JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government on Wednesday night announced a 12-hour daily curfew—from 6 pm to 6 am—starting Friday, across all cities, as part of a series of measures to combat a worrying spike in Covid cases. The curfew will be in effect till the end of the month.

NAGPUR: Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde on Wednesday said that Dr B.R. Ambedkar had prepared a proposal to make Sanskrit the national language of India but the move did not make any headway. Justice Bobde was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of the academic building of the Maharashtra National Law University at Nagpur on the birth anniversary of Dr Ambedkar.

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has reduced the length of his trip to India later this month because of the Covid-19 situation in the country, his spokesman said on Wednesday, adding he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “We’ve been in close contact with the Indian government about the PM’s upcoming visit in light of the Covid situation in India. As a result of these discussions the prime minister has made the decision to reduce the length of the visit,” he told reporters. “This programme will be focused on high level discussions with the Indian government and Indian business leaders,” he said, adding that the bulk of the programme would now take place on 26 April.

Russia, after slamming the ‘Indo-Pacific strategy by Western countries and promising Pakistan military assistance, tried doing a balancing act on Wednesday when it called India a “trusted partner”. Moscow said that there were no divergences or misunderstandings between the two countries and that it has “limited cooperation” with Islamabad based on “independent” relations.

Deputy Chief of the Russian mission Roman Babushkin also welcomed the recent commitment by India and Pakistan to follow the 2003 ceasefire on the Line of Control (LoC0 and said these are “very important steps” for regional stability.

At a joint media briefing with Babushkin, Russian Ambassador Nikolay Kudashev criticised the Indo-Pacific strategy by Western countries, describing it as “dangerous” and an effort to revive the cold war mentality. Babushkin said that India must be part of the process of shaping regional consensus on Afghanistan and that New Delhi and Moscow have similar approaches for the Afghan peace process.

Asked about Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov travelling to Islamabad after visiting New Delhi, Mr Babushkin said, “Russia has independent ties with Pakistan and that it does not target any relations against anyone… We believe that there is absolutely no reason to see that there are divergences or any misunderstandings between us. It is not the case in Russia-India ties.”

Kudashev said India is a trusted partner of Russia and ties between the two countries were “equal, solid, comprehensive, coherent and forward-looking”. He also mentioned that the visit by Lavrov to India on 6 April contributed a lot to the ties. “It was a very important and remarkable event, which contributed a lot to the special and privileged strategic partnership between our two friendly nations. Our ties remain equal, solid, comprehensive, coherent and forward-looking despite any global turbulence,” he said.

The Ambassador said that the visit was aimed at preparations for the India-Russia summit which is expected to take place in the second half of the year.

Babushkin said that Russia has independent relations with India, Pakistan and other countries and the relations are based on their own merits. “We are all members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and develop cooperation in various fields including regional security, fight against terrorism and to deal with other threats,” he said.

“Russia has limited cooperation with Pakistan as compared to India. However, the fight against terrorism is our common agenda. So we also help Pakistan in providing anti-terrorism equipment and holding dedicated exercise,” he added.

Lavrov, after his India visit, travelled to Islamabad on Tuesday where he said that Russia was ready to supply special military equipment to Pakistan to boost its counter-terror capabilities.

At a high-level meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was decided that due to the surge in Covid-19 cases, the Class 12 examinations of the CBSE would be postponed, while the Class 10 examinations have been cancelled. The decision was announced by the Education Minister on Wednesday. 

CBSE will review the situation on 1 June. A notice of at least 15 days will be given before the start of the examinations, said the Ministry statement. Both examinations were scheduled to be held from 4 May to 14 June.

For Class 10 students, results will be prepared on the basis of an objective criterion to be developed by the Board. Any candidate who is not satisfied with the allocated marks will be allowed to write an examination as and when conditions are conducive, the Ministry said.

During the meeting, PM Modi reiterated that the well-being of students has to be the top priority for the government. He also stated that the Centre would keep in mind the best interests of the students and ensure that their health is taken care of and at the same time, their academic interests are not harmed.

“We had hoped that the situation would get better and we’d be able to conduct the examinations on 4 May, but that has not happened. We are committed to not letting the future of our students go astray, but we also have a responsibility towards their well-being,” said Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had all appealed to the Centre to cancel the examinations in the wake of the massive spike in coronavirus cases across the country.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale stated on Wednesday that a “sankalp” (resolve) was made during the Navreh programme for resettling Kashmiri Hindu families in the near future.

“During this three-day programme on Navreh, a ‘sankalp’ was taken that in the coming days, families (Hindu) will be resettled in Kashmir again and Navreh will be celebrated with joy next year,” he announced, adding that the government should take steps to create an environment for their return to the Valley. He said that Hindus from Kashmir have faced troubles for many years but have reached an important point now. “Our Hindu brothers and sisters, who have lived in Kashmir for many years, have overcome many crises and have progressed towards development,” he said. Kashmiri Hindus had been forced to migrate due to terrorism in the Valley close to three decades ago. Speaking at the concluding event of the three-day Navreh Mahotsav, Hosabale said that there was a special purpose for organizing the festivities as Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh stand at an important point in history. He termed the abrogation of Articles 370 and 35A as a milestone and said that the government was carrying out tasks for development of the region which had been pending for several years. He also recalled the sacrifices made by Indian security forces while fighting terrorism in the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir.

Hosabale also emphasised on the values of love, devotion, determination and valour as crucial for the development and upliftment of any society, specifically mentioning the valour of the 8th century king of Kashmir, Lalitaditya Muktapida. “It (India) was a ‘sone ki chidiya’ (golden bird). There was wealth and prosperity here. Foreign attackers invaded India to loot its wealth. They felt that no other religions should exist on the planet, that their religion was the only religion. There was heavy bloodshed. Our ancestors fought these foreign attackers for years and never conceded defeat. Lalitaditya was one such leader,” he said.