Tag: IES

NATIONAL NEWS 

A) Pushkar Singh Dhami to be sworn in as Uttarakhand CM on Sunday

Two-time MLA Pushkar Singh Dhami was chosen by the BJP legislature party and will be sworn in as chief minister of Uttarakhand on Sunday. Dhami’s selection follows the resignation of his predecessor Tirath Singh Rawat yesterday. Rawat had submitted his resignation to Governor Baby Rani Maurya as he was caught in a legal bind over his continuation as chief minister, an office, which required him to be elected as member of the Uttarakhand Assembly within six months of having taken oath. This, in turn, was rendered impossible by a clause in the Representation of the People Act which disallows by-polls for vacant seats if the tenure of the state assembly expires within a year. Uttarakhand goes to polls in March 2022. Left with no option, Rawat submitted his resignation paving the way for a new man to be elected by the party to head the state. New Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Dhami flanked by former CM T.S. Rawat and State BJP chief Madan Kaushik after Mr. Dhami was elected leader of the State legislature party. Forty-five-year-old Dhami will be the state’s10th chief minister and is considered to be close to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. He will be the third chief minister in four months to head the state, beleaguered by serious infighting in the ruling party. Dhami was the officer on Special Duty to the state’s second chief minister Bhagat Singh Koshiari a year after the formation of the new state. Uttarakhand goes to polls in March 2022 and at the time of writing this, it is learnt, he is unlikely to be the face of the state where most of the MLAs have decided to fight the elections under Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Watch this space for this fast-developing story.

 

B) Punjab’s power crisis

Power and the availability of power may decide who comes to power in Punjab which is the grip of an unprecedented power crisis amidst soring mercury. The State has been witnessing some pitched protests by farmers and common people against the shortage of power. People are complaining that power cuts in the state lasts for hours on stretch. The demand for power is close to 14,225 MW while the supply is at 12,800 MW, a shortfall, the state government is unable to bridge. As paddy transplantation is in full-swing, farmers are reportedly upset that they are not getting their eight-hour power supply. Consumers have taken to the streets as they sweat it out in the summer heat. With the state government having to take some tough measures like staggered power supply in order to divert power for agricultural crops, there is also a ban on air conditioners in government offices. With the state slated to go to polls next year, opposition party AAP with 16 MLAs has promised 300 units of free power to every household in Punjab if voted to power next year. On Saturday, AAP party supporters protested in front of the residence of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh forcing the Punjab police to disperse the crowds  with water cannons.

 

C) Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments

The number of reported coronavirus cases from India stood at 3,05,26,959 with the death toll at 4,01,516. The Union Government has sent multi-disciplinary teams to Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Manipur, Odisha and Chattisgarh on Saturday, following a high number of COVID cases being reported from the states. The teams will monitor the COVID-19 management protocol being followed in the states assessing testing, surveillance, availability of beds, and vaccination progress. On the progress of vaccination, V K Paul, chairman of the National Empowered Group on Vaccine, told journalists that the estimate of 216 crore vaccine doses to be administered  by year-end was aspirational and based on an optimistic assessment on what the vaccine manufacturers had conveyed to the Government. Till date 34 crore people have been vaccinated with at least one dose since the drive began on January 16, the government said.

 

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Investigation of Rafale deal

A French judge will investigate the controversial 2016 ₹59,000 crore sale of 36 Rafale fighter jets to Indian government. Back home, the Opposition Congress claimed it has been vindicated. The party was engaged in a Twitter battle with the BJP on the matter. The deal inked between the Indian government and French aircraft manufacturer Dassault, originally initiated by the Congress-led UPA government in 2012 and executed by the Narendra Modi-led BJP Government in 2016, has been mired in controversies following allegations of hidden commission and payoffs to middle-men who facilitated the deal. The Parquet National financier (PNF), the French judicial institution responsible for tracking down serious economic and financial crimes, was reportedly reluctant to investigate even as several French mainstream newspapers and websites reported that there were shortcomings in the deal. French website Mediapart had even accused the French Anti-corruption Agency of burying suspicions surrounding the September 2016 deal, as AFP reported today. In a series of exposes in 2018, The Hindu, had also reported how the deal was unfavourable to India and was more expensive on the Indian exchequer; the report also exposed several shortcomings in the defence deal prompting the government to accuse the paper of stealing official documents. Several media reports today spoke of how three months ago, Mediapart had claimed millions of euros of hidden commissions were given to a go-between who helped Dassault conclude the sale, of which some… could have been given as bribes to Indian officials. Dassault responded that no wrong-doing was flagged in the group’s audits. After the reports, France’s Sherpa NGO, which specialises in financial crime, filed an official complaint for corruption and influence peddling among other accusations, prompting an investigating magistrate to be designated to probe the deal. In this first complaint, the NGO had pointed out how Dassault chose as its Indian partner, Reliance Group, which has had no previous experience on defence aircrafts. Dassault had initially won a contract in 2012 when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was in power, to supply 126 jets to India, and had been negotiating with Indian aerospace company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL). By March 2015, those talks had almost reached a conclusion, according to Dassault. Readers might recall how back in January 2016, at the time of the negotiations, Reliance had financed a film co-produced by Julie Gayet, the partner of Francois Hollande, who was president at the time, forcing Hollande to clarify that there was no conflict of interest. Hollande  added in good measure that France had no say in who Dassault’s Indian partner was. The former president has repeatedly said that it was the Indian government that had suggested businessman Anil Ambani’s firm. France’s Le Monde newspaper also revealed that France in 2015 cancelled a 143.7-million-euro tax adjustment targeting a French firm belonging to Reliance, at the time when the deal was being negotiated. As investigations kick in, the Union Government will have its task cut out in defending its decision.

 

B) Twitter in crosshairs

Micro-blogging site Twitter caught in the crosshairs of the Union Government filed an affidavit in the High Court today in which it has claimed that it was in the last stages of hiring a grievance officer. Twitter had initially appointed Dharmendra Chatur, Principal Associate at Poovayya & Co., a Bangalore based law firm, who resigned from the post within a month prompting the micro-blogging site to appoint its California-based global legal policy director Jeremy Kessel as the new grievance officer for India. The new IT rules require an Indian resident for the job. The Union government is party to the petition in front of the court. The affidavit was in response to a notice issued by the Delhi High Court Twitter’s alleged non-compliance with the new information technology rules. Twitter and the Government of India have been engaged in a bitter feud with the latter accusing the California based firm of violating IT rules which mandate the appointment of a grievance official, an Indian resident based in India, to address the complaints of users. The new rules came into effect from May 25. IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad today praised  social media platforms Google, Facebook and Instagram for publishing their first compliance report on voluntary removal of offensive posts as per new IT rules, terming it a big step towards transparency.

NATIONAL NEWS 

A) Trinamool seeks Tushar Mehta’s removal as Solicitor General over his meeting with BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari; Mehta denies meeting him

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking the removal of Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta over his meeting with West Bengal Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari in New Delhi. The letter, written by TMC MPs Derek O’Brien, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Mahua Moitra, stated that the meeting between Adhikari and the Solicitor General (SG) reeks of impropriety as the BJP MLA is an accused in the Narada and Saradha cases where investigations are underway. According to the letter, the meeting curiously took place subsequent to Adhikari’s meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah. The TMC MPs claimed that Adhikari was accused in various cases of cheating, bribery and illegal gratification related to the Narada and Saradha scam cases. The SG is appearing for the CBI in the Narada case in the Supreme Court and the high court, besides advising the investigation agency in the Saradha chit fund scam, they said. Leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari interacts with the media in Kolkata on July 2, 2021 as party leaders hold posters of alleged victims of post-poll violence. The meeting between Adhikari and the solicitor general not only reeks of impropriety, there is a direct conflict of interest and also taints the position of the second highest law officer of the country, the Solicitor General, they added. To maintain the neutrality and integrity of the office of the Solicitor General of India, necessary steps be taken for the removal of Mehta from the post, the TMC MPs said in the letter to the prime minister. Meanwhile, Mehta has issued a statement denying that he met the BJP leader. He claimed that Adhikari had come to his residence unannounced. Mehta said, Suvendu Adhikari came to my residence/office yesterday, unannounced. As I was in a pre-scheduled meet, my staff asked him to wait. After my meeting, my staff informed him of my inability to meet him. He left without insisting to meet me. Hence, the question of my meeting with him did not arise. Reacting to Mehta’s denial, Moitra tweeted, Z category BJP protectee enters high security official residence of Solicitor General of India uninvited, waits 20 mins over a cup of tea & apparently leaves without a mtng. CCTV footage to back your version, Mr. SG? Truth never been your forte!

 

B) Jammu drone attack an act of terror, says Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria; LeT could be behind it, says J&K DGP 

Security agencies suspected the role of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) in the twin drone-driven blasts on the Indian Air Force’s technical airport in Jammu on June 27. The drones could have come from across the border, Jammu and Kashmir Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbagh Singh said on Friday. The investigation [into the airbase blasts] is in progress. We haven’t reached any conclusion as to who is actually involved. However, on the basis of the past history of the LeT using drones to drop weapons, narcotics and ready-made improvised explosive devices (IED), we suspect the outfit is involved, Singh said in Jammu. Meanwhile, Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria said on Friday that the drone strikes were an act of terror aimed at targeting key military assets. He added that the Indian Air Force is in the process of bolstering its capabilities to deal with such security challenges. The Chief of Air Staff said the IAF has carried out a detailed analysis in terms of implications of drones and other similar capabilities falling into the hands of non-state actors, and taking a series of measures to counter them. What happened at Jammu was essentially a terrorist act which attempted to target our assets there. The attempt failed of course. The assets were not damaged. Two explosives were used, he said, in an interactive session at a think tank. Explosives-laden drones were used to carry out an attack on the Jammu Air Force station on Sunday in the first such instance of suspected Pakistan-based terrorists deploying unmanned aerial vehicles to strike at vital military installations in India. The Chief of Air Staff said a detailed investigation into the attacks was underway and that all sets of measures would be on the table based on the findings of the probe. We have gone over the subject in terms of the implications of this kind of capabilities in the hands of non-state actors and the kind of effect the armed drone capabilities would have in future conflicts, Air Chief Marshal Bhadauria said. He said the IAF analysed to a large extent the requirements in terms of planning and required systems and infrastructure to enhance its abilities to go for a soft kill and to have a counter-drone system.

 

C) Former Haryana CM Om Prakash Chautala released from Tihar Jail; plans to visit protesting farmers 

Released from Tihar Central Jail on Friday on completion of a 10-year jail term in a teachers’ recruitment scam, former Haryana Chief Minister and Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Om Prakash Chautala said he planned to visit farmers at protest sites. Addressing party workers assembled at the Delhi-Gurugram border to welcome the octogenarian leader, Chautala thanked them for supporting his party against the wrong policies of the government and assured them that he would continue to fight for the poor, the downtrodden and the farmers. Chautala said doctors had advised him a few days of rest, after which he would visit the protesting sites to meet farmers and seek their blessings. He said he will visit villages across the country. He was jailed in 2013 in connection with the Junior Basic Training teachers recruitment scam case. He was on emergency parole since March 26, 2020, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Sunaina Chautala, principal general secretary, women’s cell, INLD, said the release of Chautala had infused new energy into the workers and the party would return to power with a thumping majority. A large number of workers holding party flags with the INLD symbol and sporting green headgear turned up at the Delhi-Gurugram border on National Highway-48 to welcome Chautala.

 

D) Assets of Ahmed Patel’s son-in-law, Dino Morea, DJ Aqeel attached in money-laundering case 

The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has attached the assets of late Congress leader Ahmed Patel’s son-in-law, actors Dino Morea and Sanjay Khan, and DJ Aqeel in a money-laundering case involving Gujarat-based pharmaceutical company Sterling Biotech group, PTI reported. It said a provisional order was issued under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) to attach the assets of the four people, valued at ₹8.79 crore. Out of this, the value of attachment of assets for Khan is ₹3 crore, for Dino Morea it is ₹1.4 crore, for Aqeel Abdulkhalil Bachooali, popularly known as DJ Aqeel, it is ₹ 1.98 crore, and for Irfan Ahmed Siddiqui, who is Patel’s son-in-law, it is ₹2.41 crore, the central probe agency said in a statement. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) said that Nitin Sandesara and Chetan Sandesara, absconding promoters of the Sterling Biotech group, have diverted proceeds of their crime to the four people. The promoter brothers Nitin Sandesara, Chetan Sandesara, Chetan’s wife Dipti Sandesara and Hitesh Patel have been declared fugitive economic offenders by a special court, it said. The money-laundering case pertains to the alleged ₹14,500-crore bank-loan fraud said to have been perpetrated by Sterling Biotech and its main promoters and directors.

 

E) Police action over actor Chetan Kumar’s remarks on ‘brahminism’ sparks row in Karnataka 

Kannada actor and activist Chetan Kumar has been questioned thrice this month after an FIR was filed by the Bengaluru Police for his critical remarks on brahmanism. Some members of the Brahmin community have objected to his comments, arguing that the very use of the word was defamatory and abusive and had hurt their sentiments. Attempts to criminalise use of the term brahmanism — widely used by several anti-caste thinkers including Dr. B. R. Ambedkar and Periyar E. V. Ramasamy to denote caste-based hierarchy, discrimination and notions of superiority — have sparked a controversy in Karnataka. While several writers and intellectuals have rallied behind the actor, his detractors have been vociferous, especially on social media. State Labour Minister A. Shivaram Hebbar, also a Brahmin, termed the use of the term defamatory and called for Kumar’s arrest. He also alleged the actor was making these statements for monetary gains, prompting the latter to sue the Minister for defamation seeking damages of ₹1 and a public apology. Defending his remarks, Kumar said he had only rearticulated what Bahujan thinkers have said.

 

F) Deciding cases not an easy task, have to keep in mind repercussions of setting a precedent, says CJI N.V. Ramana

Judging is not an easy task, Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana said on Friday. On one hand, the judge should focus on law, the precedents and facts of a case and, on the other, the human aspect. Judges should use the little discretion law allows to keep sight of the human suffering and toll behind every case. A decision of the court would echo through time. It would have repercussions. A judgment becomes the law of the land. A judge had to keep all this in mind while dealing with a case, he stated. Deciding cases is not an easy task. We not only have to focus on the law and precedents surrounding the issue before us, as well as the facts of the case, but also the repercussions of what we decide and the precedent we may be setting. This makes it necessary for us judges to be logical and objective and theoretically sound. However, we should not lose sight of the people and their difficulties behind the cases. The little discretion that is given to us, is the area in which a judge has flexibility to display his philosophy, he observed. The CJI was speaking at a farewell organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association for retiring judge Justice Ashok Bhushan. He said Justice Bhushan, besides his remarkable judgments, had, as a humanist judge, left a mark in the hearts and minds of the people of the country. The CJI termed the Bar the protector of the institution. He said, Lawyers must respect the institution and protect the judiciary from any onslaught which is likely to affect the functioning of the judicial system. I know, the Supreme Court Bar is always a frontrunner when it comes to supporting the institution from motivated attacks. They always cherish the contribution of judges and appreciate their hard work. They never forget the efforts of judges. The CJI underscored that the strength of the institution lay in the unity of the Bar and the Bench.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Six million EU citizens apply to stay in U.K.

More than six million EU citizens have applied to stay in the U.K. after Brexit, the government said on Friday, nearly twice the number thought be living in Britain before it left the bloc. There was a late flurry of applications ahead of a June 30 deadline for the settlement scheme, designed to allow EU citizens residing in the U.K. to retain the same rights as they enjoyed before Brexit. But since the end of the Brexit transition period on January 1, EU citizens wishing to settle or stay have faced tougher tests to secure residency and employment. The final figure of 6.02 million applications, with 5.1 million grants of status, is far higher than the 3.7 million EU nationals originally estimated to be in the country when the scheme launched in March 2019. More than 4,00,000 applications were made in the final month before the scheme ended, the Home Office said, adding that those who had missed the deadline on reasonable grounds could still make a late application. When we left the EU we promised to protect the rights of EU citizens who have made their life in the U.K ., and developed the hugely successful EU Settlement Scheme to ensure they could call the U.K. home in the years to come, Home Secretary Priti Patel said. The government has touted the settlement scheme as the successful delivery of promises made to EU nationals in the U.K. after Britain’s withdrawal from the bloc in December and the end of free movement. However, immigration rights campaigners have complained that the most vulnerable – including children placed in care, young adults previously in care, the homeless and the elderly – have been allowed to slip through the scheme’s net.

 

B) U.S. issues moratorium on death penalty at federal level. 

The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) has issued a moratorium on federal executions while it reviews policies and procedures, the Department said in a statement. U.S. President Joe Biden had said on his campaign website that he would legislate the end of capital punishment at the federal level and incentivise states to follow suit. The Department of Justice must ensure that everyone in the federal criminal justice system is not only afforded the rights guaranteed by the Constitution and laws of the United States, but is also treated fairly and humanely. That obligation has special force in capital cases. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement released on Thursday. Apart from the moral case against the death penalty, the data show that in its application, it is biased against racial minorities, especially African Americans. Under former President Donald Trump, the federal government carried out 13 executions. This is the highest number of executions under any presidency since the 19th Century, Reuters reported. The review, ordered by Mr. Garland, will include an assessment of the risk of pain and suffering caused by pentobarbital – a lethal injection drug. The Trump administration’s DoJ had adopted a single drug, instead of a three drug protocol. The review will also look into a November 2020 expansion of federal execution methods beyond lethal injection and policy changes to expedite executions.

NATIONAL NEWS 

A) During a pandemic years when teaching moved online, only 1 in 5 Indian schools had internet facilities 

In the academic year that ended with school closures due to Covid-19, only 22% of schools in India had internet facilities, according to Education Ministry data released on Thursday. Among government schools, less than 12% had internet in 2019-20, while less than 30% had functional computer facilities. This affected the kind of digital education options available to schools during the pandemic, as well as the plans for hybrid learning in the days ahead. The Unified District Information System for Education Plus (UDISE+) report collates data from more than 15 lakh schools across the country. As the first wave of Covid-19 entered India in early 2020, schools were closed in mid-March, just weeks before the end of the 2019-20 academic year. The vast majority of the country’s 26 crore school children have not stepped foot in a school since then, depending on various forms of distance education instead. The availability of digital education whether via live, synchronous teaching on apps like Zoom, or through recorded lectures, emails, Whatsapp or educational apps was largely dependent on whether schools, teachers and parents had access to the necessary infrastructure. In many States, teachers came to school and taught in their own empty classrooms, using their blackboards and lab facilities, while facing a computer screen that communicated the lessons to their students at home. However, the UDISE+ data makes clear the digital divide which made this a viable option only in some States. In many Union Territories, as well as in the State of Kerala, more than 90% of schools, both government and private, had access to working computers. In States such as Chhattisgarh (83%) and Jharkhand (73%), installation of computer facilities in most government schools paid off, while in others such as Tamil Nadu (77%), Gujarat (74%) and Maharashtra (71%), private schools had higher levels of computer availability than in government schools. However, in States such as Assam (13%), Madhya Pradesh (13%), Bihar (14%), West Bengal (14%), Tripura (15%) and Uttar Pradesh (18%), less than one in five schools had working computers. The situation is worse in government schools, with less than 5% of UP’s government schools having the facility. The connectivity divide is even starker. Only three States — Kerala (88%), Delhi (86%) and Gujarat (71%) — have internet facilities in more than half their schools. This will make it hard for most schools to implement the options for hybrid learning as schools try to re-open with staggered attendance post the pandemic. 

 

B) Akhil Gogoi set free, slams govt for ‘misusing’ NIA, UAPA 

Assam MLA and Raijor Dal president Akhil Gogoi walked out of jail on Thursday after a special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) acquitted him of all charges in the second of the two cases related to the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act violence in the State in December 2019. The activist-turned-politician, who represents the Sibsagar Assembly constituency in eastern Assam, was discharged in the first case on June 25. He was in jail since December 2019 and had spent the last few months in the Gauhati Medical College and Hospital due to ailments. The NIA had pursued the cases filed under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act (UAPA) for alleged criminal conspiracy, sedition, promoting enmity between groups on grounds such as religion, race and language, assertions against national integrity, and support to a terrorist organisation. The cases were registered on the basis of two FIRs lodged with the Chabua police station in Dibrugarh district and the Chandmari police station in Guwahati. The Chandmari case had the additional charge that he had links with a Maoist organisation. The court has proven that the government’s charges against me were bogus. This is a historic day for the Indian judiciary, Gogoi told journalists after his release. A case was filed against me for my links with CPI [Maoist]. In another case, I was charged with inciting violence during the anti-CAA agitation. The court proved these were fake charges that kept me in jail for more than a year and a half, he said. He slammed the BJP-led State government for misusing the UAPA and NIA. The court’s judgement would influence future cases, he stated.

 

C) A journalist is not expected to dramatise incident and make news: Allahabad HC 

A journalist is not expected to dramatise a sensational and horrifying incident and make news by putting his subject in a pitiable condition and in danger of death, the Allahabad High Court has noted. The court made the observation while rejecting the bail plea of a journalist in Lucknow, who is co-accused of abetting a person’s suicide and filming it outside the U.P. Vidhan Sabha last year. The journalist keeps an eye on anticipated or sudden events happening in society and brings them to the information of all the people through various news media without any tampering, this is his business, the court said on June 21. Journalists Shamim Ahmad and Naushad Ahmad allegedly contacted a man who was facing eviction from his house and induced him to set himself ablaze in front of the State Assembly so that they may film the incident and telecast it on television. The journalists allegedly surmised that if the tenant of the house did as they suggested no one would be able to force him to evict from the house. The man allegedly poured oil and set himself on fire, while the accused scribes were filming it. The person died in a hospital on October 24, 2020. An FIR was lodged in the matter under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Justice Vikas Kunvar Srivastav said that from the details and statements recorded in the case, it was prima facie established that the accused Shamim Ahmad tempted the deceased that if he attempted to take his own life in front of the U.P. Assembly, the video-filmed act would prevent him from being evicted.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Trump Organisation CFO surrenders ahead of expected charges Trump Organisation CFO Allen Weisselberg surrendered to authorities early on Thursday ahead of expected charges against him and former President Donald Trump’s company, according to multiple news outlets. Weisselberg was seen walking into the courthouse in lower Manhattan around 6:20 a.m. with his lawyer. New York prosecutors are expected to announce the first criminal indictment on Thursday in a two-year investigation into Trump’s business practices, accusing his namesake company and Weisselberg of tax crimes related to fringe benefits for employees. The charges against the Trump Organisation and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, remained sealed on Wednesday night but were to be unveiled ahead of an afternoon arraignment at a state court in Manhattan, according to two people familiar with the matter.

 

B) Nine European countries authorise Covishield.

At least nine countries in Europe have given recognition to the Covishield vaccine produced by the Serum Institute of India (SII), informed sources have said. The confirmation came on Thursday when the European Union started the ‘Green Pass’ facility, which will allow travellers vaccinated with an authorised set of vaccines to travel within the EU zone covering 27 countries. The recognition by the nine countries is a ‘national’ move by the states and not by the European Union headquartered in Brussels. The list of EU Member States that have recognised Covishield as a valid vaccine includes Austria, Germany, Slovenia, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Spain. That apart, Estonia has confirmed that it will recognise all the vaccines authorised by the Government of India for travel of Indians to Estonia, said an informed source. Switzerland, not a EU member, too allows Covishield as Schengen state. Supporting the move by Germany, ambassador Walter J. Lindner said, Confirming that a double shot of Covishield is fully recognised by Germany as valid proof of anti-COVID vaccination. Germany however has a travel ban in place for Indians as India has been recognised as a virus variant country. This (confirmation) does nevertheless not modify existing travel or visa restrictions for travellers from areas of concern/ virus variant areas, said Lindner, clarifying the German position on travel from India. The clearance by the nine European countries came on a day when the ‘Green Pass’ was introduced by the EU which is meant for travel within 27 Member States of the European Union. The clearance by the nine countries, however, is unlikely to translate into an automatic clearance of Covishield as an equivalent to the ‘Green Pass’, which recognises Pfizer/BioNTech’s Comirnaty, Moderna’s Spikevax, Oxford-AstraZeneca’s Vaxzevria and Johnson & Johnson’s Janssen. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) that created the authorised list is yet to include Covishield, which is based on AstraZeneca formula, as an acceptable vaccine. The clearance of Covishield by nine European countries showed that some EU Member States are making individual policies that are suitable to their health and international requirements. Air France, for example, has declared that Indian passengers who have taken doses cleared by EMA (Pfizer-BioNTech’s Comirnaty, Moderna’s Spikevax, Vaxzevria of Oxford-AstraZeneca and Janssen by Johnson & Johnson) are required to undergo 7 days of ‘mandatory quarantine’. These passengers must present a Covid-19 vaccination certificate demonstrating that at least 4 weeks have elapsed since the first dose of Johnson & Johnson vaccine, or 2 weeks have elapsed since the second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca or Moderna vaccine, or since the first dose of these vaccines if the passenger holds proof that they previously have been infected with Covid-19, said Air Frace laying down the domestic requirement which places additional conditions on even those Indian passengers who have taken doses of the vaccines meant for the ‘Green Pass’ from the EU.

NATIONAL NEWS 

A) Covid-19 compensation: SC pulls up NDMA for ‘failing to perform its duty’

The Supreme Court on Wednesday pulled up the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), of which the Prime Minister is the ex officio chairperson, for failing to perform its duty to recommend ex gratia assistance for families of those who lost their loved ones to the Covid-19 pandemic. The National Authority [NDMA] failed to perform its duty, the Supreme Court held. A Bench led by Justice Ashok Bhushan gave the NDMA six weeks to frame the guidelines for fixing the ex gratia meant for these families. The court, however, left it to the wisdom of the NDMA to fix the amount of ex gratia. The PIL petitioners, advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal and Reepak Kansal, had asked for a payment of ₹4 lakh each to the families of the Covid-19 dead. Not proper for the court to ask government to pay a particular amount, the court said. The judgment, pronounced by Justice M.R. Shah on the Bench, held that the government could not excuse itself of its duty to pay ex gratia by saying that such payments would entail huge expenditure. The court pointed to Section 12 of the Disaster Management Act of 2005 and said the term ‘minimum standards of relief’ mentioned in the provision included payment of ex gratia. Justice Shah dismissed Solicitor General Tushar Mehta’s submission that Section 12 was merely recommendatory and not mandatory. Instead, the court drew the government’s attention to the word shall used in Section 12 and said this made the payment of ex gratia to victims’ families a mandatory and statutory duty. The court, in this regard, said Section 12 (iii) held that the National Authority shall recommend guidelines for the minimum standards of relief to be provided to persons affected by disaster, which shall include ex gratia assistance on account of loss of life. The court, meanwhile, directed that death certificates of Covid-19 patients should show the exact cause of death. As regards insurance and social security claims of those affected by Covid-19, the court ordered the Union of India to take appropriate steps in compliance with the 15th Finance Commission Report.

 

B) Bharat Biotech denies any wrongdoing over Brazil Covaxin deal

Covaxin manufacturer Bharat Biotech on June 30 asserted that it had followed a routine ‘step-by-step approach’ towards getting contracts and regulatory approvals for supply of the vaccine in Brazil and added that it had neither received any advance payments nor supplied any vaccines to the South American country’s Health Ministry. Reacting to media reports, including a Rio De Janeiro-datelined news report in which Reuters cited Brazil’s Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga announcing the suspension of a $324-million Indian vaccine contract in the wake of allegations of irregularity linked to President Jair Bolsonaro, the Hyderabad-based company laid out the timeline of developments related to its efforts to supply the vaccine to Brazil. Stating that discussions with the Brazilian Ministry had begun in November 2020, Bharat Biotech said that over the course of eight months, a step-by-step approach, similar to what was observed in other countries where the company sought approvals, had been followed. Subsequently, Covaxin received emergency use authorisation in Brazil on June 4. On the issue of pricing, Bharat Biotech said it had been clearly established that the vaccine would be priced between $15 and $20 per dose for supplies to governments outside India. The pricing for Brazil had also been indicated at $15 per dose. Also, while advance payments had been received from several countries at the same price points, with supplies in process, pending approvals, as of June 29, Bharat Biotech has not received any advance payments or supplied any vaccines to MOH Brazil, the company said. Elaborating on the procurement process in Brazil and other countries, Bharat Biotech said a common approach, widely accepted and established in the industry, was followed for Covid-19 vaccines and several vaccines for routine immunisation. The vaccine maker said it had partnered with Brazil’s Precisa Medicamentos for assistance, guidance and support with regulatory submissions, distribution, insurance and conduct of phase III clinical trials. The trials, approved recently by Brazil’s health regulator ANVISA, are to be conducted on 5,000 participants.

 

C) Drones, flying objects banned in J&K Rajouri district 

The Rajouri district administration on Wednesday banned the sale or possession of flying objects, as at least five sorties of drones around the security installations in Jammu since Sunday, including the IAF’s technical airport recently, have the security agencies on the tenterhooks in J&K. In exercise of powers vested to me under Section 144 of the CrPC, a ban is imposed on storage, sale, possession, use and transport of any drone or small flying objects, toys in the district, Deputy Commissioner Rajesh Kumar Savan said in an order. Security personnel keep vigil during a high alert in Jammu on June 28, 2021 after two drones were noticed hovering over Ratnuchak-Kaluchak military station area the previous night. The order has directed all those in the district who already possess any such gadgets to deposit them with the local police station against proper receipt. The government agencies using drones for mapping, surveys and surveillance will get the local police station incharge and the executive magistrate informed. It warned of punitive action against those who violate the order. Rajouri is close to the Line of Control (LoC) in the Pir Panjal valley. The move comes two days after two explosions, apparently ferried and dropped by two drones, rocked the technical airport of the IAF in Jammu on Sunday.

 

D) Navjot Singh Sidhu meets Priyanka Gandhi 

Former Punjab Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has been leading a public battle against Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, on Wednesday had a closed-door meeting with Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. The two are said to have discussed Sidhu’s role in the revamp exercise of the Punjab unit ahead of next year’s Assembly election. Post her meeting, Vadra called on former Congress president Rahul Gandhi at the latter’s house alone. Though the cricketer-turned-politician did not accompany her, Vadra is believed to have played the role of an emissary. Had a long meeting with @priyankagandhi Ji, Sidhu tweeted, along with a photograph of his with Vadra. Party insiders say Gandhi may meet Sidhu but the schedule is not known yet. On Monday, Sidhu’s team had informed reporters that the Punjab Congress leader would be meeting Gandhi and Vadra in Delhi a day later. Though he arrived in Delhi from Patiala on Tuesday, there was no scheduled meeting. When reporters asked Gandhi about it, expressing surprise, he said, I don’t know what fuss you all are making. Sidhu’s claim also stood in sharp contrast with what Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh experienced during his Delhi visit last week. While Capt. Singh met the three-member panel of the All India Congress Committee (AICC), set up to end Punjab factionalism, the Gandhis did not meet him. For the past couple of months, Punjab Congress has been witnessing a political turmoil with several senior leaders speaking out against their own government, and Sidhu has been at the forefront. While a majority of the MLAs are learnt to have said that Capt. Amarinder was best placed to lead the Congress into next year’s Assembly elections, many complained about his inaccessibility, predominance of bureaucrats in running the affairs of the State, and the existence of liquor, sand and transport mafia. Sidhu had gone to the extent of alleging that the Chief Minister was protecting the Badals of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in most cases, including the 2015 sacrilege case in which the Guru Granth Sahib was desecrated at Bargari (Faridkot). The three member AICC panel — comprising Mallikarjun Kharge, Harish Rawat and J.P. Aggarwal — in its report is learnt to have suggested around 20 action points, including action in the sacrilege case as well as cracking down on various mafia operating in the State. Since then, a special investigation team has questioned former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Lok Sabha member Sukhbir Singh Badal, who was the Deputy CM when Akalis were in power. The AICC panel is also learnt to have suggested that Sidhu needed to be suitably accommodated in the party or the government. However, Capt. Amarinder is said to be resisting any move to make Sidhu the Pradesh Congress Committee chief. The Punjab unit of the Congress is expected to be revamped in the next few days based on the feedback party leaders gave to the AICC panel as well as Gandhi.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) U.S. aircraft involved in Black Sea incident: Putin 

Russian President Vladimir Putin said a U.S. reconnaissance aircraft was operating in sync with a British destroyer during last week’s Black Sea incident. Moscow said one of its warships fired warning shots and a warplane dropped bombs in the path of British destroyer Defender on Wednesday to force her out of an area near the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia had annexed in 2014. Britain denied that account, insisted its ship wasn’t fired upon and said it was sailing in Ukrainian waters. Speaking Wednesday during a marathon live call-in show, Putin said that the U.S. aircraft’s apparent mission was to monitor the Russian military’s response to the British destroyer. He added that Moscow was aware of the U.S. intentions and responded accordingly to avoid revealing sensitive data. In Wednesday’s incident, Britain insisted the Defender had been making a routine journey through an internationally recognized travel lane and remained in Ukrainian waters near Crimea. The UK, like most of the world, recognises Crimea as part of Ukraine despite the peninsula’s annexation by Russia. Russia denounced the Defender’s move as a provocation and warned that next time it could fire to hit intruding warships if they again try to test Russian military resolve.

B) Israel seeks to build wider ties across West Asia.

Israel’s new Foreign Minister said on Wednesday his landmark visit to the United Arab Emirates was just the start of a road to wider peace in West Asia, reaching out to Arab states still wary of normalising ties. Cabinet Minister to visit the Gulf state since the countries forged ties last year, also reiterated Israel’s concern about the Iran nuclear deal being negotiated in Vienna. The trip comes amid unease in Israel and Arab capitals about U.S. efforts to reenter a 2015 nuclear pact between Iran and world powers, which then President Donald Trump quit in 2018 in a move backed by Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies. This visit isn’t the end of the road to peace, it is just the beginning, he told reporters. Our hand is out stretched. I hope this visit is the first of many and that together with our new friends we continue to make history in the entire region. The UAE and Bahrain normalised ties with Israel under so-called Abraham Accords brokered by Mr. Trump’s administration, creating a new regional dynamic based on mutual concern over Iran and Islamist groups. Sudan and Morocco followed suit. Mr. Lapid declined to comment on whether Israel was coordinating with Gulf states over Iran, saying he did not want to embarrass his hosts by remarking on a neighbour while in the UAE, but noted his country was worried about the nuclear deal. Gulf states have called for a stronger deal of longer duration that also addresses Tehran’s missiles programme and support for regional proxies that Iran has denied giving.

NATIONAL NEWS

A) Supreme Court sets July 31 deadline for Centre and States to ensure food reaches migrant workers

A government cannot abdicate its duties to feed migrant workers, especially during a pandemic, merely because they did not have ration cards, the Supreme Court said in a judgment on Tuesday. There is a large number of such migrants who do not possess any card. Their above disability is due to their poverty and lack of education. The State cannot abdicate its duty towards such persons, especially in the wake of the pandemic where large numbers of migrant workers are not able to get jobs which may satisfy their basic needs, a Bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan and M.R. Shah observed in an 80-page judgment. The court set July 31 as the deadline for the Centre and the States to ensure their bounden duty that none among the estimated 38 crore migrant workers, who form one-fourth the country’s population, go hungry during the pandemic. These workers too have made considerable contributions to the country’s growth and economic development, noted the judgement. The court ordered the State governments to frame schemes to distribute dry ration to migrant workers by July 31. The States/Union Territories have to make extra efforts to reach migrant labourers so that no migrant labourer is denied two meals a day, Justice Bhushan, who wrote the judgment, said. In 2020, migrant and stranded workers were given dry rations by the Centre. The Centre has to supply whatever additional quantity of food grains a State demanded. The allocation of additional food grains and running of community kitchens in prominent places to feed workers should continue throughout the pandemic, the court directed. Right to food, one of the bare necessities of life, was an intrinsic part of the right to live with dignity, the court told the government. It ordered all the States to fully implement the One Nation One Ration Card (ONORC) by July 31. The scheme allows migrant labourers covered under the National Food Security Act (NFSA) to access food at any fair price shop with his or her ration card in any part of the country. The court slammed the Labour Ministry for its unpardonable apathy in not completing the work of the ₹ 45.39-crore National Database for Unorganised Workers (NDUW) portal to register and identify migrant workers and unorganised labourers to ensure their rights, welfare and food security. The court had ordered the Ministry to finalise the NDUW module way back in 2018. The Centre has blamed the delay on software problems. The court ordered the Centre to get its act together and complete the work on the portal by July 31. The Labour Secretary has to file a report in a month thereafter. The Centre should complete the registration of workers by December 31 this year or all their welfare schemes would be considered tall claims on paper. 

 

B) Why wait for Centre’s approval, Bombay HC asks Maharashtra govt, on door-to-door vaccination 

The Bombay High Court on June 29 asked the Maharashtra government why it needs an approval from the Centre to start a door-to-door vaccination programme against Covid-19 for senior citizens, the specially-abled, and bedridden persons in the State.  The State government on June 29 filed an affidavit in the HC, saying home vaccination on an experimental basis can be started, but only for those who are completely immobile and bedridden.It, however, also said the proposal will have to be first approved by the Union government.  Why do you [Maharashtra government] need approval? Health is a State subject too. Is the State government doing everything after taking approval from the Centre? Have States like Kerala, Bihar and Jharkhand taken approval from the Union government? a Division Bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice G.S. Kulkarni asked.  The Bench was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by two advocates — Dhruti Kapadia and Kunal Tiwari — seeking a direction to the Union government to start door-to-door vaccination for senior citizens above the age of 75, specially-abled persons and those who are bedridden. Earlier, the Union government had said door-to-door vaccination cannot be introduced currently due to various reasons, including vaccine wastage and the risk of adverse reaction to the vaccine. The court had then asked the Maharahstra government if it was willing to start door-to-door vaccination in the State. In its affidavit, the State Family Welfare Board said the Maharashtra government has been following guidelines laid down by the Union government for vaccination and till date, it (State) has not made any request for door-to-door vaccination. As per the affidavit, door-to-door vaccination can be introduced on an experimental basis for bedridden persons. It said even for these people, a certificate has to be issued by the person’s doctor, saying the person is not likely to have any adverse reaction to the vaccine, and if there is any such reaction, then the doctor concerned shall be entirely responsible to manage and administer appropriate medical treatment to the person. The affidavit also said family members of the person concerned shall have to provide a written consent before the vaccine is administered to the person at home. In order to avoid vaccine wastage, at least 10 beneficiaries concerned shall be made mandatorily available in closed proximity as one vial contains 10 doses of vaccine, it further said. The affidavit said if this proposal is accepted by the State government, then the same shall be sent to the Centre for approval. The Bench posted the matter for further hearing on June 30. 

 

C) Central Vista project: SC dismisses plea against the verdict of Delhi HC refusing to halt work 

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed an appeal filed against the Delhi High Court judgment refusing to halt the Central Vista redevelopment project work in the Capital amid the Covid-19 pandemic and imposing ₹1 lakh fine on the petitioners. A Bench led by Justice A.M. Khanwilkar asked the petitioners, Anya Malhotra and Sohail Hashmi, why there were selective. The court asked senior advocate Siddharth Luthra, for the petitioners, repeatedly why his clients chose to focus entirely on the Central Vista project and not other public projects in the Capital.  You have been selective about one project. We do not find in your writ petition anything about any other project. You have been selective about one project only, Justice Dinesh Maheshwari, on the Bench, addressed Luthra. At one point, Justice Khanwilkar cautioned Luthra that he was not responding to the queries from the Bench, and if this is your attitude, ₹1 lakh is less. Luthra said he was trying to respond to the court to the best of his abilities. The court referred to the observations made by the High Court that the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) petition was motivated. The Bench recorded in its order that the petitioners had continued to pursue their petition against the Central Vista project for reasons best known to them despite the government’s affidavit that it was fully compliant with Covid-19 safety protocol. The contents of the government affidavit were not challenged by the petitioners, the court noted.  Mr. Luthra, let me say this to you. PILs have their own sanctity, Justice Maheshwari remarked. In their appeal, the petitioners said the High Court’s judgment on May 31 and imposition of an exorbitant fine had a chilling effect on public-spirited individuals raising genuine issues of public health and on the right of citizens to question the actions of the government. The High Court judgment had said the Central Vista project was vital and essential and had found the petition motivated.

 

D) Cipla gets govt nod to import Moderna’s Covid-19 vaccine 

Cipla Ltd. on Tuesday received approval from the country’s drugs regulator to import the Covid-19 vaccine developed by Moderna Inc. for restricted emergency use. Niti Aayog member (Health) V.K. Paul said new drug permission for restricted use has been granted for Moderna’s vaccine, paving the way for vaccine to be imported into India. This will be the fourth vaccine for India.  Cipla had filed an application on June 28 seeking permission to import the Moderna vaccine, referring to DCGI notices dated April 15 and June 1 stating that if a vaccine is approved by the USFDA for EUA, it can be granted marketing authorisation without bridging trial and assessment of safety data of first 100 beneficiaries. Moderna has also informed that the U.S. government has agreed to donate to India a certain number of doses of the Moderna vaccine through COVAX and has sought approval from the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) for these vaccines. Several foreign vaccine makers such as Pfizer and Moderna have demanded an indemnity bond that will exempt them from legal claims in case there are any adverse effects from the vaccines when administered in India. 

 

E) FM’s latest economic revival package a hoax, says Rahul Gandhi

A day after Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced new sops to give a boost to the Covid-19-hit economy, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday called the economic package a hoax. No family can spend the Finance Minister’s ‘economic package’ for their living, food, medicine or their children school fees. Not a package, another hoax! he tweeted. On Monday, the Minister had announced ₹1.5 lakh crore of additional credit for small and medium businesses, funds for the healthcare sector, additional loans to tourism agencies, visa fee waiver for foreign tourists, and extra funds for the healthcare sector. Some elementary truths: Credit guarantee is not credit. Credit is more debt. No banker will lend to a debt-ridden business, former Union Finance Minister P. Chidamabaram said in a series of tweets. Debt-burdened or cash-starved businesses do not want more credit, they need non-credit capital. More supply does not mean more demand (consumption). On the contrary, more demand (consumption) will trigger more supply, he stated.

 

F) Aadhaar to be accepted as ID proof for GRE, TOEFL 

Indian students writing the GRE or TOEFL examinations will be allowed to use their Aadhaar cards as identification proof from July 1. Making the announcement, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) said on Tuesday that many students have faced difficulties in getting passports due to the Covid-19 lockdowns. The ETS conducts both the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), standardised tests which are an admission requirement for many universities in the United States and elsewhere. According to the ETS website, a passport is the only accepted identification proof so far for those taking the tests in India. With most cities in India facing some form of restriction due to imposed lockdowns, students are not able to apply for a passport or even renew their existing passports, said Ray Nicosia, Executive Director of the Office of Testing Integrity at ETS. Since the Aadhaar Card is now one of the most widely accepted forms of identification in India, we are confident that accepting this form of ID will be helpful for Indian students who are interested in registering for TOEFL and GRE tests. This is a temporary measure, which comes into effect from July 1 and will apply until further notice, according to an ETS statement.

 

G) Monsoon session of Parliament likely from July 19 

The monsoon session of Parliament is likely to begin on July 19 and will go on till August 13. There is no clarity as of now whether the existing Covid-19 protocols will continue. So far, 403 members out of the 540 members of the Lok Sabha and 179 members out of 232 in the Rajya Sabha have got both doses of vaccines. This session will have 20 sittings. Since the pandemic began, all the three sessions of Parliament had to be truncated due to the rising number of Covid-19 positive cases. This will be first session since the May 2 results of the Assembly elections in four States and the Union Territory of Pudducherry. Following the victory of the TMC in West Bengal, the DMK in Tamil Nadu and the CPI (M)-led Left Front in Kerala, the Opposition will be in a stronger position. The Opposition parties are likely to take up the management of the pandemic, especially the second wave, and the vaccination drive.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Israel’s Lapid opens Embassy in UAE. 

Israel’s new Foreign Minister inaugurated the country’s Embassy in the United Arab Emirates on Tuesday and offered an olive branch to other former adversaries, saying: We’re here to stay. During his two-day visit, the first to the West Asian nationbyan Israeli Cabinet Minister since the countries established ties last year, Yair Lapid was also due to inaugurate a Consulate in Dubai and sign a bilateral deal on economic cooperation. The trip is an opportunity for the two-week-old Israeli government of Naftali Bennett, a nationalist who heads an improbable cross-partisan coalition, to make diplomatic inroads. Israel wants peace with its neighbours  with all its neighbours. We aren’t going anywhere. The Middle East is ourhome, Mr. Lapid said  during the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Abu Dhabi high-rise office serving as a temporary Embassy. We’re here to stay. We call on all the countries of the region to recognise that, he said, according to a transcript. Brought together by shared worries about Iran and hopes for commercial boons, the UAE and Bahrain normalised relations with Israel last year under so-called Abraham Accords crafted by the then U.S. administration of President Donald Trump. Sudan and Morocco have since also cultivated Israel ties. The UAE also opened its Embassy in Israel recently.

 

B) Zuma gets 15 months in jail for contempt of court. 

In a historic ruling, South Africa’s top court on Tuesday handed the country’s former President, Jacob Zuma, a 15-month jail term for egregious contempt of court after he refused to appear before graft investigators. Mr. Zuma was told to turn himself in within five days, failing which police will be ordered to arrest him and take him to jail. The ruling sets a precedent for South Africa – and a benchmark for the continent – by jailing a former head of state for failing to respond to a corruption probe. Mr. Jacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma is guilty of the crime of contempt of court, Constitutional Court judge Sisi Khampepe said. Mr. Zuma, 79, is accused of enabling the plunder of state coffers during his nearly nine-year stay in office. Most of the graft investigated by a commission involve three brothers from a wealthy business family, the Guptas, who won lucrative government contracts and were allegedly even able to choose Ministers.

NATIONAL NEWS

A) Centre unveils new COVID recovery package, expands credit relief

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday announced fresh relief measures for the economy, the first such package after the second Covid-19 wave. The measures focused largely on extending loan guarantees and concessional credit for pandemic-hit sectors, and investments to ramp up healthcare capacities. The government pegged the total financial implications of the package, which included the reiteration of some steps that were announced earlier, such as the provision of food grains to the poor till November and higher fertiliser subsidies, at ₹6,28,993 crore. Economists, however, noted that the elements of direct stimulus in the package and its upfront fiscal costs in 2021-22 are likely to be limited. More stimulus steps may be needed to shore up the economy through the rest of the year, they said. Calling the measures an effort to stimulate growth, exports and employment as well as provide relief to COVID-affected sectors, Sitharaman announced an expansion of the existing Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) by ₹1.5 lakh crore. She also announced a new ₹7,500 crore scheme to guarantee loans up to ₹1.25 lakh to small borrowers through micro-finance institutions. She also unveiled a fresh loan guarantee facility of ₹1.1 lakh crore for healthcare investments in non-metropolitan areas and sectors such as tourism. A separate ₹23,220 crore has been allocated for public health with a focus on paediatric care, which will also be utilised for increasing ICU beds, oxygen supply and augmenting medical care professionals for the short term by recruiting final year students and interns. Indirect support for exports worth ₹1.21 lakh crore over the next five years, free one-month visas for five lakh tourists, new seed varieties for farmers and additional outlays over the next two years to expand broadband to all Gram Panchayats, were also included in the package. The existing sop to spur employment, where the government bears EPF contributions for new employees earning less than ₹15,000 a month for two years, has been extended till March 31, 2022. Setting aside the guarantee schemes and the announcements that had already been made earlier, the step-up in the fiscal outgo within 2021-22 based on the fresh announcements is estimated at around ₹60,000 crore, said Aditi Nayar, rating agency ICRA’s chief economist. Economist DK Srivastava reckoned that the additional burden on the 2021-22 Budget from the ‘three direct stimulus initiatives’ providing free foodgrains, incremental health projects’ spending, and rural connectivity would be ₹1,18,390 crore or about 0.5% of estimated GDP for 2021-22.

 

B) No scientific data to show Delta plus variant reduces vaccine efficacy, says COVID Task Force chief

Amid rising concerns over the Delta plus variant of the virus, COVID Task Force chief V.K. Paul, who is also a Niti Aayog member, today said that there was no scientific data to establish that the new variant is highly transmissible or reduces vaccine efficacy. Speaking about the Delta plus variant, Paul said scientific knowledge about it is still at an early stage. The so-called Delta plus variant exhibits an additional mutation in the Delta variant and since this is a new variant, scientific knowledge is still in the early stage. Whether this additional mutation in the Delta variant is associated with increased transmissibility or excess severity of disease, or any adverse effect on vaccine efficacy is currently not established and we should wait for this information to emerge. And we should wait for these aspects to be studied systematically, he pointed out. Regarding the effectiveness of Covaxin and Covishield against the Delta variant of the coronavirus, Paul said that based on the scientific evaluation by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), both vaccines are effective against the coronavirus, including the Delta variant, which is presently the predominant variant in the country. When asked if India is close to giving indemnity to foreign vaccine makers like Pfizer and Moderna, Paul said the issue has multiple dimensions and it is not wise to give a timeline for such issues. The discussion for paving the way for internationally developed vaccines to India is going on. The issue has multiple dimensions and we are trying to find an agreed way forward at the earliest. We are trying to expedite the progress in every possible way, he said.

 

C) Delhi HC seeks Centre’s response to Alt News’s plea challenging new IT rules

The Delhi High Court on Monday sought a response from the Central government on a petition by Alt News, an online fact-checking website, challenging the constitutional validity of the new Information Technology (IT) rules that seek to regulate digital news media. The court is already seized of similar pleas by major online news portals such as The Wire, The News Minute, and the Quint Digital Media Ltd. A vacation bench of Justices C. Hari Shankar and Subramonium Prasad, however, declined to pass any interim order on a fresh application filed by The Wire and Quint, which claimed that the Union government was threatening to take coercive action against online news outlets. The court has put the fresh applications for hearing next week when it reopens after the summer vacation. You have challenged the [IT] rules. You have made an interim application for their stay. That application has come up before the regular bench on at least two occasions. The action they [Centre] are now taking is implementation of those rules, the vacation bench remarked. Now the notice that has been sent to you is only by way of implementation of the rules, because there is no stay, the court said while declining to pass any order. Senior advocate Nitya Ramakrihnan, for the online news outlets, contended that they were forced to approach the court now as the government was threatening to take coercive action. It is our case that in a matter which is ex facie unconstitutional i.e. when the Central government sits in judgments over content of news media, any coercive steps which is proposed to be taken, I [online news outlets] can approach the court, Ramakrihnan argued. The last coercive step they were threatening was on June 18. They are saying ‘consequences will follow’ in their letter. Until then, we were engaging with them, she said, while stressing that notices were sent to the Centre by the court on their application for the stay of the IT rules. By this letter, they are forcing us into a disciplinary regime of the Central government. Until now, they were engaging with us only in correspondence. On June 18, they say ‘you comply or else’, she added.

 

D) 10-month gap between AstraZeneca doses delivers highest antibody boost: Oxford study

Two doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine administered 44-45 weeks apart generated nearly four times the level of antibodies than when the doses were given 8-12 weeks apart, says a report by the Oxford Vaccine Group, the developers of the vaccine, on Monday. Antibody levels remained elevated for nearly a year and a third booster dose of the vaccine, given to a subset of volunteers, also significantly boosted antibody levels to twice that after a second dose. A single dose of ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, with a second dose given after a prolonged period, may, therefore, be an effective strategy when vaccine supplies are scarce in the short term. A third dose results in a further increase in immune responses, including greater neutralisation of variant SARS-CoV-2 viruses, and could be used to increase vaccine efficacy against variants in vulnerable populations, the authors report in a pre-print publication. This means the study is yet to peer-reviewed. Covishield, which is the India-made version of the AstraZeneca vaccine, is now the mainstay of India’s vaccination programme, comprising nearly 88% of the 32 crore doses administered so far. Though the dosage interval of the vaccine was initially designed as between 4-6 weeks, a supply crunch in May, as well UK data on the vaccine’s efficacy administered 8-12 weeks apart weighed on Indian experts to recommend a 12-16 week interval between two doses of the vaccine.

 

E) Centre extends tenure of Attorney General K.K. Venugopal by a year

The government has extended the tenure of Attorney General K.K. Venugopal by a year. Venugopal will continue as the government’s top law officer till June 30, 2022. This is the second time the Centre has extended his tenure. Venugopal, who was appointed Attorney General in July 2017, received his first extension of term in 2020. The 89-year-old took over as the 15th Attorney General after senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi demitted office citing personal reasons. Venugopal, who had served as Additional Solicitor General in the Morarji Desai government, is a doyen of the Supreme Court Bar and an authority in Constitutional Law. He had recently represented the Union of India in a case which led to the cancellation of Class 12 exams due to the pandemic and the framing of an internal assessment scheme for the CBSE and the ICSE to evaluate the marks of students. Venugopal would be at the helm of the government’s legal defence in several sensitive cases pending in the Supreme Court, which includes the challenge to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution and the Citizenship Amendment Act.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS 

A) Blinken, Lapid to meet in Rome to reset U.S .- Israel ties.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will meet in Rome on Sunday as their new governments look to turn the page on former President Donald Trump and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose close alliance aggravated partisan divisions within both countries. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett are focused on pragmatic diplomacy rather than dramatic initiatives that risk fomenting opposition at home or distracting from other priorities. That means aiming for smaller achievements, such as shoring up the informal cease-fire that ended last month’s war with Gaza’s militant Hamas rulers and replenishing Israel’s Iron Dome defence system. A major push to revive the long dormant peace process between Israel and the Palestinians could unsettle the delicate balance. Nobody thinks it’s a good idea to start charging through on a major new peace initiative, said Ilan Goldenberg, a Mideast security expert at the nonprofit Center for a New American Security. But there are things you can do quietly under the radar, on the ground, to improve the situation. That approach – of managing the conflict rather than trying to solve it – may succeed in papering over domestic divisions. But it also maintains a status quo that the Palestinians find increasingly oppressive and hopeless, and which has fueled countless cycles of unrest.

 

B) U.K.’s Hancock quits over breach of COVID-19 rules.

U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock resigned on Saturday following revelations he broke government coronavirus restrictions during an affair with a close aide, with former Finance Minister Sajid Javid taking up the role. The frontman for Britain’s response to the pandemic, particularly the nationwide vaccine roll-out, quit in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson. We owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down as I have done by breaching the guidance, he wrote. The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis. Mr. Johnson had initially stood by his Health Secretary after Mr. Hancock admitted breaking COVID-19 social distancing rules, when at the same time he was urging the public to stick by the measures. Opposition parties have accused the government of hypocrisy over breaches of lockdown rules which have seen many members of the public slapped with fines. Mr. Hancock conceded he had let the public down after The Sun newspaper published a security camera still obtained apparently from a whistleblower showing him kissing the aide. Labour party said the government needed to answer questions about the undisclosed appointment of the aide, former lobbyist Gina Coladangelo, to Hancock’s top advisory team. Both she and Hancock are married, and first met at university.

 

C) Twitter appoints US employee as new grievance officer, in violation of Centre’s new IT rules

A day after Twitter’s interim resident grievance officer for India stepped down, the social media giant has appointed its Global Legal Policy Director Jeremy Kessel as the new grievance officer. The appointment, though in keeping with the Indian government’s new rules for social networking websites to have a grievance officer, is in violation of the mandate of only appointing an Indian national to the position. The appointment comes a day after the resignation of Dharmendra Chatur, who was recently appointed as interim resident grievance officer for India by Twitter on May 31. The resignation had left Twitter without the Centre-mandated officer to address complaints from Indian subscribers. The social media company’s website no longer displays his name, as required under Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021. Twitter declined to comment on the development. The development comes at a time when the micro-blogging platform has been engaged in a tussle with the Indian government over the new social media rules. The government has slammed Twitter for deliberate defiance and failure to comply with the country’s new IT rules. The new rules, which came into effect on May 25, mandate social media companies to establish a grievance redressal mechanism for resolving complaints from the users or victims.