Take a look at top highlights from the last week along with an update on farmers’ protest
Announcement of Tractor March
Protesting farmers have said that they would hold a tractor march on January 26 if their demands are not met. Samyukta Kisan Morcha said on Saturday that tens of thousands of farmers will enter New Delhi on Republic Day and hold a tractor march if their demands for a repel of 3 farm laws and a law guaranteeing MSP for crops are not met. This decision was taken ahead of the next rounds of talks scheduled on Monday, January 4.
A seven-member team that is coordinating the farmers’ protest for more than a month spelt out a fresh agitation agenda while addressing a press conference spanning 15 days from Jan 6. Their agitation agenda includes picketing Raj Bhavans, a “rehearsal” for the Jan 26 tractor parade and onward marches from six blockade sites on Delhi’s borders.
The farmers’ union leaders also said that they would wait for the outcome of January 4 talks and the Supreme Court’s hearing on January 5. The top court will be hearing a clutch of petitions related to the three farm laws.
Sourav Ganguly
The BCCI President Sourav Ganguly was admitted to a hospital in Kolkata after complaining of a heart issue on Saturday morning. He was rushed to the Woodlands Hospital after falling ill while working out in the gym at his residence.
Many well-wishers of Dada wished for a speedy recovery for the President of BCCI. PM Modi, Sachin Tendulkar, Mamata Banerjee, ICC, Virat Kohli, Virendra Sehwag, Waqar Younis and few of them.
The 48-year-old Sourav Ganguly underwent coronary angioplasty, where doctors detected three blocked coronary arteries. The doctors implanted one stent in his right coronary artery through the radial route.
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He had a heart issue and is in Woodlands hospital. But is stable will need a procedure confirm hospital sources. Should be out of the woods in the next few hours. I wish him a speedy recovery. @SGanguly99
— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) January 2, 2021
The dry run of Corona Vaccine
In anticipation of COVID-19 vaccines, which were recently approved by India’s top drug regulator, select hospitals across the country conducted an inoculation dry run on January 2. The nationwide dry run was conducted to understand the best way to administer the vaccine and plug loopholes in training and logistics.
Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister reviewed the process at GTB Hospital, New Delhi on January 2. He later said that vaccines would be administered free of cost to priority groups in the first phase on India’s inoculation drive. This includes around 1 crore health workers and 2 crore frontline workers which includes police personnel, sanitation workers and more. He had added that the details of the second phase of the vaccination program are being worked out. Around 3 crore senior citizens are to be vaccinated in the second phase in July.
2 vaccines approved for emergency use
Vaccines by Serum Institute of India and Bharat Biotech were formally approved by the Central Drugs and Standards Committee (CDSCO) on Sunday. This has allowed the vaccines — Covaxin from Bharat Biotech and Covishield from Serum Institute of India and based on the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine— to be offered to 3 crore healthcare and frontline workers in the country. It is not yet known which of the two vaccines will be made available to these people.
It is to be noted that neither Covaxin nor Covishield has completed a crucial phase-3 trial, under which a vaccine candidate is administered to volunteer at various locations across the nation. The approval from CDSCO was based on a recommendation by a Subject Expert Committee of technical experts who discussed for 2 days in sessions lasting more than 12 hours on approvals to the 2 vaccines.
Muradnagar crematorium roof collapse
At least 21 people died and more than 20 injured after roof of a crematorium collapsed in the Muradnagar, Uttar Pradesh. Several people had come to attend a funeral when the rooftop the crematorium collapsed. More than 38 people have been rescued. Local police and fire department reached the site in no time. Later, rescue workers came and started going through rubble to locate more victims. A team of National Disaster Response Force was also present at the spot. Several people were admitted to the hospital.
25 people, the relatives of a man who was being cremated, had taken shelter under the roof as heavy rain lashed the area.
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