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Farmer leader Ruldu Singh Mansa alleges Delhi Police smashed his car’s windscreen, video tells a completely different story: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Farmer leader Ruldu Singh Mansa alleges Delhi Police smashed his car’s windscreen, video tells a completely different story: Details 
Even as the stalemate over the farmer protests continues, today farmer leader Ruldu Singh Mansa had alleged that Delhi Police had smashed the windscreen of his car. But now a video has emerged which showed that Ruldu had himself broken the glass to accuse Delhi police of highhandedness.

Before leaving for the 11th round of meeting with the union government over the protests, Punjab Kisan Union leader had alleged that Delhi Police had smashed the windscreen of his car. He had said that he will take up the issue with the government. Photographs of the smashed rear windscreen of the Toyota car with a ‘I ❤️ KISAN’ sticker had appeared on media reports on the allegation.

Talking to media, Mansa had said that Delhi police had prevented him from joining the protests, and had attacked his car, breaking the glass. He said that Delhi police personnel had hit the windscreen with sticks. He was seen talking to reporters of Punjabi TV channels while travelling in the car with the broken rear windscreen.

However, after that a video has emerged, exposing the blatant lie of the farmer leader. In the video, it can be seen that Ruldu Singh Mansa had himself smashed his car with a hockey stick. He is seen surrounded by farmer leaders, and there is no Delhi police personnel in the scene.

It is clear from the video that it is the same car Mansa was travelling in, as the car in the video has the same branding and sticker on the broken glass.

According to reports, as Ruldu Singh Mansa was travelling in a private car to the meeting, Delhi police had stopped his car and asked where he was going. This was done due to increased security ahead of Republic Day parade, and because his car was not registered with the police for cars going to Vigyan Bhawan to attend the meeting.

After he was stopped by police, he became angry, picked up a hockey stick, and smashed the rear windscreen of his own car. Later, he alleged that the Delhi police attacked his car. But unfortunately for him, the act of him attacking his own car was recorded by someone in the crowd present at the scene on a mobile phone.

This incident again shows that the ongoing farmer protests is nothing but an agenda against the government, as the farmers have failed to any complaint they have with the new farm laws. The farmers have also rejected the government’s proposal to put the laws on hold for 1-1.5 years, and to form a committee to discuss all the issued they have with the laws.

Yogi Adityanath the most popular CM in the country for third consecutive time, Mamata slips to 4th: India Today’s Mood of the Nation survey

OpIndia Staff
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Yogi Adityanath the most popular CM in the country for third consecutive time, Mamata slips to 4th: India Today’s Mood of the Nation survey

Yogi Adityanath has emerged as the most popular Chief Minister in the country for the third consecutive time in the India Today ‘Mood of the Nation’ survey. Mamata Banerjee, with West Bengal Assembly elections around the corner, has slipped to 4th position behind Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jaganmohan Reddy and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal in the race for ‘Best CM’.

The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh received 24 per cent of the votes, up from 18 per cent the last time around. Arvind Kejriwal received 15 per cent of the votes, Jagan Reddy received 11 while Mamata Banerjee received only 9 per cent of the votes in the latest ‘Mood of the Nation’ survey.

Yogi Adityanath emerges as most popular choice for 'best CM' in India Today's Mood of the Nation survey
Yogi Adityanath emerges as most popular choice for ‘best CM’ in India Today’s Mood of the Nation survey

Other insights from the Mood of the Nation Survey

According to the India Today-Karvy Insights Mood of the Nation poll, almost three-fourth of the citizens of the country who participated in the survey were happy about the Modi government’s handling of the economic crisis. The MOTN survey has found that 73 per cent of Indians are satisfied with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.

The survey said that 23% of respondents said it was outstanding, while 50% found it good. In terms of approval ratings, PM Modi seems to enjoy the approval of 74% Indians, only a marginal dip from the 78% found in August 2020 survey.

The MOTN survey said that as many as 67 per cent of Indians are satisfied with the way the central government handled the economic distress caused by the pandemic. Twenty per cent of respondents called it outstanding, while 47 per cent said it was good.

The survey also predicted that if elections were to be held today, the BJP would return back to power with a huge margin. The Mood of the Nation poll shows that the BJP would win 291 seats – eight more than what it had got in the August 2020 edition of the Mood of the Nation poll. As per the latest MOTN survey, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) would win 321 seats, up from 316 predicted in August.

Rajdeep Sardesai was ‘baffled’ by these numbers. In August 2020 as well, Sardesai had declared the numbers ‘bewildering’.

Elephant in viral video where a forest official was seen crying profusely over its death was injured by burning tyre in horrific attack: Details

OpIndia Staff
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Elephant in viral video where a forest official was seen crying profusely over its death was injured by burning tyre in horrific attack: Details

An elephant has died in Masinagudi in the Nilgiri district of Tamil Nadu after locals attempted to chase it away with fire. The owners of a private resort are reported to have thrown a burning tyre on the elephant following which the animal fled the scene trumpeting in obvious pain. According to reports, two people have been arrested in connection with the incident.

The postmortem report shows burnt injuries to the elephant on it ear. In the video, it can be seen that its body is practically lit in flames. The tyre got stuck in its ear. The Masinagudi elephant died while being shifted for treatment. According to reports, the poor animal succumbed to the burn injuries.

It is also suspected to be the same elephant in the viral video where a ranger could be seen weeping profusely. India Today reported, “We also had visuals of rangers crying, apologizing to the elephant for what it had suffered.” The India Today reported appeared to refer to the video that had gone viral earlier on social media. “Who will I talk to? Whom will I take care of? Oh god, I am sorry,” the officer said.

According to a provisional diagnosis, septic pistulla filled with pus and severe loss of blood leading to acute anaemia, hypovolemia resulted in shock and death of the elephant. The news of the injured elephant first came to light on the 20th of January. Deputy Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve (Buffer Zone) Srikanth told The News Minute, “The early autopsy details revealed that the death is due to the back injury. The elephant might have suffered injuries two months ago. It also had puss formation which had reached its lungs. The injury could have been caused due to infighting or piercing of tree branches.”

“There is also a burn on the ears. There is no clarity yet on the cause of the burns,” he added. But the report mentions that there are suspicions that the elephant was attacked with a petrol bomb. According to Zee News, the elephant was being cared for by a temporary forest watcher called Bellan. The wild elephant is reported to have shared a close bond with him and listened to his commands. Bellan is grief-stricken following his death.

Zee News reported that there was an injury to the elephant’s ear and there were suspicions that some of the elephant’s injuries were caused by miscreants.

“Our watchers noticed a deep hole(injury) in its back and thereafter we started feeding it fruits embedded with medicines. Once we tranquillized the elephant and treated it with antibiotics. There was some progress in the elephant’s condition gradually, but it always kept coming close to habitations and blocking the highways, without causing any harm,” Srikanth, Deputy Director of Mudumalai Tiger Reserve, Masinagudi area told Zee News.

Deputy Director of the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve stated in a press note, “We received inputs and a video that shows the elephant getting injured by fire. Based on the proof today, we have apprehended two persons, Prasath and Raymond Dean, who are from Mavanallah. One more person, Ricky Ryan, is also involved in this case, and a case has been registered against these three. The third accused is not in town and so the two persons detained were arrested today and will be sent for remand.”

Pune restaurant launches ‘Bullet Thali’ challenge: Eat a 4 kg platter in 60 mins to win a Royal Enfield bike

OpIndia Staff
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Pune restaurant launches ‘Bullet Thali’ challenge: Eat a 4 kg platter in 60 mins to win a Royal Enfield bike

A restaurant in Pune has devised a Bullet Thali challenge to attract its customers, offering Bullet motorcycle to the winners of the contest. In this almost impossible challenge, one needs to finish a 4 kg giant non-veg platter in 60 minutes. One who manages to do it wins a Royal Enfield Bullet worth Rs 1.65 lakh.

Atul Waikar, the owner of Shivraj restaurant, located in the Wadgaon Maval area on the outskirts of Pune, adopted this alluring deal to bounce back after his business incurred heavy losses amid the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to media, Atul Waikar, himself a bike lover, said that he conceptualised this idea to attract customers to his restaurant.

Atul Waikar, the 30-year-old young owner of Shivraj Hotel threw open the challenge on the new year. He placed 5 brand new gleaming Royal Enfield Bullet bikes in the patio of his restaurant, put up banners and got menu card giving the details of the ‘Bullet Thali’ challenge printed.

Banner put outside the Pune restaurant (source Facebook page of Atul Waikar)

The Bullet Thali is a treat for non-vegetarians as the platter consists of 12 dishes made with 4 kilograms of meat and fish. The dishes include Fried Surmai, Pomfret Fried Fish, Chicken Tandoori, Dry Mutton, Grey Mutton, Chicken Masala and Kolumbi (Prawn) Biryani. The cost of each thali is Rs 2,500.

According to Waikar, his Bullet Thali challenge has been receiving a good response as several people have been visiting the eatery since then to participate in the contest.

Ministers reportedly walk out of meeting after farmers refuse government’s proposal, 11th round of talks end in a stalemate

OpIndia Staff
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Ministers reportedly walk out of meeting after farmers refuse government’s proposal, 11th round of talks end in a stalemate

The eleventh round of talks between protesting farmers unions and three central ministers which was underway to break the nearly two-month-long deadlock on the three new farm laws once again remained inconclusive. The ministers reportedly walked out of the meeting as the farmers remained unresponsive.

ANI quoted the National President of Rashtriya Kisan Mazdur, Shiv Kumar Kakka as saying: “Before the lunch break, farmer leaders reiterated their demand for the repeal of the farm laws & govt said they are ready for amendments. The minister asked us to consider govt’s proposal & we asked him to consider ours. After that, the minister left the meeting”.

Speaking to media after the 11th round of discussions, Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said that the central government has until now participated in 45 hours of discussion on the new farm laws with the farmer unions, however, no consensus has been reached until now.

Tomar said that while implementing the new agricultural laws the government aimed at providing maximum benefits to the farmers of India which included maximum returns on their produce, new and improvised technologies for farming, axing the role of mediators to enable farmers to sell their produce to Pvt firms to get maximum profit, etc. The new laws are progressive and also futuristic and would benefit the Indian farmers. However, the farmers mainly from Punjab and a handful from other few districts have been brainwashed into believing that the new farm laws are not in their interest, said Tomar, furthering the political opponents have used these ignorant farmers as pawns to play petty politics.

He furthered that the Modi Govt has always been compassionate towards the farmer of the country. The govt has tried hard and held 11 rounds of talks. We have tried to put forward umpteen suggestions and reach an amicable solution to this impasse, however, the farmers remain unyielded. Tomar insinuated that the farmers’ protest is not about the farmers anymore but has been transformed into an anti-India protest by Modi-detractors who want to create a negative image of India and Narendra Modi around the world.

Meanwhile, Rakesh Tikait, Spokesperson, Bhartiya Kisan Union said that during the meeting the government representatives offered to put the implementation of the farm laws on hold for two years and said that the next round of meeting can take place only if farmer unions are ready to accept the proposal.

Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar, Railways, Commerce and Food Minister Piyush Goyal and Minister of State for Commerce Som Parkash have been representing the central government during the talks with the representatives of 41 farmer unions.

It is pertinent to note here that the Modi government has been relentlessly trying to resolve the impasse. In fact, in the last round of meeting held on Wednesday, the government offered to put on hold the three laws for 12-18 months and also set up a joint committee to resolve the issue, following the apex court’s order.

However, the farmer unions on Thursday rejected the central government’s proposal and remained hellbent on their demands primarily repealing of three farm laws, which are actually in favour of the farmers and providing a legal guarantee of the minimum support price (MSP). 

Meanwhile, the farmer unions are hellbent on taking out a tractor rally on January 26th in order to pressurise the central government into yielding to their unjustified demands. The Delhi police have, however, clarified that the purported rally will be allowed only on a curated route, with a limited number of tractors and participants that too under the supervision of the police.

‘That is New India,’ ‘Pujaras’s Pooja’ and more: Indian cricketer Ashwin and fielding coach Sridhar share stories from the Sydney test

OpIndia Staff
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‘That is New India,’ ‘Pujaras’s Pooja’ and more: Indian cricketer Ashwin and fielding coach Sridhar share stories from the Sydney test

Indian cricket superstar Ravichandran Ashwin shared stories from the tour of Australia on his YouTube channel on Friday. During the 18 minutes and 30 seconds video, the off-spinner narrated entertaining and funny inside stories. The video is in Tamil and subtitles are available in English.

The Indian cricket team’s fielding coach, R Sridhar accompanied Ashwin for the video. Ashwin narrated that prior to the 5th day of the Sydney test, there were already discussions among ‘them’ where they would be having their lunch.

Ashwin recounts that ‘they’ (probably the Australian team although it is not clear precisely who they were, could very well be the ground staff) were already discussing, “India will be done by lunch. So, shall we have the lunch at the hotel?”

R Sridhar says, “India’s team togetherness. I saw that happen on that day 5. One of the most enthralling days of test cricket.” “Then there was Pujara,” he said. Ashwin then says that “Pujara’s Pooja” meant that one was in for a “long day”.

“You won’t let me score? No problem. You will hit my body? No problem. You will hit my finger? No problem. It looks ugly? No problem,” R Sridhar says of Pujara’s “adamant determination”. “We will rename as the Rock of Gibraltar,” says Ashwin. R Sridhar says, “He is a wounded, walking, fighting monk.”

Then, in a hilarious moment, the off-spinner compared Pujara to the Night King from Game of Thrones. “From the first season to the last, he will keep walking everywhere. Why are people even scared of him? He is walking in all slowness. Our Puj is also similar. Slowly walking.” He recounts seeing a meme on the internet where Hazlewood, Starc and Cummins are shown as young men when Pujara walks in to bat and old with grey beard by the time he is done with his innings.

R Sridhar says that he received some information from the Australian dressing room where they were analyzing Pujara’s batting. Hazlewood apparently threw his cap down and said, “Enough of me seeing Pujara again. I have seen enough on the field.”

About the flamboyant Rishabh Pant, Ashwin says, “Two things. One, we get scared. Two, the opponent gets more scared.” The fielding coach heaps praises on the Indian wicket-keeper and applauds his ability to score that many runs against Australia as a youngster with his unorthodox batting style. “That is New India,” he says.

The funniest bit, without a doubt, involved Shardul Thakur. Ravi Shastri, the head coach of the Indian team, called the youngster and said, “Go and tell them that I told this specifically.” Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin were batting at the time. Shivering, Thakur asked Shastri what he should tell them. The message that he needed to convey was that Ashwin should defend against the spinner from one end and Vihari should face the pacers at the other.

“Then out came Shardul charging from the dressing room,” says Ravichandran Ashwin, “He was catching his breath when he reached us.” Shardul then told them, “They told me so many things from the dressing room. But I am not gonna say any of it. You guys are already doing a great job. So, please continue.” Then Ashwin and Sridhar both burst into peels of laughter.

Ashwin recounts that he told Vihari, “We just survived a hostile spell of Pat Cummins. We got tattoos all over our body. We can survive anything from here. We are not gonna go out on our own. Just keep defending and bore them off. Just don’t flash anything outside off. Keep defending. We might get hit but we will come through.”

Ravichandran Ashwin also recalls the unsavoury sledging by Tim Paine. He says that it was the moment when they realised that the Australian team has lost it.

In the episode, the two discussed the 3rd Test Match between India and Australia at Sydney where the Indian team pulled off a draw under extremely difficult conditions due to brilliant batting from Cheteshwar Pujara, Rishabh Pant, Hanuma Vihari and Ravichandran Ashwin. In the test that followed, the 4th and final test, India pulled off a remarkable victory under extraordinary circumstances after a collective team effort.

Bharat Biotech’s ‘Covaxin’ is safe, vaccine led to enhanced immune responses to Covid-19, says medical journal Lancet

OpIndia Staff
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Bharat Biotech’s ‘Covaxin’ is safe, vaccine led to enhanced immune responses to Covid-19, says medical journal Lancet

British Medical Journal Lancet has said that Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine – Covaxin, India’s first indigenous vaccine against the coronavirus, showed enhanced immune response without any serious side effects in the Phase 1 trials.

The prestigious medical journal said that the vaccine generated tolerable safety outcomes and enhanced immune responses. According to the Lancet, the vaccine, codenamed BBV152, was well tolerated in all dose groups with no vaccine-related serious adverse events.

During the trials carried between 13 and 30 July 2020, 827 participants were screened, of whom 375 were enrolled. Among the enrolled participants, 100 each were randomly assigned to the three vaccine groups, and 75 were randomly assigned to the control group.

“The most common solicited adverse events were injection site pain, headache, fatigue, fever, and nausea or vomiting,” the journal said.

Adverse event common, not related to vaccine: Lancet

The journal also added that one adverse event was reported but was unrelated to the vaccine.

“All solicited adverse events were mild and were more frequent after the first dose. One serious adverse event of viral pneumonitis was reported in the 6 μg with Algel group, unrelated to the vaccine,” the journal said.

During the phase 2 trial, Covaxin has been tested in 11 hospitals across the country. According to Lancet, the volunteers between the ages of 18 and 55 with no co-morbidity conditions have participated in the trial, who were administered two intramuscular doses of vaccines with 14 days apart.

Reportedly, the vaccine trial took place in Hyderabad, Rohtak, Patna, Kancheepuram, Delhi, Goa, Bhubaneswar and Lucknow among other places.

Covaxin is developed by Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). The drug regulator committee of India had last month granted emergency use authorisation for Covaxin in ‘clinical trial mode’.

Lancet study dismisses fearmongering by liberals and opposition parties

Ever since the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) approved the emergency use of Bharat Biotech’s vaccine Covaxin for Covid-19, the opposition parties and its media ecosystem had resorted to not only politicising the issue of vaccination drive but also trying to discredit it as it was developed and manufactured indigenously in the country.

The left-liberals, trying to undo all the hard work carried out by Indian scientists, had resorted to false propaganda by targeting the government over the vaccine’s efficacy and had indulged in fearmongering ahead of the release of the cure for the pandemic.

According to these ‘experts’, the Covaxin has not been fully tested, short on trails, and there was no efficacy data to prove that the vaccine is a successful one.

However, with Lancet certifying the study and peer-reviewing the Indian made vaccine ‘Covaxin’, the left-liberals and opposition leaders in the country have much to answer about their campaign to discredit the vaccine at a time when the country needed it the most.

‘Money earned in drug sale was used to finance anti-India activities’: NCB busts Dawood Ibrahim aide’s drug factory

OpIndia Staff
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‘Money earned in drug sale was used to finance anti-India activities’: NCB busts Dawood Ibrahim aide’s drug factory

Two days after the Narcotics Control Bureau(NCB) arrested Parvez Khan alias Chiku Pathan, the agency arrested one more member of the gang today from the Dongri area and recovered MD(Mephedrone) drug.

A diary has also been recovered from in which names of 20 drug peddlers are mentioned. According to the NCB, the money earned from the drug sale was used in financing anti-India activities.

The agency also stated that the information gathered about gangster Chiku Pathan will be shared with the Enforcement Directorate as well as the National Investigation Agency. An investigation is also underway to ascertain whether Pathan is associated with Dawood Ibrahim, NCB said.

NCB raids a drug factory in Mumbai’s Dongri and arrests Chiku Pathan

The latest arrest in the case came two days after the agency raided a factory in Dongri area of Mumbai and recovered drugs and cash worth crores along with firearms reserves. Chiku Pathan, who is allegedly a close aide of gangster Dawood Ibrahim, was arrested in the raid. Acting on a tip-off, the NCB had launched an operation on Wednesday morning, which continued till Thursday and led to the expose of a drug factory located in the heart of South Mumbai.

The factory is said to be involved in manufacturing MD or Mephedrone, a menace on the Mumbai’s streets, pushing a large number of youngsters in the abyss of the crime world and drug addiction. The factory was run in Dongri of South Mumbai, once a stronghold of gangster Dawood Ibrahim, and whose henchmen allegedly still run illegal and unlawful activities from the place.

The factory was run by Pathan and his associates. Pathan is one of the biggest druglords of Mumbai and is believed to handle 70 per cent of the supply of mephedrone in Mumbai and the MMR region. According to NCB sources, Pathan had links with international drug cartels and his arrest and the expose of the drug factory in Dongri is one of the biggest drug busts in the country.

It is worth noting that Chiku Pathan is a relative of former underworld don, late Karim Lala. He is also said to have links with Dawood Ibrahim gang. He reportedly runs several kitchen laboratories where mephedrone is synthesized and then circulated with the help of a chain of drug peddlers, who sell it on the streets in Mumbai and surrounding places.

NCB launched a probe after drug-related chats surfaced in the wake of Sushant’s death

The probe into the drug menace prevalent in and around Mumbai was launched by the Narcotics Control Bureau in the wake of the alleged suicide of actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Based on Whatsapp chat involving drug, the NCB launched a probe into the rampant drug use in Bollywood.

The central agency had earlier arrested Rajput’s girlfriend, actress Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik, some employees of the late actor and a few others under sections of the NDPS Act. Rhea Chakraborty, her brother, and some other accused were later granted bail.

India sends Covid-19 vaccines to all neighbouring countries except Pakistan, China steps in to aid Pakistan with free Chinese vaccine

OpIndia Staff
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India sends Covid-19 vaccines to all neighbouring countries except Pakistan, China steps in to aid Pakistan with free Chinese vaccine

Just days after India started vaccinating priority groups in India, the Indian government has already started sending the vaccines to other countries. Even before commercial export by the manufacturers, Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech, makers of Covishield and Covaxin, had started, the central govt has already procured Covid-19 vaccines from them to send to other countries as grants.

The Modi government has decided to send the vaccines to almost all neighbouring countries, with one notable exception. While the first shipment of Indian vaccines had landed Bhutan and after that in the Maldives, vaccines have reached other nearby nations like Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, and the country plans to send vaccines to Afghanistan and Sri Lanka soon. Other than these neighbouring countries, India has also sent vaccines to Seychelles and Mauritius as grant supplies.

However, India has not sent any vaccines to its western neighbour Pakistan, and there are no reports suggesting that the govt may help the terror sponsor nation with vaccines. After India had started sending vaccines to other countries, the ‘aman ki aasha’ proponents have been demanding that India should send vaccines to Pakistan also in humanitarian grounds. However, the central govt has not shown any inclination of accepting that demand.

However, after India started sending vaccines to friendly nations, Pakistan managed to obtain a promise of 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine from its all-weather ally China as an aid.

Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi informed on Thursday, “I want to give the nation the good news that China has promised to immediately provide 500,000 doses of vaccine to Pakistan by January 31.” He informed the same after a phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Quoting Yi, Qureshi said that Pakistan is the first country China is helping with its vaccine against the Chinese virus.

On Monday, Pakistan had approved the Chinese state-owned firm Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use. Earlier it had already approved the vaccine developed by Oxford University-AstraZeneca for emergency use. It is notable that the world’s largest vaccine maker Serum Institute of India is making the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in India under the Covishield brand.

In the last couple of days, India has sent 1.5 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Bhutan, 1 lakh doses to Maldives, 20 lakh doses to Bangladesh, 15 lakh doses to Myanmar, 10 lakh doses to Nepal, 50,000 doses to Seychelles, and 1 lakh doses to Mauritius.

Apart from these grants by India, commercial export of vaccines is also starting from today. Serum Institute is shipping the Covishield vaccine to Brazil and Morocco today. South Africa and Saudi Arabia will also get shipments for the same in the coming days.

Brazil, the second-worst country hit by Covid-19, has been asking India to send the vaccines. It had even offered to send a plane last week to pick up the shipment.

However, India has not sent any vaccines to its western neighbour Pakistan, and there are no reports suggesting that the govt may help the terror nation with vaccines. However, after India started sending vaccines to friendly nations, Pakistan managed to obtain a promise 500,000 doses of Sinopharm vaccine from its all-weather ally China as aid.

Pakistan foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi informed on Thursday, “I want to give the nation the good news that China has promised to immediately provide 500,000 doses of vaccine to Pakistan by January 31.” He informed the same after a phone conversation with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. Quoting Yi, Qureshi said that Pakistan is the first country China is helping with its vaccine against the Chinese virus.

On Monday, Pakistan had approved the Chinese state-owned firm Sinopharm’s Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use. Earlier it had already approved the vaccine developed by Oxford University-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use. It is notable that world’s largest vaccine maker Serum Institute of India is making the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in India under the Covishield brand.

In the last couple of days, India has sent 1.5 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccine to Bhutan, 1 lakh doses to Maldives, 20 lakh doses to Bangladesh, 15 lakh doses to Myanmar, 10 lakh doses to Nepal, 50,000 doses to Seychelles, 1 lakh doses to Mauritius.

Apart from these grants by India, commercial export of vaccines is also starting from today. Serum Institute is shipping the Covishield vaccine to Brazil and Morocco today. South Africa and Saudi Arabia will also get shipments for the same in the coming days.

Brazil, the second worst country hit by Covid-19, has been asking India to send the vaccines. It had even offered to send a plane last week to pick up the shipment.

There is great demand for Indian vaccines across the world, especially from less developed nations, as the vaccines made by Pfizer and Moderna as relatively expensive, and they have been already purchased by richer nations, leaving no stock for others. Moreover, those vaccines need to be stored in much low temperature, requiring extensive cold storage and transport facilities, while the Covishield and Covaxin can be stored in domestic refrigerators.

Delhi police books DSGMC president and Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa for embezzlement of Gurdwara funds

OpIndia Staff
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Delhi police books DSGMC president and Akali Dal leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa for embezzlement of Gurdwara funds

The Delhi Police’s Economic Offences Wing has registered a case against Shiromani Akali Dal leader and Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjinder Singh Sirsa and others on charges for cheating and embezzlement of Gurdwara funds.

Delhi court calls allegations against Manjinder Singh Sirsa “serious in nature”, orders probe

The Delhi police have acted on an order passed by a Delhi court in November last year. Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Dhirendra Rana, on November 7, had directed the Delhi police to register an FIR against Manjinder Singh Sirsa and other unknown persons in the committee for the misappropriation of funds while Sirsa was the general secretary of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee in 2013.

Calling the allegations “serious in nature”, the Additional chief metropolitan magistrate had said that the matter needs to be investigated.

The order was passed following a complaint by one Bhupinder Singh who had contended that the current DSGMC president Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who was the general secretary of the committee then in 2013, had caused a loss of public funds to the tune of Rs 65,99,729 by showing sham transactions with various entities and raising fictitious bills without any actual goods or services being provided.

Delhi court orders the DCP, Economics Offences Wing, to investigate the matter

Additional chief metropolitan magistrate Dhirendra Rana had also said that the bills submitted to the court did not bear the signatures of anyone from the DSGMC and investigation is required to check why Sirsa had claimed payment on such bills. Saying that the bills “look fictitious prima facie”, the court said that it is a matter of investigation as to who approved these bills and how. The court had then ordered the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Economics Offences Wing (EOW), to investigate the matter.

Manjinder Singh Sirsa comes out in his defence

When the issue came to the fore, a blame game began. Sirsa said in his defence: “There are no allegations against me. The court has said that payments should be investigated to ascertain whether there are proper bills available or not. The bills were approved by the then president Manjit Singh GK and not by me.”

Meanwhile, Manjit Singh GK, the former DSGMC president denied his role and said that Sirsa was trying to mislead everyone. “The court has named Sirsa and asked for an FIR to be registered in his name. I have evidence that he had got the payments made under his signatures for erecting tents at the homes of top Akali leaders. As per the DSGMC Act 1971, that governs the working of Gurdwara committee, the general secretary is the administrative head as he is in charge of accounts, purchase and personal matters.”

Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) also jumped into the entire fiasco and demanded that Sirsa be suspended as the president of DSGMC.

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