NEWS

The Maharashtra government on Thursday took an abrupt U-turn on lockdown restrictions, saying that they will not be lifted in half the state from Friday, hours after Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar earlier in the day announced partial relaxations.

"The lockdown has not been lifted (from Friday). The proposal is still under consideration," said an official statement from the Chief Minister's office.

The state is still not completely free of the COVID-19 infection, with cases still on the rise in many rural areas and the proposals would be considered and implemented after a detailed review of the departments concerned in all districts, it said.

"In view of the deadly and changing form of the coronavirus, it is important to decide whether or not to life the ongoing curbs. The restrictions have not yet been lifted in the state," said the statement.

It pointed out that under its `Break The Chain` orders, the government has started giving some relaxations on a regular basis and the Disaster Management Department is considering a five-phased unlock based on the weekly Covid-19 positivity rate and the availability of oxygen beds.

Accordingly, the detailed guidelines in this regard, on tightening or easing of restrictions, shall be notified by the government soon, it said.

The state government`s clarification came hours after Wadettiwar held a press conference and unveiled the details of the unlock in half of Maharashtra - or 18 of the 36 districts - from June 4.

Following the announcement, Wadettiwar went on backfoot and defended his statements, saying that the proposal regarding unlock is definitely under consideration but the final decision would be taken by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

(With inputs from agencies)

Despite the Covid challenges and continuous efforts of the Business Development Unit (BDU), freight transportation has continued to maintain the high momentum in terms of loading in the month of May 2021 for Central Railway, its officials have claimed.

“In May 2021, Central Railway transported 6.32 million tonnes which is 45.9% more than May 2020 which was 4.33 million tonnes. The important items transported during May 2021 includes 3.57 million tonnes of Coal, 0.21 million tonnes of Iron & Steel, 0.58 million tonnes of Cement, 0.86 million tonnes of Containers and 1.10 million tonnes of other goods like fertilizer, POL, etc,” a CR official said on Wednesday.

The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed a sedition case against veteran scribe Vinod Dua for his alleged comments against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his YouTube show last year, saying a 1962 verdict entitles every journalist to protection.

A bench comprising Justices U U Lalit and Vineet Saran, however, declined the prayer of Dua that no FIR should be registered against any media personnel with 10 years’ experience unless cleared by a committee, saying it would amount to an encroachment into the domain of the executive.

On the issue of protection of freedom of speech and expression of media personnel, it said, “Every journalist is entitled to protection under the Kedar Nath Singh judgment (the famous verdict of 1962 on the scope and ambit of offence of sedition in the IPC).”

The third wave of covid-19 could be as severe as the second wave and could last for an average duration of 98 days, according to an SBI report. However, the number of covid-related deaths can be reduced by increasing vaccinations and improvement of health infrastructure, it noted.

In a five-page report, it pointed out that the average duration of the third wave for developed countries was 98 days as against 108 days in the second wave. If the country is better prepared for the third wave, “the decline in serious case rate (patients that require oxygen, intensive care unit beds, etc) will lead to fewer deaths,” the SBI Ecowrap report said.