CURRENT AFFAIRS
25 May 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) As Twitter adds ‘manipulated media’ tag added to tweets of five more BJP leaders, Delhi Police raids its offices.

Two days after the Centre wrote to Twitter asking the social media giant to remove ‘manipulated media’ tag from the post of BJP leader Sambit Patra on the ‘Congress toolkit’ issue, officers of the Delhi Police Special Cell raided its offices in Delhi and Gurgaon. A senior police officer said Twitter had been served a notice on the case. We want to know what information Twitter has about the toolkit and why they chose to give the ‘manipulated media’ label. Our team is conducting raids at their Delhi office in Mehrauli and their Gurgaon office on Golf Course Road, he added. India has been severely affected by the second wave of COVID-19 that has left people in several states scrambling for oxygen supplies, beds in hospitals, drugs and vaccines. Meanwhile, tweets related to the so-called ‘Congress toolkit’ from verified accounts of at least five BJP leaders, including Rajya Sabha MP Vinay Sahasrabuddhe and party’s national social media in-charge Priti Gandhi, in addition to national spokesperson Sambit Patra, continue to be labelled as ‘manipulated media’ though the government had asked Twitter to remove the tag. Other leaders whose tweets are on the same issue have been tagged as ‘manipulated media’ include BJP co-incharge of Andhra Pradesh Sunil Deodhar, party’s media panellist Charu Pragya, and Delhi general secretary Kuljeet Singh Chahal. The government had on Friday asked Twitter to remove the ‘manipulated media’ tag from certain tweets by its leaders, including Patra, with reference to a toolkit created to undermine, derail and demean the efforts of the government against COVID-19 pandemic. However, the microblogging website has not removed the label. According to experts, the government does not have the power under the Information Technology Act to direct Twitter to remove ‘manipulated media’ tag from certain tweets. Such a move by the Centre had also raised concerns of censorship, they said.

B) Widespread resentment in Lakshadweep over a slew of new law proposals.

Discontent is simmering in the Lakshadweep group of islands over a slew of regulations introduced by the new administrator, Praful Khoda Patel, in the last five months of his rule, which also saw the archipelago descend from being a ‘COVID-free region’ for nearly a year into one with 6,847 cases until May 24. The stipulation for mandatory quarantine of Dweep-bound travellers in Kochi was done away with under his stewardship. The ten inhabited islands of the Union Territory are under lockdown for two months now and the Dweep administration is accused of exploiting the inability of the public to mobilise to push what’s widely seen by the islanders as arbitrary legislations that are out of sync with the social, political and environmental realities of the archipelago. The latest draft regulation for the creation of a Lakshadweep Development Authority (LDA) is widely resented as the people suspect that this might have been issued at the behest of real estate interests seeking to usurp the small holdings of property owned by the islanders, a majority of them (94.8% as per the 2011 census) belonging to the Scheduled Tribes. Hundreds of islanders have written to the administrator demanding that the proposed regulation, which makes provision for the orderly and progressive development of land in both urban and rural areas and to preserve and improve the amenities thereof; for the grant of permission to develop land and for other powers of control over the use of land; to confer additional powers in respect of the acquisition and development of land for planning; and for purposes connected with the matters aforesaid be withdrawn. Further, proposals to bring real estate development concepts such as ‘transferable development rights’ to the island have raised the hackles of people who fear they would be forced to migrate en masse. The draconian regulation is neither ecologically sustainable nor socially viable and the people’s representatives were not consulted before drafting it. Also, it comes in the wake of a slew of bad law proposals including the ‘Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Regulation’, a ‘goonda act’, in the Dweep which is known for the lowest crime rate in the country, says Mohammed Faizal, MP from the Dweep.

C) On-site registration, appointment enabled for 18-44 age group on CoWIN.

On-site registration and appointment for COVID-19 vaccination is now being enabled for 18-44 years age group on CoWIN, a statement issued by the Union Health Ministry on Monday said. However, this feature is being enabled only for government COVID Vaccination Centers (CVCs) now and would not be available for private CVCs presently. Private CVCs should publish their vaccination schedules exclusively with slots for online appointments, it stated. In case of sessions exclusively organised with online slots, towards the end of the day, some doses may still be left unutilised in case the online appointee beneficiaries did not turn up on the day of vaccination due to any reason, it noted. In such cases, on-site registration of a few beneficiaries may be necessary to minimize the vaccine wastage. This feature would be used only upon the decision of the respective State/Union Territory governments to do so. State/UT must decide on opening of on-site registrations/facilitated cohorts’ registration and appointments for 18-44 years age group based on the local context just as an additional measure to minimise vaccine wastage and for facilitating vaccination of eligible beneficiaries in the age group 18-44 years, stated the release.

D) Supreme Court raps Centre for delay in compiling database of migrant workers.

The Supreme Court today pulled up the government for the delay in completing a national database to identify and register migrant workers across the country in order to provide them benefits in times of dire need. A Bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and M.R. Shah acknowledged submissions made by advocate Prashant Bhushan that such a database would have made it easier for the government to identify and provide essentials like food and dry rations to stranded migrant labourers during the second wave of the pandemic. The direction [for the database] was issued by this court in 2018. Your process is very slow. We are not satisfied. We will pass orders on this, Justice Bhushan addressed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, for the Centre. Prashant Bhushan, who represents activists seeking urgent measures to provide food and life support for migrant workers, said, People are dying… 24 crore people have been pushed below the poverty line. The situation is worse than last year… Government has said they have not been able to even put up a portal for the registration of workers. The civil rights lawyer said many of these destitute workers require immediate cash transfers to purchase essentials. The pandemic has left them with no means of livelihood. A uniform national data grid of migrant workers, in which both the Centre and States provide inputs should be there. This would ensure that benefits meant for migrant workers reach them and no other, Justice Bhushan said. The court asked the government to clarify what steps it had taken under the Code of Social Security of 2020. The government is spending thousands of crores, but is it [benefits] really reaching them [the workers]? Justice Shah asked Mehta, who promised to file a detailed affidavit in response. The Solicitor General said the Labour Ministry had already started work on the database. He assured the court that he would talk to the Labour Secretary and get the necessary information on its status.

E) In-flight wedding: DGCA derosters crew.

A wedding in the skies has invited the wrath of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). On Monday, it suspended the crew of a SpiceJet chartered plane after a wedding ceremony aboard the aircraft, over Madurai, in violation of COVID-19 norms. The airline has been ordered to file an FIR against the errant passengers. Pictures viral on social media show the bride and groom exchanging garlands surrounded by relatives and camerapersons. Many can be seen without masks. Screenshot from the wedding video that went viral.  Wedding rituals were performed as the aircraft hovered over Madurai Meenakshi temple in the presence of over 160 relatives in the flight. Aviation website flightradar24 showed the plane circling above the temple. We have derostered the crew and directed the airline to lodge a complaint against those not following COVID-19 appropriate behaviour with relevant authorities. We will take strict action, a DGCA official said, adding that they were examining if the use of cameras onboard violated safety protocols. In March, after being pulled up by the Delhi High Court, the DGCA ordered airlines to ensure that passengers comply with COVID-19 norms on mask-wearing and social distancing. It said that if passengers did not pay heed, they must be removed from the aircraft and put on a no-fly list. The client was clearly briefed on COVID-19 guidelines to be followed and denied permission for any activity to be performed on board. The approval for this flight was taken as a joy ride for the wedding group, the airline said in response to a query.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) Afghan security forces, Taliban clash near Kabul.

Afghan forces clashed with Taliban fighters in a provincial capital about 120 km from Kabul, officials and witnesses said, prompting the Defence Minister to take charge of a counter-offensive. Violence has soared in Afghanistan since U.S. forces began their final pull-out on May 1, as the insurgents press on with a campaign to seize new territory. Fierce fighting erupted on Sunday on the edge of Mihtarlam, a city of around people and the capital of Laghman province. At one point Defence Minister Yasin Zia took personal charge in the field, officials said. With the arrival of reinforcements, the enemy has sustained heavy blows, Gen. Zia, a former Army Chief of Staff, said. The Ministry said at least 50 Taliban fighters were killed in overnight fighting. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP the insurgents captured 37 security checkpoints on the outskirts of the city. Both sides frequently exaggerate their successes and minimise losses. Fighting continued in some parts of Mihtarlam on Monday, with hundreds of people displaced. A student, who gave just his first name Zabihullah, said he went to school after government forces assured him they had control, but had to flee when fighting resumed. I’m not sure which part of the city is safe now, he told AFP.

B) Nepal urges U.S. to provide vaccines on ‘priority’ basis. 

Nepal on Monday urged the U.S. to provide vaccines on a priority basis, according to an official statement. In a telephonic conversation with U.S.’s Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, Nepal’s Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali asked for a share of the surplus Oxford-AstraZeneca doses that the U.S. intends to distribute among the developing countries, according to the statement. Minister Gyawali conveyed the gratitude of the Government of Nepal to the United States for the generous COVID-related cooperation, which helped scale up the national capacity to address the pandemic. Commending the U..S leadership in garnering collaborative response against the global pandemic, the Foreign Minister requested the Deputy Secretary of State to accord due priority to Nepal during the distribution of surplus vaccines among the developing nations, the official statement said. This comes two days after Nepal received the first emergency support from the U.S., which included ventilators, protection gears and oxygen cylinders.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
24 May 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) India to push for Covaxin recognition by WHO and EU.

India is interested in ensuring that Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin gets the endorsements from the World Health Organisation without delay. Sources informed that top diplomats of the Ministry of External Affairs are studying the matter to ensure recognition from WHO and EU for the indigenous vaccine which is one of the doses chosen by the Government of India. Ministry sources however did not confirm that Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will meet officials of Bharat Biotech on Monday but emphasised that they are focused on ensuring clearance from WHO for Covaxin. There is certainly an interest in getting Covaxin on WHO’s Emergency Use List, said an official familiar with the matter. WHO has recognised several vaccines from the makers like Oxford AstraZeneca, Pfizer and Moderna which enables the vaccine makers to export the doses worldwide. That apart, recipients of the vaccines are also enabled to carry out international air travel. Covaxin has been delivered to a large number of Indian citizens and is expected to be delivered to a greater number of Indian citizens in the coming days. WHO has also cleared China’s Sinopharm vaccine that China has been exporting to various countries across the world. But without the necessary WHO endorsement, the Indian vaccine’s recipients may not be considered for air travel abroad. The source also informed that a separate process to get endorsement from the European Union may take longer but that is also on the cards. The double recognition will help scientific research and collaboration between the Indian and foreign vaccine producers as well as help citizens to travel smoothly. Bharat Biotech, maker of Covaxin has signed agreements with pharmaceutical companies from Brazil and the U.S. where the vaccine will be either co-produced or exported but the absence of endorsement from WHO and other multilateral bodies is creating difficulties for the vaccine.

B) Moderna refuses to sell vaccines directly to Punjab. 

Punjab government on Sunday said that COVID vaccine manufacturer Moderna has refused to send vaccines directly to the State government as according to their policy, they only deal with Government of India and not with any State government or private parties. Punjab’s nodal officer for vaccination Vikas Garg said that all vaccine manufacturers were approached for direct purchase of various COVID vaccines, including Sputnik V, Pfizer, Modern, and Johnson & Johnson, as per the directions of Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to explore possibilities of floating a global tender for the procurement of vaccines from all possible sources to ensure early inoculation in the State. In a statement Mr. Garg said that reply was received from Moderna only in which the company refused to deal with State government. The statement added the State government was forced to stop vaccination for Phase I and Phase 2 categories in the last three days because of vaccines non-availability. All efforts would be made for procurement of vaccines to meet the acute shortage in the State, which had received fewer than 44 lakh vaccine doses so far from the Government of India, he said. As per government of India allocation for Phase III (18-44 age group), the State government has been able to buy only 4.2 lakh vaccine doses, including 66,000 received yesterday. A total of 3.65 lakh have already been used, leaving only 64,000 for use as of now, said Mr. Garg.

C) Centre wants to hold Class 12 exams with fewer subjects and reduced duration.

A broad decision has been taken that Class 12 board examinations must be held, but with fewer subjects, and a possible reduction in duration and staggered schedules, according to senior officials who attended Sunday’s online consultation of State and Central Ministers. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who chaired the meeting, has given States three more days to discuss their options before a final decision is taken, asking them to respond in writing by Tuesday. A vocal section of parents and students have been demanding that the exams be cancelled, due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Centre recommended that examinations only be held in about 20 major subjects. It offered two options, one to hold the regular three hour examinations, or to halve the duration of the examination using a question paper with only multiple choice or short answer questions, officials said. Delhi and Maharashtra representatives wanted vaccination of students and teachers to be done before the exams are held. Maharashtra’s Education Minister also said further consultations would be held by the State Chief Minister before coming to a position. Several States wished for the option to delay their examinations by several months, if needed. Kerala and Bihar have already held their State board examinations. Chhattisgarh has announced an open book examination to start on June 1, but Central officials warned that the validity of the results may not be accepted by universities. With regard to professional entrance examinations such as NEET and JEE, the Centre is prepared to hold them as late as September, as was done last year, in order to give time for Class 12 exams to be completed, according to a senior official.

D) Opposition backs farmers’ protests on May 26.

Twelve Opposition parties on Sunday issued a statement in support of the Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s (SKM) call for a national protest on May 26 to mark six months of the farmers’ protest began. We demand the immediate repeal of the farm laws and the legal entitlement to the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of C2+50 per cent as recommended by the Swaminathan Commission. The Central government must stop being obdurate and immediately resume talks with the SKM on these lines, the statement read. The statement was signed by party leaders Sonia Gandhi (Congress), H.D. Deve Gowda (Janata Dal-Secular), Sharad Pawar (Nationalist Congress Party), Mamata Banerjee (Trinamool Congress), Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena), M.K. Stalin (DMK), Hemant Soren (Jharkhand Mukti Morcha), Farooq Abdullah (Jammu and Kashmir National Conference), Akhilesh Yadav (Samajwadi Party), Tejaswi Yadav (Rashtriya Janata Dal), D. Raja (Communist Party of India) and Sitaram Yechury (CPI-Marxist). The leaders reiterated what they had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 12: Repeal farm laws to protect lakhs of our annadatas becoming victims of the pandemic so that they can continue to produce food to feed the Indian people.

E) Anxiety, depression top concerns on govt. helpline amid second wave.

Anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress have been among the most common problems reported by callers to the Social Justice Ministry’s mental health helpline, with many States seeing an increase in calls during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to officials. According to the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD) data, a total of 26,047 calls were received by the KIRAN helpline till April 30 from September 16, 2020. While the number of calls overall saw a decrease from March (3,617) to April (3,371), there was an increase in some States, including Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Haryana, where the number of calls more than doubled from 73 in March to 170 in April. A senior official from one of the regional centres of the helpline, who wished not to be named, said most of the callers in the past month had raised concerns regarding the second wave of the pandemic after being diagnosed with COVID-19. The official added that the increase in calls could be partially due to the helpline being promoted as a COVID-19-related mental health resource during the second wave in the region. While most callers had concerns regarding the COVID-19 situation, some also enquired about vaccination and emergency services, the official said. The helpline — 1800-599-0019 — was launched by the Social Justice Ministry on September 7, 2020 as a mental health rehabilitation service. Callers are counselled first and are connected with psychiatrists and other experts depending on the need. The majority of the callers had been men and in the age-group of 15 to 40 years, the Ministry’s report on its functioning from September 16, 2020 to January 15, 2021 had said.

F) Health Minister asks Baba Ramdev to rescind statement on allopathic medicines.

Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan has asked yoga guru Ramdev, the face of one of India’s biggest consumer goods and alternative medicine empires, to rescind remarks in which he ostensibly said more people died of modern medical treatments during the COVID-19 crisis than the coronavirus itself. The people of the country are very hurt with your remark on allopathic medicines. I have already told about this feeling over phone. Doctors and health workers are like gods for the people of the country for whom they are fighting against the coronavirus risking their lives, Dr Vardhan said in a two-page letter written in Hindi. You have not only insulted Corona warriors, but have hurt the feelings of the people of the country. Your clarification yesterday is not enough to make up for it… I hope you will think hard on it and withdraw your statements completely, he added. Ramdev had drawn outrage and a legal notice from the Indian Medical Association (IMA), demanding a written apology for the statement that it said damaged the reputation of practitioners of allopathy and modern medicine when they are striving to save lives during the pandemic. In a video that was widely shared on social media, Ramdev was heard saying at a recent event, Lakhs of people have died because of allopathic medicines, far more than those who died because they did not get treatment or oxygen. He also purportedly called allopathy a stupid and bankrupt science.

G) India challenges international arbitration award to Cairn Energy.

India has challenged an international arbitration tribunal asking it to return $1.2 billion to UK’s Cairn Energy Plc on grounds that it had never agreed to arbitrate over a national tax dispute, the finance ministry said today. In a statement, the ministry also refuted reports that the government has purportedly asked state-owned banks to withdraw funds from foreign currency accounts abroad in anticipation of the potential seizure of such accounts. While the government appointed a judge on the three-member arbitration panel and fully participated in the proceedings against India seeking ₹ 10,247 crore in back taxes from Cairn, the ministry said the tribunal improperly exercised jurisdiction over a national tax dispute that the Republic of India never offered and/or agreed to arbitrate. India had seized and sold shares of Cairn in its erstwhile India unit, confiscated dividend due and withheld tax refunds to recover the tax demand it had levied two years after passing a law in 2012 that gave it powers to levy tax retrospectively. In December last year, Cairn won an award that held the levy of taxes using the 2012 law unfair on the company and the tribunal asked the Indian government to return $1.2 billion plus cost and interest.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS

A) Minor face-off with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley.

There was a minor face-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the no-patrolling zone at Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh in the first week of May, a senior government official told The Hindu. However, no clash occurred and the two sides disengaged quickly. A no-patrolling zone extending to around 3 kilometre, around 1.5 km each, on either side of the clash site near the Y-junction of the Galwan Valley, was created after the June 15, 2020 incident when 20 Indian army personnel were killed in violent clashes with the Chinese. A 30-day moratorium was also applied on foot-patrolling then. It was not known if it has been extended. After the no-patrolling zones were created last year, the two sides occasionally conduct reconnaissance to see if the other side has crossed the line. The patrols are sent at different times. On the particular day, the Indian and Chinese patrols reached the area at the same time, a minor face-off happened but they returned quickly, said the official. The official added that China still has camps beyond the no-patrolling zone and there has not been any reduction in troop deployment since last year. The official explained that both sides send periodical patrols out of suspicion. It may be recalled, that prior to April-May 2020, when China amassed troops at the particular location in Galwan, claiming it to be Chinese territory, Indian troops regularly patrolled the area that is said to be within India’s perception of the Line of Actual Control (LAC). Earlier, the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) used to patrol and leave, but since April-May 2020 it made a permanent presence within 600-800 metres of India’s perception of the LAC. On February 11, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh informed both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha that India and China have reached an agreement for disengagement in the Pangong Lake area to cease their forward deployments in a phased, coordinated and verified manner, which would substantially restore the pre-April 2020. Since April 2020, Chinese troops blocked Indian troops from reaching at least 10 patrolling points (PPs) running from Depsang plains in the north to Pangong Tso (lake) in the south in Eastern Ladakh. In all, there are more than 65 PPs from the base of Karakoram to Chumar. India and China have held 11 round of talks so far after the clashes last year. While the troops partially disengaged on the north and south banks of Pangong Tso, phased disengagement is yet to take place at the other friction areas in Eastern Ladakh Gogra, Hot Springs, Depsang and Demchok.

B) Israeli police allow Jews to visit flashpoint Jerusalem site.

Israeli police escorted more than 250 Jewish visitors on Sunday to a flashpoint holy site in Jerusalem where clashes between police and Palestinian protesters helped trigger a war in Gaza, according to the Islamic authority overseeing the site. The II-day conflict between Israel and Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers came to a fragile halt on Friday, but left behind immense ruin in Gaza, including hundreds of homes in that have been completely destroyed and many more that were badly damaged, according to the UN.  With tensions still high, police cleared young Palestinians out of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound and barred entry to Muslims under the age of 45, according to the Islamic Waqf, which oversees the site. Muslims who entered were required to leave their IDs with police at the entrance. It said six Palestinians were detained, with four later released. Israeli police denied there was any age restriction and said they arrested five people who violated the public order. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the site was open for regular visits and that police had secured the area. The visits later ended without any further incident. Israeli police had briefly clashed with Palestinian protesters after Friday prayers in an early test for the truce, which had taken effect hours earlier. The ceasefire in Gaza has held, but violence in Jerusalem could set off another cycle of escalation. The Waqf said on Sunday was the first time Jews had been allowed to visit the site since May 4, a week before the war broke out. The Al-Aqsa Mosque is the third holiest site in Islam. It sits on a sprawling hilltop in Jerusalem’s Old City that is revered by Jews as their holiest site because it was the location of the biblical temples. The site has often been the scene of Israeli-Palestinian violence over the years.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
23 May 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) Negative Covid-19 report isn’t the end of problem, warn doctors.

A negative Covid-19 report isn’t the end of the problems associated with the virus, warn doctors. They now say that since it affects multiple organs, those who were on mechanical ventilation, ICU or form into any high-risk category of lung fibrosis are the group of people who need to watch out for the need to have a re-admission. People with diabetes or obesity, prolonged illnesses are also much likely to go back to hospitals with symptoms like breathlessness and decrease in oxygen even after testing negative and getting discharged from hospital. Archana Dhawan Bajaj, gynaecologist obstetrician and IVF expert, Nurture IVF, said, The thrombosis and protein loss due to the virus can lead to delayed recovery. COVID re-infection is rare and people facing re-infection are mainly those with co-morbidities, healthcare workers and frontline workers. Hence, this is something to watch out for in people of these subgroups. On the signs to watch out for even after turning negative, Vikas Maurya, director and HOD, Pulmonology, FortisHospital, Delhi said Covid-19 causes inflammation in our lungs, kidney, heart, and other organs. Therefore, post-Covid-19, people can still experience extreme weakness, and it takes time to fully recover. But those who have mild symptoms can recover a bit faster than those who experience moderate to severe symptoms, he said. Hari Kishan Boorugu, consultant physician, Yashoda Hospitals, Somajiguda, Hyderabad, said people need to maintain adequate hydration and follow a healthy diet after recovery. Avoid eating outside food as it can be difficult for the body to take additional stress in case they develop food-borne gastroenteritis. Patients with diabetes and high blood pressure need to monitor their sugar and BP while making sure that they are in good control, as often they tend to fluctuate post-COVID, due to multiple factors change in diet, stress, and medication, he said.

B) Breach of Air India data poses litigation risk for airline, experts say.

The breach of passenger data at Air India may pose litigation risks for the airline that could further delay the privatisation process, warn experts, adding that the national carrier must prioritise efforts to contain the damage from the cyber attack by informing passengers about steps they can still take to prevent fraud. In a press statement, the airline said that its passenger processing system, supplied by multi-national information technology company SITA, was a target of a sophisticated cyber attack on February 25. Nearly 45 lakh data subjects registered over a period of 10 years, between August 2011 to February 2021, were affected around the world, including passengers of other airlines such as Singapore Airlines, Lufthansa, Cathay Pacific, United Airlines, among others. The attack was on SITA’s servers at its data centre in Atlanta, United States. A major impact it may have is that the current process of privatisation may go slow as there will always be fear of unquantified litigation risks. They (government) may be able to separate past versus future liabilities, but it opens up a new avenue for a discussion with potential bidders, said Sivarama Krishnan, Leader-Asia Pacific, Cybersecurity, PwC. The extent to which individual airlines were affected due to the cyber attack varied from one airline to another. Some airlines wrote to their passengers saying only passenger names and frequent flyer numbers were stolen. In the case of Air India, the theft pertained to name, date of birth, contact information, passport information, ticket information, Star Alliance and Air India frequent flyer data (but no passwords data were affected) as well as credit cards data (but no CVV data).

C) Majority mark in Rajya Sabha to remain elusive for BJP in Modi’s second term.

The majority mark in the Rajya Sabha will remain elusive for the BJP in the second term of the Narendra Modi government, and its performance in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly poll slated for early next year is crucial for it to maintain its current tally in the Upper House. At 93, the BJP is 30 members short of the majority mark of 123 in a House of 245 MPs. In the second term, with more than half a dozen Opposition MPs changing loyalty to the BJP, the ruling party had managed to pass controversial Bills, beginning with the Muslim Women (Protection of Rights of Marriage) Bill, 2019 or Triple Talaq Act, along with J&K Re-organisation Bill and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Three rounds of retirements in the year 2022 – April (18 members), June (20 members) and July (33 members) – will bring the last change in the political arithmetic of the Rajya Sabha in the second term of the Modi government. Major losses for the BJP will come from Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. This makes Uttar Pradesh crucial for the BJP’s strength in the Upper House. In July next year, 11 seats from Uttar Pradesh will fall vacant. As per the current tally, the BJP holds five of these, which includes two former Samajwadi Party MPs – Sanjay Seth and Surender Singh Nagar – who shifted their loyalties midway through their term. Without repeating its 2017 performance in the State, the BJP cannot hold on to these five seats. In Punjab, if the current anti-BJP sentiment because of the three controversial farm laws prevails till the polls, the BJP will lose one seat. The BJP allies will also be affected – the AIADMK strength is expected to be curtailed after its defeat in the recent Assembly poll in Tamil Nadu. Currently, the AIADMK has six members and its political adversary, the DMK, seven.

D) Stop release of funds to W.B. under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, State BJP chief urges Modi.

West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging the Centre not to release any funds under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi without proper checking and verification of data approved by the State. The beneficiary list verified by the State Government needs thorough checking and verification at the level of Union Government so that any genuine beneficiary is not excluded from the benefits. Without proper checking and verification of the data of the beneficiaries as approved by the State on the part of Union Government, no further allotment should be released in the scheme, Ghosh said in a letter addressed to the Prime Minister earlier this week. Earlier this month, about seven lakh farmers received one instalment (₹2,000) as benefits under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi for the first time since the launch of the scheme in three years. During the run-up to the State Assembly polls, senior BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had promised ₹18,000 (all pending instalments for three years) under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi to about 70 lakh farmers in the State. The BJP leader, in the communication, has alleged that the Trinamool Congress government has perpetuated syndicate raj in all spheres of life in West Bengal where no work gets done without common people having to pay cut money in return for including them in the beneficiary lists of all the government schemes. We apprehend that the names of genuine beneficiaries might be found missing from the verified list made ready for payment by the state government for the present scheme, Ghosh has written in the letter. For almost three years, there was a tussle between the State government and the Centre over PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. The Trinamool Congress government maintained that its scheme of providing cash transfer to farmers ‘Krishak Bandhu’ was more inclusive. In an open letter dated May 13, a day before benefits under the PM Kisan were transferred to accounts of seven lakh farmers, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Centre of delaying the disbursal of the scheme and said the Trinamool Congress had first started ‘Krishak Bandhu’ scheme in 2018, which was a model for the entire country. You all were supposed to get ₹18,000 but have received a very small amount. Even this sum would not have been transferred had we not fought for it. We will continue this fight till you get the entire allocation, Banerjee had said in her letter addressed to people of the State.

E) Music director Raamlaxman, of ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’ fame, dies at 78.

Veteran music director Raamlaxman, best known for his work on Rajshri Productions’ blockbuster movies Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! and Hum Saath Saath Hain died due to a cardiac arrest. He was 78. The composer, whose real name was Vijay Patil, passed away at his residence in Nagpur in the early hours of Saturday, his son Amar said. He had taken second dose of Covid-19 vaccine, Covishield, six days ago. There was no problem at that time… But when he came home he developed weakness. His parameters were dropping. Doctors were attending at home. He passed away at around 2 am on Saturday. He had a cardiac arrest, Amar told PTI. Patil, known by cinema aficionados as ‘Laxman’ of duo composers Raam-Laxman, started his journey in films with Marathi actor-comedian Dada Kondke’s 1975 film Pandu Hawaldar. He gave the music for the movie with his collaborator Surendra under the name Raam-Laxman. Surendra passed away in 1976, but Patil continued to compose under the same name, slightly changing it to Raamlaxman. In his over four decades-long career, he composed music for over 150 films in Hindi, Marathi and Bhojpuri and worked with famous film directors such as Manmohan Desai, Mahesh Bhatt, GP Sippy, Anil Ganguly and Sooraj Barjatya. Some of his other memorable works were for Agent Vinod, 100 Days, Anmol, Tarana, Patthar Ke Phool and Hum Se Badhkar Kaun.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Nepal President dissolves Parliament, announces mid-term polls in November.

Nepal President Bidya Devi Bhandari has dissolved the House of Representatives and announced mid-term polls on November 12 and 19 after she determined that both embattled Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli and the Opposition alliance were not in a position to form a government. Bhandari’s announcement came after Prime Minister Oli recommended dissolution of the 275-member House following an emergency midnight Cabinet meeting. Last year, on December 20, President Bhandari had dissolved Parliament but later it was reinstated by the Supreme Court in February. A press statement issued by the Office of President said the Parliament was dissolved and dates of midterm polls were announced in line with Article 76 (7) of the Constitution of Nepal. The council of ministers has recommended conducting the first phase of the poll on November 12 and the second phase on November 19. The move followed a notice from the Office of the President which said that it could appoint neither K.P. Sharma Oli, the incumbent Prime Minister, nor Sher Bahadur Deuba, Nepali Congress president, as claims made by both to form a new government were insufficient. With four lawmakers in the 275-member House of Representatives dismissed by their party after they chose to be part of another party, a prime ministerial candidate requires support of at least 136 lawmakers in Parliament to form a new government.

B) Egyptian mediators hold talks to firm up Israel-Hamas truce.

Egyptian mediators held talks on Saturday to firm up an Israel-Hamas cease-fire as Palestinians in the Hamas ruled Gaza Strip began to as the damage from Il days of intense Israeli bombardment. A 130-truck Convoy carrying urgent humanitarian aid headed to Gaza. Saturday marked the first full day of a truce that ended the fourth Israel-Hamas war in just over a decade. In the fighting, Israel unleashed hundreds of airstrikes against militant targets in Gaza, while Hamas and other militants fired more than 4,000 rockets toward Israel. More than 250 people were killed, the vast majority Of them Palestinians. Gaza City’s busiest commercial area, Omar al-Mukhtar Street, was covered in debris, smashed Cars and twisted metal. A Palestinian official said an initial assessment showed at least 2,000 housing units were destroyed in the Il-day fighting. Naji Sarhan, deputy of Gaza’s works and housing ministry, said that more than 15 000 other units were partly destroyed. Sticking points Both Israel and Hamas have claimed victory. There was a widespread expectation that the ceasefire would stick for now, but that another round of fighting at some point Seems inevitable. Underlying issues remain unresolved, including an Israeli Egyptian border blockade, now in its 14th year, that is choking Gaza’s more than 2 million residents and a refusal by the Islamic militant Hamas to disarm. The fighting began on May 10, when Hamas militants in Gaza fired rockets toe ward Jerusalem. The barrage came after days of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Heavy-handed police tactics at the compound and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers had inflamed tensions. The war has further sidelined Hamas’ political rival, the internationally backed Palestinian Authority, which oversees autonomous enclaves in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Hamas’ popularity seemed to be growing as it positioned itself as a defender of Palestinian claims to Jerusalem. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is to meet with Mr. Abbas and Israeli leaders when he visits in the coming week. Mr. Abbas is expected to raise demands that any Gaza reconstruction plans go through the Palestinian Authority to avoid strengthening Hamas.

CURRENT AFFAIRS
22 May 2021

NATIONAL NEWS:

A) GST on oxygen concentrators imported for personal use ‘unconstitutional’, says Delhi High Court.

The Delhi High Court on Friday held the Government’s action of imposing Goods and Services Tax (GST) on Oxygen concentrators imported for personal use as ‘unconstitutional’ and said persons looking to import oxygen concentrators should furnish an undertaking that the devices won’t be used for commercial purposes. A Bench of Justices Rajiv Shakdher and Talwant Singh held that oxygen concentrators constitute a life-saving device during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and therefore, should be treated on par with life-saving drugs. Oxygen concentrator, on the face of it, is a life-saving device, Justice Shakdher said. In times of war, famine, floods, pandemic, a different approach needs to be adopted. We have also indicated and taken judicial notice of the fact that funds have been allocated for healthcare in this Budget… We would have liked more time to delve into these issues but both of us thought that time is of the essence and waiting too long would take away the meaning of the judgement, the High Court Judge said. Referring to the potential impact of the GST levy on such imports on overall GST collections, Justice Shakdher said that without giving us details as to why this will debilitate the State if tax on such transactions was not collected where individuals import oxygen concentrators for personal use, we have said you have not really discharged the burden. You have to justify it in these situations. The petitioner in the case, a senior citizen whose nephew had shipped him a concentrator as a gift, had challenged a May 1 notification that levied 12% GST on such imports from 28% earlier. He invoked Article 21 of the Constitution which enshrines the fundamental right to life. The court had earlier asked the government to consider temporarily dropping the 12% GST levied on such imports altogether, citing the shortage of oxygen in the second wave of the pandemic. However, the Finance Ministry had turned it down, stating that if the petitioner’s argument about Article 21 is accepted, it will lead to absurd consequences and interpretations, where in citizens will be seeking exemption from Property tax, since housing is an essential facet of Right of Life… or exemption from taxes imposed on several food items since Right to Food has been held by the Supreme Court to be a part of Right of Life under Article 21.

B) Govt asks Twitter to remove ‘manipulated media’ tag from ‘toolkit’-related tweets by BJP leader.

The government has asked Twitter to remove the manipulated media tag for tweets on an alleged ‘Congress toolkit’ to discredit Covid-19 efforts, calling it prejudicial, a clear overreach and unwarranted, sources said today. The official complaint has been spurred by Twitter marking BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra’s tweet as ‘manipulated media’. The Ministry of Electronics and IT, in a strong communication to the global team of Twitter, has objected to the use of the manipulated media tag on certain tweets made by Indian political leaders with reference to a toolkit created to undermine, derail and demean the efforts of the government against Covid-19, sources said. Sambit Patra’s tweet on May 18, shared by several BJP leaders, had screenshots of what he had called a Congress toolkit that aimed to smear Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the government’s handling of Covid-19. The Congress filed FIRs in Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan the same day, accusing BJP leaders of sharing a fake toolkit based on forged screenshots. The party yesterday wrote to Twitter urging it to remove tweets by Sambit Patra and other BJP leaders and suspend their accounts permanently for spreading misinformation and unrest in society. Last evening, a manipulated media tag appeared below Patra’s tweet.

C) SC upholds Centre’s notification permitting banks to proceed against personal guarantors under IBC.

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a government move to initiate proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) against personal guarantors (usually promoters of big business houses) of corporate debtors facing corporate insolvency resolution process. In a judgment which will ring loud and clear across the business community, a Bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao and S. Ravindra Bhat held that the November 15, 2019 notification of the Centre allowing creditors, usually financial institutions and banks, to move against personal guarantors under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) was legal and valid. The notification of November 15, 2019 invoking IBC against personal guarantors was challenged before several High Courts initially. The Supreme Court had transferred the petitions from the High Courts to itself on the request made by the government. The court had transferred the cases from the High Courts in October last year, saying the IBC was at a nascent stage and the interpretations of the provisions of the Code should be taken up by the apex court to avoid any confusion and to authoritatively settle the law. The concept of ‘guarantee’ is derived from Section 126 of the Indian Contracts Act, 1872. A contract of guarantee is made among the debtor, creditor and guarantor. If the debtor fails to repay the debt to the creditor, the burden falls on the guarantor to pay the amount owed to the lender. The creditor reserves the right to begin insolvency proceedings against the personal guarantor if the latter does not pay. Usually, promoters of big businesses submit personal guarantees to creditors to secure loans and assure repayment.

D) Environmentalist Sunderlal Bahuguna passes away.

Well-known environmentalist and Gandhian Sunderlal Bahuguna has died from Covid-19-related complications at AIIMS in Rishikesh. He was 94. He was admitted to the hospital on May 8 after testing positive for Covid-19. He had been critical since last night with his oxygen level dropping drastically. A pioneer in environmental protection, Bahuguna led the charge against the construction of big dams in the Himalayas in the 1980s. He was fervently opposed to the construction of the Tehri dam. He, along with local women, founded the Chipko movement in the Seventies to prevent the felling of trees in the ecologically sensitive zones. The movement’s success led to the enactment of a law to ban the felling of trees in ecologically sensitive forest lands. He also coined the Chipko slogan, ecology is permanent economy.

E) Sessions Court acquits Tarun Tejpal of rape charges.

The Mapusa District and Sessions Court in Goa on May 21 acquitted former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal in a 2013 sexual harassment and rape case filed by his colleague. Tejpal was accused of raping his colleague in an elevator of a five-star hotel. He was arrested on November 30, 2013, by the Goa Crime Branch and was granted bail on July 1, 2014, by the Supreme Court. In February 2014, the Goa Crime Branch filed a 2,846-page chargesheet against Tejpal. Former journalist Tarun Tejpal arrives for the verdict hearing of the sexual assault case in which he is accused of raping a female journalist in the lift of a five-star hotel in Goa in November 2013, at the district court of Mapusa in Goa on May 21, 2021. Tejpal has been acquited of the rape charge. Special judge Kshyama Joshi pronounced the judgment, and the reasons for acquittal will be known in due course of time. On September 29, 2017, the court framed charges against him under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code. The trial commenced in March 2018 but got interrupted due to several factors, one of them being Tejpal seeking a discharge in the case, for which he first moved the sessions court, then the High Court, and later the Supreme Court. In August 2019, the top court declined his plea and ordered that the trial be held in-camera (not open to the public) and be completed in six months. The trial finally began on December 7, 2020, and the survivor was examined and cross-examined for an entire month till January 7, 2021, by physical appearance and through video-conferencing. The trial concluded at the end of February 2021 and, after final arguments were made by both sides, the judgment was reserved. The court was earlier supposed to pronounce the judgment on April 27 but was adjourned to May 12 due to shortage of staff in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was again adjourned to May 19 because of Cyclone Tauktae and then to May 21. Public Prosecutor Francisco Tavora said, We are seriously aggrieved and the State will be appealing the judgment.

F) Calcutta HC refers Narada case to a larger bench.

The Calcutta High Court on Friday referred the Narada case to a larger bench and directed that the accused be put under house arrest instead of judicial custody. The division bench of Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and Justice Arijit Banerjee directed that the matter be heard before a larger bench since one of the judges thought it was fit to grant interim bail to the four arrested while the other did not. The order stated that the court found that the guidance in this regard given by the Supreme Court on May 12, 2021 in case titled as Gautam Navlakha vs. National Investigation Agency is fully applicable in these cases. As far as interim relief is concerned, while modifying the earlier order dated May 17, 2021, we direct that considering the age and health issues of the accused, three of whom are said to be admitted in hospital, instead of custody in jail, all the accused persons can be put under house arrest in their own homes, the order by the division bench read. The Court also added that during house arrest, while being in home comfort, they shall be entitled to all medical facilities and shall be bound by all applicable restrictions. Any violation thereof can result in recall of this order, the order stated. Four leaders including two Ministers in the West Bengal government Subrata Mukherjee and Firhad Hakim, MLA Madan Mitra and former Minister Sovan Chatterjee were arrested by the CBI in connection with Narada sting videos on Monday. The four leaders have been in judicial custody since then.

G) Jaishankar talks of ‘dishonoured commitments’ during Covid-19 pandemic.

External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has hinted that countries failed to live by commitments during the Covid-19 pandemic. The pandemic had prompted countries to become self-seeking, often resorting to a broader definition of national security that disrupted supply chains, he said in a speech at a ‘Future of Asia’ event organised by Nikkei on Thursday. In the past, defence, politics and intelligence drove calculations, with some extrapolation into domains like resources, energy or technology. With some notable exceptions, its demands were balanced out by the requirements of global exchanges, economic efficiency, and perhaps by social habits. These trends, in fact, became stronger as the globalisation mantra took deeper root. The pandemic, however, saw capabilities leveraged, commitments dishonoured, supply chains blocked, logistics disrupted, and shortages created, with all the accompanying anxieties, said Jaishankar, distinguishing the pandemic-era response of nation-states from the usual globalisation-driven concerns. The policy-oriented speech is being interpreted as an admission by the Minister to the problems that India itself is facing in continuing with the Vaccine Maitri project, under which it had promised to deliver vaccines all over the world, and especially to the South Asian partner countries. On Wednesday, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen called Jaishankar and reminded him that Dhaka did not get the Covishield vaccine from Pune’s Serum Institute of India (SII) despite placing orders. The shortage of vaccine from the SII has created a crisis for the required second round of doses for the recipients. Similar problems have been reported from Nepal, Sri Lanka and African countries that were promised vaccine from the SII.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Israel and Hamas both claim victory as fragile ceasefire takes hold.

Israel and Hamas both claimed victory on Friday after their forces ended 11 days of fighting, but a clash between Israeli police and Palestinian protesters in Jerusalem underscored the fragility of the truce, Reuters reported. Egypt, which mediated the pre-dawn end to the worst hostilities between Israelis and Palestinians in years, discussed measures to avoid a resumption of the militant rocket attacks from Gaza on Israel and Israeli strikes on the enclave. The Gaza violence was set off on May 10 in part by Israeli police raids on the al-Aqsa mosque compound and clashes with Palestinians during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Thousands gathered there again for this Friday’s prayers, with many staying on to demonstrate in support of Gaza. Israeli police fired stun grenades towards demonstrators, who threw rocks and petrol bombs at officers, and Palestinian medics said some 20 Palestinians were wounded. The confrontations died down within about an hour, with Israeli police pulling back to the compound’s gates. In Gaza, five more bodies were pulled from the rubble in the densely populated Palestinian enclave, taking the death toll to 243, including 66 children, with more than 1,900 wounded. The Israeli military said an Israeli soldier had been killed as well as 12 civilians; hundreds have been treated for injuries after rocket salvoes that caused panic and sent people as far away as Tel Aviv rushing into shelters.

B) Biden hails truce, says it’s an opportunity towards peace.

President Joe Biden on Thursday hailed the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, saying he sees a genuine opportunity towards the larger goal of building a lasting peace in West Asia. Mr. Biden credited the Egyptian government with playing a crucial role in brokering the ceasefire and said he and top White House aides were intensely involved in an hour by hour effort to stop the bloodletting. He believe the Palestinians and Israelis equally deserve to live safely and securely and enjoy equal measures of freedom, prosperity and democracy, Mr. Biden said. My administration will continue our quiet, relentless diplomacy toward that. The ceasefire was announced one day after Mr. Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a telephone call that he expected significant de-escalation of the fighting by the day’s end, according to the White House. However, Mr. Netanyahu came right back with a public declaration that he was determined to continue the Gaza operation until its objective is achieved. Hours before the ceasefire agreement was reached, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said the Israelis had achieved significant military objectives in their strikes intended to degrade Hamas military capabilities and reiterated that Mr. Biden expected the Israelis to start winding down their operations. Mr. Biden, who studiously avoided extensive public comment about the Israeli military strikes, was facing mounting pressure from fellow Democrats to speak out against the Israelis as the death toll climbed in Gaza and tens of thousands of Palestinians were displaced by the aerial bombardment.