oppn parties Covid Situation: Time To Lift Extra Curbs

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October 17, 2026

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  • Allahabad HC said that the UP Police is acting as law unto themselves as they detained a person unlawfully even before his arrest
  • Kolkata witnesses traffic snarls on the first day of the Durga Puja festival as revellers start pnadal-hopping
  • Neha Bora was subsequently released and Dipke is to appear before a magistrate today at noon
  • Delhi Police detained Cockroach Janta Party founder Abhijeet Dipke, Neha Bora of AISA, student leaders and supporters ahead of a rally in Connaught Place demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar's resignation. The protest followed the detention and jailing of two CJP leaders earlier in the week over demonstrations at Jantar Mantar
  • The Reserve Bank of India is considering further monetary tightening to counter capital outflows and increase the cost of betting against the rupee, according to bankers and analysts cited by Reuters. The measures follow recent rate increases and steps to drain liquidity as pressure on the currency and inflation concerns persist
  • India directed oil marketing companies to stop diverting sugar-based feedstocks for ethanol production in the 2026–27 supply year, according to a new tender issued on Friday. The companies have invited bids for 11 billion litres of ethanol made from alternatives including corn and broken rice, amid concerns about domestic sugar supplies and prices
  • Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said India's trade imbalance with China was growing sharply and attributed the problem partly to restrictions on Indian goods and services entering the Chinese market. China subsequently said it was ready to work with India to address mutual economic and trade concerns; India's trade deficit with China reached $69 billion in the first half of FY2026–27, up 27% year-on-year
  • Indian equity benchmarks extended their recovery on Friday, with the Sensex rising 413.66 points to close at 74,729.27 and the Nifty 50 gaining 148.80 points to settle at 23,146.15. Information technology shares, including Tech Mahindra, Infosys and TCS, helped lift the indices
  • India defeated Zimbabwe by four wickets in the opening women's T20 International in Raipur, taking a 1–0 lead in the three-match series. Deepti Sharma and Niki Prasad combined in an 82-run stand after India's top order collapsed, helping the hosts chase down Zimbabwe's total of 114 for five
  • Indian wrestler Komal won bronze in the women's 59 kg category at the Under-23 World Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas, defeating Kazakhstan's Viktoriia Khusainova 7–2. Fellow Indian Amruta Pujari advanced to the women's 72 kg final after recording two pinfall victories
  • Indian shuttler Jagsher Singh Khangurra secured a bronze medal at the BWF World Junior Badminton Championships in Cairo
  • The Supreme Court of India upheld the Bombay High Court's decision quashing the 2020 write-off of ₹8,415 crore in additional tier-1 bonds issued by Yes Bank (Yes Bank). The court ruled that the bank's administrator lacked the authority to extinguish the bonds under the final reconstruction scheme, strengthening bondholders' claims
  • The Supreme Court issued notices to the Election Commission of India, Delhi Police and opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, in separate petitions concerning electoral-roll revision and protests held in Delhi on October 10–12. The court also directed the preservation of CCTV footage linked to allegations of police excesses
  • The Supreme Court ruled that a person converting from Hinduism to Islam cannot automatically claim backward-class reservation benefits in the new religious community solely on the basis of their previous caste status. The judgment upheld the Madras High Court's decision striking down a 2024 Tamil Nadu government order that permitted such certification for specified communities
  • The Election Commission of India ordered a Special Summary Revision of electoral rolls in 14 states and three Union Territories, using January 1, 2027, as the qualifying date for voter eligibility. The draft rolls are scheduled for publication on November 12, claims and objections will be accepted until December 11, and the final rolls are due on January 4, 2027
Delhi HC refuses to ban CJP's Tiranga rally at Central Park in Connaught Place today /////// Police says will control and regulate it /////// NDMC closes the park for the public on Friday and Saturday
oppn parties
Covid Situation: Time To Lift Extra Curbs

By Linus Garg
First publised on 2022-02-17 16:28:32

About the Author

Sunil Garodia Linus tackles things head-on. He takes sides in his analysis and it fits excellently with our editorial policy. No 'maybe's' and 'allegedly' for him, only things in black and white.

It is good that the Centre has asked the states and UTs to review the Covid situation in their respective areas and take necessary steps to lift extra curbs to allow movement of people and restoration of economic activities. Even before the Centre’s advisory, many states have been proactive and have lifted curbs to bring the situation back to normal as cases have been steadily declining and the positivity rate is much below the WHO recommended threshold. While Assam became the first and only state, till now, to do away with all restrictions, other states have lifted or eased weekend and night curfews while reopening markets and schools for younger children and easing other restrictions to allow economic activities in full.

This is a much needed positive development. The declining positivity rate is a pointer that there is no community transmission in India. If there is cluster transmission in some districts, it can easily be controlled through local restrictions. There is no threat to life and hence there should be no threat to livelihoods. Opening up of economic activities would go a long way in reducing the distress among people who lost their jobs or are working on reduced salaries. If businesses prosper, demand for workers will increase and salaries will also rise.

But the Centre has also asked states and UTs to be vigilant and conduct a daily review of data. That is absolutely essential as new variants can slip in and if the guard is let down, may infect a large number of people in a matter of days. Hence, it is also necessary to encourage people to wear the mask in public and wash/sanitize their hands regularly. It will not be possible to maintain physical distancing after the opening up as India is a densely populated country, but masking and hygiene must be adhered to for some more months. In addition to that, testing of symptomatic persons must go on. The vaccination drive must also not be slackened and teens must be given the second dose timely while children in the age group of 12-15 years must be vaccinated as soon as possible. It must be recognized that vaccination and adherence to Covid appropriate behavior remain the best defence against the virus, including newer variants if they appear. 

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