Monthly Archives: August 2018

Here are today’s top news, analysis and opinion at 1 PM. Know all about the latest news and other news updates from Hindustan Times.

Coronavirus update: Imran Khan govt faces brickbats in Pak over Covid-19 response

The Pakistan government is facing mounting criticism within the country and abroad for its delayed reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the virus spreading quickly due to failures in screening and quarantining.

Pakistan currently has more than 2,400 confirmed cases and Covid-19 has caused 34 deaths across the country.

Read more.

‘It is a nightmare’: Why Tablighi Jamaat-linked infections have the Centre worried

For days, hundreds of teams of police, health and bureaucrats have been out in the field across the country to track down the thousands of Tablighi Jamaat workers who may have come in contact with Covid-19 patients. By last evening, the Union home ministry counted 9,000 Tablighi Jamaat workers and their contacts who had been located and quarantined.

Read more.

Covid-19 Update: Scientists bat for clinical trials in poor and middle-income countries

A team of scientists, physicians, funders and policymakers from over 70 organisations globally have called for an acceleration of research on Covid-19 in poor and middle-income countries where the disease can wreak havoc.

Read more.

‘Symbolism is important but…’: Chidambaram’s jibe at PM Modi’s video message

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Friday asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “listen to” people and announce measures to arrest the economic slide cause by Covid-19 outbreak. Reacting to Prime Minister’s video message, he said that symbolism is important but serious thought to measures is needed.

Read more.

Covid-19 statewise tally: Maharashtra, Kerala on top; total nears 2,500

As India entered the tenth day of the 21-day coronavirus lockdown on Friday, the total number of cases in the country inched toward 2,500. The Covid-19 death toll in India climbed to 56 on Friday, the health ministry stated. The total number of coronavirus cases in the country now stands at 2,301 including 2,088 active cases and 156 recoveries.

Read more.

A July without Roger Federer

A cancelled Wimbledon is bound to hurt Djokovic’s rhythm but not as much as it is bound to impact Federer’s ticking career-clock. If and when Wimbledon is held next year and if—and that’s the big if—Federer returns to play it, he will be almost 40, and playing for both lost and leftover time. But because it’s Federer at Wimbledon and that occurrence has often defied logic, his fans will still expect him to win it.

Read more.

Peacock displays impressive plumage, dances around in Mumbai. Watch

With humans staying inside due to lockdown, the animals are probably thinking ‘where did they all go?’ Maybe to investigate further, they are also happily wandering around. Just like these peacocks roaming around or dancing on empty Mumbai streets.

Shared by many, these images and videos show how the gorgeous birds are frolicking through the deserted streets. While some are sitting on top of cars, others simply are walking around.

Amit Shah had once said BJP workers have the power to make anything go viral, even fake news. The IT cell is proving just that during a global pandemic.

In the midst of the Narendra Modi government’s war-like preparations to fight the coronavirus pandemic, the BJP’s IT cell continues to engage in spreading hate and misinformation. It seems that the IT cell has vowed to become an enemy of its own party and the country. Its troll armies have taken to the Covid-19 pandemic as if a Lok Sabha election was going on and they have to make sure the BJP wins, by hook or by crook.

In 2018, then BJP president and now Union home minister Amit Shah had said that his party workers are capable of delivering any message to the public. The BJP’s WhatsApp group has over 32 lakh subscribers. He recounted how an IT cell worker had once pushed a fake news about Akhilesh Yadav slapping his father Mulayam Singh, which went viral.

In his radio programme Mann Ki Baat, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has recounted several incidents over the years, marvelling every time how they would go viral on social Media. Both Modi and Amit Shah are very familiar with the idea, and the importance, of something going viral. So why is their IT cell not using its abilities to share with the masses correct and useful information on the ongoing health crisis instead of doing what it does best?

Also read: Nearly 18,000 Twitter accounts spread ‘fake news’ for BJP, 147 do it for Congress: Study

What IT cell is doing now

The BJP’s IT cell head Amit Malviya is leading his pack from the front. Most of his tweets are ridiculous and hilarious. It appears that he wakes up every day with a mission to spread fake news. The resources of most websites involved in busting fake news are spent on misinformation that Malviya and his IT cell team spread when they could have been used to impart useful health-related information to deal with the ongoing pandemic that has locked more than a billion people inside their homes. Malviya’s Twitter timeline shows he isn’t much concerned about the coronavirus.

ut what happened? By March, the coronavirus had spread to many parts of India. The number of cases started to double every five-six days. But for the BJP’s IT cell, which had until then been busy publicising US President Donald Trump’s rally and India becoming a ‘Vishwa Guru’, the pandemic was still a conspiracy by other countries. Until the Modi government announced a complete lockdown, the IT cell continued to mislead the public. It is quite possible that due to this propaganda, people also became casual and many stopped taking the situation seriously.

But it did not stop here. When Prime Minister Modi demanded a 14-hour Janata curfew and asked people to bang pots and pans, the IT cell spread the misinformation that the sound will dispel the threat of coronavirus. On Friday, when the PM asked the people to light diyas and candles “for nine minutes at 9 pm on Sunday”, the IT cell immediately started propagating the ‘scientific’ aspect of lighting diyas.

Also read: Between locked down cities and distant homes, migrants lost their way in own country

The exodus of labourers

Even the poor, working-class labourers weren’t spared. After PM Modi announced the national lockdown with only four hours’ notice, thousands of labourers began walking home from different cities, hungry and without public transportation, to their villages hundreds of kilometres away. The Modi government has repeatedly asserted that the workers were given wrong information “that the lockdown would continue for more than three months” due to which this exodus happened. But who gave them this wrong information? Apart from the IT cell, no one is connected to the public on such a massive scale.

The rumour about the Delhi government planning to disconnect power connection in houses of migrant labourers if they stayed in the city further panicked them.

Also read: Coronavirus was a test of secular nationalism. Then Tablighi Jamaat became the scapegoat

Hitting the mother lode

And then came the Tablighi Jamaat. It was as if the BJP IT cell had struck gold. From the moment some coronavirus cases began to emerge among Muslims linked to Tablighi Jamaat, which had held a religious gathering in Delhi’s Nizamuddin Markaz in mid-march, the IT cell went into overdrive to shame the community and put the blame entirely on them — as if each Muslim in India was responsible for the foolishness of a group. The IT cell had been relentlessly targeting Muslims, even accusing them of “deliberately” spreading the coronavirus. There is no consideration for administrative lapse or behaviours common to all religions; it’s all hate.

Indians are fighting against coronavirus and the BJP IT cell is fighting against Indians on top of everything else it does, such as engaging in vendetta politics and spreading the daily dose of hate against India’s minorities. What can be achieved with this attitude? It is obvious that the well-equipped IT cell with deep pockets hates any semblance of peace in the country. The IT cell must be disbanded after every election because that is the only time when the BJP may claim any need of this machinery.

Not to say it isn’t so during polls, but beyond elections, everything the IT cell does makes it a permanent threat to Indians’ peace and security.

Views are personal.

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 4

Controversial Hindu Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri was arrested by the rural police for making communal and objectionable remarks against the Tablighi Jamaat community on a social platform here on late Friday evening.

The case was registered following an anonymous complaint received in the complaint box for allegedly hurting the sentiments of people and thereby creating law and order problem.

SSP, Amritsar rural, Vikram Jeet Duggal, said he made some objectionable remarks on his Facebook account. The matter was investigated by Jandiala SHO Rashpal Singh and a case under Sections 115, 153-A, 295-A and 505 (2) of the IPC was registered against him. Subsequently, he was nabbed from his residence.

He was produced before the duty magistrate on Friday evening and sent to Hoshiarpur jail. Ranjit Singh, personal assistant to Suri, however, termed it as a false and fabricated case. He said the said Facebook account did not belong to Suri. “How can the police register an FIR on the basis of a suggestion box complaint and without proper investigation?” he asked, adding that the police did not even bother to record the statement of Suri. He said it was a fabricated case to harass him and his family members.

We all are facing something that seems unreal, yet it is right there in our faces, real and terrifying. And like magic, it is fooling us. What I miss the most is my newspapers. I used to get seven and spent much of the morning reading them. Unalloyed pleasure

Rahul Singh

Rahul Singh

MY apologies to Gabriel Garcia Marquez for using — or rather misusing — the title of his iconic novel, Love in the Time of Cholera, for this column. He was the originator of what came to be called “magic realism”, a style of writing that was followed by many others, including Salman Rushdie. With the coronavirus rapidly sweeping across most of the world, we are now living in that same realm of magic realism. We are facing something which seems unreal, yet it is right there in our faces, terribly real and terrifying. It is terrifying mainly because we do not know nearly enough about it. And like magic, it is fooling us. Our lives are being upturned in a way that has perhaps not happened since the Second World War.

At 8 pm, on March 19, our Prime Minister brought the ongoing threat of the mysterious virus into virtually every Indian’s home. In a half-hour riveting broadcast, he graphically outlined the gravity of the situation and what he proposed to do about it. For a start, he declared a self-imposed Janata Curfew the following Sunday, March 22, from 7 am to 9 pm: a virtual, but voluntary, shutdown of all outdoor activity nationwide, except for the running of essential public services. This was followed two days later with another broadcast, making the curfew much more severe, and almost mandatory. Three weeks confined to one’s home seems surreal. As I write this, it is almost two weeks since the lockdown. How have I coped?

Though my base is Mumbai, a little over a fortnight ago I was in Delhi, attending a couple of urgent meetings of a school society I am associated with. The day after the PM’s first broadcast, the two clubs that I frequent, the Delhi Gymkhana Club and Delhi Golf Club, announced the closure of all their eating outlets and sports facilities. In effect, they were shutting their doors until further notice. In Mumbai and other major Indian cities as well, the same closures have taken place. Restaurants were told not to take any customers but were allowed to sell takeaways. That, too, ended the following day, since the staff were unable to get to work as there was almost no public transport.

On the Janata Curfew day, I managed to book a flight that would take me back to Mumbai. My flight was due to leave at 9.40 pm, after the curfew was over. So, I should have no problem getting to Delhi airport, and subsequently from Mumbai airport to home. At least that is what I thought. I had another thing coming! No taxis were operating in Delhi, not even Ola and Uber. Luckily, a friend agreed to take me to the airport. On the way, the Delhi streets were eerily empty. The airport, too, was almost deserted, all its shops and eating places closed. At Mumbai airport, the pre-paid taxi counter was shut. However, I managed to get an Uber, though the wait was almost three hours. Again, we drove through streets entirely deserted. Police checks stopped us four times, wanting to quarantine me if I had entered India from another country.

So, how have I been occupying myself while confined to my apartment? I miss my newspapers the most. I used to get seven of them and spent much of the morning reading them. Unalloyed pleasure. I now have to read two or three online. But it is not the same thing. I am old-fashioned. I love the smell and feel of newsprint. I have also been spending much more time watching TV, particularly news channels. Sadly, my favourite sports channels have nothing “live”, hence they are of little interest.

The news channels have been doing a great job. From my home — the cameraman said he had been sanitised — I appeared on a TV discussion on the electronic media’s coverage of the crisis. What I found deeply disturbing was how so many of the panelists felt that scenes of the tens of thousands of migrant workers trying to get home on foot should not have been shown. Why? Because they caused “panic”, and showing those scenes was not in “public interest”. I vehemently disagreed. This was a real tragedy. Their stories must be told, even if it shows our society in poor light. Journalists should be responsible at perilous times like this, needless to say. But suppression of news is not the democratic way out.

Till just the other day, the virus was just a statistic: how many thousands had tested positive in such and such country, how many had succumbed, and so on. And then, it came home to me in a far more real way, with a sudden jolt, when I learnt that a dear friend, Mohan Shah, had died from the deadly infection in a New York hospital. As he was not feeling well, he had gone to a clinic for treatment. He caught the virus there and died a few days later. He was only a little older than me.

Mohan was one of the early pioneers of Indian garment exports to the US, which would become a huge business. Many others followed behind him, and India became a leader in the manufacture and export of garments, giving employment to millions. After garments, he saw another opportunity — linking the island city of Mumbai to its suburbs and its hinterland, via the sea, thereby decongesting the over-burdened roads and trains. But it was the usual Indian story. Politicians wanted bribes and bureaucrats stood in the way. Mohan gave up in frustration and the ambitious project never got off the ground.

— The writer is a veteran journalist

The Pakistan government is facing mounting criticism within the country and abroad for its delayed reaction to the Covid-19 pandemic, with the virus spreading quickly due to failures in screening and quarantining.

Pakistan currently has more than 2,400 confirmed cases and Covid-19 has caused 34 deaths across the country.

Most of the initial cases were Shia pilgrims returning from Iran, one of the countries worst affected by the pandemic, and the virus spread rapidly after hundreds of people were kept in camps along the border with Balochistan without any screening. The camps also had no medical facilities, and this exacerbated the situation.

Follow latest updates on coronavirus here

The Pakistan government also failed to take effective action to shut down mosques, with thousands joining Friday prayers on March 20 and March 27. Commentators within the country have criticised the government’s lack of action, pointing out that Saudi Arabia had suspended the Umrah pilgrimage and shut even the Grand Mosque in Mecca.

Early in March, some 250,000 men from Pakistan and abroad gathered at Raiwind near Lahore for a five-day meeting of the Tablighi Jamaat, after the country had already reported confirmed Covid-19 cases and there were public demands for the gathering to be called off.

The Tablighi Jamaat members were asked to disperse on March 12, a day after the meeting began, but the gathering has since been identified as the source of infections as far afield as Palestine and Kyrgyzstan. Some 550 Jamaat members, including nationals of Indonesia, Nigeria, Afghanistan and China, have been quarantined in Sindh after a Chinese citizen tested positive after attending the meeting in Raiwind, according to media reports.

Reports suggest the Pakistan government has failed to act on such gatherings or to shut mosques because of fears of a backlash from powerful Islamic organisations. In the face of the government’s dilly-dallying approach to the pandemic, the military has taken on a greater role in controlling the spread of the Coronavirus.

Pakistan’s planning minister Asad Umar, addressing a news conference on April 1, said the current lockdown in the country will continue till April 14.

Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, planning minister Asad Umar and President Arif Ali went into self-quarantine after a recent visit to China, which was apparently aimed at obtaining financial and other support for Pakistan due to the economic impact of the Covid-19 crisis.

Click here for complete coronavirus coverage

While in isolation at his home, Qureshi was critical of those blaming China for the spread of the Coronavirus. “The world is blaming China [for the outbreak] whereas it is an international issue…Pakistan had expressed confidence in not repatriating students from China,” he was quoted as saying by The Express Tribune.

A medical team sent by China to Pakistan has been sitting idle because of a lack of interpreters, according to media reports. The team of eight medical experts arrived in Islamabad last week and visited several health centres and quarantine facilities for Covid-19 patients.

“But when the Chinese medical experts started conversing, some local medical staff appeared lost, unable to understand what was being said in Chinese,” The Express Tribune reported.

Opposition PML-N lawmaker Abdul Qayyum criticised the government’s handling of the visit by the Chinese medical team, saying it should have arranged for interpreters so that their knowledge could be transferred to Pakistani doctors. “People do not know in which direction are we heading and they are asking where is the government,” he said.

New Delhi: At a time when doctors across the country are facing shortages of protective gear required when treating patients infected with Covid-19, a Rajasthan-based doctor has highlighted how a district collector was seen wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE), while medical staff standing next to him had none.

A picture tweeted by the doctor, Pankaj Meena Khoker, has gone viral. The picture was accompanied by a short message: “When an IAS officer wears a full PPE kit and doctors wear normal clothes and mask……I don’t think Modi’s promise is working here.”

The picture seems to be from Indore in neighbouring Madhya Pradesh, as written on the wall behind the IAS officer in the picture.

In a nationwide survey conducted by the central government in late March, IAS officers from across districts too had highlighted the shortage of medical and protective equipment needed to battle the deadly pandemic.

Also read: What is PPE, and why it is essential in the fight against coronavirus

Should IAS officers’ safety be prioritised over doctors’?

The doctor’s tweet has generated a debate on whether IAS officers can be classified as an ‘essential service’ and need the protective gear, or should the protection of doctors be prioritised.

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Muktsar: Some Sikh policemen of the Muktsar police on Saturday set an example for others to follow by lending a helping hand in the burial of an elderly Muslim man, who passed away after an illness at his residence on the Ferozepur road here. Rajbachan Singh Sandhu, SSP, Muktsar, said, “Due to curfew restrictions, our employees helped the family in the burial. Jabar Din was suffering from an illness for the past few months. Our personnel were daily distributing langar to them and when they came to know about his death, they helped the family in his burial.” TNS

Help real estate sector, govt urged

Chandigarh: The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Association of India (CREDAI) has urged the state government to come up with a revival package for the real estate sector. CREDAI Punjab president Jagjit Singh Majha said real estate was the largest employer after agriculture, supporting 269 industries that could play a major role in reviving the economy. He said the government should waive interest on pending instalments so that real estate should be in a position to give regular salaries to workers. TNS

MLA gives diet packets to players

Chandigarh: Khanna MLA Gurkirat Singh Kotli on Saturday distributed free diet packets among sportspersons on their doorstep in his segment. “My volunteers have launched two helpline numbers. Callers need to give proof that they are sportspersons. Since morning, about 250 packets, comprising six eggs and chicken, have been distributed. The diet will give energy to sportspersons who are unable to practice because of the lockdown,” he said. TNS

Sanitation staff feted with garlands

Sangrur: Residents on Saturday applauded sanitation workers of the local Nagar Council for ensuring cleanliness across the city by showering flowers and offering garlands of currency notes to them amid the Covid pandemic. “The sanitation staff are our real heroes. They have been collecting waste and cleaning streets even in the hour of crisis when all citizens are compelled to stay indoors. I, along with local social workers, honoured them,” said Anil Kicha, chairman of the Sangrur Market Committee. TNS

BBMB earns Rs25 crore profit

Chandigarh: The Bhakra Beas Management Board (BBMB) has recorded an all-time high transmission system availability of 99.82 per cent during the 2019-20 fiscal, a notch above 99.69 per cent that was achieved during 2018-19. The board has also achieved the highest-ever machine availability of 98.94 per cent during 2019-20 as compared to 97.95 per cent for 2018-19, according to a statement issued here. The BBMB has accrued an additional revenue of Rs25.32 crore during 2019-20. TNS

CAPF men to use ‘Aarogya Setu’ app

Chandigarh: All Central Armed Police Forces personnel have been ordered to download ‘Aarogya Setu’ application on their phones and report compliance to the Ministry of Home Affairs as a part of government’s efforts to contain the spread of Covid-19. Launched a couple of days ago, the app will send automated updates on Covid and alert personnel if they come in contact with any infected person. TNS

2-day ‘public curfew’ in Abohar

Abohar: The city on Saturday wore a deserted look on the first day of 48-hour “public curfew” that was proposed voluntarily by the local Beopar Mandal. Only milk vendors were allowed to reach out to consumers from 7 am to 10 am. Curfew passes were issued to only three NGO volunteers to serve food to the poor in their areas. OC

Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, April 5

In a series of new measures to ensure smooth supply of essentials to the people, the Punjab Government has set up Transport facilitation controls to maintain uninterrupted movement of trucks etc, carrying such supplies, while deciding to impose Rs. 1.85 lakh penalty against anyone found selling essential items above MRP.

While the central transport control room is headed by the State Transport Commission, the facilitation controls rooms in the districts are headed by Secretary and the RTA, according to an official spokesperson.

Under orders from Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, the Transport Department has also stepped up supplies for other states which are deficient in food grains and other essentials.

The outward movement of stocks to deficient states has gone up by almost 50% over the normal, said the spokesperson, adding that nearly 20-25 rakes of wheat/rice containing 54,000-67,500 tonnes are being dispatched daily to the deficient States.

The Chief Minister, during the Cabinet meeting on Saturday, gave strict instructions to check the prices of all essential commodities and take strong action against those found hoarding/black-marketing/overcharging. Enforcement teams are working constantly to check overpricing etc and are taking stringent action against those indulging in such malpractices, especially who are selling items on higher rates than the prescribed ones.

As many as 15 establishments in Pathankot, 10 in Gurdaspur, 15 in Ferozepur, one in Ludhiana and 11 in SAS Nagar have been raided by the teams and one Gas Agency has been challenged, the cabinet was informed.

Meticulous monitoring is, in particular, is done for food items like wheat /atta and rice, dal, cooking oil, masala, vegetables, as well as masks, sanitizers etc. Principal Secretary, Food and Civil Supplies informed the Council of Ministers that constant monitoring is being to ascertain

The difficulties being faced in the maintenance of supply line, besides collecting data from Excise and Taxation Department and establishing networks with retailers like Reliance Fresh, Walmart, Big Bazaar etc.

Constant liaison is also being maintained with the Union Ministry of Consumer Affairs and Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas for uninterrupted supply of essential goods. Further, Nodal Officers of Police and Food and Civil Supplies departments are coordinating and facilitating inter/intrastate movement of essential commodities.

The newly formed transport control rooms will help the truck operators and drivers to move their trucks (loaded or empty) anywhere in Punjab for essential commodities’ transportation. These control rooms will liaison with various authorities to ensure that these operators don’t face any problem.

They will also help truckers from Punjab who are facing problems anywhere in India by coordinating with the concerned authorities of those states.

Similarly, these control rooms will also help the traders, manufacturers of essential commodities based out of Punjab to engage trucks for transportation of essential commodities to its place of consumption, said the spokesperson.

The State Control Room has been established at Chandigarh with mobile numbers 9814078544 & 9023459522.

In the districts, the control rooms have been set up at Regional Transport Authorities (RTAs) at Amritsar (Amritsar & Tarn Taran) mobile Nos 9814255623 & 8872383600, Bathinda (Bathinda & Mansa) 9779700074 & 7508732655, Faridkot (Faridkot, Muktsar & Moga) 9872676005 & 9914105200, Ferozpur (Ferozepur & Fazilka)8146852748 & 7889221313, Gurdaspur (Gurdaspur  & Pathankot) 7340701977 & 8288008751, Hoshiarpur  (Hoshiarpur  & SBS Nagar) 9646711100 & 8727049033, Jalandhar (Jalandhar & Kapurthala) 9872413497 & 9815256996, Ludhiana 9888405018 & 8528214311, Patiala (Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib) 8360417470 & 9501032006, SAS Nagar (SAS Nagar & Ropar) 8853400000 & 8427820090 and Sangrur (Sangrur & Barnala)9814069272 & 9814700505.

Goods Vehicle Operators/Drivers can contact these control rooms for assistance related to plying of their vehicles, for food availability and shelter on the routes, said the spokesperson.

Meanwhile, as part of the relief operations, 10 lakh food packets comprising each of 10 kg wheat, 2 kg dal and 2 kg sugar have been distributed amongst the people living on the margins and left out of the NFSA domain.

Another 1.2 lakh packets have been distributed amongst the migrant population (around 7.5 lakhs) settled in different industrial cities/towns of the State viz. Ludhiana, Jalandhar, Amritsar and Batala.

For supply of petrol, diesel and LPG cylinders, refilling facility of 5 kg LPG Cylinders is being provided exclusively to migrant workers in Ludhiana through the retail chain and the entire cost is being borne by State Government.

Oil companies are being facilitated for uninterrupted supply of Petrol, Diesel & LPG Cylinders by ensuring smooth movement of vehicles. An additional allocation of 2.2LMT wheat & 10,800MT of Channa Dal is also being distributed free of cost to NFSA beneficiaries under PM Garib Kalyana Yojana.

Door to door supply is being ensured of vegetables and other grocery items across the state. PUNSUP has been designated as the nodal agency for managing the retail chain for allocation of wheat and rice from FCI and Markfed for allocation of dal from NAFED and supply of edible oil. Sugarfed has notified control rates of sugar at which wholesalers can purchase sugar to feed the retail chains.

In interview to ThePrint, Rawat also says Quick Reaction Medical Teams (QRMTs) have been readied to mobilise at short notice to meet the requirements of civil administration.

His remarks in an interview to ThePrint come at a time when the government is increasingly utilising the resources and expertise of the Army, Air Force and the Navy to fight the coronavirus outbreak that has led to a nationwide lockdown of 21 days.

“We would like to emphasise that our main objective now is nation first – ‘Har Kaam Desh ke Naam‘,” he told ThePrint.

Gen Rawat further said the armed forces are mandated to provide assistance to civil authorities whenever requisitioned. “But we have decided to operate beyond our mandate and provide all kinds of assistance that we can provide, even if it causes inconvenience to our people, without compromising on health and hygiene issues,” he said.

The CDS, who is spearheading the military’s response to the challenges posed due to coronavirus, said the armed forces are in constant liaison with civil administration so that if there is additional requirement of assistance, they are able to respond effectively.

Asked specifically if the military should be deployed more in the war against coronavirus, he said, “Armed Forces are ready to operate beyond the stated mandate and assist the nation in the fight against coronavirus”.

Also read: It is war. Modi govt must deploy Indian military to fight coronavirus

Services strictly adhering to guidelines

Gen Rawat also said that the Services are strictly adhering to all instructions and guidelines being disseminated by the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Health and its own medical authorities.

“Viruses do not distinguish a person in uniform from others, however, our personnel follow a disciplined regime and hence are less likely to be affected,” he said.

He said the Services have taken various measures like curtailing movement by cancellation of courses of instructions, restrictions on leave, work from home wherever feasible, social distancing and ensuring proper health and hygiene of all personnel and families.

This will help in preventing the spread of the virus.

Asked if the virus has impacted operational preparedness, he said the Service Chiefs are aware of their roles and tasks in maintaining operational preparedness at all times.

“This is their primary responsibility,” he said.

Medical infrastructure to be augmented

Gen Rawat also said necessary instructions have been communicated to augment medical facilities and infrastructure including increasing the capacity for surveillance and isolation facilities at military hospitals.

“Services hospitals have been kept on standby for establishing Covid-19 hospitals in high infection identified areas. Responsive and agile Quick Reaction Medical Teams (QRMTs) are ready to mobilise at short notice to meet the requirements of civil administration.

“Also, services of military hospitals and laboratories are extended to assist civil administration on requisition,” he said.

The CDS underlined that there is excellent synergy between all organs of the government and the three services are geared to deal with any challenge arising out of the current Covid-19 situation.

“It is important to follow guidelines that will prevent the spread of the virus amongst our citizens. Mass movement of people from areas that are witnessing higher numbers of infected people, to the lesser affected regions, will only compound the problem,” he said.

He added that under such conditions, one must appreciate that it is not business as usual.

“Everyone has to be prepared for some inconvenience that is caused due to imposed restrictions, for our safety and well being,” he said.

New Delhi: The Army is in the process of setting up ad hoc isolation facilities with a total capacity of nearly 16,000 people, as India gears up to isolate and test more suspected Covid-19 patients.

According to the Union health ministry figures (updated until Friday afternoon), the number of Covid-19 cases in India has climbed to 2,301, while the death toll has risen to 56.

Sources told ThePrint that in addition to the existing quarantine facilities set up by the Army, all six commands will set up ad hoc isolation facilities, which can cater to 15,700 patients if needed.

A senior Army officer told ThePrint that field hospitals may be roped in for the purpose. Army Public Schools, Kendriya Vidyalayas and other grounds may also be used to create infrastructure for these facilities, which can be made available at short notice.

Also read: IAF airlifts 6.2 tonnes of essential medicines, hospital consumables to Maldives

How the armed forces have been helping

The armed forces have increased their assistance to civil authorities in the last few weeks, since the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. Together, the Army, Navy and Air Force are running six quarantine facilities at Mumbai, Jaisalmer, Jodhpur, Hindon, Manesar and Chennai, in which 1,737 people have been housed, and 403 released so far.

Another 15 facilities are being kept ready as standby for use, if required.

A government statement Friday said three positive Covid-19 cases — two from Hindon and one from Manesar — were referred to Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi for further treatment.

The statement said that dedicated Covid-19 facilities including high dependency units. Intensive care unit beds are being prepared in 51 hospitals of the armed forces across the country, including at Kolkata, Visakhapatnam, Kochi, Dundigal near Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Kanpur, Jaisalmer, Jorhat and Gorakhpur.

Five viral testing labs, which can carry out Covid-19 tests, have been operationalised, including at the Army Hospital (Research & Referral) in Delhi; Air Force Command Hospital, Bengaluru; Armed Forces Medical College, Pune; Command Hospital (Central Command), Lucknow; and Command Hospital (Northern Command), Udhampur.

Six more hospitals will begin testing soon.

At a recent review of the preparations by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat had said hospitals have been identified to exclusively deal with Covid-19, and more than 9,000 hospital beds have been made available.

Also read: Navy gets battle-ready for Covid-19 with low-cost temperature sensor, oxygen supply system

Help for neighbouring countries

Special flights of the Indian Air Force have evacuated people and carried medical supplies.

A C-17 Globemaster III has carried 15 tonnes of medical supplies to China and, on the return flight, airlifted 125 persons, including five children, mostly Indian nationals and few citizens from friendly countries.

The C-17 Globemaster III also went to Iran and brought back 58 stranded Indians that included 31 women and two children. The aircraft has also brought 529 samples for Covid-19 testing.

A defence ministry statement added: “The C-130J Super Hercules aircraft has ferried around 6.2 tonnes of medicines to Maldives. An Army Medical Corps team with five doctors, two nursing officers and seven paramedics was deployed in Maldives for capacity building measures and assisted in setting up their own testing, treatment and quarantine facilities between 13-21 March 2020.”

The IAF’s transport fleet is assisting in transportation of essential supplies, medicines and medical equipment.

“So far, approximately 60 tonnes of stores have been airlifted to various parts of the country. Twenty-eight fixed wing and 21 helicopters are on standby at various locations across the country,” the statement said.

Six Naval ships loaded with medical team and HADR bricks are kept on standby for assistance at Visakhapatam, Kochi and Mumbai to respond to any requests from neighbouring countries like Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, it said. Five medical teams are also on standby for deployment in Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan, it added.

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