‘Anti-national’ in the US
An NRI in the US has got into trouble for making supposedly “anti-US comments”. Swathi Devineni, who is from Telangana, was booked by the New Jersey Police for making a video in which she said the United States had failed to curb the coronavirus pandemic while India had prevented it successfully. “America is a rich country with enough mechanism. But they could not (anticipate) the coronavirus outbreak. However, India forecast it wisely and was able to prevent it,” she said in the video, which went viral on social media. It elicited a mixed response from Indians and a fellow NRI based in the US registered a case against her for making “anti-national” comments. She later made another video, apologising for her remarks.
Fighting spirit
That the West Bengal government is serious about fighting the coronavirus epidemic is evident from the fact that it is acknowledging contributions of even small amounts. A concerned citizen donated Rs 4,000 to the West Bengal State Emergency Relief Fund, and informed the authorities via email. He could do so because there was an ID in the advertisement the state government had put out, though it was meant for those contributing “in kind”. However, within six minutes he received a reply, which was not auto-generated. When he then asked for a receipt, he was given another ID, by means of which he could put in a request. The second contact point too worked, and he was given the site where he could download the receipt, but only after “the information has been shared with us” by ICICI Bank.
Traders protest lockdown
Some small traders in Chhattisgarh have come out against an extension of the lockdown, arguing that such a step would lead to psychological and neurological disorders among people. They have written to Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel (pictured) drawing his attention to this possibility. Traders in Raipur’s biggest commercial centre, Ravi Bhawan, wrote that an extended lockdown could trigger blood pressure and diabetes, apart from neurological complications. They said the closure of liquor shops, besides the unavailability of pan, gutkha, and cigarette, would affect addicts and they might resort to looting and other heinous crimes. The problem was, they said, local hospitals were not admitting patients who did not show Covid symptoms.