Month: December 2021

An emergency meeting of the Maharashtra COVID-19 Task Force is underway and is chaired by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

The meeting was held in view of rising COVID-19 cases in the state.
The Mumbai Police on Thursday has imposed Section 144 in the city starting from today till January 7.

As per the new COVID-19 restrictions, prohibition has been placed on New Year’s celebrations, parties in any closed or open space including restaurants, hotels, bars, pubs, resorts and clubs from December 30 to January 7. (ANI)

The tri-services inquiry team formed to probe the December 8 chopper crash in which 14 people including Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife, and 12 others lost their lives, is expected to submit their report to the government by December 31.

The probe team is headed by Air Marshal Manvendra Singh and includes two Brigadier-rank officers from the Army and Navy.

“The inquiry report is expected to be submitted to the government by December 31. The detailed report has been prepared on the ground by the officials and thorough analysis of the data received from the black box,” government sources told ANI.

The sources said the initial investigations into the case suggested that the accident was sudden.

The help of the original equipment manufacturers was also sought for the probe in which the country lost its seniormost military officer and longest-serving General.

The Indian Air Force said the report was yet to be submitted.

Gen Bipin Rawat, his wife Madhulika Rawat, and 12 other military officials were traveling in the ill-fated Mi-17V5 helicopter which crashed minutes before landing the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington killing all passengers and crew on board on December 8. (ANI)

China has cut down the salaries of its public servants by up to 25 per cent, a media report revealed after a video of a municipal government employee went viral “describing its pay cut.”

Katsuji Nakazawa wrote in Nikkei Aisa that a 20 per cent cut in public servants’ salaries with no explanation would be a huge issue in countries other than China.

An employee of the Hangzhou municipal government has become the talk of the land in the country, as she posted a video on social media speaking about her pay cut by around 25 per cent.

“Listen to this,” she wrote. “My annual pay is going to be slashed by around 25 per cent. That’s 50,000 yuan ($7,850) less. How can I live?” as per Nikkei Aisa.

After the video went viral, Chinese authorities deleted it and related posts, as per Nikkei Asia.

However, no official announcement has been made about reductions in public servants’ pay. But similar sharp pay cuts in affluent regions such as Guangdong, Jiangsu, Shanghai, and Tianjin have also come to light,it reported.

In China, public servants’ salaries are divided into two parts. One is fixed pay, for which there are uniform national standards. The other is merit-based pay plus welfare benefits, Nikkei Asia reported.

Merit-based pay and welfare benefits involve bonuses, incentives, and various allowances and subsidies, including those related to transportation and housing. They differ greatly from region to region depending on each region’s fiscal situation.

One Chinese source predicted that the move to cut the pay of not only public servants but all workers in the public sector will spread across the country. Employees at state-owned companies who have enjoyed high pay will be no exception, Nikkei Asia further reported. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of 23 projects worth over Rs 17,500 crore in Uttarakhand.

Among the 23 projects, the foundation stone is being laid for 17 projects worth over Rs 14,100 crore.
According to Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), these projects cover a wide array of sectors/areas across the state including irrigation, road, housing, health infrastructure, industry, sanitation, drinking water supply. The programme will witness the inauguration of six projects including multiple road widening projects, a hydropower project in Pithoragarh and projects to improve the sewerage network in Nainital. The cumulative cost of the projects being inaugurated is over Rs 3,400 crore.

The Prime Minister is laying the foundation stone of the Lakhwar Multipurpose Project to be built at a cost of about Rs 5,750 crore.

In line with the Prime Minister’s vision to improve connectivity at far-flung places of the country, inauguration and foundation stone laying of multiple road sector projects worth about Rs 8700 crore is being done.

The projects whose foundation stones are being laid include four laning of 85 kilometre Moradabad-Kashipur Road to be built at a cost of over Rs 4000 crore; two laning of 22 Kilometre stretch of Gadarpur-Dineshpur-Madkota-Haldwani road (SH-5) and 18 kilometre stretch of Kiccha to Pantnagar (SH-44); construction of 8 kilometre long Khatima bypass in Udham Singh Nagar; construction of four lane National Highway (NH109D) being built at a cost of over 175 crore.

These road projects will improve connectivity of Garhwal, Kumaon and Terai region and also the connectivity between Uttarakhand and Nepal. Improved connectivity will also benefit industrial areas in Rudrapur and Lalkuan besides improving the accessibility of Jim Corbett National Park.

Further, foundation stones of multiple road projects all across the state under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna is also being laid by the Prime Minister. The projects include laying of 133 rural roads with a total length of 1157 kilometres at a cost of more than Rs 625 crore and the construction of 151 bridges at a cost of about Rs 450 crores.

The road projects being inaugurated by the Prime Minister include a project of 99 kilometre road widening from Nagina to Kashipur (NH-74) built at the cost of over Rs 2500 Crore and projects to widen road at three stretches in the strategic Tanakpur-Pithoragarh road (NH 125) built under all-weather road project at the cost of over 780 crore. The three stretches are from Chyurani to Ancholi (32 kilometre), from Bilkhet to Champawat (29 kilometre) and from Tilon to Chyurani (28 kilometre).

In an endeavour to expand the medical infrastructure of the state and provide world-class medical facilities to the people in all parts of the country, the Prime Minister is laying the foundation stone of AIIMS Rishikesh satellite centre in Udham Singh Nagar district and Jagjivan Ram Government Medical College at Pithoragarh. These two hospitals are being built at a cost of about Rs 500 crores and Rs 450 crore respectively. (ANI)

Uttar Pradesh Additional Chief Secretary, Health, Amit Mohan Prasad on Thursday said that the implementation of the Epidemic Disease Act, 1897 has been extended for another three months in the state.

Speaking to ANI, Prasad said, “Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, has been underway in UP since the beginning of the pandemic, we keep extending it for a 3 months duration. With the surge in #COVID19 cases, the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, will now be implemented till March 31, 2022.”
He also said that the state has reported three Omicron infections. “Of the three, two patients are from Ghaziabad and one is from Rae Bareli. Out of 115 genome sequencing samples, 112 were of Delta variant. But, we need to be careful and alert. Delhi NCR areas have already started witnessing an increase in COVID-19 cases,” said Prasad. (ANI)

In the wake of increasing COVID-19 infections in the national capital, the Delhi government had converted the Yamuna Sports Complex into a COVID-19 care centre dedicated to mother and child.

The responsibility of this COVID-19 centre has been given to the Shahdara District administration and the Doctors For You organisation. While speaking to ANI, Rajat Jain, the Chairman of the Doctors for You organisation said, “The Yamuna Sports Complex has been transformed into a mother-child health care centre. We have made a pediatric play area here for the COVID-19 infected children”.
According to Dr Jain, the COVID-19 positive mother, who is not very serious and has just been advised isolation, can be accommodated in the make-shift hospital along with her child. “It’s very difficult and challenging to keep a child behind closed doors for 10 to 12 days. Doing so would also harm their mental state. So, we at the Yamuna Sports Complex COVID-19 centre have created an environment so that the children do not feel that they are in hospital. It has also been noticed that children in a happy environment recover faster”, added Dr Jain.

During the second wave, there were 800 beds in the Yamuna Sports Complex centre. “As the Delhi government saw an increase in cases due to Omicron, we have made this COVID-19 centre operational. There are a total of 100 beds operational at present with 50 double beds and another 50 single beds”, added the doctor. Double beds are for a mother with her 4 to 5 year-old-child. The other beds would be made functional in another 48 hours, added Dr Rajat Jain.

As per information, special attention is being given to the oxygen facility keeping the second wave oxygen crisis in mind. “Four 500-500 LPM oxygen plants are at the Yamuna Sports Complex centre which can produce up to 2,000 LPM oxygen. So we can address oxygen to 300 beds by this. Besides this, there are cylinders and concentrators. Other 200 oxygen cylinders have been refilled”, added the doctor.

“A very serious patient would require a maximum of 10 LPM quantity oxygen while a moderate COVID-19 patient would require 5 to 6 LPM of oxygen. Therefore through this oxygen plant, we can cater to as many as 400 patients”, informed Dr Jain.

He further added that the Yamuna Sports Complex COVID-19 centre has been attached with GTB hospital. Serious patients would be shifted to the GTB hospital for treatment. (ANI)

Delhi Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Thursday that the Omicron variant constitutes 46 per cent of the total COVID-19 cases in the national capital and people with no travel history were found infected with the new variant, meaning the virus is gradually spreading in the community.

Addressing a press conference, the Health Minister said, “Delhi reported 923 cases and the positivity rate is 1.29 per cent. The COVID-19 cases are increasing rapidly and Omicron cases are also increasing in Delhi. As per the latest genome sequencing report, 46 per cent of total COVID-19 cases are of Omicron variant. Of total Omicron cases, few people have travel history and some with no travel history are also infected with Omicron, which means it is gradually spreading in the community,” said Jain.
He further said that 200 COVID cases in Delhi are admitted in hospitals and of them of 115 samples were tested at the airport. Of the total admitted to the hospital 102 belongs to the city and 98 are from outside.

“Of 200 Covid cases in Delhi hospitals, including international travellers. The 115 asymptomatic people infected with COVID-19 are kept in hospitals as a precautionary step,” he said.

The Health Minister said that the Omicron does not have more hospital admissions as compared to the Delta variant.

“Omicron does not have more hospital admissions as compared to the Delta variant. As of now not a single Omicron patient has been on oxygen. Stage one restriction has been imposed in Delhi. Only Delhi has as imposed so many restrictions across the country. The effect of any restriction is visible in seven to eight days,” he said.

He further alleged that the cases are increasing due to international flights.

“Restrictions have been imposed in Delhi because flights from all over the world come to Delhi because if Omicron patients come to Delhi, then the cases will also increase. The cases have increased due to international flights. Even during the earlier wave, the cases rose with flights coming in,” the minister added.

Meanwhile, Dr Suresh Kumar, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital (LNJP), MD said that a total of 70 Omicron patients have been admitted to LNJP till December 30, out of which 50 patients have been discharged.

“A total of 70 #Omicron patients have been admitted to LNJP till December 30, out of which 50 patients have been discharged. Most of the patients are asymptomatic; only 4 out of the 70 patients had a mild fever, throat infection, weakness, loose motion,” said Dr Kumar.

Earlier on Wednesday, a Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) held a meeting chaired by Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal in view of rising COVID-19 cases. (ANI)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Haldwani in Uttarakhand on Thursday to inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of 23 projects worth over Rs 17,500 crore.

Among the 23 projects, the foundation stone will be laid for 17 projects worth over Rs 14,100 crore.
According to Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), these projects cover a wide array of sectors/areas across the state including irrigation, road, housing, health infrastructure, industry, sanitation, drinking water supply. The programme will witness inauguration of six projects including multiple road widening projects, a hydropower project in Pithoragarh and projects to improve sewerage network in Nainital. The cumulative cost of the projects being inaugurated is over Rs 3,400 crore.

The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the Lakhwar Multipurpose Project to be built at a cost of about Rs 5,750 crore. This project was first conceived in 1976 and was lying pending for many years. Prime Minister’s vision to prioritise long pending projects is the force behind the project’s foundation stone being laid. This project of national importance will enable irrigation of about 34,000 hectare additional land, produce 300 MW hydro power and supply drinking water to the six states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan.

In line with the Prime Minister’s vision to improve connectivity at far flung places of the country, inauguration and foundation stone laying of multiple road sector projects worth about Rs 8700 crore would be done.

The projects whose foundation stones would be laid include four laning of 85 kilometre Moradabad-Kashipur Road to be built at a cost of over Rs 4000 crore; two laning of 22 Kilometre stretch of Gadarpur-Dineshpur-Madkota-Haldwani road (SH-5) and 18 kilometre stretch of Kiccha to Pantnagar (SH-44); construction of 8 kilometre long Khatima bypass in Udham Singh Nagar; construction of four lane National Highway (NH109D) being built at a cost of over 175 crore.

These road projects will improve connectivity of Garhwal, Kumaon and Terai region and also the connectivity between Uttarakhand and Nepal. Improved connectivity will also benefit industrial areas in Rudrapur and Lalkuan besides improving the accessibility of Jim Corbett National Park.

Further, foundation stones of multiple road projects all across the state under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna would also be laid by the Prime Minister. The projects include laying of 133 rural roads with a total length of 1157 kilometres at a cost of more than Rs 625 crore and the construction of 151 bridges at a cost of about Rs 450 crores.

The road projects being inaugurated by the Prime Minister include a project of 99 kilometre road widening from Nagina to Kashipur (NH-74) built at the cost of over Rs 2500 Crore and projects to widen road at three stretches in the strategic Tanakpur-Pithoragarh road (NH 125) built under all-weather road project at the cost of over 780 crore. The three stretches are from Chyurani to Ancholi (32 kilometre), from Bilkhet to Champawat (29 kilometre) and from Tilon to Chyurani (28 kilometre).

The road widening projects will not only improve connectivity of the remote areas but will also give fillip to tourism, industrial and commercial activities in the region. The strategic Tanakpur-Pithoragarh road will now have all-weather connectivity that will facilitate the unhindered movement of the army to the border areas and improved connectivity for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra.

In an endeavour to expand the medical infrastructure of the state and provide world-class medical facilities to the people in all parts of the country, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of AIIMS Rishikesh satellite centre in Udham Singh Nagar district and Jagjivan Ram Government Medical College at Pithoragarh. These two hospitals are being built at a cost of about Rs 500 crores and Rs 450 crore respectively. The improved medical infrastructure will not only help the people of the Kumaon and Terai regions but also the bordering areas of Uttar Pradesh.

Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the construction of about 2400 homes for the economically weaker section in the cities of Sitarganj and Kashipur in Udham Singh Nagar district. These homes will be built at a cumulative cost of more than Rs 170 crores under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna (Urban).

PMO said that to improve the tap water supply in the rural areas of the state, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of 73 water supply schemes across 13 districts of the state under the Jal Jeevan Mission. The schemes will cumulatively cost around Rs 1250 crore and will benefit more than 1.3 lakh rural households of the state. Further, to ensure regular supply of quality water in urban areas of Haridwar and Nainital, the Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of water supply schemes for these two cities. The schemes will provide about 14500 connections in Haridwar and more than 2400 connections in Haldwani, benefiting about one lakh population of Haridwar and about 12,000 population of Haldwani.

PMO also stated that in line with the Prime Minister’s vision to create new avenues for tapping the inherent potential of a region, the foundation stone of a 41 acre Aroma Park at Kashipur and a 40 acre Plastic Industrial Park at Sitarganj will be laid. The two projects will be developed by State Infrastructure & Industrial Development Corporation Uttarakhand Limited (SIIDCUL) at a cumulative cost of about Rs 100 crore. The Aroma Park will make use of Uttarakhand’s immense potential of floriculture growth because of its unique geographical conditions. The Plastic Industrial Park will be a step to establish the state’s industrial prowess and create employment opportunities for the people.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate two sewage treatment plants of 7 MLD and 1.5 MLD capacity constructed at the cost of about Rs 50 crore at Ramnagar, Nainital. Also, Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone of the construction of nine sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Udham Singh Nagar, to be built at the cost of about Rs 200 crore; and a Rs 78 crore project for upgradation of sewerage system in Nainital.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the 5 MegaWatt capacity Suringad-II run of the river hydroelectric project built by Uttarakhand Jal Vidyut Nigam (UJVN) Limited at Munsyari in Pithoragarh district built at a cost of about Rs 50 crore. (ANI)

India has reported 13,154 new COVID-19 cases and 268 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said on Thursday.

The tally of Omicron COVID-19 variant cases in the country has gone up to 961 with maximum cases were reported from Delhi (263) and Maharashtra (252).
With this, the country’s COVID-19 tally has risen to 34,822,040 while the death toll has mounted to 4,80,860.

The ministry informed that the active caseload in the country stands at 82,402 constituting 0.24 per cent of the total cases.

As many as 7,486 patients recovered in the last 24 hours taking the total number of recoveries to 3,42,58,778.

The recovery rate in the country currently stands at 98.38 per cent.

The weekly positivity rate in the country is 0.76 per cent which remains lesser than 1 per cent for the last 46 days.

The daily positivity rate is 1.10 per cent which remains lesser than 2 per cent for the last 87 days.

The country has conducted as many as 67.64 crore COVID-19 tests so far.