From The Newsroom: Outrage in Tamil Nadu over Hindi 'imposition'

In your evening news brief, From The Newsroom, Members of Parliament and political leaders from Tamil Nadu on Saturday demanded action against Union AYUSH Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha for “imposing Hindi” on doctors from the state; A pair of gold-plated spectacles believed to have been worn by Mahatma Gandhi and presented as a gift in the 1900s have broken all records for a UK auction house by selling for 260,000 pounds, and The Centre has asked all states to ensure that there should be no restrictions on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods during the ongoing unlocking process.

Here are the top news of today, Saturday: August 22, 2020:

The Centre has asked all states to ensure that there should be no restrictions on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods during the ongoing unlocking process.

In a communication to chief secretaries of all states and Union Territories, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla said there were reports that local level restrictions on movement were being imposed by various districts and states.

Drawing attention to the Unlock 3 guidelines, Bhalla said such restrictions are creating problems in inter-state movement of goods and services and are impacting supply chains, resulting in a disruption in economic activity and employment.

The unlock guidelines clearly state that there shall be no restrictions on inter-state and intra-state movement of persons and goods, he said in the letter.

The guidelines also stated that no separate permission, approval or e-permit will be required for movement of persons and goods for cross land border trade under treaties with neighbouring countries.

The home secretary said restrictions amount to violation of guidelines issued by Ministry of Home Affairs under provisions of Disaster Management Act, 2005.

The letter requested that no restrictions be imposed and it should be ensured that the unlock guidelines are followed.

Scientists have developed a vaccine against Covid-19 that can be given in one dose via the nose, and is effective in preventing infection in mice susceptible to the novel coronavirus, an advance that may lead to protective candidates that can curb the pandemic.

While there are several Covid-19 vaccine candidates currently under development, the study, published in the journal Cell, noted that unlike these, the one delivered via the nose targets the initial site of infection, and causes more widespread immune response.

According to the researchers, including those from the Washington University School of Medicine in the US, the nasal delivery route created a strong immune response throughout the body, but it was particularly effective in the nose and respiratory tract, preventing the infection from taking hold in the body.

They plan to test the vaccine in nonhuman primates and humans to see if it is safe and effective in preventing Covid-19 infection.

"We were happily surprised to see a strong immune response in the cells of the inner lining of the nose and upper airway -- and a profound protection from infection with this virus," said study senior author Michael S. Diamond from the Washington University School of Medicine.

An Indian national has been arrested on charges of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and for inducing foreign nationals to come to the US using fraudulently obtained H-1B visas, federal prosecutors said on Friday.

Arrested on Thursday, 48-year-old Ashish Sawhney allegedly used four corporations to orchestrate the improper submission of fraudulent applications for H-1B specialty-occupation work visas, they said.

Charged with two counts of conspiracy, three counts of inducing an alien to come to and reside in the US for commercial advantage or private financial gain, and one count of attempted naturalisation fraud, Sawhney allegedly generated gross profits from 2011 to 2016 of approximately USD 21 million, the prosecutors said.

If convicted, Sawhney faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

A pair of gold-plated spectacles believed to have been worn by Mahatma Gandhi and presented as a gift in the 1900s have broken all records for a UK auction house by selling for 260,000 pounds.

The glasses, which were dropped through the letterbox of East Bristol Auctions in Hanham, south-west England, four weeks ago were estimated to fetch between 10,000 pounds and 15,000 pounds but the online bids for the lot kept multiplying to finally go under the hammer of the six-figure sum.

“An incredible result for an incredible item! Thanks to all those who bid,” said auctioneer Andy Stowe of East Bristol Auctions, as he closed the bid for the online auction on Friday.

“These glasses represent not only an auction record for us but a huge find of great historical importance. The vendor had presumed them to be interesting, but of no value and did tell me to dispose of them 'if they're not worth anything',” said Stowe.

“I think he nearly fell off his chair when we presented our valuation. It's a really great auction story – and one that we all dream of,” he said. The unnamed new owner of the spectacles is an elderly man from Mangotsfield, South Gloucestershire in south-west England, who will split the 260,000 pounds with his daughter.

Members of Parliament and political leaders from Tamil Nadu on Saturday demanded action against Union AYUSH Secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha for “imposing Hindi” on doctors from the state by asking them to leave a conference he was addressing if they did not know Hindi.

The incident, which took place on Thursday on the last day of a three-day training session for “Master Trainers of Yoga”, has led to outrage in Tamil Nadu with people calling it “blatant imposition of Hindi” on non-Hindi speaking states.

The doctors from Tamil Nadu said they were told to leave the conference if they did not know Hindi, adding that their repeated requests to the organisers to speak in English fell into deaf ears. As many as 37 doctors from Tamil Nadu participated in the online training session.

DMK MP Kanimozhi, who had on August 9 complained that a CISF personnel at the airport asked her if she was an Indian for not knowing Hindi, demanded that Kotecha be placed under suspension and appropriate disciplinary proceedings be initiated.

“The statement of the Secretary that non Hindi speaking participants could leave during a Ministry’s training session speaks volumes about the Hindi domination being imposed. This is highly condemnable. The Government should place the Secretary under suspension and initiate appropriate disciplinary proceedings. How long is this attitude of excluding non-Hindi speakers to be tolerated?” she asked.

PMK founder S Ramadoss sought to know what would have been the response from participants if a trainer had said he can only speak in Tamil, while Makkal Needhi Maiam president Kamal Haasan said no one should forget that it is “Indian government and not Hindian government.”

Ramadoss also demanded that it was time for all 22 Indian languages be made into official languages. The doctors also released a video of the programme in which Kotecha, who made lateral entry into government service after heading the Gujarat Ayurveda University in Jamnagar, is seen telling the participants he does not speak English “very well.”

Congress MPs from Tamil Nadu, Karti P Chidambaram and Manicka Tagore, also condemned the incident seeking to know whether the government was moving towards one language policy.

“Not knowing English is understandable, but this arrogance of asking those who do not know Hindi to leave and insisting on speaking in Hindi is totally unacceptable,” Karti tweeted.

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