Uttarakhand BJP meeting today after Tirath Singh Rawat's resignation Tirath Singh Rawat hinted that he resigned because the Election Commission was unlikely to hold by-elections due to Covid-19. Uttarakhand BJP unit will hold its legislature party meeting on Saturday to decide on a new leader after Tirath Singh Rawat resigned as the hill state's chief minister. Uttarakhand BJP unit president Madan Kaushik said the legislative party will meet at 3pm and Narendra Singh Tomar will be the central observer at the meeting. “The new leader will be an MLA,” Kaushik said. State BJP media incharge Manveer Singh Chauhan said all party MLAs
have been asked to attend the meeting. Tirath Singh Rawat resigned on Friday after just four months in office in the shortest term for a Uttarakhand CM. Rawat, who
took over as the chief minister on March 10 this year, resigned days after he met the BJP central leadership, including Union home minister Amit Shah and party chief JP Nadda. Rawat's
resignation also comes ahead of the Uttarakhand assembly elections scheduled to be held in early 2022. Rawat resigned from his post on Friday night and submitted his resignation to Governor Baby Rani Maurya hours after he addressed a press conference in the state capital of Dehradun. He said that the decision was right amid what he said was a "constitutional crisis" in the state. “I must express my gratitude to the party’s central leadership which has given many responsibilities from time to time. I have been MLC, MLA, MP, party state president and recently chief minister,” he said after
Bharat Biotech says completed final analysis for Covaxin, claims 77.8% efficacy Bharat Biotech said that Covaxin also demonstrates 93.4% effectiveness against severe symptomatic Covid-19 cases. On the other hand, Covaxin provides 65.2% protection against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) strain, currently the most predominant Covid-19 variant in India, it said. Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech on Friday said that it has completed the final Phase-3 analysis for Covaxin, its indigenous vaccine against the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). Citing pre-print data from "India's largest efficacy trial", the pharmaceutical company claimed that an overall efficacy of 77.8% against symptomatic Covid-19 patients has been found in Covaxin. Elaborating on its findings from the efficacy analysis, Bharat Biotech added that Covaxin also demonstrates 93.4% effectiveness against severe symptomatic Covid-19 cases. On the other hand, Covaxin provides 65.2% protection against the B.1.617.2 (Delta) strain, currently the most predominant Covid-19
variant in India, it said. Against asymptomatic Covid-19 patients, Covaxin provides an efficacy of 63.6%, Bharat Biotech said at the conclusion of its Phase-3 efficacy trial. Here are the overall efficacy rates of Covaxin in a gist, as claimed by Bharat Biotech in its pre-print analysis. Asymptomatic cases: 63% Covaxin efficacy Mild, moderate, and severe cases: 78% Covaxin efficacy Delta variant: 65% Covaxin efficacy Severe Covid-19 cases: 93% Covaxin efficacy The Covaxin Phase-3 analysis, published on the
medRxiv pre-print server, was reportedly conducted across 25 hospitals in India as trial sites. The large-scale final analysis deployed a double-blind, randomised, multi-center clinical trial, using a sponsor-supplied randomisation scheme where volunteers received two intramuscular doses of either the Covid-19 vaccine or a placebo -- four weeks apart. It consisted of 25,800 volunteers from the age group of 18 to 98 years, the report said. The vaccine was approved for emergency use in the Indian population in January, and the Hyderabad-based company had then said it would release phase III data
by March. The release was since pushed back on several occasions. It had earlier shared the data with Indian drug regulators, however, the data regarding the multiple analyses had not been released until now. Earlier, Bharat Biotech's US partner Ocugen had reported similar findings regarding Covaxin, adding that adverse events reported in the study were low. Only 12.4% of the subjects experienced commonly known side-effects, it said. Both adverse events and severe adverse events reported in the vaccine group were found at similar rates to the placebo group, the company added. Covaxin, along with the Oxford UniversityAstrazeneca shot, has been used since the beginning of India's nationwide vaccine drive against the viral disease on January 16. Russia's Sputnik V was given emergency use authorisation (EUA) in April, while US pharmaceutical firm Moderna's mRNA-based vaccine on Tuesday received approval to be used here.
Govt giving ₹4,000 to all under Covid scheme? Here's the truth The Centre has announced a slew of measures amid the economic distress during the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions put in place to curb the rising cases of Covid-19 across the country. A WhatsApp message claiming that the government is giving ₹4,000 to everyone under a Covid relief scheme is false and there is no such financial assistance being extended, the Press Information Bureau has tweeted. "It is being claimed
in a WhatsApp message that the Indian government is, under a Corona Care Fund Scheme, giving a sum of ₹4,000 to everyone. This is a false claim. The government is running no such scheme," PIB's Fact Check handle said in a tweet in Hindi. The tweet comes as Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on June 28 announced eight new schemes, including a ₹1.1 lakh crore loan guarantee scheme for the Covid-
34 — THE BRISBANE INDIAN TIMES, July, 2021
affected and an additional ₹1.5 lakh crore under the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme launched as part of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat package last year. The government has announced a slew of measures amid the economic distress during the coronavirus pandemic and the restrictions put in place to curb the rising cases of Covid-19 across the country. Before this, PIB Fact Check rejected claims that Prime
Minister Narendra Modi has announced a nationwide lockdown from July 1 till July 31 and also declared the "beginning of the third wave" of the pandemic. PIB Fact Check clarified that no such announcement was made by PM Modi and asked citizens to be wary of such viral posts. "The Prime Minister has not made any such announcement. Kindly be wary of such misleading messages. The said claim is fake," PIB Fact Check tweeted.
submitting his resignation to the governor. "I thank my party president JP Nadda, home minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the core of my heart,” he added. The senior BJP leader hinted that he resigned because the Election Commission was unlikely to hold by-elections due to Covid-19. A CM, if not a member of the assembly, needs to be elected within six months of assuming the post. However, a poll official indicated that no request was made to hold a bypoll and suggested there were precedents that may have permitted it.
Tirath Singh Rawat's stint was marred by controversy, including his decision to allow the Mahakumbh amid a surge in cases of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), and large-scale fraud in testing during the holy event. His comments on women’s clothing and that the waters of the Ganga could prevent infections also invited criticism. Rawat, who was elected to the Lok Sabha from Garhwal in 2019, was appointed Uttarakhand's ninth CM after Trivendra Singh Rawat resigned from the top job post amid infighting in the state unit. The BJP has 56 MLAs in the 70-member house.
Indian Railways: Mumbai-Delhi August Kranti Rajdhani Express back on track from today
The Indian Railways said
in its official communique that the train service is being restored in popular demand with a view to meet the travel needs and convenience of passengers, the Railways said. The August Kranti Rajdhani Express, running from Mumbai Central to Hazrat Nizamuddin railway stations, will be back on track starting on Saturday i.e. July 3, the Indian Railways announced a day ago. The train service is being restored in popular demand with a view to meet the travel needs and convenience of passengers, the Railways said in its official communique. The return train, from Hazrat Nizammudin to Mumbai Central, will start running from Sunday i.e. July 4. According to a press release issued by Sumit Thakur, chief public relations officer of the Western Railway, the Mumbai Central - H Nizammudin August Kranti Rajdhani Express Special (Train number: 02953) will be restored from July 3. Similarly, the H Nizammudin - Mumbai Central August Kranti Rajdhani Express Special (Train number: 02954) will be restored from July 4. For detailed information on the trains restoring services this week, passengers have been requested to visit the official
inquiry portal of the Indian Railways -- www.enquiry. indianrail.gov.in. Notably, only those passengers who have their confirmed tickets will be allowed to board these special trains, the Western Railway mentioned. The booking for the aforementioned train, the Mumbai Central - H Nizammudin August Kranti Rajdhani Express Special, will commence from July 4 at select PRS counters and on the official website of the Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC). The railway passengers have also been requested to adhere to all appropriate Covid-19-related protocols while boarding the train and for the duration of their travel, till they reach their respective destinations. This includes adhering to all social distancing norms and respecting the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the Union ministry of railways in this regard. Notably, all regular passenger train services of the Indian Railways were suspended last year in March following the imposition of the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown. The Railways have only begun gradually restoring services of its special train services since May this year, as Covid-19 cases continue to decline in the country.
