Thursday, 1 April 2021

Assembly Election 2021 Phase 2 voting percentage LIVE Updates: 63.04% turnout recorded in Assam till 3.30 pm

16:07 (IST)

Assam Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Assam records 63.04 % turnout till 3.30 pm

 Nalbari district, with 71 percent, witnessed the highest turnout while West Karbi Anglong registered the lowest turnout at 57.24 till 3.30 pm

15:38 (IST)

Assam Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Assam records 63.04 % turnout till 3.30 pm

As per latest figures from the EC's voter turnout app, Assam has recorded 63.04 percent turnout till 3.30 pm across 39 Assembly constituencies where polling is underway in phase II of the elections.

15:36 (IST)

West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

West Bengal records 71.07% turnout till 3.30 pm

According to the Election Commission's voter turnout app, West Bengal recorded 71.07 percent voter turnout till 3.30 pm in phase II of the Assembly polls.

 

15:03 (IST)

Assam Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Assam records 49.12 % turnout till 3 pm

As per latest figures from the EC's voter turnout app, Assam has recorded 49.12 percent turnout till 3 pm across 39 Assembly constituencies where polling is underway in phase II of the elections.

14:55 (IST)

Assam Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Assam records 48.26 % turnout till 2.55 pm

As per latest figures from the EC's voter turnout app, Assam has recorded 48.26 percent turnout till 2.55 pm across 39 Assembly constituencies where polling is underway in phase II of the elections.

13:52 (IST)

West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Bengal sees 58.15% turnout till 1.45 pm

As of 1.45 pm. 58.15 percent of West Bengal's voters across 30 constituencies that went to the polls in the second phase of the Assembly elections have exercised their franchise. The highest turnout of 60.32 percent was recorded in Purba Medinipur district, while the lowest of 48.13 percent was recorded in South 24 Parganas. An Election Commission official had told news agency PTI that the polling has been peaceful till 11 am. According to the news agency, sporadic skirmishes were reported in a few places.

13:20 (IST)

Assam Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Assam records 43.66 % turnout by 1.17 pm

 
Till 1.17, Assam records voter turnout of 43.66 percent across 39 constituencies which went to the polls in the second phase of Assembly elections today. Hailakandi district registers highest poll percentage of 51.51 while the lowest is recorded in Bokajan (33.20).

12:52 (IST)

West Bengal Assembly Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Sagar records lowest turnout of 21%

By 12.45 pm, Keshpur (in Paschim Mediipur district) recorded the highest voter turnout in West Bengal, at 42.52 percent, while Sagar constituency in South 24 Parganas recorded the lowest, with 21 percent turnout.

12:24 (IST)

Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates

By 12.22, Assam registers 27.45% turnout, Bengal 37.42%

 
As of 12.22 pm, Assam saw 27.45% of its electorate voting in the second phase of the Assembly election while the turnout in West Bengal was 37.42 percent.

11:47 (IST)

Assam Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Assam's Hojai sees highest turnout of 33.29% till 11.42 am

 
Till 11.42 am, Hojai district in Assam recorded the highest poll percentage in the state at 33.29 percent while Dima Hasao, where a single constituency — Haflong — is voting, saw a turnout of 19 percent. Cachar district recorded a voter turnout of 25.58 percent, Darran 26.12 percent, Hailakandi 29.05 percent and Bokajan 33.20 percent. 

11:33 (IST)

West Bengal Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Paschim Medinipur sees 41.49% turnout till 11.26 am

 
Till 11.26 am, Paschim Medinipur recorded the highest poll percentage of 41.49% percent in West Bengal while polling remained low in South 24 Parganas at 27.05%

11:17 (IST)

Assembly Elections 2021 LATEST Updates

Till 11.15 am, 26.37% polling in Bengal, 20.07% in Assam

 
According to the approximate voter turnout trends released by the Election Commission till 11.15 am, West Bengal recorded a poll percent of 26.37 while Assam saw 20.07 percent turnout.

10:36 (IST)

West Bengal Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Indus Assembly constituency records highest turnout of 20.37%

According to the approximate voter turnout trends released by the Election Commission by 10.20 am, Indus Assembly constituency ( Bankua district) recorded the highest poll percentage of 20.37 while Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas saw the lowest at 6.50.

10:23 (IST)

West Bengal Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Voter turnout of 15.72% turnout in Bengal till 10.20 am

 
As of 10.20 am, West Bengal recorded an approximated voter turnout of 15.72  percent, with the highest poll percentage of 17.33 recorded in Paschim Medinipur district and lowest of 8.69 percent in South 24 Parganas district.

10:04 (IST)

Assam Election 2021 LATEST Updates

Karbi Anglong records highest turnout at 15.93%

As of 10 am, Assam recorded a voting percentage of 10.51 percent on Thursday during the second phase of Assembly polls. Of the 14 districts voting today, Karbi Anglong registered the highest voter turnout at 15.93 percent while, Morigaon on the other hand could manage only 6.39 percent.

09:24 (IST)

West Bengal Election 2021 LATEST Updates

10.89% voter turnout as of 9.20 am 

According to the Election Commission, West Bengal recorded a voter percentage of 10.89 percent as of 9.20 am on Thursday in the second phase of Assembly polls.

Of the four districts voting today, Pashchim Medinipur registered highest turnout at 15.57 percent while, Bankura was the lowest at 3.74 percent.

09:19 (IST)

Assam Election 2021 LATEST Updates

7.75% voter turnout as of 9.15 am

According to the Election Commission, Assam recorded a voting percentage of 7.75 percent as of 9.15 am on Thursday in the second phase of Assembly polls.
 
Of the 14 districts voting today, Bokajan registered the highest voter turnout at 14.25 percent. Darrang on the other hand could manage 6.29 percent. Morigaon, and Rangia are yet to record a voting percentage.

09:09 (IST)

West Bengal Election 2021 LATEST Updates

0.25% voter turnout as of 9 am 

According to the Election Commission, West Bengal recorded a voter percentage of 0.25 percent as of 9 am on Thursday in the second phase of Assembly polls.

Of the four districts voting today, Bankura registered 1.20 percent voter turnout while, South 24 Parganas recorded 1.89 percent. Purba and Pashchim Medinipur have their kitties empty as of now. 

Assembly Election 2021 Phase 2 voting percentage LATEST Updates: As per latest figures from the EC's voter turnout app, Assam has recorded 63.04 percent turnout till 3.30 pm across 39 Assembly constituencies where polling is underway in phase II of the elections.

Nalbari district, with 71 percent, witnessed the highest turnout while West Karbi Anglong registered the lowest turnout at 57.24 till 3.30 pm

According to the Election Commission's voter turnout app, West Bengal recorded 71.07 percent voter turnout till 3.30 pm in phase II of the Assembly polls.

As per latest figures from the EC's voter turnout app, Assam has recorded 49.12 percent turnout till 3 pm across 39 Assembly constituencies where polling is underway in phase II of the elections.

As per latest figures from the EC's voter turnout app, Assam has recorded 48.26 percent turnout till 2.55 pm across 39 Assembly constituencies where polling is underway in phase II of the elections.

 As of 1.45 pm. 58.15 percent of West Bengal's voters across 30 constituencies that went to the polls in the second phase of the Assembly elections have exercised their franchise.

The highest turnout of 60.32 percent was recorded in Purba Medinipur district, while the lowest of 48.13 percent was recorded in South 24 Parganas.

Till 1.17, Assam records voter turnout of 43.66 percent across 39 constituencies which went to the polls in the second phase of Assembly elections today. Hailakandi district registers highest poll percentage of 51.51 while the lowest is recorded in Bokajan (33.20).

By 12.45 pm, Keshpur (in Paschim Medinipur district) recorded the highest voter turnout in West Bengal, at 42.52 percent, while Sagar constituency in South 24 Parganas recorded the lowest, with 21 percent turnout.

Till 11.42 am, Hojai district in Assam recorded the highest poll percentage in the state at 33.29 percent while Dima Hasao, where a single constituency — Haflong — is voting, saw a turnout of 19 percent. Cachar district recorded a voter turnout of 25.58 percent, Darran 26.12 percent, Hailakandi 29.05 percent and Bokajan 33.20 percent.

 According to the approximate voter turnout trends released by the Election Commission till 11.15 am, West Bengal recorded a poll percent of 26.37 while Assam saw 20.07 percent turnout.

As of 10.20 am, West Bengal recorded an approximated voter turnout of 15.72 percent.  According to the approximate voter turnout trends released by the Election Commission, Indus Assembly constituency ( Bankua district) recorded the highest poll percentage of 20.37 while Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas saw the lowest at 6.50.

Of the 14 districts voting today, Karbi Anglong registered the highest voter turnout at 15.93 percent while, Morigaon on the other hand could manage only 6.39 percent.

As of 10 am, Assam recorded a voting percentage of 10.51 percent on Thursday during the second phase of Assembly polls.

Of the four districts voting today, Pashchim Medinipur registered highest turnout at 15.57 percent while, Bankura was the lowest at 3.74 percent.

According to the Election Commission, West Bengal recorded a voter percentage of 10.89 percent as of 9.20 am on Thursday in the second phase of Assembly polls.

Polling for the second phase of Assembly election started in Assam and West Bengal on Thursday. All eyes are on Nandigram where West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee is locked in a fierce prestige battle with confidante-turned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP.

In the state of Assam, meanwhile, the fate of five ministers, the deputy speaker and a few significant opposition faces will be decided as 39 seats in Assam go to the polls in the second phase.

The state of West Bengal, which has 294 Assembly constituencies, is electing a new Assembly across an eight-phased election. Elections to the 126-member Assam assembly are being held in three-phases with 79.97 percent of the electorate exercising their franchise in 47 constituencies in the first phase on 27 March. The third and final phase elections will be held on 6 April for 40 seats.

The counting of votes will be done on 2 May after elections have concluded in all four states and Union Territory of Puducherry that are due for polls.

Assam 

A total of 345 candidates, including 26 women, are in the fray in this phase, the polling for which will be held from 7 am to 6 pm amid heavy security and strict COVID-19 guidelines. The ruling BJP is contesting 34 seats, while its allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People's Party Liberal (UPPL) are fighting in six and three seats, respectively.

There are "friendly contests" between the BJP and the AGP in Patharkandi and Algapur, while the BJP is engaged in similar fights with the UPPL in Majbat and Kalaigaon.

The Grand Alliance's Congress is contesting in 28 seats, the AIUDF in seven and Bodoland Peoples' Front (BPF) in four. The newly-formed Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) is contesting in 19 seats. There is a direct contest between the NDA and the Grand Alliance in 25 constituencies, while the rest are witnessing triangular fights.

BJP minister Parimal Suklabaidya is in a direct contest with Congress's Kamakhya Prasad Mala in Dholai, while Deputy Speaker Aminul Haque Laskar of the BJP is in a straight contest with AIUDF's Karim Uddin Barbhuiyan in Sonai. Minister Pijush Hazarika is locked in a triangular contest with Congress's Swapan Kumar Mandal and AJP's Bubul Das from Jagiroad (SC), and his cabinet colleague Bhabesh Kalita is in a direct fight with AJP's Babul Saharia in the Rangiya constituency.

Rajya Sabha MP Biswajit Daimary is fighting against BPF's Karuna Kanta Swargiary in Paneri, while AIUDF's Sirajuddin Ajmal, a former MP and MLA, is fighting the elections against AGP's Sadikullah Bhuyan from Jamunamukh.

Former Congress minister Gautam Roy, contesting on a BJP ticket from Katigora, is in a direct fight with his ex-party colleague Khalliluddin Mazumdar. Gautam's son Rahul Roy, contesting as an Independent, is in a triangular contest with former Congress minister Ajit Singh and sitting BJP MLA Mihir Kanti Shome from Udharbond. Gautam Roy's daughter-in-law Daisy Roy is also contesting as an Independent from Algapur where the AGP's Aftabuddin Laskar and BJP's Moon Swarnakar, in a 'friendly contest', will battle against sitting AIUDF MLA Nijamuddin Choudhury.

In Silchar, sitting BJP MLA Dilip Paul, now expelled from the party, is contesting as an Independent and is locked in a contest with BJP's Dipayan Chakraborty and Congress's Tamal Kanti Banik. Another BJP minister, Sum Ronghang, on being denied ticket joined the Congress and is locked in a direct fight against BJP's Bidya Sing Engleng in Diphu.

The elections will be held amid tight security with 310 companies of forces being deployed for the second phase, an official said. Round-the-clock patrolling is being carried out along with strict vigil in critical areas in all the constituencies spread over 13 districts in Barak Valley, the Hills districts and parts of Central and Lower Assam.

A total of 73,44,631 voters will be deciding the fate of 345 candidates. Of these, 37,34,537 are male and 36,09,959 female, while 135 are third gender voters. Total 10,592 polling stations have been set up in 5,774 premises. There are 556 polling stations where only women officials will be deployed, while there are 117 model polling stations.

The webcasting facility will be available at 5,315 polling stations. Total 42,368 polling personnel have been deployed for the second phase. Of them, 1,516 left for their destinations on Tuesday itself to reach polling stations set up in remote locations, especially in the three hill districts of Dima Hasao, Karbi Anglong and West Karbi Anglong, official sources said.

Postal ballots have been issued to 21,281 people over 80 years old, and 5,407 Persons with Disabilities (PwD). Total 17,164 voters have been issued those through the Electronically Transmitted Postal Ballot System (ETPBS).

Bengal

Polling will be held in 30 seats in the second of the eight-phase West Bengal assembly election on Thursday.

The Election Commision has declared as sensitive all the 10,620 polling booths in 30 constituencies spread over four districts where polls will be held on Thursday.

It has deployed around 651 companies of central force to provide security, besides state police personnel at strategic locations during the polling, which will begin at 7 am.

More than 75 lakh voters will decide the fate of 191 candidates in the 30 seats spread across four districts of Purba and Paschim Medinipur, South 24 Parganas and Bankura.

A total 199 companies of Central Armed Police Force will be deployed in Purba Medinipur, 210 companies in Paschim Medinipur, 170 in South 24 Parganas and 72 in Bankura, the sources said.

TMC and BJP are contesting in all the 30 seats, while CPM is in the fray in 15 and its alliance partners in the Sanjukta Morcha the Congress and ISF are competing in 13 and two seats respectively.

Polling will take place amid strict COVID-19 guidelines in nine seats of Paschim Medinipur, eight in Bankura, four seats in South 24 Parganas and nine seats in Purba Medinipur - the home ground Suvendu Adhikari. Nandigram falls within the Purba Medinipur district.

Of the 30 seats which will see voting on Thursday, 23 were won by TMC in the 2016 Assembly elections, five by Left Front and Congress and BJP one each. The political equation in the state had changed in 2019 when BJP made massive inroads in the tribal-dominated Janga Mahal region and Medinipur belt by sweeping all the five Lok Sabha seats. The TMC, however, has been able to maintain its dominance in South 24 Parganas district, where there is sizeable minority population.

In the phase 2 polls, Nandigram is hands-down the most keenly watched contest which  has turned  into a battleground of titans with Banerjee suddenly deciding to switch from her Bhowanipur seat in Kolkata to the constituency which is held by Adhikari.

In the high stake poll battle this time a victory is a must for Banerjee, who is running for the third successive term as chief minister, so that she can lead the government and keep together her party, which is faced with exodus. For Adhikari it is a battle for political survival as a defeat would be a devastating blow and might also put a question mark on his political graph in his new party the BJP. For the Congress-Left-ISF alliance candidate Minakshi Mukherjee, the challenge is to regain her party's lost ground.

Another notable seat going to the poll in the second phase is Sabang, where TMC has fielded its Rajya Sabha MP Manas Bhunia. He is up against TMC turncoat and BJP leader Amulya Maity. Bhunia, a former state Congress president, had won the seat from 1982 till 2016 as Congress nominee before switching over to the TMC in September 2016.

TMC has fielded actor Sayantika Banerjee, a popular face in the Bengali silver screen, from Bankura seat against BJP's Niladri Sekhar Dana. The Sanjukta Morcha has fielded Congress candidate Radharani Banerjee.

In the Debra seat, two former IPS officers will cross swords. One is BJP candidate Bharati Ghosh and the other is Humayun Kabir of the TMC. Both had resigned from their senior police posts to join active politics.

With inputs from PTI



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COVID-19 vaccination at public and private centres to be available on all days of April, including gazetted holidays

New Delhi: Seeking to exponentially expand the countrywide anti-coronavirus inoculation drive, the Centre has decided to keep all public and private sector COVID-19 Vaccination Centres (CVCs) operational throughout April, including on gazetted holidays.

The Centre wrote to all states and Union territories on Thursday and asked them to make necessary arrangements for this, the Union Health Ministry said.

"This step has been taken after detailed deliberations with the states and UTs on March 31 to optimally utilise all COVID-19 Vaccination Centres across the public and private sectors to ensure rapid increase in the pace and coverage of COVID vaccination.

"This decision is in line with the graded and pro-active approach employed by the government of India along with the states and UTs for COVID-19 vaccination," the ministry said.

The vaccination exercise continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level, it highlighted.

The government opened up the COVID-19 vaccination drive to include everybody above 45 years of age on 1 April based on a recommendation of the National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration (NEGVAC).

A countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on 16 January healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated first, and vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started from 2 February.

The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced on 1 March to cover people above 60 and those in the age group of 45-59 but with specified co-morbid conditions.

More than 6.5 crore (6,51,17,896) vaccine doses have been administered through 10,86,241 sessions across the country so far, as per the provisional report till 7 am, according to the ministry.



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KVS Class 1 admission 2021: Registration begins on kvsonlineadmission.kvs.gov.in; apply by 19 April

The online registration process for the Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) Class 1 admission has started from Thursday, April 1 onwards. Parents can visit the official website kvsonlineadmission.kvs.gov.in to register and to obtain details related to the admission process. The last date to apply is 19 April.

The registration process has two steps. The first step includes the registration of students. On successful registration, parents or guardians will get a unique login code. In the second part, the code will be required to fill the form.

According to a Hindustan Times report, once the registration process ends, KVS will release the first provisional list on 23 April. The second and third lists will be out on 30 April and 5 May, respectively, on the basis of available seats.

To get admission to Class 1, a child must be five years old as on 31 March, as per the information bulletin. The upper age limit is seven years. Differently-abled children can get a two-year relaxation to the upper age limit.

Parents should avoid filling-in multiple forms. Only the last form will be considered in case multiple forms are submitted. KVS's official Android Mobile App can also be used to register for the admission process. The app is available on Google Play Store.

Here's the list of required documents:

- Age proof certificate

- Proof of residence

- Relationship proof for children and grandchildren of Member of Parliament or PSU employees

- Relationship Proof for children and grandchildren of KV employees

- Caste certificate

- Service certificate showing number of transfers in the preceding 7 years

- Certificate of retirement for uniformed Defence employees

 



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OTET 2021: BSE Odisha releases admit card at bseodisha.ac.in; check steps to download

The Board of Secondary Education (BSE), Odisha on Thursday, 1 April, has released the admit cards for Odisha Teacher Eligibility Test (OTET) 2021. The admit cards are available for download on the official website http://www.bseodisha.ac.in/. The exam will be conducted on 9 April.

Candidates can follow these steps to download their admit cards:

Step 1: Visit the website http://www.bseodisha.ac.in/

Step 2: On the homepage, click on read more in the latest updates section

Step 3: A new page will open. Now, click on the link titled ‘2021-04-01 Admit Card For OTET-2021’

Step 4: A new window will open. Click on either Paper I or Paper II depending on the exam you have applied for

Step 5: Enter your login details on the new page to access your admit card

Step 6: Check your details mentioned in the OTET 2021 admit card and download it

Step 7: Take a print out and save it for future reference

Alternatively, you can also access the direct link here

According to the official notification, Paper I and Paper II will have questions from Language-I (Odia/ Urdu/Hindi/ Telugu/ Bengali), Language II (English), and Child Development and Pedagogy.

Along with these three subjects, Paper I will also have questions from Mathematics and Environmental Studies.

On the other hand, Paper-II will have an optional section along with the compulsory section. The optional section will have questions from either Mathematics and Science or Social Studies.



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IBPS releases provisional allotment list for posts of PO, SO, clerk; check ibps.in

The provisional allotment under the reserve list for Probationary Officers (PO), Clerk, and Specialist Officer (SO) 2019 posts has been released by the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) on the official website, ibps.in. Candidates can check the list from 31 March to 30 April by using their registration number or roll number and password or date of birth.

These steps can be followed to check the list:

Step 1: Visit the official website, ibps.in

Step 2: On the homepage, click on the link “Click Here To View Your Provisional Allotment - Reserve List) Clerk/PO/MT and SPL Officer"

Step 3: You'll see a login window on the screen

Step 4: Fill in the required login credentials

Step 5: The list will be displayed on the screen

Step 6: Download the IBPS Provisional Allotment Reserve List 2019 for future reference

Direct links:

Clerk

PO

SO

The allotment has been done on merit-cum-preference basis as per the guidelines of the Government of India. If two candidates secure the same marks, the merit order is decided as per their date of birth.

However, the provisional allotment does not guarantee an offer of employment by the IPBS. It is subjected to the decision of the participating banks.

The institute had earlier released the list of cut-off marks for these posts. Candidates, who appeared for the exam, can check their marks on the website.



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Militants attack BJP leader Anwar Ahmad's residence in J&K's Srinagar, policeman killed

Srinagar: A policeman was killed when militants fired upon the residence of a BJP leader in Nowgam area of the city on Thursday, police said.

BJP leader Anwar Ahmad, who is the party's district general secretary for Baramulla and in-charge for Kupwara district, is safe, a police official said.

The official said that the militants fired upon the guard post of the BJP leader at Arigam Nowgam in the outskirts of the Srinagar this morning.

In the firing, Constable Rameez Raja was injured and rushed to SMHS hospital in the city where doctors declared him brought dead. Medical Superintendent of SMHS Hospital, Dr Nazir Chowdhary, said the cop was brought dead to the hospital.

Militants decamped with an SLR rifle from the spot.

BJP's media in-charge Manzoor Bhat said the party's Kashmir unit strongly condemns the brutal attack.



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India must accelerate COVID-19 vaccination rate if it wants to inoculate quarter of its population by August

Editor's note: India's efforts towards COVID-19 inoculations will get a major push from Thursday, as vaccination has been made available for people above 45 years of age. In this context, the following article offers an overview of the progress the country has made so far towards vaccinating its population, and what it will take for the government to achieve the targets it has set for itself.

***

The second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has seemingly hit India, where the first week of March had an average of 16,740 cases and as of this week, the average of new cases rose by threefold. The past seven days have seen a sudden surge of more than 50,000 new cases each day.

Amidst the ongoing rise in cases, the COVID vaccination drive continues to expand. India has administered more than 63 million COVID-19 vaccine doses. Relative to the population, the country has administered 4.5 doses per 100 people.

India’s weekly average vaccination rate has surpassed 2.2 million. At the current rate, it will take India 3.1 years to cover 75 percent of its population. This rate saw a worsening for the first time, increasing from 2.4 years to 3.1 years, during the past week. This was possibly due to the meagre rise in the average vaccination rate, attributable to the weekend celebrations of the popular Hindu festival ‘Holi’.

Last week, India conducted 15.4 million inoculations, with one of the highest one-day rate of 3.4 million doses. While the initial response to the vaccination was lukewarm, the country has more than doubled its weekly average rate of vaccination in the past three weeks.

Within India, Maharashtra continues to lead in COVID-19 inoculations, with 5.78 million shots. The state currently accounts for more than 50 percent of the new COVID cases in India. The alarming rise of cases in the past two weeks has prompted curfews, lockdowns, and rise in inoculations within the state.

In terms of total vaccine doses, Maharashtra is closely followed by Rajasthan (5.4 million) and Uttar Pradesh (5.3 million). Delhi, even with a high caseload, continues to lag behind with only 1.1 million inoculations in the past two months. Similarly, Punjab that has been observing a surge in new cases in the past few weeks with multiple cases of newer virulent virus variation, remains stagnant in terms of COVID vaccination, with only 0.7 million shots as on date.

Post initiation of the second phase of its vaccination drive to include people over 60 years of age and those of 45 years and above with comorbid conditions, the average daily vaccination in India has quadrupled. As per Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, 29 million people over the age of 60 and 7 million people between 45-60 years with comorbidities have been vaccinated as of now. This week also witnessed the start of second dose for this category. Beginning April, the country will be starting inoculations for all those above 45 years of age.

Roughly 9 million of India’s population has been completely vaccinated, till date. To attain the target of vaccinating a quarter of its population by August, the vaccination programme needs a push. As the country gears up for opening the vaccination drive to all those above 45 years of age, the country is attempting to expand vaccination centres so that citizens need not travel beyond two kilometers to get vaccinated. Though the vaccination drive has been gradually increasing, amid the spread of new COVID variants and rising cases—vaccinating the priority population is increasingly important.

Global context

Globally, more than 574 million doses have been administered across 141 countries. Last week, 103 million COVID-19 inoculations were conducted in the world. The average daily rate of inoculations has risen from 12.2 million doses last week to 14.8 million doses per day this week. This has reduced the time needed to cover 75 percent of the global population from two and a half years to two years in one week.

The COVID vaccine drive continues to be dominated by the United States in absolute numbers, with over 147 million doses administered, as of 29 March, followed by China (110 million), and India (63 million). In terms of daily rate of doses administered, China has taken the lead with 4.3 million average daily doses, followed by USA (2.7 million doses) and India (1.7 million doses). Relative to population, Israel leads with 112 doses per 100 people, while China and India lag behind with 8 and 4.5 doses per 100 population, respectively.

#VaccineMaitri

The COVID-19 vaccination drive has been a crucial turning point in fighting the ongoing pandemic crisis. Countries that have vaccinated more than 30 percent of their populations are noticing a decline in COVID rates; however, inequalities in vaccine distribution and availability continue to persist.

Out of the total COVID vaccines administered globally, US, EU, and UK account for 44 percent of the doses. Many countries, especially in Africa, are yet to initiate the COVID-19 vaccine drives. While North American and European countries continue to expand their vaccination base, reaching 27 and 16 doses per 100 people, respectively; African countries lag behind. The rate of doses administered in Africa has remained stagnant at 0.7 doses per 100 population in the past week.

There are 67 countries that are yet to initiative COVID vaccination drives, out of which 58 belong to the developing world. Moreover, while 57 percent of the lower-middle-income and lower-income countries have started inoculations, their vaccine coverage lags behind at 3.8 percent, as opposed to the 24 percent population coverage of high-income countries.

India continues to provide vaccines to its partner countries. As of 31 March, the country has supplied over 64 million doses, out of which 10 million were grants. India’s efforts have been key to many developing countries being able to initiate COVID vaccine drives.

Even with rumours circulating that the country will be imposing a ban on vaccine exports, last week itself, India was able to supply almost half a million doses to six countries. The Government of India has clarified that it will continue to supply vaccines to its partner countries in a phased manner; however, the timelines may need to be adjusted, given the countries manufacturing potential and the ongoing national vaccination programmes.

Despite sharing doses to 83 countries, India has maintained a consistent rise in inoculations internally. The country is positive that even with the rising exports, it will be able to support the third phase of vaccination. India currently has seven new vaccine candidates in the different phases of clinical trial, with an additional two dozen in pre-clinical trial phase. With this momentum and a push to raise the average daily inoculations to 5 million, India should be able to stay in its course of vaccinating the priority and vulnerable population by August 2021.

Views expressed are personal.

The article was originally published on ORF Online and has been reproduced here.



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