The PM-Kisan scheme provides income support of Rs 6,000 per annum to all eligible farmer families across the country.

NEW DELHI:  The Centre’s much-touted PM-Kisan fund saw 11.29 lakh cases of failure of fund transfer to farmers between March 23 and July 31 last year, reply to a query filed under Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed.

The RTI reply to transparency activist Venkatesh Nayak shows the highest cases of failure of fund transfer were reported from Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Responding to the RTI plea,  Union Ministry of Agriculture also informed that nearly half (6.33 lakh) instances of failed transactions were successfully re-processed, as of July 31.

Madhya Pradesh accounted for 7.29 lakh failed transactions, followed by Maharashtra with more than 85,210 transfer failures and Karnataka, which recorded over 55,791 instances of failure of transfer of PM-Kisan funds to bank accounts during the lockdown period last year.

Bihar, with 51,004 cases of transfer failures and Uttar Pradesh with 47,918 instances were among the other states that saw very high number of failures.

These five states together accounted for almost nearly 90 per cent of the total transfer failures between March and July 31, 2020.

The ministry in its reply did not divulge the reasons why the fund transfers failed. It also did not indicate the amount of funds that could not be transferred.

It’s also not known how many beneficiaries were affected. The PM-Kisan scheme provides income support of `6,000 per annum to all eligible farmer families across the country.

The information further shows that Sikkim accounted for the lowest number of transfer failures. Other Northeastern states — Arunachal Pradesh with 141, Mizoram with 218 and Meghalaya with 233 — also reported less cases. On successful re-processing, Madhya Pradesh had the highest with 6.12 lakh cases followed by Maharashtra reporting 12,810 cases and UP reporting 1,986 cases.

The SC-appointed panel on the new agri laws on Thursday started its consultation process and interacted with 10 farmer organisations from eight states. The panel, in a statement, said the interaction was held through video conference.

Ten farmer organisations from Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharasthra, Odisha, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh interacted with the committee members.

BENGALURU: The process of administering Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin, already mired in controversy and doubt, has not been without problems in Karnataka. Although the Centre has approved Covaxin for emergency use, phase 3 trials which measure efficacy are still under way. One centre each in six districts — Ballari, Shivamogga, Hassan, Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagaluru and Davanagere — have been given doses of Covaxin. The rest of the state has received doses of Oxford University’s Covishield. 

Beneficiaries who receive a shot of Covaxin are to sign a consent form, and in case of an illiterate person, it has to be signed in the presence of an impartial witness. However, several people at centres where Covaxin is being used, have said that they either received no consent form, or were unaware that such a form existed. When they did receive the form, it was in English. Some health workers did not even know whether they were given Covishield or Covaxin.

“I was given Covaxin, but I was not asked to read or fill any consent form before taking it. The vaccinators only checked my blood pressure and asked for some personal and health information. If there is such a permission form, they should have taken my signature,” an Asha worker in Ballari district told TNIE, on condition of anonymity.A data entry operator in Sakleshpur, Hassan, who took Covaxin said, “I was not given any permission form. They only took my Aadhaar information before giving the vaccine.”

Three-page consent form is crucial for many reasons. One, it states that “in case of any adverse events or serious adverse events, you will be provided medically recognised standard of care in government designated and authorised centres/hospitals. The compensation for serious adverse events will be paid by sponsor (BBIL) if the SAE is proven to be causally related to the vaccine”.

The details sought include recipient’s name, date of birth, age, gender, marital status, address, phone number, name and address of vaccination site, name and number of vaccinator or supervising officer. Questions on medical history include information about medication for a chronic illness, name of illness, whether they under radiotherapy, etc. 

An excerpt of the consent form reads, “I have been provided and have read, or had been explained to me, the fact sheet about the Covid-19 vaccination. I understand that this vaccine requires two doses for it to be effective and two doses need to be administered. I have been allowed to ask questions which were answered to my satisfaction. I understand the benefits and risks of the vaccination as described. I request that the Covid-19 vaccination be given to me.”

A third Covaxin beneficiary who is a staff nurse and works with ASHA workers in Yelandur taluk, Chamarajanagar district, said, “I took Covaxin but was not given any consent form. They only checked my blood pressure and pulse rate and wrote down my details manually.”The consent form requires the vaccinator to confirm and sign that they have reviewed the details of side-effects with the vaccine recipient. 

The form is not just about getting the signature as a purely mechanical process, but ensuring that the beneficiary is explained each section of the consent form and answering any questions they have, so that they understand it, said Dr Anant Bhan, researcher, Global Health, Bioethics and Health Policy.

“Consent has four factors — information, understanding, ensuring it is voluntary and not coerced, as well as documentation for proof. Not giving the consent form to the Covaxin beneficiary is a clear violation of protocol, as the vaccine has been approved for restricted emergency use under the condition that the beneficiary receives this form. The vaccine is in clinical trial mode and is collecting data for study. People need to be told that the vaccine has been approved under special circumstances and that they will be tracked for any adverse effects following immunisation, if any, and whom to report if such things happen,” Dr Bhan said.

The land in Islampur village, acquired by HSVP in 1993, was sold for Rs 2 crore using forged documents and fake witnesses, informed DGP Manoj Yadava.

CHANDIGARH: Haryana Police has arrested three persons, including two advocates, on charges of selling two acres of land ‘acquired’ through fraudulent means in Gurugram district to a private company.

The land in Islampur village, acquired by Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) in 1993, was sold for Rs 2 crore using forged documents and fake witnesses, informed DGP Manoj Yadava.

Accused Rohit Thakaran of Jharsa village and Ajay Chaudhary of Islampur village hatched a plan and got the land transferred in the name of Chaudhary by producing fake witnesses, who impersonated Murti Devi, Lakshmi Devi and Bala Devi, the original owners of two acres of the ancestral property. Lawyers Chaman Lal Arora and Subhash Chand Arora acted as witnesses and ‘identified the owners’. 

“The fraud came to light when one of the victims, Murti Devi filed a complaint in this regard. The State Crime Branch (Gurugram unit) arrested Thakran on January 18 and both advocates Chaman Lal Arora and Subhash Chand Arora on January 20,” said Yadava.

The probe also revealeds that mastermind Rohit Thakaran had learnt privately the work of ‘Patwari’ and was fully aware of the acquired land. Ajay Chaudhary has been found to have transferred Rs 29 lakh out of Rs 2 crores to the account of Thakaran. 

The woman told the investigating officer that she is taking back the complaint against Dhananjay Munde, but did not cite any reason.

MUMBAI: The Mumbai-based woman who had accused Maharashtra cabinet minister Dhananjay Munde of rape has withdrawn her police complaint, an official said on Friday.

The woman told the investigating officer that she is taking back the complaint against Munde, but did not cite any reason, the police official said.

The police asked the complainant to submit a notorised affidavit in this regard, he said.

The woman had approached the police with the complaint against the Social Justice Minister (45) on January 11, accusing him of rape and sexual assault on pretext of marriage in 2006.

The police had started an inquiry and the woman had visited the Oshiwara police station to record her statement.

Munde, a senior NCP leader from Beed district, has denied the rape charges and dubbed them has an attempt to blackmail him.

The minister, however, has admitted that he was in a relationship with the complainant woman’s sister.

As the complaint came to light, the opposition BJP demanded Munde’s resignation from the cabinet.

However, the NCP ruled out any action against Munde till the charges were proved.

Meanwhile, reacting to the development, NCP president Sharad Pawar said it seems the party’s decision to wait for the truth to come out after rape allegations were levelled against Munde was right.

Addressing reporters here, Pawar also alleged efforts are on from Delhi to Mumbai to bring down the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state.

However, the Shiv Sena-led government, in which the NCP is a key constituent, will complete its five-year term, the former Union minister said.

“I got to read the news about (the woman) withdrawing the complaint. I dont know the details. But after discussion with Munde and officials, we felt prima facie that the truth needs to be verified first. We felt we should not jump to a conclusion until the truth is found out,” Pawar said.

The NCP chief, who had initially termed the rape charges as serious, said the party pitched for a detailed probe into the allegations after it saw some documents in connection with the episode.

And our decision was right it seems, he added.

To a question about the various charges being made against MVA leaders, alleged attempts to bring down the Uddhav Thackeray government and its longevity, Pawar said, There is no doubt that the government will run for five years.

Consistent efforts are being made right from day one, from Delhi to Mumbai (to bring down the government).

But it will have no impact, he said, without naming anyone or any party.

Victoria Hospital had repeated her RTPCR test to confirm her COVID-19 status after Sasikala’s CT scan of the chest indicated ‘severe’ infection.

BENGALURU: VK Sasikala – the jailed close associate of former Tamil Nadu chief minister Late J Jayalalithaa has tested positive for COVID-19. She has been shifted to the trauma care centre (TCC) at the  Victoria Hospital, which is exclusively for COVID patients. “She is not on ventilator support. We are closely monitoring her,” said Director cum Dean of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI), Dr CR Jayanthi.

Sasikala, who was keenly looking forward to return to Chennai on her release from the prison on January 27 will now have to stay put in Bengaluru until her complete recovery. Her COVID positive result has
thrown the prison authorities at the Bengaluru Central Prison in a tizzy. “We don’t know how she contracted the virus. She is sharing a room with co accused and sister-in-law Ilavarasi in the prison, which
is in a high security block,” said sources in the prison department.

Sasikala was on Thursday shifted to Victoria Hospital from Bowring Hospital for CT scan as the latter doesn’t have the facility. She was being treated for suspected severe acute respiratory infection (SARI)
after her rapid antigen and RTPCR tests for COVID at the Bowring Hospital had come negative.

Victoria Hospital had repeated her RTPCR test to confirm her COVID-19 status after her CT scan of the chest indicated ‘severe’ infection and showed “areas of ground glass opacity and consolidation in bilateral lung fields,” stated the medical bulletin of Sasikala’s health from he Victoria Hospital. “She has dry cough and is breathless. She has been put on oxygen and is being closely monitored,”  the hospital sources had stated.

Sasikala’s oxygen saturation level at the time of admission in the morning was 78 per cent. It had marginally improved by the evening. “She has been put on Remdesivir, Heparin, steroids, insulin and other supportive drugs. She suffers from diabetes, hypertension and hypothyroidism,” the hospital stated.

In the morning Sasikala’s nephew and founder of Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK) TTV Dhinakaran along with some other relatives and party well-wishers had come to the Bowring Hospital to visit her. They demanded that she should be shifted to a premium private hospital for better treatment and care but were assured of quality treatment at the premium government hospital.

She has been lodged in judicial custody at the Bengaluru Central Prison along with J Ilavarasi and nephew VN Sudhakaran since February, 2017 after they were convicted and sentenced with four-year imprisonment in the disproportionate assets (DA) case.

Russian Ambassador Nikolay R Kudashev interacted with the group at an event in the Russian embassy on Tuesday during which he said the S-400 programme is one of the flagship projects.

NEW DELHI: A group of Indian military personnel is leaving for Russia in the next few days to undergo training on key operational aspects of the S-400 air defence systems as Moscow looks at supplying the first batch of the missile to India later this year, officials said on Tuesday.

Russian Ambassador Nikolay R Kudashev interacted with the group at an event in the Russian embassy on Tuesday during which he said the S-400 programme is one of the flagship projects in further boosting military cooperation between the two countries.

He said Indo-Russia military and military-technical ties were based on “ever-growing extraordinary mutual interest”, coherence, consistency and complementarity.

In October 2018, India had signed a USD 5 billion deal with Russia to buy five units of the S-400 air defence missile systems, notwithstanding a warning from the Trump administration that going ahead with the contract may invite US sanctions.

India made the first tranche of payment of around USD 800 million to Russia for the missile systems in 2019.

The S-400 is known as Russia’s most advanced long-range surface-to-air missile defence system.

Recently, the US imposed sanctions on Turkey under the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) for purchase of S-400 missile defences from Russia.

Around 100 Indian military personnel are leaving for Russia this month for the S-400 training programme, officials said.

Kudashev said military cooperation has been the main pillar of the special and privileged strategic partnership between the two countries and that the overall Indo-Russia friendship has become an important factor of stability in the region and the globe, according to a Russian embassy release.

“It is based on mutual trust and reflects the true spirit of our bilateral and multilateral commitments in the framework of our vision towards just and equal relations based on the international law and the UN Charter,” he said.

“Coming out of the bipolar world and successfully proceeding through the current establishment of the polycentric order, our partnership is becoming even stronger, experiencing new areas and forms of mutually beneficial and forward-looking cooperation,” the ambassador said.

Russia is expected to start delivery of the S-400 missile systems later this year.

Along with S-400 systems project, Kudashev said both sides are successfully moving towards implementation of AK-203 Kalashnikov’s contract, the Ka-226 helicopters programme as well as cooperation in the areas of combat aviation including the Su-30MKI project.

He said both sides are also moving forward in several other projects like the main battle tanks (T-90), frigates, submarines and missiles and joint production of “unique Brahmos”.

In October 2016, India and Russia had finalised a broad agreement to set up a joint venture between Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) and two Russian defence majors for procuring 200 Kamov Ka-226T choppers for Indian armed forces.

According to the understanding, 60 Kamov-226T helicopters will be supplied to India in fly-away condition, while 140 will be manufactured in India.

Russia had agreed to ensure the transfer of technologies to India as part of the pact.

India and Russia finalised the deal for manufacturing AK-203 rifles during Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s visit to Moscow last year.

More than 700,000 rifles are to be produced at an Indo-Russian joint production facility in India.

“Looking forward to an early implementation of the spare parts joint production agreement, which also fits well in Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) programmes. Work also is going on the mutual logistics support agreement, strengthening maritime cooperation, including in the Indian Ocean,” the Russian ambassador said.

He said Russia intends to be one of the biggest exhibitors at the Aero-India in Bengaluru in February.

“We plan to demonstrate Su-57, Su-35 and MiG-35 fighter jets, helicopters Ka-52, Ka-226, Mi-17B-5, Mi-26 as well S-400 systems and many other new items and equipment,” he said.

A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and Manish Pitale was hearing a habeas corpus (produce the person) petition filed by a man claiming his 23-year-old girlfriend had been detained by her parents

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court on Tuesday said neither family nor court can restrict or curtail the freedom of a woman who is a major by age.

A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and Manish Pitale was hearing a habeas corpus (produce the person) petition filed by a man claiming his 23-year-old girlfriend had been detained by her parents after they learned of their relationship.

As per the plea, the woman’s parents were opposed to the relationship as the petitioner was of a different religion Acting on an earlier court direction, police produced the woman and her parents in court on Tuesday, and the petitioner, a MBA student, told the court he wished to marry the woman but her parents were curtailing her freedom.

The court then interacted with the woman who said she was in a relationship with the petitioner for five years and they intended to marry, and that she was a 23-year-old adult.

The court, while disposing of the petition, said since the woman was a major, she is free to move as per own wish, and directed the police to escort her to the place she desires to go to from court.

The Congress has taken the lead to oust all communal forces in the best interest of the state and the nation, APCC president Ripun Bora said. 

GUWAHATI: The Congress’ initiative of forming a ‘Grand Alliance’ to oust the BJP from power in Assam took shape on Tuesday with the party announcing it will contest the forthcoming assembly polls in alliance with five other political outfits.

The Congress will join hands with the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), the CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) and the Anchalik Gana Morcha to ensure that the BJP with its “anti-people policies” does not return to power, APCC president Ripun Bora told reporters here.

“Our doors are open for all anti-BJP parties and we invite the regional political parties to join hands with us against our fight with the BJP,” the Rajya Sabha MP said.

The Congress has taken the lead to oust all communal forces in the best interest of the state and the nation, he said.

The party has taken the forthcoming Assam elections “very seriously and deputed senior leaders” to the state, Bora said.

A high-level Congress team, led by Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, and comprising AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, Bihar Congress MLA Shakeel Ahmed, and the party’s Assam-in-Charge Jitendra Singh are currently in the state and held discussions with the representatives of the five parties to chalk out the alliance.

“Our central leaders held a series of discussions with the grassroots to state-level functionaries and it was decided to challenge the communal BJP by uniting the anti-BJP forces,” he said.

Singh said Congress welcomes all parties to come forward in the interest of saving the culture, language, identity and heritage of the state.

“BJP has indulged in the politics of divide in Assam, the north-east and the country. We will challenge the BJP and defeat them. It is our appeal to all opposition parties to come together to save Assam, ensure the development and realise the dreams of the youth,” he said.

He also alleged that the BJP has put up “Assam for sale” by selling off land and the state’s resources to businessmen from Gujarat and other states.

“The coming together of the six parties is without any pre-condition but merely with a motive to save Assam from the BJP, which has made a mockery of democracy,” Singh added.

AIUDF general secretary Aminul Islam said that after a long wait, six parties have come together, and “we welcome this initiative”.

“This is an effort to defeat the communal forces and maintain harmony among all sections of people in the state,” he said.

Rajya Sabha MP and Anchalika Gana Morcha president Ajit Kumar Bhuyan said this was a “historic moment as it is the demand of the times and the people that a united opposition comes together to oust the BJP”.

CPI(M) leader Deben Bhattacharya appealed to the Bodoland Peoples’ Front (BPF), an ally in the ruling BJP-led state government, which was dumped by the saffron party in the recent Bodoland Territorial Council polls, to join the alliance.

The initiative for a ‘Grand Alliance’ was taken by three-time former chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who had started discussions with opposition parties to take this forward.

His death due to post-COVID complications in November had delayed the process.

The Congress, which had ruled the state for three terms since 2001, and had won 26 out of the 126 legislative assembly seats in 2016, now has only 20 members in the House.