A Doctor's Strange Prescription, And Sardar Patel's Statue For Sale
It Happens Only In India: a prescription for alcohol during the lockdown, the Statue of Unity listed for sale, and newborns named Covid and Corona
Image courtesy: Pexels
A drink a day may not keep the doctor away, but a doctor’s prescription can get you alcohol during the corona lockdown and it will be home-delivered too. Meghalaya and Kerala issued orders allowing home delivery of alcohol to those who could produce a medical prescription issued by a registered medical practitioner.
Kerala’s decision was defended by the government as a measure to address the suicides in the state due to lack of alcohol. However, the medical community was up in arms against the decision, with some of them even observing a black day against the governmental largesse. The Kerala High Court stepped in to crash the party, issuing a stay order against the state’s directive.
In West Bengal too, the excise department suggested home delivery of liquor, which was greeted with all-round cheer. However, it was promptly shot down by the police department, leaving tipplers dry, not high.
Sources: theweek.in, barandbench.com
***
The world’s tallest statue—the Statue of Unity, commemorating Ironman Sardar Vallabhai Patel—was listed for sale on the online marketplace OLX.com, for a whopping Rs 30,000 crore. An unidentified seller from Gujarat, placed the ad, explaining that the proceeds from the sale would be used to help the government meet the growing expenditure for managing the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the memorial’s authorities were not amused. An FIR was filed against the anonymous seller after they were alerted. The chief administrator of the Statue of Unity clarified that the unknown seller had no authority to post the said ad, and viewed it as an attempt to defame the government and hurt the sentiments of those who idolised Sardar Patel. Looks like there are still some things money can’t buy, even if the price does seem about right.
Source: businesstoday.in
***
A young couple from Chhattisgarh grabbed the headlines recently by naming their newborn twins—a girl and a boy—Corona and Covid. The twins were born during the national lockdown brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Born in the early hours on 27 March, mother Preeti Verma told PTI that they named their kids after the surging pandemic as, “The delivery happened after facing several difficulties and therefore, my husband and I wanted to make the day memorable”. As long as Corona and Covid are happy, healthy and free of the virus, what’s in a name anyway.
