B Pushpa Kumari, a health worker, is the first beneficiary to get vaccinated in Andhra Pradesh. Nagajyothi and three other health workers were also vaccinated at the Government General Hospital in Vijayawada in the presence of Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Saturday, who interacted with the Covid warriors | Express tirupati l sunday l january 17, 2021 l `8.00 l PAGES 24 l anantapur EDITION CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ WARANGAL ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI Two lakh health workers get vaccine on day one new delhi bengaluru hyderabad kochi bhubaneswar vizag (From left) AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria getting the first dose of Covishield vaccine in New Delhi. Phase-I of the nationwide drive was reserved for healthcare workers in the frontline of the battle against Covid-19 | Shekhar yadav, Meghana Sastry, Vinay madapu, Sanesh saka, & G Satyanarayana Health ministry claims no cases of post-inoculation hospitalisation; Bharat Biotech to compensate Covaxin recipients in case of adverse reaction Sign consent form to get Covaxin shot many healthcare workers also alleging that they could not get the jab, acOver 60% of the targeted 3 lakh-plus cording to media reports. healthcare workers scheduled to get Talking to reporters on Saturday the Covid-19 vaccine on the first day evening, additional secretary in the of the vaccination programme took health ministry Manohar Agnani the shot on Saturday, the Union claimed there were no reports of hoshealth ministry said. It added that pitalisation after vaccination from 3,351 sessions were held throughout anywhere in the country . the country wherein 1,91,181 benefiHowever, official figures showed ciaries were vaccinated. that in Delhi alone, 52 cases The ministry had earlier of AEFI (adverse events folAdverse said at every 3,006 vaccinalowing immunisation) were events in tion centres throughout the reported among health Delhi, MH country, 100 beneficiaries workers post vaccination. each would be vaccinated At least 52 cases Of these one case turned of adverse events out to be severe that reon the first day Though the . were reported immediate reasons for the quired hospitalisation. among health fewer than targeted number The Co-WIN software deworkers who were signed for the vaccination of vaccinations achieved was not shared, govern- administered the drive also reported technicoronavirus ment sources conceded that cal glitches, resulting in devaccine in Delhi on lay in uploading the benefiat most places, less than the Saturday, invited beneficiaries had ciary list at some sites. according to turned up. In terms of the number official figures. In the first phase, the govof people vaccinated, the Maharashtra ernment plans to vaccinate highest was in Andhra 1 crore healthcare workers reported another Pradesh at 16,693, followed 14 such cases followed by 2 crore frontby Bihar (16,401). line workers comprising The government has propolice, paramilitary and defence cured 110 million doses of Covishield personnel. manufactured by the Serum Institute Even though politicians were not of India and 55 million doses of Covsupposed to get the vaccine shots in axin by Bharat Biotech. the first phase, there were reports of While launching the vaccination several Trinamool Congress leaders, drive, Prime Minister Narendra including two MLAs, receiving the Modi sought to dispel concerns about Covid-19 vaccine in West Bengal’s vaccines saying they were approved Purba Bardhaman district on Satur- only after scientists were convinced day. It created a controversy with of their safety and effectiveness.  P7 E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ New Delhi S u m i S u k a n ya D u t ta @ New Delhi Signing a consent form is mandatory to get Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin jab. While the form makes it clear that Bharat Biotech will be liable to pay compensation in case of serious adverse events following immunisation, it is silent on the amount. The form is attached with the vaccine, whose efficacy is yet to be proven. It has been launched on ‘clinical trial mode’, as mandated by the Drug Controller General of India. Sources in the Union Health Ministry and the ICMR said that Covaxin recipients are required to sign the consent form, which assures medical care and compensation if any adverse effect linked to the vaccine was found. The government has procured 55 million doses of Covaxin for the first phase of the nationwide vaccination drive. However, doctors have raised concerns over being inoculated with a vaccine that is still under trial. In several states, like in Delhi, Covaxin is being offered only at Centrally-run hospitals; healthcare workers are not given the choice of vaccine. “In phase-1 and phase-2 clinical trials, Covaxin has demonstrated the ability to produce antibodies against Covid-19,” says the form. “However, the clinical efficacy of Covaxin is yet to be established. Hence, it is important to appreciate that receiving the vaccine does not mean that other precautions related to Covid-19 need not be followed,” it adds. After I-T raids, farmers’ protest supporters face NIA summons E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Chandigarh/New Delhi After the raids by the income tax department on commission agents in Punjab who are supporters of farmers’ protest, the National Investig ation Agency has served notices to 12 activists who have supported the agitation, including Baldev Singh Sirsa, the president of the Lok Bhalai Insaf Welfare Society . Sirsa, who has been part of the farmers’ team in the talks with the Centre, has been summoned by the agency for questioning on January 17, two days before the 10th round of talks. The NIA said Sirsa had been called as a witness in connection with a terror funding case registered against the Sikhs For Justice, a banned Khalistani outfit. “A notice has been sent under Section 160 CrPC, which is done for witness summons,” an official said. The others who have been summoned include Baltej Pannu, a radio and TV journalist working with American and Canadian media houses, activist Jasveer Singh, Jasbir Singh Rode, Balwinder Pal Singh, Sukhpreet Singh Udhoke, Karnail Singh, Mandeep Singh, Paramjit Singh, Ranjit Singh, Surinder Singh, Pardeep Singh, Inderpal Singh Judge, Naresh Kumar and cable TV operator Jaspal Singh. continued on P7  whatsapp defers its updated data privacy policy till may 15 Facing backlash over forcing upon users its updated privacy policy, Facebook-owned WhatsApp announced that it never had any plans to delete non-complying accounts on February 8. The date extension is aimed at clearing ‘confusion’ | P11 e x p r e ss r e a d AP State Architectural Board constituted Vijayawada: The State government has constituted the AP State Architectural Board (APSAB) under the chairmanship of the Finance Minister for standardization of architectural designs, plans, elevation, cost estimates, etc Council nomination for Shahnawaz Hussain New Delhi: Ex-Union Minister Shahnawaz Hussain bagged a nomination from the BJP for the bypolls in Bihar legislative council. The terms for two seats vacated by BJP will end in July 2022. Hussain will be a nominee for remaining term | P7 Mutant vs Vaccinator PLUS 12 PAGES 19,108 health workers get jab in State on Day 1 get of 32,570 at 332 session centres in the State by 8.30 pm on the first Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan day A total of 2,324 medical staff . Reddy launched the Covid-19 vac- h a v e b e e n d e p l o y e d f o r cination drive at the Government vaccination. General Hospital (GGH) in the city “At present, we have to check if on Saturday . the Co-WIN application can take A total of 3.8 lakh health the load of 1,300 beneficiworkers in the State will CM releases aries per day in Andhra be vaccinated in the first wall posters Pradesh. Hence, for the phase. B Pushpa Kumari, initial four to five days of CM Jagan Mohan a health worker, is the the drive, we will vacciReddy released first beneficiary to get nate only 100 beneficiarflyers and wall vaccinated in Andhra ies per day per site. Howposters to create Pradesh. Nagajyothi and eve r, o n c e t h e l o a d awareness three other health workcapacity is clearly known, among people ers were also vaccinated we can increase the about Covid-19 in the presence of the number of beneficiaries vaccine. The Chief Minister, who inper day as per the capacflyers contain teracted with beneficiarity Dr Joshua, technical ,” information ies at the session site. support head, United NaDeputy Chief Minister about 8 aspects tions Development Proof vaccination (Health) Alla Kali Krishgramme (UNDP), told na Srinivas, Ministers TNIE. Each beneficiary Perni Venkatramaiah and Vellam- was given Covishield vaccine and palli Srinivasa Rao, Chief Secre- kept under observation for the tary Aditya Nath Das and other mandatory 30 minutes. officials were also present on the Soon after vaccinated, 43-yearoccasion. old Radha Krishna, who works as A total of 19,108 beneficiaries a cleaning worker at the GGH, P4 were vaccinated as against the tar- fainted.  E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Possible side effects of Covishield & Covaxin The possible side effects of Covishield include tenderness at the spot, pain, fatigue, headache, chills, nausea, muscle pain, rise in body temperature and demyelinating disorder (very rare) A day after DGP Gautam Sawang’s disclosure of political links in temple desecration cases, the ruling and opposition parties indulged in a slugfest SIT chief visits Ramatheertham TDP is making baseless accusations against the DGP as it is scared that its activists involvement will be exposed. Can TDP leaders come out and confidently say that those arrested do not belong to their party? Attempting to disturb communal harmony is a bigger crime As part of the probe into idol vandalisation, SIT chief GVG Ashok Kumar visited Ramatheertham P Anil Kumar, Minister for Water Resources Chhattisgarh was the first state to allow transgenders in the police force in 2018, though K Prithika Yashini from Tamil Nadu was the first to be inducted into any police force as an SI in 2017. The Centre last year approved the recruitment of transgenders in paramilitary Bihar has paved the path for the transgenders to don khaki by sanctioning direct recruitment to the posts of constables and assistant sub-inspectors. Apart from the giant leap towards empowering the third gender, the state has also reserved one post out of every 500 in the constable-ASI ranks for the transgenders. Touching upon the concept of proportional representation, the notification said that out of the sanctioned police strength of 1,30,243, transgen- ders should be given 51 (41 ASI and 10 constable) posts based on their proportion to the total population. As per the 2011 census, the transgenders form 0.039 per cent (40,287) of Bihar’s population of 10.41 crore. ADG(HQ) Jitendra Kumar said that 51 transgenders would be recruited as per the recommendations of the Home department. According to the notification, Superintendent of Police would be empowered to recruit constables, while the DIG would select the ASIs as per norms. The direct recruitment would be only for transgenders from Bihar. Welcoming the decision as historic, Reshma Prasad, one of the members of the National Council for Transgender Persons (NCTP), said the community was grateful to the Nitish government. “The community has also demanded a separate battalion of transgender police personnel, along with a two per cent quota, in the state police force,” she said. E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Governor Biswa Bhusan Harichandan congratulated the Indian scientists behind the successful development, manufacture and distribution of the two Covid-19 vaccines for the nationwide launch on Saturday . In a message, the Governor said the scientists with their untiring efforts have fulfilled the aspirations of the people of the country by making the vaccines available to people in a very short period. The Governor also congratulated the officials of Medical and Health and Family Welfare Department and medical doctors in the State for the successful conduct of the State-wide corona vaccination programme for the benefit of health care professionals and frontline workers as per guidelines of the Central government on Day 1. Krishna Collector A Md Imtiaz inspected the Covid-19 vaccination centre at Deccan Missionary School on Saturday. He stated that no cases of adverse events following immunisation (AEFI) were reported across the 30 session sites in the district. He said there has been no complaints from anywhere in the district and all necessary measures for the smooth conduct of vaccination drive has been taken. “The three dry runs conducted in December were of help for the vaccinators. Due to the dry run they were able to manage the situations properly on the first day he added. ,” There is no BJP workers’ involvement in the temple attacks. Making posts on social media is different from vandalisation of idols. You are intentionally, deliberately and carelessly issuing the statements defaming and damaging the reputation of our party though the State police under your leadership have utterly failed in protecting temples Somu Veerraju, BJP State president The DGP is acting under the direction of Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy as per the script of government advisor Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy without abiding by the laws of the land. Just in one day, the DGP changed his version on desecration of temples and attributed it to the Opposition. To protect YSRC activists, who are the real culprits, our cadre are being made scapegoats N Chandrababu Naidu, TDP chief Submit irrigation project DPRs: Centre E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Hyderabad UNION Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has asked the Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana to submit detailed project reports (DPRs) of their respective irrigation projects and get them appraised at the earliest. In separate letters to Telangana CM K Chandrasekhar Rao and Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, the Union Minister has sought DPRs of 16 TS projects and 19 AP projects. Shekhawat, in his letter to KCR, stated that Telangana had not submitted DPRs of any of its projects so far. Addressing Jagan, the Union Minister said, “I was informed that a few details of a project called RLIS at Sangameswar, which were already submitted, do not meet the stipulated norms and guidelines of a DPR. Accordingly, the CWC has asked the State to resubmit it as per the norms. I was also informed that volume 1 and 2 of Pattiseema Lift Ir rigation Scheme were submitted to the Godavari River Management Board (GRMB). The GRMB has now asked for volume 3 of the same. I was also told that DPR of no other project has been submitted so far, except that of Purushothapatnam.” He told both the CMs that for any project taken up on Godavari and Krishna, it was mandatory to get P5 statutory Central clearance.  Orvakal airport set to begin flight operations in March Bihar transgenders realise their khaki dream R a j e s h K u m a r T h a k u r @ Patna Pain at the vaccination spot, fever, fatigue, abdominal pain, dizziness, sweating, cold and cough, body ache and headache are the possible side effects of Covaxin of Bharat Biotech Slugfest over DGP’s disclosure giant leap Notable mentions Guv lauds efforts of Indian scientists E x p r e s s N e w s Se r v i c e @ Vijayawada Plan to set up pilot training centre Expressing happiness over getting the aerodrome licence from the Union Civil Aviation Ministry, AP Airports Development Corporation Limited MD VN Bharath Reddy said the government is making efforts to provide night landing facility and set up a pilot training centre at Orvakal The Centre has issued all the approvals, including the aerodrome licence, to Orvakal airport in Kurnool district, Industries and Commerce Minister Mekapati Goutham Reddy said. In a statement issued on Saturday the minister said Orvakal , airport, which is the first airport taken up by a State government in South India, will start flight operations in March. The YSRC government has spent `150 crore for the airport project in the last one year. The new airport will reduce the travel time to Visakhapatnam and other major cities in the State, the minister said. Goutham Reddy lauded the efforts of Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy in getting the vital aerodrome licence for the airport from the Centre. He also congratulated AP Airports Development Corporation Limited (APADCL) MD VN Bharath Reddy and Special Chief Secretary (Industries) R Karikal Valaven for the speedy execution of the project. Expressing happiness over getting the aerodrome licence, the APADCL MD said the government is making efforts to provide night landing facility and set up a pilot training centre at Orvakal airport.