NEW DELHI, JUNE27: India has the capacity tostore vaccines that may re-quire a lower temperature inthe range of minus 15 to mi-nus 20 degrees Celsius andthere are over 29,000 coldchain points (CCPs) acrossthe country where vaccinesare stored at the recom-mended temperatures, theCentre has told the SupremeCourt.

In an affidavit filed in theapex court in a suo motu caseon distribution of essentialsupplies and services duringthe Covid-19 pandemic, theCentre has said at present,the two vaccines—Covishieldand Covaxin—are requiredto be stored at a temperaturerange of two to eight degreesCelsius.

The Centre has said the re-quirement for cold storagemay change with the arrivalof other Covid-19 vaccines inthe future and it is fully pre-pared to take appropriatesteps as and when such vac-cines are available.

“The country also has thecapacity to store vaccineswhich may require a lowertemperature in the range ofminus 15 to minus 20 de-grees Centigrade. The Sput-nik V vaccine requires stor-age at minus 18 degreesCentigrade,” said the affi-davit filed on Saturday.

“It is submitted that thereare more than 29,000 coldchain points (CCPs) acrossthe country in states/UTs,

where the vaccines are storedat recommended tempera-tures,” it said, adding, “Of theabove CCPs, four nationallevel stores i.e. GovernmentMedical Store Depot(GMSD) are managed by theGovernment of India and theremaining are managed bythe respective state/UT gov-ernments,” it added.

It said there are 37 statevaccine stores, 114 regionalvaccine stores, 723 districtvaccine stores and 28,268sub-district vaccine stores.

The affidavit said thatbased on the requirement ofboth the universal immuni-sation programme andCOVID-19 vaccination, thegovernment has centrallyprocured and supplied coldchain equipment (CCE) tothe states and Union territo-ries (UTs).

“Further, funds are allo-

cated to the states/UTs un-der the National Health Mis-sion-Programme Imple-mentation Plan (NHM-PIP)for maintenance of CCEs andalso for provisioning coldchain technicians (CCTs) forundertaking the repair andmaintenance of CCEs,” itsaid.

The affidavit said there are29,116 CCPs, located fromthe national to the sub-dis-trict level across the country,which have CCEs like walk-in coolers, walk-in freezers,ice-lined refrigerators, deepfreezers, cold boxes for thestorage of vaccines and freez-ing of ice packs.

“The capacity of theseCCPs has been augmentedfor the Covid-19 vaccinationdrive,” it said.

The affidavit said the coldstorage equipment procuredby the government through

the domestic budget is in-digenously manufactured.

“The cold storage equip-ment supplied as aid by thedonors i.e. UNICEF consti-tutes both indigenously-manufactured equipmentand imported equipment,” itsaid.

In the affidavit, the Centrehas also that the digital di-vide is no more a constraintas walk-in Covid vaccinationhas been allowed and a poorperson and a multi-million-aire in the 18 years and aboveage group are equally enti-tled to get the vaccine forfree.

Till June 25, over 31 croredoses of the Covid vaccineshave been administered inthe country, the governmenthas said while responding to aslew of questions raised bythe apex court in its May 31order.

Have capacity to store Covid vaccinesrequiring low temperatures: Centre to SC

BALLIA (UP), JUNE27: Criticising the handlingof the Covid-19 crisis in Ut-tar Pradesh, a ruling partyleader has claimed that atleast 10 people died in everyvillage during the secondwave as no lessons werelearnt from the first one.

State BJP working com-mittee member Ram IqbalSingh, who made the re-marks on Saturday, is thelatest among the party’sleaders who have ques-tioned the management ofthe coronavirus infection inthe state.

Speaking to reportershere, Singh said that theHealth Department did notlearn any lesson from thefirst wave of Covid-19 whichled to a large number ofdeaths due to the disease inthe second wave.

“At least 10 people diedfrom every village in thestate during the second waveof Covid-19 pandemic,” healleged.

The BJP leader also de-manded that Rs 10 lakh begiven to the kin of those who

succumbed to the infection.He lamented that after 75

years of freedom, this dis-trict with a population of 34lakh people has no doctorsor medicines.

On being reminded thatduring his visit to Ballia,Chief Minister Adityanathhad expressed satisfactionwith the arrangementsmade by the Health Depart-ment, Singh said the officialshad misled the CM, and thetruth was not shown.

He also urged the BJPgovernment to give a dieselsubsidy to farmers.

Earlier in May, BJP’s Sita-pur MLA Rakesh Rathorehad joined the list of rulingparty lawmakers in UttarPradesh, expressing resent-ment over the alleged Covid-19 mismanagement in thestate and saying that hefeared a sedition charge forspeaking up.

“What standing do MLAshave? If we speak too much,treason and sedition chargeswill be slapped on us aswell,” Rakesh Rathore hadtold reporters, according toa video clip.

On May 9, Union Labour

minister Santosh Gangwarhad complained to the chiefminister about the situationin his Bareilly constituency,saying officials don’t takecalls and government healthcentres send back patientsfor ‘referrals’ from the dis-trict hospital.

In a letter to Adityanath,he had also complainedabout the “big shortage” ofempty oxygen cylinders andthe high prices of medicalequipment in Bareilly.

A day later, BJP MLAfrom Jasrana in FirozabadRamgopal Lodhi claimedthat his coronavirus positivewife was not admitted to anAgra hospital for over threehours, with officials sayingthat beds were not available.

In April, a ‘confidential’letter written by UP LawMinister Brajesh Pathaksurfaced on social media.Pathak had lashed out at hisstate’s health authorities,complaining that beds forcoronavirus patients werefalling short and ambu-lances took hours to arrive inthe state capital.

BJP leader criticises Covid handling in UP

LUCKNOW/KANPURDEHAT, JUNE 27: Presi-dent Ram Nath Kovind onSunday said he had neverimagined that an ordinaryvillage boy like him wouldhave the honour of occupy-ing the highest post in thecountry, and thanked thepeople of his birth place forthis.

He was addressing a gath-ering at the Paraunkh village,which is his birthplace, inKanpur Dehat district.

“I had never imaginedeven in my dreams that anordinary village boy like mewould have the honour of oc-cupying the highest post inthe country. But, our democ-ratic system made this possi-ble,” Kovind said.

“Wherever I have reachedtoday, the credit goes to thesoil of this village, this region,and to your love and bless-ings,” he said and also paidtributes to freedom fightersand makers of the Constitu-tion.

“According to my family’s‘sanskaar’ (values), the old-est woman in the village isgiven the status of motherand the oldest man is giventhe status of father, irrespec-tive of caste or community.Today, I feel happy that thistradition of giving respect tothe elders in our family is stillcontinuing,” Kovind said.

He said that the scent ofsoil of the village and thememories of its residents al-ways remain etched in hisheart.

“For me Paraunkh is notonly a village, it is my ‘maa-tribhoomi’ (motherland)from where I get inspirationto serve the country,” Kovindsaid.

“This inspiration has mademe reach from high court tothe Supreme Court to the Ra-jya Sabha. From the RajyaSabha, I moved to the RajBhavan and from there to theRashtrapati Bhavan,” thepresident said.

Kovind also recited a San-skrit phrase to highlight thepride of ‘janmabhoomi’(place of birth), and said,“The pride of a mother whogives birth (to a child) andthe ‘janmabhoomi’ is greaterthan heaven.”

Kovind on Sunday morn-ing reached Paraunkh villagewhere he was welcomed byUttar Pradesh GovernorAnandiben Patel, and ChiefMinister Yogi Adityanath,said Vikas Rai, the PRO to SPKanpur Dehat.

He took a round of the vil-lage along with Patel andAdityanath.

Kovind, along with his wifeand daughter, also visited thePathri Devi temple wherethey offered prayers.

Never imagined that a village boy like me wouldoccupy India’s highest post: Prez Kovind

CHANDIGARH, JUNE27: It is the heaviest weighta father can carry, his deadson’s body, but 60-year-oldOm Prakash of Sonepat’sGopalpur village has morepressing matters to deal withthan the grief of losing hisson -- the fate of his teenagedaughter-in-law Kiran.

“I can’t keep her in myhouse because villagers willtake an offence. She hasnowhere to go. Once she isout of hospital, only miseryawaits her. If she succumbsto her bullet wounds, I worrywho will cremate her. I can’tdo that because for villagers itwould mean that I acceptedher as my daughter-in-law,”the father said, admittingthat his hands were tied dueto social pressure.

Kiran, all of 19, was wid-owed after Vinay died of gun-shot wounds on June 24when her family members

tracked them down to NewDelhi’s Amberhai village inDwarka and opened fire formarrying despite being fromthe same village and gotra.

While the 24-year-old boydied on the spot, Kiran sus-tained injuries and was ad-mitted to hospital. “She isstable, but still unfit to recordher statement,” Dwarka DCPSantosh Kumar Meena said.

Vinay’s body was broughtto the village and crematedamid heavy police deploy-ment. Talking to The Tri-bune over the phone, OmPrakash said, “I met Kiran inthe hospital. When I told herthat Vinay is dead, she saidshe didn’t want to live with-out him.”

Om Prakash recalled thelast conversation he had with

Vinay. “Earlier this month,he called up from an un-known number. I told himthat he had brought disgraceto the family by eloping with agirl of the same gotra. I toldhim he had put his life indanger and he should leaveus to our fate,” the fathersaid.

He said he never expectedthe girl’s family to be vengefulenough to try to kill couple.“The girl’s parents had fileda kidnapping case against myson. I had snapped all tieswith him, although he was intouch with his mother. In thelast call he made to her, hetold her how Kiran had amiscarriage but was doingfine,” the father said.

Earlier, the panchayat hadbarred the couple from re-turning to the village formarrying against the socialnorms.

Sonepat man fears for dead son’s teen widow

MAHOBA (UP), JUNE27: Brides in Uttar Pradeshare getting increasingly bel-ligerent and aggressive.

After one bride refused tomarry a groom with specta-cles and another turnedaway the groom for comingdrunk, a bride in Mahobahas now called off her mar-riage after taking six roundsof the sacred fire.

As per the Hindu tradition,seven ‘pheras’ or rounds aretaken around the fire by thebride and the groom to-gether to complete the mar-riage rituals.

According to reports, in anincident that took place in avillage in Kulpahad tehsil, abride completed six rounds

of the sacred fire and thenannounced that she was call-ing off the marriage.

Both the bride andgroom’s friends and relativestried their best to convinceher for marriage but she re-

fused to change her decision.In fact, the matter got so

serious that the panchayatwas called in the middle ofthe night to intervene in thematter.

The bride, however, held

her ground and the groomand his relatives had no op-tion but to go back.

When the bride was askedas to why she was not inter-ested in marrying the man,she replied saying that shedoes not like him.

The groom’s father saidthat if the bride was not will-ing to marry then why didshe participate in other ritualsof the wedding like the ex-change of garlands.

Earlier, sources, said, allrituals had taken placesmoothly.

No sign of any tension orargument was reported onthe day of the wedding as allattendees were seen in ahappy mood.

UP bride calls off wedding after sixth ‘phera’

LUCKNOW, JUNE 27:The BSP will not enter intoany alliance for UttarPradesh and UttarakhandAssembly polls, party chiefMayawati said on Sunday.

In a series of tweets inHindi, the former chief min-ister categorically deniedany tie-up with the AIMIMfor the Assembly electionsin Uttar Pradesh due nextyear.

“A news channel is broad-casting news since yester-day that in the upcoming UPAssembly elections, BSPwill contest along with(Asaduddin) Owaisi’s partyAIMIM. This news is com-pletely wrong, misleadingand devoid of any fact.

There is not even an iota

of truth in this. The BSP vo-ciferously denies this.

“The party wants to clar-ify that barring Punjab, theBSP will be contesting theAssembly elections to beheld in UP and Uttarakhand

alone, and will not be enter-ing into any alliance withanyone,” Mayawati said inanother tweet.

The BSP has recentlyjoined hands with the Shiro-mani Akali Dal in Punjab.

Mayawati said that BSPgeneral secretary and RajyaSabha MP Satish ChandraMisra has been made thenational co-ordinator of theparty’s media cell.

She also appealed to themedia to consult Misra be-fore publishing any news re-garding the Bahujan SamajParty (BSP) or its nationalpresident.

Mayawati, 65, is a four-time former Chief Ministerof UP.

Her party had tied up withAkhilesh Yadav’s Sama-jwadi Party(SP) and RLD inUttar Pradesh for the 2019Lok Sabha polls. BSP hadwon 10 seats while SP hadbagged five out of 80 LokSabha seats.

No alliance with Owaisi’s AIMIM, BSP tofight solo in UP, Uttarakhand: Mayawati

CHANDIGARH, JUNE27: The Haryana govern-ment on Sunday ordered theextension of lockdown in thestate till July 5 with some re-laxations.

All shops are allowed toopen from 9 am to 8 pm.Malls are allowed to openfrom 10 am to 8 pm.

Restaurant and bars (in-cluding in hotels and malls)are allowed to open from 10am to 10 pm with 50 per centof the seating capacity andadopting requisite social dis-tancing norms.

Religious places are al-lowed to open with 50 per-sons at one time and follow-ing Covid-19 appropriatenorms and wearing of facemasks.

Corporate offices are per-mitted to open with full at-tendance subject to strict ob-servance of social distancing.

Gatherings in wedding

and funerals has been al-lowed to 50 persons subjectto strict observance of Covid-19 appropriate norms.

Gyms are allowed to openfrom 6 am to 8 pm with 50per cent capacity.

All production units, in-

dustrial units and establish-ments are allowed to func-tion. Swimming pools andspas shall remain closed.

Haryana govt extends lockdown till July 5 with some relaxations

7THE HIMALAYAN MAIL JAMMU MONDAY JUNE 28, 2021

NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL