The Uttar Pradesh government on Friday allowed cinema halls, multiplexes and stadiums in Uttar Pradesh to open from 5 July while following Covid-19 protocols.

The Yogi Adityanath government took this decision after considering their problems sympathetically. Operators will have to strictly follow the guidelines issued by the government in cinemas and multiplexes. If the guidelines are violated, then legal action will be taken under the Covid-19 Epidemic Act.

Covid protocol will have to be followed. There will be no arrangement for food and drink in the cinema hall. Only packaged food will be provided to the visitors. Tickets will be booked online. In places where online booking is not available, tickets will be available through the window. Ticket buyers will keep a distance of six feet from each other. The entire cinema hall will be sanitized after every show. Another major decision of the government was to set up health ATMs in villages and towns.

Mumbai is witnessing a slouching pace in vaccination drive due to the supply shortages in the city. A day after suspending Covid-19 vaccination across 300 centres on Thursday, BMC conducted the vaccination for a limited period of three hours on Friday. According to BMC officials, vaccination across 281 civic-run centres and 20 government centres will be conducted between 2 pm to 5 pm only, as the doses of the vaccine are falling short.

Mumbai created a record in June with ‘ramp-up in vaccination’ wherein 1 lakh doses were administered daily, nevertheless, the inoculation drive has now slowed down in the city since the past two days as the supplies have dried up. Private centres have once again taken a lead in administering the doses. Additional chief secretary Dr. Pradeep Vyas said fresh stocks are expected to arrive by July 2, adding that the rate of vaccination depends on the availability of doses. The state is expecting to receive 9-10 lakh doses, which may suffice for a few days.

Suresh Kakani, the additional municipal commissioner, said that “they are hoping to receive some stocks on Thursday. If they arrive, we will resume vaccination from Friday”.

“Citizens of Mumbai are constantly informed about the extent to which the stock of vaccines will be obtained and appropriate decisions are taken. Vaccinations will be resumed once vaccine stocks become available. A humble appeal is being made to the citizens of Mumbai to cooperate with the BMC administration,” read the official press statement of the BMC.

Maharashtra health minister, Rajesh Tope had said the number of people who had taken the first dose was significant but the number of fully vaccinated was far from desirable. In Mumbai, 10.72 lakh people have taken both doses and nearly 33lakh have taken the first dose. Of the 63,579 doses administered in Mumbai on Wednesday, 36,054 were in private and 27,525 were at the public centres.

NEW DELHI: The counter-drone technology developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) could help Army swiftly detect and destroy drones that pose a security threat to the country.

As per Dr Jillelamudi Manjula, Director General- Electronics and Communication Systems (ECS), DRDO, the D-4 drone system could detect close-range attacks like the one in Jammu on Sunday that injured two Army jawans. “D-4 drone system would’ve detected attack (in Jammu) as its range is over 4 kilometres. The system’s aim is to detect rogue drones that are likely to attack most vulnerable places. The system has got multiple sensors and two different counterattacks to destroy the rogue drones,” she said.

Dr Manjula further informed that the D-4 drone system is capable of destroying micro-drones by jamming the command and control links and further by damaging the hardware of the drones.

“Prevention can be done by early detection only, so we need to have multiple systems all around our vulnerable areas. We need to detect the drones early,” said the DRDO DG.

The D-4 drone system was used for security during this year’s Republic Day parade at Rajpath.

“It was used during Republic Day security preparation to detect and respond to any suspicious activity or contingency situation. We were continuously monitoring 24X7 those days but fortunately, we didn’t find anything suspicious,” Dr Manjula further said.

On Sunday, two low-intensity explosions were reported in Jammu Air Force station. One of the blasts caused minor damage to the roof of a building while the other exploded in an open area.

After the attack, Chief General MM Naravane said, “Easy availability of drones definitely increases the complexity and challenges that we have to deal with. We have put in place some measures. We’re developing capabilities to deal with the drone threat in both kinetic and non-kinetic realm”. ANI

Amidst the ongoing power tussle in Punjab Congress and ‘power’ (electricity) crisis in the state, Congress MLA and former minister Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday targeted Chief Minister Amarinder Singh as he raised questions on Power Purchase Agreements in Punjab. He also gave suggestions to improve the electricity situation in the state.

In his 9-part tweet, Sidhu said, “Truth of Power Costs, Cuts, Power Purchase Agreements and How to give Free and 24 hour Power to the People of Punjab: 1. There is No need for Power-Cuts in Punjab or for the Chief Minister to regulate office timings or AC use of the Common People … If we Act in the right direction,” he tweeted.

The Congress leader said that Punjab is buying power at an average cost of Rs 4.54 per unit, while the national average is Rs 3.85 per unit and Chandigarh is paying Rs 3.44 per unit.

Sidhu said that the Punjab Vidhan Sabha can bring in new legislation to amend the Power Purchase Agreements signed by the Badal government which are responsible for the high electricity rates in the state.

“Punjab’s over-dependence on three Private Thermal Plants at Rs 5-8 per unit makes Punjab pay more than other states Badal Govt signed Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) with three Private Thermal Power Plants in Punjab. Till 2020, Punjab has already paid 5400 Crore due to faulty clauses in these Agreements and is expected to pay Rs 65,000 Crore of Punjab People’s Money just as fixed charges,” he said.

Sidhu further said that Punjab can purchase power from the National Grid at much cheaper rates, “but these Badal-signed PPAs are acting against Punjab’s Public Interest. Punjab may not be able to re-negotiate these PPAs due to them having legal protection from Hon’ble Courts, but there is a way forward”.

He continued, “Punjab Vidhan Sabha can bring in New Legislation with retrospective effect to Cap power purchase costs to prices available on the National Power Exchange at any given time … Thus, by amending the law, these Agreements will become Null & Void, saving People of Punjab’s Money,” he said.

He pointed out that Punjab’s revenue per unit of consumption is one of the lowest in India, “due to gross mismanagement of the complete power purchase and supply system”. PSPCL pays Rs. 0.18 per unit “extra” on every unit supplied, even after receiving over Rs 9,000 crore in subsidy from the state.”

With Iran’s growing proximity with China ringing alarm bells in Indian strategic establishments, New Delhi is keen to iron out strain in ties with Tehran to foil Beijing’s bid to enhance its influence in the region.

Sources say that India wants to move fast in this diplomatic goal, for which a comprehensive strategy is being put in place. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is learnt to have a discussion with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar regarding India’s diplomatic preparedness to reach out to Tehran once the newly-elected President takes charge formally on 2 August.

PM Modi was among the first foreign leaders to congratulate Ebrahim Raisi, after he was elected to be Iran’s next President. The PM underlined an urgent need to work with the new regime to “further strengthen warm ties between India and Iran”.  

According to sources, India has made a plan for an early engagement with Raisi’s government in Tehran. India wants to reach out to the new regime with its future plan to expedite the pending projects and invest in some new ones. The day Raisi was elected as the new head of the government in Iran, Indian officials met Iran’s Ambassador to India, Dr Ali Chegeni, apprising him of India’s commitment to carrying forward the warm ties between both the countries. 

In fact, India had to suspend the trade with Iran after the US put strict sanctions on it, following which the ties between both the nations were not that warm. Earlier, Iran has been one of the biggest suppliers of oil to India.  

After the US imposed sanctions on it, Iran, which was facing financial challenges, was looking for some new partners. With India’s trade ties under suspension, China swung into action to use this much-needed opportunity to further its agenda to grow influence in Iran. What set the alarm bell ringing in Indian establishments, Iran last year proposed a $400 billion deal with China which is the biggest deal China signed with any country. This was seen as an example of the growing proximity between Beijing and Tehran.

What has worried India is “China wants alternative markets for its products and it also wants to reduce dependence on South China Sea (SCS)”. It is already in tandem with Pakistan with its project China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). China will definitely be looking for an opportunity to extend it to Iran.  The new deal will ensure oil supply to China from Iran. Moreover, it may have greater access to European markets. “India is aware that China is also eyeing Chabahar port which India is developing and a lot of work has been completed. Beijing sees it as India’s reply to its control over Pakistan’s Gwadar port,” an official said. The Dragon fears that its Gwadar plan may be thwarted by India through the Chabahar move.

So, the strategic importance of Iran is also high. With this in view, India has decided to shift its diplomatic mission in top gear to improve relations with Iran. India is also keeping an eye on what happens in the negotiation in Vienna between Iran and the United States for the revival of the 2015 nuclear deal. In fact, this development will also be important for India’s diplomatic push on the Iran front. 

The Union Health Ministry on Friday said that there has been 86% decline in Covid cases in India since the peak of the second wave in the country. It also announced that pregnant women are eligible for Covid-19 vaccination.

Addressing a press conference, Health Ministry Joint Secretary Lav Agarwal said, “Under the continued focus of clinical management, the recovery rate, which was at 81.1% on May 3rd, is now at around 97%.”

Announcing that pregnant women are now eligible for Covid-19 vaccination, the ministry said they may register on CoWIN portal or walk in to the nearest vaccination centre to get the jab.

Health Ministry further added, “The operational Guideline for vaccinating pregnant women, Counselling Kit for Medical Officers and FLWs, and IEC material for the public has been shared with States/UTs for its implementation.”

The ministry also said that the decision empowers pregnant women to make an informed choice on taking the Covid vaccination.

Pregnant women have been at increased risk of getting infected with the virus which could also result in rapid deterioration of health and affect the fetus too.

The Centre, meanwhile, rushed Covid-19 teams to six states — Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, and Manipur — that are reporting a high number of coronavirus infections. These teams are designated for the control and containment of the virus.

India recorded 46,617 new Covid-19 cases in the 24 hours on Friday, taking the country’s total to over 3.04 crore. Out of these, active cases declined to over 5.09 lakh while over 2.95 crore people have recovered after testing positive. Kerala continues to be the only state reporting more than 10,000 cases a day. With 853 new deaths, the death toll surpassed 4 lakh. Maharashtra accounts for 1.25 lakh of these, while Karnataka has reported over 35,000. Tamil Nadu has seen more than 32,000 deaths till now.