Home Blog Page 5034

NSA Ajit Doval walks out of SCO meeting in Russia after Pakistan’s shenanigans: Here is why

OpIndia Staff
-
0
NSA Ajit Doval walks out of SCO meeting in Russia after Pakistan’s shenanigans: Here is why

India National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval today walked out of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting in protest to a new political map presented by the Pakistani NSA which showed Kashmir and Junagadh as part of the territory of Pakistan.

Condemning Pakistan’s act, Russia called it provocative. Secretary of National Security Council of Russia Federation, Nikolai Patrushev said that Russia did not support Pakistan’s act and urged India not to let this affect its participation in the summit.

Patrushev added that Pakistan’s act would not affect his personal relationship with NSA Doval and that Russia hoped to see India at the forthcoming events.

After consulting with the Russia NSA, Doval left the meeting declaring Pakistan’s act as a blatant disregard to the advisory by the host against it and in violation of the norms of the meeting. However, Pakistan kept on showing the misleading map even after NSA Doval left the meeting.

Pakistan New Map

On the eve of the first anniversary of the abrogation of Article 370, a move that stripped the special status of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan had released a new political map, making sovereign claims on the entire Jammu and Kashmir and the erstwhile princely state of Junagadh in Gujarat. Terming it a historic day, Pakistan PM Imran Khan had unveiled the new political map, adding that the new political map of Pakistan represents the ambition of Pakistani nationals.

Fact Check: Is India going under lockdown once again from September 25?

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Fact Check: Is India going under lockdown once again from September 25?

As the number of coronavirus cases continue to surge across the country, social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook and other personal messaging services such as Whatsapp are replete with messages and a purported image of an ‘order’ issued by the National Disaster Management Authority claiming that the country would once again go into lockdown starting from September 25.

One of the Whatsapp forwards that is doing the rounds on the Internet reads, “In order to contain the spread of COVID-19 and decrease the mortality rate of the country, the National Disaster Management Authority(NDMA), along with the Planning Commission has urged the Government of India to once again impose a strict lockdown of 46 days starting from midnight 25th September.”

Whatsapp forward during the rounds about the imminent lockdown

Similarly, a purported ‘order’ allegedly issued by the NDMA is being circulated on other social media websites in which the organisation has advised the government to make necessary provisions for the daily necessities and suggested to impose a nationwide lockdown of 46 days starting the midnight of September 25.

Copy of alleged order being circulated on social media websites

The purported order states that due to the COVID-19 cases increasing daily and the number of deaths is rising in the country, the National Disaster Management Authority i.e. NDMA has directed all the ministries and departments of Government of India including State Government and Union Territories to take preventive measures to contain this COVID outbreak so that the number of cases doesn’t rise any further.

Press Information Bureau debunks rumours of reimposition of lockdown from September 25

However, debunking the misinformation that is being spread across the social media platforms, the Press Information Bureau has posted a tweet, putting rumours of the reimposition of the lockdown to rest in the wake of rising number of cases in the country.

Calling the order that is being widely shared on Whatsapp, Twitter and Facebook as fake, the official Twitter handle of PIB posted a tweet saying that no such order has been issued by the NDMA and there is no plan in the offing to reimpose a nationwide lockdown in the wake of surging coronavirus caseloads.

Earlier in March, India went under a strict lockdown for 21 days to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. The lockdown was subsequently extended until June when the government proceeded on a phased unlock of the country. Activities which were banned during the lockdown have resumed in a graded manner, considering the local situation of the coronavirus crisis. However, there have been many reports in between about a nationwide lockdown again, apart from the restrictions already imposed in containment areas.

India on Monday registered 83,809 cases, taking the overall tally of the coronavirus cases in the country to 49,30,236. Besides, 1,054 fatalities have been reported in the last 24 hours, data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare shows.

BCCI president Sourav Ganguly shares pictures of his visit to the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, blurs picture of Pakistani cricketers in background

OpIndia Staff
-
0
BCCI president Sourav Ganguly shares pictures of his visit to the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, blurs picture of Pakistani cricketers in background

With the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020 edition about to kickstart, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly reached the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE, which is one of the 3 venues hosting the IPL 2020, to take stock of the preparations. Sourav Ganguly took to his official Instagram handle to share pictures from his visit to the venue. Captioning his post: “Famous Sharjah stadium all set to host IPL 2020”, the BCCI chief shared three pictures inspecting the ground facilities.

View this post on Instagram

Famous Sharjah stadium all set to host IPL 2020

A post shared by SOURAV GANGULY (@souravganguly) on

However, what took the social media users by a surprise was that in one the pictures shared, the former Indian captain chose to blur an image comprising of Pakistani cricketers’ in the background. Reportedly, the picture blurred by the BCCI chief comprised the likes of former Pakistan great Javed Miandad, Rashid Latif, Misbah-ul-Haq, Azhar Mahmood, Danish Kaneria, etc. 

The picture where Sourav Ganguly blurred the hoarding which displayed pictures of Pakistani plyers

The cricket boards of the two countries have never shared a very cordial relationship, mainly owing to the strained border tensions between India and Pakistan. India has time and again reiterated that no bilateral series can be played between the two nations until tensions at the border are eased.

India has not played a Test series in Pakistan for more than 14 years, and Pakistan has not visited India for almost eight years. Though they have played each other at the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) events like the World Cup and the Champions Trophy.

And the only time Pakistani players appeared in the IPL was in the opening edition in 2008. 11 Pakistani cricketers had represented various franchises then.

According to reports, the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2020) will be the live-streamed in 120 countries worldwide. Pakistan is, however, not included in this list of 120 countries, said the report.

Sharjah is the 1st of the 3 venues that Ganguly has visited and he is likely to assess the preparations at Dubai and Abu Dhabi as well. The BCCI president had landed in Dubai on September 9 and completed his mandatory 6-day quarantine period before heading to Sharjah.

Meanwhile, the Sharjah Cricket Stadium will be hosting 12 matches till the league stage in IPL 2020. Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals will meet in the 1st match of the tournament on September 22 at the historic venue which has been a witness to a number of India versus Pakistan thrillers in the past.

Maharashtra: Madrassa to provide 3-month coaching for ‘minority’ candidates aspiring for police constabulary

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Maharashtra: Madrassa to provide 3-month coaching for ‘minority’ candidates aspiring for police constabulary

A Madrassa in Maharashtra has decided to provide pre-recruitment training to 200 Muslim candidates who are aspiring for the post of the police constable, Times of India has reported.

The special coaching provided by the Madrassa is distinct from the one already provided for ‘minority candidates’ in 36 districts of Maharashtra. Moin Mian, the head of the Madrassa, informed that it would provide free lodging and meals to the aspirants during the three-month training period.

Madrassa plans 3-month coaching, will rope in funds and retired police officials

The madrassa, Jamia Ashrafia Qadria, has joined hands with a private coaching institute to provide a three-month training programme to the aspirants preparing for Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC). In a bid to increase ‘Muslim representation’ in police constabulary, activist MA Khalid, Madrassa head Maulana Moin Ashraf Qadri (Moin Mian), and Congress MLA Amin Patel decided to train and provide coaching for 200 Muslim aspirants.

Congress legislator heaped praise on Moin Mian for working for the welfare of Muslim candidates. The Muslim leaders had stated that affluent Muslims will contribute to the cause. He informed that the Madrassa is also making efforts to rope in retired police officials for providing physical training to candidates. The Madrassa informed that they will soon focus on other exams, apart from that of police constabulary.

‘Poor’ representation of Muslims in police constabulary

Activist MA Khalid attributed the ‘poor’ representation of Muslims in law enforcement to the lack of their prowess in the Marathi language. Citing his example, Khalid claimed that he failed to clear the exam in 2018 for police constabulary due to poor understanding of the local language in Maharashtra.

Emphasising on how the coaching is going to change the fortunes in favour of the minority candidates, he said, “While the government coaching is for two months, we will coach the students for 3 months an extra month for strengthening their knowledge of Marathi.”

Higher representation of minorities will remove ‘misconceptions’, claims IGP

Speaking on the development, IGP (Civil Rights) Quaisar Khalid stated, “Good representation of minorities helps build trust and remove misconceptions about the police. When law and order situations arise, it helps to have constables from different communities to establish a dialogue between communities and keep things under control.”

Zakat Foundations plans to infiltrate Indian bureaucracy in 35 years

Recently, the Zakat Foundation told Muslims that the corridors of power can belong to them. It said, “Larger purpose of joining Civil Services is not employment but Empowerment of the Community”. The Zakat Foundation continued, “Our boys & girls can sit in the HRD & Law Ministries and retain AMU’s Minority Character. Our boys & girls can be the District Magistrate and don’t let injustice be meted out to anybody. Our boys & girls can be the Superintendent of Police and don’t let any undeserving arrest be made. 

Thus, quite clearly, the foundation believes that one way for Muslims to capture the state is through the bureaucracy and is of the opinion that greater control of the bureaucracy would give them better access to resources to strengthen the cause of Islam in India. It explains why Syed Zafar Mahmood was willing to concede the Ram Janmabhoomi to Hindus is return for reservations in government recruitment.

Supreme Court stays the telecast of Sudarshan TV’s ‘UPSC Jihad’ show, next hearing on September 17

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Supreme Court stays the telecast of Sudarshan TV’s ‘UPSC Jihad’ show, next hearing on September 17

In relation to a matter relating to the telecast of the programme based on the theme of ‘UPSC Jihad’ on Sudarshan TV, a three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court comprising of Justices D Y Chandrachud, Indu Malhotra and KM Joseph has passed an order restraining the telecast of the programme.

Four episodes of the programme have already been aired after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting gave its nod subject to the condition that the programme did not violate the programme code of conduct. The court had earlier refused to pass an order imposing a pre-broadcast ban and had issued notice to the Centre, the Press Council of India and the News Broadcasters Association.

Responding to Justice Chadrachud’s query regarding the import of the show, Advocate Shyam Divan, who was appearing on behalf of the Sudarshan TV, told the court that the show was an investigative story and that the channel believed that the issue is related to national security as there was enormous funding flowing in from the overseas from sources which are inimical to India.

Prima facie, it appears to vilify the Muslim community, says SC

Advocate Divan also pointed out that the channel had reached out to the parties under the investigation but no response was received by the channel. He also requested the court to allow the telecast of the show and not pass a restraint order until he presents an affidavit as well as all the related material before the court tomorrow. “A journalist thinks he has discovered something. He may be wright or wrong. He thinks he is doing his duty by unraveling the foreign funding. If he is incorrect, he will have to face the consequences. There is a whole regime, whole scheme under the Act to deal with that” he said.

One of the petitioners opposing the telecast of the show declared the content of the show ‘hate speech’ and accused the channel of inciting violence. Justice Chandrachud remarked that the Supreme Court could not allow the channel to say that the Muslims of the country are infiltrating the Civil Services. The court in its order observed that prima facie, it appeared that the object, intent and purpose of the programme was to vilify the Muslim community with an insidious attempt to portray them as part of a conspiracy to infiltrate the civil services. The next hearing of the matter has been scheduled on September 17.

Vladimir Putin’s critic Alexei Navalny, who was ‘poisoned’, on road to recovery, shares a photo from hospital on Instagram

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Vladimir Putin’s critic Alexei Navalny, who was ‘poisoned’, on road to recovery, shares a photo from hospital on Instagram

Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was on ventilator in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a Berlin hospital, has been recovering. The critic of Vladimir Putin who was hospitalised after being ‘poisoned’ has reportedly been taken off the ventilator and is now able to move out of his bed for short durations.

The Charité hospital, where the 44-year-old anti-corruption blogger was admitted, provided an update in a tweet on Monday. It said he continued to improve and was “currently undergoing mobilisation and is able to leave his bed for short periods of time”.

Navalny was brought out of a medically-induced coma a week ago. 

Navalny also took to his official Instagarm account to share his picture with the hospital staffs.

Russian opposition leader ‘poisoned’, admitted at ICU after becoming unconscious in a flight

Navalny had collapsed on a flight from Siberia on August 20. In a series of tweets on August 20 (Thursday), Navalny’s Press Secretary Kira Yarmysh reported that Navalny lost conscious after his flight from Tomsk, Siberia to Moscow took off. As Navalny fell ill, the pilot made an emergency landing in Omsk, where he was rushed to the Charité hospital in the German capital.

Speaking to the Russian media, she added that Navalny had some tea at the airport just before boarding the plane. Reportedly, he felt uneasy on the plane and started sweating.

His tests had confirmed that he was poisoned with a Novichok nerve agent. Laboratories in France and Sweden had confirmed the findings of a German military lab that said that there was no doubt that the Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with a Soviet-era nerve agent.

His team alleged that Navalny was poisoned on the orders of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Alexei Navalny – an anti-corruption blogger

The 44-year-old Alexei Navalny, who rose from being an anti-corruption blogger to become the face of opposition in Russia, is a staunch critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Earlier, he had made allegations against the senior officials in the Russian government, which allegedly made him many enemies inside the government.

Navalny, a son of an army officer, grew up mainly in Obninsk. He has a law degree and also has a fellowship at Yale. Navalny had also attempted to run for the presidency in 2018 but was blocked on legal grounds.

China has been illegally occupying parts of Ladakh and PoK, it can not be allowed to make unilateral changes to LAC any more: Rajnath Singh

OpIndia Staff
-
0
China has been illegally occupying parts of Ladakh and PoK, it can not be allowed to make unilateral changes to LAC any more: Rajnath Singh

Union Minister of Defence Rajnath Singh today talked about the LAC stand-off with China in the Parliament. He said that India is ready to deal with any situation at the LAC.

In his address, Singh said that both India and China agree that it is essential to maintain peace and tranquility in the areas along the LAC to ensure both countries have bilateral relations. The border issues between India and China stand unresolved to date. There has not been any mutually acceptable solution.

Union minister Singh said that China does not recognize the traditional and customary alignment of the boundary, while India considers that this alignment is based on well-established geographical principles. India has told China via diplomatic channels that any attempt to alter the status quo will violate the bilateral agreements over border issues between the two countries.

Singh said that China had mobilized a huge number of armed forces along LAC and inner areas. There are several friction points between India and China, including Ladakh, Kongka La, Pangong Lake’s north and south banks and several others. India has deployed counter battalions in these areas.

China has been illegally occupying Indian territory in Ladakh: Defence Minister

The Raksha Mantri stated, “China continues to be in illegal occupation of approximately 38,000 sq. kms in the Union Territory of Ladakh. In addition, under the so-called Sino-Pakistan ‘Boundary Agreement’ of 1963, Pakistan illegally ceded 5,180 sq. km. of Indian territory in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir to China. China also claims approximately 90,000 sq. kms. of Indian territory in the Eastern Sector of the India-China boundary in Arunachal Pradesh.

He furthered that there is no commonly delineated Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the border areas between India and China and there is no common perception of the entire LAC. Hence both India and Chin, through a number of agreements and protocols to maintain peace along the LAC. He added that while India has maintained that bilateral relationships can be nurtured while taking positive steps to resolve boundary issues, any transgressions into India’s territorial integrity will not go unresponded.

India is ready to deal with any situation

The defence minister assured the nation in his address that India is ready to deal with any situation that arises on the borders. He further added that he clearly stated that there should be no doubt about India’s determination to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity during his meeting with the Chinese Defence Minister.

He assured the house that the troops on high altitude have suitable clothing, habitat and the required defence wherewithal.

China’s violent conduct dealt properly in border areas

Rajnath Singh said that the violent conduct of Chinese troops is a violation of all agreements between India and China. India has deployed battalions in the border areas to counter such incidents and ensure our borders are safe. He assured that the morale of the Indian armed forces is high, and no one should have any doubt about it.

PM’s Ladakh visit was impactful

Singh said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Ladakh gave a clear message that India stands with the armed forces. China created a violent face-off at Galwan on 15th June. Our brave soldiers laid down their lives, but they inflicted casualties on the Chinese side too. The past stand-offs with China had been resolved peacefully, but in the last year, the situation has been different in terms of the number of troops involved and the number of friction points. He added that India is still committed to a peaceful resolution.

The defence minister asserted that the current situation has come up because China had repeatedly tried to unilaterally alter the status quo at the LAC and Indian armed forces are committed to protect the territorial integrity of the nation.

Uttar Pradesh: Kanpur police set up an SIT to investigate multiple ‘love jihad’ cases

OpIndia Staff
-
0
Uttar Pradesh: Kanpur police set up an SIT to investigate multiple ‘love jihad’ cases

The Kanpur Police have formed an eight-member Special Investigation Team(SIT) to investigate the rising number of forced conversions done on the pretext of marriage. As many as 11 cases of ‘love jihad’ have come to light from the same district in the past one month.

Against the backdrop of an increasing number of forced conversions, Hindu organisations met IG Kanpur Mohit Agarwal and requested for a probe into the matter. Acting on the complaint, the police constituted a team to probe if there is any pattern or modus operandi behind the alleged incidents of ‘love jihad’ in the district. In addition to this, the SIT team has also been asked to investigate the role of Islamic organisations in financing the ‘love jihad’ racket in Kanpur.

Alleged role of Islamic organisations in funding outfits involved in ‘love jihad’ to be probed

According to an official quoted by IANS, there is a strong possibility that a few Islamic organisations might be monetarily supporting the outfits involved in deceiving non-Muslim girls into converting to Islam.

It is also worth noting that a large number of the alleged ‘love jihad’ case have emerged from Juhi area. The Kanpur police are investigating the matter if youth involved in this have sought financial assistance from overseas. SP Deepak Bhuker, who is leading the SP, said that they have taken SWAT team’s assistance for the purpose of surveillance.

SIT seeks details of all ‘love jihad’ cases in the last two years from local police stations

Bhuker also added that the SIT has sought information from local police stations of all the alleged ‘love jihad’ cases in the past 2 years. Bhuker also said that the team is working on extracting the records of more than 12 phone numbers to establish links.

In connection with the Shalini Yadav case, Bhuker said that the couple had moved Delhi high court and later approached a magistrate at the Tees Hazari court in Delhi, refuting the allegations. He said that the woman had declared herself to be a major and had married the man of her own volition.

As the woman is a major and took the decision of marrying the man without being under pressure, a closure report will be sent to the court soon, SP said.

Besides, the police are also investigating the matter in which youth have concealed their true identity to marry women. Two people—Mohsin Khan and Aamir—have been arrested in this regard. Khan had allegedly befriended a girl, pretending to be Sameer and later married her, the police official said.

Kanpur, a hotbed of ‘love jihad’ cases in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur has been emerging as the epicentre of ‘organised love jihad’ cases. There have been several cases of forced conversions of women on the pretext of marriage reported from the city that it has fuelled suspicions about a new model of entrapping Hindu women gaining a foothold in the city.

Following the much-publicised Shalini Yadav case, another case of ‘love jihad’ had come to the fore. A Hindu family had lodged a complaint at the local police station in Govind Nagar, Kanpur, accusing a Muslim youth named Asif Shah alias Nafiz of brainwashing their daughter with the help of occult practices, physically abusing her, threatening and intimidating her to convert into Islam and marry her.

Similarly, one more ‘love jihad’ case was reported recently, where a 14-year-old Hindu girl was allegedly trapped by a Muslin youth pretending to be Hindu. The incident was reported in Kanpur’s Gopal Nagar. The victim’s family, with the help of Bajrang Dal State Secretary Ramji Tiwari, approached the police on Monday with a complaint and sought action against the accused- Fateh Khan alias Aryan Mehrotra.

Silence of the Bachchans: When Samajwadi Party’s Jaya Bachchan kept quiet as her party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav justified rapes

Jhankar Mohta
-
0
Silence of the Bachchans: When Samajwadi Party’s Jaya Bachchan kept quiet as her party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav justified rapes

Veteran Bollywood actress, the wife of the Bollywood icon Padma Shri Amitabh Bachchan and senior Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan on Tuesday attacked BJP MP Ravi Kishan for raising the drug abuse issue which is quite prevalent in Bollywood. Speaking in Rajya Sabha, the SP MP tore into Ravi Kishan, also a Bhojpuri actor, damning him for criticising something that provides them with their livelihood. “Jis thaali mein khaate hai, usi mein chhed karte hai“, lambasted Jaya Bachchan in the upper house.

The veteran actor’s allegiance for the film industry is extremely touching. Though Ravi Kishan was not saying something which the general public is unaware of, as it is a well-established fact that Bollywood has always been closely connected to the drug mafia, the angry and irritated Jaya Bachchan blustered against the BJP MP, that too, for merely stating facts.

Samajwadi Party’s Jaya Bachchan and her selective outrage

Well, one thing which has emerged from today’s episode is that the veteran actor and the Samajwadi Party senior leader Jaya Bachchan is extremely outspoken and opinionated. But what is disconcerting and baffling is that then why, Jaya Bachchan, who did not even think twice before rebuking the BJP leader on the double, has chosen to maintain a stoic silence every time her own party members have indulged in something unethical.

One remembers Jaya Bachchan breaking down during a silent march held for the Nirbhaya gang-rape victim and expressing her condolences to the victim`s family saying she “understood their pain.” But when it came to speaking against the founder-patron of her own party-Mulayam Singh Yadav’s outrageous comment justifying rape, Jaya Bachchan remained tight-lipped.

For the uninitiated, in 2014, the SP founder member Mulayam Singh Yadav had been rebuked by practically every section of the society for his “Ladkon se aisi galtiyan ho jaati hain” remark when he was questioned on how justified it was to award death penalty to the three accused in the Shakti Mills rape cases in Mumbai.

The veteran Samajwadi Party leader had said: “Ladkon se aisi galtiyan ho jaati hain to iska ye matlab nahin ki phaansi de di jaye (Boys do make such mistakes but that does not mean that they should be sent to the gallows).” Mulayam had then opined that death penalty from rape accused was “unfair”, but then the so-called forthright actor had gone into hiding. Not a word of condemnation had come from her side.

Addressing a rally in Moradabad in 2014, former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister had said how girls first befriend boys and when they develop difference of opinion, the girls call it ‘rape’.

That’s not all. Jaya Bachchan chose to keep mum when her co-actor Jaya Prada was being badgered with sexist and misogynistic comments by her own party leader, it is simply unrighteous for her to speak now.

Where was the veteran actress when her co-star and colleague Jaya Prada alleged that her morphed, lewd pictures were being circulated by another Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan? Why did she not speak when Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and MLA from Rampur constituency Azam Khan stooped even lower than his usual low self by making utterly outrageous “khaki underwear” remark against the then BJP Lok Sabha candidate from Rampur, Jaya Prada? Why wasn’t Jaya Bachchan seen standing shoulder to shoulder with Jaya Prada when she alleged that Azam Khan had attempted an acid attack on her?

Jaya Bachchan also remained silent when Azam Khan recited sexist ‘poem’ for BJP MP Rama Devi. During the run-up to the 2019 general elections, Samajwadi Party leader Firoz Khan had said that Jaya Prada would henceforth adorn the evenings of the people of Rampur. He had said that Rampur residents will now be ‘entertained’ as Prada would visit for campaigning. Firoz Khan, not too surprisingly, is a close aide of Azam Khan.

And then Samajwadi Party’s ST Hassan referred to former actress Zaira Wasim as ‘tawaif’. He had also said that it is better to give triple talaq to one’s wife who is having an illicit affair instead of killing her or setting her on fire. 

While the usual suspects from Bollywood are hailing and lauding Jaya Bachchan for lecturing BJP leader Ravi Kishan and standing up for the film fraternity, they seem to have conveniently forgotten her silence, where it was perhaps more important for her to speak up.

Guess, men will be men.

COVID-19 vaccine may become reality by the first quarter of 2021, PM warns people to stay cautious as cases in India surge

OpIndia Staff
-
0
COVID-19 vaccine may become reality by the first quarter of 2021, PM warns people to stay cautious as cases in India surge

Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, interacted with his social media followers on the Sunday Samvad platform on 13th September. While the questions covered a wide array of concerns regarding the current situation of COVID, the government’s approach about it, and possible changes one can expect in the coming time, one question that was the highlight of Samvad was about the timeline of the vaccine for Covid-19 infection.

In his reply, the minister said that there is no fixed date for the launch of the Covid-19 vaccine; however, the ministry is hopeful that it may be ready by the first quarter of 2021. Dr. Vardhan said that the government is taking every required step and precaution while conducting the vaccine’s human trials.

He said that the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19 under the Chairmanship of Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, is developing the strategy required to immunize the majority of the population. He added, “Issues like vaccine security, cost, equity, cold-chain requirements, production timelines, etc., are also discussed intensely.”

Emergency authorization of vaccine for high-risk population

Dr Harsh Vardhan said that the government of India is considering emergency authorization of COVID-19 vaccination for the elderly and people working in a high-risk environment such as health workers. He said that it could be done after a consensus has been reached. When some questions were raised over the safety aspect of the vaccine, Dr Vardhan said that he would be happy to take the first dosage of the vaccine to build trust among people for the vaccine.

Department of Bio Technology (DBT), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and international organizations like Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) are working pro-actively to develop and run trials for the vaccine. Several vaccines are under trials in both public and private laboratories and hospitals in India. Dr. Vardhan said that a safe and effective vaccine would help in establishing immunity to Covid-19 at a much faster pace compared to natural immunization.

Jab tak dawai nahi, dhilai nahi – PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi again emphasized on taking Covid-19 related precautions seriously. In his address to the nation during the ‘Grih Pravesham’ function of beneficiaries under PMAY-G in Madhya Pradesh on 11th September, he said that he believes people of India will listen to his request and take precautions the health ministry has suggested to keep COVID-19 at bay.

He said, “लेकिन याद रखिए, और ये बात मैं बार-बार कहता हूं, जरूर याद रखिए, मुझे विश्‍वास है आप याद रखेंगे। इतना ही नहीं मेरी बात मानेंगे भी, देखिए जब तक दवाई नहीं, तब तक ढिलाई नहीं याद रहेगा। दो गज़ की दूरी, मास्क है ज़रूरी, इस मंत्र को भूलना नहीं है। (But remember, and I reiterate this many times, and I am sure you will remember. Not only that, but you will also listen to me.  As long as there is no medicine, there should be no laxity. The distance of two yards, mask is necessary, do not forget this mantra.)

Current situation of COVID-19 in India

According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India has clocked 49,27,236 Chinese coronavirus cases so far out of which 9,90,061 are active. 38,59,399 patients have recovered while 80,776 have lost their lives. The current recovery rate stands at 78% in India.

1...5,0335,0345,035...7,645Page 5,034 of 7,645