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Blast from the past – Now The Print journalist’s complicated relationship with math gets exposed, video goes viral

OpIndia Staff
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Blast from the past – Now The Print journalist’s complicated relationship with math gets exposed, video goes viral

The Print journalist Jyoti Malhotra seems to like getting mocked over bizarre statements. Recently, she expressed her confusion about how Remdesivir (a drug to treat Covid-19) can come under the Chemical & Fertilizer ministry. She was heavily trolled on social media for her bizarre confusion after she was explained that the department of of pharmaceuticals comes under this ministry, not health ministry like she was assuming. Amidst all the funny tweets, a few Twitter users remembered how she confused the number of digits in a million.

In April, Malhotra had a conversation with Shamika Ravi, Former Member PM’s Economic Advisory Council, over the lockdown situation in India amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. They were discussing how the policy environment is different in every country. Shamika said, “Policy environment is also not static. Every country is responding to this emergency. So even in the Chinese case where the expectation was for a million patients, eventually they had 85,000.”

Malhotra interrupted Shamika and said, “but not so far away from a million,” and left Shamika in sort of a shock for a second. The blunder in the calculation was let go for the moment, but someone has rightly said, “If something is on the internet, it will remain on the internet forever.” Once Malhotra’s blunder over Remdesivir went viral, netizens started posting the clip where she got confused over the number of digits in a million.

The Print explanation made no sense

In the description section of the video, The Print mentioned, “*Correction: At 2:34​, Jyoti Malhotra meant [to] say 850,000 instead of 85,000. Error is regretted,” which makes no sense. Shamika clearly said 85,000. In no way Jyoti would have meant to say 850,000. As per available data, China had a total of 1,03,000 cases. Even now, it is not even close to a million that was predicted.

The Print’s ‘correction’ makes no sense

A million is FAR from 85,000

For those who are not aware International Number System, it is different from the Indian Number System. In India we use One (1), Ten (10), Hundred (100), Thousand (1,000), Ten Thousand (10,000), Lakh (100,000), Ten Lakh (10,00,000), Crore (1,00,00,000) and so on. On the other hand, in International Number System, they use One (1), Ten (10), Hundred (100), Thousand (1,000), Ten Thousand (10,000), Hundred Thousand (100,000), One Million (1,000,000), Ten Million (10,000,000), Hundred Million (100,000,000), One Billion (1000,000,000) and so on.

Now, when Shamika said Eighty-Five Thousand (85,000), it has five digits. The prediction for China was of one million cases (1,000,000) which have seven digits. In the Indian Number System, we call it Ten Lakh (10,00,000). When Jyoti said it 85,000 was not far from One Million, she was absolutely wrong. She might have confused it with One Lakh, and in that case, it would have been true. However, Jyoti missed the “not too far” by over Nine Lakh cases.

Despite getting bail, former JNU student and Delhi anti-Hindu riot accused Umar Khalid to remain behind bars

OpIndia Staff
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Despite getting bail, former JNU student and Delhi anti-Hindu riot accused Umar Khalid to remain behind bars

A Delhi court on Thursday granted bail to Delhi anti-Hindu riots accused Umar Khalid in an FIR registered against him on 25th February 2020 for his involvement in the violence in the Khajuri Khas area of northeast Delhi. This was the second FIR (FIR No. 101/2020) under which Khalid has been formally arrested on 1 October last year.

While granting bail to the former JNU student, additional sessions judge Vinod Yadav ordered that Khalid would have to furnish a personal bond of Rs 20,000 and appear before the court on each and every hearing of the case. He was instructed to furnish his mobile number to the SHO, PS Khajuri Khas upon his release from the jail and would ensure that the mobile is in working condition and further he should also get the ‘Arogaya Setu’ app downloaded and installed in his mobile phone.

Umar Khalid granted bail under only one FIR registered against him

However, it becomes imperative to recollect here that Umar Khalid has been granted bail under FIR 101 that was registered against him on 25 February 2020. This particular FIR was connected to the violence in the Khajuri Khas area of northeast Delhi and is being investigated by the Delhi Police crime branch. This is the second FIR under which Umar Khalid was formally arrested. 

When this FIR was registered, Umar Khalid was already in custody under FIR 59, where, along with other charges, the stringent anti-terror law Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) had also been invoked by the Special Cell of Delhi police.

Since Khalid has not yet been granted bail under FIR 59, he will continue to be lodged in jail.

Khalid and his role in Delhi Riots

Khalid was arrested by the police on September 14 for his alleged involvement in the horrific Northeast Delhi riots. He was summoned by the police for investigation and was later arrested. In a charge sheet filed by the Delhi police and admitted by the court, it is alleged that Khalid had hatched the conspiracy of the anti-Hindu Delhi riots along with his friends during the visit of US President Trump to India. Khalid had allegedly met the former AAP Councillor Tahir Hussain and another accused Khalid Saifi to assure logistical support during the riots through his contacts in the PFI.

Migrant workers returning from Maharashtra due to curfew allege extortion by police

OpIndia Staff
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Migrant workers returning from Maharashtra due to curfew allege extortion by police

Migrant workers returning to their home states from Maharashtra are now complaining of alleged extortion by the Maharashtra Police. The migrant workers are fleeing Maharashtra mostly because of the 15-day lockdown measures imposed by the Uddhav Thackeray government.

“We are returning to our homes because there was the problem of earning livelihood after curfew announcement. I had migrated back last year also during lockdown but returned after the situation improved. This time too, like the last year, the police extorted heavily from us,” a taxi driver said.

“We are coming from Pune. There a travellers bus took Rs 2,500-3000 per ticket from them. Still, they made us get off the bus at the Maharashtra border and asked to board these two vehicles. The Police and transport department at the Border Checking Point overlooked the jeeps,” said Sanaullah Khan, a migrant worker returning from Maharashtra.

More than 50 migrant workers were located near the Indore bypass, crammed up in two jeeps on their way to Jabalpur. These workers were rescued by Indore’s Rau Thana police, along with an NGO.

“Besides food and a place to rest, doctors and medicines are also available for those who come here. If the need arises, we provided help from the hospital. People coming here are in need of food and shelter as they are were tired. That is why, with the help of the police administration we set up this tent to provide them some relief to the migrant,” said Shailesh Kumawat, a social worker.

On Tuesday, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government announced the imposition of Section 144 for the entire state in order to combat the ever-rising number of COVID-19 cases. This extreme step has caused panic in the migrant worker communities living in Maharashtra, causing them to flee the state back to their own respective states of origin due to the fear of losing their livelihoods.

Mukesh Ambani sends aid to Maharashtra to help fight Covid-19, supplies oxygen from his refineries for free

OpIndia Staff
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Mukesh Ambani sends aid to Maharashtra to help fight Covid-19, supplies oxygen from his refineries for free

A company official of Ambani’s Reliance Industries Ltd., which operates the world’s biggest refining complex in Gujarat, informed today that the refinery has started supplying oxygen from Jamnagar to Maharashtra at no cost due to acute shortage faced by the state.

The official who asked not to be identified due to the company’s internal policy informed that Reliance is diverting some oxygen streams meant for its petroleum coke gasification units after making it suitable for medical use.

Eknath Shinde, the Urban Development Minister of Maharashtra had shared about the development of the state receiving 100 tons of gas from Reliance through a Tweet.

The announcement was made by Shinde following a review meeting at the Linde plant in Taloja in Navi Mumbai over the growing demand for oxygen in the metropolitan region and Pune.

Maharashtra is facing a shortage of oxygen because of the rising number of COVID-19 cases. Many people who are severely affected by the coronavirus have dangerously low levels of oxygen and are required to administer with supplemental oxygen.

Parallelly, a network of nitrogen supplying tankers is used to pick up the slack to ensure there is no logistical issue. All the tankers will be granted sufficient police protection and provided with priority on the roads, Shinde said.

Besides, instructions are also issued to the administration to make sure that private establishments that supply oxygen to hospitals are asked to augment their capacities in the coming days. In addition, all tankers used to plying nitrogen will be used to transport oxygen from the plants to the hospitals.

The minister has asked all district collectors to analyze the demand regularly and ensure an adequate supply of oxygen based on their requirements.

In another attempt to ensure enough oxygen supply, the state-run Bharat Petroleum Corp. has built up a stockpile of 20 tons of oxygen at its Kochi refinery in southern India that it is supplying to bottlers for medical use, a company official said.

Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut draws ire for holding mega rallies in Karnataka while his party leaders criticise others for election rallies

OpIndia Staff
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Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut draws ire for holding mega rallies in Karnataka while his party leaders criticise others for election rallies

It’s just been a little over 48 hours since Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut blamed the Kumbh Mela and ‘other states’ for the surge in new coronavirus cases in Maharashtra. During a media interaction, he boasted of how his state under the impeccable leadership of Uddhav Thackeray imposed restrictions for Gudi Padva, one of the biggest festivals of the state.

However, the very next day the Shiv Sena leader was seen conducting rallies and roadshows in Belagavi in the bordering state of Karnataka for the upcoming bypoll.

The visuals from the rallies of the Shiv Sena leader have left the citizens irked for the callousness shown by Raut during his rallies. To top it all, the MP has been sharing and retweeting news pieces and photos of the rally on his Twitter timeline.

Sanjay Raut retweeted a news piece by TV9 on his rally at Belagavi

Ironically, Raut’s fellow party member Priyanka Chaturvedi was seen taking a jibe at the BJP for conducting political rallies in farway states amidst the second wave of the pandemic in a rather poetic tweet.

She also requested the EC to implement Covid appropriate norms for the rally but sadly failed to caution her party leader and colleague.

The netizens were quick to remind both the leaders of their stand on the rising Covid cases in their state as well as the country.

Another netizen questioned the leader for blaming other states while flouting the norms himself and also shared some images from the rally.

Bypoll election in Belagavi

The Belagavi Lok Sabha bypoll is scheduled to be conducted on April 17. While the face-off is primarily between the BJP and the Congress, Shiv Sena is looking to play the spoilsport by extending its support to the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti.

“Shiv Sena will campaign for the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti candidate Shubham Shelke in the Belagavi Lok Sabha bypoll,” Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said in Belagavi on Wednesday.

It is imperative to note that the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti party acts as a single issue political party demanding the merger of Belagavi district in Maharashtra cutting it off from Karanataka.

The bypoll was necessitated after Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi lost his life to Covid-19 last year.

India likely to respond with military force to Pakistan’s provocation under PM Modi’s leadership: US intelligence report

OpIndia Staff
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India likely to respond with military force to Pakistan’s provocation under PM Modi’s leadership: US intelligence report

The US intelligence community in its report to the US Congress stated that India, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is more likely than in the past to respond with military force to perceived or real provocations from Pakistan.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) in its Annual Threat Assessment report to the US Congress, dismissed the possibilities of general war between the two countries, however, it mentioned that crises between the two are likely to become more intense, risking an escalation.

India while desires normal neighbourly relations, is in no mood to enforce obligatory friendship until Pakistan ensures an environment free of terror, hostility and violence.

The report highlights, “Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India is more likely than in the past to respond with military force to perceived or real Pakistani provocations, and heightened tensions raise the risk of conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, with violent unrest in Kashmir or a militant attack in India being potential flashpoints.”

India and Pakistan are without high commissioners in each other’s capital since India withdrew the special status of Jammu and Kashmir and bifurcated the state into two union territories in August 2019.

According to the ODNI report, while the fighting in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria has a direct bearing on US forces, the tensions between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan remain a concern for the entire world.

The report which was released in Washington recently focuses on both immediate and distant future possibilities and is designed to help policymakers anticipate the forces which are likely to shape the world in the next five to 20 years.

DRDO hospitals, ramping up drug production: Centre steps in to help state govts battle covid

OpIndia Staff
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DRDO hospitals, ramping up drug production: Centre steps in to help state govts battle covid

Scientists from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur had recently said that the number of daily new infections was likely to peak around April for this ongoing second wave of Covid-19 pandemic. The coronavirus cases are already off the charts as India recorded more than 2 lakh new Covid-19 cases in 24 hours on Wednesday.

In view of this several Central agencies and ministries have stepped in to flatten the curve.

DRDO to set up Covid hospital in Delhi

Defence Research and Development Organization (DRDO) will be reestablishing a Covid-19 hospital with 500 beds equipped with ICU facilities in Delhi Cantonment. The facility will be operational by Sunday with an initial capacity of 250 beds. The centre will have doctors by both military and paramilitary forces for treating patients, as informed by DRDO officials.

Delhi has been the worst hit with 17,282 new cases recorded in the past 24 hours. With over 50,000 active cases, the positivity rate has touched 15.92% and recorded 104 new deaths.

DRDO to set up a 900 bed facility in Ahmedabad

Amidst the surge in fresh Covid-19 cases, the Gujarat government in collaboration with the DRDO is to set up a 900-bed full Covid care facility in Ahmedabad. The hospital will have 150 ICU beds with 150 ventilators and will open within 15 days at the Gujarat University Convention Centre on the GMDC ground, Ahmedabad.

If necessary, 500 beds will be added later after assessing the situation. The facility will have a help desk as well as food facilities for patients, doctors, and paramedics and access to toilets and bathrooms for both the patients and the medical staff.

Approval to ramp up manufacturing of Remdesivir

To tackle the shortage of anti-viral drug Remdesivir in the wake of growing numbers in new cases, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya gave the approval to ramp up the production of the drug. Fast-track approval was given for seven additional sites to six manufacturers with a production capacity of 10 lakh vials per month. Another 30 lakh vials production per month is lined up.

The approval will ensure the production of around 78 lakh vials/month. An additional measure to ban the export of the drug will ensure enough supply for the country.

Four-day Tika Utsav

The four-day-long vaccination program ‘Tika Utsav‘ started with much fanfare and extensive promotions by the Central government with the aim to encourage people above 45 years of age to get vaccinated at the earliest. The initiative was fairly successful with over 40 lakh doses administered just on the last day of Utsav.

The Tika Utsav was a big boost to India’s vaccination drive as India has now administered over 11 crore vaccine doses in just over 85 days.

Govt fast tracks emergency approvals for foreign vaccines

The Central Government on Tuesday expedited the process of emergency approvals for foreign-produced Covid-19 vaccines that have received Emergency Use Approval (EUA) in other countries in order to boost the vaccination coverage in the country.

Russia’s Sputnik-V vaccine also received emergency use approval from the Subject Expert Committee of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization and now it awaits the final approval from the Drugs Controller General of India. The vaccine is likely to be imported to India by the next month, as per reports, apart from local productions by Dr Reddy’s laboratories.

‘Idols of Krishna Janmbhoomi lie buried beneath Agra’s Jama Masjid’, PIL filed in Mathura court seeking ground radiology survey by ASI

OpIndia Staff
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‘Idols of Krishna Janmbhoomi lie buried beneath Agra’s Jama Masjid’, PIL filed in Mathura court seeking ground radiology survey by ASI

Days after a Mathura court admitted a plea to remove Shahi Idgah Mosque from Krishna Janmbhoomi, a PIL has been filed claiming that the idols of the Shri Krishna Janmbhoomi temple in Mathura have been lying buried beneath Jahanara mosque in Agra, popularly known as Jama Masjid.

The PIL has been filed by one advocate Shailendra Singh, based on an assertion that Mughal emperor Aurangazeb, after razing down the Mathura Jamansthan temple, had taken the Lord Krishna idols from Mathura to Agra to bury them under Jama Masjid.

Advocate Shailendra Singh, who has filed the PIL on behalf of 5 petitioners from Lucknow, therefore, requested the court to grant permission for a ground radiology test by ASI at Agra’s Jama Masjid, to ascertain if Lord Krishna’s idols are buried beneath it.

Quoting from ‘Anecdotes of Aurangzeb And Historical Essays By Jadunath Sarkar, Published By M. C. Sarkar & Sons. 902-a Harrison Road, Calcutta 1917. at Page 11-12’ the PIL stated: “The grandest shrine of Mathura, Kesav Rai’s temple, built at a cost of 33 lakhs of rupees by the Bundela Rajah Birsingh Dev, was razed to the ground in January 1670, and a mosque built on its site. The idols were brought to Agra and buried under the steps of Jahanara’s mosque that they might be constantly trodden on by the Muslims going in to pray.”

Mathura court admits plea to remove Shahi Idgah Mosque from Krishna Janmbhoomi 

On February 6, a district court in Uttar Pradesh accepted a petition to remove the Shahi Idgah Mosque of Mathura that was built by Aurangzeb by encroaching land of Shri Krishna Janmbhoomi in Mathura. The court issued a notice to all parties, including Shahi Idgah Mosque Management Committee, to submit their views. 

Court grants permission for an archaeological survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi mosque complex

This PIL claiming that the idols of the Shri Krishna Janmbhoomi temple in Mathura have been lying buried beneath Jama Masjid, has been filed a week after the Varanasi district court granted permission for an archaeological survey of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple-Gyanvapi mosque complex.

This particular petition was filed by a local lawyer VS Rastogi who had demanded the restoration of the land, entailing Gyanvapi Mosque, to Hindus. The petition was opposed by the Gyanvyapi Mosque management committee, however, the court did grant permission for the ASI survey of the mosque.

Chhattisgarh: Health workers ferry dead bodies in garbage trucks to cremation grounds amidst Covid-19 pandemic

OpIndia Staff
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Chhattisgarh: Health workers ferry dead bodies in garbage trucks to cremation grounds amidst Covid-19 pandemic

Chhattisgarh is currently the second most affected state by the second wave of Covid-19 pandemic in terms of active cases. The seriousness of the situation can be determined by a video that went viral recently in which health workers were seen transporting dead bodies to cremation grounds in garbage trucks. There was allegedly a shortage of ambulances or hearse vans in the state.

Video by ANI

In the video, some PPE-clad health workers could be seen dumping bodies of Covid-19 victims in the back of a garbage truck. The bodies were reportedly being transported to a cremation ground in Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh. Chief Medical Health Officer of the state reportedly said, “Arranging the vehicle is the responsibility of the Nagar Panchayat and the CMO.”

Chhatisgarh price list for treatment and dead bodies

According to a recent order of the Congress govt in the state, the family members of any person who dies of COVID-19 will have to pay Rs. 2,500 in order to secure the “storage” and the “carriage” of the body. The state government has also capped the fees to be charged by private hospitals after repeated complaints.

The health department fixed a fee of Rs. 12,000 per day for the treatment of patients in critical condition in private hospitals. This includes an ICU facility without a ventilator. A rate of 17,000 rupees per day was fixed for the treatment of very serious COVID-19 patients. This includes the ICU facility with a ventilator.

A fee of Rs 6200, Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 14,000 has been fixed for the treatment of moderate, severe, and very serious patients in private hospitals not recognized by the government. This decision is considered to be a relief move amidst an increasing number of patients suffering from COVID-19. The state also announced that the families of deceased COVID-19 patients will now have to pay Rs.2,500 for “storage” and “carriage” of the bodies.

Covid-19 situation in Chhattisgarh

On April 14, the state recorded 14,250 new Covid-19 cases. 120 people lost their lives in a single day, and there are 1,18,636 active cases in the state. In total, the state has recorded 4,86,244 Covid-19 cases, out of which 3,62,301 recovered and 5,307 died. Though the state is currently in the second position in terms of active cases, it has performed only 63.6 lakh tests so far, putting it at 16th position in a number of tests. In terms of vaccine shots, the state has administered 46.3 lakh doses so far, putting it at 10th position.

French Embassy asks its citizens, companies to leave Pakistan following violent anti-France protests over Prophet cartoons

OpIndia Staff
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French Embassy asks its citizens, companies to leave Pakistan following violent anti-France protests over Prophet cartoons

Today, the French embassy in Pakistan advised all French citizens and companies in the country to temporarily leave Pakistan which is staring at a violent civil war. This move comes in the wake of violent anti-France Islamist protests led by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) affecting several parts of the country.

“Due to the serious threats to French interests in Pakistan, French nationals and French companies are advised to temporarily leave the country,” the embassy wrote in an email to French citizens.

“The departures will be carried out by existing commercial airlines,” the embassy added.

In a statement to the Pakistani publication Dawn, the French embassy’s press attaché Veronique Wagner said, “we can confirm that we have sent a precautionary note to all our citizens in Pakistan advising them to temporarily leave the country if possible due to the recent protests that have caused graver security threats and put its citizens at risk.”

Anti-French sentiment has been on the rise in Pakistan ever since French President Emmanuel Macron’s defense of Free Speech and Expression after 45-year old Samuel Paty’s barbaric Islamist beheading in October last year. President Macron had defended the right of magazines to publish caricatures of Prophet Muhammad, a move which earned him the ire of Muslims around the world, especially in Pakistan.

Just yesterday, the Pakistani Government made the decision to ban TLP, the belligerent Islamist group which is behind the violent protests in Pakistan, and has demanded the expulsion of the French ambassador in Pakistan.

On Monday, the leader of TLP, Saad Rizvi was detained, seemingly ahead of his April 20th deadline for the Pakistan government to meet the demands put forth by TLP. This detention was the catalyst behind the three days of violent protests in Pakistan which have left two policemen dead, with over 370 injured.

The TLP has a notorious history of unleashing Islamist violence and holding days-long zealous Islamist protests in defense of Pakistan’s controversial blasphemy law, which has in fact led to the persecution of minorities in Pakistan.

However, successive governments in Pakistan have largely ignored this looming specter of extremist Islamist violence, fearing that any major confrontation with these hardline Islamist groups will trigger a reprisal all across Pakistan in the form of thousands of Islamists coming out into in the streets, potentially leading to more violence.

“We are in favour of protecting the Prophet’s honour, but the demand which they are seeking could have portrayed Pakistan as a radical nation worldwide,” said Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed in a news conference yesterday.

On Twitter, the hashtag #FrenchLeavePakistan was trended on Thursday, amassing over 42,000 tweets at the time of publication.

In September 2020, weeks after Charlie Hebdo re-published its Prophet Muhammad caricatures, its former offices in Paris were attacked by a Pakistani man who stabbed two people.

On verge of a major civil conflict?

Over the past three days, at least half a dozen people including police officials have been killed and scores of people injured after violent Islamist protests broke out in different parts of Pakistan against the detention of TLP chief Saad Hussain Rizvi.

As per reports, the arrest of Saad Hussain Rizvi came in the backdrop of TLP’s ultimatum to the Imran Khan government to fulfill its four demands before the deadline of April 20. The demands were originally made in November last year, following the beheading of 46-year-old Samuel Paty by a teenage Jihadi terrorist in France and the subsequent criticism of Islamists by French President Emmanuel Macron. TLP also took offense to the display of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad in public in one city in France.

Several videos depicting violent barbarism have emerged from Pakistan over the past three days, offering the world an insight into the brutality of the TLP Islamists.

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