Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu has written to Union Health Minister Dr Harshavardhan about the coronavirus situation in the state, expressing concern over the fact that over 90,000 NRIs had come to the state in the past month itself.
The COVID-19 novel coronavirus has infected 519 people across India and has claimed 10 lives so far. Last night PM Modi announced a nation-wide lockdown in India over the coronavirus pandemic. The state of Punjab has a huge base of Non-Resident Indians. However, Punjab became the first state to impose curfew as the coronavirus positive cases reached 23 in the state.
Punjab Health Minister’s letter to Union health minister Dr Harshvardhan, via Twitter
The health minister of Punjab Balbir Singh Sidhu alerted Dr Harshavardhan and informed that many of the NRIs do have the symptoms of COVID-19. Sidhu also demanded immediate assistance of Rs 150 crores from the central government.
Sidhu wrote in his letter to Union Minister, “To meet the urgent demands and rise to the occasion to defeat the disease, Punjab requires additional funds of minimum Rs 150 crore from the government of India. This is of utmost importance and as promised by the government of India, this amount is released at the earliest to strengthen the state medicals services.”
The state of Punjab also noted the first casualty recently when an elderly man who had recently returned from Germany through Italy, succumbed to the disease, leaving a trail of 15 other cases.
Sidhu has said in his letter, “We are setting up ICUs (intensive care units), isolation wards, etc. We require more extra manpower, specialists, intensivists, anaesthetists, pulmonologists, doctors and nurses. We also require medicines, logistics, ventilators, and many other items.”
A 37-year-old woman from Australia reached Kathgodam railway station from Kolkata on Monday in the Ranikhet express to meet her 17-year-lover. Railway officials were stirred to see her walking alone on the platform. She was screened by medical staff at the station.
As per a report in Amar Ujala, the woman told the authorities that she was going to meet her ‘husband’ who lives in Nainital. After police contacted the ‘husband’ who actually turned out to be a 17-year-old ‘boyfriend’ from Pangot, Nainital, the boy reached Kathgodam railway station to receive her. The lover denied being her husband and told the authorities that the woman is his girlfriend. Meanwhile, the medical staff had screened the woman, as well as a team of doctors from the administration had reached the railway station with the ambulance.
The boy told the officials that he met her while working as a chef in a hotel in Goa. After that, they had met several times in Kolkata as well. The woman told the authorities that she has been in India since last year. She had reached Moradabad from Varanasi with a friend who was detained in Moradabad. As per the report, the woman has now been quarantined in Haldwani itself and will not be sent to Nainital.
Two foreigners fled quarantine, Caught later
In another incident, two foreign tourists had fled the quarantine ward of BD Pandey hospital in Nainital on Monday. Later, police and the SDRF team caught the two foreigners and sent them to the quarantine ward at Motinagar Haldwani after bringing them to the hospital. However, both of them were tested negative of the novel coronavirus.
As per reports, an Israeli youth and a Belgian woman came to India at different times. After visiting many places, both had reached Nainital on 20 March. The two tourists couldn’t find a hotel anywhere in Nainital so on Friday evening they had reached BD Pandey hospital and requested the doctors to test them.
The hospital’s senior Physicians had conducted a health checkup of the foreigners and had admitted them to quarantine ward. The SDRF team was deployed outside the ward of the foreigners to monitor, but around 10:30 am the next day both of them escaped from the hospital by dodging the SDRF team.
The hospital management soon reported the disappearance of the tourists from the hospital to the district administration and the police. After the search operation of two hours, they were found at the egg market in Mallital. The jawans of SDRF and police caught and brought them to BD Pandey hospital, from where they were sent to quarantine ward at Motinagar in Haldwani.
The state of Uttarkhand had been under lockdown from March 22.
Amidst coronavirus outbreak, 277 Indians stranded in Iran have been rescued by the authorities. Early morning on Wednesday, a special Mahan Air flight carrying 277 Indians from Iran landed in New Delhi amid coronavirus outbreak. Iran has been one of the worst hit countries of the pandemic with almost 25,000 people testing positive. The virus has claimed almost 2,000 lives in Iran till now.
As per reports, this group of Indians has been tested for the COVID-19 and have tested negative. All Indians and people of other nationalities rescued by Indian authorities abroad are kept in mandatory quarantine. Mahar Air is likely to operate another flight later this week to help rescue other Indian stranded in Iran.
As of now, India has rescued as many as 600 of Indian nationals from Iran amidst the coronavirus outbreak. About 255 Indians in Iran have tested positive for COVID-19, of which one has subsequently died. Rest of the Indians are being cared for at special wellness centre set up by Indian Embassy in Qom.
The virus, which originated in Wuhan region of Hubei province of China has infected over 4 lakh people worldwide and causing death of nearly 20,000 people. As of 8:15 PM on March 24, India has 519 positive cases of the Chinese coronavirus.
On first day of Chaitra Navratri, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath shifted the Ram Lalla idol to a temporary structure near Manas Bhawan in Ram Janmabhoomi premises. Ram Lalla idol will be kept there till the construction of the Ram Mandir is completed.
Today morning at 3 AM, Ram Lalla idol was shifted to the temporary temple. On Wednesday, Ram Lalla idol was placed on a 9.5 kg silver throne. Now the Ram Mandir will be constructed at the original ‘garbha gruh’.
In November 2019, in a historic verdict, the Supreme Court handed over the Ram Janmabhoomi site to the Hindus, paving way for the Ram Mandir. The Sunni Waqf Board will be given an alternate 5 acre land on which they could build a mosque should they wish. Earlier this year, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra trust was formed and Union Government made a symbolic donation of Re 1 to the trust.
A national lockdown has been announced across the country by Prime Minister Modi starting at midnight. The lockdown will last 21 days. The Prime Minister also emphasized on the need for social distancing and warned people that if the lockdown isn’t taken seriously, then utter devastation awaited the country.
It is important to remember that most of the country was already under lockdown. States and Union Territories like Rajasthan, West Bengal, Kerala, Chandigarh, Goa, J&K, Ladakh, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Haryana, Tripura, Karnataka, Assam and Gujarat had already imposed complete lockdown within their territories. Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha had imposed partial lockdowns. Maharashtra, Punjab and Puducherry had imposed curfews in their respective territories. After tonight, the entire country will be under lockdown.
The only thing that has changed after Prime Minister Modi’s announcement is that the lockdown has been imposed nationwide and the decision has not been left to the states. Furthermore, the time of the lockdown has also been set by the central government and is not left to the discretion of state governments. The Home Ministry has also issued guidelines for the three-week lockdown.
Offices of the Central Government and State Governments/Union Territories of India, its autonomous/subordinate offices and public corporations will be closed with the exception of the armed forces, the police forces, disaster management, power generation and transmission units, post offices etc. Hospital and related medical establishments, including manufacturing and distribution units, both in public and private sectors will remain open. The transportation of medical personnel, nurses, paramedical staff etc. will also remain unaffected. Commercial and private establishments will also remain closed with the exception of those in essential services such as groceries, banks, media and e-commerce.
Immediately after the speech of the Prime Minister who had repeatedly asked people to not venture out of their homes, lots of people were asking on social media how will they get their essential items. This had even caused panic buying in many parts of the country. The detailed guideline issued by the Home Minister mentions that shops selling food items, grocery, vegetable, fruit and vegetables, milk and dairy booths, meat and fish, animal fodder will remain during the lockout period. The govt also says that the district authorities should encourage and facilitate home deliveries so that people don’t have to come out to buy essential items.
Source: ANI
Industrial establishments will also remain closed with the exception of manufacturing units of essential commodities and production units, which require continuous process, after receiving permission from adequate authorities. All transport services will remain suspended with the exception of essential services and fire, law and order and emergency services. All education, research, coaching institutes etc. will remain closed. All places of worship will be closed to the public and religious congregation will not be permitted. All social gatherings have been suspended and in case of funerals, a gathering of not more than 20 will be permitted.
Source: ANI
Incident Commanders will be deployed by the District Magistrates to ensure the implementation of the containment measures. These restrictions strictly apply to the movement of people and not to the transport of essential goods. The Incident Commanders have also been tasked with ensuring that all efforts towards ensuring the mobilization of resources, workers, and material for augmentation and expansion of hospital infrastructure shall continue without any hindrance. People violating the orders could face legal action under sections 51-60 of the Disaster Management Act, apart from section 188 of the IPC.
Source: ANI
Some additional measures are also expected to be taken to ensure that daily wage earners do not suffer due to the lockdown. For example, Rajasthan announced that more than 1 crore families covered in the National Food Security Act will get wheat for two months free of cost. Furthermore, food packets will also be distributed free of cost to the street vendors, daily wage earners, poor people and needy families in the urban areas.
“No worker will be laid off from any factory during the lockdown. Labourers will be entitled to leaves with wages,” Home Secretary of Rajasthan Rajeev Swarup said. Swarup heads the core group set up by Chief Minister Gehlot to deal with the situations arising due to the lockdown. Apart from this, 3.65 million Below Poverty Line (BPL) families, state BPL and Antodaya beneficiaries and 2.5 million construction workers and registered street vendors, who are not covered under the pension scheme, will receive Rs 1000 as one-time relief.
The Yogi Adityanath Government in Uttar Pradesh had also announced that it will transfer Rs. 1000 into the bank accounts of needy sections of society in order to compensate them and help meet their needs. The Chief Minister also announced that 1.65 crore needy people will be provided with free ration for one month. Moreover, the families which are not getting benefits under any government scheme will be provided an assistance of Rs 1000 per month by the state government.
In the wake of the nationwide lockdown, such measures could be implemented across the nation to ensure that the poorer sections of society do not suffer inordinately due to the crisis. Needless to say, the daily wage earners and the poor section of society will be disproportionately affected by the lockdown and necessary measures are expected to be implemented in order to ensure that they do not suffer.
Two more people with a recent history of foreign travel were tested positive for the coronavirus in West Bengal on Tuesday, taking the total number of active cases in the state to eight.
Two more people test positive for coronavirus in West Bengal; number of afflicted goes up to eight: officials
One of the two had recently returned from the UK while the other one had come back from Eygpt. They have been kept in the isolation ward of the Beliaghata Infectious Diseases hospital.
The first medical examination conducted on them showed they were infected with the virus. Their samples have been sent for a second test and the results are awaited.
Besides eight active cases which includes these two fresh cases, a 57-year-old man from Dumdum had died from coronavirus on Monday.
The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal announced a complete lockdown in the state till 31 March amid coronavirus outbreak in the state.
A Bengali-language daily newspaper, Anandabazar Patrika quoted Banerjee as saying: “After assessing the situation we have decided a complete lockdown in the state till 31 March.” She also announced a special scheme, Procheshta, for workers in the unorganised sector
Banerjee requested the people of the state to stay home a day after 255 people were arrested in the state for violating restrictions. Commissioner of Police, Kolkata Anuj Sharma tweeted on Monday night that 255 people had been arrested in the city for breaking restriction orders.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice T B N Radhakrishnan informed that Calcutta High Court and district judiciary in West Bengal will not function from March 25 to April 9 in wake of coronavirus outbreak.
Calcutta High Court and district judiciary in West Bengal will not function from March 25 to April 9 in wake of coronavirus outbreak: Chief Justice T B N Radhakrishnan
West Bengal had reported its first Coronavirus death on March 23 (Monday) as a 55-year-old railway employee passed away. The resident of Dum Dum in Kolkata had tested positive and was on a ventilator at AMRI hospital in Kolkata’s Salt Lake area. According to reports, he suffered a cardiac arrest. The deceased had no recent history of travelling abroad but had gone to Bilaspur in Chhattisgarh his February.
Prime Minister Modi addressed the country for the second time regarding the Wuhan Coronavirus pandemic on the 24th of March. He had addressed the nation for the first time on the 19th of March. He had then appealed for people to observe ‘Janta Curfew’ on the 22nd to show their appreciation for the healthcare workers and other professionals battling the pandemic in the frontline. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister made a series of announcements regarding the crisis.
Narendra Modi began by expressing his gratitude towards every Indian for their participation in the Janta Curfew. He complimented the people of the country for observing a day of curfew to combat the crisis. He also said that numerous developed countries are also struggling to tackle the crisis. He said that it isn’t that the governments were lacking in resources but the speed at which the virus is spreading is overwhelming them. The Prime Minister also emphasized the need for social distancing and rebuked those who were violating the directions that have been issued towards the same.
The most important announcement made by the Prime Minister during his address was the declaration of a national lockdown. From the midnight of the intervening night between the 24th of March and the 25th, a national lockdown will be imposed across the country to prevent the virus from spreading any further. He requested every citizen of the country with folded hands to stay where they are.
The national lockdown has been announced for twenty-one days. The Prime Minister said that according to health experts, 21 days are essential to break the cycle of transmission of the Coronavirus. Narendra Modi said that he was making the announcement not merely as a Prime Minister but as a member of the family of every citizen. He said that the lockdown is extremely essential to prevent utter devastation of the country.
Prime Minister Modi also revealed a creative poster during his address. ‘Corona’, the poster said, was ‘Koi Road pe Na nikle’ (Don’t come out on the road). He also emphasized that countries such as the USA and Italy have world-class healthcare facilities and yet, they have not been able to prevent the spread of the virus. He said so in his efforts to make people realize how serious the situation is. Narendra Modi also said that some countries had enforced strict measures to curb the Coronavirus and as a consequence, only they are working towards getting control over the virus.
The Prime Minister said, “India is at a stage where our actions today will decide how much we can reduce the impact of this major disaster. It is time to strengthen our resolve again and again.” He added, “It is a time of patience and discipline. As long as there is a lockdown in the country, we have to keep our resolve, keep our oath.” Narendra Modi also repeatedly emphasized the gravity of the situation. “You have to remember that a Coronavirus infected person initially appears to be normal and doesn’t show symptoms. So maintain precautions and stay at home,” he said. “If we are not able to manage the upcoming 21 days, we will be pushed back 21 years,” he said.
An allocation of Rs. 15,000 crores have also been made for testing facilities for the Wuhan Coronavirus, PPEs, ICU, ventilators and training medical workers. The Prime Minister has also said that all steps are being taken to ensure the continuous supply of essential commodities across the country. Narendra Modi said that a ‘Lakshman Rekha’ has been drawn at their doorstep and everyone should stay at home for the duration of the lockdown.
Most of India has already been put into lockdown in the wake of the crisis. Interstate public transport and metro railways have already been suspended till the 31st. Meanwhile, India Inc. has also moved in to assist the government in this time of grave crisis. The production of masks, ventilators and other medical equipment has been ramped up to ensure that doctors at the forefront of the war against the Wuhan Coronavirus are adequately prepared for the same.
Allegations of sexual harassment and misconduct are mounting against SFI member Malyaban Ganguly of Presidency University, Kolkata. On Monday we had reported that a student of the University had alleged that she was asked to sleep with ‘BJP people’ on the campus so that she could play the victim card when SFI came to her ‘rescue’. Now, more female students are coming forward with their own harrowing accounts of Malyaban’s perverse behaviour.
According to a person who does not wish to reveal her identity, she was the victim of Malyaban’s predatory conduct on two separate occasions. The first was on the 21st of March when popular Bengali celebrity Anjan Dutt was performing on the campus. On the said day, Malyaban had walked up to her drunk with a bottle of soft drinks in his hand that was spiked with alcohol. Then, he started ranting about how people have been ‘plotting’ against him so that they could ‘ruin his political career’. Subsequently, he asked her whether he could sleep with his head on her lap as he was dizzy from all that drinking. She did not object to it.
Then, he proceeded to hold her hands. But before long, “I hate to say this, but he began licking it, sucking it (my hand was placed on my lap, right beside where he kept his head). I felt extremely uncomfortable, I expressed my disgust (to which he showed no reaction) and I took my hand away.” She ultimately went away after telling him that he was drunk and not in his senses.
Allegations of sexual harassment in Presidency University
The second incidence occurred on the 10th of April, 2019 when the popular band Mohiner Ghoragoli was supposed to perform in the campus. The student was extremely drunk when she and her boyfriend decided to remove themselves from the crowd and sit separately. They walked towards the Performing Arts department and were followed by Malyaban. After they found a place to sit, Malyaban sat between the two.
She says, “Malyaban was talking very sweetly with us, in the meanwhile, he began caressing my love handles and my back and then went on to touch my butt. We were sitting side by side over there and my boyfriend could not see what was going, and I was too drunk to even realise.” As soon as the boyfriend realized what was happening, he pushed Malyaban away and asked her to call her driver at once. The boyfriend took her away and waited for her to arrive. The entire series of events was narrated to her by her boyfriend at a later point in time as she was too drunk back then. She said further, “Malyaban had often passed insensitive, derogatory remarks about how he would have tried his hands on me if his friend and comrade wouldn’t have fallen for me.”
Yet another student has also accused Malyaban of molesting her. The student, who has chosen to remain anonymous, says that on one particular occasion she was drunk and gossiping with her friends when she received a call from Malyaban to meet him. Despite her initial refusal, he blackmailed her emotionally and thus, she finally relented. She says, “I went there we met and he took me to a place and started kissing me as because I was quite drunk I couldn’t stop him forcefully but I tried my level best to stop him but failed miserably.”
Allegations of sexual harassment against Presidency University student
Numerous others associated with the SFI have been accused of sexual harassment and molestation by students of the Presidency University. Sexually perverse behaviour in leftist enclaves has become the norm as of late. Two years ago, a member of the Students Federation of India (SFI) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) who happened to be a student at Jadavpur University came forward with her account of the rampant sexual harassment she suffered within the organization. She had also encountered a negligent attitude from her higher-ups when she approached them over the matter. Since then, numerous allegations have surfaced.
A series of tweets from a recently created Twitter account had created quite a storm on social media. The account, which claimed to belong to one Dr. Kamna Kakkar from PGIMS, Rohtak, claimed that doctors were not being provided masks and gloves by the authorities. The absence of such equipment would pose the doctors treating patients of the Wuhan Coronavirus at serious risk of contracting the disease.
Kakkar made several tweets of a political nature that cast aspersions on the decisions taken by the government to combat the pandemic. Her tweets gained great traction and eventually, even former Congress president Rahul Gandhi quoted her tweet to take potshots at the government amidst the crisis. Kakkar has now deleted her account on the social media platform after suspicions were raised by her conduct. However, before leaving Twitter, she acknowledged that masks are indeed available and has apologized for the panic that was generated by her tweets.
Source: twitter
Kamna Kakkar wrote in her tweet, “I apologize for the misinformation/panic created! N95 masks are available in our institution & will be given to all those in direct contact with the Corona patient. There are plenty of masks- we just didn’t know what door to knock. ICMR guidelines have been rapidly changing.” Even before she acknowledged the same, it was quite obvious that her tweets were of dubious nature given the manner how she conducted herself on the social media platform.
Kakkar did not respond to genuine offers of help from Ketto and an IPS officer which caused people to question her regarding the same. Previously, a Congress leader had spread fake news regarding the availability of protective equipment at the Assam Medical College. State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma had called him out on his lie and had directed the Police to register an FIR against him for the same.
Furthermore, media reports from earlier days and press releases issued by the government showed that adequate preparation had been taken to ensure that hospitals in the country had abundant resources to combat the spread of the epidemic. Thus, it should have been clear from the beginning that the information spread by Kakkar could very be dubious and proper judgment should have been exercised given the nature of the crisis the country faces today. However, it appears that for Rahul Gandhi and the usual suspects, political partisanship comes first.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said no new Wuhan Coronavirus cases have been reported in Delhi in the last 40 hours and the biggest challenge now is to not let the situation go out of control. He said that the state needs to be vigilant and careful.
The chief minister also said that the Delhi government has constituted a 5-member team to suggest a plan to deal with the situation if Delhi reaches stage 3 of coronavirus pandemic.
“In the last 40 hours, no new patient has been tested positive for COVID-19 in Delhi. Of the 30 patients, some patients have gone home. There are only 23 patients now,” Kejriwal said. However, the chief minister added: “This is good news but we shouldn’t be happy as the fight is still on. The numbers might spike anytime. We should remain alert.”
In last 40 hours no new patient has been tested positive for #COVID19 in Delhi. Of the 30 patients some patients have gone home. There are only 23 patients now: Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal pic.twitter.com/DXgtGsjYGc
Kejriwal also appealed to all landlords to allow some concession to tenants. “There are many daily wage earners in Delhi who stay at rented homes. If some tenants are not in a condition to pay their rents to landlords, they can be given some concession for 2-3 months.”
The chief minister also announced Rs 5,000 each to all construction workers “as their livelihood has been affected”. We are also increasing the number of night shelters in the city, he said.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that no new case of Covid-19 has been reported in the National Capital on March 23, Monday. Delhi had reported about 30 positive cases thus far with one patient succumbing to the novel virus.
As of today, 6 of the 30 patients admitted in hospitals across Delhi were shifted outside the state and one has migrated outside the country. Of the 6 who were transferred outside the state, 1 patient each was shifted to Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Jammu while 2 of the remaining were moved to Kolkata. Besides, 1067 patients are under government quarantine facilities in Delhi.
While only Delhi saw no new cases, India saw the highest jump in the number of new cases on 23 March. 99 new cases were reported from the country, with Maharashtra at the top with 23 new cases. The state now has 97 cases, with Kerala at a close second at 95 cases.
In the wake of coronavirus pandemic, all the international flights from March 23 till March 29 were suspended. In addition, the Delhi government has announced a slew of measures to counter the spread of the contagion. The government has declared complete lockdown of state until the midnight of March 31. No public transport services including private buses, rickshaws, autos will be allowed to ply the roads in National Capital. However, 25 per cent of the total fleet of DTC buses were allowed to ply on roads for those who are involved to dispense the essential services.
