More than a year after the Chinese army displayed aggression on the northern front, the People’s Liberation Army is carrying out an exercise in their depth areas near the Eastern Ladakh sector. The Indian armed forces are also fully alert this year despite the Covid-19 pandemic and keeping a close watch on all these movements of the Chinese forces there.

“The Chinese have been coming to these areas for many years where they hold their exercises in summer time. Last year also, they had come to these areas in the garb of exercises and diverted from here towards Eastern Ladakh aggressively,” sources told ANI.

The Chinese troops are well within their traditional areas with distances at some places ranging from 100 kms and beyond, they said. Sources said the development is important as the two sides are still discussing issues related to existing friction points including hot springs and Gogra heights after the mutual withdrawal of troops from the Pangong lake area by both sides.

The Indian side has also seen summer deployment of troops at forward locations in eastern Ladakh and other sectors. Senior officials from the forces deployed on the front have also reviewed security situation in forward areas recently and are keeping a close watch on the situation there, the sources said.

The forces deployed by the Indian side in Ladakh include the Indo Tibetan Border Police, Indian Air Force, and Indian Army which is now at the forward most locations in the sector.

The Chinese after diverting from their traditional exercise areas had come to the eastern front and the two sides have been engaged in a military standoff since then. ANI

The Delhi government will provide Rs 50,000 ex-gratia to each family that has lost a member to Covid-19, besides a monthly assistance of Rs 2,500 if the deceased was an earning member, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Tuesday. 

He also said that children who have lost both parents, or a single parent, due to Covid-19 will also be provided a monthly assistance of Rs 2,500 up to the age of 25 years. Also, the government will take care of their education, he said. 

All these announcements will be implemented after they are approved by the Delhi Cabinet, he said. 

“Due to coronavirus and the lockdown, many at home are facing financial difficulties. We have been thinking about a plan on how to help people overcome this difficulty. We have come up with several steps to provide relief during this tough time,” Kejriwal said in a digital address. 

The Delhi Chief Minister also announced free rations to poor families struggling during the Covid-19 crisis and lockdown. He announced that all ration card holders will get 5 kilograms of ration for free from Delhi government as well as 5 kilograms of free ration from the Central government and for those without ration cards, Delhi government will give ration on demand. “If someone says they are poor, we will give ration without asking for income proof,” Kejriwal said. 

“Many will ask where the government will get this money from. We are able to do this because Delhi has elected an honest government and we save money by being efficient,” Kejriwal said. He added that the decision would be implemented in the next few days.

On Kejriwal’s statement, BJP state General secretary Harsh Malhotra told The Sunday Guardian that “this government of Arvind Kejriwal is fond of making “populist” statements only and religiously not implementing it, like he said he will implement the Modi government’sAyushman Bharat Yojna, but he didn’t till today. If he had implemented it in Delhi, thousands of people would have saved their lives in this critical phase of Covid by getting themselves admitted in costly private hospitals. The Kejriwal government has done little to prepare Delhi’s health sector for Covid since last year despite a huge health budget to the tune of Rs 18,000crore. Kejriwal has spent hundreds of crores only in advertisements, promoting himself only. So I doubt whether he will fullfil his promises. He had promised Rs one crore to be given to the relatives of the frontline workers, if someone died during duty; no one has received Rs one crore.”

Serum Institute chief Adar Poonawalla on Tusday said his company has “never exported vaccines at the cost of the people of India”. Referring to India’s vaccination drive, Poonawalla, in a media statement, said that being the second most populous country in the world and the vaccination drive for such a large population cannot be completed within two or three months. He further added that it will take another two to three years for the entire world population to get fully vaccinated.

“People do not tend to realise that we are amongst the two most populous countries in the world. A vaccination drive for such a large population cannot be completed within 2-3 months, as there are several factors and challenges involved. It would take 2-3 years for the entire world population to get fully vaccinated,” he stated.

Poonawalla also explained the circumstances in which consignments of vaccines were exported abroad and the commitments made by the government in the initial stages of the pandemic last year. “Serum has delivered more than 200 million doses, even though we received EUA (Emergency Use Authorization) two months after the US pharma companies. If we look at total doses produced and delivered, we rank amongst the top three in the world. We continue to scale up manufacturing and priortise India. We also hope to start delvering to COVAX and other countries by the end of this year,” he said in the statement.

The statement further read, “We must understand that this pandemic is not limited by geographic or political boundaries. We will not be safe till everyone globally is able to defeat this virus at a global scale.”

In the statement, Poonawalla also explained the circumstances in which consignments of vaccines were sent abroad and the commitments made by the government in the initial stages of the pandemic last year. When the vaccines were launched in January, there was a stockpile in India. The Covid numbers were at an “all-time low” and the vaccination drive had started successfully, he said. At the same time, many other nations were in an “acute crisis” and in “desperate need of help”. The government, he said, extended whatever help was possible.

Pointing out that the pandemic will “not be limited by geographical or political boundaries,” he said “we will not be safe till everyone has been able to defeat the virus on a global scale”.

The Serum Institute chief’s statement came amid much Opposition criticism of the government over the vaccine shortage. Many states, including Delhi, have been unable to continue vaccination of all eligible age groups due to the shortage.

Battling extreme weather, the Indian Navy and Coast Guard have so far rescued 319 people on board two barges that went adrift in the Arabian Sea near Mumbai hours before Cyclone Tauktae made landfall on the Gujarat coast, an official said on Tuesday.

Three barges and an oil rig with 707 personnel on board had gone adrift on Monday. These included accommodation barge P305 with 273 persons, cargo barge GAL Constructor with 137 personnel on board, accommodation barge SS-3 with 196 personnel on board and the Sagar Bhushan oil rig with 101 personnel on board, a Navy official said.

While all the 137 people on board the cargo barge GAL Constructor have been rescued, 182 of the 273 onboard P305 have been rescued so far, the official said. There is no word yet on the progress of rescue operations for the accommodation barge SS-3 and the Sagar Bhushan oil rig. All 137 crew of barge Gal Constructor which had gone adrift under the impact of Cyclone Tauktae were successfully rescued and are safely ashore. The rescue mission is accomplished, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) informed on Tuesday.

A Coast Guard helicopter Chetak operating from Coast Guard Air Station Daman rescued the crew from the stranded ship at sea off Satpati GAL Constructor. Another Chetak helicopter operating from Coast Guard Air Enclave Goa winched up and rescued two distressed and stranded employees of Light House Authority from Vengrula Lighthouse, 38 Nautical miles North of Vasco. According to ICG, the lighthouse had a total power failure and was badly damaged due to high-speed wind and rough weather conditions at sea.

Meanwhile, the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Limited (ONGC) said all drifted vessels, except barge P305, were taken in control, and their crew is safe. Indian Navy and ONGC are actively engaged in rescuing the crew of vessel barge P305, and 182 people have been rescued so.

The Indian Navy had deployed three warships in high sea for search and rescue (SAR) assistance of the two ships—barge P305 and barge GAL Constructor—with 410 people on board, after they were stranded in Bombay High due to Cyclone Tauktae on Monday afternoon. INS Kochi, INS Kolkata and INS Talwar had been pressed into carrying out the rescue operations.

Navy ships were deployed on Monday after receipt of a request for assistance for barge ‘P305’ adrift off Heera oil fields in Bombay high area with 273 personnel on board. The oil fields are around 70 km southwest of Mumbai.

Four Coast Guard vessels, two Navy ships and one merchant vessel were deployed to rescue the four barges, which serve as living quarters for men working on several offshore rigs of the oil PSU. The four vessels began sending distress signals after getting caught in Cyclone Tauktae to the Coast Guard, shipping ministry control room and their own control room.

Earlier, Indian navy rescued Satish Narwahal who was on barge P305. He was working on the barge as a technical assistant, and his right hand has been injured, he told The Sunday Guardian. According to a Satish Narwahal, the anchor of the ship was destroyed due to the heavy wind and rainfall on Saturday. The ship had started sinking and all of them jumped into the water. He was in the Arabian Sea with the support of a life jacket. After 18 hours, the Indian Navy rescued him, he said.

The Sunday Guardian spoke to the Sandeep Singh who was a cook on barge P305. Sandeep said that due to the gusty winds, the ship was moving in 90 degrees and it was difficult for them to even hold a rope. When the water came inside the barge, all of them jumped into the water. He has no idea about his other friends who are still missing. GAl constructor technician Pramod said the anchor of the ship was damaged due to the cyclone. The lower deck of the ship was filled with water and all of them went in to the upper deck as even the engine room had been filled with water. They were praying for their life. They were on a sinking ship for 21 hours when the Coast Guard rescued them.

WITH AGENCY INPUTS

Minister of State for Chemicals and Fertilizers Mansukh Mandaviya said on Tuesday that the government has chalked out a strategy with manufacturers to ramp up the domestic production of Amphotericin-B as well as to import the drug which cures mucormycosis or black fungus, which is a post-Covid complication.

His remarks came after he reviewed the requirement and supply position of Amphotericin-B on Tuesday. In a series of tweets, the Union Minister said, “Reviewed requirement and supply position of Amphotericin-B which cures mucormycosis. We have chalked out a strategy with manufacturers to ramp up domestic production as well as to import the drug from all over the world.”

Mandaviya informed that currently there is a sudden surge in demand but the supply of Amphotericin-B has increased manifold. “We have already improved the supply of Amphotericin-B by many folds. But currently, we are facing a sudden demand surge. Let me assure that we are committed to moving heaven and earth to make it available to needy patients,” said Mandaviya in another tweet.

He further stated that the government has outlined the system for the efficient distribution and supply chain management of Amphotericin-B.

Cases of black fungus infection have been rising across India, adding to the existing burden created by the second wave of Covid-19 in which the number of patients hospitalised has grown exponentially. The maximum cases have been reported from Maharashtra and Gujarat.

In a video which has gone viral on social media, a woman from Andhra Pradesh was seen crying and appealing for medical help for her husband who was diagnosed with mucormycosis after he recovered from Covid. Anji Babu, a driver, has already lost one eye to the black fungus infection. His wife, Kalyani, made the appeal after he started experiencing pain in the other eye.

He has now been admitted to a private hospital in Vijayawada by the state government. Doctors say they have to wait for two days before they can say whether the medication will work.

Stocks of the drug are running very low across the country. Even in big cities like Delhi, the drug is mostly unavailable.

Stating that the shortage is expected to get resolved at the earliest, Mandaviya has urged states to use the drug judiciously by strictly following the prescribed guidelines.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Gujarat on Wednesday for a one-day aerial inspection as the state is devastated by Cyclone Tauktae. He will monitor the post-cyclone situation. He will reach Bhavnagar from Delhi at 11.30 am on Wednesday. After reaching here, he will conduct aerial inspections of cyclone affected areas of Bhavnagar, Amreli and Gir Somnath. He will then also conduct an aerial inspection of the Union Territory of Diu. He will later hold a meeting with officials.

After conducting an aerial inspection, PM Modi will arrive in Ahmedabad and assess the situation with Chief Minister Vijay Rupani as well as a review meeting with senior secretaries of the state.

The Prime Minister had a telephone conversation with CM Rupani on the preparations being made by the government to deal with the cyclone. He also spoke about help from the central government to deal with the storm.

Rupani informed that at least 13 people died due to accidents under the impact of the cyclone. Power supply has been disrupted in 5,951 villages in the state. As many as 69,429 power poles in the state have been damaged due to the cyclone, while 674 roads in Gujarat were temporarily closed due to falling trees.

Many places have been devastated after the devastating Cyclone Tauktae hit the coast of Saurashtra. From Saurashtra to many districts of South Gujarat, 5 inches of rain has fallen in 8 hours. Roads have also been blocked due to heavy winds. Rainfall has been recorded in Bhavnagar, Valsad, Surat, Amreli, Bharuch, Anand, Ahmedabad and other districts in the state.

According to the State Emergency Operations Center, Gandhinagar, 176 talukas in 23 districts of the state received heavy to moderate rains from 6 am to 2 pm today. The rainfall was 5 inches in Bhavnagar taluka, 4.8 inches in Umargam, 4.5 inches in Olpad, 4 inches in Rajula, 3.7 inches in Botad and Surat city. Ahmedabad received 3 inches, with the central area of the city receiving the most rainfall; Sinhor 3.6 inches, Hansot, Palitana, Pardi and Vallabhipur 2.9 inches, Umrala 2.7 inches and Vapi 2.5 inches.

According to the Ahmedabad Collector, the wind could blow at a speed of 60 kmph. By 6 pm, more than 250 trees had fallen and more than 50 places had been flooded. Rains in many parts of the city led to flooding of sewers. Car and rickshaw drivers narrowly escaped a hoarding collapse near Parimal Garden in Paldi. Uprooted trees and hoardings have been reported in Ahmedabad.

Cyclone Tauktae entered Gujarat from Una last night and has now entered Rajasthan via North Gujarat. However, now its intensity is much less than before. The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) Director General S.N. Pradhan on Tuesday said that the “worst is over” and Cyclone Tauktae will “become a depression” by Tuesday evening. Pradhan said, “The cyclone has weakened into a cyclonic storm level and probably in another couple of hours it will become a cyclonic system which is a much lower category. By the time it reaches Gujarat coast in the late evening, it would have become a depression…The worst is over.”

“Another good news is that the state emergency operation centre (SEOC) of Gujarat has informed us and confirmed that there have been no deaths at all,” he further said, adding that there is considerable damage to property and infrastructure.

“Initially there were reports in the morning of hundreds of villages losing electricity, but within an hour the electricity has been restored. These are good signs of the disaster response capabilities of India and the states. It will take some more time to complete the restoration,” Pradhan said. “It was very important to clear the roads and vital arteries of communication during these troubled times of Covid-19. We have sent troops and personnel who have been vaccinated with both doses,” he further said, adding that they were equipped with special suits and accompanied by paramedics, doctors and attendants while sharing his hope that the forces will come out unscathed by the pandemic.

In a tweet the meteorological department said, “The cyclone continues to show weakening trend. Eye is disorganising, wall cloud is weakening.”

WITH AGENCY INPUTS