Month: September 2020

Canada Shelves Free Trade Negotiations With China

By LokMarg

Canada is abandoning free trade negotiations with China amid a host of disagreements on a range of topics, Foreign Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said in an interview on Friday.

“I do not see the conditions being present now for these discussions to continue at this time. The China of 2020 is not the China of 2016,” Champagne said about trade negotiations as quoted by The Globe and Mail.

Canada’s top diplomat said Ottawa will review its policy towards Beijing and will do so through the “lens of China of 2020”.

The comments mark a major policy shift towards China that brings Canada more in line with the hardline posture adopted by the United States, Australia and parts of the European Union.

When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau took office in 2015, his government signaled an interest in fostering deeper economic ties between the two countries.

Trudeau visited Beijing in 2016 and soon after discussions began about a possible free trade agreement. Subsequently, Canadian and Chinese delegations charged with the negotiations met three times throughout 2017.

Relations between Ottawa and Beijing soured after Canadian authorities detained Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou in 2018 at the request of the US, which was followed by the arrests of two Canadian nationals on charges of espionage in China.

The tense relationship has been further exacerbated by Canada’s condemnation of the newly enacted Chinese law on national security in Hong Kong and a suspension of some bilateral agreements with the special administrative region.

Beijing has said that it reserves the right to respond to any interference on Canada’s part and the Canadian side will be held accountable for all the consequences.

Despite the tensions, China remains Canada’s second-largest trading partner after the US. (ANI/Sputnik)

Quota In 15 Days, Or Face Protests: Rajasthan Gujjars

By LokMarg

Members of Gurjar Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti on Friday demanded the Rajasthan government to fulfill their promise of community reservation in the next 15 days.

The organisation will stage a protest if the government failed to introduce reservation for the Gurjar community in the state.

The association members met District Collectorate Nannu Mal Pahadia to discuss the matter of community reservation with him.

Bhura Bhagat, a member of Gurjar Aarakshan Sangharsh Samiti told ANI, “We have asked the government to introduce reservation for the people of our community within the next 15 days. If the state government fails to do so, we will stage a protest against them.”

“We do not want to stage a protest but the government is forcing us. The government should be held responsible for the protest,” Bhagat said.

Vijay Baisala, another member said, “We have made a similar demand to the central government. As we all know that the Parliament session is going on, they can introduce reservation for us.”

“If the Centre does not introduce reservation for us, we will stage a protest in Delhi as well,” Baisala added. (ANI)

India Covid-19 Tally Crosses 52 Lakh, Recovery Rate 78.8%

By LokMarg

India’s COVID-19 tally crossed 52-lakh mark with a spike of 96,424 new cases and 1,174 deaths in the last 24 hours, said Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday.

A total of 52,14,678 cases have been reported in the country which includes 10,17,754 active cases, 41,12,552 cured/discharged/migrated and 84,372 deaths.

As many as 87,472 active cases have recovered and been discharged in the past 24 hours from home/facility supervised care and hospitals, said Ministry.

“India has been consistently reporting a very high level of daily recoveries of more than 70,000 for the past 11 days. The Recovery Rate has further escalated to 78.86 per cent today. Recovered Cases are 4.04 times the number of active Cases as recoveries outnumber the latter by 30,94,797,” it said.

Maharashtra remains the worst-affected as it reported 21,656 new coronavirus cases, 22,078 recoveries and 405 deaths on Friday, taking total cases to 11,67,496 including 8,34,432 recoveries, 31,791 deaths and 3,00,887 active cases, stated Health Department.

The total number of COVID-19 cases in Delhi rose to 2,38,828 with 4,127 new cases and 30 deaths reported on Friday. The numbers of active and recovered cases are 32,250 and 2,01,671 respectively. The death toll is at 4,907, stated Delhi Government.

Karnataka reported 8,626 new COVID-19 cases, 10,949 discharges and 179 deaths on Friday, taking total number of cases to 5,02,982 including 1,01,129 active cases, 3,94,026 discharges and 7,808 deaths. 3,623 cases reported in Bengaluru, said State Health Department.

As many as 5,488 new COVID-19 cases, 5,525 discharges, and 67 deaths reported in Tamil Nadu on Friday. The total number of positive cases now at 5,30,908 including 46,506 active cases, 4,75,717 discharged cases, and 8,685 deaths, said State Health Department.

Kerala reported 4,167 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of active cases till date to 35,724. The number of recovered cases so far is 90,089, Kerala Government said on Friday

A total of 6,584 new COVID-19 cases, 6,806 recovered cases, and 98 deaths reported in the last 24 hours in Uttar Pradesh. The total number of positive cases in the state stands at 3,42,788 till date, including 2,70,094 recoveries, 67,825 active cases, and 4,869 deaths so far, Uttar Pradesh government said on Friday.

West Bengal on Friday reported 3,192 new COVID-19 cases and 59 deaths, taking total cases to 2,18,772 including 1,90,021 discharges, 24,509 active cases, and 4,242 deaths, said State Health Department.

Punjab on Friday reported 2,817 new COVID-19 cases, 2,645 recoveries, and 62 deaths. The total number of cases in the state stands at 92,833 till date, including 21,662 active cases, 68,463 discharged cases, and 2,708 deaths, said State Health Department.

Jammu and Kashmir reported 1,330 new COVID-19 cases, 784 recoveries, and 15 deaths on Friday, taking total cases to 61,041 including 39,305 recoveries and 966 deaths, stated Jammu and Kashmir administration.

As many as 596 new COVID-19 cases, 470 recoveries, and 8 deaths reported in Goa in the last 24 hours. Goa’s positive cases tally rises to 27,379 so far, including 5,730 active cases, 21,314 recovered cases, and 335 deaths till date, said State Health Department on Friday.

“There is a possibility of a situation created by COVID-19 returning to normal by the middle of next year even if a vaccine is not developed by then,” Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor in Community Medicine Department at AIIMS here, has said.

“By mid-next year, there’s a possibility of normalcy even if vaccine comes or not. There is always the natural end of any pandemic so it (COVID-19) will end too. It can happen in three ways – if we find a vaccine, if we give effective treatment or natural infection covers it. Only these three ways can end the infection. Today we do not have a vaccine or any effective treatment. If a vaccine does not come it will naturally end. When people will develop natural immunity, the virus will naturally end and it depends on our strategy,” Dr Rai told ANI.

Dr Rai said phase 2 clinical trial for the COVID-19 vaccine is underway in India with a good sample size of more than 600 motivated volunteers. “Any vaccine will come by mid-next year, anywhere in the world, if everything goes as planned,” he added. (ANI)

Normalcy By Mid-2021 Even Without Vaccine: AIIMS Doc

By LokMarg

By Priyanka Sharma

New Delhi [India], September 18 (ANI): There is a possibility of situation created by COVID-19 returning to normal by the middle of next year even if a vaccine is not developed by then, Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor in Community Medicine Department at AIIMS here, has said.

Dr Rai, who is also a principal investigator of the Bharat Biotech Covaxin clinical trial at AIIMS, said that COVID-19 preventive measures like wearing masks, hand hygiene should be followed till there is an effective vaccine.

“By mid-next year, there’s a possibility of normalcy even if vaccine comes or not. There is always the natural end of any pandemic so it (COVID-19) will end too. It can happen in three ways – if we find a vaccine, if we give effective treatment or natural infection covers it. Only these three ways can end the infection. Today we do not have a vaccine or any effective treatment. If a vaccine does not come it will naturally end. When people will develop natural immunity, the virus will naturally end and it depends on our strategy,” Dr Rai told ANI.

He said there has been a decline in cases in areas which had reported huge numbers in the past.

“Let us take the example of Dharavi in Mumbai. This place was reporting a large number of COVID cases but the situation is almost under control there. Similarly in Delhi, newer areas are witnessing an increase in COVID cases unlike previous containment zones,” he said, adding that people living in previous containment zones tend to obtain immunity against the virus.

Dr Rai said phase 2 clinical trial for COVID-19 vaccine is underway in India with a good sample size of more than 600 motivated volunteers. “Any vaccine will come by mid-next year, anywhere in the world, if everything goes as planned,” he added.

Dr Rai said that 6.4 million adults above the age of 18 years were found infected in the national serosurvey conducted during April-May

“ICMR serosurvey conducted in April-May found 6.4 million adults above the age of 18 years as infected. Sero-survey only shows the direction of infection while testing shows the actual number of infections,” he said.

Dr Rai also suggested changing strategy and keeping the focus on reducing the mortality rate.

“I think we need to change our strategy. We should focus more on reducing the mortality rate instead of testing as testing will only increase the number of infected people and still, we will not be able to trace even 10 per cent of the total infected people. Ninety per cent infected people will be left untraced so now we need to test only those who need it and should focus on reducing the death rate,” he said.

He also suggested treating co-morbid patients with mild infections at home if possible.

“The criteria says that if the patient is in co-morbid condition, he should be admitted in the hospital. But it will only increase the bed occupancy and mortality rate due to the possibility of hospital-acquired infection. It would be better to monitor co-morbid patients at home otherwise the mortality rate will increase,” he said.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), over 6 crore samples to detect the coronavirus infections have been tested up to September 17.

India’s COVID-19 case count has crossed the 52-lakh mark with a spike of 96,424 new cases and 1,174 deaths.

Among the states, Maharashtra has 3,02,135 active COVID-19 cases, Karnataka 1,03,650, Andhra Pradesh 88,197 and Uttar Pradesh 68,235. (ANI)

18 Chinese Fighter Jets Cross Midline Of Taiwan Strait

By LokMarg

In a belligerent show of force by Beijing, as many as 18 Chinese jets crossed the midline of Taiwan strait amid increasing interaction between US and Taiwan officials.

“Sep. 18, two H-6 bombers, eight J-16 fighters, four J-10 fighters and four J-11 fighters crossed the midline of the #TaiwanStrait and entered #Taiwan’s southwest ADIZ. #ROCAF scrambled fighters, and deployed air defense missile system to monitor the activities,” Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said in a tweet.

“Those who play with fire are bound to get burned,” Senior Col. Ren Guoqiang, a spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, said at a briefing in Beijing, warning the United States and Taiwan against what he called “collusion”, according to The New York Times report.

According to the report, previous flights probing Taiwan’s air defense zones have generally involved pairs of aircraft, not so many at once approaching from multiple directions.

Earlier this month, Taiwan warned China not to “cross the line” saying that it wants peace but will defend its people.

“Don’t cross the line. China again flew fighter jets into Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone today. Make no mistake, Taiwan wants peace but we will defend our people,” Vice President of Taiwan, Lai Ching-Te said in a tweet.

During US Health Secretary Alex Azar’s historic visit to Taiwan last month, China deployed fighter jets that briefly crossed the midline of the Taiwan Strait, South China Morning Post had reported citing Taiwan’s Defence Ministry. The ministry had said it had tracked the PLA fighters with its land-based anti-aircraft missiles and had “strongly driven them out”. (ANI)

NGT Asks Delhi, Haryana For Eco Plan On Najafgarh Lake

By LokMarg

The National Green Tribunal has directed Haryana and Delhi governments to jointly prepare Environment Management Plan in connection with the Najafgarh lake issues.

The NGT bench headed by chairperson Adarsh Kumar Goel also directed that the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) may steer the procedure for preparation of the Environment Management Plan with the assistance of CPCB. CPCB may coordinate as a nodal agency.

“In view of the fact that there is a large transboundary water body which partly falls in Delhi and partly in Haryana, it will be appropriate that an Environment Management Plan is prepared jointly by the State of Haryana and NCT of Delhi,” the NGT said.

The NGT said that such a plan may be prepared within three months and action taken report may be filed before January 27, 2021, the next date fixed for hearing.

The water body falls partly in Delhi and partly in Haryana. A report dated September 17, filed by the District Magistrate, Gurgaon said that there is no entry of a water body in the revenue record and the area is partly government land partly private.

Counsel for the State of Haryana, however, stated that factually there is a large water body in existence and a management plan is under consideration of the state.

The NGT was hearing a petition filed by NGO Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) to execute the directions of the green tribunal to concerned governments to notify Najafgarh Jheel.

The petitioner’s counsel, Akash Vashishtha, countered the Haryana govt’s stand that Najafgarh Lake was just an ordinary water body.

He told the court that Haryana had already submitted a brief document to the MOEFCC in 2017, to notify it as a wetland under the Wetland Rules 2010.

Vashishtha submitted that it was an Execution Application and Haryana had no occasion to flip-flop on the matter and rebutt its own position submitted by it before the NGT earlier.

The NGO has filed an Execution Application alleging that the Delhi and the State of Haryana have failed to take necessary action. (ANI)

BJP Is Now Dominant NDA Partner In Bihar

By Anita Katyal

Ever since the two parties joined hands over 20 years ago, the Bharatiya Janata Party has played second fiddle to the Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (U) in Bihar. The saffron party depended on Nitish Kumar’s clean image and charisma to ride to power in the eastern state where it had negligible presence.

As Bihar prepares for its next round of assembly elections now, there’s a perceptible change in the equation between the two parties. With Nitish Kumar facing massive anti-incumbency after 15 years in power and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s popularity at an all-time high, the tables have turned in favour of the BJP. Today, it is the Janata Dal (U) chief who needs the BJP to retain power.

Well aware that it is on a strong footing this time, the BJP is all set to drive a hard bargain with the Janata Dal (U) during its seat-sharing negotiations to be able to emerge as the single largest party post-polls which would open up the possibility of the saffron party laying claim to the chief minister’s post. On the face of it, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president J.P.Nadda have publicly declared that the coming assembly polls will be fought under Nitish Kumar’s leadership. The reason for this is obvious. The BJP obviously does not wish to alienate the Janata Dal (U) chief and push him to the rival camp.

But the BJP is also in no mood to concede the upper hand to its alliance partner. The saffron party has, over the years, used the Janata Dal (U) to expand its footprint in Bihar and it believes it is now in a position to emerge as the dominant force in the state. The saffron party’s Bihar unit has, therefore, been urging its Central leaders for several months now that the BJP should make a strong pitch for the top executive post in the state, especially since Nitish Kumar is personally on shaky ground. The BJP hardliners have been at pains to point out that the ground situation in Bihar has undergone a sea change and with the BJP’s improved presence it can dictate terms to its alliance partner.

ALSO READ: Political Milking Of Sushant’s Death

For the first time in his ruling terms, Nitish Kumar is facing mounting public anger. His government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the migrant labour crisis, rising unemployment, rampant corruption and the damage wrought by the recent floods have all combined to push Nitish Kumar on the backfoot. It is to deflect attention from his government’s failures that the Bihar chief minister, with dollops of help from the BJP, has shifted the political discourse to the Sushant Singh Rajput case, currently being probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation. The dates for the election are yet to be announced but the state is already dotted with posters of the actor with the caption “Na bhoole hain, no bhoolne denge”, a clear indication of how the poll campaign will pan out in the days ahead.

Even as Nitish Kumar is fighting with his back to the wall, he has to deal with another irritant. An ally – Lok Janshakti Party’s Chirag Paswan – has launched an offensive against the Bihar chief minister. Paswan junior has, in recent weeks, taken several potshots at Nitish Kumar and has even threatened to contest the Bihar assembly poll on his own.

As the anchor of the National Democratic Alliance, it would be expected that the BJP would step in to silence the LJP leader. But it has made no serious move in that direction. This has given rise to speculation that Paswan junior is acting on the behest of the saffron party. It is understood that his barbs are essentially aimed at garnering a larger share of seats for his party, which works to the BJP’s advantage. If the share of Janata Dal (U) seats is reduced and the BJP contests on more seats, it stands a greater chance of emerging as the single largest party.

ALSO READ: Grumblings In The NDA Camp

While Nitish Kumar finds himself in the doghouse, the Modi magic remains undiminished. Despite the Centre’s poor handling of the coronavirus pandemic, the slump in the economy and the standoff with China, people in Bihar, as elsewhere in the country, are not ready to blame the Modi government for the multiple crises facing the country. They are willing to overlook the Centre’s failures and even justify them on the ground that these problems are not confined to India but are a worldwide phenomenon. Modi’s image of a Hindu Hirday Samrat and the BJP’s majoritarian agenda is more than sufficient reason for them to support him and the saffron party.

If the BJP-Janata Dal (U) combine comes back to power (as it is expected to), the victory will be driven by Modi’s popularity and not Nitish Kumar’s governance record. The ruling coalition will additionally be helped by the disarray in the opposition camp and its inability to throw up a viable alternative. While the Congress has negligible presence in the state. Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Lalu Prasad Yadav is out of action and his son Tejaswi Yadav is yet to evolve into a mature politician.

Even as the opposition is still debating the terms of building a coalition of like-minded parties, the BJP has already kickstarted its campaign with virtual rallies and is in the process of strengthening its digital infrastructure to connect with the voters. Since there are restrictions on physical campaigning in this election because of the coronavirus pandemic, the BJP has decided to maximise the use of social media and other digital platforms to inform the people about their government’s achievements.

The opposition just does not have the resources, the leadership and the organisation to match the BJP.

Anurag Thakur’s Remarks On Nehru Disrupt Lok Sabha

By LokMarg

Minister of State (MoS) Finance Anurag Thakur, whose remarks in Lok Sabha on Friday led to four adjournments amid demand for an apology from the Opposition, said he had no intent to hurt the sentiments of members.

“I had no intent to hurt the sentiments of anybody. If anyone has been hurt (by my remarks) then I also pained,” Thakur said after the House met at 6 pm following four adjournments.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said he met Speaker Om Birla after the House was adjourned and he was very hurt over remarks of some members.

“After the House was adjourned I met you in (Om Birla) the chambers. I realised how to hurt you are. Anurag Thakur is a youth leader and a good speaker. He (Anurag Thakur) told me that if anyone is hurt with my statement then I think it also hurt me.”

The Speaker said that parliamentarians should avoid levelling allegations without facts.

Lok Sabha faced adjournments following opposition protest over remarks of Thakur, who alleged that there was a link between Nehru-Gandhi family with PM National Relief Fund and objected to the manner in which the fund had been created.

Several opposition parties, including the Congress and Trinamool Congress, demanded an apology from Thakur.

The Speaker urged members to allow the House to function normally but the din continued and he adjourned it for about half-an-hour.

When the House reassembled, opposition members continued their protest and raised slogans in support of their demand for an apology from Thakur.

Rama Devi, who was in the chair, adjourned it till 5 pm. The House was later adjourned till 5.30 pm and 6 pm. (ANI)

Sania Mirza

‘Covid-19 Impact On World Is Bigger Than Personal Setback’

By S Kannan

Sania Mirza, the diva of Indian tennis, leads a hectic life, on and off court. At 33, she has seen the highs in her professional career, having won six Grand Slam titles, and still hopeful of continuing her journey. After the birth of her son Izhaan in 2018, her responsibilities increased. That is why she chose not to play at the US Open recently, as the roles of being a player and mom would have been tough to handle during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Currently in Dubai with her husband, Pakistan cricket star Shoaib Malik, and son, Mirza spoke to S Kannan in a freewheeling chat.

Q. How has life been for you since lockdown began in March?
Sania: Initially, I enjoyed staying at home and spending time with the family. But soon it felt weird that my life had come to a virtual standstill. I started working out in the gym at home to stay fit and every evening the family would play a bit of table tennis or some other game to keep ourselves occupied.

Q. Your thoughts on how Covid-19 has affected your tennis this year?
Sania: Of course, tennis has taken a complete back-seat with the world facing serious threats due to the pandemic. I felt that during the Fed Cup matches in Dubai in March, I was back to my peak and was looking forward to a strong resurgence on the international circuit and at the (Tokyo) Olympics that were scheduled for later. But obviously with the Covid 19, I will need to start preparing for the circuit all over again.

Of course, losing almost a year at this stage of my career is unfortunate. But, like I said, personal problems seem small compared to the major calamity that our world has been subjected to due to the Corona virus.

Q. When do you see some amount of normalcy being restored in India for athletes and you personally?
Sania: That is hard to predict for anyone. Attempts are being made to bring about some kind of normalcy by trying to host international tournaments but it is still going to be a while before desired results are seen.

Q: You decided to miss the US Open, how does it feel?
Sania: It is unfortunate that not just me but several top players of the world have had to miss the Grand Slam due to genuine issues. I personally could not take a chance of travelling to US with Izhaan under the existing conditions. The risks were too high and I’m glad I made the right decision.

Q. As a mom, your thoughts on tennis and the more important roles in your life?
Sania: Tennis has always been a very important part of my life but I’ve been very clear that ‘tennis alone is not life’. Now as a mother, Izhaan and his well-being is definitely my most important priority. That does not mean I cannot continue with my career in tennis for some more time. 

Q: We heard about your involvement with some charity work and distribution of dry rations during lockdown. Tell us about it and also how did you raised funds for it?
Sania: I joined hands with an NGO and helped raise funds for the daily wage earners, who were most badly hit during the lockdown. The funds were used to provide ration for thousands of these daily wage earners and their families.

Q. Your take on the postponed Tokyo Olympics, to be now held in 2021?Sania: It is not the ideal situation but there is not much we can do about it. So, we have to simply accept what comes our way.

Islamabad HC Issues Arrest Warrant For Nawaz Sharif

By LokMarg

Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday said Pakistan High Commission in London has received the arrest warrants of former premier Nawaz Sharif.

ARY News quoted Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri as confirming that Nawaz Sharif’s arrest warrants issued by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had been received by the foreign ministry on Thursday.

The IHC Registrar Office on Thursday had started implementing the orders and also issued notice to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the matter.

ARY News further reported that the IHC had released the arrest warrants of Nawaz Sharif in Al-Azizia and Avenfield cases. A copy has also been sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for assisting the relevant authorities to arrest the former premier who is currently residing in London.

The HC directed the authorities concerned to produce Sharif on September 22 for the next hearing.

On September 15, the IHC had rejected the exemption plea of Nawaz Sharif and released non-bailable arrest warrants in Al-Azizia and Avenfield cases. (ANI)