India External Affairs - Indira Gandhi

" ఇండియా పాకిస్తాన్ వ్యవహారాల్లో తల దూర్చితే అమెరికా నోరుమూసుకుని కూర్చోదు. ఇండియాకు తగిన గుణపాఠం చెప్పుతాం"
- రిచర్డ్ నిక్సన్, అమెరికా అధ్యక్షుడు.

" ఇండియా అమెరికాను స్నేహితునిగా పరిగణిస్తోంది. యజమానిగా కాదు. తన భవితవ్యాన్ని లిఖించుకోగల శక్తి ఇండియాకు ఉంది. పరిస్థితులను బట్టి ఎవరితో ఎలా వ్యవరించాలో మాకు తెలుసు."
- ఇందిరాగాంధీ, భారత ప్రధాని.

1971 లో అమెరికా అధ్యక్ష భవనం వైట్హౌస్ లో ఇరువురు నేతల మధ్య ముఖాముఖి జరిగిన సంభాషణల్లో ఇది చిన్న భాగం. దీని తర్వాత జరగవలసిన భారత-అమెరికా సంయుక్త పత్రికా సమావేశాన్ని ఏకపక్షంగా రద్దు చేసి ఇందిరాగాంధీ తనకే సాధ్యమైన ఠీవి తో వైట్ హౌస్ నుంచి బయటకు వచ్చింది.

వీడ్కోలు చెప్పేందుకు కారువరకు వచ్చిన అప్పటి అమెరికా విదేశాంగ కార్యదర్శి, జాతీయ భద్రతా సలహాదారు హెన్రి కిస్సింజర్ ఇందిరా గాంధీ కారు ఏక్కుతుండగా " మేడం అధ్యక్షునితో మీరు కొంత సహనంగా వ్యవహరించి ఉండాల్సిందని అనుకోవటం లేదా" అని అడిగినప్పుడు " మీ సలహాకు ధన్యవాదాలు. ఒక అభివృద్ధి చెందుతున్న దేశంగా అకృత్యాలపై పోరాడేందుకు తగినంత దృఢంగా నిటారుగా మా వెన్నెముక ఉంది. వేలమైళ్ళ దూరంనుండి ఏదేశాన్నైనా శాసించే రోజులు గతించాయని మేము రుజువు చేస్తామ"ని ఇందిరాగాంధీ అన్నారని హెన్రి కిస్సింజర్ తన ఆత్మకథలో రాశారు.

తర్వాత ఇందిరాగాంధీ ప్రయాణించిన ఎయిర్ ఇండియా బోయింగ్ పాలం ( ఇందిరా గాంధీ అంతర్జాతీయ విమానాశ్రయం ) లో దిగంగానే ఇందిరాగాంధీ నాటి ప్రతిపక్షనేత అటల్ బిహారీ వాజపేయి ని తక్షణం తన నివాసానికి పిలిపించుకున్నారు.

ఒక గంట ఏకాంత చర్చల అనంతరం వాజపేయి హడావిడిగా వెళ్లిపోయారు. ఆ తర్వాత తెలిసింది ఐక్యరాజ్యసమితిలో భారత్ కు వాజపేయి ప్రాతినిధ్యం వహించనున్నారని.

బి.బి.సి ప్రతినిధి డోనాల్డ్ పాల్ " ఇందిరాజి మిమ్మల్ని బలమైన ప్రత్యర్థిగా భావిస్తారు కదా! అయినప్పటికీ ఈ ప్రభుత్వ విధానాన్ని సమర్థిస్తూ ఐక్యరాజ్యసమితి లో మీరు గొంతు చించుకోగలనని భావిస్తున్నారా?" అని వాజపేయిని ప్రశ్నించాడు.

దానికి " ఒక తోటలో గులాబీ ఉంటుంది. ఒక లిల్లీ కూడా ఉంటుంది. రెండూ తానే అందమైనదాన్ని అనుకుంటాయి. ఐతే తోట సంక్షోభంలో పడినప్పుడు మొత్తం తోట అందాన్ని కాపాడుకోటానికి రెండూ ఒకటిగానే ఉంటాయి. తోటను కాపాడుకొనేందుకు ఈరోజు ఇక్కడికి వచ్చాను. ఇదే భారత ప్రజాస్వామ్యం" అని వాజపేయి సమాధానం.

తర్వాతి చరిత్ర తెలిసిందే ! అమెరికా పాకిస్థాన్ కు 270 పాటన్ టాంక్ లు పంపింది. ప్రపంచ మీడియా ప్రతినిధులను పిలిచి తమ టాంక్ లు ప్రత్యేక సాంకేతిక పరిజ్ఞానంతో తయారు చేసినవని అందువల్ల వాటిని ధ్వంసం చేయటం సాధ్యం కాదని ప్రదర్శించుకుంది. అమెరికా ఆంతర్యం విదితమే ! ఇండియాకు మరే దేశమూ సహాయం చేయకూడదని ప్రపంచ దేశాలకు అదొక హెచ్చరిక.

అక్కడితో అమెరికా ఆగిపోలేదు.భారత దేశానికి చమురు సరఫరా చేసే ఏకైక అమెరికా కంపెనీ బర్మాషెల్ కంపెనీని సరఫరా నిలిపివయమంది. భవిష్యత్ లో కూడా భారత్ తో వ్యాపారం చేయరాదని శాసించింది.

తర్వాతి చరిత్ర ఎదురు తిరగటమే! ఇందిరాగాంధీ అద్భుత దౌత్యనీతి వల్ల యుక్రెయిన్ నుండి చమురు సరఫరా జరిగింది.

ఒకరోజు యుద్ధంలోనే 270 టాంకులు ధ్వంసమయ్యాయి. ధ్వంసమైన టాంక్ లను ఇండియా కు తెచ్చి ప్రదర్శించారు. రాజస్థాన్ లోని మండే ఎడారులు అమెరికా ప్రతిష్ట భంగ పాటుకు నేటికీ సాక్షీభూతంగా నిలుస్తున్నాయి.

పద్దెనిమిది రోజుల యుద్ధం 1.5 లక్షల పాకిస్తానీయులను యుద్ధఖైదీలుగా పట్టుకోవటంతో ముగిసింది.లాహోర్ జైలునుండి ముజిబుర్ రెహ్మాన్ విడుదలయ్యారు.

మార్చి నెలలో బంగ్లాదేశ్ ను స్వతంత్రదేశంగా గుర్తిస్తూ ఇందిరాగాంధీ పార్లమెంట్ లో ప్రకటించారు.

వాజపేయి ఇందిరాగాంధీని "దుర్గామాత" అని సంబోధించారు.

ఈ సంఘటనలు దీర్ఘకాలిక ప్రయోజనాలు కల్పించాయి.
- ఇండియా సొంత చమురు సంస్థ ఇండియన్ ఆయిల్ రూపుదిద్దుకొంది.
- ఒక బలమైన దేశంగా ఇండియా ప్రపంచానికి చాటి చెప్పింది.
-అలీన దేశాల కూటమిని ఇండియా ముందుండి నడిపింది. ఈ కూటమికి తిరుగులేని నాయకుడిగా రూపొందింది.

శక్తివంతమైన ఆకాలం , ఆనాటి సంఘటనలు కాలగర్భంలో కలిసిపోయాయి.

నిజమైన చరిత్ర ఇప్పటికీ మార్గదర్శిగా ఉంటుంది.

నాటినుండి ఇండియా ఏభై సంవత్సరాలు గడిపేసింది. ఒకవిధమైన అలసట స్వభావం గోచరిస్తోంది.

ప్రజాస్వామ్యం ఏకాకిగా నిఘంటువులో ఒక పదంగా మిగిలిపోయింది.

(నేటి) ప్రజాస్వామ్యంలో ప్రతిపక్షం ఇంకెంతమాత్రం భాగం కాదు.

తమకు వంత పాడని గొంతులన్నీ దుష్ట స్వరాలే !

(రాహుల్ బెనర్జీ ఎఫ్.బి ఆంగ్ల పోస్ట్ కు ఇది తెలుగుసేత.)

Modi's 'No Intrusion' by China Claim Contradicts India's Stand, Raises Multiple Questions

Modi's 'No Intrusion' by China Claim Contradicts India's Stand, Raises Multiple Questions
After his assertion led to criticism, the PMO has sought to clarify that the prime minister had spoken of an attempted Chinese intrusion which had been successfully foiled by Indian soldiers.

Modi's 'No Intrusion' by China Claim Contradicts India's Stand, Raises Multiple Questions
Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the all-party meeting to discuss the India-China standoff in Ladakh on Friday. Photo: PTI

Devirupa Mitra
Devirupa Mitra
DIPLOMACYSECURITY
20/JUN/2020
New Delhi: A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said “no one has intruded into our territory” – an assertion which contradicted government statements about the circumstances in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed in combat with the Chinese army this week – the PMO sought to clarify that the reason he said there was “no Chinese presence on our side of the LAC” is because Indian soldiers had foiled an “attempted transgression” at Galwan.

Modi made his controversial statement at the all-party meeting called by the government on Friday to discuss the violence on the India-China border that has taken the relationship between the two countries to their lowest level in over five decades.

“Na koi wahan hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai aur nahi koi ghusa hua hai, na hi hamari koi post kisi dusre ke kabze mein hain (No one has intruded and nor is anyone intruding, nor has any post been captured by someone)”,  he said in closing remarks that were carried on television.


PMO India
✔
@PMOIndia
पूर्वी लद्दाख में जो हुआ, इसको लेकर आपने रक्षा मंत्री जी और विदेश मंत्री जी को सुना भी और Presentation को भी देखा । न वहां कोई हमारी सीमा में घुस आया है और न ही कोई घुसा हुआ है, न ही हमारी कोई पोस्ट किसी दूसरे के कब्जे में है: PM @narendramodi

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Modi’s original statement that there is and has been no intrusion by the Chinese – which the government sought to play down by reacting the words “Na koi hamari seema mein ghus aaya hai (No one has intruded)” from its official summary – contradicted the government’s press note issued after external affairs minister S. Jaishankar spoke to his Chinese counterpart, state councillor and foreign minister Wang Yi:


“[The] Chinese side sought to erect a structure in Galwan valley on our side of the LAC [line of actual control],” the press release dated June 17 said. “While this became a source of dispute, the Chinese side took pre-meditated and planned action that was directly responsible for the resulting violence and casualties. It reflected an intent to change the facts on ground in violation of all our agreements to not change the status quo.”

It is clear that if the Chinese sought to “erect a structure” on “our side of the LAC”, it would need to cross the de-facto border.

On Saturday, the Prime Minister’s Office issued a statement seeking to clarify what Modi had said and rejecting what it termed the “mischievous interpretation” given to his remarks “in some quarters”:

“Prime Minister was clear that India would respond firmly to any attempts to transgress the Line of Actual Control (LAC). In fact, he specifically emphasized that in contrast to the past neglect of such challenges, Indian forces now decisively counter any violations of LAC (“unhe rokte hain, unhe tokte hain”).

“The APM was also informed that this time, Chinese forces have come in much larger strength to the LAC and that the Indian response is commensurate. As regards transgression of LAC, it was clearly stated that the violence in Galwan on 15 June arose because Chinese side was seeking to erect structures just across the LAC and refused to desist from such actions.

“The focus of the PM’s remarks in the APM discussions were the events of 15 June at Galwan that led to the loss of lives of 20 Indian military personnel. Prime Minister paid glowing tributes to the valour and patriotism of our armed forces who repulsed the designs of the Chinese there. The Prime Minister’s observations that there was no Chinese presence on our side of the LAC pertained to the situation as a consequence of the bravery of our armed forces. The sacrifices of the soldiers of the 16 Bihar Regiment foiled the attempt of the Chinese side to erect structures and also cleared the attempted transgression at this point of the LAC on that day.”

However, the PMO clarification is likely to add to the confusion that Modi and the government have spread by their use of vague and imprecise phrases.

The PMO uses the words “just across the LAC” to describe the location of the spot where the Chinese side was trying to erect structures and later refers to the Chinese efforts as as “attempted transgression”, which implies all of this action happened on the Chinese side. Elsewhere, the PMO statement quoted Modi as saying, “Those who tried to transgress our land were taught a befitting lesson by our brave sons of soil” – which is a loose and inaccurate translation of his exact words in Hindi, “Ladakh mein hamare 20 jaanbaz shaheed hue, lekin jinhone Bhart Mata ki taraf aankh uthakar dekha tha, unhein vo sabak sikhakar gaye (In Ladakh, 20 of our braves were martyred but after they taught a lesson to those who dared look at (covet) Mother India)”.

While Modi and the PMO’s new formulation is vague about the location of the clash, the MEA had said on June 17 that the structures Indian soldiers objected to were “on our side of the LAC”.

Indeed, the first statement issued by the MEA on June 16 right after the Galwan incident said the “violent face-off” had “happened as a result of an attempt by the Chinese side to unilaterally change the status quo there.” (emphasis added).

The MEA’s reference to unilateral attempts to change the status quo at Galwan makes it obvious the territory in question either falls on the Indian side of the LAC or is in an area where Indian and Chinese claim lines overlap.

There are around 23 such ‘areas of differing perception’, or ADPs, along the entire length of the India-China boundary from Ladakh in the west to Arunachal Pradesh in the east but Galwan has not been one of them. Until now, when China has begun making sovereignty claims over the entire valley. Which is why Modi’s claim that Chinese soldiers had not intruded is being seen by the strategic community as not just wrong but also damaging.

Speaking to The Wire, former national security advisor Shivshankar Menon expressed his puzzlement over the prime minister’s choice of words, calling it “an ill-considered and inaccurate statement that concedes territory and the gains of aggression.” “If this is so”, he added, “why and where were our soldiers killed?”

Also Read: In Talks, China Takes Hard Line, Claims All of Galwan Valley, Chunk of Pangong Tso

Pravin Sawhney, editor of FORCE magazine said India would have to pay “a heavy price for the appeasement of China, and soon…. The Chinese see appeasement as a sign of weakness which they will exploit to the fullest.” Like Menon, he too saw the prime minister’s assertion casting a shadow over the clash at Galwan. “How did 20 unarmed Indian soldiers die?” he asked. “Why were 10 soldiers taken captive by PLA? If no one has intruded into our territory, did India transgress into Chinese territory?”

“I can’t figure out why [Modi] should have done this, contradicting his own army top brass and external affairs minister,” a former Indian diplomat with extensive experience dealing with China  told The Wire on condition of anonymity. “There will be a domestic political price to pay no matter how they try and spin it. So there must have been a bigger price to be paid to justify this utterly pathetic climb down. What is that? I can’t believe this was inadvertent.”



Satellite view of the Galwan valley and Shyok river. Image: The Wire/Google Maps

While the MEA has always rejected as “inaccurate” any suggestion that Indian troops had undertaken activity across the LAC – this was reiterated recently, on May 21 – the Chinese side has been repeatedly claiming that the violent clash took place when “Indian forces crossed the Line of Actual Control again, made deliberate provocations and even violently attacked the Chinese soldiers who went for negotiations”. This was reiterated by the foreign minister Wang Yi in his conversation with Jaishankar, as per the Chinese foreign ministry readout.

On June 16, the Chinese PLA western theatre command’s spokesperson, while claiming that Indian soldiers had crossed the LAC and “launched provocative attacks”, had also asserted Chinese sovereignty over the Galwan valley area.

The region is, of course, named after the Galwan river, which is named after a Ladakhi explorer, Ghulam Rasool Galwan who discovered a route through the region. His descendants still live in Ladakh. There is no Chinese name for the valley, with Chinese statements also using this nomenclature. The Chinese army claim is also controverted by China’s own maps which draw the boundary/LAC hundreds of metres short of the Galwan river’s confluence with the Shyok river, thus rendering a part of the Galwan valley on the Indian side of the LAC.

After the Chinese foreign ministry also reiterated the claim over the entire Galwan valley, the MEA spokesperson described this as “exaggerated and untenable”.

Also Read: ‘Chinese Behaviour Has Been Very Different From Anything in the Past’: Former NSA Shivshankar Menon

The LAC, the de-facto border, between India and China has never been demarcated or delineated. When India attempted to exchange maps for the western sector in 2012, China brought the process to a halt.

However, the Indian and Chinese sides have had a perception of each other’s claim line based on observing decades of patrolling patterns and border meetings. In the areas of different perception (ADP) on the LAC, where the claim lines of the two sides overlap, Chinese and Indian soldiers regularly come face-to-face, before withdrawing back as per an elaborate system of drills.

In Indian official language, when Chinese soldiers come into these ADPs, this is not considered an “intrusion” but a “transgression” of the LAC. The PM’s statement, however, does not use that term for Chinese actions either.

In any case, Galwan had not been part of this list of ADPs, as India had considered the LAC to be settled as per the withdrawal line of the Chinese after the 1962 war.

Incidentally, the Chinese side of the LAC here is also, officially, Indian territory. The LAC determines only effective control and therefore, India has still not withdrawn its claim to Aksai Chin, which has been emphasised repeatedly through parliamentary resolutions, government statements and more recently, the Indian home minister.


China’s traditional claim line stops short of the confluence of the Galwan and Shyok rivers, encompassing most but not all of the Galwan valley. IMap showing ‘Historical development of Western Sector Boundary’. Source: Neville Maxwell, India’s China War (Pelican, 1972)

China now wants India to keep off Galwan estuary

On Friday, the Chinese foreign ministry published a document that makes it clear Beijing’s claim over Galwan has extended beyond their withdrawal points as depicted in Chinese maps from 1962.

A few hours after the all party meeting where Indian PM made the statement no one had intruded into Indian territory, the Chinese embassy’s spokesperson tweeted a link of a publication that gave China’s “Step-by-Step Account of the Galwan Valley Incident”.

It began by stating that “Galwan Valley is located on the Chinese side of the Line of Actual Control in the west section of the China-India boundary”

Galwan’s strategic important is that its heights have a dominating position over the Darbuk-Shyok-Daulat Beg Oldie road built by India.

China claims that the since April, India has been building infrastructure in Galwan, which led to “representations and protests on multiple occasions”.


On May 6, Indian troops crossed the LAC by night, China alleged, and impeded patrol movements by “building fortifications and barricades”, which led to the first confrontation. The Chinese foreign ministry’s account states that India agreed to withdraw and demolish its “facilities”.

A month later, the senior commander level meeting on June 6 reached a “consensus”, the Chinese foreign ministry claims, that Indian patrols “would not cross the estuary of the Galwan river”.

Also Read: China’s Galwan Valley Gambit is Attempt to Extend Official Claim Line, LAC Westward

This means that the Chinese have extended their claim upto the confluence of the Galwan and the Shyok rivers, near which India’s road to Daulat Beg Oldie passes.

While India has also repeatedly stressed that the understanding reached at June 6 should be implemented, Indian statements don’t provide further details and stated that the agreement was for a process of de-escalation.

Chinese deployments at Pangong lake

Among the three areas of contention in the ongoing tensions, Pangong Tso lake has always been the most volatile and is also in the list of ADPs.

The Indian claim line crosses ‘Finger 8’, one of the mountainous spurs jutting into the lake, while the Chinese states that the LAC lies at Finger 2. Previously, India has patrolled till Finger 6.

This time, the Chinese came down to ‘Finger 4’, where they scuffled with Indian troops on night of May 10-11. As per satellite images, China has changed the status quo at the Fingers and built “substantial’ structures.

According to Nathan Ruser of Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), the Chinese have constructed 500 structures, fortified trenches and a new boatshed over 20 kilometres between Fingers 4 and 5.

At Hot Springs, Ruser analyses that satellite imagery from late May shows that there are two dirt tracks that go into “Indian-controlled territory”. “There are no PLA positions on the Indian side of the LAC; however, these tracks suggest that PLA forces are regularly making incursions into Indian territory, at a remote part of the LAC that is 10 kilometres from the nearest Indian positions,” he claims.

Note: This story was edited to include details from the PMO’s press release issued at 1:40 pm on June 20.

మేమిద్దరం మాట్లాడుకుంటున్నాం... మీ జోక్యం అనవసరం : అమెరికాకు తేల్చి చెప్పిన రాజ్‌నాథ్ సింగ్

మేమిద్దరం మాట్లాడుకుంటున్నాం... మీ జోక్యం అనవసరం : అమెరికాకు తేల్చి చెప్పిన రాజ్‌నాథ్ సింగ్

ఢిల్లీ : లడఖ్‌లో నెలకొన్న వివాదంపై చైనాతో చర్చలు కొనసాగుతున్నాయని కేంద్ర రక్షణ శాఖా మంత్రి రాజ్‌నాథ్ సింగ్ శనివారం ప్రకటించారు. భారత్, చైనాకు చెందిన సైనిక, దౌత్య స్థాయిలోని అధికారులు ఒకరితో ఒకరు మాట్లాడుకుంటూనే ఉన్నారని ఆయన తెలిపారు. రెండు దేశాలు కూడా ఈ వివాదాన్ని పరిష్కరించుకోడం వైపే మొగ్గు చూపుతున్నాయని, తొందర్లోనే సమస్య పరిష్కారమవుతుందని ధీమా వ్యక్తం చేశారు. ఈ విషయంపై ఆయన ఓ జాతీయ ఛానల్‌తో అభిప్రాయాలను పంచుకున్నారు.

ఈ విషయంపై ఇరు దేశాల ప్రతినిధులు చర్చలు జరుపుతూనే ఉన్నారని, అమెరికా జోక్యం అనవసరమని, ఓ పద్ధతి ప్రకారం పరిష్కారమవుతాయని ఆయన తేల్చి చెప్పారు. అయితే శుక్రవారం సాయంత్రం రాజ్‌నాథ్ సింగ్ అమెరికా ప్రతినిధి మార్క్ ఎస్పేర్‌తో సమావేశం అయ్యారు. ఈ సమావేశంలో కూడా మళ్లీ మధ్యవర్తిత్వం అన్న ప్రతిపాదన వచ్చినట్లు ఆయన పేర్కొన్నారు.

‘‘భారత్, చైనాలు ఈ విషయంపై మాట్లాడుకుంటున్నాయి. ఏవైనా సమస్యలు ఉత్పన్నమైతే తామిద్దరమే పరిష్కరించుకుంటాం. మిలటరీ స్థాయి అధికారులు, దౌత్యవేత్తలతో పరిష్కారం చేసుకుంటాం. ఇప్పటికే చర్చలు కొనసాగుతున్నాయని నేను ఆ అధికారికి తేల్చి చెప్పాను’’ అని రాజ్‌నాథ్ వెల్లడించారు.

ప్రపంచ దేశాలన్నింటితోనూ భారత్ సత్సంబంధాలనే కోరుకుంటోందని, అది తమ ప్రభుత్వ విధానమని ఆయన తేల్చి చెప్పారు. ఇందు కోసం తాము శతధా ప్రయత్నిస్తామని, అయితే కొన్ని సందర్భాలు మాత్రం తద్భిన్నంగా ఉంటాయని పేర్కొన్నారు. చైనాతో సరిహద్దు వివాదంలో గతంలో కూడా జరిగాయని, వాటిని పరిష్కరించుకుంటామని రాజ్‌నాథ్‌ తేల్చి చెప్పారు. 

PM Modi's letter to the nation: Read full text here

PM Modi's letter to the nation: Read full text here
30 May 2020, 09:07 AM IST

Staff Writer
Modi govt was sworn-in for a second successive term on May 30 last year after leading BJP-led NDA a thumping majority in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

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PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has written an open letter to the people of India as his government completes one year of its second term. PM Modi in his letter listed out several initiatives, achievements and big decisions taken by his government, while expressing confidence of victory in the country's battle against coronavirus.

PM Modi was sworn-in for a second successive term on May 30 last year after leading BJP-led NDA a thumping majority in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Here is full text of PM Modi's letter:

Dear friends,

A year ago, a golden chapter was added to the history of Indian democracy. After decades, the people of the country gave a second opportunity to a government elected with a full majority. You have played a major role in writing this chapter. Today presents an opportunity for me to bow to you and honour you for your commitment to India and Indian democracy.

Had the situation been normal, I would have been blessed to be in your midst. However, the circumstances brought about by the global coronavirus pandemic have led me to write this letter and seek your blessings. In the past one year, your affection, blessings and active participation have given me fresh energy and inspiration. During this period, you have shown to the world democracy's collective strength, which has become an example before the entire world.

In the year 2014, the people voted for a big change; you voted to change the policy and system (niti and reeti). In those five years, the country saw extricating itself from the quagmire of inertia and corruption. In those five years, the country inspired by Antyodaya has seen the change in governance in easing the lives of the poor.

In that tenure, on the one hand, the country's prestige before the world grew, and on the other, we raised the dignity of the poor by opening their bank accounts, making available free cooking gas and electricity connection for them; and by building homes and toilets for them. In that tenure, whereas there were surgical and air strikes, there were also works for one-rank-one-pension, one-nation-one-tax GST and fulfillment of decades' old demands involving procurement of crops under MSP for farmers. That tenure was dedicated to meeting several needs of the country.

In 2019, your blessings meant dreaming big for the country, for high hopes and for meeting the aspirations. The decisions taken in the last one year are the reflections of those big dreams. The people's power fuelled by the common man is effulgently shining as the nation's strength. In the past one year, the country had many dreams, many resolves as it also continuously took several steps towards realizing those goals.

In this historic journey, each community, each section and each individual has played one's part responsibly. 'Sabka sath, sabka vikas' with this mantra, the country is forging ahead in all directions -- social, economic, global or internal.

in the last one year, some important decisions have been in discussion, and that is why it is natural to for these achievements to linger on in our memory. Whether it was the topic of Article 370 for national unity and integrity, or the happy outcome of age-old conflict over the Ram temple construction, or the factor disrupting the modern social system, the 'triple talaq' or the symbol of India's compassion, the citizenship law – all these achievements you remember.

Amid these decisions which came in quick succession, there are many other decisions and changes that have given new momentum to India's development journey, have given us new objectives as we have strived to fulfill many expectations of the people. The constitution of the post of Chief of Defence Staff has led to increased coordination among armed forces. At the same time, India has accelerated its preparations for Mission Gaganyaan.

In this period, our priority has been to empower the poor, farmers, women and the youth.

Today, each farmer has been covered under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi. In the last one year, under this scheme, over ₹72,000 crore have been deposited in the bank accounts of more 9.5 crore farmers.

To make available piped drinking water for the country's over 15 crore rural population, the 'Jal Jeevan Mission' has been initiated.

To ensure better health care for our more than 50 crore cattle, a massive campaign for livestock vaccination is under way.

For the first time in the nation's history, the government has decided to offer the facility of ₹3,000 monthly pension for farmers, farm labourers, small shopkeepers and workers belonging to the unorganized sector after the age of 60 years.

A separate department has been formed to strengthen 'blue economy' and increase the facilities for fishermen. Similarly, it has been decided to constitute National Traders Board to timely resolve issues concerning business enterprises. About 7 crore sisters associated with self-help groups have been given more financial assistance. Recently, the loan amount available without guarantee for self-help groups has been doubled to ₹20 lakh from ₹10 lakh.

Keeping the education of tribals' children in mind, a campaign is under way to build more than 450 Eklavya Model Residential Schools.

The government has also worked expeditiously towards making better laws linked with common man's welfare. Our Parliament has broken decades' old record in conducting legislative business. That's why several laws – the Consumer Protection Act, amendment to Chit fund law, and laws concerning more security for women and children – have been quickly enacted.

The government policies have led to bridging the gulf between the urban and rural lives. For the first time, the internet users in rural areas have outnumbered the urban counterparts by 10 per cent.

The list of historic works and decisions is very long. It is not possible to elaborate on all of them in this letter. But I would surely say that in the last one year, each day round the clock, the government has worked with full awareness, sensitivity, and has taken decisions.

Just when we were moving quickly towards realizing our country's aspirations, the corona pandemic surrounded India too.

On the one hand, there are countries with massive economies and most modern health services, and on the other, there is India with its huge population and so many challenges. Many people had expressed their apprehensions that when corona would attack India, the country itself would become a trouble for the world. Today, all countrymen have changed the way they look at India. You have proved that your collective capability and capacity are unprecedented in comparison with other more resourceful and prosperous countries.

You have shown that India alone holds the guarantee for a greater and better India – whether it was collective clapping or thali-beating or lighting the lamps, whether it was honouring of corona warriors by the armed forces, or following the Janata curfew or following the lockdown rules with sincerity.

In this crisis, no one can claim that nobody has been put to trouble or inconvenience. Our workers, migrant brother and sister labourers, those working in small industries, cart pushers and vendors, our shopkeeper brothers and sisters and those having small businesses have suffered immensely. We all are working together in an attempt to sort out their problems.

But we have to be careful that these inconveniences should not transform into a crisis of life. For that, each Indian has to follow all directives. We have to move forward with the same patience and courage that we shown so far. This is the reason why the situation in India has so far been manageable in comparison with other countries.

This battle will stretch on, but we are on way to victory and, to be victorious is our common resolve.

We can draw inspiration from those people who recently faced the Cyclone Amphan boldly. They worked hard to reduce the damage caused by the cyclone.

Under the given circumstances, there have been discussions as to how economies of India along with other nations will emerge out of the crisis. At the same time, there is this belief that the way India has surprised the world in facing coronavirus with its unity, the country can present the same example in the economic field -- 130 crore Indians can not only surprise the world but can also inspire it.

Today, the time demands that we must stand on our feet, and we will have to move on our own strength. And for this, there is only one path: a self-reliant India (atmanirbhar Bharat). The recent economic package of ₹20 lakh crore is a big step towards 'Atmanirbhar Bharat' campaign. This campaign will usher in a new trend of opportunities for every countryman – our farmers, workers and labourers, medium enterprises and the youth associated with startups. India will reduce its dependence on imports with the sweat of its citizens, with their hard work and skills, thus becoming self-dependent.

You have continued to bless me with your affection in the past six years. The country has moved ahead with unprecedented pace with historic decisions and development. But I know there is so much left to be done. The country has many challenges and problems before it. I am making all efforts day and night. I may have some deficiency, but the country does not have any. That is why I place more confidence in you, in your strength and in your capacity. You, your support and your blessings are the energy behind my resolve.

The global pandemic has brought about a crisis situation, but at the same time, for us Indians, this is also the time for determination. We have to remember that no calamity, no crisis can determine the present or future of 130 crore Indians. We will decide our present and, the future too.

We will move ahead, we will race ahead to progress and we will be victorious. It is said in our country: "Kritam me dakshine haste, jayo me savya ahita-h" – meaning, in one hand we carry our deeds and duties and in the other, sure success.

I bow before you yet again with a wish for our country's success forever. Best wishes for you and your family. Be healthy, be safe. Be aware and be conscious.

Your Pradhan Sevak

కరోనా కట్టడిలో మనమే స్ఫూర్తి

May 30 2020 @ 02:34AMహోంజాతీయం

ప్రజల మద్దతుతోనే సాధ్యమైంది..
20లక్షల కోట్ల ప్యాకేజీ ముందడుగు
370 రద్దుతో సమైక్యత
సీఏఏతో కలుపుకెళ్లేతత్వం
చెత్తబుట్టలో ట్రిపుల్‌ తలాక్‌
మందిరంపై సుప్రీం తీర్పుతో
చర్చకు సుహృద్భావ ముగింపు
తిరిగి అధికారంలోకి వచ్చి ఏడాది
ప్రజలకు ప్రధాని బహిరంగ లేఖ


న్యూఢిల్లీ, మే 29:  మనదేశాన్ని కరోనా మహమ్మారి తాకినప్పుడు ప్రపంచానికి భారత్‌ ఓ సమస్యగా మారుతుందని చాలామంది  కలవరపడ్డారని.. ప్రజల మద్దతుతోనే వైర్‌సను ఎదుర్కొన్నామని, దీంతో ఇప్పుడు ప్రపంచమంతా భారత్‌వైపే చూస్తోందని ప్రధానమంత్రి  నరేంద్ర మోదీ పేర్కొన్నారు. ప్రజల ఆశయాలు, ఆకాంక్షలను నెరవేర్చే దిశగా తమ ప్రభుత్వం సాగుతున్న సమయంలోనే ప్రపంచమంతా వ్యాపించిన కరోనా వైరస్‌ భారత్‌నూ చుట్టుముట్టిందని అన్నారు.

కరోనాపై పోరాడుతూనే ఆర్థిక వ్యవస్థ కోలుకునేట్లు చేసుకోవడం ద్వారా ప్రపంచాన్ని భారత్‌ ఆశ్చర్యంలో ముంచెత్తిందన్నారు. కరోనా మహమ్మారితో ఇప్పుడు నడుస్తోంది సంక్షోభ సమయమేనని..  దేశ ప్రజలంతా మరింత పట్టుదలతో వ్యవహరించాల్సిన సమయం కూడా ఇదేనని సూచించారు. లాక్‌డౌన్‌తో వలస కార్మికులు, చేతి వృత్తుల వారు, హస్త కళాకారులు ఎన్నో కష్టాలు పడ్డారని.. ఆ సమస్యను తగ్గించడానికి దేశ ప్రజలంతా ఐక్యంగా ముందుకు సాగుతున్నారని అన్నారు. కరోనా కట్టడి కోసం పోరాడుతున్న వైద్యులు, పోలీసులు, పారిశుధ్య సిబ్బందికి మద్దతుగా చప్పట్లు కొట్టినా.. దీపాలు వెలిగించినా, సాయుధ దళాలను గౌరవించినా , జనతా కర్ఫ్యూ, లాక్‌డౌన్‌ నిబంధనలకు కట్టుబడటం అయినా ప్రతి సందర్భంలోనూ ‘శ్రేష్ఠ్‌ భారత్‌’కు మద్దతుగా  ‘ఏక్‌ భారత్‌’గా నిలిచారు అని కొనియాడారు.


బీజేపీ ప్రభుత్వం వరుసగా రెండోసారి అధికారంలోకి వచ్చి శనివారం (మే 30)తో ఏడాది పూర్తయిన సందర్భంగా  దేశప్రజలను ఉద్దేశించి ‘నా సహచర భారతీయులారా’ అంటూ ఆయన లేఖ రాశారు. గత సార్వత్రిక ఎన్నికల్లో బీజేపీ ప్రభుత్వాన్ని కొనసాగించాలనే ఉద్దేశంతో మాత్రమే ప్రజలు ఓటు వేయలేదని, భారత దేశాన్ని సమున్నతంగా చూడాలన్న కల సాకరం కావడానికే కమలం గుర్తుకు ఓటు వేశారని మోదీ అన్నారు. రెండోసారి తమ పార్టీ అధికారంలోకి వచ్చిన తరుణం దేశ ప్రజాస్వామ్య చరిత్రలోనే సువర్ణాధ్యాయం అని ఆయన పేర్కొన్నారు. సర్జికల్‌ దాడులు, వైమానిక దాడుల ద్వారా భారత్‌ తన శక్తిని ప్రపంచానికి చాటిందని మోదీ పేర్కొన్నారు. వన్‌ ర్యాంక్‌-వన్‌ పెన్షన్‌, వన్‌ నేషన్‌-వన్‌ ట్యాక్స్‌, మెరుగైన గరిష్ఠ మద్దతు ధర లాంటివి సాకారం చేసుకున్నామన్నారు.


కశ్మీర్‌ నుంచి ఆర్టికల్‌ 370 తొలగింపు దేశ సమైక్యత, సమగ్రతా స్ఫూర్తిని మరింతగా పెంచిందన్నారు. అయోధ్య రామ మందిరంపై సుప్రీం కోర్టు వెలువరించిన తీర్పుతో శతాబ్దాలుగా సాగుతున్న ఓ చర్చకు సుహృద్భావ ముగింపు వచ్చిందన్నారు. క్రూరమైన ట్రిపుల్‌ తలాక్‌ విధానాన్ని చెత్తబుట్టలో పారేశామని, పౌరసత్వ చట్టానికి చేసిన సవరణ భారత దేశపు కరుణను, కలుపుకపోయే తత్వాన్ని చాటిచెప్పిందన్నారు. పీఎం కిసాన్‌ సమ్మాన్‌ నిధి రైతులందరికీ వస్తోందని.. ఏడాదిలోనే 9.5కోట్లమంది రైతుల ఖాతాలో 72వేల కోట్లు జమ చేశామని పేర్కొన్నారు. జల్‌ జీవన్‌ మిషన్‌ ద్వారా 15కోట్లకు పైగా గ్రామీణ గృహాలకు పైపుల ద్వారా తాగునీరు సరఫరా చేస్తున్నామన్నారు. దేశ చరిత్రలో తొలిసారిగా రైతులు, రైతు కూలీలు, చిన్న దుకాణదార్లు, అసంఘటిత కార్మికులు, 60 ఏళ్లపైబడ్డ వారికి రూ.3వేల చొప్పున పెన్షన్‌ ఇస్తున్నామన్నారు. స్వయం సహాయక బృందంలోని 7కోట్లమంది మహిళలకు ఇచ్చే రుణాలను రెట్టింపు చేశామని తెలిపారు.

2014-19 మధ్య భారత్‌ ప్రతిష్ఠ పెరిగింది

2014లో ప్రజలు మార్పును కోరుకొని ఓటు వేశారన్నారు మోదీ. తాము అధికారంలోకి వచ్చిన తర్వాత అవినీతిని దూరం చేసి.. పాలనను గాడిలో పెట్టామన్నారు. ‘అంత్యోదయ’ స్ఫూర్తికి కట్టుబడి లక్షల మంది ప్రజల జీవితాల్లో మార్పు తీసుకొచ్చామన్నారు. ఆర్థికంగా అందరినీ కలుపుకొని పోవడంతో 2014 నుంచి 2019 మధ్య దేశ ప్రతిష్ఠ గణనీయంగా పెరిగిందన్నారు. ఇటీవల ఆత్మనిర్భర్‌ భారత్‌ అభియాన్‌ కింద ప్రకటించిన రూ.20లక్షల కోట్ల ప్యాకేజీ క్లిష్ట దశలో కీలక ముందడుగుగా అభివర్ణించారు.

After 31 top defaulters flee, India seeks to shut the gates

After 31 top defaulters flee, India seeks to shut the gates

Govt has compiled a list of people it is considering barring from leaving the country because of their involvement with companies that have defaulted on loans.
Bloomberg|Last Updated: Mar 15, 2018, 04.52 PM IST

By Shruti Srivastava and Anto Antony

From London to St. Kitts, India’s struggling to extradite businessmen it claims have fled the country after defaulting on billions of dollars of bank loans. Now it hopes to stop others from leaving.

The government has compiled a list of 91 people it is considering barring from leaving India because of their involvement with companies that have defaulted, said a person with knowledge of the matter.

The people were selected because of their roles as directors or owners of Indian companies which have been identified as so-called wilful defaulters, firms which refuse to repay loans despite having the means to do so, the person said, asking not to be identified as the information is private. Some 400 Indian companies have been classified as wilful defaulters.

In addition he Governmebnt has asked Indian banks to provide passport details of a larger group of individuals who have signed applications or stood as guarantors for soured credits of more than Rs 50 crore ($7.7 million), the person said, declining to elaborate. Some individuals from that group may also be barred from leaving the country if they are found to have committed fraud or engaged in wilful defaults, the person added.

Mounting Anger
Pblic anger against the government is mounting after two prominent jewelers left the country just before their alleged involvement in the nation’s biggest bank fraud came to light. Less than a month after first details emerged, lawmakers introduced a bill that will give authorities power to impound the assets of fugitive offenders -- people who have fled the country after committing an economic offence involving 1 billion rupees or more.

Some 31 Indians have fled abroad to avoid prosecution, lawmakers were told in parliament on Wednesday. These include Vijay Mallya, the tycoon behind India’s best-selling beer, who’s becoming something of a fixture in London courts as he fights cases including extradition. Also named are Nirav Modi, his wife Ami Modi and brother Neeshal Modi, who’re accused in the Punjab National Bank fraud, and Jatin Mehta, another jeweler who allegedly fled to St. Kitts. The Modis deny any wrongdoing.

“It is logical that someone accused of an offence is not allowed to leave the country because extradition requires proof of criminal offence and it is difficult to establish this beyond doubt,” Aditya Puri, the chief executive officer of HDFC Bank Ltd., told the Times of India in an interview published last week. “Banks are custodians of public money"

With national elections due early next year, the government is under pressure to act against wealthy defaulters. India’s regulator has also stepped up efforts to clean up $210 billion of bad loans in the banking system, partly by tightening bankrupcy rules.

Tjhere is a lot of pressure on the industry right now,” said Arpinder Singh, a partner at EY who oversees fraud investigations across India and emerging markets. Finance Ministry spokesman D.S. Malik didn’t respond to calls made to his mobile phone seeking comment on the government’s steps.

"Those who had funneled money overseas hoping to flee if the recovery push comes to shove will be worried,” said Kranthi Bathini, director of Mumbai-based financial advisory company WealthMills Securities Pvt. “While some horses have already bolted to countries with tough extradition laws, it is not yet too late to close the gates.”

Zee News & News 18 India on Arab states, Ramdev breaks rules with ‘lauki’ juice on India TV

Zee News & News 18 India on Arab states, Ramdev breaks rules with ‘lauki’ juice on India TV
A quick take on what prime time TV news talked about.
KAIRVY GREWAL 30 April, 2020 9:49 am IST

Yoga guru Baba Ramdev
Yoga guru Baba Ramdev | ANI Photo
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New Delhi: Prime time discussions Wednesday circled around the coronavirus (obviously!) and the remarks made by Delhi Minority Commission Chairman Zaraful-Islam Khan. Khan thanked Arab nations for their support to Indian Muslims Tuesday.

Most Hindi TV anchors were greatly agitated by this statement.


Zee News’ anchor Aman Chopra was feeling rather poetic, “Mere angne mein Muslim deshon ka kya kaam,” (What’s the need of Muslim nations in my land?).

Then he had a bad thought: “Ramzan ke mahine mein Hindustan ki barbaadi ke sapne dekh rahe hai,” (At the time of Ramzan, people are dreaming of India’s destruction).

Tarek Fateh, Pakistani journalist and occasional writer, sought to clarify what the Arabs actually meant, “Inko Arab mein pooch kaun raha hai. Yeh Arab unse baat nahi karte, yeh codeword hai Pakistan ka. Arabs ko toh pata nahi hai Hindustan kahan hai.” (Who is asking about them? This is all a codeword for Pakistan. Arabs don’t even know where India is.)

VDO.AI


News 18 India’s anchor Amish Devgan was angry, “Arab deshon ke naam par Hindustan ko dhamkaya ja raha hai,” (Indians are being threatened in the name of Arabs).

On the show, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said, “Jo minority commission ne chitti daali hai woh unconstitutional aur anti-Indian statement hai,” (The letter and comments by the chairman of minority commission are both unconstitutional and anti-Indian.)

Patra continued, “He didn’t trust India’s judiciary so he felt the need to reach out to Arab Nations. He has threatened the sovereignty of India.”

Away from this, India TV had something very important to ask yoga guru Ramdev after he drank some lauki ka juice: “You had the juice right after doing yoga, can one drink the juice so quickly or should they wait for a while?”

Ramdev grinned — “Mera sharir ekdum swasth hai toh mujh par vishesh niyam lagu nahi hai, baaki jo yog abhyas karte hai woh 10 min baad le sakte hai,” (My body is very fit, so ordinary rules don’t apply to me. For others who do yoga, they should drink after 10 minutes).


He also suggested that viewers can add some lemon and mint to their lauki ka juice and promised that it would be so tasty that it would be hard to put it down. Okay then.



India Today’s anchor Rahul Kanwal had some “concrete evidence” and he didn’t let anyone forget that. Kanwal said, “Evidence has emerged that suggests China in early January knew about the fact that they had a raging contagion on their hands and that it could spread globally. Despite that for some mystifying reason the Chinese authority didn’t even reveal it to their own people so much so they went out to celebrate their Lunar New Year.”

“This is what has been insinuated so far. What’s new and very, very intriguing is that there are official documents that China knew and lied deliberately about,” he added.



ET Now’s Chandra R. Srikanth was in conversation with N.R. Narayan Murthy, founder of Infosys. Srikanth asked, “If you have to assess India’s response to Covid-19, are people happy about how we imposed the lockdown early?”

Murthy made a pros and cons list, “The positives are the fact that India recognised this danger pretty early and took steps to de-accelerate the virus. The PM has also taken a personal interest. The fact that political parties fully cooperated and didn’t politicise the issue is also a big positive.”

Listing the negatives, Murthy said, “But we have not been able to ramp up our testing facility. Even if we are able to test one lakh people a day, we would take 37 years to cover the entire population. It is a moving target.”

On NDTV 24×7, Vishnu Som came with some breaking news, “In a very important decision, the Home Ministry has decided that the movement of persons despite the lockdown will be allowed. This involves migrant workers, students, stranded tourists.”

Som noted, “This is a breakaway from what was decided earlier on the policy that wherever migrants or tourists or others were, they would stay over there in the interest of trying to prevent coronavirus.”

He also called for the need to designate nodal authorities and delegate standard protocol.

Midnight Order Allows More Shops: What Can Open, What Can't

Midnight Order Allows More Shops: What Can Open, What Can't
India coronavirus lockdown: Malls, cinemas and market complexes will stay closed, the government says.
All IndiaReported by Neeta Sharma, Edited by Arun NairUpdated: April 25, 2020 02:37 pm IST
by TaboolaSponsored LinksSponsored
Master's in Data Science from a Global University | Initial fee of just INR 10,000. (upGrad)
Unbelievable and Funny Photos Taken At The Subway (MisterStocks)
Midnight Order Allows More Shops: What Can Open, What Can't
New guidelines for lockdown: The Centre said e-commerce companies can only sell essential items.. (AFP)




New Delhi: From today, neighbourhood shops can reopen for business after the government announced new relaxations during the coronavirus lockdown in a late-night order. The new order comes as big relief for traders as well as residents after a month of the nationwide lockdown to check the spread of COVID-19, which is due to end on May 3. The relaxations will not apply to areas that are COVID-19 hotspots or containment areas, with a large number of infections. For the first time in a month, local shops selling both essential and non-essential goods can open. Malls, cinemas and market complexes will stay closed, the government says. However, with public transport still closed, employees of shops that can re-open could still find it tough to get to work.
The government, in the morning, clarified that e-commerce companies can only sell essential items.

The Home Ministry also says masks, gloves and social distancing norms will be a must for workers in establishments that open. States can decide whether they want to continue with the restrictions, the government said. Delhi, for example, has said it will decide in two days whether to reopen shops as allowed by the latest order.

Here is a look at what reopens from today:

Shops registered under the Shops and Establishment Act of the respective State/Union Territory, including shops in residential complexes and market complexes, outside the municipal corporations and municipalities, will be allowed to open
All shops in residential areas and neighbourhood markets will be open
In rural and semi-rural areas, all shops and markets that are registered can open. In cities, only standalone shops and residential shops can open
Shops in registered markets outside municipal corporations and municipalities can open only with 50 per cent staff
In urban areas, non-essential goods and services will be allowed to operate provided they are in residential areas or is a standalone shop
Market complexes, except those within the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities, are allowed to open
What will remain shut

Malls and cinemas
Salons, barber shops, restaurants
Complexes with clusters of shops like Mumbai's BKC or Delhi's Khan Market and Nehru Place
Shops in multi-brand and single-brand malls outside the limits of municipal corporations and municipalities
Shopping complexes, shops in market complexes, multi-brand and single-brand malls
Gymnasiums, sports complexes, swimming pools, theatres, bars and auditoriums
Liquor shops
Boutiques in malls cannot open

Centre to classify all districts into three categories based on cases reported,

Coronavirus Outbreak: Centre to classify all districts into three categories based on cases reported, 170 hotspots identified so far
FP Staff Apr 15, 2020 18:05 PM IST
   
The Union health ministry on Wednesday said that all districts across the country will be classified into three categories based on the occurrence of novel coronavirus cases in each of them.

Health ministry bulletin:

Health ministry joint secretary Lav Agarwal, during the daily media briefing on coronavirus, said that 1,076 new coronavirus cases have been reported in the last 24 hours, taking the country's tally to 11,439 cases so far. While 377 deaths have been reported in total, 270 people have recovered from the infection, he added.

 Coronavirus Outbreak: Centre to classify all districts into three categories based on cases reported, 170 hotspots identified so farLav Agarwal, joint secretary in the health ministry addressing the media. File image. ANI
"The percentage of patients who are recovering is 11.41 percent. This rate has been increasing in the past few days," he was quoted as saying.

Agarwal said that the aim of the exercise of classifying the districts is to "efficiently manage the fight against coronavirus pandemic".

"The districts of the country will be classified into three categories, which are hotspot districts, non-hotspot districts with cases being reported from there and the green zone districts," he said.

Follow LIVE updates on coronavirus outbreak here

"The Union cabinet secretary held a video conference today with all chief secretaries, DGPs, health secretaries, collectors, SPs, municipal commissioners and CMOs in the hotspots and orientation on field level implementation of containment strategy was given," he added.

Agarwal defined the term 'hotspot district' as those where there are a high number of COVID-19 cases, "or rate of growth of cases is more", reports said.

Agarwal further said that around 170 districts have been categorised as hotspots as of Tuesday, whereas 207 have been categorised under as 'non-hotspot areas with some cases'.

He also reiterated that there is no instance of community transmission in the country yet. "We are seeing local outbreaks or clusters. We have implemented containment measures," he was quoted as saying by The News Minute. 

Meanwhile, Dr R Gangakhedkar of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that 73 private labs had been approved, and 22 private labs were currently conducting tests for coronavirus.

On being asked whether research had confirmed whether the COVID-19 strain had infected humans from bats, he said, "As per research in China, it was found that coronavirus might have originated due to mutation in bats. Bats might have transmitted it to pangolins, from pangolins it got transmitted to humans."

He added, "We also conducted surveillance, in which we found that there are two types of bats, and they carried coronavirus which was not capable of affecting humans. It's rare, maybe once in 1,000 years that it gets transmitted from bats to humans."

MHA bulletin:

In light of protests from migrant workers in Surat and Mumbai on Tuesday, the MHA was on Wednesday asked about the Centre's measures to make the workers aware about the extension of the lockdown.

In reply, an MHA official said that guidelines and advisories had been issued, The News Minute reported.

Additionally, the MHA said that revised guidelines for the extended lockdown included relaxations of the restrictions "in areas that are not sensitive or aren't hotposts, on two conditions: Lockdown measures and social distancing should be followed, and national COVID-19 guidelines should be followed," the report said.

With inputs from agencies

Nizamuddin Markaz head Maulana Saad agreed to vacate building after NSA Ajit Doval paid a visit

Nizamuddin Markaz head Maulana Saad agreed to vacate building after NSA Ajit Doval paid a visit at 2 AM: Sources
National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval was directed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to meet Maulana Saad, head of Nizamuddin Markaz, and convince him to vacate the Banglewali Masjid in New Delhi after repeated pleas by Delhi Police and other security agencies failed to impress Maulana Saad, who is also the head of Tablighi Jamaat.

Nizamuddin Markaz head Maulana Saad agreed to vacate building after NSA Ajit Doval paid a visit at 2 AM: Sources
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Written By:
Zee Media Bureau
Edited By:
Tanweer Azam
Updated:
Apr 01, 2020, 13:21 PM IST
National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval was directed by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to meet Maulana Saad, head of Nizamuddin Markaz, and convince him to vacate the Banglewali Masjid in New Delhi after repeated pleas by Delhi Police and other security agencies failed to impress Maulana Saad, who is also the head of Tablighi Jamaat.

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) officials told Zee News that Doval reached Nizamuddin Markaz at around 2.00 am on March 28-29 night to meet Maulana Saad and convinced him to get the people present inside the building tested for coronavirus COVID-19 infection and be quarantined. Sources said that Maulana Saad agreed to vacate the mosque after meeting NSA Doval.

The Union Home Minister swung into actoon after the security agencies found that nine Indonesians who tested positive at Karimnagar, in Telangana, on March 18 had visited Nizamuddin Markaz to attend a religious congregation.

In a related development, Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia said on Wednesday that Tablighi Jamaat's Markaz has been cleared after the evacuation of 2,361 people in the past 36 hours. Sisodia tweeted that out of the 2,361 people, 617 have been admitted to hospitals while the rest have been placed in quarantine.

On Tuesday (March 31), Crime Branch of Delhi Police lodged an FIR against Maulana Saad and others of Tablighi Jamaat for violation of government order issued in the wake of coronavirus COVID-19 outbreak. The case was filed under three sections of Epidemic Disease Act 1897- Section 269, 270, 271, and 120-B of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for violation of directions given to the management of Markaz of Basti Nizamuddin. 

The order was issued for restriction of social/political/religious gathering and for taking safety measures, including social distancing for prevention and treatment of coronavirus COVID-19 infection.

Over 25,500 Linked To Delhi Sect Event Quarantined, Says Centre

Over 25,500 Linked To Delhi Sect Event Quarantined, Says Centre
Of a total 4,067 coronavirus cases in country, at least 1,445 cases are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event, the government said.
All IndiaEdited by Divyanshu Dutta Roy 
Updated: April 06, 2020 05:04 pm IST
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New Delhi: More than 25,500 local workers of the Islamic missionary group Tablighi Jamaat and people who came in contact with them have been quarantined amid the coronavirus pandemic, the government said on Monday.
The group had organised a massive congregation last month at Delhi's Nizamuddin and has emerged as the biggest hotspot of COVID-19 spread in the country.

Of a total 4,067 coronavirus cases in country, at least 1,445 cases are linked to the Tablighi Jamaat event, the government said.

During the daily briefing, Joint Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava also told reporters that five villages in Haryana have been sealed and the residents quarantined as members of this Islamic organisation had stayed there.


She said that 1,750 foreign-based members of this the Jamaat, out of the total 2,083, have been blacklisted till now.

Ms Srivastava said that Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has written to all states and Union Territories asking them to ensure that the supply chain of medical oxygen, critical for treatment of COVID-19 affected people, should go on smoothly while following norms of social distancing.

Delhi govt bars assembly of over 50 people to contain spread of coronavirus

Delhi govt bars assembly of over 50 people to contain spread of coronavirus
While the government has allowed weddings, Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said all weekly markets, gymnasiums, nightclubs and spas in the city will also remain shut till March 31 in addition to educational institutions, cinema halls and swimming pools.
DELHI Updated: Mar 17, 2020 07:03 IST
Sweta Goswami
Sweta Goswami
Hindustan Times, New Delhi
A deserted view of Hanuman Temple  at Connaught Place in New Delhi,  on Monday, March 16, 2020.
A deserted view of Hanuman Temple at Connaught Place in New Delhi, on Monday, March 16, 2020. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)





The Delhi government on Monday imposed a complete ban on social, religious, academic, cultural and political gatherings of more than 50 people in the national Capital in the third round of sweeping restrictions announced to contain the spread of coronavirus which has affected seven people in Delhi and 119 across the country so far.

While the government has allowed weddings, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said all weekly markets, gymnasiums, nightclubs and spas in the city will also remain shut till March 31 in addition to educational institutions, cinema halls and swimming pools.

On Thursday, the Delhi government had announced closure of all schools and cinema halls till March 31. The next day, the government barred all formal gatherings of over 200 people, including the IPL matches to be held in Delhi.

All restrictions have been imposed under the Epidemic Diseases Act of 1897, which was invoked by Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal on Thursday to exercise social distancing and avoid community spread of coronavirus. The Act allows district magistrates (DMs) to take action against people not following the rules. Defying the law can lead up to six months imprisonment and R 1,000 fine or both under Section 188 (disobedience to an order duly promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code.


“I want to appeal to the people to cooperate with the authorities. The governments are doing whatever they can to contain the outbreak, but it is only with your cooperation that our efforts will be successful. Many countries have witnessed a major outbreak of the virus, which has fortunately not happened in our country. I will also request everyone to stop shaking hands with each other, ensure that you regularly wash your hands and sanitise them properly, and to not touch your face and eyes with hands,” Kejriwal said on Monday.

“The Delhi government has ordered that no social, cultural, family, political, and social gatherings should be held with more than 50 people present at a single gathering till March 31. Even though weddings have been kept out for now, I request people to postpone weddings to a later date, as a preventive measure to control the outbreak of the virus.”

The ban, effective from Monday, will also apply to protests, including the one at Shaheen Bagh.


Kejriwal said it has also been decided to order municipal commissioners and district officers to install mobile washbasins in public places so that people can keep their hands clean. Security guards at buildings would also be given hand sanitisers for people to use when they enter and exit the complex.

So far, Delhi has had seven positive cases of coronavirus out of which two have recovered and released from the hospital. One patient, a 68-year-old woman, has died and four are still undergoing treatment at Safdarjung hospital.

Kejriwal on Monday held a review meeting with all DMs and sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) of the city through video-conferencing.


Weekly bazars, gyms, nightclubs shut

The government also ordered the closure of all weekly markets, gyms, nightclubs and spas till March 31. This is in addition to previous orders under which schools, colleges, cinema halls, swimming pools and all other educations institutions were declared shut.

A senior government official, however, clarified that as of Monday, no orders were issued for closure of malls, restaurants, bars and pubs which means they will continue to operate as usual though most of the malls and restaurants have reported a drastic fall in the footfall post the emergence of coronavirus.

The L-G on Monday once again directed the revenue department and the municipal corporations to ensure all hotels, motels, guest houses, mall managements, banquet halls, restaurants, eateries, market associations and RWAs maintain proper sanitisation.

Taxis, rickshaws, other public service vehicles being sanitised

Informing about the steps taken by the city government to avoid the spread of the virus through public transport, the Delhi CM said free disinfection has been started by the Delhi government at all its cluster and DTC bus depots.


“All the private taxis, auto-rickshaws, e-rickshaws, Grameen seva and all other public service vehicles can avail our free sanitisation facility at the bus depots to prevent community transmission of the virus,” Kejriwal said.

Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said workers have been disinfecting all Delhi buses daily. Besides, buses which come from other states are not being allowed to enter without a ‘Certificate of Disinfection’ from the respective states.

“Disinfection of public service vehicles will be done at all the DTC and cluster bus depots on a daily basis in two shifts. The first shift will be from 10 AM to 12 PM, whereas the second shift will be from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM,” Gahlot said.

As the Delhi Metro handles lakhs of passengers every day, Kejriwal said his government will consider thermal screening at all Metro stations as a part of checking against coronavirus.

Action against overcharging, hoarding of masks/sanitisers

After receiving complaints from various residents’ welfare associations of sanitisers and masks not being available in the retail market, food and civil supplies minister Imran Hussain on Monday held a review meeting in which he directed officials to take action against shop owners and manufacturers found overcharging, hoarding or black marketing these essential items.

The Delhi government urged people not to hoard these items saying masks are not essential in prevention as it Covid-19 is not an airborne disease.

Pharmacists said that they are now rationing the sale of these items since people are placing bulk orders — 100 to 200 units of each item. “Every day we get customers demanding masks and hand sanitisers in large number. We have got clear instructions from the government and Drugs Control department to keep adequate stock and distribute them properly among the customers,” said Saddam, a pharmacist at Religare Wellness in Vasant Kunj.

Coronavirus | 42% of patients in India between 21 and 40 years

Coronavirus | 42% of patients in India between 21 and 40 years
SPECIAL CORRESPONDENTNEW DELHI , APRIL 04, 2020 23:48 IST
UPDATED: APRIL 05, 2020 08:31 IST
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Colleagues cheer as nurse Reshma Mohandas leaves the Kottayam Medical College Hospital on April 3, 2020 after being cured of COVID-19. She got infected while treating two elderly patients, who too have been discharged. Photo: Special Arrangement
Colleagues cheer as nurse Reshma Mohandas leaves the Kottayam Medical College Hospital on April 3, 2020 after being cured of COVID-19. She got infected while treating two elderly patients, who too have been discharged. Photo: Special Arrangement  

Only 17% of those testing positive were over 60; ICMR gives nod for rapid, antibody-based testing.
About 42% of those confirmed positive for COVID-19 in India are between the ages of 21-40 years old, the Union Health Ministry said on April 4, for the first time throwing light on the demography of the disease in India. Only 17% of those testing positive were over 60.

By comparison, data from the U.S. Centres for Disease Control said 29% of those affected were in the 20-44 age group and 32% were above 60. India recorded 2,904 cases and 75 deaths as on Saturday compared to the 2,79,355 cases and 7,451 deaths in the United States.

Interactive map of confirmed coronavirus cases in India | State-wise tracker for coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates | Helpline numbers


However, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry Lav Agarwal, who shared the data with the media, did not provide any age-specific analysis on mortality in the country, only saying that most of those who succumbed to the disease were “aged” and also had underlying complications such as the diabetes and cardiovascular disease.


Mr. Agarwal added that 9% of those testing positive were below 20 years.

The Ministry said the number of new cases recorded nationwide between Friday and Saturday was 601, with 58 critically ill in Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi.

Coronavirus | 42% of patients in India between 21 and 40 years

The death toll from the outbreak, according to data from State Health Departments, rose to 103 with Maharashtra reporting the maximum at 32. The most number of active cases were also reported from Maharashtra at 551, followed by Tamil Nadu with 476 and Delhi with 431 of the total 3,196 cases.

India coronavirus lockdown: Day 11 updates | Download The Hindu’s multi-language e-book on essential COVID-19 information

Quick results
As the number of cases continued to rise, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) issued an advisory to start rapid antibody based blood tests in areas reporting clusters and in large migration gatherings or evacuee centres. The results of such tests will be available in 15-30 minutes.

The Health Ministry said nearly 30% of the cases were linked to last month’s Tablighi Jamaat meet in Delhi.

“About 1,023 positive cases linked to the organisation can be traced to 17 States. We couldn’t manage and understand this event and the cases increased due to this,” said Mr. Agarwal. Nearly 22,000 contacts related to the religious event had been quarantined. About 75,000 had so far been tested, an ICMR spokesperson at the press briefing said. “We are gradually increasing our testing capacity. Our capacity is now nearly 10,000 tests per day.”

Coronavirus | COVID-19 testing, treatment free for Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries at private labs, empanelled hospitals

The Health Ministry has also revised its advisory on the use of masks. The new guidelines accept the role of The health ministry's position has been that those who didn't feel sick and weren't visiting hospitals or tending to those diagnosed with the affliction needn't wear masks. On Saturday, however, the organisation released a set of guidelines accepting the role of “face covers.” Unlike the surgical masks and respirator masks used in hospitals, “face covers” are home made and made of cotton and could be re-used provided they were properly washed and dried.

“People who are not suffering from medical conditions or having breathing difficulties may use the handmade reusable face cover, particularly when they step out of their house. This will help in protecting the community at large,” a note from the Ministry said.

Coronavirus | Amid new research, U.S. CDC recommends face masks to stop virus spread

Last week, the office of India's Principal Scientific Adviser made public a manual that explained how such face covers could be made and recommended that they be widely used. While the general recommendation by the World Health Organisation has been to avoid masks — as they could deplete supplies for health personnel — opinion has changed over concerns that the infection had spread widely and people were increasingly likely to catch it when outside.

Japan - A nation built to withstand a pandemic

Japan - A nation built to withstand a pandemic
Pallavi AiyarAPRIL 04, 2020 21:14 IST
UPDATED: APRIL 05, 2020 10:25 IST
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A woman wearing a protective face mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), rests as she trips inside a train in Tokyo.
A woman wearing a protective face mask, following an outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), rests as she trips inside a train in Tokyo.   | Photo Credit: Reuters

Long before COVID-19, social distancing, washing hands and mask-wearing were common in Japan
‘Rows of masked commuters line the train compartment, eyes trained on their phones, bodies held slightly away from each other.’ In Japan, this kind of a scene was par for the course on the metro long before coronavirus became a standard part of everyone’s lexicon. While the rest of the world dabbled in asymmetrical earrings and oversized handbags, in Japan, facemasks were the accoutrement à la mode for years. In 2017, Japan produced about 5.3 billion face-masks, up from 1.8 billion in 2008, according to Statista, a market and consumer data-providing firm.

Also read: Japan to set up coronavirus HQ, possible step to emergency declaration: media

What was behind this mask mania in pre-COVID times? The obvious answer is a heightened awareness and concern among the public for health and hygiene. Those with cold and cough wore them so as not to infect others. Healthy people wore them so as to lessen their chances of being infected by the sick.


Sociologically minded explanations centred on the desire among many Japanese to minimise social interaction. A mask could make the wearer invisible, less likely to be noticed or talked to.


But the history of mask-wearing in Japan is longer and more chequered than these quick explanations, traversing a century worth of past pandemics, natural disasters, air pollution, new kinds of flora, allergies and technology. A massive outbreak of influenza in the early years of the 20th century first kicked off the custom of covering the face with scarves. Then the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 triggered a massive fire that filled the sky of the capital with smoke and ash for weeks. Facemasks became a standard sight on the streets of Tokyo and Yokohama.

Also read: Coronavirus | Japan expands entry ban

In the 1950s, Japan’s rapid post-War industrialisation caused rampant air pollution and a concomitant spread of the pollen-rich Japanese cedar tree, which flourished due to rising ambient levels of carbon dioxide. Large parts of the population developed allergic reactions to the pollen emitted by these trees. In 2003, the SARS scare once again caused a spike in mask-wearing, helped by a technological innovation that popularised a new type of non-woven material for masks.

In many ways, Japan is a country built to withstand a pandemic. Other than its extreme hygiene consciousness, one of the greatest social challenges the nation faces is the “problem” of social recluses. Called hikikomori, this cohort of upwards of a million people have chosen to end all social contact, often refusing to leave their homes for years. Long before the COVID-19 outbreak, social distancing and washing hands were already Japan’s super power.

Fast forwarding to the present, thus far Japan does seem to be weathering the coronavirus better than many other nations despite its proximity to China, early exposure to the virus and population density (the greater Tokyo metropolitan area is home to 38 million people). Speculation about the reasons for the relatively limited number of cases in Japan has included epidemiological and climatic factors. But increasingly, experts and the average person on the street are converging on the country’s mask-wearing habit as at least one crucial part of the puzzle.

Misguided advice
Many Western countries, including the U.S., have actively discouraged people from wearing masks, claiming they are of limited efficacy and simultaneously, if contradictorily, asking that available masks be earmarked for medical personnel caring for the sick. But the prevalent expert opinion in East Asian countries like Japan and China is that such advice is misguided. The greatest benefit of masking the masses, they argue, comes not from stoppering the mouths of the healthy, but from covering the mouths of people already infected who may be asymptomatic or pre-symptomatic.

Also read: Japan says Tokyo Olympics may be postponed due to coronavirus

That said, masks cannot be the only ingredient in any coronavirus-containment strategy. Japan suddenly began to see a spike in infections towards the end of March, which indicates that the archipelago is not as immune as the data from earlier in the month indicated. Some analysts have suggested that widespread mask-wearing could have engendered a false sense of security among the general population. Large, albeit masked, gatherings took place in Tokyo to view the annual blossoming of cherry trees, for example, despite the government’s advice to avoid crowds. Cases began to rise soon after.

Nonetheless, when compared to countries in Europe and the U.S., Japan has, for now, managed to moderate the growth of cases while keeping much of its economy open. And there is a close-to-unanimous belief that the humble mask is to thank.

(Pallavi Aiyar is a journalist based in Tokyo)

Tablighi Jamaat - 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic

2019–20 coronavirus pandemic
Further information: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Asia
Tablighi Jamaat attracted significant public and media attention during the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic. Between 27 February and 1 March 2020, the movement organised an international mass religious gathering at a mosque in Sri Petaling, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The Tablighi Jamaat gathering has been linked to more than 620 COVID-19 cases, making it the largest-known centre of transmission of the virus in Southeast Asia.[83][84] The Sri Petaling event resulted in the biggest increase in Covid-19 cases in Malaysia, with almost two thirds of the 673 confirmed cases in Malaysia linked to this event by 17 March 2020.[85] Most of the Covid-19 cases in Brunei originated here, and other countries including Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines have traced their cases back to this event.[86][87][88] Despite the outbreak, Tablighi Jammat organised a second international mass gathering on 18 March in Gowa Regency near Makassar in South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Though the organisers initially rebuffed official directives to cancel the gathering, they subsequently complied and cancelled the gathering.[89][90]

Pakistan
Further information: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in Pakistan
Yet another gathering was organised in Pakistan near Lahore at Raiwind, for 150,000 people.[91] The event was "called off" in response to the officials' requests, but the participants had already gathered and communed together. When they returned the virus travelled with them, including two cases in the Gaza strip.[92] During testing around 40 members of the jamat were found to be COVID infected. Another 50 people including 4 NIgerian women, suspected to be the carriers of the virus were quarantined 50 km from Lahore. In Hyderabad, Sindh 38 members of the jamaat were found to be positive for coronavirus. Raiwind, the place where the event was held has been locked down by Pakistani authorities while the police arrested members of Tablighi jamaat from their offices in Sindh and Punjab for violating the law.[93] Later during quarantine, one of the members of the jamaat stabbed a policemen while trying to escape from the isolation facility. He was later arrested in Khyber Pakthunwa while the policeman was hospitalized in Layyah town.[94] During this crisis, the Pakistan government has found itself in helpless situation. While initially the Prime minister Imran Khan downplayed the crisis, the country saw rapid rise in cases with limited testing facilities. The problem has further aggravated with doctors not reporting to work, clerics refusing to shut down mosques, parents unwilling to quarantine children in congested homes as they play on the streets.[95]

India
Further information: 2020 coronavirus pandemic in India
The Nizamuddin faction of the Tablighi Jamaat held a religious congregational program in Nizamuddin West, Delhi. There was an Ijtema (congregation) in every week of March till March 21.[96][97] On 13 March 2020, the Delhi Government ordered that no seminars, sports events like IPL, conferences or any big event (beyond 200 people) will be allowed in Delhi.[98][99] These preventive steps were taken by invoking the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.[100] There were also other violation of rules by foreign speakers including misuse of tourist visa for missionary activities and not taking 14-day home quarantine for travellers from abroad.[101]

At least 24 of the attendees had tested positive for the virus among the 300 who showed symptoms by 31 March 2020.[102] It is believed that the sources of infection were preachers from Indonesia.[103] Many had returned to their states and also provided refuge to foreign speakers without the knowledge of local governments.[104] and eventually started local transmissions especially in Tamil Nadu, Telengana, Karnataka, Jammu and Kashmir and Assam. The entire Nizamuddin West area has been cordoned off by the Police as of 30 March, and medical camps have been set up.[105] After evacuation from the markaz, of the scores of jamaat attendees, 167 of them were quarantined in a railway facility in south east Delhi amid concerns over their safety and transmission of the virus. There were further complications after the staff at the quarantine facility reported the Tablighi jamaat followers misbehaved with the staff and spat at the doctors looking after them.[106] FIRs were lodged against members of the jamaat quarantined in Ghaziabad after their misbehaviour was reported by the Chief medical officer. The officer reported that the inmates quarantined were roaming naked, playing vulgar songs and making lewd gestures and remarks at the female staff of the hospital. After this the UP government decided that they would not be treated by any female staff and also booked the jamaat members under the national security act.[107][108][109][110][111][112] The Tablighi Jamaat gathering emerged as one of India's major coronavirus hotspots in India,[113] after 389 people linked to Tablighi Jamaat tested positive by 2 April 2020.[114][115] Tablighi Jamaat became India's first coronavirus 'super-spreader', as 1023 coronavirus positive cases (almost 30% of total cases) were linked to Tablighi Jamaat in 17 states by April 4.[116][117]

Questions have been raised as to how the Delhi Police and the Government of India allowed this event to proceed in the midst of a pandemic,[118] while a similar event was prohibited in Mumbai by the Maharashtra Police.[119] Once the COVID lockdown came into effect in Delhi from 22 March onwards, the missionaries remaining in the Nizamuddin Markaz were trapped, and the functionaries began to seek assistance from the authorities for their evacuation.[120][121][122] On 31 March 2020, an FIR was filed against Muhammad Saad Kandhlawi and others by Delhi Police Crime Branch under Section 3 (penalty for offence) of the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897 and Sections 269 (Negligent act likely to spread infection of disease), 270 (malignant act likely to spread infection of disease), 271 (disobedience to quarantine rule) and 120b (punishment of criminal conspiracy) of the IPC.[123][124][125

Who is Maulana Muhammad Saad Kandhalvi, chief of Tablighi Jamaat?

Who is Maulana Saad, chief of Tablighi Jamaat? 
 APR 02 2020, 07:40 IST UPDATED: APR 02 2020, 10:28 IST Maulana Saad Kandhalvi. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons) With Nizamuddin in Delhi becoming one of the hotspots of coronavirus infection. 

Nizamuddin:Delhi govt. orders FIR against Maulana Saad Kandhalvi
Over 100 people have been tested for Coronavirus and reports are awaited
POSTED BY RASIA HASHMI UPDATED: MARCH 31, 2020, 12:25 PM IST


Nizamuddin:Delhi govt. orders FIR against Maulana Saad Kandhalvi
 Pic courtesy: abnews24
New Delhi: The Delhi government on Monday has directed the police to register an FIR against Maulana Saad Kandhalvi of Nizamuddin Markaz after several cases of suspected coronavirus were found in the Nizamuddin area.




The Maulana has been accused of organising a Tableeghi Jamaat congregation in the area, even as the lockdown was announced, thus flouting the social distancing norms.



According to sources, when the 21-day nationwide lockdown was announced, there were thousands of persons present inside the Tableeghi Jamaat’s international headquarters in southwest Delhi.

The Delhi government said the lockdown was imposed in entire country from March 24 midnight, and “it was the duty of every owner and administrator of every hotel, guesthouse, hostel and similar establishment to maintain social distancing. It looks like social distancing and quarantine protocols was not practiced here”.

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The government said now it has come to knowledge that the organisers violated these conditions and several cases of corona positive patients have been found here.

“Strong action would be taken against those in charge of this establishment. By this gross act of negligence, many lives have been endangered. It was the responsibility of every citizen to proactively avoid such gathering of people during the lockdown and this is nothing but a criminal act.”

An FIR against the Maulana, in his early 50s, has been directed, it said.

The Delhi government added that after the Centre informed them about the first positive patient and requested assistance, “we moved all symptomatic patients to our medical facilities and as a safety precaution, all non symptomatic contacts have been moved to the quarantine centres”.

Over 100 people have been tested for Coronavirus and reports are awaited.

This is the largest single group being tested for Covid-19, which is transmitted easily from person to person.