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Omicron scare: Centre writes to States, UTs amidst rising cases, says activate war rooms, consider night curfews

After the second wave, the world is dreaded by the possible third wave of coronavirus. Recently, there has been surge in the number of Omicron cases in the world, and India has so far reported 213 cases of Omicron, at the time of writing this article.

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Omicron

After the second wave, the world is dreaded by the possible third wave of coronavirus. Recently, there has been surge in the number of Omicron cases in the world, and India has so far reported 213 cases of Omicron, at the time of writing this article. Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan wrote a letter to states following the surge of Omicron cases in India. The letter advised states and union territories to implement various strategic interventions for containment of Omicron cases in India. Some of these strategies are night curfews, limiting the number of weddings and funerals, increase in testing and surveillance and night curfew.

Key points of Centre’s letter to states and union territories:

  1. The Centre asked the states and union territories to follow stringent containment plans at district as well as local levels.
  2. Constant updates in data regarding active cases, deaths, hospitals and enforcement of necessary precautions to be taken at the district level. This data will ensure effective decision at micro levels.
  3. Containment and buffer zones should be created and notified about, in case numbers of cases start to cluster. All guidelines should be followed strictly and without delay, all cluster samples must be transferred to INSACOG Labs for Genome Sequencing.
  4. The major aspects of the framework to be utilised by states and union territories to help decision making at the district level and that test positivity of 10 per cent or more in the last one week or bed occupancy of 40 per cent or more on oxygen supported or ICU beds
  5. The current scientific evidence suggests that Omicron, the variant of concern, is at least three times more likely to transmit than the Delta variant. Hence, At the local and district levels, even more foresight, data analysis, dynamic decision making, and stringent and rapid containment measures are necessary. At the state, UT, and district levels, decision-making must be swift and focused.
  6. Better containment, testing, tracking, monitoring, and clinical management.  
  7. States and Union Territories should ensure door-to-door daily searches, testing of all SARI/ILI and vulnerable/co-morbid persons, and the appropriate percentage of RT PCR tests in total tests.
  8. Utilising the Air Suvidha Portal by State Surveillance Officers (SSOS) and District Surveillance Officers (DSOS) to monitor foreign passengers who have landed in their states and districts.
  9. States and union territories have been asked to increase bed capacity, as well as other logistics such as ambulances, a mechanism for seamless patient shifting, availability and operational readiness of oxygen equipment, and a drug buffer stock to be ensured through prompt use of the central government’s Emergency COVID Response Package (ECRP-II) funds and other available resources.

Read Also: Omicron in India: List of states that reported maximum number of Covid-19 new variant

The latest data from the Centre and the states suggests that India has crossed the 200-mark of Omicron cases in India. With confirmed first cases in Jammu and Kashmir and Odisha on Tuesday, India now has confirmed a total of 213 active Omicron cases. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, India has reported 6,317 fresh COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours. The total death count has reached 4,78,325 with 318 deaths in the past 24 hours. Today’s tally of fatalities has increased significantly. The number of active cases in the country is fewer than 1% of all cases, with the current figure of 0.24 percent being the lowest since March of last year.

India News

Delhi Court extends ED custody of CM Arvind Kejriwal till April 1

CM Kejriwal made a submission in front of the court, where he said that in the 31,000 page document prepared by the ED, there is no concrete proof or allegations against him on the basis of which he has been arrested.

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The Delhi Rouse Avenue Court on Thursday has extended the Enforcement Directorate (ED) remand of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal till April 1. The Chief Minister will remain in custody till Monday, after which he will be presented in front of the court bench for further proceedings in the case.

The court has passed its order for the extension of the remand in the money laundering case related to the Delhi excise policy, being investigated by the ED for the last two years. Arvind Kejriwal is the fourth Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader to be arrested in this case. Previously, Satyendar Jain, Manish Sisodia and Sanjay Singh were arrested in the same case. 

During the hearing today, the ED argued that Arvind Kejriwal needs to be brought face to face with some of the accused in the excise policy case. The ED further said that the data in one of the mobile phones, belonging to Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita, was extracted and is being analyzed.

Nonetheless, data from the other 4 digital devices seized during search at Arvind Kejriwal’s premises on March 21 are yet to be extracted as the arrestee has sought time to provide password/login credentials after consulting with his lawyers.

In its fresh remand plea, the investigation agency said that during Arvind Kejriwal’s custodial interrogation, his statements were recorded on five days and that he was giving evasive replies. It further said the statements of three other persons have also been recorded during the remand.

CM Kejriwal made a submission in front of the court on Thursday, where he said that in the 31,000 page document prepared by the ED, there is no concrete proof or allegations against him on the basis of which he has been arrested.

Meanwhile, Arvind Kejriwal’s wife Sunita Kejriwal said on March 28 that the AAP national convener is not keeping well and is being harassed a lot while in ED custody over the past week. She asserted that the Chief Minister is being harassed a lot and his sugar levels are fluctuating.

CM Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the ED on March 21 and was sent to 7-days of custody. His arrest has triggered protests in the national capital and the nearby northern state of Punjab, which is also governed by AAP, over the last few days.

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Lok Sabha elections: Priyanka Gandhi questions Centre on inflation, unemployment, farmers income under Congress media campaign

She questioned about no participation of Dalits, backward classes, tribals, minorities and poor upper castes in the posts and resources of the country.

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Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra questioned the BJP led government at the Centre on several developmental issues under the party’s media campaign for Lok Sabha elections, Mere Vikas ka Do Hisaab.

Priyanka Gandhi asked the BJP government to give it an account of development during its tenure of 10 years. Slamming the government on youth issues, the congress leader questioned why 83 per cent of the total unemployed in the country are youth and where are the 2 crore jobs annually? She further asked about vacancy in 30 lakh government posts and exam paper being leaked.

Alleging that corporates Rs 16 lakh crore has been waived off, Priyanka Gandhi asked why are farmers committing suicide due to debt. She also asked when will the farmers’ income double and when will they get MSP? She also enquired about no proper participation of Dalits, backward classes, tribals, minorities and poor upper castes in the posts and resources of the country.

The Congress General Secretary also raised questions on the increasing number of atrocities on women. Her remarks on social media  platform, X came on a day Congress ran a media campaign with the tagline ‘Mere Vikas Ka Do Hisaab’ and ‘Haath badlega halaat’, posing questions to the Modi government.

Earlier, Congress Parliamentary Chairperson Sonia Gandhi alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is making a systematic effort to cripple the Congress financially and deny a level playing field in the Lok Sabha election. The Income Tax Department reportedly restricted the operations of the bank accounts following a tax dispute.

Meanwhile, the Income Tax Department asserted that it has not frozen the party’s bank account, but has made a recovery of Rs 135 crore because of its violation of the law that grants political parties tax exemptions. It added that the party is free to operate these accounts beyond the money recovered by the department.

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Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, wife Gurpreet Kaur blessed with a baby girl

Mann is the first chief minister in the history of re-organised Punjab to become a father while in office. He is 51 years old.

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Punjab Chief Minister Bhaghwant Mann and his wife Gurpreet Kaur were blessed with a baby girl on Thursday. Mann took to X and posted that the Almighty has given him the gift of a daughter. He said both the mother and the girl are healthy. According to reports the baby was delivered at Fortis hospital Mohali.

Mann is the first chief minister in the history of re-organised Punjab to become a father while in office. He is 51 years old. He has 2 children with his ex-wife, who is now settled in Canada with the 2 children.  

Mann also shared the picture of his daughter in another post. Mann had married Kaur in 2022 after he separated from his first wife in 2015. His wedding was held at his residence in Chandigarh and was attended by select guests like Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, MP Raghav Chadha.

The Punjab chief minister’s family members including his mother and his sister were also part of the wedding, which was carried out according to Sikh rituals. Comedian turned politician Bhagwant Mann became an MP from Sangrur for the first time when he won the 2014 Lok Sabha election on Aam Aadmi Party ticket.

His first wife Inderjit Kaur also campaigned for him during the elections. Before the Punjab assembly election the Aam Aadmi Party declared him as his CM face for Punjab. He won the elections with a thumping victory. Bhagwant Mann is the 17th chief minister of Punjab. Mann’s 2nd wife Gurpreet Kaur, born in 1993, is a doctor by profession and studied MBBS in Ambala. She hails from Pehowa town in Kurukshetra district. According to reports Gurpreet Kaur’s family and Mann’s family have known each other for a long time.

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