INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
India's infotech (IT) ministry has written to all social media business asking to take down any content that describes an Indian variation
of the coronavirus, according to a letter provided on Friday which was seen by Reuters.The World Health Organization stated on May 11 that
the coronavirus alternative B
1.617, first identified in India last year, was being classified as a version of global concern
The Indian government a day later on issued a statement saying media reports utilizing the term Indian Variant were without any basis,
stating the WHO had actually classified the variation as simply B
In a letter to social media business on Friday, the IT ministry asked the companies to eliminate all the content that names or implies
Indian version of the coronavirus
There is no such version of Covid-19 scientifically cited as such by the World Health Organisation (WHO)
WHO has actually not associated the term 'Indian Alternative' with the B
1.617 variation of the coronavirus in any of its reports, stated the letter, which is not public
A senior Indian government source told Reuters the notice was provided to send a message loud and clear that such points out of Indian
variant spread miscommunication and harm the country's image.The IT ministry could not be reached for comment.Around the world, coronvirus
versions have actually generically been described by doctors and health experts on the basis of where the are identified
This consists of South Africa and Brazil variants.A social media executive stated it would be difficult to take down all material utilizing
the word as there would be numerous countless such posts, adding that such a move would result in keyword based censorship going forward
The Indian government is dealing with increased criticism over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic, with Prime Minister Modi and state
authorities being blamed for not sufficiently planning for the ongoing 2nd wave of coronavirus infections.India has the second-highest tally
of COVID-19 cases worldwide and has actually been reporting around 250,000 infections and 4,000 deaths daily.
