Dailypioneer

At a time when the nation is besieged with an unprecedented human tragedy, India’s political parties have miserably failed to rise to the occasion. The daily war of words raging among headline-grabbers of our political class has given the impression that they are only bothered about consolidating their vote bank. Take the example of West Bengal. Both Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the BJP leadership have been blaming each other for the Corona bomb that has pulverised the State’s health system and seen an alarming positivity rate. But the fact remains that during the Assembly election

Starting from bubonic plague, there has been a series of pandemics. Corona is only the 12th to have hit the human race so severely

We all know that Corona is not the first pandemic to attack almost the entire world. One can only hope that it neither conquers countries nor changes the course of their history. The key to overturning a pandemic appears to discovering the heart of it; what precisely sets it off. What to destroy at the core of the disease and then how to destroy. While medical scientists and experts try to find a way out, the disease runs riot.

A consolation is that Corona

Senior Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Durgesh Pathak alleged that the municipal corporations are not paying salaries to its employees even during this deadly pandemic of Covid-19.

Pathak said Covid-19 is spreading at a fast pace and the mortalities are increasing not only in Delhi but in the whole country. “We have been witnessing frequent crowds in hospitals and Covid centers. People are anxious to get their tests done. On the other hand, there are cleaners of Delhi who are engaged day and night in the service of the people of Delhi. These employees are stepping out of their homes for the

India's indigenous Light Combat Aircraft, Tejas, has added the 5th generation Python-5 Air-to-Air Missile (AAM) to its air-to-air weapons capability.

Trials were also aimed to validate enhanced capability of already integrated Derby Beyond Visual Range (BVR) AAM on Tejas, a DRDO statement said on Wednesday.

The test firing in Goa on Tuesday completed a series of missile trials to validate its performance under extremely challenging scenarios, it said.

The first Oxygen Express train for Delhi carrying around 70 tonnes of the life-saving gas reached the national capital early Tuesday morning, officials said.

This oxygen will now be disbursed by the Delhi government to various hospitals, they said.

"OxygenExpress has reached Delhi from Raigarh, Chhattisgarh with Oxygen for patients in the capital. Indian Railways is leaving no stone unturned in our collective fight against COVID-19, & ensuring sufficient availability of life-saving resources across the country," tweeted Railway Minister Piyush Goyal.

Asking people not to panic over the availability of medical oxygen, the Centre on Monday asserted that the country has enough stock of the life-saving gas and that the key issue of its transportation to high-demand areas witnessing mounting COVID-19 cases was being addressed in the best possible way, even by roping in the Indian Air Force (IAF).

Addressing a media briefing here, Additional Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs Piyush Goyal highlighted the efforts that have been undertaken by the government in providing oxygen to hospitals in areas with high COVID-19 cases at the earlie

The Centre on Sunday barred the use of liquid oxygen for any non-medical purpose and asked manufacturing units to maximise its production and make it available to the government for medical use.

The order by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla came amid a scarcity of medical oxygen in many parts of the country, particularly in Delhi, that have been hit by a fresh wave of the coronavirus pandemic.

Exercising the powers conferred under the Disaster Management Act, the union home secretary directed the state and union territory governments to ensure that "use of liquid oxygen is not allowed

Police registered an FIR against Unidentified persons on Thursday in connection with the death of 22 COVID-19 patients at a hospital in Nashik following the disruption of oxygen supply, an official said.

The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon when the oxygen supply to patients stopped suddenly because of a malfunction in the main storage at Dr Zakir Hussain Hospital, run by the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC).

An FIR was registered in the early hours of Thursday at the Bhadrakali police station in Maharashtra's Nashik city against unidentified persons under Indian Penal Code

Farmers protesting at several Delhi borders Wednesday rejected as "false propaganda" allegations that they were not letting medical oxygen carriers into Delhi, thus putting lives of several COVID-19 patients at risk.

BJP MP Parvesh Verma had Tuesday night alleged that transportation of medical use oxygen into Delhi was hampered due to the road blockade caused by protesters.

The Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a representative body of several protesting farmer unions, said on Wednesday they have kept a way open for emergency services since day one of their agitation.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, General Secretary of the Congress has said that she is totally devastated due to pandemic, getting news of people dying without any medical support.

Speaking to IANS she said that this is not the time for the Prime Minister to campaign but to wipe the tears of the people's eyes and protect the citizens from the deadly virus. She said her party is working with compassion and is trying to help out the needy but she questions the Prime Minister --Is it time to laugh in political rallies?

Q. How do you see the government's response after the second wave has hit the

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, the BJP on Monday said it has decided against holding any big rally or public meeting, including by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other party leaders, in the ongoing West Bengal assembly poll campaign.

The decision comes amid the party facing flak from rivals for the big rallies of its leaders in West Bengal amid the COVID-19 tally rising to staggering levels across the country.

The BJP said that breaking the chain of coronavirus infection is much needed in such a difficult time and it will leverage its "massive digital footprint" to take across the

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday cancelled all his public rallies in poll-bound West Bengal following a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases in the country.

He also advised all other politicians to think about the consequences of holding large public rallies.

"In view of the Covid situation, I am suspending all my public rallies in West Bengal.I would advise all political leaders to think deeply about the consequences of holding large public rallies under the current circumstances," he said on Twitter.

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, the Uttar Pradesh government has announced a lockdown across the state on Sunday.

To enforce wearing of masks, the state government has doubled the fine to Rs 1000 for those caught without masks for the first time and 10 times the fine amount for those caught again.

"There will be a weekly closure in all rural and urban areas of the state on Sunday.Only sanitation, sanitisation and emergency services will operate during this period. Necessary awareness works should also be done in this regard," an official statement said here quoting Chief Minister Yog

Supreme Court judge Justice M.R. Shah on Thursday said all his staff members involved in arranging virtual hearings have tested positive for Covid-19.

Justice Shah was sitting on a bench headed by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud as it took up a case through video-conferencing. In the pre-lunch hearing, he broke the news to the lawyers.

"Can we take a break for 10-15 minutes? My entire virtual staff has tested positive...," he said.

At this, Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati said the court should take its own time to deal with the situation. The bench then rose and informed the

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Uttar Pradesh minister Ashutosh Tandon have tested positive for COVID-19.

In a tweet in Hindi on Wednesday, Yadav said, "My corona test report has come positive. I have isolated myself and started treatment at home itself. People who have come in contact with me in the past few days should get themselves tested. They are requested to stay in isolation for some days."

Yadav had recently visited Haridwar where the Kumbh Mela is underway and met various religious leaders, including Akhara Parishad chairman Mahant Narendra Giri who had tested posit

It is the Election Commission’s (EC) responsibility to conduct “free and fair” elections; however, its role often comes under the scanner of the parties in the poll fray; it is accused of being biased, undemocratic and selective in cracking down on the violators of the Model Code of Conduct (MCC). Not only this, the “impartiality” of the apex poll body is questioned every now and then, right from the first stage of setting up the voting dates. The Opposition accuses it of “dancing to the tune” of the regime at the Centre and “managing” the election dates that best suit the ruling party. Eve

Maharashtra School Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad announced on Monday that class 10 and 12 board exams will be postponed given the current Covid situation in the state.

"Imp Announcement: Given the current #COVID-19 situation in Maharashtra, we've postponed state board exams for class 10th & 12th. The present circumstances are not conducive for holding exams. Your health is our priority. #PariskhaPeCharcha #HSC #SSC #exams," Gaikwad tweeted on Monday.

"Keeping in mind the schedule of entrance exams for professional courses,class 12th exams will be held by end of May, while 10th sta

Terming vaccine universalisation and vaccine nationalism need of the hour, AAP leader Raghav Chadha wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying there must be a strict India-first rule as citizens' needs must be given priority over exports to other countries.

In a letter, the AAP MLA said the Centre has chosen to export over 64 million doses to 84 countries while Indian citizens are desperately looking for a vaccination centre that is still open.

"I wish to ask Government of India as to what its priority is – the people of Delhi or of Dominican Republic? The people of Maharashtra or

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will not attend the virtual meeting called by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the COVID-19 situation with CMs, sources in the state government said on Thursday.

Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay will be present in the meeting, they said.

Banerjeee will be busy campaigning for the ongoing assembly elections in the state, the sources said.

The Aam Aadmi Party on Wednesday staged a protest outside the BJP headquarters against the Narendra Modi Government's decision to export Covid vaccines.

Hundreds of party workers gathered outside the BJP headquarter and raised slogans against the Central Government.

Senior AAP leader and Chief Spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said that the 130 crore population of India ought to have the first right over the vaccine that has been created by scientists of our country. He also said that COVID cases are on the rise and people are dying but the Narendra Modi government is busy exporting the v