Archives for 2021

Modi extended condolences to those who have suffered and lost near and dear ones in the pandemic, and said he grieved with them.

NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that the planet will not be the same after COVID-19 and noted that the events in future will be remembered as either pre or post-Covid.

However, he added, there is now a better understanding of the pandemic, and described vaccine as absolutely important to save lives and defeat the virus.

He also extended condolences to those who have suffered and lost near and dear ones in the pandemic, and said he grieved with them.

NEW DELHI: India on Wednesday reported 2,08,921 COVID-19 infections, pushing the overall tally of cases to 2,71,57,795, as the country conducted 22,17,320 coronavirus tests, its highest-ever in a day, according to Union Health Ministry data.

A total of 22,17,320 tests, the highest in a day, were conducted on Tuesday taking the cumulative number so far in the country to 33,48,11,496, while the daily positivity declined to 9.42 per cent, the ministry said.

This is the second day in a row that positivity rate has remained below 10 per cent, the ministry said.

The updated data showed that the number of active cases have further come down to 24,95,59, constituting 9.19 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 89.66 per cent.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 2,43,50,816, while the case fatality rate was 1.15 per cent, the data showed.

India’s COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 lakh on September 16.

India crossed the grim milestone of 2 crore on May 4.

JAIPUR: A detailed investigation has been ordered in the alleged gang-rape of a 16-year-old girl in Rajasthan’s Karauli district after her father changed his statement, police said.

Following the complaint, the accused were detained for interrogation, they added.

“The officer, investigating the case, went to record her father’s statement on Monday and he denied that she became victim to any such crime,” Superintendent of Police (SP) Mridul Kachawa said.

The victim also withdrew the rape case and claimed that she jumped into the well after an argument with her sister, police said, adding they were waiting for her medical report for further investigation.

DEHRADUN:  Following the remarks made by Ramdev regarding allopathy doctors, the Indian Medical Association (IMA)-Uttarakhand division has demanded strict action against the Yoga Guru.

“In the letter, it is written that there is a lot of resentment among the IMA doctors against the statement of Baba Ramdev. The Union Health Minister has also sent a notice to Ramdev on the same stating that the statement is considered incorrect”, Dr Khanna told ANI.

He added that the state government should take strict action against Ramdev immediately.

A defamation notice is also being sent to Ramdev on behalf of the IMA, informed Dr Ajay Khanna.

“In addition to a defamation case that will be filed soon, an FIR will also be lodged, if the government did not take concrete action on the same”, he said.

allopathic medicine after receiving a strong-worded letter from Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan who called his remarks “inappropriate”.

“We do not oppose modern medical science and allopathy. We believe that allopathy has shown immense progress in surgery and the lifesaving system and served humanity. My statement has been quoted as part of a WhatsApp message that I was reading during a meeting of volunteers. I am sorry if it has hurt anyone’s sentiment,” wrote Ramdev in his letter to the Union Health Minister in Hindi.

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Saturday sent a legal notice to yoga guru Ramdev over his alleged statements against allopathy and “defaming” scientific medicine. However, the Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust has denied allegations by the IMA that Ramdev has misled people by making “unlearned” statements against allopathy and defamed scientific medicine.

“IMA brings to the notice of our Health Minister, a video circulating in social media portraying, the celebrated Yoga Guruji saying that ‘modern allopathy ek aisi stupid aur diwaliya science hai’ (modern allopathy is a stupid and failed science),” the association said in its statement.

According to a Haridwar-based Patanjali Yogpeeth Trust statement, Yog Guru Ramdev was reading out a WhatsApp forwarded message in the video that has gone viral on social media. 

MADIKERI: The Kodagu Police have arrested a print journalist for allegedly generating fake RTPCR reports. 

According to the information reaching here, the accused was generating fake RTPCR test reports to enable inter-state travels between Kodagu and Kerala. 

These reports would be created for petty money in his photo studio at Siddapura. 

The incident came to light when the police at Kutta Checkpost scanned the QR code of two commuters who were travelling to Kerala from Nellihudikeri. 

While the physical report displayed the commuters to be negative for covid, the QR Code scanning turned the result positive.

Kodagu SP Kshama Mishra was immediately alerted on the issue and Siddapura police immediately took up investigation that revealed the name of Azeez. 

Sources confirmed that stringent actions are likely to be taken against the accused journalist under the Epidemic act.   

Karnataka government has mandated travellers from Kerala to produce a negative RTPCR report to enter the state.

Stringent measures arein place in Kodagu to check the same across Kodagu-Kerala border since February this year.

NEW DELHI: With vaccine manufacturers Pfizer and Moderna refusing to deal with state governments, the Congress on Monday attacked the Centre, saying that the Modi government allowing states to procure vaccine was a cynical move, considering that  these vaccines have not been approved for use in the country.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said vaccination is the key to controlling the pandemic, but the government of India does not seem to care about it. “Vaccination is the key to controlling the pandemic but GOI doesn’t seem to care. Why doesn’t the Central government understand this simple fact?” he tweeted and posted a graphic chart to show how vaccination has substantially come down from April.

Former Union minister P Chidambaram also slammed the Centre for asking states to directly negotiate with vaccine producers. “Is there any surprise that Pfizer and Moderna have refused to deal with states (Punjab, Delhi) and will deal only with the Central government? The Central government’s direction to the states to procure vaccines directly from the manufacturers abroad was a cynical move. If Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have not yet been ‘approved for use’ by the Central government, how will they deal with or sell to the states?” he asked.

The former Union minister from Chennai further said that the BJP government has rebuffed their advice and the suggestion of the courts that procurement of vaccines must be centralised. “The Modi government is callous and cruel. Meanwhile, the shortage of vaccines will continue and the people of the country will suffer and thousands will die. What a tragedy!” added Chidambaram. This seems to have become the latest topic of heated debate between the leaders of Congress and BJP, who are loggerheads as usual.

Punjab govt asks Centre to intervene
Punjab is staring at a shortage of vaccines. After Moderna, Pfizer on Monday refused to send vaccines directly to the state government. The Punjab  government has written to the Centre to ask these companies to supply vaccines to the state government. Till date, 45.03 lakh doses were supplied to the state by the Centre. The state bought another 4.29 lakh doses.