Daily Briefing: SC asks Centre to ensure supply of 700 MT of oxygen to Delhi; Seema Bisla fourth Indian woman wrestler to qualify for Tokyo

Overruling pleas by the Centre, the Supreme Court refused to interfere with a Karnataka High Court direction asking the Central Government to increase daily allocation of Liquid Medical Oxygen for the state from 926 MT to 1,200 MT. 

Meanwhile, the apex court also asked the Centre to ensure it supplies 700 MT of liquid medical oxygen to Delhi until further orders. 

Only in the Express 

Over the past few weeks, Dr V K Sharma, an Ayurveda graduate, has been single handedly treating a deluge of Covid patients at his one-room clinic on the roadside at Bargaon village in UP’s Saharanpur. With Covid medication unavailable and vaccines out of supply in the village, Bargaon offers a snapshot of the grim challenge in UP, where ill-equipped rural districts are now being battered by the brutal second wave.  

Relatives of Covid patients wait in queue for oxygen cylinders at Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. (📸 by Parveen Khanna)

From the Front Page 

The Election Commission (EC) considered deferring a few phases of the Assembly polls given the rising number of Covid cases but decided against it since the imposition of President’s Rule could have proven to be “damaging” for the poll body. The dissenting election commissioner, Rajiv Kumar, is said to have written this in his affidavit that was rejected by the Commission, and not filed with the Madras High Court.

Police personnel at Pimpri Police Station found themselves in a tight spot after the police commissioner and assistant police commissioner conducted a surprise check in disguise as a married couple. 

Must Read 

Palanivel Thiagarajan, or PTR, as he is better known, is set to take over as Finance Minister of Tamil Nadu — a fitting progression for the political scion with engineering and management degrees from top institutes at home and in the US. First on his agenda? Settling Tamil Nadu’s GST dues with the Centre.

When Ashwin Kunjumon and Rekha P Mol — volunteers at a quarantine facility in Kerala’s Alappuzha — saw a critically ill Covid patient struggling to breathe, they knew they had to help. Unable to track down an ambulance, the two volunteers decided to take the patient to hospital on a two-wheeler  — a spur-of-the-moment decision that potentially saved the patient’s life and earned them praise from CM Pinarayi Vijayan. 

And Finally 

Seema Bisla became the fourth Indian woman wrestler to qualify for the Tokyo Games by reaching the final of the 50kg competition even as Sumit Malik settled for a silver medal after conceding his final bout due to a knee injury at the World Olympic Qualifiers.

Delhi Confidential: At the Congress Parliamentary Party’s recent meeting, Indian Youth Congress president B V Srinivas came in for much praise from MPs and leaders for running an effective machinery providing help to Covid patients.

Until tomorrow, 

Rahel Philipose 

Express Cartoon by EP Unny.