Itanagar, April 7 

China’s People’s Liberation Army released on Tuesday the 21-year-old Indian man who was abducted on March 19 from near the McMahon line in Upper Subansiri district of Arunachal Pradesh, a defence spokesman said.

Togley Singkam, who was handed over to the Indian Army personnel guarding the border, was immediately put into quarantine amid fear of coronavirus infection, Defence PRO Lt Col P Khongsai said.

When the incident came to light, the Indian Army swung into action and approached the Chinese side utilising the established border management mechanism. Owing to peace and tranquility existing in the region and the bonhomie that has developed between both the border guarding forces, Singkam was handed over to the Indian Army on Tuesday, he said.

This has provided immense relief to the family members of Singkam and also to the people of the area, he said.

Singkam has been quarantined by the Indian Army and will be handed over to his family after 14 days, the official said.

Singkam along with his two friends — Gamshi Chadar and Ronya Nade — had gone fishing and to collect traditional herbs from the land belonging to the Naa clan of Tagin community on March 19 when the Chinese security personnel allegedly ambushed them.

While his other two friends could successfully escape, Singkam was abducted at gunpoint by the Chinese security personnel.

The Tagin Cultural Society had approached the governor on March 27, urging him to take steps for Singkam’s release.

A complaint was also filed by Singkam’s family at the Nacho police station on March 23.

The McMahon Line demarcates the boundary between the Tibet autonomous region of China and Arunachal Pradesh, which Beijing claims as its own.

The McMahon Line is not properly demarcated and small cement pillars erected on the Indian side often get covered under wild growth.

A number of organisations in the state had appealed to the state government for taking up the matter with the Centre for the safe release of the man.

The Siyum Nacho Limeking Taksing Students Union (SNLTSU) had also threatened to launch a democratic movement in the state capital, if his early and safe release was not ensured. PTI

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 7

To further mitigate the hardships faced by the people amid the COVID-19 crisis and clampdown, Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Wednesday announced a reduction in the fixed charges for electricity consumers, along with deferment of the deadline for payment of bills, while instructing the power department to provide  uninterrupted 24×7 supply to all Health Care Institutions.

The PSPCL will have to bear the additional burden of Rs.350 crore due to the various reliefs announced for the consumers, an official spokesperson said, adding that the Chief Minister also lauded the employees of PSPCL and PSTCL for their untiring efforts in maintaining a continuous supply of power in this time of crisis.

No new disconnection shall be carried out against non-payment till restrictions are withdrawn by the authority, the Chief Minister has further ordered.

The reliefs have been announced in view of the unprecedented situation in which consumers are unable to pay their dues to Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL), according to the spokesperson.

As per the Chief Minister’s directives, the due date of electricity bills of all the domestic & commercial consumers, having current monthly/bi-monthly bills up to Rs. 10,000/- payable on or after 20th March, has been extended up to 20th April, without levy of late payment surcharge.

Further, a one percent rebate will be given to the consumers (exclusive of any previous arrears), who will pay electricity bills online through digital modes by the original due date.

The same applies to all electricity bills payable on or after 20th March of all the Industrial consumers – Medium Supply (MS) and Large Supply (LS) Industrial Consumers.

The fixed charges of the industrial consumers will also be exempted for the next two months, w.e.f 23.3.2020, and Energy Charges may be fixed commensurate with the reduction in Fixed Charges (single rate), the Chief Minister has instructed.

Since, the Revised Energy Charges will be paid by consumers and will not be considered for the subsidy, the MS and LS Industrial Consumers, whose units remained closed during this period will not be required to pay any electricity dues.

Captain Amarinder has further directed A Venu Prasad, Principal Secretary to Government of Punjab, Department of Power, to provide uninterrupted 24×7 supply to all Health Care Institutions such as Medical Colleges, Hospitals, Dispensaries, and other Medical Establishments and Quarantine Centres across the States for their smooth functioning.

He has also directed that PSPCL shall ensure continuity of supply, and complaints related to safety and restoration of supply shall continue to be attended. However, other non-essential services that require visiting consumer premises for meter reading, billing, the release of new connections, etc. may be discontinued during the lockdown period.

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 7

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and advised him to ban all government ads barring COVID-19 related for two years to divert the saved funds to pandemic management.

Writing to the PM a day after latter called her on the phone to discuss the COVID-19 situation in the country, Gandhi also said the Central Vista project coming up at a cost of Rs 20,000 crore should be suspended.

This is not the time for extravagance, she told the PM adding that the existing Parliament building can serve its purpose.

Sonia gave five suggestions to the Government including banning all non-urgent foreign trips by government leaders and bureaucrats.

Supporting the government decision to cut salaries of MPs by 30 per cent, Gandhi said, “Austerity measures which can be used to divert much-needed funds to the fight against Covid-19 are the need of the hour.

In this spirit, I am writing to offer five concrete suggestions.

Gandhi said “Impose a complete ban on media advertisements – television, print and online – by the Government and Public Sectors Undertakings for two years and issue only Covid-19 related advisories.”

Sonia said the Central Government currently spends an average of Rs 1,250 crores per year on media advertisements.

Second, she said, suspend the Rs 20,000 crore ‘Central Vista’ beautification and construction project forthwith.

“Such an outlay seems self-indulgent at this time to say the least. There is no urgent requirement that cannot be postponed until this crisis is contained. This sum could instead be allocated towards constructing new hospital infrastructure and diagnostics along with equipping our frontline workers with Personal Protection Equipment and better facilities, she said.

Congress chief also said the PM should order a proportionate reduction of 30 per cent in the expenditure budget (other than salaries, pensions and central sector schemes) for the Government of India as well.

This would save the government Rs 2.5 lakh crores per year approximately.

“Money saved can then be allocated towards establishing an economic safety net for migrant workers, labourers, farmers, MSMEs and those in the unorganised sector, Gandhi suggested.

She said all foreign visits, including that of the President, the Prime Minister, Union Ministers, Chief Ministers, State Ministers and Bureaucrats must be put on hold in a similar fashion with exceptions in case of special emergency.

This, she said, would bring money as Rs 393 crores were spent for just the Prime Minister and Union Cabinet’s trips in the last five years.

Lastly, she asked all the money of PM Cares’ fund should be transferred to the Prime Ministers National Relief Fund for transparency and efficient use.

New Delhi, April 7

Eight COVID-19 patients died and 354 news cases were reported in the past 24 hours, taking the total number of infected people in the country to 4,421, the Union Health Ministry said on Tuesday.

The death toll due to the novel coronavirus now stands at 117, it said.

During a press briefing, Joint Secretary in the ministry Lav Agarwal said: “Total 4,421 people have been infected with the virus”. Of them, 326 people have recovered.

However, a PTI tally based on figures reported by states directly on Monday night showed at least 138 deaths across the country, while the confirmed cases reached 4,683. Of these, 359 have been cured and discharged.

Agarwal said cluster containment strategies and action plans for outbreaks, which are amenable to management, are giving required results in some areas like Agra, Gautam Budh Nagar, Bhilwara, East Delhi and Mumbai.

These strategies are also being adopted in other coronavirus-affected districts, he said.

According to a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), one COVID-19 patient can infect 406 people in 30 days if he/she does not follow lockdown or social distancing, Agarwal said.

Meanwhile, Pune reported three more deaths, an official said. This takes the district toll from coronavirus to eight. However, these deaths have yet to be added to the national death tally  PTI

Sandeep Dikshit

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 7

Against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump warning of retaliation, India has allowed the export of a drug considered vital for the treatment of Covid.

The government on Tuesday said it would allow the US to import from India previously contracted shipments of the drug.

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) came into limelight after Trump said he wanted to eliminate all barriers to make it available for the treatment of Covid patients in the US where the death toll has crossed 10,000.

Trump followed up his request to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow export of HCQ by warning India that the US may retaliate if it did not export the drug despite his personal request, saying he would be surprised in case of a negative outcome as New Delhi has good relations with Washington.

India has been preserving HCQ stocks after preliminary findings in the US said it had “significant clearance of the SARS-CoV-2 viral load in the nasopharynx compared with non-treated controls”.

India put on a brave front on its decision to reverse the export ban on HCQ and paracetamol as well as a second decision taken on Monday to lift a one-month ban on 13 active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs). It said the decision to recommence exports of 13 APIs was based on a comfortable stock position. HCQ  and paracetamol were shifted from the restricted to the licensed list (meaning case-by-case clearance) after balancing the domestic stock position with India’s obligation to supply it to nations badly affected by the pandemic, said the Ministry of External Affairs.

Not just Trump but several world leaders in phone calls to Modi had requested India for reconsideration, especially on releasing shipments previously contracted by US companies.

The MEA also indicated that apart from fulfilling previous contract obligations and meeting personal requests from world leaders, India will accord top priority to sending paracetamol and HCQ to neighbouring countries that are “dependent on Indian capabilities”, thus indicating that Pakistan may not make the cut.

Further rationalising the decision to allow limited exports of HCQ and paracetamol, the MEA said India had always maintained that the international community must display strong solidarity and cooperation.

MEA spokesperson Anurag Shrivastava said the March 3 order banning the export of over a dozen drugs and the reversal was actually a temporary step as part of the obligation of “any responsible government” to ensure that there are adequate domestic stocks of medicines. Subsequently, the curbs were largely lifted after an assessment confirmed the availability of medicines for all possible contingencies, he maintained while asking that the issue should not be politicised.

Other sources agreed and said apart from paracetmol, most of these are not directly connected with the treatment of Covid. The API and formulations on which export restrictions were lifted are primarily made in Hubei province, the COVID-19 epicentre, whose lockdown prompted the government to impose export restrictions in March to conserve stocks for domestic deployment. The fear of shortages receded after Chinese pharma companies got back on track towards the beginning of this month.

The APIs and medicines on which export restrictions have now been lifted include Vitamin B1, B6, B12 and their formulations; progesterone and its formulations plus antibiotic APIs like erythromycin salts, Tinidazole, Neomycin and drugs manufactured using these.

The restrictions were placed after an assessment which warned that the stock-in hand of APIs may be sufficient for two to three months to manufacture formulations.

In India, the main API makers for HCQ are Ipca Laboratories and Zydus Cadila and the US is now ready to overlook a three-year ban by the US Federal Drug Authority on one of the companies.

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, April 5

Five soldiers were killed while fighting highly-trained infiltrators in north Kashmir’s Kupwara district, the first major counter-infiltration operation along the LoC this year. Also, five militants were shot.

A fierce gunfight broke out on Saturday evening in the snowbound Ringdori forest area of Keran, 120 km from Srinagar, while the Army was looking for a group of infiltrators who fled after a brief exchange of fire on April 1. The Army cordoned a

4-square km area to ensure that the militants did not escape towards Pakistan.

Para commandos were airdropped at strategic locations to trace them. As combing was underway, the hiding militants opened fire. In the ensuing gunfight, five militants and three soldiers were killed. Two more soldiers were critically injured. They later succumbed to injuries.

“Alert troops, braving inclement weather and a hostile terrain, have so far eliminated five terrorists attempting to infiltrate across the LoC,” defence spokesman Col Rajesh Kalia told the media, adding that the operation was still underway.

The police claimed the slain militants were associated with Lashkar-e-Toiba.

In the past 24 hours, nine militants have been killed in two gunfights. On Saturday, four local militants were killed in Kulgam district.

—

A navy sailor has died in an accident onboard one of Indian Navy’s under-construction nuclear submarines. Considering the secrecy of the project, the Navy has not divulged the name of the submarine.

The Incident happened at Navy’s Vizag-based eastern naval command ship building centre jetty on April 1. Four Arihant class nuclear submarines are based at Vizag, while the first submarine INS Arihant was commissioned in August 2016. In 2017, the second boat of the Arihant class—the bigger, improved and better-armed INS Arighat—was launched and presently undergoing sea-trials. Remaining two submarines of the class are under construction. Naval sources expect that all four Arihant class submarines can be commissioned by 2023.

According to naval sources, 26-year-old sailor Paramajit Singh was on duty when accident happened in the boat.
“An incident of material failure happened onboard at Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. A sailor was grievously injured and taken to hospital. subsequently, he succumbed to the injuries,” said a naval official. Later on, his body was handed over to the family. Since he died while performing duty, he was given full military honour funeral at his home town.

Meanwhile, a Board of Inquiry has been ordered by the Navy to investigate the cause of the incident.

Arihant class submarine, the nuclear-powered submarines with ballistic nuclear missiles (SSBNs), are meant for deterrence with its long legs. Naval experts believe that SSBNs are not meant for fighting wars, but to prevent wars and we need to have at least four of such submarines to have a 24×7 deterrence. However, India’s plan to build six SSNs (attack submarine) with a displacement capacity of 6,000 tonnes is underway.

In 2017, dedicating the boat to the nation as a Diwali gift, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said: “Arihant is an open warning to enemies of India and enemies of peace” and a “fitting response to nuclear blackmail”. With that, India joined another club where the same big five— the US, Russia, Britain, France and China—have been sitting.

INS Arihant, an SSBN category submarine, is both nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed. She is armed with 750km range K15 Sagarika nuclear-tipped ballistic missiles. In future, she will get 3,500km (intermediate range) K4 ballistic missiles.

Three of its sister ships of same class are getting ready in the Navy’s secret yard at Visakhapatnam as follow-on ships. And all of which will move around the depths of the waters close to China’s and Pakistan’s coast.

Navy’s fleet of attack submarines, all diesel-powered, has dwindled from an awesome 21 in the 1980s to just 14 at present. Worse still, at least half of the 15 available boats are old and creaking, and undergoing mid-life upgrade. It means India has just seven-eight submarines that are battle-ready at any given time, against 65 of the Chinese navy.

Ideally, the Navy needs at least 24 submarines to meet its 30-year submarine building plan, which was approved by the cabinet committee on security in 1999, months after the Kargil conflict. The plan was to induct 12 diesel subs by 2012 and another 12 submarines by 2030, but repeated delays forced the Navy to rejig the plan.

Now, the plan is to have 18 diesel-powered submarines and six SSNs. The SSNs will be constructed in Visakhapatnam. Meanwhile, to develop skills and drills for operating SSNs, the Navy has got one Akula-class SSN on lease from Russia.

Chandigarh, April 4

When their husbands are in the field to fight coronavirus, the better halves are ensuring free food distribution to cater to the poor in Punjab’s Ropar district.

Also, the wives of policemen are making masks at home to handle the pandemic.

Over 33,000 meals of dry ration along with 800 masks have been prepared by family members of police officials in last one week at their homes and community centres, said Senior Superintendent of Police of Ropar, Swapan Sharma.

The ration packets have been distributed in slum areas, while the masks at every check point by mobile patrolling teams, he said.

“Together we stand stronger is the message that families of the Ropar policemen are out to convey,” Sharma said, adding each family has contributed Rs 500 towards the fight against deadly virus.

Women and children have taken upon themselves to make masks and pack ration packets.

With policemen on duty for 14-16 hours a day since the lockdown that came into effect on March 23, their families are showing all their support.

Out of 100 families that stay in police quarters, about 30 of them have come forward to help. By stitching masks at home, they are doing their bit to ensure safety and health.

Spouses, children and even parents are enthusiastically participating to ease the burden on the policemen by making packs out of ration donated by the NGOs and the public, he said.

“We couldn’t think of anything better than making masks to keep our men in khaki safe in these tough times,” said Sukhwinder Kaur, 48, wife of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Jagtar Singh.

Shruti, 16, daughter of ASI Chandermohan with the help of her elder and younger sisters is making use of her sewing skills in making masks.

ASI Vinod Kumar’s wife Praveen Kaur has enlisted the help of her three children to make ration packs for the less fortunate.

“Lending a helping hand even if little means huge in this time of uncertainty. Also, our children imbibe value of standing with everyone in difficult times with doing as much as they can,” she said.

Lovepreet Kaur, daughter of ASI Jagir Singh, added: “Making ration packs may not mean much in ordinary times but at moments like these when policemen are overworked each little help counts. I am glad that we are taking off a little of the burden off the shoulders of forces by making use of the time.” — IANS