FRIDAY Oxford Study confirms Covid shot’s response in elderly 20 NOVEMBER, 2020 epaper.morningstandard.in The results of Oxford’s Phase-2 trial, published in the Lancet, show the vaccine is better tolerated in people above 56 yrs facebook.com/TheMorningStandard twitter.com/TheMornStandard FOUR TERRORISTS SHOT DEAD The Oxford University confirmed that the Covid vaccine it is developing with AstraZeneca produced strong immune responses in older people. The Oxford shot is India’s best bet as it is being manufactured by Serum Institute Security forces make the biggest haul of arms in the recent years A CAPITAL VIEW OF NEWS PAGE 8  NEW DELHI Big-time retooling of development models China to ride on domestic demand India to use tech solutions to grow J AYA N TA R O Y C H O W D H U R Y @ New Delhi B I S M A H M A L I K @ Bengaluru STARTING next year, China will rely more on domestic consumption to drive future growth for its $14.34-trillion economy which has used , an export-led model to accelerate its way out of poverty in the past four decades. “From next year on, China will embark on new journey toward fully building a modern socialist country We will foster a new develop. ment paradigm with domestic circulation as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other,” Chinese president Xi Jinping on Thursday told a meeting of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation chief executives. The ratio of foreign trade to GDP has already dropped from 67% in 2006 to less than 32% in 2019, according to Chinese government data. In comparison, India’s foreign trade as a percentage of GDP stood at 40% in 2019. Last month, a conclave of the ruling Communist Party of China had adopted Xi’s formulations for the country’s 14th five-year plan, which will see China adopt a development model where domestic and foreign markets can boost each other, with the domestic market as the mainstay . The new development model comes amid a trade war with the US and a global pandemic, both of which impacted China’s status as the world’s factory with many transnational firms rethinking global supply chains and countries adopting a more protectionist stance to save businesses and jobs at home. Analysts feel China can afford to depend on its domestic demand to boost markets as its per-capita income has rapidly risen to $10,261, nearly five times that of India’s, with a sophisticated economy which was now exporting its surplus capital to set up a Belt and Road Initiative to connect markets across the globe to Beijing. However, this will not be a disruptive change as China had started relying more on domestic demand since the 2008 financial crisis. Through technology we have enhanced human dignity. Millions of farmers receive monetary support in one click. At the peak of Covid lockdown it was technology that ensured India’s poor received proper and quick assistance. The scale of this relief has few parallels Narendra Modi Prime Minister The new development paradigm is a strategic decision we have made based on the current stage and conditions of development in China and with full consideration given to globalisation and changes in the external environment Xi Jinping President, China PRIME Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said India’s regulatory framework is being simplified to promote innovation in the technology sector and the government is actively engaging with key stakeholders for this. “You must be aware of the recent decisions taken by the government to ease compliance burden for the tech industry We are actively . engaging with the stakeholders in the IT industry to chalk out a future policy framework for liberalising the sector and removing the compliance burden,” Modi said while inaugurating the 23rd edition of Bengaluru Tech Summit 2020 virtually . He was referring to the recent announcement by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MEITY) on removing ITeS/BPO firms from the OSP (Other Service Providers) compliance burden. Hailing MEITY’s recent approval to IT firms allowing their employees to work from their homes or anywhere in India, Modi said the policy decisions are aimed at liberalising the burgeoning tech industry . “India is currently at a sweet spot. Our tech solutions have the potential to go global and, thanks to technology our schemes have gone , beyond files and changed the lives of people on a large scale,” the Prime Minister added. While admitting that the Covid-19 pandemic had caused disruptions in the economy Modi , said that it is not the end of the road and has proven to be a silver lining for the tech industry due to large-scale adoption of digital technology . “We have been able to help millions of poor people in this country including farmers and , other marginalised sections, with the click of a mouse and cater to their needs within a short period of time. The IT industry showed resilience during the pandemic. Our fintech industry performed well and millions of transactions were carried out digitally due to people’s trust in technology Modi said. P7,12 ,”  J8.00  PAGES 12 BARELY hours after taking charge, Bihar’s newly minted education minister Mewalal Chaudhary resigned on Thursday after corruption charges swirling around him threatened to take the shine off Nitish Kumar’s fourth consecutive term as chief minister. Nitish, who is learnt to have directed the minister to quit, reallotted education as additional ch a r g e t o A s h o k K Chaudhary who already , holds the portfolios of building construction, social welfares, science and tech and minority welfare. Chaudhary is an accused in a corruption case related to irregularities in the appointment of assistant professors in the Bihar Agriculture University when he was its Vice-Chancellor. The case was filed and investigations conducted against him after sanction from President Ram Nath Kovind, who was then the Governor of Bihar. He had, however, tried to brazen it out publicly, saying “no chargesheet has been filed yet,” but couldn’t make the stink go away . After retiring in 2015, Chaudhary managed to get the JD(U)’s Tarapur ticket and won the seat the same year. in 2017, a cor ruption case was lodged against him at Bhagalpur’s Sabour police station based on a directive from the then governor-cum-chancellor, who went by the findings of inquiry panel that examined his appointment of 166 candidates. The JD(U) had then expelled him but he managed to somehow creep into the party about two years later. How and why no chargesheet has been filed against him yet and how Nitish gave him the weighty portfolio despite his antecedents, remains a mystery . TEJASHWI TAKES ON ‘TIRED’ NITISH, SAYS END OF ‘DRAMA’ E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Patna LEADER of Opposition Tejashwi Yadav kept up the pressure on the Nitish Kumar government claiming that he would remain ever vigilant on behalf of the people. “Respected chief minister ji, through the mandate, Bihar has given us an order to caution you against your corrupt policy in, tention and rule. Just, a resignation will not matter,” the RJD leader tweeted. Tejashwi gave enough hints that he would not make it easy for the NDA government. “Right now, we will meet you on many issues of public concern like 19-lakh jobs, contracts and equal work-equal pay Jai Bi. har, Jai Hind.” He went to taunt Nitish saying that “you are tired, (and) so your power of thinking and understanding has diminished.” “Your duplicity and drama will no longer be allowed to run,” the RJD leader said. HOMECOMING Tiger returns to Ranthambore after 9 years E X P R E S S N E W S S E R V I C E @ Jaipur IT’S a “gharwapsi” of epic sorts in Ranthambore’s lore. Wildlife lovers are elated as a tiger missing for nine years has once again been spotted in the national Park. The tiger, T 38, was believed to have crossed over to Kuno Wildlife in Madhya Pradesh where it was captured in trap cameras for the past several years. Movement of tigers is weel-documented. In 2019, a tiger had covered more than 800 miles— one of the longest ever recorded for the striped cats. Mostly they move out for reasons such as territory fight, prey base or even is search of a mate. But the return of T 38, a 12-year-old full grown tiger, is itself a cause of joy. Officials of the Ranthambore Park say that T 38 had ventured in Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno Wildlife region at the age of 4. “T 38 has returned to Ranthambore and his movement is restricted to Kundera and Taleda region for the time being,” said Sanjeev Sharma , assistant conservator of forest, Ranthambore. “It had left Ranthambore in 2011 and covered 150 km when it was tracked down in Kuno.” The study involved 560 adults, 240 of them over 70 years. It showed that the vaccine provokes a response in T-cells that target the virus within 14 days of the first dose and a protective antibody response within 28 days | P12 PHASE-3 RESULTS OF OXFORD VACCINE ARE LIKELY TO BE RELEASED BY X-MAS SC restores dismissed PIL on farm laws EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi Matter of jurisdiction Can Parliament enact a law on a subject that belongs to state list, is the constitutional question raised by the PIL THE Supreme Court on Thursday restored a dismissed public interest litigation (PIL), which challenged the constitutional validity of the Centre’s three farm sector reform laws on the grounds that Parliament did not have powers to legislate on agriculture, as it is a state subject. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India S A Bobde had last month issued notice to the Centre on a batch of petitions against the farm laws. However, it had dismissed the PIL filed by lawyer M L Sharma against the same laws and asked him to approach the high court instead. During a brief hearing on Thursday the bench said, “We , will restore and keep your matter for admission after two weeks.” Sharma pointed out that he could not argue it on the day it was dismissed. “If I could not appear before the court and argue myself, then it amounts to non-appearance,” he reasoned. Hafiz Saeed sentenced to 10 more years in two terror financing cases EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi It’s LeT’s front outfit JuD is the front of Lashkar-eToiba, which was responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks that killed 166 people MUMBAI terror attack mastermind and Jamat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Saeed was on Thursday sentenced to over 10 years in prison by a Pakistan court in connection with two terror financing cases. Saeed, who is in the Kot Lakhpoat jail since February, was earlier sentenced to 11 years in jail in two other cases of terror financing. All sentences, including the previous ones, shall run concurrently, the court said. “The Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) of Lahore on Thursday sentenced four leaders of Jamat-ud-Dawa, including its chief Hafiz Saeed, in two more cases,” a court official was quoted as saying. While Saeed’s two associates — Yahya Mujahid and Zafar Iqbal — have been sentenced to 10.5 years each, his brother-in-law Abdul Rehman Makki was sentenced to six months imprisonment. Of the 41 cases that have been registered by the Counter Terrorism Department, 24 have been decided. “The point on which we had dismissed it was that there was no cause of action,” the bench said. Earlier, the court had decided to hear pleas of RJD lawmaker Manoj Jha and DMK MP from Tamil Nadu Tiruchi Siva, and one by Rakesh Vaishnav of the Chhattisgarh Kisan Congress against the three farm laws. Sharma, in his PIL, has said that these laws ran counter to Article 246 of the Constitution as agriculture falls in the state list instead of the Union List. EXPRESS READ Elderly, healthcare workers to get vaccine New Delhi: The govt has drawn up a Covid vaccine priority plan with healthcare workers and those above 65 years on top of the list , Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said. Others include those in 50-65 yr group. Quota for kids of Covid warriors in med schools New Delhi: Wards of healthcare workers who died while on Covid duty will get reservation in admission to MBBS and BDS courses from the central pool from next year, Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said | P7 DELHI COVID WATCH STATUS OF CASES RECOVERED DEATH ACTIVE CASES TOTAL +VE Today 6,685 98 -7,546 Cumulative 4,59,368 8,041 43,221 5,10,630 PATIENT MANAGEMENT Total beds Occupied Vacant H OS P I TA L 16,965 9,494 7,471 CARE CENTRE 8,217 593 7,082* H E A LT H C E N T R E 562 221 341 *542 beds of CCC are occupied by persons under quarantine including travellers who came by Vande Bharat Mission and Bubble flights Education minister for just a few hours R A J E S H K U M A R T H A K U R @ Patna ‘VACCINE CAUSES SOME SIDE EFFECTS’ FINDINGS GOOD NEWS FOR INDIA KASHMIR 25,367 HOME ISOLATION TESTING STATUS 22,067 A policeman issues a ‘challan’ to a commuter for not wearing mask in a public place in New Delhi as Covid-19 cases surge across the national capital | PTI RTPCR/CBNAAT/ TrueNat tests 40,370 Rapid antigen test conducted today Source: Delhi health bulletin | November 19 Delhi to get 500 isolation beds, another 800 in train coaches No mask? `2K fine Not wearing a mask will now land a fine of `2,000. The fine has now been increased from `500 as many people are still not wering them. Police issued 2,110 challans on Thursday to people not wearing mask ICU beds reserved Private hospitals have to reserve 80 per cent of their total ICU beds for treatment of coronavirus patients in Delhi. Normal beds will be increased from 50 per cent to 60 per cent at the same time EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE @ New Delhi TO ramp up the medical infrastructure in Delhi which is witnessing a huge spike in Covid-19 cases, 500 isolation beds at a Covid care centre (CCC) will be converted into oxygen beds, the Union Home Ministry said on Thursday . As many as 75 doctors and 251 paramedics from the paramilitary forces have reported to duty in Delhi, of whom 50 doctors and 175 paramedics have been deployed at the Chhatarpur and Shakur Basti CCCs, the ministry said. A home ministry spokesperson announced that the Delhi government has been asked to refer the patients who need critical care to these facilities. A total of 500 isolation beds at the Chhatarpur CCC will be converted into beds with oxygen facility and these beds will be ready by the weekend, the spokesperson said. As many as 150 ICU beds have already been added in the national capital over the last three days. In addition, the current capacity of 3,652 ICU beds in Delhi will be further ramped up. The home ministry said that the government had also de- I want to thank all the doctors and employees of the government for their hard work and a well thought out COVID-19 management that was seen not even in advanced countries and big cities Arvind Kejriwal, Delhi Chief MInister cided to increase the number of daily RT-PCR tests in Delhi to 60,000 by the end of November. More than 22,067 RT-PCR tests were conducted in the city on Thursday . Train coaches with 800 beds at the Shakur Basti railway station will be made functional and the doctors and paramedics from the paramilitary forces will man these coaches, the ministry added. “Ten multi-disciplinary teams of the home ministry have been formed to visit more than 100 private hospitals in Delhi for assessing bed utilisation, test- ing capacity and identifying extra ICU beds. The teams have submitted their reports, which are under the consideration of the health ministry the spokesperson said. ,” According to the spokesperson, the home ministry has also advised the Haryana and Uttar Pradesh governments to conduct a survey of private hospitals in their NCR districts on the lines of Delhi. The actions come in the wake of 12 decisions taken at a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday after Delhi saw a fresh , spike in Covid-19 cases. Delhi reported 7,546 fresh Covid-19 cases on Thursday, taking the infection tally to over 5.1 lakh while 98 new fatalities were reported in a 24hour span taking the cumulative death toll to 8,041. The rising number of cases has been attributed to the festive season, non-compliance of Covid-appropriate behaviour and a spike in the pollution levels. The NCDC had a few weeks ago warned that Delhi needed to be prepared for about 15,000 fresh cases daily taking into account all P4 the factors in Delhi.