Mansa farmers raise slogans before heading for the Tikri border on Wednesday. Tribune photo
Tribune News Service Bathinda, April 21
Farmers under the banner of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) today headed to the Tikri border from Sardulgarh and Dabwali borders in Bathinda and Mansa districts to strengthen the ongoing protest against the central agricultural laws.
A large convoy of farmers, youth and women was dispatched by the BKU to the protest site via Haryana amid the speculation that the BJP-led central government may attempt to end the peaceful protest on pretext of surging cases of Covid-19.
Addressing farmers before they left, BKU (Ekta Ugrahan) Mansa president Ram Singh Bhaini Bagha said the central government’s imperialistic policies had been impacting all sections of society. They would stand up against the government and wouldn’t let anti-farm laws to be implemented, he said. “Farmers have been protesting at Delhi borders for months and are in no mood to relent until the laws are repealed,” he said.
BKU leader Shingara Singh Mann, who did not leave for the Tikri border due to health issues, stressed the unions were concerned about the safety of protesters, but they couldn’t afford to vacate the protest sites until the central agricultural laws were withdrawn.
“Repeated requests from central ministers asking us to move out are just a prelude to an effort to uprooting us. Now that the reaping
season is over and farmers are free, we are asking farmers to return to protest sites.” Mann said.
China wants India to meet halfway on border disputes
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hoped India would work with China to meet each other halfway on the border dispute.
Chinese MFA spokesperson Wang Wenbin made these observations when he was asked to react to India’s Ambassador to China Vikram Misri recently stating that there was a tendency to sweep the situation at the border under the carpet and characterise it as just a minor issue.
Wang’s subsequent comments showed the divergence in the thinking of New Delhi and Beijing on this issue. Wang said both sides should bear in mind the overall interests of the long-term development of China-India relations.
They should, therefore, place the boundary issue “at an appropriate position” in bilateral relations and bring China-India relations back to the track of sound and steady development.
Wang began by pointing out that China’s position on the boundary issue is consistent and clear-cut.
“We are committed to maintaining peace and stability in the border areas and firmly safeguarding national territorial sovereignty and security,” he said while recalling that recently China and India have maintained close communication through diplomatic and military channels.
“On the basis of realising disengagement in the Galwan valley and the Pangong Lake area, the two sides have had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on promoting the settlement of the remaining issues in the western sector of the China-India boundary,” he observed.
Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar has repeatedly stated that a peaceful and tranquil border is a prerequisite for advancing bilateral India-China ties. New Delhi has put on hold several investment proposals from China. Estimated at $2 billion when the ban was put in place last year, some investment proposals also have third country implications.
China offers support, assistance to India to combat rising COVID-19 cases
“China takes note of the recent grave situation in India with a temporary shortage of anti-epidemic medical supplies,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said
Photo for representational purpose only. iStock
Beijing, April 22
China on Thursday offered to provide the necessary support and assistance to India to deal with the sharp increase in the COVID-19 cases in the country.
Asked about the spike in the coronavirus cases in India by the official Chinese media, Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a media briefing here that the COVID-19 “pandemic is a common enemy of all mankind that necessitates international solidarity and mutual assistance”.
“China takes note of the recent grave situation in India with a temporary shortage of anti-epidemic medical supplies,” he said.
“We stand ready to provide India with necessary support and assistance to get the epidemic under control,” he said.
China reported the first COVID-19 case in the central Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019 and since then the deadly disease has snowballed into a pandemic, affecting more than 143,915,000 people and over 3,060,500 deaths worldwide.
According to Johns Hopkins coronavirus tracker, the US alone has reported 31,862,987 cases and 569,404 deaths from the deadly virus.
The US has alleged that the COVID-19 may have emanated from the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) which is a P-4 bio lab, a charge strongly denied by China.
A team of WHO experts, which probed the origin of the coronavirus, concluded last month that “all hypotheses” included the allegation that COVID-19 could have emanated from a bio lab “remained open”.
World Health Organisation (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, while receiving the report of the international experts’ team which visited Wuhan, said on March 30 that “as far as the WHO is concerned, all hypotheses remain on the table”. PTI
UAE bans travel from India due to worsening COVID situation from Sunday
Travel ban will come into effect from 11.59 pm on Saturday, April 24, and is subject to review after 10 days, reports Gulf News
Photo for representation. — iStock
Dubai, April 22
The UAE has banned travel from India for 10 days from Sunday due to the worsening COVID-19 situation in the country, according to media reports here on Thursday.
The travel ban will come into effect from 11.59 pm on Saturday, April 24, and is subject to review after 10 days, the Gulf News reported.
Passengers who have transited through India in the last 14 days are also not permitted to board from any other point to the UAE, the report said.
However, departure flights will continue to operate, it added.
UAE citizens, diplomatic passport holders and official delegations are exempted from the above conditions, it said.
According to Khaleej Times, people are barred from booking flights from the UAE to Indian destinations after April 24 on the Emirates, Etihad, flydubai and Air Arabia websites.
The UAE is the latest country to impose a travel ban on passengers from India after it recorded the world’s highest daily tally of 314,835 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday. PTI
One side of road at Singhu border to be cleared for oxygen supplies: Farmer leaders
More farmers will start coming back to the protest sites from Friday, says SKM’s Darshan Pal
Chandigarh, April 22
Farmers camping at Delhi’s borders in protest against three new agriculture laws of the Centre on Thursday said one side of the highway at the Singhu border will be cleared for giving passage to vehicles carrying oxygen supplies.
The decision was taken after the leaders of the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farm unions that is spearheading the agitation, met officials of the Haryana government in the evening.
“At the meeting, it was decided to remove the barricades on one side of the highway at the Singhu border to give a free passage to oxygen, ambulance and other such emergency services,” SKM leader Darshan Pal said in a statement here.
He said the protesting farmers will support the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in every possible way and they are committed to causing the least inconvenience to the citizens.
The meeting was attended by the Sonepat superintendent of police, officials of the Chief Minister’s Office and several SKM leaders, the statement said.
Darshan Pal dismissed the allegation against the protesting farmers of obstructing oxygen supply to Delhi as “baseless”.
He alleged that the police were seen “misdirecting” the trucks carrying oxygen towards the protest sites, instead of guiding the vehicles towards the shortest route to the national capital.
The farmer leader further blamed the government for putting up barricades on the road that were obstructing a free passage of vehicles.
He said more farmers will start coming back to the protest sites from Friday.
A large convoy of protesters will be leaving for the Singhu border from Barwasni in Haryana’s Sonepat district on tractor trolleys, he added. PTI
how to increase Oxygen level in body:::and wear mask
Since the armies of India and Pakistan agreed to adhere to the ceasefire agreement in February, there has been no firing across the Line of Control (LoC) said Army chief General MM Naravane on Monday, and, regarding the standoff with China, he added that the hope is to settle issues through negotiations. Addressing a symposium organised by the Australian Army, where chiefs of Australian, Indonesia, Singaporean and Japanese armies were present, Naravane said “legacy issues and differences need to be resolved through mutual consent and dialogue and not by unilateral actions”. The comments come at a time when India and China are involved in an over 11-month long standoff in eastern Ladakh. While disengagement in the Pangong Tso region took place in February, with both sides pulling back from eyeball-to-eyeball situations, in the 11th meeting between senior military commanders on April 9, China refused to withdraw its troops from the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Hot Springs and Gogra Post. At the symposium, Naravane said in his address that India has a land border of over 15,000 km, and “active and unsettled borders to our West with Pakistan and to the North and East with China, and of course there are associated challenges”. “Over time we have developed various mechanisms to address these challenges and move forward,” he said, adding that “progress and development of any nation and the well-being of its citizenry are, to a large extent, contingent on peace and tranquillity on the borders”. Regarding Pakistan, he said, “we have recently entered into a ceasefire understanding” with their Army in February “and since then there has been no exchange of fire on an otherwise active Line of Control”. This, he stated, “bodes well for the future”. “With China too, there have been positive developments along the Line of Actual Control, an area where both countries have differing perceptions on the alignment of the land borders. This has led to disengagement of troops in eastern Ladakh. We have recently concluded the 11th round of Corps Commander level talks between the two armies and we hope to settle our other border through further negotiations.” India, he said, “looks to maintain peace and harmony with all its neighbours and in the region”. “Maintenance of peace and tranquillity requires joint efforts. All nations need to come together to uphold rules-based order, respect international laws and norms and develop mutual respect for each other.” He also mentioned that India has “strong historical and cultural linkages” with Nepal and Bhutan, and with Bangladesh, he said, “our relations are anchored in shared history and common heritage” and added that both armies have “strong institutional bonding”. India’s relations with “all its neighbours are on an upward trend,” said Naravane. The Covid-19 pandemic has “exposed our vulnerability to global supply chains, forcing us to re-engineer our dependencies and work towards self-reliance,” the Army Chief commented, and said for India, it has “become a strategic imperative”. “The changing character of war is throwing up new challenges for the armed forces the world over. Our own region is witness, that wars are no longer confined to the customary hard core kinetics but being increasingly contested in the ambiguous grey zone.” Naravane said. “Geo-strategic spaces are being constricted and geo-strategic realities are being altered without physical battles. Conflicts are also steadily moving to the new domains of space, cyber and informatics… The stretching of domains has made the physical boundaries meaningless. Leveraging technology has become a key determinant in future wars.” Indian Army, its chief asserted, is “on the path of modernization towards a technology-oriented Army” and mentioned that niche technologies “need to be acquired to remain and capable to face future threats”.
HOW CHINA IS USING INDIA’S PANDEMIC CRISIS TO KEEP BORDER STANDOFF ALIVE
No movement and no pullback has taken place at the border and after a promising start, talks between the countries have stalled For six days, India has reported over 200 new infections daily. But New Delhi is unable to take its eyes off the border with China. China is using the pandemic in India to keep the border stand-off intact and to accept the status quo. Essentially, China is walking away from disengagement. No movement and no pullback has taken place at the border and after a promising start, talks between the countries have stalled. China seems unwilling to discuss disengagement any further. In February this year, both India and China had agreed to disengage at Pangong Tso – the long and narrow lake in Ladakh which was one of the flash points in the standoff. Disengagement was completed in 10 days after both militaries moved back to their respective sides. A four kilometre long buffer zone was created, and patrols to the Line of Actual Control were suspended temporarily. What About The Other Flash Points? India and China agreed to keep talking about other flash points in February. But now China refuses to disengage further. Hot Springs, Gogra Post and Depsang Plains are the other flash points. Reports say China had earlier agreed to pull back troops from here. But not anymore. According to one report, China still has platoon level strength with vehicles in at least two areas – Hot Springs and the Gogra Post. A platoon is a military unit that is usually made up of two or more squads of troops. Reports say China has at least 60 soldiers in the Gogra-Hot Springs area. So far, India and China have held 11 rounds of military level talks. The last one happened on April 9. It is believed that during that round China behaved as if it is no longer interested in discussing the border dispute. Reports say the Chinese told the Indian side that they should “be happy with what has been achieved”. What Triggered This Shift? Firstly, China reportedly wanted both sides to first de-escalate, then disengage. China wanted a pull back of additional troops first, removal of the back-up, and then disengagement at the frontline. India refused because this situation would have worked in China’s favour. It can move its troops much faster than India, for it has better infrastructure on the Chinese side. If both sides pull back additional troops and there’s another conflict, Chinese support will reach much faster than Indian support, weakening India’s border defences. One analyst believes that tensions can escalate, for the lack of progress in talks, the arrival of summer, and the US drive to strengthen ties with China’s neighbours. China could already be escalating border deployments. Reports say, China has deployed a long range rocket launcher as “a deterrent to India”. An advanced system, it is deployed 17,000 feet above sea level in Xinjiang, which shares a border with India. China has not only deployed a rocket launcher close to the border, it also conducting drills. India is still looking for a diplomatic solution but it may not be easy. The last round of talks ended without a joint statement. Since September last year, India and China have been releasing joint statements to play up the prospect of disengagement. This time, they did not. Instead, New Delhi did some straight talking. On Monday, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar spoke about the standoff and said that China brought enormous force to the border without provocations. He added that India must “have a return to peace and tranquillity on border, and there are no two ways about it”.
New Delhi: Indian Air Force Chief, Rakesh Bhadauria will flag off 6 Rafale fighters from the Merignac-Bordeaux airbase in France today. The IAF chief visited France on April 20 and will be in the country until April 23 during which he will meet with his counterpart Philippe Lavigne. CAS will hold meetings and discussions with senior military leadership of France and visit operational facilities and airbases. The visit comes after Gen Philippe Lavigne, Chief of Staff, French Air and Space Force (FASF) visited India in February 2020. The two Air Forces have seen significant operational interaction in the recent past. IAF and FASF engage in the bilateral air exercise series ‘Garuda’, as well as hop exercises, the last being Ex Desert Knight 21 held at Air Force Station Jodhpur in January 2021. IAF and FASF also participated in Ex Desert Flag hosted by UAE Air Force along with other friendly countries in March 2021. In all the IAF has ordered 36 warplanes at a cost of Rs 59,000 crore. India had ordered the jets from France in September 2016 under a government to government deal. The additional jets will bolster the capabilities of the Golden Arrows Squadron of the Indian Air Force. This is crucial as it comes at a time when the tensions with China have been escalated along the Line of Actual Control at eastern Ladakh. By April 2021, 16 omni role Rafale jets will be inducted into the Golden Arrows Squadron. On September 10, five French-made multirole Rafale fighter jets were inducted into the Indian Air Force in a glittering ceremony at the Ambala air force base. Nine more would arrive in April and this would take the total number of fighters handed over to the Indian Air Force to 23. While the Golden Arrows Squadron would be complete with 18 fighters, the remaining three would be sent to the Hashimara airbase in north Bengal’s Alipurduar. This would aid in countering the Chinese threat in the eastern front.
DRDO reopens makeshift Covid hospital in Delhi, 5 other facilities to come up across India
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Covid hospital in Delhi, set up by DRDO | By special arrangementText Size: A- A+
New Delhi: With the aggressive second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic crippling health infrastructures across the country, the defence establishment has stepped up aid efforts by setting up makeshift hospitals in various cities.
One such makeshift facility was set up by the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) in Delhi that began operations Monday. The 500-bed Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Covid hospital is being manned by a group of 40 professionals from the Armed Forces Medical Service (AFMS) and two doctors from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF).https://88dcb069b3808193d43e784d110a7f3b.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html
Once the hospital, which is situated in the Delhi Cantonment area, began operations there was a massive rush with a number of patients and ambulances turning up at the facility.
DRDO spokesperson Dr Narendra Arya said that while the facility has 250 beds at the moment, it will be expanded to 500 by Thursday.
“Every bed is an ICU-Ventilator one. Only patients requiring ICU or ventilator facility are being admitted. I would request people only with dire need to come to the facility as those who can manage with house care will not be admitted,” he told ThePrint. More beds can be added by DRDO at the facility in the future depending on the situation.
Besides the Delhi hospital, the DRDO is working on setting up three similar facilities in Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
Furthermore, the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is also setting up two Covid facilities in UP’s Lucknow and Nashik in Maharashtra. HAL has already constructed a facility for the Karnataka government in Bengaluru.
The Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Covid hospital in Delhi was first built in a record time of 12 days by the DRDO last year after a spike in cases. The facility was then dismantled in February this year after the number of cases came down.
However, with the surge in cases due to the second wave of the pandemic, the central government asked the DRDO to re-open the facility, which was done within six days.
Furthermore, unlike last year when only 250 ICU beds were available at the temporary hospital, this time all beds will cater to those who require critical care.
DRDO officials said the facility is also equipped with centralised air conditioning, fitted with proper filters to contain the spread of the virus.
There are also separate blocks for patients and doctors, and accommodation for the medical team.
The facility also has an administrative block complete with doctors’ rooms, a basic lab and pharmacy, a dedicated pantry for patients, an area catering to visitors or attendants and a reception as well.
It is secured with security staff, closed-circuit television (CCTV) surveillance and access control systems.
The hospital is also equipped with an integrated fire safety and control system, officials said, adding that environmental safety and waste disposal processes have been built into the design of operations, as well.
According to sources in the defence establishment, one Covid temporary hospital will also come up in Lucknow by the end of this week. It will be set up by DRDO and will have a capacity of 600 beds. This hospital is different from the one being constructed by HAL.
While the organisation’s initial plan was to set up two separate makeshift hospitals in Lucknow, it has now been decided that one large facility will be built instead.
The cost of constructing the hospital in Lucknow will be borne by the DRDO. It will also provide beds and oxygen to the hospital, which will have all the facilities for the treatment of Covid patients.
Similarly, two hospitals by DRDO will also come up in Gujarat and in Bihar.
A 900-bed facility is being set up in Ahmedabad at the Gujarat University Convention Centre. DRDO will equip the hospital with all the amenities to effectively treat Covid patients.
The hospital will be run by doctors and other personnel of the CAPF and is expected to be operational in a week’s time.
The organisation is also working on establishing a 500-bed Covid hospital in Patna. A DRDO team has already reached Patna to oversee the preparations to operationalise the hospital for treatment of Covid patients.
The hospital, with 125 ICU beds, was built by the DRDO in August last year but was shut down later after there was a dip in cases.
