Month: January 2021

By Ashoke Raj

On the lines of the Sabarmati riverfront in Gujarat, the Yamuna riverfront here in Delhi is likely to begin seaplane services soon, officials said on Saturday.

The Union Ministry of Ports, Shipping, and Waterways has sought information in detail from interested companies on the subject.

The Ministry said the services of seaplane will be added to the nearby states of Delhi. According to Sagarmala Development Company Limited (SDCL), Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh and Tehri and Srinagar in Uttarakhand can be included in the seaplane route.

“SDCL is desirous of associating with companies in the aviation sector (applicants) having experience of operating aircraft on a commercial basis. SDCL plans to form SPVs with such companies to jointly identify hubs / origins-destinations, procure all clearances and approvals, develop land-side facilities/waterfront facilities, procure/lease seaplanes and develop and operate seaplane and facilities on the commercially and financially viable basis,” Shipping and Waterways Ministry said.

As of now, the Ministry has suggested Delhi be made a hub for the seaplane services which will connect Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Chandigarh from three states/UT. It will further connect from Srinagar in (UK) to Kedarnath/Badrinath and from Chandigarh to part of Dalhousie, Himachal Pradesh and some places in Punjab.

“To start with through this SPV, SDCL intends to commence commercial operations on the following hubs and spokes subject to the technical and financial feasibility of the routes (O-D pairs),” the Shipping and Waterways Ministry said.The Ministry further said that these above routes may be part of the UDAN (Ude Desh ka Aam Naagrik) scheme. (ANI)

Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) president Sourav Ganguly is undergoing primary angioplasty at the Woodlands Hospital in Kolkata. The hospital issued a medical bulletin on Saturday.

According to the hospital, Ganguly is now stable haemodynamically and has received loading doses of dual anti platelets and statin and is undergoing primary angioplasty now.

“Sourav Ganguly suffered from chest discomfort while doing tread mill at his home gym. He had family history of IHD OE Ischemic heart disease. When he came to the hospital at 1pm, his pulse was 70/min, BP 130/80 mm of Hg and other clinical parameters were within normal limits. His ECG showed hyper acute ST segment elevation in inferior leads and lateral leads,” said the medical bulletin of Woodlands Hospital.

“Echo showed mild inferior wall hypokynaesia with preserved overall left ventricular function. He is stable haemodynamically. He has received loading doses of dual anti platelets and statin and is undergoing primary angioplasty now,” it added.

A further update on Ganguly’s health will be issued at 5pm on Saturday. Earlier today, the former Indian skipper was hospitalised after complaining of chest pain.

Speaking to ANI, sources close to the BCCI president said that Ganguly complained of pain in the chest and was rushed to the hospital. “Dada (Sourav) complained of chest pain and was rushed to the hospital. He might need to undergo angioplasty. He is out of danger,” the source had said.

Ganguly had on Wednesday visited Eden Gardens and discussed preparations for the upcoming Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) president Avishek Dalmiya.

Other office-bearers of CAB including secretary Snehashis Ganguly and joint secretary Debabrata Das were also present at the stadium.

Earlier this week, Ganguly had also cleared the air about him joining politics ahead of West Bengal Assembly polls next year. He had stated that he went to meet the state’s Governor upon invitation. “If the Governor wants to meet you, you have to meet him. So let us keep it like that,” said Ganguly. (ANI)

Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan on Saturday stated that COVID-19 vaccine will be provided free of cost across the country.

The minister made the statement while talking to media after reviewing the dry run of administering the COVID-19 vaccine at Maternity & Child Welfare (MCW) Centre in Daryaganj.

Asked if COVID-19 vaccine will be provided free of cost, like in Delhi, Vardhan replied that “not just in Delhi, it will be free across the country.”

Vardhan also reviewed the dry run of administering the COVID-19 vaccine at Guru Teg Bahadur (GTB) hospital in Delhi today.

In Delhi, the drive is being conducted at three locations — the Daryaganj primary health centre, the government-run Guru Teg Bahadur hospital and the private Venkateshwara hospital, he added.

Except for giving actual vaccine, every procedure is being followed during the drill, Vardhan further said.

The dry run will be conducted by all the states and Union Territories from Saturday. Vaccination drill is being conducted in all states/UTs today in 116 districts across 259 sites.

According to the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), the objective of the dry run for COVID-19 vaccine introduction is to “assess operational feasibility in the use of COVID Vaccine Intelligence Network (Co-WIN) application in a field environment, to test the linkages between planning and implementation and to identify the challenges and guide the way forward prior to actual implementation”.(ANI)

As part of its efforts to strengthen its presence and deployment in the Pangong lake area in Ladakh, the Indian Army has signed a contract to acquire 12 boats which would be fully armed and used for patrolling and rapid troops’ deployment in and around that area.

ANI has accessed the design of the boat that is to be built by the Goa Shipyards Limited at its Vasco De Gama facility and it will have mounted guns at both front and rear and would be able to transport troops.

The Indian Army had yesterday inked a contract with M/s Goa Shipyard Limited for 12 Fast Patrol Boats for surveillance and patrolling of large water bodies, including those in high altitude areas. Delivery would commence from May 2021.

“The boats would be operated and maintained by the Corps of Engineers. These boats shall be vital in ensuring security along the borders/Lines of Control spread over vast water bodies, including those in high altitude areas,” Army officials said.

The high speed and manoeuvrable boats will be equipped with state-of-the-art onboard systems, they added.

In the initial phase of the conflict with India, the Chinese soldiers had used a large number of boats to ferry troops to areas near Finger 5 and Finger 6.

India also has a number of boats deployed there and the new boats will augment the Indian capability to move around the lake which has been a bone of contention between the two countries for a long time now. (ANI)

Former fast bowler Mohammad Asif has made a shocking revelation about the alleged age-fraud being practiced in the Pakistan squad.

Asif, whose cricketing career came to a premature end as he was found guilty in a spot-fixing scandal, said the young guns of Pakistan are nine to ten years older than what their official age-certificates suggest.

The former pacer feels the issues regarding their age is the reason behind their inability to bowl longer spells.

Asif’s remarks came after Pakistan’s 101-run defeat against New Zealand in the first Test which also saw the Kiwi batsmen enjoy a run-fest against the young pace battery.

“These kids do not have the knowledge. They don’t know how to keep the batsman on the front foot, not give them a single and how to bowl on the wickets. When they try to bowl on the wickets, it goes down the leg-side. They do not have the control,” Asif told former teammate Kamran Akmal on the latter’s Youtube channel.

“And they are so aged. It is written as 17-18 years on paper, but they are actually 27-28 years old because they don’t have the flexibility to bowl 20-25 overs. They don’t know how to bend the body; they become stiff. They are not able to stand on the field after bowling a 5-6 over spell,” he explained.

“I feel it might have been 5-6 years since a fast bowler took 10 wickets in a match. We used to salivate after seeing the pitches like the ones in New Zealand. There was no question of leaving the ball as a fast bowler. I never used to leave the ball before taking a five-wicket haul,” Asif added.

Earlier, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was ruled out from the second Test against New Zealand. In Babar’s absence, Mohammad Rizwan, who captained Pakistan in the first Test, will continue to lead the side.

“We have seen improvement in Babar Azam’s injury but he is yet to fully recover. He is our captain and the most important batsman in the line-up, so we do not want to take any risk,” the team doctor said in a release issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“The medical team is constantly reviewing his injury and we are hopeful he will be available for the home series against South Africa,” he added.

Pakistan will take on New Zealand in the second Test of the two-match series at the Hagley Oval in Christchurch from January 3. (ANI)

Thousands of pro-monarchy demonstrators took to the streets of Kathmandu on Friday demanding the reinstatement of Nepal’s status as a constitutional monarchy at a time where the political crisis in the Himalayan Nation is deepening further.

Organised by the Rashtriya Prajatantra Party, Friday’s demonstrations witnessed thousands of pro-monarchy supporters across various locations of the capital playing traditional musical instruments and chanting anti-federalism and anti-government slogans.

They also demanded that the incumbent political system be scrapped, blaming politicians in power failing to cater to the need of the people in current times. Protesters claimed that a Monarchy is the only way that would and can fix the current prevailing issues.

“The communist government has completely failed in this nation; this government also couldn’t work well despite the federal structure and the country is in crisis because of it. In order to save the nation, we are demanding for a Hindu-state and reinstatement of a Monarchy,” Gomba Ghale, one of the protestors told ANI.

The political crisis in the Himalayan Nation again has deepened since December 20 after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli dissolved the lower house in the parliament. The latest move to the dissolute lower house has invited protest from within the ruling Nepal Communist Party which now has been seen as two factions and both are fighting for authenticity.

Though now caretaker Prime Minister Oli has called on for election later in April and May, doubts are running high whether it would be able to conduct it on the stipulated date. With the country in chaos, pro-monarchy forces also have come forward with their demands.

Pro-monarchy protests have increased in the Nepali capital in recent times, a large scale protest similar to that of Friday or 1st January 2021 was held earlier on December 5.

Nepal’s newly adopted Constitution in 2015 has mentioned the Himalayan Nation as a “Secular State” which participants in such pre-advertised rally are demanding to be scrapped off.

“We want Monarchy- an impartial force in the nation along with the status of Hindu State. A wide variety of programs has been scheduled and today’s demonstration falls on that list. The Rashtriya Janata Party has called on a wide range of programs with the demand of reinstating constitutional monarchy, scrapping of federalism and secular state,” another protestor Rudra Prasad Dhakal said.

Nepal has transitioned into a federal democratic republic after the promulgation of the new constitution in 2015. (ANI)

Odisha Goods and Services Tax (GST) Commissionerate busted tax invoice fraud to the tune of Rs 510 crore and arrested its mastermind, Sandeep Mohanty in Cuttack, an official said on Friday.

SK Lohani, Odisha Commissioner, Central Tax (CT) and GST while talking to ANI said that the accused has accepted his crimes.

“There are people who try to misuse the GST system. After analysis of data, we shortlist doubtful tax returns and do field checks of such filing entities. In this process, we found a tax theft racket where a person named Sandeep Mohanty used fake purchase and sale invoices of Rs 510 crores,” Lohani said.

“Mohanty availed bogus input tax credit (ITC) and fake purchase invoices on the name of 22 fictitious firms that came to light when the Enforcement Wing conducted a statewide search operation,” he added.

The official further said that during interrogation, “Mohanty accepted that he misused the GST system to do the fraud.” (ANI)