AirIndia's order for 220 Boeing planes will be providing 1 million jobs to US nationals

#AirIndia's order for 220 #Boeing planes will be providing 1 million jobs to US nationals. The order for 220 planes from Air India is worth $34 billion. Air India also announced a deal to buy 250 planes from Europe's #Airbus.

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday termed Air India's $34 billion order for 220 Boeing planes as a "historic" deal that will support his agenda with one million US jobs.

He linked the orders to his domestic plans to create good jobs for the working class, noting that many of the one million jobs "will not require a four-year college degree" and will be spread across 44 states.

The reference to jobs in the US, which a White House official said will, directly and indirectly, amount to 1.47 million, can also offset criticism in the US of tech jobs going to India by showing that US workers also benefit.

The Air India order will have a total economic impact of $70 billion, the official said. The Air India order is Boeing's third-biggest sale of all time in dollar value and second in quantity, according to the official.

Air India, which is now back with its original owner Tata Group after last year's privatisation, also announced a deal to buy 250 planes from Europe's Airbus - 210 A320neo narrowbody planes and 40 A350 widebody aircraft.

The "historic" Boeing deal, Biden said, "Reflects the strength of the US-India economic partnership."

"Together with Prime Minister Modi, I look forward to deepening our partnership even further as we continue to confront shared global challenges creating a more secure and prosperous future for all of our citizens," he added. The White House official linked the announcement to the inaugural launch of the US-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) launched last month.

The initiative seeks to expand the strategic technology partnership and defence industrial cooperation between the two governments, businesses, and universities.

Air India will also be buying 250 jets from Airbus. The deal includes 210 narrowbody aircraft & 40 widebody planes. In 1932, JRD Tata, chairman of India's largest multinational conglomerate, Tata Group, founded Air India.

In 1953 the government took over and nationalized the airline. In later decades, the carrier became a white elephant and was seen as symbolizing everything that was wrong in the Indian economy with government interference even in the day-to-day operations of companies.

The last ill-fated decision was the merger of Air India with domestic sibling Indian Airlines in 2007 — a combination then boasting twice the number of employees per aircraft versus the global average.

India is one of the world's fastest-growing aviation markets mainly fueled by a growing middle class that can afford to fly. The domestic market is bouncing back quickly after the pandemic, counting 123 million domestic passengers in 2022 — a 47% increase versus 2021. That's where Air India's huge narrow-body aircraft orders from Airbus and Boeing will mostly play out and help regain market share.

At the moment, Air India has just 114 aircraft in its fleet, many of which had been deactivated due to a lack of funds for spare parts, and were only recently swiftly reactivated. 70 aircraft are Airbus narrow-bodies and 44 Boeing 777 and 787 long-haul jets. Tata SIA Airlines, operating as Vistara, owns three 787s as the only other Indian airline capable of intercontinental flying.

No wonder the country's airlines have lost huge market share to big Gulf carriers such as Emirates — just 39% of international traffic to and from India was operated by airlines from the country recently, and this even comprises regional routes within Asia and the Gulf.

As an interim measure for short-term growth, Air India is adding a total of 42 extra aircraft in the first half of this year, with 31 of them being A320 mainstay jets and the remaining being wide bodies.

“This is a historic moment for Airbus and for Air India. India is on the verge of an international air travel revolution and we are honoured that our partnership with the Tatas and our aircraft solutions will write that new chapter for the country’s air-connectivity,” says Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International. “The A350’s unique capability will unlock the pent-up potential of India’s long-haul market, its technology, long reach and second to none comfort will enable new routes and passenger experience with better economics and enhanced sustainability. Alongside the A350s, the A320 Family fleets will be the efficient, versatile asset to continue democratising and decarbonising air travel in the country – from domestic, regional, up to international levels.”

The Air India-Airbus deal for 250 aircraft was welcomed on Tuesday by UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who said the contract will create new highly skilled jobs in Britain and help boost exports.

A statement from the British high commission said the deal is worth billions of pounds to the UK as a “significant portion of the manufacturing process for the new aircraft is expected to take place in the UK”.

The wings will be designed in Filton and assembled in Broughton, and this is expected to bring 450 manufacturing jobs and more than £100 million in investments to Wales, the statement said. The A350 aircraft are powered by Rolls-Royce XWB engines, which are assembled and tested in Derby.

Sunak said the “landmark deal” will create “better-paid jobs and new opportunities in manufacturing hubs from Derby to Wales” so that the UK “can grow the economy and support our agenda to level up”.

The deals were placed with support from the highest political levels. Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and French president Emmanuel Macron joined Tata family member Ratan Tata, Tata’s chair, Natarajan Chandrasekaran and Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury in a video announcement. The US president, Joe Biden hailed the Boeing order..

Tata Group is spending an estimated $60 billion on 470 planes from Airbus and Boeing to expand the carrier’s global presence and compete with Emirates.

Boeing already has a Manufacturing Plant in Bengaluru which Exports Aircraft Components & Software Services worth ₹8000 Crores Annually. Airbus is setting up Manufacturing Plant in J/V with Tata in Vadodara, Gujarat which will start production of Military Aircrafts.

Lockheed Martin which makes C-class transporters and F-class fighters announced to open Heavy Maintenance Center in Bharat. Will be 1st of its Kind in Asia & 3rd in World after US & Canada. All C-130J aircraft from around World to be serviced, maintened & repaired here.

Tata also has J/V with Boeing with Manufacturing Plant at Hyderabad. It produces various Components & Avionics for Boeing Aircrafts all over World. It also produces Fuselage of World's Best Attack“Apache"Helicopters & has already delivered >100 Apache Fuselages by July 21

Bharat-Russia talks were in a Limbo over production of Sukhoi Superjets under “Atmanirbhar Bharat" for last few months. Hearing that, after Yesterday's deal, Russia's United Aircraft Corporation is also inclining to accept Bharat's terms.

Radiocarbon dating need not be accurate

 

phys.org /news/2018-06-cornell-illuminates-inaccuracies-radiocarbon-dating.html

Research illuminates inaccuracies in radiocarbon dating

Daniel Aloi5-6 minutes 05/06/2018

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1719420115, Show Details

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Sturt Manning cores a multi-century old Juniperus phoenicea tree near Petra in southern Jordan. Credit: Cornell University

Radiocarbon dating is a key tool archaeologists use to determine the age of plants and objects made with organic material. But new research shows that commonly accepted radiocarbon dating standards can miss the mark—calling into question historical timelines.

Archaeologist Sturt Manning and colleagues have revealed variations in the radiocarbon cycle at certain periods of time, affecting frequently cited standards used in archaeological and historical research relevant to the southern Levant region, which includes Israel, southern Jordan and Egypt. These variations, or offsets, of up to 20 years in the calibration of precise radiocarbon dating could be related to climatic conditions.

Manning, professor of archaeology at Cornell University and director of the Cornell Tree-Ring Laboratory, is the lead author of "Fluctuating Radiocarbon Offsets Observed in the Southern Levant and Implications for Archaeological Chronology Debates," published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Pre-modern radiocarbon chronologies rely on standardized Northern and Southern Hemisphere calibration curves to obtain calendar dates from organic material. These standard calibration curves assume that at any given time radiocarbon levels are similar and stable everywhere across each hemisphere.

Juniperus phoenicea sample from Taybet Zaman, Jordan. Credit: Sturt Manning/Cornell University

The Cornell-led team questioned those assumptions.

"We went looking to test the assumption behind the whole field of radiocarbon dating," Manning said. "We know from atmospheric measurements over the last 50 years that radiocarbon levels vary through the year, and we also know that plants typically grow at different times in different parts of the Northern Hemisphere. So we wondered whether the radiocarbon levels relevant to dating organic material might also vary for different areas and whether this might affect archaeological dating."

The authors measured a series of carbon-14 ages in southern Jordan tree rings, with established calendar dates between 1610 and 1940 A.D. They found that contemporary plant material growing in the southern Levant shows an average offset in radiocarbon age of about 19 years compared the current Northern Hemisphere standard calibration curve.

Manning noted that "scholars working on the early Iron Age and Biblical chronology in Jordan and Israel are doing sophisticated projects with radiocarbon age analysis, which argue for very precise findings. This then becomes the timeline of history. But our work indicates that it's arguable their fundamental basis is faulty—they are using a calibration curve that is not accurate for this region."

Juniperus phoenicea doors and pivot at Taybet Zaman, Jordan. Credit: Sturt Manning/Cornell University

Applying their results to previously published chronologies, the researchers show how even the relatively small offsets they observe can shift calendar dates by enough to alter ongoing archaeological, historical and paleoclimate debates.

"There has been much debate for several decades among scholars arguing for different chronologies sometimes only decades to a century apart—each with major historical implications. And yet these studies ... may all be inaccurate since they are using the wrong radiocarbon information," Manning said.

"Our work," he added, "should prompt a round of revisions and rethinking for the timeline of the archaeology and early history of the southern Levant through the early Biblical period."

More information: Sturt W. Manning et al, Fluctuating radiocarbon offsets observed in the southern Levant and implications for archaeological chronology debates, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2018). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1719420115

Citation: Research illuminates inaccuracies in radiocarbon dating (2018, June 5) retrieved 8 January 2023 from https://phys.org/news/2018-06-cornell-illuminates-inaccuracies-radiocarbon-dating.html

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Catholic priests organise attack to sabotage Kerala's Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited

Catholic priests organised an attack on a Kerala police station to sabotage the Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited. 40 policemen were injured and several police vehicles damaged. The police have said their department incurred a loss of Rs.85 lakh in the attack.

The FIR drawn up by the Vizhinjam police shows Latin Archbishop Fr Thomas J Netto himself as the first accused. The Auxiliary Bishop, Fr Christudas Rajappan, is the second accused and the convenor of the agitation Fr Eugene Pereira is the third.

Do you know - Vizhinjam port is super critical for India? 

Vizhinjam port was selected as the most cost-effective choice for a trans-shipment terminal in India  

• 20-meter natural depth for big ships.

• Requires minimum dredging due to natural sea currents.

• Is on the southern tip of India, and can act as a midpoint of east & west trade.

In India it takes 30 years, yes 30 years, for a development project of national significance to take shape, after going through all the hurdles created by various vested interests.

The foundation stone of the Rs 7,525 crore port, being built under a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model with Adani Ports Private Limited at Vizhinjam near Thiruvananthapuram, was finally laid by then Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy in December 2015. It has since missed its completion deadline.

The port is to have 30 berths, and will be able to handle giant “megamax” container ships. The Adani Group has said the ultramodern port, located close to major international shipping routes, will boost India’s economy. Its location is also of strategic importance, the project’s supporters have claimed. The port is expected to compete with Colombo, Singapore, and Dubai for a share of trans-shipment traffic.

What is a transshipment terminal? 

Goods and containers are shipped to an intermediate destination, and then they go to the final destination. These terminals often combine small shipments into larger shipments or divide large loads into smaller ones.

Currently, India does not have a trans-shipment port. 

85% of India’s cargo is handled at below ports, and India pays a fee to these countries for every shipment. 

• Colombo SriLanka (China owned) 

• Singapore 

• Klang Malaysia 

• Dubai 

How will a trans-shipment hub benefit India? 

• Availability of a 20m contour within one nautical mile from the coast; 

• Minimal littoral drift along the coast

• Forex savings

• Foreign direct investment

• Increased economic activity at other Indian Ports

• Development of logistics infrastructure & value-added services 

• Proximity to international shipping routes.

• Warehousing

• Crew change facility

• Ship repair, etc

• Links to national/regional Highways, 

• Rail network

While the fishermen’s protests are being supported by the Latin Catholic Church, a local people’s action committee is demanding speedy completion of the project. This committee has the backing of various Hindu community outfits like the Nair Service Society, Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam, as well as the Vaikunda Swami Dharma Pracharana, which has a considerable presence among the Nadar community, in southern Kerala. Usual political opponents BJP and CPI(M) have made common cause over the port project, criticising the protesters.

This is not the first time that development projects have been stalled by a foreign hand. 

In 2011, similar protests were fuelled by USA & Scandinavian NGOs connected to church against the ₹14,000 crore Kudankulam Nuclear plant, which India was building with help from Russia.

Sterlite Copper plant in Tamil Nadu’s Thoothukudi district became a victim of foreign-funded protests too and was forced to shut down in May 2018. The Sterlite plant met 40 percent of India's copper demand, and now copper is imported from China.

There are countless examples where foreign-funded NGOs have fuelled protests against developmental projects in India. 

They use the church and environmental NGOs to funnel funds and keep the agitation simmering. Environmental NGOs will suddenly appear giving their ‘expert’ opinions every day on various local TV channels about how everything will destroy the environment and kill all the people.

There are regional parties like DMK who back these ‘Poralis’ and NGOs for their own benefit. The DMK opposed the 8 Lane Salem Chennai expressway which would cut the travel distance by over 60kms and bring down travel time by half, when they were in opposition. Now, after coming to power, they are OK with it, mostly because they can make money out of it. Another crucial project cutting down interstate freight traffic was stalled in the process for 5 years.

Ironically, the communists who are known to oppose every developmental project in the country are now compelled to support the Vizhinjam International Seaport project since they are the ruling party in Kerala. They issued a statement in support of the project blaming agitators all over the country!

"There were severe objections to various development projects like the Kudankulam power project, the development of national highways and the laying of the GAIL pipeline. But with strong and determined actions the government had implemented all these projects," the statement said.

It said the government had done all it could to allay the concerns of the local people. "But certain vested interests are standing in the way," the CPM Secretariat said.

The church is an agent used by foreign powers to stall India’s growth and to ensure that India remains a ‘developing country’ forever, ensuring their superiority and also to ensure that Indians look up to them. It is about time SECULAR Hindus understood this loud and clear. They have successfully ensured that Indians became self-loathing of their own culture, languages & heritage.

2000 years back, King Karikala Cholan of the Chola dynasty had the foresight to build a dam to divert the waters of the Kaveri across the fertile delta region for irrigation via canals. 

The Dam is almost ½ a Km long and is still in excellent condition. The area irrigated by the dam when it was built was 69,000 acres. Early in the 20th century, the irrigated area had gone up to a million acres.

In an analysis of how the Dam remained in continuous operation till now, it was concluded that “the old anicuts worked so well because they sophisticatedly reshaped water currents and sedimentation processes, rather than trying to control all natural elements by force”

Of course, Karikala Cholan did not have to deal with the church or some of the current day politicians and ‘Poralis’ and even if he had to, he would have dealt with them the way they should be dealt with.

https://twitter.com/pratheesh_Hind/status/1596927434980749312?s=20&t=9GPBuiuzu9ZZdUpMGRkF2Q

My Friend, Abe San: PM Modi pens emotional tribute to late Shinzo Abe

 

My Friend, Abe San: PM Modi pens emotional tribute to late Shinzo Abe

Shinzo Abe - an outstanding leader of Japan, a towering global statesman, and a great champion of India-Japan friendship - is not among us anymore. Japan and the world have lost a great visionary. And, I have lost a dear friend.

I first met him in 2007, during my visit to Japan as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. Right from that first meeting, our friendship went beyond the trappings of office and the shackles of official protocol.

Our visit to Toji temple in Kyoto, our train journey on the Shinkansen, our visit to the Sabarmati Ashram in Ahmedabad, the Ganga Aarati in Kashi, the elaborate tea ceremony in Tokyo, the list of our memorable interactions is indeed long.

And, I will always cherish the singular honour of having been invited to his family home in Yamanashi prefecture, nestled among the foothills of Mt. Fuji.

Even when he was not the Prime Minister of Japan between 2007 and 2012, and more recently after 2020, our personal bond remained as strong as ever.

Every meeting with Abe San was intellectually stimulating. He was always full of new ideas and invaluable insights on governance, economy, culture, foreign policy, and various other subjects.

His counsel inspired me in my economic choices for Gujarat. And, his support was instrumental in building Gujarat’s vibrant partnership with Japan.

Later on, it was my privilege to work with him to bring about an unprecedented transformation of the strategic partnership between India and Japan. From a largely narrow, bilateral economic relationship, Abe San helped turn it into a broad, comprehensive one, which not only covered every field of national endeavour, but became pivotal for our two countries’ and the region’s security. For him, this was one of the most consequential relationships for the people of our two countries and the world. He was resolute in pursuing the civil nuclear agreement with India – a most difficult one for his country – and decisive in offering the most generous terms for the High Speed Rail in India. As in most important milestones in independent India’s journey, he ensured that Japan is there side by side as New India accelerates its growth.

His contribution to India-Japan relations was richly recognised by the conferment upon him of the prestigious Padma Vibhushan in 2021.

Abe San had a deep insight into the complex and multiple transitions taking place in the world, the vision to be ahead of his time to see its impact on politics, society, economy and international relations, the wisdom to know the choices that were to be made, the capacity to make clear and bold decisions even in the face of conventions and the rare ability to carry his people and the world with him. His far-reaching policies - Abenomics - reinvigorated the Japanese economy and re-ignited the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship of his people.

Among his greatest gifts to us and his most enduring legacy, and one for which the world will always be indebted, is his foresight in recognising the changing tides and gathering storm of our time and his leadership in responding to it. Long before others, he, in his seminal speech to the Indian Parliament in 2007, laid the ground for the emergence of the Indo Pacific region as a contemporary political, strategic and economic reality - a region that will also shape the world in this century.

And, he led from the front in building a framework and architecture for its stable and secure, peaceful and prosperous future, based on values that he deeply cherished – respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity, adherence to international law and rules, peaceful conduct of international relations in a spirit of equality and shared prosperity through deeper economic engagement.

The Quad, the ASEAN-led forums, the Indo Pacific Oceans Initiative, the India-Japan Development Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, including Africa and the Coalition for Disaster Resilient Infrastructure all benefited from his contributions. Quietly and without fanfare, and overcoming hesitation at home and scepticism abroad, he transformed Japan’s strategic engagement, including in defence, connectivity, infrastructure and sustainability, across the Indo Pacific region. For that, the region is more optimistic about its destiny and the world more confident about its future.

During my Japan visit in May this year, I had the opportunity to meet Abe San, who had just taken over as the Chair of the Japan-India Association. He was his usual self - energetic, captivating, charismatic and very witty. He had innovative ideas on how to further strengthen the India-Japan friendship. When I said goodbye to him that day, little did I imagine that it would be our final meeting.

I will always be indebted for his warmth and wisdom, grace and generosity, friendship and guidance, and I will miss him dearly.

We in India mourn his passing as one of our own, just as he embraced us with an open heart. He died doing what he loved the most – inspiring his people. His life may have been cut short tragically, but his legacy will endure forever.

I extend heart-felt condolences on behalf of the people of India and on my own behalf to the people of Japan, especially to Mrs. Akie Abe and his family. Om Shanti.

Europe seeing surges at many places but 15 least vaccinated countries don‘t seem to face any problem

Thread by @holmenkollin 

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151,639 views

Something really odd is going on:

In Europe we are seeing surges at many places where most of the population has already been vaccinated.

At the same time, the 15 least vaccinated countries don‘t seem to face any problem.

At some point, denying this problem will get painful. 

Also take a look at what went on in the 15 most vaccinated countries worldwide

(SPOILER: doesn‘t look to good)

⬇️

I did not include tiny Gibraltar, which claims to have double-jabbed all (!) of its citizens.

So why do cases suddenly rise through the roof? (yes it‘s residents, not tourists)

Cyprus: majority of people vaccinated.

Highest case count in the world.

Malta: highest vaccination rate in the western world.

Also currently one of the steepest inclines in cases you may ever have seen. 

What‘s special about small kingdom of Bhutan is that they jabbed 64% of their population within one week, starting 27/3.

Just a few days after the start of the rollout, cases went up. 

Seems like we have a pretty solid correlation here.

(h/t @DaFeid) 

Emirates: highest vaccination rate in the whole world.

They just experienced their second highest peak since pandemic began. 

At this point, some of the early-bird lockdowners take notice:

Why is my fully masked and vacced state not keeping cases down?

You see how dangerous delta is??

+1

„But what about 100% vaccination rate?“

Here you go: 1600 double-jabbed british soldiers on HMS Queen Elizabeth. They even had hygiene rules, distancing etc

Wait 2 months…

1 in 16 (= higher case rate than any country!) turns out to be infected.

m.dw.com/de/corona-ausb…

„But the vaccine also makes people less transmissible?“

That’s what some studies claimed, yes.

But at what point in time did they measure this effect?

The jabs initially trigger your immune system.

But what if the effect fades and you walk around bar any mucosal protection?

2 points being made:

„High-vacced countries opened up“

That’s a funny one. It‘s rather the opposite. In the low vacced countries of europe you see hardly any restrictions, they just care less and people don‘t comply anyway.

Surging countries still have masks, clubs closed etc.

„arbitrary selection“

No. Comparing extreme groups is scientifically reasonable. See thread: 15 MOST vacced countries.
15 least vacced countries in world would mean mostly africa (noone trusts their data) so I stick to europe here.

And for the picture i used 3 counter-examples

There are a lot more examples for high-vacced, surging countries in europe now.

Actually almost every high-vacced state is surging (despite restrictions!), every low-vacced state is NOT!

Now also germany starts worrying about rising numbers.

Look at the map! 

„But cases are also flat in hungary, poland or sweden“.

If your point is that it doesn‘t happen in EVERY country (yet), that‘s fine.

Anyway I am not claming causality here.

But those 3 are also supposed to have the highest share of NATURAL immunity in population.

Last point but that‘s just for beginners:

Testing is NOT an issue here. If cases go up, you will see it, regardless the level of testing

Supplying oxygen to a nation that is at war simultaneously in 30 states

The current oxygen crisis is further explained by the manufacturer 

India has increased its oxygen manufacturing capacity by 30% within a month. This is unfathomable. I don’t think it has happened globally. It’s a world record in itself.

qz.com /india/2006925/indias-largest-oxygen-maker-inox-explains-why-theres-a-shortage/
“Nobody is understanding the challenges of supplying oxygen to a nation that is at war” 

Niharika Sharma7-9 minutes

The second wave of Covid-19 in India quickly went from being a healthcare crisis to a humanitarian crisis. Thousands of patients gasped for breath in the absence of enough high-flow oxygen, which is an effective treatment for the disease.

For more than a month now, the oxygen crisis in the country has been a tug-of-war between the Narendra Modi government, state governments, hospitals, and oxygen manufacturers. In several areas, individuals have been left to run from pillar to post in search of oxygen cylinders for their family and friends.

All stakeholders have their own reasons for why Indian doctors still don’t have enough supply of the essential gas to treat their patients.

Quartz spoke to Siddharth Jain, director of INOX Air Products, the largest manufacturer of liquid oxygen in India, to understand the perspective of the producers. Jain believes that it is wrong to put the onus on oxygen makers as they are doing their best. “We are trying, nobody is understanding the logistical challenges in supplying oxygen to a nation that is at war simultaneously in 30 states. It’s a Herculean task,” he said.

Below are edited excerpts from the conversation:

By when will India have enough oxygen for its Covid-19 patients?

Oxygen consumption is directly proportional to the number of cases. The pre-pandemic requirement for medical oxygen in India was about 700 tons a day. In wave one, the demand went up about 3,000 tons a day and in wave two, it’s now 8,000 tons a day.

At present, we have enough oxygen to maintain the current number of cases. All I can hope is that enough states announce lockdowns and the number of cases starts coming down. But if we start witnessing cases around 600,000-800,000 a day, we will be in a tough spot.

Do you think India could not have anticipated this spike in Covid-19 cases and no preparation would have been enough?

Absolutely… Why cases spike in this manner is beyond me. I don’t think any country would have been prepared for this kind of acceleration (in Covid-19 cases), which is currently the world’s highest.

All I can say is from an infrastructure perspective, we are scaling up. India has increased its oxygen manufacturing capacity by 30% within a month. This is unfathomable. I don’t think it has happened globally. It’s a world record in itself. The effort has been so enormous, however, increasing the capacity of manufacturing is not the same as getting it to the patient.

Siddharth Jain, director at INOX Air Products.

What logistical challenges are you facing?

When you manufacture oxygen in a liquid form, it looks like water. But it’s at minus 183 degrees centigrade and it’s stored in specialised containers. There are only 1,170 cryogenic transportation tankers available in India to move liquid oxygen. Out of those INOX has 320.

India has only 70 oxygen plants and these 1,170 containers were moving the entire production of oxygen. Earlier, out of 100 tankers that we would manufacture only 15 were going to medical, and 85 were going to industry. So all our plants are located in areas very close to industry, and not in the most densely populated areas where there are hospitals.

But now, there is a requirement for oxygen everywhere. So we needed to transport these tankers to the entire country.

Tell us more about the recent production ramp-up at your plants.

We have set up a new plant and also made investments in technological innovation inside our existing plants to increase their capacities. We have also reduced the capacity of some other gases that we make, such as nitrogen and argon, and are using those capacities to increase oxygen production.

Which states are you now supplying oxygen to? What are the key challenges in the process?

The three largest consumers of oxygen right now are Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh. We are not facing many challenges in Maharashtra and Gujarat because not only are they the largest consumers but they’re the largest manufacturers as well.

However, we are facing problems in the northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Himachal Pradesh. Since there’s no industrial activity in north India, the region manufactures only 10% of India’s oxygen. So the production is very small but the demand right now is huge given the number of Covid-19 cases.

There are similar issues with the eastern and southern parts of the country, too, because most of the oxygen production capacity is in central India.

You have earlier said that the Delhi government is the only one complaining about supply issues. What happened with them?

There are only 70 plants that manufacture oxygen in India. Now, what is the job of the union government? It is to tell manufacturers to produce a certain amount of oxygen and then they formed a committee to approve the oxygen demand by the states. There was a chart that was made for each state with a name and an allocation volume.

However, it is not the union government’s job to pick up the oxygen and deliver it to end locations. It is not their job to go to Odisha, pick up the oxygen and come to Mumbai and pour it in a tank. What do the states exist for? What is their job? It is the job of the state to go and organise the logistics and go and get the allocated product.

Are you suggesting that Delhi wasn’t organising the logistics and was just complaining?

Yes, absolutely. It was only later, after a lot of pressure was put on them, they started moving it.

What could have been done to avoid the current situation?

Maybe the question is, why did we need that oxygen? Could we have done something to not require that oxygen at all?

I think it’s a bit unfair to the oxygen manufacturers…Are you aware in Delhi, they’re refusing patients into hospitals? Why are hospitals not taking patients? Does the hospital have no duty to organise the oxygen themselves? Are they allowed to shut gates for their patients?

But what can a hospital do if it has a shortage of essential medical supplies?

So where does the oxygen guy get it instantly? How do you create a supply chain with 10 times more than the normal demand in a two-week period?

Let us assume petrol is available in only 70 places in India. But cars are all over India. Now, tell me if the number of cars has increased 10 times overnight and they all want petrol, how would you get the petrol there?

Tell me, does a hospital today have the ability to bring more doctors overnight if the patients double? Take any hospital, and overnight, a 200-bed hospital cannot become an 800-bed hospital. But if the need arises, will it say no, we don’t have the doctors. We don’t have nurses and doctors. No. You will have to do it. It’s your duty.

We are trying, nobody is understanding the logistical challenges in supplying oxygen to a nation that is at war simultaneously in 30 states (India has 28 states and eight union territories). It’s a herculean task.

You are suggesting that it is wrong to blame the oxygen manufacturers?

Yes.

Some experts have said that India should implement a nationwide lockdown. Do you think that will help the oxygen manufacturers?

I certainly think it will help…I think most states are already under lockdown… At this point what we really need is to break the transmission chain. Come what may.

Blaming Modi vs Facts. Excellent Gulf News article

Narendra Modi gets blamed for everything that happens in India. If he locks down for Covid, he will be attacked for doing it, if he does not impose a lock down, he will accused of being a murder. The leftist ecosystem will cry at the top of the voices from across the world with supporting articles in American publications which are supposed authenticate it. 

The current covid surge in India is the direct result of the incompetence of a few state governments that this very ecosystem supports. But of course, Modi is responsible. Here is an article giving out the facts -

gulfnews.com /opinion/op-eds/covid-19-second-wave-and-india--the-questions-and-answers-1.79153360

COVID-19 second wave and India — the questions and answers

Akhilesh Mishra, Special to Gulf News11-14 minutes 5/12/2021

A medical worker in personal protective equipment (PPE) plays with a child of a woman recovering inside a quarantine centre for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients amidst the spread of the disease at an indoor sports complex in New Delhi, India. Image Credit: Reuters

As the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic rages through India, several questions have been asked of the Indian government and the way it has handled the upsurge. In an admittedly difficult situation, has the government been found wanting or has it mobilised all the resources available at its disposal to deal with situation? Let’s explore some of the issues.

Did India fail to anticipate second wave?

The basis of this question lies in the fact that between January 1, 2021 and March 10, 2021, India was averaging less than 20,000 new cases a day and for a significant period, this number had dropped to around just 10,000. Almost every other country had faced a second wave between October and December 2020 while India, after the first wave peak, seemed to have escaped the second wave. So much so, that many domestic ‘experts’ now castigating the government had written multiple articles during the first part of this year on why India will not have a second wave and thus India should let go off the remaining restrictions it had — like mask mandate and reopen schools and colleges. In the international media, the BBC ran an article on 15 February 2021, titled “Is the epidemic finally coming to an end in India?” The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and many others were similarly part befuddled and part reporting on India’s seeming escape from a second wave.

But the Indian government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was not complacent. Between January and February, when the numbers were at the lowest, the central government issued 17 advisories to various state governments to not let their guard down, to continue to test aggressively, to ramp up health infrastructure and to be prepared for all eventualities. On 17 March, when the daily cases were still in the 20,000 range, Prime Minister Modi himself held a detailed meeting with all Chief Ministers were he explicitly advised them to be on constant vigil, to strictly enforce social distancing and mask mandate, to retrain health officials and reinvigorate administration protocols in case they had become jaded.

So, what happened? It would seem that many of the state administrations did go lax, especially the states where the second wave seems to have originated — Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, Chhattisgarh, Punjab and Karnataka. By the time they started putting their acts together, the second wave was in full steam!

But why hold elections in the middle of pandemic?

Holding elections on due time is a constitutional requirement as assemblies are mandated to meet once every six months. Amending the constitution to have kept the assemblies of these five states — Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Puducherry — in suspended animation and under central rule, would have been a recipe of disaster and completely undemocratic. World over, elections have been held during the pandemic. India too held the Bihar elections in November 2020 without much ado.

The real question is, could big electoral rallies have been avoided? The BJP had made this exact proposal to the Election Commission of India before Bihar elections — that put off physical rallies and let there be only virtual campaigning. Every other political party strongly opposed this move. Their plea was the BJP is better organised hence they will have advantage in virtual world and therefore level playing field will not be there. In absence of consensus, the Election Commission could obviously not force a decision and the existing systems continued.

Every political party thus carried on with physical rallies in the five states that went to polls. Massive road shows were organised in Kerala by Rahul Gandhi. Mamata Banerjee held her mega rallies in West Bengal. The BJP did the rallies where it was contesting.

But there were no elections in Maharashtra or Chhattisgarh or Delhi or Punjab where the numbers started rising dramatically by end March. Therefore, the argument that election rallies are the culprit is not backed by data.

What about Kumbh in Haridwar?

Kumbh is very revered religious gathering in India. Its date and time are decided by saints and not governments. As the COVID cases had dropped in January and February, a conditional go-ahead, on the dates proposed, was given. Very strict protocols for entry, testing, quarantine, and other medical protocols were enforced during the gathering. When the Kumbh began on 1 April, India was reporting 72,000 cases. Out of this, six states alone — Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, Karnataka, Delhi and Punjab — contributed over 76% of the cases. None of these had anything to with the Kumbh. Uttarakhand on 1 April had 293 cases, on 8 April had 1,100 cases. However, as the pandemic surged all over the country, Prime Minister Modi himself intervened and requested the seers to end the gathering before due date and which they did.

India’s vaccination strategy — is it right?

India has given emergency use approval to two domestically manufactured vaccines — Covidshield and Covaxin. Out of this, Covaxin is totally indigenous, under a special programme sanctioned by Prime Minister Modi, where the government medical body ICMR partnered with Bharat Biotech to develop and deploy the vaccine in record time. Despite a malicious campaign launched against Covaxin, unfortunately by very responsible politicians, India formally launched the vaccination drive on 16 January 2021.

It was designed in conformity with medical opinion and WHO recommendations — to reduce mortality among the most vulnerable and then progressively move forward. Accordingly, vaccination of health care workers started on 16 January; on 2 February front-line workers became eligible; from 1st Mach all above 60 years and those above 45 years with comorbidities became eligible; from 1 April everyone above 45 became eligible and from 1 May all above 18 are eligible. So far India, has vaccinated 173 million people, the fastest pace in the world. It is available free of cost to all above 45 and to even those between the age group of 18-44 through the central government channel.

Other vaccines, which have been approved by drug regulators in USA, UK and Europe and the Russian Sputnik vaccine have also been given authorisation and many of them are in the process of arriving in India.

A question is asked as to why did India export vaccines before it vaccinated the domestic population? As on 11 May 2021, India has exported a total of 66.3698 million vaccine doses to foreign countries. At the same time, about three times as many vaccine doses have been administered within India.

There were contractual obligations for the manufacturers to supply vaccines to many countries, especially from where raw materials were sourced. In addition, it has been the time-tested tradition of India to stand up for the entire humanity in times of need. As US President and the French President both recently affirmed, when the world was in need last year, India helped the world with medicines and other supplies. When India is now in need of help, the world is returning the gesture of goodwill.

But why Build Central Vista during a pandemic?

After the great depression, US President Roosevelt was asked why was he investing so much in building new infrastructure, including a complete revamp of Washington DC, when the money could be used elsewhere? His answer is classical governance speak. Infrastructure investment sparks a virtuous cycle of economic recovery — jobs for semi-skilled and unskilled labour, demand generation for the entire manufacturing and core sector and a surge in allied services and hospitality sector. After a year of lockdown and depressed economic activity, the government of India is rightly spending money on productive economic activity, generating jobs, renewing urban landscape, spurring allied sectors and ensuring that those at the bottom of the pyramid are not further stressed by shutting down the only sector that can gainfully employ them. The central vista project is an already sanctioned project and it would make no sense to stop it and depress economic activity.

Has medical infrastructure shortage been fixed?

On 25 March 2020, India had 10,180 isolation beds. Today this number is more than 1.6 million. In the same period, ICU beds have increased from 2,168 to over 92,000.

India’s average daily medical oxygen requirement before the current peak was around 700MT. The requirement surged to almost 9,000 MT in a few days — a jump of almost 1,200%. The manufacturing challenge was immense. But even greater challenge was to meet the logistics of such surge in cylinders, and supply chain. Although there have been very painful days, but the worst phase is perhaps over as both the supply and logistics of delivery have started falling in place.

Production of drugs like Remdesivir have been ramped up from about 4 million a month to almost 10 million a month.

To augment manpower, the government has allowed, on expert advice, medical interns to be deployed with full safety protocol and payment of internship.

Prime Minister Modi has personally monitored the mobilisation of the armed forces for securing supplies and in setting up dedicated emergency medical facilities in multiple cities.

PM CARES fund has been deployed to install in situ oxygen generating plants in the biggest hospitals. Simultaneously, 551 new generating units, in addition to 162 already approved, have been sanctioned. DRDO is also using PM CARES fund to set up additional 500 medical oxygen plants. Thus, a total of more than 1,200 plants will come up. This will ensure each district in the country will shortly have medical oxygen generating facility. PM CARES fund has also been used to procure state of the art ventilators and over 150,000 DRDO developed SpO2 sensing based oxygen control system.

The free food and ration scheme, covering 800 million Indians, has been extended for another three months.

A new anti-COVID oral drug developed by DRDO — 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2-DG) has just been approved. It has proved very efficacious in fighting the infection.

What next?

India is battling the second wave with full dedication and resolve. The seven-day moving average of new cases has shown a dip after for the first time in weeks. As medical infrastructure is able to meet the demand, and new aggressive protocols of containment being put in place like Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, the expectation is that India shall get over this difficult period in the very near future. The unquestionable heroes of the battle that India has been waging against the second wave have been the medical professionals and the front-line workers. Their dedication and service shall hopefully soon bear fruits.