency ANI that the group that got into a fight with them was not their wrestlers. “We have informed police officials that some unknown people jump into our premises and fought. No connection of our stadium with this incident,” he said.

Sonu was a close aide of a gangster

According to a report published in The Indian Express, Sonu Mahal, one of the injured in the incident, is a close associate of a gangster named Kala Jathedi. He was also arrested in a robbery and murder case. On the other hand, Sagar was the son of a head constable with the Delhi Police. He had competed in the 97-kg Greco-Roman category. He was a former junior national champion and part of the senior national camp.

Sushil Kumar’s career as a wrestler

In 2008, Sushil Kumar became the second Indian to win an Olympic medal after winning bronze in Beijing Olympics. He won a silver medal in London Games. He could not take part in Rio Olympics after a fallout with the federation over selection issues.

West Bengal: Another BJP worker murdered, TMC goons ransack BJP candidate’s house in Jadavpur

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Another BJP worker murdered, TMC goons ransack BJP candidate’s house in Jadavpur

The situation in West Bengal remained tense as political violence against the BJP party workers continued unabated on Wednesday. In yet another incident of political killings, a BJP worker named Arup Ruidas was killed and hanged from a tree in Bankura district.

According to the reports, Arup Ruidas, who was a booth agent from Indus Assembly of West Bengal has been murdered by TMC workers.

In another incident, bombs were hurled at the residence of a BJP worker in the Kankinara area of Bhatpara on Wednesday. Raj Biswas, a BJP worker, said three people hurled bombs at his home.

In another incident, TMC party workers allegedly attacked Jadavpur BJP candidate Rinku Naskar’s house. The TMC goons reportedly entered the house of the BJP candidate to vandalize following her defeat in the elections.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, BJP president JP Nadda said that at least 14 BJP workers have been killed during the post-election violence that erupted following the victory of Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress in West Bengal. On Wednesday, Nandigram MLA and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari said that over one lakh people have already fled Bengal since the post-poll violence erupted in West Bengal.

In recently concluded polls, TMC won 213 out of 292 seats while BJP won 77 seats. Following the election victory, the Trinamool workers have been unleashing rampant violence against their political opponents, including BJP workers and those of CPM and even Congress. Several BJP karyakartas are said to have been killed brutally in the apparent victory celebration by the TMC. In a gruesome incident, BJP’s Avijit Sarkar was lynched to death along with his pet puppies allegedly by the TMC’s bloodthirsty cadre. 

Rajasthan: Asaram Bapu, convicted in rape of a minor girl, admitted in ICU for COVID treatment as oxygen levels drop

Akshita Bhadauria
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Rajasthan: Asaram Bapu, convicted in rape of a minor girl, admitted in ICU for COVID treatment as oxygen levels drop

Self-styled spiritual leader who is currently serving his time in Jodhpur jail has tested positive for COVID-19. After complaining of uneasiness and breathlessness, he has been shifted to the emergency ward of Mahatma Gandhi Hospital for treatment.

The 84-year-old who tested COVID-19 positive on Wednesday was rushed to the hospital after his SPO2 levels dropped below 90%. 

Allegedly a large number of his supporters rushed to the hospital where he is being treated. Police forces have been deployed outside the hospital to control the mob. 

Reports suggest that Asaram’s health has been deteriorating and was admitted to the hospital in February as well.

Arrested on charges of rape

Asaram was arrested in 2013 on charges of raping a minor. He has also been accused of murder. In April 2018, he was convicted of rape. He has been accused of rape of a 16-year-old girl at his ashram in Manai village in Jodhpur. The girl, who hails from Shahjahanpur in UP had accused that Asaram had called her to his premises and raped her on the night of August 15, 2013.

Asaram is also accused on other rape charges against him filed by two sisters in Gujrat separately. His son Narayan Sai is also accused of rape and illegal confinement in the cases. Over the years, many witnesses and key persons related to Asaram’s case have been reportedly attacked and some have gone missing.

COVID situation in Rajasthan

The state of Rajasthan on Wednesday recorded 16,815 new coronavirus cases and 17,022 recoveries. 

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan government is asking for funds from social workers, public representatives, donors and other sections of the society to carry out free vaccination of people above 18 years of age. 

Approval has been given for a new bank account- Raj CMRF COVID VACCINATION ACCOUNT–for this purpose.

Claiming that the funds will be used for free immunisation, the CM urged the contributors to transfer the support amount by cash, cheque or electronically. 

Tamil Nadu: 13 patients die at Chengalpattu govt hospital in one night, oxygen shortage alleged

OpIndia Staff
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Tamil Nadu: 13 patients die at Chengalpattu govt hospital in one night, oxygen shortage alleged

As many as 13 people lost their lives on Tuesday night at the Chengalpattu Government Medical College Hospital in Tamil Nadu, allegedly due to the shortage of oxygen.

According to the reports, 13 patients, aged between 40 to 85, died in quick succession due to the shortage of oxygen at the Chengalpattu Government Medical College Hospital. The sudden death of Covid-19 patients in the DMK-ruled Tamil Nadu has triggered panic among the people in the state. The relatives of the deceased have alleged that a shortage of oxygen had led to the deaths.

However, the hospital authorities have contended that the deaths were not due to a shortfall of lifesaving medical oxygen. Chengalpattu district collector A John Louis denied reports that the deaths were due to oxygen shortage.

“Owing to the increase in the number of infected patients, the GH had to provide 4.5 kl oxygen to the patients yesterday alone as against the daily intake of 2.9 kl. The hospital had adequate (oxygen) stock…Yesterday they had 1.4 kl in the morning, and by evening 5 kl oxygen was refilled. The district administration responded to the request for refill by managing to divert the supplies from three hospitals besides from the government godown,” Louis said.

The hospital has stated that while one patient was Covid positive, the rest of the deceased persons had tested negative, but had other co-morbidities including pneumonia. Some media reports, however, claim that all were Covid patients.

Doctors protests against Oxygen, staff shortage

Meanwhile, doctors of the hospital protested against the state government on Wednesday, demanding more oxygen, more staff. The doctors alleged that healthcare workers were being diverted from their hospital to other areas. Several videos of the hospital have gone viral on social media platforms. In one such video, a woman was seen crying following the death of her husband.

The doctors who participated in the protest said the hospital has been facing oxygen shortage despite having 23 KL capacity tanks. As Covid-19 patients are getting admitted in large numbers, there has been a shortage in oxygen at the hospital for more than a week, the protesting doctor said.

The oxygen stored at the hospital was available for only a few hours on Tuesday noon. Even though the cylinders were immediately used for providing oxygen to the patients, five COVID-19 patients had died by Tuesday evening.

Reportedly, a total of 447 patients are currently admitted at the Chengalpattu government hospital for treatment, out of which 256 are Covid-19 patients. Nearly 191 are suspected to be infected with the virus.

Punjab: Farmer unions to take to streets, open up closed shops to ‘protest’ against lockdown announced to control COVID crisis

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Farmer unions to take to streets, open up closed shops to ‘protest’ against lockdown announced to control COVID crisis

On May 5, Farmer Unions from Punjab have announced that they will hold street protests against Covid-19 lockdown in Punjab on May 8. They have also urged the people of Punjab to defy the lockdown. During a press conference of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) at the Singhu border protest site, Balbir Singh Rajewal, farmer leader, alleged that the lockdown was imposed to his the failure of the government to control the Covid crisis and to weaken the ongoing farmer protests.

He said, “The 32 farmer unions of Punjab have decided to protest against the lockdown on May 8 (in Punjab) where our field workers will come out on streets and ask people to open their shops and not follow the lockdown.” As per reports, farmer leaders will also force the shopkeepers to open shops and defy lockdown.

In his statement, Rajewal claimed that the lockdown is not a solution. Blaming the government for using lockdown to pass the agriculture laws, he said, “The three black farm laws were also made during the lockdown last year. Lockdown is no solution. It only results in losses to the economy and unemployment. This government is just hiding its failures under the garb of lockdown—like how they have failed in providing oxygen, beds and other medical facilities to patients.”

It has to be noted that Punjab has been experiencing a sharp spike in the Covid-19 cases. Extensive restrictions were announced by the Chief Minister to break the chain in addition to a weekend lockdown and night curfew till May 15.

Farmers marching to Delhi from different parts of Punjab

Reports suggest that over a thousand farmers have started marching towards Delhi borders from Beas, which is a town near Amritsar. They will soon join protests. These farmers had assembled at Beas from different villages of Amritsar, Tarn Taran and Gurdaspur districts. Gurbachan Singh Chabba, State Secretary, Kisan Sangharsh Committee, said he, along with other farmer leaders, are heading towards the national capital with many farmers, including children and women.

Reportedly, over 15,000 farmers also marched towards Delhi borders recently to join the protest sites. The SKM leaders have urged people to join the farmers’ protests as the harvesting season is coming to an end soon. Chabba said, “We are asking at least one family member of farmers and farm labourers to come and join us in the protest. We expect a large number of people coming from May 10 onwards.”

Covid crisis in Punjab and its possible connection to farmer protests

It has been reported that the fatality rate due to Covid-19 in Punjab is much higher than the national average. As against national average of 1.1%, the case fatality ration in Punjab is 2.3%. The main reason is believed to the UK variant. Data revealed that the cases surged in the state close to the harvesting season when farmers started to return from the Delhi border for harvesting. Also, the experts believe that the higher number of deaths in rural areas of Punjab are the result of self-medication and hesitation to go to a hospital. The majority of Covid speciality hospitals are getting from rural areas are severe with less hope of survival.

About agriculture laws

In September 2020, the Government of India passed three agriculture laws to remove middleman, provide more selling options including private markets, and improve storage facilities in the country. However, the farmers claimed that the government passed the laws to help corporate. The farmers have been protesting outside Delhi since November.

So far, 11 rounds of talks between the union government and farmers have completed without any solution. The government had offered to suspend the laws for 12-18 months in January, but the union leaders are hell-bent on getting them repealed. To find a solution, the Supreme Court had stayed implementation of the farm laws and formed a committee that had submitted its report.

Thea alleged farmers protesting at borders of the national capital organized a tractor rally on January 26 that turned violent. Recent RTI revealed that over 300 police personnel were injured in the clash between the rioters and security forces. Properties worth crores were damaged.

After delaying India and South Africa’s proposal for months, USA to finally support TRIPs waiver on Covid vaccines at WTO

OpIndia Staff
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After delaying India and South Africa’s proposal for months, USA to finally support TRIPs waiver on Covid vaccines at WTO

US Trade Representative Katherine Tai has confirmed that the US will support the waiver of Intellectual Property rights protections on COVID-19 vaccines to help end the pandemic. “We’ll actively participate in WTO negotiations to make that happen,” she added. 

Tai’s statement included, “We will actively participate in text-based negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) needed to make that happen. Those negotiations will take time given the consensus-based nature of the institution and the complexity of the issues involved.”

Tai further stated, ” As our vaccine supply for the American people is secured, the Administration will continue to ramp up its efforts – working with the private sector and all possible partners – to expand vaccine manufacturing and distribution.  It will also work to increase the raw materials needed to produce those vaccines.”

Many US lawmakers have praised the move.

It is notable here that a US embargo was until recently preventing the export of critical vaccine raw material to India for the manufacture of Covid vaccines needed by SII and Bharat Biotech. After SII chief Adar Poonawalla’s multiple requests and constant persuasion by the Indian government, the US had recently agreed to make the raw materials available.

India and South Africa had raised the demand for TRIPs waiver at the WTO months back

The decision comes after India and South Africa in an official communication to the WTO on October 2, 2020, had called for TRIPS waiver of certain intellectual property provisions of COVID-19 vaccines. The request was to enable access to life-saving vaccines and therapeutics as soon as possible making them accessible for people in developing countries.

The WHO, vaccine manufacturers, including Adar Poonawalla, the chief of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturing company, and many other organisations have been calling for the developed nations to allow a TRIPs waiver so that the developing world can be provided access to vaccination and medicines needed to fight the pandemic.

Many international organisations, including Doctors Without Borders, have called upon the developed nations to stop wasting time in discussions and bring a change soon. Recently, diplomats of India and South Africa have stated that they are working to make another attempt to push developed nations to support the original proposal submitted by them at the WTO for TRIPs waiver on critical Covid vaccines and medicines for the benefit of developing nations.

Even as recently as March, a proposal by India and South Africa at the WTO for TRIPs waiver for Covid vaccines and medicines was blocked by the US, EU and the United Kingdom, among other nations. Even on April 15, at a virtual meet, Tai had remained non-committed over the proposal by India and South Africa.

US lawmakers come together for #FreeTheVaccine campaign

Additionally, over a 100 US lawmakers have written to President Joe Biden urging him to support India’s proposal to the WTO to temporarily lift certain intellectual property barriers initiating the #FreeTheVaccine campaign. If the barriers are lifted, it will allow India and other developing countries to locally manufacture COVID-19 diagnostics and vaccines.

The Senators in the letter endorsed the temporary lifting of restrictions of intellectual property barriers and observed that the waiver is being supported by more than a 100 nations.

The lawmakers emphasized that the globalised economy cannot recover if only parts of the world are vaccinated.

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