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Indian Air Force, Railways step in to transport oxygen cylinders, essential medicines to combat COVID-19

OpIndia Staff
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Indian Air Force, Railways step in to transport oxygen cylinders, essential medicines to combat COVID-19

The Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Indian Railways’ “Oxygen Train” are both helping in order to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, through transporting medical personnel, critical equipment, and essential medicines to COVID-19 hospitals and facilities across the country. India is currently facing a shortage in oxygen supply, with many hospitals around the country running out of O2.

In a statement on Twitter, the IAF said, “The IAF transport fleet is supporting the fight against Covid-19. Airlift of medical personnel, critical equipment, and medicines is underway for Covid Hospitals and facilities across the country.”

Indian Railways is now operating “Oxygen Express”, a train carrying oxygen tankers from Lucknow to Varanasi, which made the journey in just 4 hours 20 minutes, covering a distance of 270 Km at a speed of almost 62km/h.

Railways Minister Piyush Goyal on Twitter announced the establishment of a green corridor along the tracks of the Oxygen Express in order to make sure the train travels faster and more smoothly, without any red signal stopping it.

Here are some images of Indian Railways carrying liquid oxygen from Lucknow to Bokaro which will be taken to Madhya Pradesh.

Tankers are being sent to plants for filing medical oxygen which is then being transported to hospitals.

Defense Minister told Armed Forces to be prepared for helping to combat COVID-19

In a recent virtual meeting, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh was briefed about the measures taken by AFMS, DRDO, Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), Ordnance Factory Board (OFB), and other departments of the Ministry of Defence such as the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in providing aid to the civil administration in this time of need.

Rajnath Singh further urged the DPSUs, OFB, and DRDO to work on a war footing in order to provide oxygen cylinders and extra beds to civil administration and state governments as soon as possible.

India is also planning on importing oxygen tanks and other equipment from foreign countries, with the Central government is planning to utilize the IAF for airlifting oxygen containers and critical equipment and supplies from other countries.

The Central government announced on Wednesday evening that it was increasing the quota of oxygen in eight states, including Delhi, because of the sudden spike in demand due to a surge in the number of COVID-19 patients admitted in hospitals.

India has reported a total of 15,930,965 COVID-19 cases, with 13,454,880 recoveries and 184,672 deaths as of April 22, 2021.

Congress’ attack against Covishield continues, now spreads fake news of ‘one vaccine, 3 rates’ from official Twitter handle

Sanghamitra
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Congress’ attack against Covishield continues, now spreads fake news of ‘one vaccine, 3 rates’ from official Twitter handle

The Congress party and its leaders seem to have a special animosity against India’s leading industries and crucial manufacturers for some unknown reason. Congress has been relentlessly attacking ‘Made In India’ vaccines. After spreading baseless claims, and rumors about Covaxin, yesterday, Congress and Rahul Gandhi had tried to castigate the Serum Institute of India and its CEO Adar Poonawalla as greedy corporates who are looting the public.

Today, Congress continued its lies. Tweeting from its official handle, the party claimed that the Serum Institute has fixed three different prices for the Covishield vaccines for supplying to the Central government, state governments, and private hospitals.

The party presented it as a statement from interim president Sonia Gandhi.

What is the truth?

In a detailed talk with CNBC, Serum CEO Adar Poonawalla had explained that the company has been supplying the Covishield doses to the government of India (GOI) at the discounted rate of Rs 200 only for the first 100 million doses as agreed by both parties, as the SII had promised to supply the first 100 million doses at the lower rate. They had told earlier that they will sell the next doses at the price of Rs 1000.

“We’ve given a special price of Rs 200 for the first 100 million doses only to Government of India on their request that we want to support common man, vulnerable, poor, healthcare workers. After that we’ll be selling it at Rs 1000 in private markets,” the SII CEO had said in January.

However, after the first 100 million doses, the GOI had signed another contract with SII to procure another 110 million doses at the discounted price of Rs 200. After the said 110 million doses are delivered, the company will charge GOI Rs 400/ dose, the same price at which it has said it will sell to the state governments.

The previous low price was a part of SII’s commitment to GOI and some other countries for sharing the risk of production. That is, paying SII in advance even when the vaccine was yet to get approval. This money, obtained as supply credit, has enabled SII to enhance its production lines and keep millions of doses ready when the approval came.

Hence, SII’s announcement of a lower rate for the Centre is only for the 110 million doses, not after that. After the current ‘under contract’ 110 million doses are delivered, SII will sell to GOI at Rs 400 per dose, same as states. Both the center and states will have to purchase the vaccine doses at the same price. SII is selling to private hospitals at a slightly higher price, but compared to other available vaccines, the prices are still very low. The company cannot keep producing vaccines at loss, as Poonawalla had explained.

All the lies misinformation against the vaccine supply, centre’s vaccination drive, pricing and other issues were debunked in our article here.

The central government is buying for states only, a fact that Congress pretends to forget

Moreover, all the procurements of the vaccine doses by the centre are for further supply to the state governments only. It is not like the Union Cabinet is going to sit on the millions of doses of vaccine or BJP ministers are going to drink it. Assumptions that the centre is being ‘benefitted’ or ‘favoured’ somehow by procuring vaccines from Serum at the lower rate are stupid.

So far, the GOI has vaccinated healthcare workers, frontline workers, senior citizens, and persons above 45 years of age in every state free of cost. In the future too, the GOI will keep vaccinating people free of cost. The only difference is, state governments now have the option of buying doses on their own and vaccinate people, as was demanded by many CMs.

Many states like Bihar, UP, Assam, and Chhattisgarh have already declared that they will get doses and will vaccinate people for free. All the doses procured by the center will also be distributed to states only. The Congress’ narrative of the GOI ‘getting vaccines for cheap’ and keeping it away from states are utterly false and malicious.

the vaccines were already being sold in private hospitals at Rs 250, Congress never had a problem

On March 1, when the GOI announced vaccination open for senior citizens and people above 45 with co-morbidities, it was also announced that vaccination will be free in government-run centers all over India, and private hospitals can vaccinate people at a price cap of Rs 250. All those vaccine doses being administered all over India in every state were supplied by the GOI. But at that time, Congress never had a problem with the ‘price difference’.

Many of the Congress leaders, including the party’s top leadership, have been openly critical of Made In India vaccines, and some CMs and senior leaders have even actively spread misinformation against the vaccines. India’s vaccines are among the cheapest in the world, and India is running the world’s largest mass vaccination drive, many times larger than populations of the UK and US. The Congress’ tendency to politicize and fearmonger over an issue as crucial as vaccination against the coronavirus in the middle of a pandemic is one of the worst kind of politics seen in recent history.

18+ can register for Covid vaccination from April 28. Here is the procedure

OpIndia Staff
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18+ can register for Covid vaccination from April 28. Here is the procedure

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has informed via a tweet that the registration for citizens above 18 years of age will open on the Cowin platform on April 28. He added, “#LargestVaccineDrive Phase 3 – begins on May 1.”

India announced Phase 3 of the vaccination program

On April 19, the government of India has announced that anyone from 18 years to 45 years of age can get the Covid-19 vaccine in phase three of the Largest Vaccination Drive in the world. The government allowed the vaccine manufacturers to supply 50% of the products directly to state and private players. Notably, the union government will provide vaccines only to those who are above 45 years of age. Those who are between 18-45 years of age will get the vaccination from their respective states or private players.

Price of vaccine for states and private hospital announced

It has to be noted that the price of the vaccine has been set by the Serum Institute of India at Rs.400 for the state and Rs.600 for the private hospitals. The union government will continue to provide the vaccine free of cost at its centers like before.

How to register for the Covid vaccine

You can register at www.cowin.gov.in or on Arogya Setu app. At the time of registration, you will be able to choose from the available slots. As the government is going to allow states and open market sale of the vaccine, more instructions on how you can get the vaccine are expected from the central and state government.

Please note that the eligibility for the vaccination program through the government of India channel will remain the same. If you are between the age of 18 and 45, you have to either get vaccinated under the vaccine program by State Government or through private vaccination providers.

What documents are required for the registration of eligible beneficiaries?

Any of the below-mentioned ID with Photo may be produced at the time of registration:

Aadhaar/Driving License/Voter ID/PAN Card/Passport/ Job Card/Pension Document
Health Insurance Smart Card issued under the scheme of Ministry of Labour
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)
Official identity cards issued to MPs/MLAs/MLCs
Passbooks issued by Bank/Post Office
Service ID Card issued by Central/State Govt/Public Limited Companies

News outlets and journalists spread misinformation about the registration date

Some journalists and some news outlets were found spreading misinformation about the registration date for Phase 3. While the registration is starting on April 28, they posted the registration date as April 24. Runjhun Sharma of CNN News18 had posted a tweet and said the registration will start in the next 48 hours. Though several netizens corrected her, she had not deleted the post till the time this report was published.

CNN News18 journalist Runjhun Sharma

The Hindu also published a misleading tweet.

The Hindu’s misleading tweet

Barkha Dutt’s The Mojo Story also posted the same misleading information.

Barkha Dutt’s The Mojo Story posted misleading information about registration date

Joy Sengupta, Assistant Editor at Times of India also did the same mistake and quoted TOI’s report about the registration date. It seems like TOI has edited its report as the date now shows as April 28.

Joy Sengupta, Assistant Editor at TOI

MyGov fact-checked the reports and announced that the registration will start from April 28.

According to Ministry of Health and Family welfare, so far India has administered 13,23,30,644 doses of Covid vaccine.

Shekhar Gupta’s ThePrint gives space to Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel to spread falsehoods over Coronavirus pandemic

OpIndia Staff
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Shekhar Gupta’s ThePrint gives space to Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel to spread falsehoods over Coronavirus pandemic

Shekhar Gupta’s online publication, ThePrint, on Wednesday, April 21, 2021, published an interview with Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel.

Shekhar Gupta’s tweet

In the interview, Baghel claimed, “During the first wave, we had sealed the borders early so we managed to contain the spread. But as far as the second wave is concerned, the Centre did not issue an alert to the states. They knew about it but they did not issue any alerts.”

However, according to a report dated January 7, 2021, published in ThePrint itself, the Central Government asked four states – Maharashtra, Kerala, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh to maintain a “strict vigil” and take steps in order to curb a COVID-19 surge in their respective states.

ThePrint article from January 2021

According to the report, in January, Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote to these states including Chhattisgarh in order to draw their attention “to the low and declining testing rates in the states, stating that any laxity at this crucial junction may squander the results of our collective actions in containing the transmission.”

“It is important to ensure that there is no complacency in the collective efforts in containment and management of COVID-19,” the health secretary told states including Chhattisgarh in January.

In his interview with ThePrint, Baghel blames the migrant workers coming in from the politically-allied neighboring Maharashtra for the recent spike in Chhattisgarh’s COVID-19 cases. It is of note that both Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh were cautioned and asked to maintain “a strict vigil” in order to curb COVID-19 back in January itself.

“The second issue about the second wave is that from the district of Rajnandgaon, Maharashtra starts through Nagpur. We have a migratory population there and people keep going and coming. Several families have temporary homes in Nagpur and they work there and people keep coming and going back,” he said, without receiving any sort of journalistic pushback.

No stranger to gaslighting

The Chhattisgarh Government is no stranger to gaslighting or passing the buck when it comes to dealing with the pandemic. The Bhupesh Baghel-led government has also engaged in pushing vaccine hesitancy narratives, which have been completely disproven in hindsight.

In February 2021, Chhattisgarh Health Minister TS Singh Deo said he does not support the use of Covaxin, one of the two vaccines which were approved for emergency use then, in Chhattisgarh. Chief Minister Baghel, too, had cast aspersions on the safety of the Covaxin and indulged in fear-mongering. Just yesterday, an ICMR study declared Covaxin to be effective even against COVID-19 variants.

It is imperative to note that when Chhattisgarh was gripped in the second wave of coronavirus infection, Baghel was busy in Assam, campaigning for Congress and predicting his party’s victory. As of now, there are over 5.88 lakh total coronavirus cases in Chhattisgarh, of which 1.22 lakh are active cases. The state has announced a complete lockdown in all 28 districts from Tuesday.

Unfortunately, the journalists at ThePrint did not seek clarification for any of the above issues from Bhupesh Baghel himself in the course of their interview. Hopefully, in their next interview maybe CM Baghel will finally be challenged with some actually tough and critical questions.

NDTV journalist Gargi Rawat Ansari shows how she is willing to sacrifice human lives so propaganda continues to reign supreme

OpIndia Staff
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NDTV journalist Gargi Rawat Ansari shows how she is willing to sacrifice human lives so propaganda continues to reign supreme

Earlier today, amidst the second wave of the Coronavirus pandemic, Vedanta-owned Sterlite Copper has offered to restart production at its two oxygen plants in the now shut copper smelter at Thoothukudi in Tamil Nadu. Vedanta said that the plant contains two oxygen plants with a combined production capacity of 1,050 tonnes of oxygen daily.

Interestingly, while the Oxygen requirement of India has gone up 7 times, from 700 tonnes per day to 5,000 tonnes per day, the Tamil Nadu government has opposed the plea of the Vedanta-owned Sterlite Copper plant. The central government has reportedly supported the proposal by Sterlite to open their oxygen plants so the increased demand in India can be met amidst the raging pandemic.

Vedanta, in the Supreme Court, was being represented by senior advocate Harish Salve. He submitted before the Supreme Court that If Vedanta was allowed to re-open in Tamil Nadu, the oxygen produced could help the country. The Solicitor General of India, Tushar Mehta, said that the country is in dire need of oxygen and that the court should allow Vedanta at least just to re-open their Oxygen manufacturing unit.

Opposing this, the state government said that Vedanta was closed due to environmental concerns and that there is a “trust deficit” between the company and the people of Tamil Nadu.

While it is interesting that the Tamil Nadu state government seems to be far more concerned about the environmental concerns, real or imagined, if Vedanta opens again, it does not seem to bothered about how many people the additional 1000 tonnes of oxygen could help.

While the state of Tamil Nadu indulged in politics in this respect, NDTV journalists also chimed in to make comments against Harish Salve, who was representing Vedanta in the Supreme Court.

Gargi Rawat Ansari, who is married to Yusuf Ahmad Ansari, the great-grandson of former Congress President Mukhtar Ahmad Ansari, took to Twitter to say, “How nice of Harish Salve to slip in an appeal to open Vedanta unit in Tuticorin that was closed due to environmental concerns and violations. Very smooth. Don’t let a crisis go to waste”.

Essentially, Gargi Rawat Ansari was essentially saying that the loss of lives due to a shortage of oxygen is acceptable as long as the environment, to whatever extent.

Interestingly, it was Ansari herself who was outraging about the lack of oxygen in various cities of India.

On the 20th of April, Gargi Rawat Ansari took to Twitter to outrage, rightfully so, about the lack of oxygen in Delhi and other parts of the country.

Even on the 16th of April, Gargi Rawat Ansari was talking about the shortage of oxygen and medicines.

Interestingly, after spending days outraging about the lack of oxygen and medicines, Gargi Rawat Ansari has now taken to Twitter to oppose a plant opening that can actually produce 1000 tonnes extra of oxygen that can cap the increased demand.

The cognitive dissonance with Gargi Rawat seems to be so strong, that within a span of 3 minutes, she managed to outrage against the support for Vedanta that has offered to produce additional oxygen and also outrage about the deaths due to COVID-19 happening in the country.

Screenshot of tweets by Gargi Rawat Ansari

It is pertinent to note that the Vedanta-owned Sterlite Copper plant in Thoothukudi was shut down by Tamil Nadu in May 2018 following the violent protests staged by the locals and activists, who alleged that the plant posed serious health hazards. 

Though the plant later got clearance by the National Green Tribunal, the state government approached the Supreme Court seeking a stay on the National Green Tribunals order. The apex court stayed the order of the NGT and allowed Sterlite Copper to approach the Madras High Court, which upheld the government order. The case is now in the Supreme Court with Sterlite Copper challenging the Madras High Court verdict. The company’s plea to access the plant for just maintenance purposes has also not been entertained by the court so far.

The closure of the Sterlite Copper plant had such widespread ramifications that it made the country an importer of copper cathodes from being one of the top five exporters.

The left propaganda against the Tuticorin plant seems to be far more important than human lives amidst the pandemic for the usual suspects from NDTV and beyond even though the Green Tribunal has given the plant clearance. However, it seems like if the actual shortage of oxygen is solved in India and human lives are saved, the left cabal would have paltry little to create their propaganda on. Given the Left’s propensity to build political castles on the dead bodies of Indian citizens, one has to agree with Gargi there.. ‘Don’t let a crisis go to waste’.

Cipla issues caution against Remdesivir scammers: Preying on the vulnerable and how you can save yourself

OpIndia Staff
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Cipla issues caution against Remdesivir scammers: Preying on the vulnerable and how you can save yourself

Pharmaceutical company Cipla has issued a cautionary notice against the scammers regarding Remdesivir. In the notice, the company asked the public to beware of the unscrupulous persons as they have set up bank accounts fraudulently in the name of Cipla Ltd. The notice suggests that such scammers are enticing the public to transfer funds in these accounts towards the alleged supply of medicines upon remittance.

Cipla further added that such persons are not connected with or authorised by the company. “Authorities have been alerted and are investigating the matter. We urge consumers to source Cipla products only through our authorised stockists and channel partners,” it added.

Social media posts revealed people panic-paid frauds for injections

When we searched on social media to find out if there were people cheated by scammers on the pretext of arranging Remdesivir injections, we found a few tweets that suggested such scams have been happening more frequently than anyone would have thought.

Sourabh Tiwari mentioned on Twitter that he called a number from Mumbai for Remdesivir. The person on the other side claimed to arrange the injection in two hours. He asked Tiwari to transfer money to his account. On suspicion when Tiwari checked the details, the number was not from Mumbai but West Bengal and the account number was a private bank account.

Another user Pooja Mehta put out her ordeal how she was cheated of Rs.28,000/- by one Abhishek Kumar. He claimed to be an employee of Zydus Pharmaceuticals and took Rs.28,000/- from her on the pretext of arranging Tocilizumab.

Pooja also shared conversation between her and Abhishek where she alleged that he had “lied through his teeth until the last minute.”

Another user had replied to union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad where he alleged that he had paid one Ajay Agarwal for the Remidesivir injection and now he is not picking up his calls.

Another user Jyoti had alleged she paid someone Rs.15,000 for the injection but now his number was switched off.

Another user Nachiketa shared a similar story where he called up a number that he got on social media but it was saved as “Remdesivir fraud” on Truecaller.

Ways to save yourself from scams

First of all, please do not pay anyone online for injections, especially before getting the medicine.

As mentioned by Cipla in its advisory, always go to an authorised distributor for the injection. Cipla has provided lists of authorised distributors for both Tocilizumab [PDF] and Remdesivir [PDF] that can be accessed from their website.

There are a lot of lists floating around on Social Media platforms that claim to be verified. Before trusting anyone of them, please call the number and try to find out if the distributor has some online presence. Double-check the information and pay only when you get the medicine in hand.

There have been cases where people arranged some medicines for a few people but later collected money and switched off the phone. It is a basic tactic of scammers first to gain trust and then run away with the money. It is strongly advised not to pay anyone in advance for the medicine without verifying the details.

Railway pointsman who saved child of a visually impaired woman donates half his prize money to the family

OpIndia Staff
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Railway pointsman who saved child of a visually impaired woman donates half his prize money to the family

At a time when grim reports of the coronavirus pandemic have clasped the nation, the story of braveheart Mayur Shelke comes as a breath of fresh air. 

In a supremely courageous act, Poinstman Mayur Shelke, had recently risked his own life to save the life of the child who had fallen on the railway tracks of Vangani Station of Central Railway in Thane on April 17. The child was walking with his visually impaired mother when he suddenly fell on the tracks. The woman, unable to see her son, was helplessly calling for help while a train was fast approaching on the very same tracks.

For his act of bravery, the Ministry of Railways had awarded him Rs 50,000, half of which Shelke has now decided to donate to the visually impaired mother and her child.

He also urged the people wanting to meet him and award him for his selfless act to instead donate to the mother and child duo. 

“These are difficult times of Covid-19 pandemic and all those who wish to donate money, hand over cheques to me can offer the money to the mother and the child or any other needy in these times,” he said in an appeal on social media.

Shelke was welcomed with a round of applause and was felicitated by the railway staff at the Central Railway office for his bravery.

In a heart-wrenching incident that was captured by the CCTV footage of the railway platform, a visually-challenged woman was seen walking on the platform when her 6-year-old child walking beside her suddenly stumbled and fell onto the railway tracks below. 

Pointsman Shelke sprinted on the tracks, pushed the child back on the platform and pulled himself up in time, just as the high-speed Bengaluru-Mumbai Udayan Express train was seen approaching on the same track. 

The passerbys on the platform immediately rushed to the spot to check on them. Fortunately all went unhurt. 

The video soon went viral on social media and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal personally congratulated Shelke on the phone and said that the railway family was proud of him.

West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee holds massive rally in Dakshin Dinajpur, refers to PM, HM as “goons”

OpIndia Staff
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West Bengal: Mamata Banerjee holds massive rally in Dakshin Dinajpur, refers to PM, HM as “goons”

West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee held a major rally in Dakshin Dinajpur today, where she attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, calling them “two goons of Delhi”.

“I am not a player, but I know how to play. I was the best player in the Lok Sabha earlier. We cannot surrender our Bengal to two goons of Delhi,” said Mamata. This massive rally also garnered some criticism online because of its potential role in facilitating the spread of COVID-19.

Critics were quick to juxtapose pictures from Mamata’s big rally at Dakshin Dinajpur today, with TMC leader Mahua Moitra’s tweet criticizing the BJP leadership for holding electoral rallies amidst the Coronavirus pandemic. “Indians watching helplessly as this Modi Made Disaster explodes”, wrote the TMC MP on Twitter.

TMC MP Derek O’Brien had on April 18 claimed that Mamata Banerjee will not campaign in Kolkata anymore and slashed time for rallies.

However, he had not clarified whether Mamata Banerjee will continue to hold massive rallies or not.

Today, West Bengal is voting in the 6th phase of the 2021 West Bengal Legislative Assembly Elections. There are two more phases of voting to go on April 26 and April 29. The results of the elections will be declared on May 2.

On Wednesday, West Bengal reported over 10,000 new coronavirus cases in the state. Total active cases stand at over 63,000

Pfizer and 10 other corporates donated $1 million each to Joe Biden’s inaugural committee, totalling $61.8 million: Reports

OpIndia Staff
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Pfizer and 10 other corporates donated $1 million each to Joe Biden’s inaugural committee, totalling $61.8 million: Reports

According to financial disclosure, U.S. President Joe Biden’s inaugural committee raised $61.8 million from contributions by corporations like Pfizer and Uber, labour unions and other wealthy individuals for his inauguration events, as per a Reuters report.

As per the filing submitted on Tuesday with the Federal Election Commission, the Democratic president’s inaugural committee took $1 million in contributions each from about 10 big companies which include Pfizer Inc- the maker of one of the COVID-19 vaccines in the United States, AT&T Services Inc, Bank of America Corp, Boeing Co, Uber Technologies Inc, Lockheed Martin Corp and Qualcomm Inc.

Around 12 individuals donated $500,000 each, according to the filing. The report, however, did not give details on how the money was utilized for the events as the traditional inaugural ceremony was given a miss due to the ongoing pandemic. However, the inauguration included televised performances by Lady Gaga and Garth Brooks.

As compared to Donald Trump’s $106 million raised, Biden’s committee was way below the mark but exceeded the $53 million raised by Barack Obama for his first inauguration in 2009.

In accordance with the 20th Amendment of the United States Constitution, the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies (JCCIC) has been responsible for the planning and execution of the Inaugural Ceremonies of the President-elect and Vice President-elect of the United States at the Capitol since 1901. 

The procession, swearing-in ceremonies, inaugural address, signing ceremony are all done under the jurisdiction of the JCCIC. 

After Rakesh Tikait got vaccinated himself, BKU issues another threat to the Modi govt amid the Coronavirus pandemic: Read details

OpIndia Staff
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After Rakesh Tikait got vaccinated himself, BKU issues another threat to the Modi govt amid the Coronavirus pandemic: Read details

Despite the alarming surge of Covid-19 cases in Delhi, the so-called farmers, who have been protesting and even indulged in violence earlier, have refused to budge an inch from the protesting sites. The ‘farmers’ who have been disrupting the borders for months are now interrupting the transportation of medical oxygen supply critical to saving lives of Covid-19 infected patients.

After so-called farmers deciding to march from Punjab to Delhi yet again, Rakesh Tikait led Bhartiya Kisan Union has been issuing threats, warning the BJP government to not make any attempts to vacate the protesting site. In the latest threat issued by Gurnam Singh Charuni of the BKU, he has warned of serious consequences if the government tries to vacate the borders in the garb of the corona crisis.

Interestingly, this was the same statement that was issued by Icchadhari protestor Yogendra Yadav when he had earlier said that the Modi government was trying to end the protest under the pretext of the Coronavirus pandemic.

On April 17 too, Charuni had issued a warning threatening the party in power. His tweet read, “BJP should not be mistaken that they will be able to get the farmers to vacate the protest sites. If the Government takes such an action, the BJP will not be able to save its face.

A couple of days ago, while on a visit to Jammu, farmer leader Rakesh Tikait had asserted that the ‘farmers’ agitation was not Shaheen Bagh that can be ended in the name of coronavirus.

This is not where it ends for the alleged ‘farmers’. At a time when the nation has recorded over 3 lakh new coronavirus cases, the protesting farmers chose to throw an Iftar party at the Ghazipur border in the national capital flouting all Covid-19 norms including social distancing. 

The shocking videos of the party had emerged on social media where farmers leaders including Rakesh Tikait were seen dining in a large group at the protesting site.

Absolutely unaffected by the current crisis of the Covid-19 pandemic that has crippled the entire country,  Bhartiya Kisan Union has announced a march to Delhi on April 21 in order to protest against the Farm laws. This march comes at a time when Delhi is going through a surge in new coronavirus cases breaking all previous records, acute shortage of medical oxygen, hospital beds and testing facilities depleting rapidly. 

Rakesh Tikait gets himself vaccinated

Shooting off farmers’ shoulders, Tikait insisted that the ongoing pandemic cannot be a reason to put the ‘farmers’ protest on hold, after getting himself vaccinated. 

To add to it, he said the central government will be held responsible if farmers protesting at the borders of the national capitals are infected with the coronavirus.

Speaking with Republic Media Network, Tikait said, “Responsibility lies solely with the government if the farmers get infected with the virus. When the COVID-19 cases are rising across the country, who is responsible for it? Are farmers responsible for that too?”

He further added, “If there is a disease, then the government should ensure treatment for it and build hospitals for it. Politicians are collecting funds for other purposes. They are conducting rallies and contesting elections.”

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