External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar participated in the G-7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting through video conference yesterday. After the meeting, Dr Jaishankar said, it was an interactive and thought-provoking meeting. He appreciated the opportunity to participate in its many conversations.
 
During the meeting it was discussed that vaccination is the only lasting solution to the COVID-19 challenge. A global answer will require diversified production, uninterrupted supply chains and generous resourcing. Dr. Jaishankar said, India will do its part. He noted that geopolitical changes have been accelerated by Covid-related trends and issues of transparency, reliability and resilience will guide policy choices. Open Societies and personal freedoms require careful nurturing and must be on guard against fake news and digital manipulation he added.
 
Dr Jaishankar said, India had embraced Green Growth since 2014 and transformation stories include renewable capacity, Ujjwala, LED distribution, forest cover and Jal Jeevan. He said, but higher green ambitions require larger green resources and COP26 will be a test. The 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is the 26th UN Climate Change conference.
 
Dr Jaishankar thanked UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab for inviting India as a guest to the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
 
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson interacted with the participating Foreign Ministers in between the sessions. Dr Jaishankar assured him that Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and he will take forward the 2030 Roadmap. In a tweet, Dr Jaishankar said, India and UK are committed to delivering on the Modi-Johnson vision of the ties.

External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar participated in the G-7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting through video conference yesterday. After the meeting, Dr Jaishankar said, it was an interactive and thought-provoking meeting. He appreciated the opportunity to participate in its many conversations.
 
During the meeting it was discussed that vaccination is the only lasting solution to the COVID-19 challenge. A global answer will require diversified production, uninterrupted supply chains and generous resourcing. Dr. Jaishankar said, India will do its part. He noted that geopolitical changes have been accelerated by Covid-related trends and issues of transparency, reliability and resilience will guide policy choices. Open Societies and personal freedoms require careful nurturing and must be on guard against fake news and digital manipulation he added.
 
Dr Jaishankar said, India had embraced Green Growth since 2014 and transformation stories include renewable capacity, Ujjwala, LED distribution, forest cover and Jal Jeevan. He said, but higher green ambitions require larger green resources and COP26 will be a test. The 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, also known as COP26, is the 26th UN Climate Change conference.
 
Dr Jaishankar thanked UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab for inviting India as a guest to the Foreign Ministers’ Meeting.
 
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson interacted with the participating Foreign Ministers in between the sessions. Dr Jaishankar assured him that Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab and he will take forward the 2030 Roadmap. In a tweet, Dr Jaishankar said, India and UK are committed to delivering on the Modi-Johnson vision of the ties.

Tamil Nadu has registered more than 23 thousand fresh cases yesterday. The health department said, more than one lakh 25 thousand people are under treatment, the death amounts to more than 160. Chennai continues to register more than 6000 positive cases with Coimbatore registering more than 2000 and Chengalpet with more than 1000.  Tirunelveli and Tiruvallur districts registered more than 900 cases yesterday.  Due to the prevailing pandemic situation, the government has announced new restrictions and nine higher police officials to monitor the logistics and other necessities needed to manage COVID. AIR correspondent reports that the new restrictions of the government will come into force from today to the 20th of this month.
 
Transport services like rail, metro and bus services will be allowed to operate with 50 percent passengers only. Private and government offices will have 50 percent attendance. No other shops except groceries , vegetable and tea shops without air-conditioned facility  will be allowed to function with 50 percent customers till 12 noon. Auditoriums, open air meetings and cultural events are banned. Only 20 people will be allowed in funerals and 50 persons in marriages. Curfew will continue on Sundays. E commerce activities like swiggy and zomato will be allowed to take place from restaurants with restricted timings.  Essential services, Media, freight and medical emergencies are allowed at all times and night curfew will continue from ten pm to four am.

TheUnion Health Ministry has said that COVID-19 supplies received from the Global Community have been effectively allocated to States and Union Territories by the Centre.
   
The Ministry said that the Government of India has been receiving international donations of COVID-19 relief medical supplies and equipment since the  27th of last month from different countries including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Romania, Russia, UAE, USA, Taiwan, Kuwait, France, Thailand, Germany, Uzbekistan, Belgium and Italy. It added that from the  27th of April to the 4th of this month,  1764 Oxygen Concentrators, 1760 Oxygen Cylinders, seven  Oxygen Generation Plants, 450 ventilators, over  1.35 lakh  Remdesivir vials and  1.20 lakh  Favipiravir strips were delivered.
 
The Health Ministry said, a streamlined and systematic mechanism for allocation of the support supplies received by India has been put into place by the centre for effective distribution of the medical and other relief and support material. Besides, a dedicated Coordination Cell has been created in the Ministry to coordinate the receipt and allocation of foreign COVID relief material as grants, aid and donations.
 
The Ministry said, all these relief medical supplies and equipment are being allocated in a timely manner to the 38 medical institutions across 31 States and union territories, so far in the first tranche. This will help to supplement the medical infrastructure of these Institutions and strengthen their clinical management capacities for prompt and effective clinical management of the hospitalised COVID-19 patients. The cargo clearance and deliveries are facilitated without delay in coordination with agencies concerned.

India has administered over 16 crore 24 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the country so far. Over 94 lakh 79 thousand Healthcare Workers  have taken the 1st dose while more than 63 lakh Health care workers have taken the 2nd dose. Over one crore 36 lakh Frontline Workers have taken the 1st dose while more than 74 lakh front line workers have taken the 2nd dose.
 
The Union Health Ministry said, more than 18 lakh 90 thousand beneficiaries were inoculated with COVID-19 vaccine doses till 8 PM yesterday. Out of these more than eight lakh 66 thousand beneficiaries were vaccinated for the 1st dose and more than 10 lakh beneficiaries received the 2nd dose of the vaccine.
 
The Ministry said, two lakh 30 thousand 305 beneficiaries in the age group of 18 to 44 years received their first dose of COVID vaccine yesterday and cumulatively over nine lakh across 12 States and Union Territories. 
 
The Ministry said, the vaccination exercise as a tool to protect the most vulnerable population groups in the country from COVID-19 continues to be regularly reviewed and monitored at the highest level.

The Government has said that 12 States and Union Territories are showing early signs of reduction in COVID-19 cases. These States and Union Territories include Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Ladakh. Briefing reporters in New Delhi, Joint Secretary in Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Lav Agarwal said, around 2.4 per cent day on day growth in COVID cases has been noticed. He said, 12 States and Union Territories have more than one lakh active cases. The states are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Bihar and Haryana. 

Mr Agarwal said, seven states have 50 thousand to one lakh active cases, while 17 states have less than 50 thousand active cases. He said, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, and Haryana have reported more COVID-19 deaths.

Principal Scientific Advisor, K Vijay Raghavan said, vaccines are effective against current variants. He said, new variants will arise all over the world and in India too but variants that increase transmission will likely plateau. He said, this is a critical time and it is important for all of us to work together and ensure India and the world get out of this Pandemic. He said, mask and social distancing are critical and most effective in containing COVID-19.