When China reported to WHO about virus, (later known as 2019-nCoV) coronavirus outbreak of COVID-19 distressed the whole world. Coronavirus claimed half a million lives and the lockdown of the movement of people brought economics to an unimaginable low. China’s claim that it has come back to normal made the world suspicious. Through this article, we shall know where we stand in the war against China viz coronavirus, border as well as the economic front as India Bans China Apps.
- MHA issues Unlock 2 Guidelines effective from July 1
- Maharashtra and many other states extended lockdown due to a rapid increase in infections
- Tough stand by the Indian Government, Ministry of Electronics and Infirmation Technology,, blocked 59 Chinese apps in one shot
Was corona a means of China’s becoming world super-power? Was Galwan Valley its first indication? Is India’s ban on 59 Chinese Apps is a befitting reply? Can India succeed in corona fight and might?
Background of Coronavirus outbreak Lockdown
First time on 31 December 2019 China informed WHO about cases of pneumonia unknown etiology detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province of China. By the second week of January 2020, the National Health Commission China informed WHO that the outbreak is associated with exposures in one seafood market in Wuhan City.
The Chinese authorities came out with information on the genetic sequence of the Novel Coronavirus. In mid-January 2020, Thailand, Japan, and South Korea reported the first imported case of lab-confirmed novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from Wuhan, China. It then spread all over the world. Today with more than 500K deaths there are more than 10 million infected cased from COVID-19.
China resumed its operations normal
The USA and many European countries were the biggest sufferers and they started abusing China for the silent spread of COVID-19. Apart from deaths, due to coronavirus lockdown, the economy of the nations seized. Surprisingly, China declared normalcy and opened its economy. China also started exporting the COVID-19 protective Kits, Diagnostics, and Remedies to various other countries.
China troubles India at India China Borders
Moreover, China wanted to take advantage of the weaker condition of its neighbouring countries. China started expanding its forces towards Indian territory. In May and June, the tensions went rampant at the Indo-China border after twenty Indian soldiers were martyred at the Galwan river valley. Indian government toughened its stand against China. It exposed China to its international friend like Russia, cancelled some infrastructure orders to Chinese companies, increased its forces on the Indo-China border.
Unlock 2.0 Guidelines
Highlights
- Unlock-2 will be applicable in the country till 31st July
- It will be mandatory to wear face covers in public places
- Permitted more activities outside containment zones
- Schools, colleges, metro to remain shut
- Large congregations and entertainment not permitted
- Night Curfew will remain imposed across the country from 10.00 pm to 5.00 am
- Essential services exempted during curfew and containment zones
MHA issues guidelines for Unlock 2.0
Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday issued guidelines for ‘Unlock 2.0’ across the nation between July 1 and July 31. MHA stated that COVID-19 lockdown shall continue to remain in force in containment zones till July 31. However, essential activities continue to be allowed in containment zones as before.
Download Unlock 2 Guidelines PDF by MHA
Guidelines for Phased Re-opening (Unlock 2) (As per Ministry of Home Affairs Order dated 29 June 2020)
- Activities permitted during Unlock 2 period outside Containment Zones
All activities have been permitted in areas outside Containment except the following:
I. All educational institutions including schools, colleges, coaching centers to remain closed till 31 July 2020. Online and distance learning have been permitted and encouraged.
II. International travel except as permitted by MHA.
III. Metro Rail not to operate.
IV. All entertainment means including Cinema Hall, theatres, auditoriums, gymnasiums, swimming pools, and similar places.
V. All large congregations for social, cultural, religious, political, entertainment, academic, sports purposes.
SOPs will be issued, and dates of re-starting will be decided separately. The operations of domestic flights will be expanded. - Night curfew with prohibiting the movement of individuals strictly between 10.00 pm to 5.00 am. It will be implemented all over the country except for essential activities as specified.
- National Directives for COVID-19 Management have been specified in Annexure I. to continue throughout the country.
- Lockdown shall be limited to Containment Zones till 31 July 2020.
- States and UTs may prohibit certain activities outside containment Zones based on their assessment. No restriction on inter-State or intra-State and for cross land -border trade under Treaties with neighboring countries.
- All movements by passenger trains and Shramik special trains, domestic air travel, stranded nationals, evacuation of foreign nationals, sign-on, and sign-off of Indian seafarers will be regulated as per SOPs issued.
- All persons above 65 years of age, children below 10 years, pregnant women, persons with co-morbidities have been advised to stay at home with exceptions of essential and health purposes.
- On the best efforts basis, the employers should ensure that Aarogya Setu is installed by all employees having compatible mobile phones. Similarly, district authorities may advise individuals to install it.
- States and UTs shall not dilute guidelines under DMA 2005 in any manner and all District Magistrates shall strictly enforce the measures.
- For any violations, the provisions of section 51 to 60 of the Disaster Management Act 2005 besides legal action under section 188 of the IPC, and other legal provisions will be applicable as described in Annexure-II.
Maharashtra government on Monday extended the lockdown in the state till 31st July
Highlights
- Maharashtra to enforce lockdown till July 31, 2020
- Maharashtra is the worst affected state by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- District Collector, Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation can enforce necessary restrictions
- Essential commodities shops (milk, vegetables, and medicines) continue to open
- Other shops to open under the odd-even system
- The lockdown will be gradually relaxed
State CM says lockdown will not be removed
Because of the growing corona case in the state, the Maharashtra government on Monday extended the lockdown in the state till 31st July. On Sunday, State Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had said that the lockdown will not be removed from the state on 30th June due to an increasing number of infections. He said that the lockdown will be gradually relaxed. Maharashtra is the worst affected state by COVID-19 pandemic.
Extension of lockdown in Maharashtra State
State Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta has issued an order to extend the lockdown. The order says that the risk of coronavirus spread in the state remains upside. This step is being taken under necessary measures to prevent infection. Under section 2 of the Epidemic Act 1897 and the Disaster Management Act 2005, the lockdown is extended in entire Maharashtra till 31 July 2020 midnight.
District and Municipal Authorities’ powers
The order issued by the Chief Secretary says that as per local circumstances, concerned District Collector, the Commissioner of the Municipal Corporation can enforce necessary restrictions. It can ban people’s commuting and non-essential activities to prevent the spread of the virus.
Availability of essential commodities
India Bans China Apps: Mehta’s order says that the way the essential commodities shops (milk, vegetables, and medicines) were opening up during the lockdown so far, they will continue to open. However, the remaining shops will be opened under the recurrence rule. The Maharashtra government, while continuing the lockdown till 31 July, said that the offices will be functioning with limited staff.
Indian Government bans 59 Chinese Apps
The Ministry of Electronics & IT blocked 59 apps on internet and non-internet served devices in India due to ongoing conflict with China
Highlights
- The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology blocked 59 Chinese apps on internet and non-internet served devices in India
- TikTok, Shareit, CamScanner popular Chinese apps banned by India
- It is blamed, the apps engaged with Chinese authorities to siphon off data from India
- The Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store are expected to remove the apps
Uproar over privacy with the Chinese Apps
There has always been an uproar over privacy with the Chinese apps. Intelligence agencies from India to the United States have been cautioning people about Chinese apps from time to time. A few days ago, Indian Intelligence Agencies had asked the Government of India to block 52 Chinese mobile apps.
India bans Chinese Apps
India Bans China Apps: The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, through a press release, has blocked 59 apps on internet and non-internet served devices in India. It means, these apps will not function in India and will be discontinued on both Google Play Store and App Store at large. The Ministry has given the reasons that these apps are involved in activities prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, the defense of India, the security of the state and public order.
Is it indicative or real?
India Bans China Apps: Government of India order has come in the face of the tensions rampant at the Indo-China border after twenty Indian soldiers were martyred at the Galwan river valley. Since this incident, there has been a demand on social media urging a boycott of Chinese goods, including smartphone brands and apps. But the government has not made any announcement for the Chinese smartphone brands.
Which are the Apps banned?
India Bans China Apps: Here is a list of all 59 Chinese apps that have been blocked by the Indian government:
- TikTok
- Shareit
- Kwai
- UC Browser
- Baidu map
- Shein
- Clash of Kings
- DU battery saver
- Helo
- Likee
- YouCam makeup
- Mi Community
- CM Brower
- Virus Cleaner
- APUS Browser
- ROMWE
- Club Factory
- Newsdog
- Beauty Plus
- UC News
- QQ Mail
- Xender
- QQ Music
- QQ Newsfeed
- Bigo Live
- SelfieCity
- Mail Master
- Parallel Space
- Mi Video Call – Xiaomi
- WeSync
- ES File Explorer
- Viva Video – QU Video Inc
- Meitu
- Vigo Video
- New Video Status
- DU Recorder
- Vault- Hide
- Cache Cleaner DU App studio
- DU Cleaner
- DU Browser
- Hago Play With New Friends
- CamScanner
- Clean Master – Cheetah Mobile
- Wonder Camera
- Photo Wonder
- QQ Player
- We Meet
- Sweet Selfie
- Baidu Translate
- Vmate
- QQ International
- QQ Security Center
- QQ Launcher
- U Video
- V fly Status Video
- Mobile Legends
- DU Privacy
Which are the main Apps and their market impact?
India Bans China Apps: The Government of India has given a major setback to China by banning the Chinese-owned 59 mobile apps. There was a demand to stop the TikTok since the Indo-China border dispute. Let us know which are the top 10 apps in China in India and how many downloads they have…
- TikTok
The most popular app in India is TikTok in which small videos are uploaded. The app has been downloaded to smartphones by all sections of people including many big personalities. Across the world, almost 39 percent of users of the TikTok app are from India mostly between 16-24 years of age.
- Likee
The Likee app is also a short video app like TikTok and Helo with more than eight crore users in India. This app also features video editing.
- UC Browser
UC Browser is a mobile browser developed by UC Web owned by Chinese company Alibaba. UC Browser is one of the top browsers after Google Chrome in India with millions of users.
- Helo App
Helo is also a kind of social networking platform developed by Bitdance with about 40 lakh users in India. Many Indian languages have been included in this app to intensify its grip in the local areas.
- Shareit
Shareit is a popular app for sharing photos, videos, files, or any kind of mobile application. This app is required to be in both mobiles, no matter how long the file is. The app was the most downloaded in the year 2018.
- VMate
VMate is also a social networking platform like TikTok has millions of users in India. It also makes small videos and uploads them from the account.
- Xender
Xender is also a file sharing app like Shareit to share photos, videos, files, documents, or any mobile application. Both mobiles require a Xender app to share a file.
- CamScanner
With the help of Camscanner, the user can easily scan a document and upload it. This app is also immensely popular in India. CC Intelligence has developed this app, but the app was put under surveillance in August 2019. It is alleged that many more advertisement malware were found in this app.
- BeautyPlus
BeautyPlus is a kind of photo editing and selfie filter app. When taking selfies through this app, the photo is made more beautiful by using a variety of filters. This app has been created by the Chinese company Metu.
- UVideo
UVideo is an app that allows users to download uploaded videos. Through this app, the user can download small videos and share them on social media platforms like WhatsApp or Instagram. At present, this app has more than five crore downloads on the Google Play store.
Why is this all happening?
The fight initiated by China will not stop easily in near future. It is a fight for hegemony, to become the world leader. The strong countries want to occupy more and more land and resources from weaker countries. In-fact there is an invisible power. People call Nature or Prakriti, but no one really knows her. She is creative power of the universe and keep people fighting with each other. By doing so, people forget the real purpose of human life.
What should one do?
The Enlightened Saint Rampal Ji Maharaj has described all this in detail in his sermons titled as “Creation of Universe”. The people should listen his sermons and read his books to acquire right knowledge and adopt right path by taking initiation from him.
