Month: May 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the fourth phase of the nationwide COVID-19 induced lockdown would be in “new form with new rules.”

“Scientists say that COVID-19 will be a part of our lives for a very long time. But we can’t let our lives remain confined around COVID-19. We will wear masks and maintain social distancing but we will not let it affect us. So, lockdown four will be in a new form with new rules,” Prime Minister Modi said while addressing the nation.

“Based on the suggestions by States, information related to lockdown four will be given to you before May 18. We will fight COVID-19. We will move forward,” he added.

The Prime Minister on Monday held a video conference meeting with Chief Ministers of all states to discuss the road ahead in India’s fight against COVID-19 and noted that he was of the firm view that measures needed during the third phase of lockdown will not be needed in the fourth phase.

The phase three of the lockdown is coming to an end on May 17. (ANI)

Noting that the fight against COVID-19 has to be more focused now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said economic activities have begun to pick up momentum in several parts of the country and the process will further gain steam in the coming days.

In the fifth video conference meeting with the Chief Ministers on Monday, the Prime Minister said that the country has a reasonably clear indication of the geographical spread including the worst affected areas.

“We must realize that the fight against COVID-19 has to be more focused now,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that the road ahead should be focused on reducing the spread of coronavirus and ensuring that precautions are taken.

“Going forward, the road ahead should be focused on reducing the spread and ensuring that all precautions are taken by people including social distancing norms by observing ‘Do Gaj Doori’. Follow-up is of paramount importance and we must do so to the hilt,” he said.

Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman were also present in the meeting.

The Prime Minister said, “we have to ensure that rural India remains free from this crisis”.

He said the Cabinet Secretary had on Sunday briefed the chief secretaries and health secretaries on the current situation and the steps being taken.

“Slowly but surely economic activities have begun to pick up in several parts of the country. In the coming days, this process will further gather steam,” he said.

The extended lockdown enforced to contain the spread of coronavirus, is scheduled to end on May 17.

The previous meeting with chief ministers was held on April 27. Meetings with chief ministers were also held on March 20, April 2 and April 11. (ANI)

The Union Health Ministry on Monday appealed to the people not to panic but step out and get timely treatment if infected with coronavirus. So far, over 67,000 people have been hit by COVID-19.

During a media briefing here, Lav Agarwal, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, said, “We have to try together that whoever develops symptoms of COVID-19 should not hide, rather step out and get timely treatment.”

“If we do not do this, we will not only be ill but put our families’ health at risk,” added Agarwal.

He said that a total of 97 people have died in the last 24 hours in the country and 4,216 new cases were reported.

He said the number of corona patients in the country increased to 67,152. So far 2,206 patients have died and 44,029 continue to be treated.

“A total of 4,216 new cases were reported and 97 people have died in the last 24 hours,” Agarwal said.

“The total number of recoveries is 20,917. 44,029 people are under active medical supervision, while 2,206 people have died so far. The total number of cases is at 67,152,” he added.

He said that with 1,159 people cured in the last 24 hours, the total number of recoveries is at 20,917, which took the recovery rate to 31.15 per cent.

“1,559 people have recovered in the last 24 hours. Recovery rate is now at 31.15 per cent,” Agarwal said. (ANI)

The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and Railways on Monday said over a hundred trains will operate daily for next few weeks to facilitate faster movement of stranded workers to their native places.

“More than a hundred trains are expected to run daily for next few weeks to facilitate faster movement of stranded workers to their native places,” the MHA said in a statement.

The MHA and Railways held a video conference with State and Union Territories Nodal Officers to review operation of Shramik Special trains to facilitate faster movement of stranded workers to their native places.

It was appreciated that more than 450 trains, including 101 on Sunday, have departed carrying several lakh migrant workers.

Several issues were discussed and redressed during the conference and it was emphasised that migrant labour should be reassured that sufficient number of trains would be run for travel of all those wishing to go home. (ANI)

Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh was admitted to AIIMS for observation and investigation after he developed a febrile reaction to new medication, he is stable and under care at the Cardiothoracic Centre of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), sources said.

The senior Congress leader is being investigated to rule out other causes of fever, sources informed. He was admitted to AIIMS on Sunday following chest pain.

In 2009, Singh underwent heart-bypass surgery at AIIMS, in which five grafts — channels to bypass blocked arteries — were implanted.

He currently represents Rajasthan in the Upper House of Parliament. Dr Singh served as the Prime Minister of India between 2004 and 2014.

(ANI)

Fugitive diamond merchant Nirav Modi’s five-day extradition trial over the nearly USD2 billion Punjab National Bank (PNB) fraud and money laundering case is set to begin in London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court today.

The London High Court rejected Nirav Modi’s bail plea in Punjab National Bank (PNB) bank fraud case for the fifth time in early March.

Modi, the prime accused in the PNB fraud case, is currently lodged at Wandsworth prison in south-west London and is wanted for his alleged role in the Rs 13,570 crore loss caused to the Punjab National Bank (PNB) along with his uncle, Mehul Choksi.

Modi, 48, was arrested in March last year by Scotland Yard in connection with the case.

Modi was remanded in custody till February 27, 2020, after he appeared before a UK court on Thursday via video link from his London prison.

The latest bail hearing followed further assurances by Modi, including an increase in the amount of security he had offered as a guarantee as well as stricter bail conditions.

On his last bail application, Modi offered USD 4 million as a security guarantee in return for bail, an offer that was rejected by judges who ruled that there was a real risk that Modi would flee the UK to a country which has no extradition treaty with India.

At the same hearing, the judge ruled that there was “strong evidence” that Modi had engaged in “witness intimidation” and destroying evidence.

Given the seriousness of such allegations, it was all but certain that the latest bail application would be rejected.

Modi’s lawyers had contended that their client was being held in difficult conditions at Wandsworth prison and had also claimed that his mental health was deteriorating as a result of his incarceration.

However, ruling at the High Court today, Justice Ian Dove said there was a “clear need for this application to be refused in the present circumstances.”

It comes just days after the second sale of assets belonging to Modi valued at millions of dollars.

The items include a luxury Rolls Royce car, a Patek Philippe watch and a painting by the renowned Indian artist Amrita Sher-Gil valued at USD 2.5 million but expected to fetch considerably more.

Meanwhile, Nirav’s brother Neeshal Modi, who is also one of the co-conspirators in the PNB scam, has written to Enforcement Directorate, distancing himself from his brother’s actions and said that he had no knowledge of it. (ANI)

India’s COVID-19 count crossed 60 thousand on Sunday, with Maharashtra being the worst-affected due to the infection so far, according to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday said that no case of COVID-19 has been reported from 10 States or Union Territories in the last 24 hours.

After inspecting arrangements at a COVID care centre in the national capital in Mandoli area, he said: “No case of coronavirus has been reported from 10 States/UTs in the last 24 hours. The Central government has sent 72 lakh N95 masks and 36 lakh personal protective equipment kits to the States so far.”

The Union Health Minister said that four States/Union Territories never reported any case of COVID-19.

As per Dr Vardhan, there are 4,362 COVID-19 care centres across the country where 3,46,856 patients with mild or very mild symptoms can be kept.

India has 62,939 COVID-19 positive cases so far, of which 19,358 have cured and discharged and 2,109 have succumbed to the infection, according to the Union Health Ministry’s latest bulletin. (ANI)

The number of total confirmed cases in the country rose to 62,939, including 19,358 patients who have been cured and discharged or migrated, according to the Ministry.

The total number of active cases in the country, therefore, stands at 41,472.

The number of deaths in the country due to the infection reached 2,109 on Sunday.

While Maharashtra, with 20,228 cases is the worst-affected state, it is followed by Gujarat with 7,796 and the national capital, Delhi, with 6,542 cases. Tamil Nadu, is marginally behind Delhi with 6,535 cases.

Around 25,000 Indians have registered with the country’s mission in the US for repatriation flights that will begin operating from Saturday (local time), Ambassador Taranjit Singh Sandhu said, adding that in the first week, seven flights will take-off and a “continuous work” will be in progress to evacuate Indian nationals from here.

In an exclusive interview to ANI, Sandhu said: “So, we have a total of 25,000 people who have registered in the first week, we are going to take seven flights, and this will be a continuous work in progress, depending upon how the requirements come where the people wish to go in India, and what the local situation is allowing, both medically, as well as connections, and on that basis, we will continue further after the first week.”

The first flight will be from San Francisco to Mumbai and Hyderabad on Saturday with 200 passengers on board. On May 10, an Air India flight from New York with 300 passengers on board will come to Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Later on May 11, passengers from Chicago will land in Mumbai and Chennai. Lastly, on May 12, there may be a flight from Washington DC to Delhi and Hyderabad.

“Mission Vande Bharat is starting with effect from today. The first flight will take off from San Francisco in a little while. And then we are going to have seven total flights from four different hubs. These are all the Air India hubs, and these flights are going to different cities of India,” the envoy said.

When asked about the protocols been taken to ensure the safety of passengers and flight crew, Sandhu assured that Air India has taken all the necessary precautions and the embassy will ensure the implementation of Ministry of Home Affairs’ directive regarding the travelling.

“Air India has taken all the necessary precautions. And there is a very clear Ministry of Home Affairs directive on that on the travel, that will be implemented. But before the passengers board the flight. Their check-up will be done, and it will be ensured that people who are asymptomatic, they get on the flight, so as to ensure the health security of all also within the flight, there are certain arrangements and requirements, which Air India is taking care of,” he said.

The envoy said that the mission will study the “evolving situation” for the next few days and according to that will carry out the next phase of the evacuation.

“As I mentioned that this is an evolving and a developing situation. At this time we have the first seven days, we will study that and continuously, then we can for the next seven days, and subsequently, if there is a need, you would also realize that. With the passage of time in India.

“There’ll be certain relaxation for internal flights etc. All those will be factored in. Plus, what kind of response we get, and how many passengers finally travel, 25,000 have registered. But finally, how many wish to travel. That’s another factor that should be taken into account,” he said.

Troops of India and China were engaged in two face-offs in Eastern Ladakh and North Sikkim along the disputed Line of Actual Control in the last few days where troops from both sides suffered injuries.

Indian Army sources said that on May 5 and 6, there was a face-off between the Indian and Chinese troops in the Eastern Ladakh sector. The matter was resolved at the local level between the two sides, they said.

In the incident, the two sides were engaged in a scuffle and there were minor injuries on both sides.

The troops of the two countries had a face-off in Nakula area of North Sikkim a day ago in which soldiers of both sides sustained injuries.

The face-off was resolved after the intervention and dialogue at the local level on both sides took place, Army sources said.

“Incidents of a face-off between Indian and Chinese soldiers in North Sikkim did take place. Aggressive behaviour and minor injuries took place on both sides,” they said.

“Both sides disengaged after local level interaction and dialogue,” the sources said.

Army sources said that such “temporary and short duration faceoffs” keep occurring as boundary issue between China and Indian has not been resolved.

“Troops resolve such issues mutually as per established protocols. This has occurred after a long time,” they said.

India and China were engaged in a 73-day standoff in Doklam after Chinese troops were building a road from their territory to the Jhamphiri ridgeline.

The Indian Army had last year carried out in “Exercise Him-Vijay” in Arunachal Pradesh.

The two sides have a long unresolved boundary disputed Line of Actual Control with both sides having different perceived boundaries.

Both sides have been holding talks to resolve the issue. Even after more than 30 rounds of special representatives’ talks, the matter has not been resolved so far. (ANI)