India recorded its highest daily death toll in a month on Wednesday amid a nationwide outcry over the government's denial of an oxygen crisis.
The government added nearly 3,500 previously unreported coronavirus fatalities from western Maharashtra state to the daily tally, pushing India’s total to more than 418,000 deaths.
A steady stream of deaths and fresh infection cases continue in the nation, which was battered by a brutal pandemic wave in April and May. In Kerala and Maharashtra, cases are still on the rise and the test positivity rate remains over 10.
Maharashtra, including its capital Mumbai, is one of the worst affected states, with 6.2 million confirmed cases and more than 130,000 deaths during the pandemic.
India’s Health Ministry on Wednesday reported another 42,000 confirmed cases and nearly 4,000 deaths, taking the country’s caseload to 31 million, the second highest after the US.
Several Indian states have reviewed their death toll in the past, blaming missing documentation or administrative errors.
Experts cite scarce resources for death anomalies in the country, where only 22 per cent of nearly 10 million annual deaths are medically certified.
The reconciled figures come a day after a Washington-based think-tank, the Centre for Global Development, said that the excess death toll in India could be as high as 4.9 million.
The report, co-authored by India's former chief economic adviser Arvind Subramanian, studied deaths from the beginning of the pandemic to June this year after the second wave ebbed from a record high of 414,000 cases per day on May 6.
"What is tragically clear is that too many people, in the millions rather than hundreds of thousands, may have died," the report said, estimating between 3.4 to 4.9 million deaths.
Experts have accused India of undercounting the dead.
More than 22 million confirmed infections and 250,000 deaths were registered in the third wave, with the public left scrambling to find hospital beds, lifesaving drugs and medical oxygen.
Some died on the pavements outside hospitals and many more inside their homes as they gasped for breath amid desperate pleas by families for help.
Crematoriums and graveyards across the country were filled with victims and hundreds of dead bodies of suspected Covid-19 patients were seen floating in the Ganges in May.
The report comes amid a raging outcry over Prime Minister Narendra Modi government’s claim that no person died due to the shortage of oxygen in the country during the second wave.
India’s newly appointed junior health minister, Bharati Pravin Pawar, told Parliament on Tuesday that they had no figures on people who died due to shortage of oxygen, sparking outrage.
When asked by an opposition parliamentarian whether a large number of Covid patients died on roads and hospitals due to an acute shortage of oxygen in the second wave, Ms Pawara said: "No deaths due to lack of oxygen have been specifically reported by states and [union territories].”
Opposition parties, healthcare workers and survivors accused the government of lacking empathy.
Several states, including Delhi, had reported severe shortage of oxygen supplies in April and May after infection cases overwhelmed hospitals, forcing courts to order Mr Modi’s government to ensure uninterrupted oxygen supplies.
Dozens of countries sent medical aid to India, including oxygen cylinders to overcome the shortages as black marketers forced desperate patients to pay 100 times the usual price for oxygen.
“Everybody knows that there was a shortage of oxygen and people died due to that,” Dr SCL Gupta, medical director of Batra Hospitals, told The National.
At least 12 patients, including a colleague of Dr Gupta, died in a single day at the hospital after it ran out of oxygen supplies in April. Similar shortages were reported at hospitals in Goa, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka states.
Shyam Singh, whose brother-in-law died, allegedly in a shortage, at a hospital in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, said: “This government is lying.”
His 35-year-old relative was one of 17 coronavirus patients whose families claim died in 24 hours after oxygen shortages at the Brightstar Hospital.
“At least 17 people died in one night because the hospital ran out of oxygen and they are saying no one died of a shortage? It is very disturbing,” Mr Singh told The National.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
Herc's Adventures
Developer: Big Ape Productions
Publisher: LucasArts
Console: PlayStation 1 & 5, Sega Saturn
Rating: 4/5
Drivers’ championship standings after Singapore:
1. Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes - 263
2. Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari - 235
3. Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes - 212
4. Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull - 162
5. Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari - 138
6. Sergio Perez, Force India - 68
What you as a drone operator need to know
A permit and licence is required to fly a drone legally in Dubai.
Sanad Academy is the United Arab Emirate’s first RPA (Remotely Piloted Aircraft) training and certification specialists endorsed by the Dubai Civil Aviation authority.
It is responsible to train, test and certify drone operators and drones in UAE with DCAA Endorsement.
“We are teaching people how to fly in accordance with the laws of the UAE,” said Ahmad Al Hamadi, a trainer at Sanad.
“We can show how the aircraft work and how they are operated. They are relatively easy to use, but they need responsible pilots.
“Pilots have to be mature. They are given a map of where they can and can’t fly in the UAE and we make these points clear in the lectures we give.
“You cannot fly a drone without registration under any circumstances.”
Larger drones are harder to fly, and have a different response to location control. There are no brakes in the air, so the larger drones have more power.
The Sanad Academy has a designated area to fly off the Al Ain Road near Skydive Dubai to show pilots how to fly responsibly.
“As UAS technology becomes mainstream, it is important to build wider awareness on how to integrate it into commerce and our personal lives,” said Major General Abdulla Khalifa Al Marri, Commander-in-Chief, Dubai Police.
“Operators must undergo proper training and certification to ensure safety and compliance.
“Dubai’s airspace will undoubtedly experience increased traffic as UAS innovations become commonplace, the Forum allows commercial users to learn of best practice applications to implement UAS safely and legally, while benefitting a whole range of industries.”
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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Company%C2%A0profile
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In 2018, the ICRC received 27,756 trace requests in the Middle East alone. The global total was 45,507.
There are 139,018 global trace requests that have not been resolved yet, 55,672 of these are in the Middle East region.
More than 540,000 individuals approached the ICRC in the Middle East asking to be reunited with missing loved ones in 2018.
The total figure for the entire world was 654,000 in 2018.
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
The Good Liar
Starring: Helen Mirren, Ian McKellen
Directed by: Bill Condon
Three out of five stars
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
