Month: April 2020

The total count of coronavirus cases in the country surged to 26,917 on Sunday.

The total COVID-19 cases in the country are inclusive of 5,913 cured and discharged patients, one migrated, and 826 deaths. At present, there are 20,177 active COVID-19 cases in the country.

The Federation of Resident Doctors’ Association (FORDA) wrote to the Union Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan, seeking assistance regarding accommodation facilities for resident doctors advised for home quarantine.

In a letter to the Health Minister, the association stated that recently there have been reports of resident doctors from various hospitals who tested positive for COVID-19. As a consequence, their primary contacts who are mostly their colleagues and resident doctors, have been advised to be on home quarantine, the association added.

On the other hand, Maharashtra continues to have the largest number of COVID-19 positive cases at 7,628 . 1,076 persons have been cured in the state while 323 persons have died.

Fresh cases have been reported several states including West Bengal, Maharashtra, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

The total number of cases in Indore has risen to 1,176, including 57 deaths.

While 133 deaths have been reported from Gujarat where the total number of cases spiked up to 3,071.

Kerala has seen a recovery rate of around 74 per cent as 338 out of the total 457 COVID-19 positive patients recovered in the state with only 4 fatalities.

Delhi has seen 2,625 COVID-19 positive cases and 54 deaths due to the pandemic.

Here’s a quick read on the COVID-19 related updates:

1. A five-member Central team visited Telangana Director General of Police (DGP) office here on Sunday, to review the law and order situation in the state and oversee how the state police are ensuring the implementation of the lockdown.
2. Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh and AIIMS Delhi and Bhopal will study the effectiveness of Mycobacterium w in critical COVID-19 patients.
3. Chandigarh-based Post- Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) said that it has assessed the safety of mycobacterial w (Mw), an immunomodulator for leprosy, in four hospitalised patients of COVID-19, and has found no short-term adverse effect.

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Sunday visited AIIMS Trauma Centre, which has been converted into a dedicated COVID-19 hospital.

Earlier on April 24, Dr Harsh Vardhan and MoS, Health and Family Welfare Ashwini Choubey had held a meeting via video conferencing with state Health Ministers to review actions on COVID-19 management.

In the video conference, Dr Vardhan urged them to ensure that no unnecessary stigma is attached to COVID-19 and said that we need to identify people infected with COVID-19 and treat them.

A total of 26,496 confirmed cases of COVID-19 have been reported in India. 5,804 people have recovered or migrated, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Sunday.

824 people have lost their lives due to coronavirus in the country.

(ANI)

By Siddharth Sharma

New Delhi [India], April 24 (ANI): Criticising the central government over its “failure” in fighting with COVID-19 crisis, Congress has asked the Centre about its “exit plan” after May 3 — the deadline for the lockdown.

The Congress has demanded from the government to help the migrant labourers in reaching their homes and to put Rs 7,500 in the account of the poor, as well as to provide adequate financial assistance to the state governments.

Regarding this, a resolution was passed in a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Thursday.

In the meeting, Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi accused the BJP of spreading hate virus. This was the second CWC meet within a month regarding COVID-19.

Gandhi said in the meeting that instead of unitedly fighting COVID-19, BJP is spreading hate virus. Her reference was to the statements made by BJP leaders on Palghar lynching.

The Congress interim president also said that the number of testing is still low. Apart from this, testing kits and PPE kits are not available as per the requirement and the quality of those available is not good, she added.

Stating the lockdown as a “pause button”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said that one has to think about lockdown in hotspot areas and opening of green zone areas. He said that the solution to the problem of migrant labourers has to be found first.

In the resolution passed in the CWC, the central government was asked to make a roadmap for the future in the remaining time of lockdown and tell the people about the exit plan after the lockdown.

The Congress assured the government of cooperation and said that the government should increase the capacity of the health structure and focus on the economy.

The party has suggested the government four points — prevention and treatment of COVID-19, means of livelihood of the people, availability of essential commodities and economic revival.

With this, the Congress has alleged that the Economic Task Force announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi a month ago has not yet presented any action plan to the government.

The party has demanded that the government should make a policy for migrant labourers who want to return to their homes and compensate those who have died. It said that the government should arrange for the return of people stranded in other states.

There has also been a demand from the government to make agriculture loans free of interest and a concrete strategy for micro, small and medium scale industries. (ANI)

With 1,752 new COVID-19 cases reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of cases surged to 23,452, said the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday.

Out of the total tally, 17,915 are active cases and 4,814 patients have been cured/discharged and migrated.

With 37 new deaths reported in the last 24 hours, the total number of deaths due to the deadly virus rises to 724.

According to the Ministry, Maharashtra has the most number of COVID-19 cases with a tally of 6430 cases of which 840 patients have recovered and 283 patients have died due to the virus.

Gujarat stands in second place with 2,624 cases of which 258 patients have recovered and the fatalities stand at 112.

Delhi stands at third position with 2376 cases, out of which 808 patients have recovered and 50 have succumbed to coronavirus. Meanwhile, Goa has seven COVID-19 cases of which all patients have recovered and no new case has been reported, according to the ministry.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 14 announced that the nationwide lockdown imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic would be extended till May 3 (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the biggest lesson that the coronavirus crisis has taught the country is to become self-reliant and asserted that citizens have taken up the challenge instead of succumbing to difficulties, despite having limited resources and facing several problems.

While interacting with Sarpanchs from across the nation via video conferencing, on the occasion of Panchayati Raj Diwas, the Prime Minister said Gram Panchayats are the centres of the united power of the country’s democracy.

“This pandemic has thrown at us new challenges and problems which we have never imagined, but it also taught us a very good lesson with a strong message. It has taught us that we have to be self-reliant and self-sufficient. It has taught us that we should not look for solutions outside the country. This is the biggest lesson we have learnt,” he said.

“Every Village has to be self-sufficient enough to provide for its basic needs. Similarly, every district has to be self-sufficient at its level, every state has to be self-reliant at its level and the whole country has to be self-reliant at its level,” he said.

The Prime Minister complimented the villages for giving the mantra – ‘Do gaj doori’ to define social distancing in simpler terms. He said that the slogan of “Do gaj Deh ki doori” given by rural India showed the wisdom of the people.

“All of you have given the mantra – ‘do gaz doori’, or ‘do gaz deh ki doori’. Special attention is being provided in villages to follow this mantra. It is because of efforts of people, the entire world today is talking about how India has responded to COVID-19 crisis. Despite limited resources and difficulties amid coronavirus crisis, citizens are taking on this challenge instead of succumbing to difficulties,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister said that the broadband has reached more than 1.25 lakh Panchayats and the number of common service centres in villages is also crossing three lakh.

He said that there are problems but the work is going on to save and take the country forward with a new commitment, energy and ways.

Emphasising that the disease can only be fought by maintaining physical distance and taking the necessary precautions, the Prime Minister said,” Every village, every house, all of us have to follow the 2-gaj ki doori mantra. We have to wear masks, it doesn’t necessarily have to be an expensive one, we can even use the traditional gamcha to cover our mouths.”

Modi himself used the traditional ‘gamcha’ to cover his mouth and nose during the interaction with Sarpanchs.

Prime Minister Modi said that there are problems but the work is going on to save and take the country forward with a new commitment with full energy.

He said that the progress of Panchayats will ensure the development of the nation and democracy.

He also informed that around one crore poor people have got free treatment in hospitals under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.

The Prime Minister said that the work of sanitisation in villages, setting up quarantine centres for people coming from cities, feeding the people and spreading awareness about coronavirus should continue without any break.

“In today’s situation, the beginning of taking the country forward and make it self-reliant will only start with the collective power of the village. Amidst these efforts, we have to remember that the negligence of anyone can endanger the whole village. So there is no scope for relaxation,” Modi said.

He urged the use of digital platforms such as e-NAM and GEM portal to reach out to larger markets for better prices for village produce.

The Prime Minister also launched a unified e-GramSwaraj Portal and mobile application and Swamitva Scheme.

The e-GramSwaraj helps prepare and execute Gram Panchayat Development Plans. The portal will ensure real time monitoring and accountability. The portal is a major step towards digitization down to the Gram Panchayat level.

The Swamitva scheme which is launched in pilot mode in 6 states helps to map rural inhabited lands using drones and latest survey methods.

“The scheme will ensure streamlined planning, revenue collection and provide clarity over property rights in rural areas. This will open up avenues for applying for loans from financial institutions by the owners. Disputes related to property would also be settled through the title deeds allotted through this scheme,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister also appealed to people in rural India to download the Aarogya Setu app and asked Panchayat representatives to ensure that every person in their Panchayat downloads the app. (ANI)

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi hit out at the centre’s decision to stop the hike in Dearness Allowance and Dearness Relief to all government employees, pensioners in view of the financial situation in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic calling it ‘insensitive and inhumane’, here on Friday.

“It is an insensitive and inhumane decision taken by the government to cut DA (Dearness Allowance) of central employees, pensioners and jawans serving the public at a time where the country is fighting against the coronavirus, instead of suspending the multi-million bullet train project and the Central Vista beautification project,” Rahul Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.

The Ministry of Finance on Thursday stopped a hike in dearness allowance (DA) for the central government employees and dearness relief (DR) for the central government pensioners till July next year.

According to the order issued, no arrears will be paid for the period from January 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

“In view of the crisis arising out of COVID-19, it has been decided that the additional instalment of dearness allowance payable to Central Government employees and dearness relief to Central Government pensioners, due from January 1, 2020, shall not be paid,” the order said. (ANI)

The Editors Guild of India has issued a statement condemning the attack on Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and his wife Samyabrata Ray.

“The Editors Guild of India strongly condemns the physical attack against senior editors of Republic TV channel Arnab Goswami and Samyabrata Ray in the early hours of Thursday, April 23, in Mumbai, when they were returning home from work,” read the statement issued by the Guild.

The Guild in its letter urged the Mumbai Police to bring to book those who had attacked the two editors.

On April 23, Arnab Goswami had lodged a complaint alleging that he and his wife were attacked by Youth Congress workers when they were driving back home from the Republic TV headquarters in Worli, Mumbai.

An FIR was registered on Thursday morning against two persons for allegedly attacking Goswami and his wife Samyabrata Ray. Both the suspects have been arrested by the police.

(ANI)

The Ministry of Finance on Thursday announced to freeze the hike in dearness allowance (DA) for the central government employees and dearness relief (DR) for the central government pensioners till July next year.

According to the order issued today, no arrears will be paid for the period from January 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021.

“In view of the crisis arising out of COVID-19, it has been decided that the additional instalment of dearness allowance payable to Central Government employees and dearness relief to Central Government pensioners, due from January 1, 2020, shall not be paid,” the order said.

It said that the additional instalments of dearness allowance and dearness relief due from July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021, shall also not be paid. It, however, said that DA and DR at current rates will continue to be paid.

“As and when the decision to release the future instalment of dearness allowance and dearness relief due from July 1, 2021, is taken by the government, the rates of dearness allowance and dearness relief as effective from January 1, 2020, July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021, will be restored prospectively and will be submitted in the cumulative revised rate effective from July 1, 2021,” it added.

(ANI)