Daily Current Affairs: May 2020

Talks on to resolve Ladakh standoff: Rajnath

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 30

Defence Minister Rajanth Singh on Saturday said India and China are talking to each other at military and diplomatic levels to resolve the standoff along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. Singh's statement, made to a TV channel, is the first from a senior Central minister on the standoff.

'Want good relations with all'

India's policy has been clear that we should have good relations with all neighbours. This has been a long standing effort. But sometimes, circumstances arise with China that things like this happen. — Rajnath Singh, Defence minister

Both countries had made it clear that they wanted to resolve the problem, Rajnath said, adding that there was no need for the US to mediate since the two countries already had a mechanism to resolve problems and it had been set in motion.

"The country should be assured that we will not allow India's dignity to be hurt under any circumstances," he added.

US President Donald Trump this week told reporters that he was "ready, willing and able to mediate" between India and China to help resolve tension at the border. The offer has been rejected by foreign ministries of the two countries.

The offer also figured in a conversation between Singh and US Secretary of Defence Mark Esper when they spoke on Friday. "I told him (Esper) that India and China already had a mechanism that if there is any problem between the two countries, it is resolved by military and diplomatic dialogue. That mechanism is in place," Singh said. He also pointed to statements from Beijing on similar lines. India's policy has been clear that we should have good relations with all neighbours. This has been a long standing effort. But sometimes, circumstances arise with China that things like this happen, the Defence Minister said.

Referring to the 2017 Doklam faceoff, he said "It appeared at that time that the situation was very tense. But we did not step backhellip; Ultimately, we were able to resolve the situation."

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COVID-19: A first: 24-hr recoveries outstrip fresh caseload

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 30

For the first time since Covid-19 outbreak in India, the number of persons discharged outstripped the number of newly infected in the past 24 hours, explaining the government's decision today to begin unlocking the country in a phased manner outside of containment zones.

Also read: 2 more succumb, toll rises to 44 in Punjab
69 fresh COVID-19 cases reported in Haryana; total tally now 1,790
Tally goes past 300 in Himachal
Baramulla reports 40 fresh cases

Though the daily case count surged to a record 7,964 today, number of cured persons rose even more sharply by 11,264 over the same period. India now has 1,73,763 cases, of which 86,422 are currently active and nearly an equal number—82,369—have been cured.

The total deaths as Lockdown 4 nears an end stand at 4,971 with the fatality rate of 2.8 per cent against a rapidly improving recovery rate of 47.40 per cent. Soon, half of all Covid-infected Indians would have cured, show trends.

"We had earlier said the lockdown-continuation decision would depend on our ability to manage the peak of Covid-19. With recoveries starting to rise rapidly, we foresee a situation where we will be in a position to contain the infection and achieve a balance of managing the disease and leading normal lives," said VK Paul, chairperson, Covid empowered group on medical management. Physical distancing, masks in public places, hand and respiratory hygiene would, however, have to become part of community behaviour, added Paul.

Pilot Covid +ve, Delhi-Moscow AI flight returns midway

New Delhi: An Air India flight from Delhi to Moscow was on Saturday called back midway after the airline's ground team found that one of the pilots onboard the plane had tested positive for Covid-19. The plane was on way to Moscow to bring back a group of stranded Indians under the Vande Bharat Mission. TNS

28% cases till Apr 30 asymptomatic: Study

New Delhi, May 30

At least 28 per cent of 40,184 persons, who tested positive for Covid-19 between January 22 and April 30, were asymptomatic, according to a study by ICMR scientists along with other collaborators. The ICMR is conducting a sero-survey to estimate the prevalence of community transmission in India. — PTI

Operation Samudra Setu next phase begins

New Delhi, May 30

The Navy will start the next phase of Operation Samudra Setu from June 1 to repatriate Indians stranded overseas amid the coronavirus pandemic, an official press note said. "In this phase, Indian Navy Ship Jalashwa will repatriate 700 personnel from Colombo to Tuticorin and subsequently repatriate another 700 persons. — PTI

Anand back in India after 3 months

Chennai, May 30

Five-time world chess champion Viswanathan Anand finally returned to India on Saturday after being stuck in Germany for over three months due to travel restrictions imposed in the wake of Covid-19. — PTI

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Depression alert over Gujarat, Maharashtra coasts

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 30

The existing depression over south coastal Oman and adjoining Yemen is expected to dissipate without any adverse weather in India, but the IMD is watching out for another low-pressure area likely over southeast and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea during the next 48 hours.

According to the latest bulletin by the Regional Specialised Meteorological Centre, the weather condition may concentrate into a "depression and intensify further and move towards Gujarat and Maharashtra coastal areas over the next four-five days". The probability of cyclogenesis, the formation of a depression, was high, it said.

The Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea have witnessed "above normal" cyclogenesis over the past two years.

Scientists and health, environment and humanitarian experts from leading organisations have sounded an "on another level" warning of increased "risks of combination of lockdown, extreme weather and climate change" as the northern hemisphere enters the "heat, fire and storm season".

The meteorological summer in the northern hemisphere and the Atlantic hurricane season are beginning next week.

Experts from organisations like Red Crescent Climate Centre, UNICEF-France, Lancet Countdown, UN World Food Programme and Nairobi-based Power Shift Africa say the upcoming season of heatwaves, tropical storms and fires could be "made even more deadly this year by the combination of a world in lockdown hit by events worsened by climate change".

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UNSC elections in June, India assured of seat

United Nations, May 30

The UN General Assembly has decided to hold elections for the five non-permanent members of the Security Council next month under the new voting arrangements due to the Covid-19 restrictions, with India assured a win being the sole contender for the Asia Pacific seat.

The 193-member General Assembly adopted the decision on Friday titled "Procedure for holding elections by secret ballot without a plenary meeting during the pandemic".

According to the decision, the elections of non-permanent members to the Security Council and the election of members to the Economic and Social Council will be held simultaneously in June 2020 without a plenary meeting.

Election for the five non-permanent members of the 15-nation council for the 2021-22 term was originally scheduled on June 17. India is a candidate for a non-permanent seat and its victory is assured as it is the sole candidate vying for the lone seat from the Asia Pacific grouping. — PTI

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US snaps ties with WHO for ‘misleading’ world on Covid-19

Washington, May 30

President Donald Trump has announced that the US will terminate its relationship with the World Health Organisation, saying it had failed to undertake the "greatly needed reforms and misled the world on the coronavirus. He also announced issuing a proclamation to deny entry to certain Chinese nationals and tightening regulations against Chinese investment in America.

"Because they have failed to make the requested and greatly needed reforms, we will today terminate our relationship with the WHO, redirecting those funds to other worldwide and deserving, urgent global public health needs," Trump said. Announcing measures aimed at punishing China, he claimed: "China has total control over the WHO".

The US President said the "world needs answers from China on the virus. We must have transparency." He said China had "instigated" a global pandemic that had cost over 100,000 American lives. — PTI

US, UK raise HK at UNSC

United Nations: The US and UK raised the issue of China's controversial security law for Hong Kong during an emergency discussion in the Security Council, angering Beijing that said the UN organ should instead pay attention to the US' "excessive" use of force against protesters in Minneapolis. PTI

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US protests over Minneapolis death rage on amid political finger-pointing

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Brazil has record new coronavirus cases, surpasses France in deaths

Brazilian states are preparing to ease quarantine restrictions despite warnings from public health experts who say the worst is still to come.

source https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/brazil-has-record-new-coronavirus-cases-surpasses-france-in-deaths/article31714072.ece

Will invite India and Russia, says Donald Trump as he postpones G7 summit

The U.S. President wanted to hold the summit in late June 2020.

source https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/trump-postpones-g7-summit-seeks-to-expand-invitation-list/article31714067.ece

3 test positive for coronavirus in Manipur

Three persons tested positive for COVID-19 in Manipur on Saturday, taking the tally to 63, an official said.Khoirom Sashikanta, Additional Deputy Dire

source https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/3-test-positive-for-coronavirus-in-manipur/article31713373.ece

I was standing in the kitchen chatting with my wife. In walks our little girl, looks at me and thinks it‘s a good idea to stand there exactly like dad ... my heart was melting

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Rohit nominated for Khel Ratna, 3 for Arjuna

New Delhi, May 30

Rohit Sharma, the vice-caption of the Indian limited-overs cricket team, has been nominated for the Khel Ratna, India's highest sporting award.

The Indian cricket board (BCCI) announced Sharma's nomination for the award today, citing his performance in last year's World Cup, during which he became the first player ever to score five centuries in one edition of the tournament. "Rohit Sharma has set new benchmarks as a batsman and achieved scores people thought were not possible in the shorter formats of the game," said BCCI president Sourav Ganguly.

For the Arjuna Award, BCCI nominated Sharma's teammates Shikhar Dhawan and Ishant Sharma and women's team allrounder Deepti Sharma.

"Deepti is a genuine allrounder and her contribution to the team has been vital," Ganguly commented. ndash; TNS

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Phased exit from tomorrow: MHA

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 30

A number of activities, including religious places and shopping malls, will be allowed to open in the country in a phased manner, except in designated containment zones, as the government today came out with a month-long plan to ease lockdown measures beginning June 1. The lockdown, fourth phase of which was slated to end on Sunday, will continue in containment zones till June 30.

An order issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) says the new guidelines will come into effect from June 1 and will be effective till June 30 and during the period, the focus would be on the "re-opening of areas outside the containment zones".

The MHA said the first phase of reopening (Unlock 1) will have economic focus. After the completion of Lockdown 1.0, during which only essential activities were permitted, there have been decisions on relaxing measures in a graded manner while keeping in mind "the overarching objective of containing the spread of Covid-19".

In its order, the MHA said: "There shall be no restriction on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods. No separate

permission/ approval/ e-permit will be required for such movements."

But in case a state/ UT, based on reasons of public health and its assessment of the situation, proposes to regulate movement of persons, it will give wide publicity in advance regarding the restrictions to be placed on such movement, it added.

It is also said states and UTs, based on their assessment, may prohibit certain activities outside the containment zones, or impose such restrictions as deemed necessary.

Meanwhile, 'night curfew' "shall continue to remain in force, on the movement of individuals, for all non-essential activities and the revised timings for the same will be from 9 pm to 5 am, it said.

The MHA, however, said: "Lockdown shall continue to be implemented strictly in the containment zones. These will be demarcated by the state/UT governments, after taking into consideration the guidelines issued by the Health Ministry. Within the containment zones, strict perimeter control shall be maintained and only essential activities will be allowed." The curbs were first announced on March 24 for 21 days. The lockdown was first extended till May 3 and then again till May 17. It was extended till May 31 and now has been extended in containment zones till June 30.

Punjab lockdown till June-end: Capt

Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh announced a four-week extension of the lockdown till June 30. He said his government would take into account the Centre's guidelines for lockdown 5.0. Underlining the need to exercise extreme caution, he lauded citizens for following health norms to help the state government in containing the disease spread.

Getting back to normal | Movement from 5 am to 9 pm

Phase I What opens from June 8

Religious places, places of worship
Hotels, restaurants, hospitality services
Shopping malls

Phase II What may open in July*

Schools, colleges, educational/ training/ coaching institutions (*Decision after talks with states/UTs)

Phase III What stays shut*

Foreign air travel
Metro Rail
Cinema halls,
Gyms, pools, bars
Entertainment parks
Auditoriums, assembly halls
Functions, large congregations (*Call on dates of opening after assessment)

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‘Bold steps marked Modi 2.0 first year’

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 30

BJP president JP Nadda today said the first year of Narendra Modi government 2.0 was that of accomplishments, unimaginable challenges and bold and decisive decisions. PM Modi was able to bridge the development gap of 60 years in six years with decisiveness and bold decisions, bringing a "cultural change in the political arena" of the country, he said.

Momentum helped

When PM Modi took over in 2014, the country was at a standstill. In the first term he gave a momentum to governance. In the second... it was already in momentum due to which bold steps could be taken. — JP Nadda, BJP President

"When PM Modi took over in 2014, the country was at a standstill. In the first term, he gave momentum to governance. In the second term (in 2019), it was already in momentum due to which bold and decisive steps could be taken, some also before time," Nadda said.

Decisions like abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A were a result of PM's 'ichha shakti' (willpower), the 'sutradhaar' (anchor) of which became Home Minister Amit Shah, he said.

The BJP president said during the Covid-19 crisis, the PM led from the front, taking bold and timely decisions by involving people to combat the infection at a time when many big, powerful countries found themselves helpless. "Timely lockdown led to a situation where the country is a stable situation," he said.

Slamming Rahul Gandhi for his criticism of the Modi government's handling of the situation, Nadda said the Congress leader's understanding of the issues was "limited" and "all about politics".

"His statements are not about addressing the crisis. The Congress has not behaved responsibly," he said, adding all Gandhi had done so far was "confuse" the country.

Citing Citizenship Amendment Act, scrapping of Article 370, strengthening of anti-terror laws, bank mergers among the key successes, Nadda said the bold decisions helped strengthen the country and realise the objective of 'one nation, one Constitution'. Nadda accused the Congress of delaying the decision on the Ayodhya case.

A huge disappointment, says Congress

The Congress termed first year of NDA-II a huge disappointment marked by disastrous mismanagement of lockdown. Party leaders KC Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala sought resignation of Railway Minister Piyush Goyal for 'failure to manage safe return of migrants' and the Himachal CM over alleged PPE scam.

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COVID-19: A first: 24-hr recoveries outstrip fresh caseload

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 30

Pilot Covid +ve, Delhi-Moscow AI flight returns midway

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80 deaths on board Shramik trains, Railways ascertaining reasons

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 30

With reports of 80 deaths of migrants on board Shramik Special trains, the Railways is trying to ascertain if these were due to Covid-19, co-morbidity or sheer hunger and exhaustion.

The deaths have occurred across several zones, including the East Central Railway zone, North Eastern Railway zone, Northern Railway Zone and North Central Railway zone. This prompted Railway Minister Piyush Goyal to issue an appeal on Friday. "I appeal to people suffering from serious ailments, pregnant women and those above 65 years and below 10 years of age to travel only if necessary in Shramik trains"

A total of 52 lakh migrants have been ferried on 3,840 such trains, Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav had told a press conference on Friday. He refused to give the number and cause of deaths, saying the doctors were looking into the matter.

"In case of deaths, local zones investigate the reasons... there are allegations that they (migrants) died of hunger when there was no shortage of food. We will issue the figure in a few days. The Railways has a control system wherein the train is immediately stopped if someone is found ill and he/she is sent to the nearest hospital. Many such passengers were attended to. Many deliveries took place too," he said.

The Railways had on Wednesday clarified that most of those who had died were "chronic patients", who were under treatment in hospitals in cities but had boarded Shramik Specials to rush to their native places. The Railway Protection Force and the Government Railway Police Force, that deals with security issues on the ground at stations, are collating data.

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COVID-19: 340 cases in 3 days, Gurugram all set to have 100 containment zones

Sanjay Yadav

Gurugram, May 30

Having registered 340 cases over the last three days, Gurugram has become Haryana's Covid hotbed, all set to have over 100 containment zones.

The district had notified 63 containment zones on May 28 but owing to sudden surge of cases, it is in the process of having 40 more zones. While the entire city is headed to be converted into a mega-containment zone, implementing measures, including social distancing, to check the spread of the virus has become a challenge for the authorities.

The health department has received complaints about non-restricted movement in containment zones, non-identification of houses where Covid patients had isolated themselves and even non-containment of areas where residents had made self-declaration of being corona-positive after getting tested in private labs.

"We have two houses in our sector where Covid patients are home-isolated. Despite clear guidelines, their houses are not marked," said Sanjiv Kumar, a resident of Sector 45.

Sarhaul and Dundahera villages have reported 25 and 20 cases, but there is hardly any visible containment.

Chief Medical Officer Dr JS Punia said they had asked the municipal authorities to label all houses where Covid patients had isolated themselves. Asked about the delay, he claimed it was due to "late feedback as data from private labs took time to reach them".

Commissioner of Police Mohammad Akil said they had deputed cops in every single containment zone and were revising duty plans fortnightly to maintain safety and efficiency.

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US snaps ties with WHO for ‘misleading’ world on Covid-19

Washington, May 30

The US President said the "world needs answers from China on the virus. We must have transparency." He said China had "instigated" a global pandemic that had cost over 100,000 American lives. — PTI

US, UK raise HK at UNSC

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Talks on to resolve Ladakh standoff: Rajnath

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 30

'Want good relations with all'

India's policy has been clear that we should have good relations with all neighbours. This has been a long standing effort. But sometimes, circumstances arise with China that things like this happen. — Rajnath Singh, Defence minister

"The country should be assured that we will not allow India's dignity to be hurt under any circumstances," he added.

Referring to the 2017 Doklam faceoff, he said "It appeared at that time that the situation was very tense. But we did not step backhellip; Ultimately, we were able to resolve the situation."

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India needs intelligent exit plan to prevent growth collapse: SBI study

New Delhi, May 30

India needs to implement an intelligent lockdown exit strategy to prevent irreversible growth collapse, the SBI said in a research report on Saturday. India's economic growth slipped to an 11-year low of 4.2 per cent in 2019-20 and to 3.1 per cent in January-March, the lowest in the last 40 quarters.

The nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of Covid with effect from March 25 has hit economic activities. The fourth phase of the lockdown is set to expire on Sunday. "We now believe that we should implement an intelligent lockdown exit strategy as the discussion has moved from debate between lives and livelihood to also between lives and lives as an elongated lockdown will only prolong irreversible growth collapse," SBI's research report 'Ecowrap' said.

Going by past experience, recovery from recession often tends to be slow and takes five to 10 years to reach the former peak levels of economic activity, it said. Commenting on the GDP data released on Friday, the report said loss of economic activity due to the lockdown in the last few days of March has dragged the GDP growth to a 40-quarter low of 3.1 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2019-20.

With this, the full year 2019-20 GDP growth comes to 4.2 per cent (11-year low) compared to 6.1 per cent in the preceding financial year.

In terms of sectors, the only silver lining was agriculture, it said. Agriculture and allied activities grew at 4 per cent in the fiscal that ended in March 2020, compared to the year-ago growth of 2.4 per cent.

However, the Central Statistical Office (CSO) has significantly revised the previous quarters' growth rates (compared to third quarter release), which is "quite puzzling and raises questions on data quality and remarkable volatility in the new series and we believe that a methodological note from the CSO explaining the frequent revisions will be very useful," it said. — PTI

Recovery tends to be slow

The report says loss of economic activity due to the lockdown in the last few days of March has dragged the GDP growth to a 40-quarter low
Recovery from recession often tends to be slow and takes five to 10 yrs to reach former peak levels of economic activity, the report says

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Two Hizb ultras killed in Kulgam gunfight

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, May 30

Two Hizbul Mujahideen militants were killed in a gunfight with security forces in Kulgam district of south Kashmir today.

While police officials were yet to ascertain their identities, sources claimed they were locals — Shakir Ittoo of Khodweni area and Parvez Pandit of Wanpora in the district.

The gunfight started after a cordon and search operation was launched following inputs regarding the presence of militants at Wanpora village early this morning, a police official said.

"The militants holed up inside a house were asked to surrender. However, they opened fire, prompting retaliation by the security forces. Following a fierce exchange of gunfire, both militants were killed," the official said.

He said the bodies of the militants were retrieved and their identities were being ascertained. "Arms, ammunition and some incriminating material have been retrieved from their possession," he added.

Meanwhile, local youths attacked security forces with stones at the encounter scene. The security personnel retaliated by firing tear smoke shells and aerial shots to disperse them. Mobile Internet services were snapped in the district soon after the gunfight began and remained suspended throughout the day. The families of the slain militant staged a sit-in near the gunfight scene.

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Owner and cat watching a shy stray kitten eat the food they put out.

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Smol n cute

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Update: rescue kitten Carla on her owners shoulder. It’s her favorite spot.

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Former Chhattisgarh CM Jogi passes away

Raipur, May 29

Ajit Jogi, an IAS officer-turned-politician who went on to become the first Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh in 2000, died on Friday at a city hospital where he was being treated for the past 20 days, doctors said.

Jogi (74), who had slipped into coma, suffered a cardiac arrest in the afternoon and could not be revived, they said. He is survived by his wife Renu Jogi, MLA from Kota constituency, and son Amit, a former MLA.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel declared a three-day mourning in the state as a mark of respect to the departed leader, whose last rites will take place on Saturday at his native place Gaurela.

Jogi was admitted at Shree Narayana Hospital on May 9 after he suffered respiratory and cardiac arrests after a seed of sweet tamarind got stuck in his windpipe, medical director of the hospital Dr Sunil Khemka said. — PTI

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Indian Army Major wins UN award

New Delhi, May 29

Major Suman Gawani, an Indian Army officer, who served as a women peacekeeper with the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) in 2019, has been awarded the prestigious "United Nations Military Gender Advocate of the Year Award".

She will receive the award from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres during an online ceremony being organised at the UN Headquarters, New York, on the International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers. Major Suman will be receiving this award along with a Brazilian Naval Officer Commander, Carla Monteiro de Castro Araujo. — TNS

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US FDA asks 5 firms to recall diabetes drug with high levels of probable carcinogen

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Trump severs US-WHO ties over virus response

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Covid Live: Delhi case count now over 17,000

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China too rejects US mediation offer

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 29

After India, China on Friday too rejected US President Donald Trump's offer to "mediate" between India and China to end their border standoff, saying the two countries are capable of resolving their differences through dialogue and did not require the help of a "third party".

In an embarrassment to the US President, sources here denied his claims of having spoken to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on India's military standoff with China in eastern Ladakh. In fact, they underlined that no conversation has taken place between the two leaders since April 4 when they spoke on export of hydroxychloroquine.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has been stressing on bilateralism to resolve the dispute even as the US, first by senior diplomat Alice Wells and later Trump, sought to triangulate it.

For the first time, the Chinese Foreign Office also spoke against the US offer for mediation. "We are capable of properly resolving the issues between us through dialogue and consultation. We do not need the intervention of the third party," its spokesperson said at a media briefing here. "We have existing border-related mechanisms and communication channels between China and India," he added.

The clarification from both India and China was prompt after Trump said in response to question that he had spoken to PM Modi and went on to say that the Indian PM was not in a "good mood" over the "big conflict" between India and China.

A day earlier, the MEA had said India was directly in touch with China through established mechanisms and diplomatic contacts to resolve the border stand-off.

Trump has offered at least half a dozen times to mediate between India and Pakistan on the Kashmir issue, which was always turned down by New Delhi.

India, US can strike 'smaller' trade deal soon

Washington: India and the US could strike a 'smaller' trade deal in the coming weeks, India's ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu has said while acknowledging that the unprecedented challenges posed by the pandemic has been a 'bit of a setback' in moving ahead as the governments are focused on tackling the health crisis. Addressing the virtual West Coast Summit of US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, Sandhu said India's supply of HCQ to the US has given the two countries enough confidence and have played an important foundation. PTI

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GDP growth slides to 3.1 pc

New Delhi, May 29

The country's economic growth in the fourth quarter of 2019-20 slowed to 3.1 per cent as against a rise of 5.7 per cent in the same period last year. The output in eight core sectors is estimated to have contracted 38.1 per cent in April, suggesting much bleaker days ahead.

Telling comment

We had forecast that the GDP for Q4 would slip below 4%. It has turned out to be worse. The govt should remember that this data was pre-lockdown. — P Chidambaram, Congress

The growth during the full 2019-20 financial year was slow too.The GDP grew by 4.2 per cent as compared to 6.1 per cent in 2018-19 — the slowest in 11 years. The slide in the GDP growth during the January-March quarter, a partially Covid-impacted period, was due to a crash in most core sector indicators, except coal, according to the National Statistical Office. The drop was especially precipitated by a fall in cement production (- 4.9 per cent), steel (-3.9 per cent) and crude oil (- 5.7 per cent). The NSO said India would attain a per capita income of "Rs 94,954 during 2019-20 as against Rs 92,085 in 2018-19." — TNS

GST Council meet

The Finance Ministry is not in favour of increasing GST rates on non-essential items at next month's meeting of GST Council, despite depressed collections.

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Don’t let lockdown woes turn into disasters: Modi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 29

Acknowledging the tremendous suffering endured by migrant workers and disadvantaged sections during the Covid-19 lockdown period, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said the country has to ensure that inconveniences being faced do not turn into disasters.

"In a crisis of this magnitude, it can certainly not be claimed that no one suffered any inconvenience or discomfort. Our labourers, migrant workers, artisans and craftsmen in small-scale industries, hawkers and such fellow countrymen have undergone tremendous suffering, PM Modi said in a letter to citizens on the completion of one year in office of the second term.

Recounting a series of measures undertaken to usher in a change, he said just as the country was moving at a fast pace, Covid engulfed the country. Praising citizens for the confidence and resilience with which they faced the global pandemic and transforming the way the world now looked at India, he cautioned that everyone had to take care and follow guidelines to ensure that "inconveniences that we are facing do not turn into disasters".

"We have displayed patience so far and we should continue to do so. This is one of the important reasons for India being safer and in a better state than many other countries. This is a long battle but we have started traversing the path of victory, and victory is our collective resolve," he said.

He reiterated that becoming self-reliant — Atmanirbhar Bharat — was the need of the hour in the post-Covid era.

Recalling that in 2014 people voted for a substantive transformation, he said in the last five years, the nation saw how the administrative apparatus broke free from the swamp of corruption as well as misgovernance. From 2014 to 2019, India's stature rose significantly. The nation achieved financial inclusion, total sanitation coverage, and made progress towards ensuring "housing for all".

"In 2019, people voted not merely for continuity but also with a dream of taking India to new heights," the PM said, noting that today people feel involved in the development trajectory of the nation.

"Powered by the mantra of 'sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas', India is marching forward in all spheres", he said choosing to describe himself as "Pradhan Sevak".

In the last one year, some of the decisions were widely discussed and remained etched in public discourse. Article 370 furthered the spirit of national unity. The Ram Mandir judgment brought an amicable end to a debate persisting for centuries. There were many other decisions that added momentum to the nation's development trajectory, PM Modi said.

One year of 2nd term

In letter to citizens, brings up suffering of migrants, hawkers

India 8th worst-hit by virus

India's death toll on Friday surpassed that of China even as it overtook Turkey to become the eighth worst-hit nation.

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India now 8th most affected globally

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 29

India today became the world's eighth most affected country by the ongoing Covid pandemic seeing a record daily surge of 7,466 cases.

The disease load has peaked to 16,5,799 today with recoveries improving to 71,105 and deaths at 4,706.

The WHO dashboard on Covid today showed India had overtaken Turkey to end up at the eighth spot on world charts. The US, worst hit, has 16,75,258 cases.

Back home, Chairman of Covid empowered group on medical management VK Paul today said any decision on the lockdown issue beyond May 31 would be based on the need to strike a balance between controlling the disease and normalising lives.

"The top consideration for any decision will be the necessity to keep the Covid pandemic size below the national capacity to manage it. So the main issue will be how to control and contain the disease," Paul said.

The government says it has the capacity to deal with the disease with very few people on ventilators and 71,105 out of 1.65 lakh cured.

There are at present 89,987 active cases out of which less than one per cent are on ventilators.

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Demand for Shramik trains falling: Railways

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 29

Railway Board Chairman VK Yadav said on Friday that the demand for Shramik Special trains, which were introduced to move migrant workers to their home states, had been decreasing and the as of now there was a need for 450 more such trains.

The Railways since May 1 has operated some 3,840 such trains ferrying 52 lakh passengers. Yadav said, "It appears that the demand for these trains is declining from the originating state. 137 trains were flagged on Thursday and 172 on Wednesday. The demand for trains has been going down in the last two days," Yadav said.

Till last week 250 trains were being run daily. The Railways has been drawing flak over the last few days due to inordinate delay of Shramik Special trains owing to route congestion and inadequate supply of food and water. Reports of deaths of some passengers travelling on these trains over the past few days have triggered concerns over the lack of basic necessities amid the intense heat wave.

"Of 3,840 trains, 71 were diverted to deal with network congestion only between May 20 and 24.

Only four trains took more than three days to reach destination states in the north-eastern part of the country. These were long distance trains and incidents like landslide in Assam delayed the journey," Yadav said.

He said passengers with serious health issues, senior citizens, pregnant women and children below 10 years of age should board Shramik Special trains only for essential travel.

Body found in train toilet

Lucknow: A 38-year-old returning worker's body was found inside a toilet of a Shramik Special train that he had boarded four days ago. The body of Mohan Lal Sharma, a daily-wager in Mumbai, was found in the train toilet at the Jhansi station on Wednesday when the railway employees were sanitising it after it completed a round trip from Gorakhpur in eastern Uttar Pradesh. TNS

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UP Govt signs pacts for jobs to labourers

Lucknow, May 29

The Uttar Pradesh Government on Friday signed initial agreements with various industry bodies to help in providing 11 lakh jobs to migrant labourers who have returned to the state in the wake of the pandemic.

Skill-mapping being done

Skill-mapping of every worker, returning from other states, is being done. The government is committed to providing employment to all — Yogi Adityanath, CM, UP

Of this 11 lakh employment opportunities, the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Indian Industries Association (IIA) accounted for three lakh jobs each, while realtors' body NARDECO and the Laghu Udyog Bharati attend to 2.5 lakh jobs each for migrant labourers, state MSME Minister Sidharth Nath Singh said.

All memoranda of understanding (MoUs) were signed in the presence of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, whose promise to provide jobs to migrants returning to the state was fulfilled by the MSME department of the UP Government, he said.

Commenting on the signing of pacts, Adityanath said it was the "top priority" of his government to provide employment to workers according to their ability, at the local level.

"Skill-mapping of every worker, returning from other states, is being done by the Skill Development and Revenue Department," he said, noting that small scale industries are the biggest means to provide employment to workers in the state.

"The government is committed to providing employment to all," the Chief Minister said. — PTI

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Former Chhattisgarh CM Jogi passes away

Raipur, May 29

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel declared a three-day mourning in the state as a mark of respect to the departed leader, whose last rites will take place on Saturday at his native place Gaurela.

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Indian Army Major wins UN award

New Delhi, May 29

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Trump says he spoke to PM Modi, govt denies it

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A college with stories of hope

Hundreds of girls have graduated from their two-year diploma programmes and have become nurses.

source https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/a-college-with-stories-of-hope/article31707470.ece

GDP numbers a telling commentary of BJP’s economic management, says Congress

Former Union minister Jairam Ramesh alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in denial mode.

source https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/gdp-numbers-a-telling-commentary-of-bjps-economic-management-says-congress/article31707460.ece

Temple looted in Palghar, priests attacked

A group of three persons attacked the temple’s head priest and his assistant and decamped with valuables worth ₹6,800,

source https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/temple-looted-in-palghar-priests-attacked/article31707458.ece

Plea in SC against detention of Saifuddin Soz

The petition, filed by his wife, said he had been under detention since August 5, 2019 when the special rights given to Kashmiri people under Article 370 were removed

source https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/plea-in-sc-against-detention-of-saifuddin-soz/article31706366.ece

Bengal govt. to recruit more workers

“This workforce increase will ensure that public services are uninterrupted and unhindered,” Mamata Banerjee said.

source https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/bengal-govt-to-recruit-more-workers/article31707456.ece

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Forces thwart Pulwama 2.0

Suhail A Shah

Anantnag, May 28

Security forces have foiled a repeat of the 2019 Pulwama bombing by intercepting a car with 45 kg explosives at Rajpora in Pulwama district of south Kashmir.

2 SUSPECTS IDENTIFIED

We suspect Adil, a Hizb militant also working with JeM, and Fauji Bhai, a Pak militant and JeM commander, are involved.

Vijay Kumar, IGP, Kashmir

The IED-laden Santro car was intercepted by the security forces late last night around 30 km from the site of the deadly Lethpora attack along the Srinagar-Jammu highway that left 40 CRPF personnel dead and brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war. The car bore a fake registration plate, the police said. "The registration number belongs to a two-wheeler in Kathua district," DGP Dilbagh Singh said.

IGP (Kashmir) Vijay Kumar said they had been receiving inputs that Hizbul Mujahideen and Jaish-e-Mohammed were planning a suicide car bombing.

"When the input matured yesterday, we set up joint checkpoints. In the evening, when the suspected car reached a checkpoint, the security forces fired warning shots, prompting the occupants to turn around and flee.

"They jumped another checkpoint before leaving the car behind in Ayengund area of Pulwama. The forces cordoned off the area and checked the vehicle from a distance. Civilians were evacuated from the area.

"This morning, the IED was defused in a technical way by the police, Army and CRPF," Kumar said in Srinagar.

The IGP said the militants were apparently planning to target forces like they did on February 14 last year. "The modus operandi was the same as the Pulwama attack. After preliminary investigations, it has been found the vehicle was laden with 40-45 kg of explosive material. The vehicle was lobbed 15 metres into the air when the IED was defused," he said, adding the militants were planning the attack on the anniversary of Jang-e-Badr (May 11) — the 17th day of Ramadan — but couldn't do so due to strict security measures.

Kumar said they suspected the role of Adil, a Hizb militant who also works with JeM, and Fauji Bhai, a Pakistan militant and JeM commander in Pulwama, in planning the attack.

A senior police official said Fauji Bahi, active for nearly two years, was likely to be behind the making of bomb.

"Their target could have been a camp, moving vehicle, convoy, checkpoint or a patrol team. There was movement of a patrol team in the area at the time," said two senior security officials in south Kashmir said.

How it unfolded

Wednesday night

Place: Rajpora, Pulwama

Forces fire warning shots on seeing a car at checkpoint, militants speed away
Car jumps another checkpoint, militants flee in the dark, leave car behind
Forces examine vehicle from a distance, cordon off area, wait for daybreak

Thursday morning

Police, Army, CRPF defuse IED in a technical way

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Intel picked up JeM chatter this week

New Delhi, May 28

Grade-A intelligence input and seamless coordination allowed security forces to thwart a repeat of Pulwama.

Sources in the Intelligence Bureau (IB) said they had picked up Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) chatter earlier this week and shared it with Jamp;K Police and other agencies.

"It was clear from the intercepted chatter that the JeM was planning something very big in the Valley. The intelligence was found to be Grade-A (high precision) in nature and hence the operation was so meticulous," a senior IB official explained.

While there were clear inputs about a major attack, it was unclear which route the driver would take, the official said. "But the Jamp;K Police, Army and the CRPF formed separate teams, spread out and covered all possible routes and when the car was first spotted, they opened fire in coordinated manner," said the official. — TNS

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No change, troops in Ladakh continue to hold positions

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 28

A day after China spoke of diplomacy to resolve the flare-up along specific sites on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh, there is no change on the ground. Troops of both sides are holding positions as before.

THE STANDOFF

The Chinese continue making bunkers amp; trenches; military trucks spotted; a warehouse too coming up
The Chinese have stopped Indian troops from patrolling crucial areas along the north bank of lake Pangong Tso
India assumes LAC to be at 'Finger 4'. China is trying to push Indian troops back to 'Finger 2', which is more than 10 km away

The Chinese continue making military-style bunkers and trenches. Military trucks are there by dozens. Even a warehouse is coming up. Indian agencies have picked up movement of Chinese tanks less than 10 km away. Large parts of Ladakh are flat plateau where tanks can be used. India has T-72 tanks at those heights.

The Chinese have unilaterally stopped Indian troops from patrolling crucial areas along the north bank of Pangong Tso (a 135-km glacial melt lake). Eight mountain spurs of the Chang Chenmo range end at the north bank of this lake. Each spur or ridgeline is identified as 'finger' in military parlance and each ridgeline is separated by 2-5 km. On the night intervening May 5-6, troops of both sides had clashed, resulting in injuries to many.

India assumes the LAC to be at 'Finger 4'. China is trying to push Indian troops back to 'Finger 2', which is a distance of more than 10 km. India was patrolling till 'Finger 4' but the Chinese are not allowing patrols to pass. In a carefully crafted move, the Chinese troops have reached the confluence of the Shyok and Galwan rivers in sub-sector north (SSN), close to the 255-km Darbuk-Shyok-DBO road. The Chinese have moved both men and machines there. Galwan is not a disputed section along the LAC.

The DSDBO road provides all-weather access to the DBO, Depsang plains and Karakoram pass. Opposite the road or eastwards is the Aksai Chin plateau, illegally occupied by China. Other than these two spots, there is a disputed section near Gogra at the edge of "hot springs" in Ladakh.

On Wednesday, both the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing and Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidung had underlined the need for constant communication to resolve the differences.

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New Delhi prefers bilateralism to mediation by US

New Delhi, May 28

India today said it was diplomatically engaged with China in both Beijing and New Delhi to resolve the troop stand-off in eastern Ladakh.

India also underlined the importance of bilateralism in resolving the problem at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China, thus sidestepping the offer for mediation made by US President Donald Trump. The Indian response came shortly after a conference by Chinese Premier Li Keqiang during which he did not touch the border flare-up.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Anurag Shrivastav refuted an earlier claim by the Chinese Foreign Office that Indian troops had intruded into its territory. "India is committed to maintaining peace.hellip; At the same time, we remain firm in our resolve to ensuring our sovereignty," he said. India and China are also utilising military mechanisms to "peacefully resolve" the situation. — TNS

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Law school grads hire plane to ferry migrants

Ranchi/Mumbai, May 28

Over 165 migrant workers were ferried back home to Jharkhand from Mumbai in a chartered flight, arranged by the alumni network of a Bengaluru-based law school, making it the first such instance in the country amid the Covid-19 lockdown, an official statement said.

APPRECIATE IT: SOREN

This is the first time in the country that a plane brought mazdoor back during the lockdown. I appreciate the effort.

Hemant Soren, Jharkhand CM

The Air Asia flight carrying 169 migrant workers and five children left Mumbai at 6.25 am and reached Ranchi around 8.25 am. An airline spokesperson said the National Law School (NLS) Alumni Association had taken on lease a 180-seater A320 plane, a first such operation by the budget carrier since passenger services resumed in the country.

"We have been working closely with the organisers, who we understand have independently crowd-funded their efforts to assist migrants," the official said in a statement.

At Ranchi's Birsa Munda Airport, the migrant workers underwent a medical screening and the administration provided them with food packets, before sending them off to quarantine centres. Shyel Trehan, one of those behind the initiative, said: "We are happy to have made this very small contribution to addressing a massive travesty." — PTI

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No change, troops in Ladakh continue to hold positions

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 28

THE STANDOFF

The Chinese continue making bunkers amp; trenches; military trucks spotted; a warehouse too coming up
The Chinese have stopped Indian troops from patrolling crucial areas along the north bank of lake Pangong Tso
India assumes LAC to be at 'Finger 4'. China is trying to push Indian troops back to 'Finger 2', which is more than 10 km away

On Wednesday, both the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing and Chinese Ambassador to India Sun Weidung had underlined the need for constant communication to resolve the differences.

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SC orders free food, shelter, travel for migrant workers

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 28

Amid heart-wrenching reports highlighting the misery of migrant workers, the Supreme Court today ordered states to provide free food and shelter to lakhs stranded in various parts of the country due to Covid-19 lockdown.

KEY DIRECTIVES

Migrant workers on roads be taken to shelters, provided food, other basic facilities
States to arrange for food, shelter, water for those waiting for buses or trains
States to give food, water at rly stations; Railways to give meals, water during journey
States to speed up registration process, provide help desk where workers stranded
Receiving state to provide transport, health screening, other facilities free of cost

"No fare either by train or bus shall be charged from any migrant workers. The railway fare shall be shared by the states as per their arrangement," a three-judge Bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan ordered.

"Those migrant workers who are found walking on highways or roads shall be immediately taken care of by the state/UTs concerned and they shall be provided transport to the destination and all facilities, including food and water, be provided to them. The receiving state shall provide transport, health screening and other facilities free of cost," it ordered.

The Bench, which also included Justice SK Kaul and Justice MR Shah, had on Tuesday taken suo motu cognisance of the plight of migrant labourers and asked the Centre, states and UTs to spell out measures to deal with the unfolding crisis.

Today, it issued a series of directions after hearing Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, senior counsel Kapil Sibal, AM Singhvi, Colin Gonsalves, Indira Jaising, PS Narsimha and other advocates representing various states and organisations "to redeem the immediate difficulties of the migrant workers." It heard Sibal and Singhvi as "officers of the court".

"The migrant workers who are stranded at different places shall be provided food free of cost by states/UTs concerned at different places, which shall be publicised and notified to them during the period they are waiting for their turn to board the train or bus," it said.

The top court also directed states to "simplify and speed up the process of registration of migrant workers and also provide help desk for registration at the places where they are stranded".

Directing the Centre and states to file their response in a week with "all necessary details regarding the number of migrant workers, the plan to transport them to their destination, the mechanism of registration and other details", the court posted the matter for further hearing on June 5.

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Cabinet Secy holds meet with officials of 13 worst-hit cities

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 28

Cabinet Secretary Rajiv Gauba today held a review meeting with municipal commissioners and District Magistrates (DMs) of 13 high Covid-hit cities of the country ahead of the completion of Lockdown 4.0 on May 31.

BREAKING CHAIN OF INFECTION

Along with containment zones, buffer zones around containment areas also must be demarcated to break the chain of transmission
Maintaining vigilance and monitoring in areas of old cities, urban slums and other high density pockets are some of the key factors for managing Covid in the high-risk areas

The meeting was also attended by the chief secretaries and principal secretaries (health) of 13 states and union territories. The exercise bears significance as the cities are considered to be the worst Covid-hit locations and constitute for about 70 per cent of the positive cases in the country.

A senior Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) official said the meeting took place through video-conferencing with the agenda of "public health response to Covid-19".

The Municipal Commissioners of Mumbai, Thane, Pune (Maharashtra), Chennai (Tamil Nadu), Delhi/New Delhi (UT), Ahmedabad (Gujarat), Hyderabad (Telangana), Kolkata/Howrah (West Bengal), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Jaipur, Jodhpur (Rajasthan), Chengalpattu and Thiruvallur (Tamil Nadu) attended the meeting, the official said. The District Magistrates of these districts were also present during the deliberations.

The measures taken by the officials and the staff of the MCs for the management of Covid cases were reviewed at the meeting. The Centre has already issued guidelines on the management of the pandemic in urban settlements.

The guidelines include work on high risk factors and indices such as confirmation rate, fatality rate, doubling rate, tests per million people etc., the official said.

The strategy defined the factors to be considered while mapping the containment and buffer zones, the activities mandated in containment zones like perimeter control, active search for cases through house-to-house surveillance, contact tracing, testing protocol and clinical management of the active cases.

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Human trials of four Indian vaccines soon

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 28

India remains on the frontlines of Covid-19 management with four vaccine candidates expected to begin human trials very soon.

Renu Swarup, Secretary, Department of Biotechnology, the country's nodal agency for Covid vaccine development, said: "There are at present 14 Indian vaccine candidates at different stages of progress. Four industry-led initiatives are at advanced stages of development and will, hopefully, enter phase I clinical trial stage in next three to six months."

Phase I clinical trials are small-scale trials to see if the vaccine is safe on humans and what immune response it evokes. Advanced industry-led initiatives include those by Bharat Biotech, Serum Institute of India, Biological E and Gennova Pharmaceuticals.

Swarup said the industry was trying a combination of vaccine platforms, including flu, anti-rabies and RNA platforms. The academic vaccine initiatives involve Translational Health Sciences Institute, Faridabad; IISc, Bengaluru; National Institute of Immunology; Indian Institutes of Science Education and Research; and some IITs.

India is conducting trials to test the efficacy of anti-viral oral drug Favipiravir, plant-based drug ACQH and anti-arthritis medicine Itolizumab. "Trials are also on to see if anti-tuberculosis BCG vaccine can grant immunity against Covid-19," said VK Paul, Member, Health, NITI Aayog.

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New Delhi prefers bilateralism to mediation by US

New Delhi, May 28

India today said it was diplomatically engaged with China in both Beijing and New Delhi to resolve the troop stand-off in eastern Ladakh.

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Law school grads hire plane to ferry migrants

Ranchi/Mumbai, May 28

APPRECIATE IT: SOREN

This is the first time in the country that a plane brought mazdoor back during the lockdown. I appreciate the effort.

Hemant Soren, Jharkhand CM

"We have been working closely with the organisers, who we understand have independently crowd-funded their efforts to assist migrants," the official said in a statement.

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Coronavirus | Haryana seals border with Delhi after rise in cases

The border would be sealed for all, except those categories allowed to travel by the Delhi High Court and those exempted by the Ministry of Home Affairs in lockdown 4.0.

source https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/coronavirus-haryana-seals-border-with-delhi-after-rise-in-cases/article31699456.ece

Gwalior journalists back peer booked for Facebook post

Case registered against veteran scribe on complaint of BJP worker

source https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/gwalior-journalists-back-peer-booked-for-facebook-post/article31699507.ece

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Swarms inching towards Haryana, cotton at risk

Sushil Manav

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 27

Locust swarms today inched closer to Haryana, as Ellenabad and Chautala areas of Sirsa and parts of Fatehabad, Hisar and Bhiwani districts face imminent threat from two huge swarms together measuring about 15 sq km that descended on nearby Hanumangarh district in Rajasthan on Tuesday evening.

Another swarm is said to be active in Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan areas, not very far from Rewari and Mahendragarh districts of Haryana.

"We are keeping a close watch on the vast swarm in Hanumangarh district, " said an official of the Haryana Agriculture Department.

In case the swarms attack Haryana, cotton crop standing on fields will run the risk of being devoured. Meanwhile, Sanjeev Kaushal, Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture, said: "We are fully prepared with 800 tractor-mounted spray pumps."

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Home-deliver ORS, folic acid in containment zones, states told

New Delhi, May 27

As Covid-19 cases topped 1,51,767 today with a 24-hour surge of 6,387 infections, the Centre asked the states to start home-delivery of contraceptives, iron and folic acid for reproductive health across containment zones.

"Home deliveries of essential medicines like iron and frolic acid tablets, calcium, ORS, zinc and contraceptives be organised in containment zones," the Health Ministry's advisory said. India has over 2.5 crore pregnancies each year. "Denial of services can impact maternal and newborn mortalities, morbidities and healthcare costs. Regulating fertility is a necessity.There is also a need to enhance safe abortion services besides post-partum and post-abortion contraception," the ministry said.

Vaccine next year: Harvard expert

Director, Harvard Global Health Institute, Ashish Jha in a web conversation on Wednesday said Covid vaccine would be ready next year and India should plan to procure its requirement. He trashed the idea of herd immunity.

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CS apologises, Punjab logjam ends

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 27

The face-off between Punjab ministers and Chief Secretary (CS) Karan Avtar Singh has ended with the officer apologising at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh at the Civil Secretariat here today. Senior Congress leaders, including PPCC Chief Sunil Jakhar, had flayed the bureaucracy's "complete control over governance" in the state.

Finance Minister Manpreet Badal called it a win for democracy. "In a democratic set-up, elected representatives have more say and importance than the bureaucracy", he underlined. The CM is learnt to have spoken of the officer's unblemished career and his retirement in August. Earlier in the day, the Chief Secretary visited the residence of Local Bodies Minister Brahm Mohindra.

Manpreet told his colleagues it was the third time that the Chief Secretary had apologised."Everyone makes mistakes. Let bygones be bygones". Technical Education Minister Charanjit Channi said the Chief Secretary had approached him twice to apologise. Manpreet also said the Chief Secretary had given it in writing that his son had no stake in the liquor business.

Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa is learnt to have raised the issue of the Transport Department issuing notices over "illegal extension" of bus routes to companies run by Congress leaders, sparing those run by SAD leaders, including the Badal family.

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Punjab dairy industry in crisis amid lockdown

Vijay C Roy

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 27

As the demand of milk and milk products has nosedived amid the lockdown, private dairy units in Punjab, especially in the MSME sector, are in crisis and operating at less than 30% of their capacity. While some of the units discontinued their operations during the lockdown, others have converted the excess milk into skimmed milk powder (SMP) and ghee, which led to blockage of precious working capital.

There are 30 milk plants in the state in the private sector and 10 in the cooperative sector owned by Milkfed. Out of this, around two dozen are MSMEs, with an installed capacity to process around 35 lakh litres per day.

"Currently, the capacity utilisation of private milk plants is less than 30%," said Inderjit Singh, Director, Punjab Dairy Development Board.

As hotels, restaurants and other commercial establishments were closed during the lockdown, the demand for milk and milk products collapsed. Besides, cancellation of weddings and other functions also led to decline in the demand.

According to the industry, the sale of curd, flavoured milk and other products to these institutional segments shoots up during February to May, but this year only households were buying these products.

"Our sales have crashed by 50%, putting strain on our finances. The price of SMP has also come down from Rs 320 per kg to Rs 270 per kg. Moreover, there are no buyers in the market. We don't see immediate revival in demand," said Ajit Singh, managing director, Metro Milk products (P) Ltd., Jalandhar.

According to trade insiders, while some dairy units accepted milk from farmers on the condition of deferred payment, others have started practising a weekly milk holiday and they don't collect milk on that particular day.

"Since supply to neighbouring states was also disrupted, it hit our sales by over 50%. Moreover, since most of the commercial establishments were closed, the supply of milk to our plants increased. We converted the excess milk into SMP and ghee. As compared to last year, we have 20% excess stock this year," said Vinod Kumar Dutta, managing director, Chanakya Dairy Products (P) Ltd, Mandi Gobindgarh.

The average daily milk production in the state is around 340 lakh litres. Out of this, 170 lakh litres is marketable surplus. Of this, around 50% is handled by the organised sector, comprising dairy cooperatives such as Milkfed and private companies and the rest by vendors, restaurants, hotels and sweet shops.

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NRI cries negligence, DC orders probe into boy’s death

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Sujanpur (Pathankot), May 27

A Germany-based NRI doctor working in the UK was put under "forced quarantine" after he accused doctors of six hospitals — four private and two government — of negligence, leading to the death of a seven-year-old child in his locality. Quarantine posters pasted outside his residence were removed after a legal notice was served on health officials.

Role of 6 hospitals under the scanner

Docs at six hospitals accused of causing death of a 7-year-old child due to negligence
DC asks SDM to hold a probe. NRI files complaint with police, SSP forwards it to Civil Surgeon

The child's family is on an indefinite dharna at Sujanpur demanding justice.

The doctor, Dr Dheeraj Singh Manhas, Surgical Registrar at a London hospital, came to India on January 18 and was to return in early March. However, he put his departure plans on hold after Covid-19 started spreading in London. On April 28, Krishna, son of Dr Manhas' neighbours Opinder Kumar Jha and Kalpana, had a bout of 'stridor', a medical condition in which airflow is disrupted due to a blockage in larynx (voice box) or trachea (windpipe). Dr Dheeraj gave mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and took him to a private hospital and later to five other facilities after his condition worsened.

Dr Bhupinder Singh, SMO, Pathankot Civil Hospital said the patient never stayed at one hospital for a "fairly long period". A doctor at a private hospital said: "Dr Manhas came at 3 am. It took me 15-20 minutes to dress up and by the time I entered the clinic, he had left."

Following the charge, DC Gurpreet Singh Khaira asked SDM Arshdeep Singh to hold a probe. "Investigations are on and I will submit the report in seven days," the SDM said.

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Himachal BJP chief quits 6 days after purchase scam

Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, May 27

Himachal Pradesh BJP president Rajeev Bindal resigned today within four months of taking over the party reins in the state. In his one-page letter to BJP national president JP Nadda, he wrote: "Fingers are being raised at the BJP after the arrest of the former Director, Health Services. Being the state BJP president, I feel the matter should be investigated thoroughly without any pressure. I am submitting my resignation on moral grounds."

His resignation has been accepted by Nadda.

The resignation comes six days after the arrest of Dr Ajay Gupta by the State Vigilance and Anti-Corruption Bureau over alleged irregularities in purchases made by the Health Department. There were reports of a close associate of a "senior" BJP leader being questioned in the case. The mobile phone of the aide on which the audio was recorded and subsequently deleted has been seized. It has been sent to the forensic lab at Junga to retrieve the data.

The probe took a curious turn on Tuesday after Dr Gupta was remanded in five-day police custody on being discharged from hospital, with party leaders apprehending that any expose could cause damage to the party image. Chosen by BJP party president JP Nadda, Bindal had resigned as Speaker of the Vidhan Sabha. He took over as president of the state unit on January 18.

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Respond to PIL against demonising Muslims: SC

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 27

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre and the Press Council of India (PCI) to respond to a petition by Jamiat-Ulma-i-Hind seeking directions to the media and the authorities not to demonise entire Muslim community over spread of Covid-19 due to Nizamuddin Markaz congregation of Tablighi Jamaat.

"Don't let people instigate... and create law and order issues. These are things that later become problems," a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India SA Bobde told Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who represented the Centre. The Bench, which specifically wanted to know about alleged violation of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act by news channels, gave two weeks to the Centre and the PCI to respond to the PIL.

As senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing in a connected matter, said the issue should be taken seriously, the CJI said, "We take all matters seriously. Don't say repeatedly that take these matters seriously."

Dave said there were lots of fake news on Markaz incident, which had "damaged" the secular fabric of India. "Why is the government silent?" Dave asked.

Contending that these broadcasts amounted to offences under the law, he urged the court to take action against media organisations.

The Supreme Court on April 13 refused to restrain the media from reporting on alleged role of Tablighi Jamaat congregation in spreading Covid in the country.

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Went to the store to get dog food and they were hosting some cats for adoption and long story short, meet Laszlo!

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Respond to PIL against demonising Muslims: SC

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 27

Dave said there were lots of fake news on Markaz incident, which had "damaged" the secular fabric of India. "Why is the government silent?" Dave asked.

Contending that these broadcasts amounted to offences under the law, he urged the court to take action against media organisations.

The Supreme Court on April 13 refused to restrain the media from reporting on alleged role of Tablighi Jamaat congregation in spreading Covid in the country.

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Home-deliver ORS, folic acid in containment zones, states told

New Delhi, May 27

Vaccine next year: Harvard expert

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Worst locust invasion in 25 yrs; govt ill-prepared, say experts

Vibha Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, May 27

Like Cyclone Amphan, the "worst locust outbreak seen in a quarter of a century" in India is yet another example of global warming, say agricultural and environmental experts while slamming the government for its unpreparedness and slow response to the situation, despite a timely warning by the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.

Wind change today may bring relief

A change in wind direction from northwesterly to southeasterly on Thursday , which is expected to bring some relief from heat, may also change the direction of swarms. The locust could turn back with the change in wind direction.

After damaging crops in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, swarms of locusts entered Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi district on Wednesday and could head towards Maharashtra. Punjab has also been put on alert.

"Climate change is facilitating breeding and movement of locusts. Untimely rains and increased cyclonic activity have helped them breed faster. A locust attack never occurred in December but there was one in 2019," says agricultural expert Devinder Sharma.

Soumya Dutta, Environmentalist

Timely spraying could have helped in Rajasthan

There are hundreds of kilometres of desert, arid and semi-arid land the swarms crossed before coming into fields of Rajasthan. Timely aerial spraying could have helped.

Environmentalist Soumya Dutta says the "extremely severe cyclone" Amphan and the "biggest in a quarter century locust swarm threatening Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and MP" are some of the climate change-driven disasters. "Even though the UN had forewarned, preparations by India fell short," adds Dutta.

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