Shah said if farmer organisations felt that any provision of the three new farm laws is against their interests, the Modi government was ready to discuss and consider the same with an open mind

NEW DELHI: No corporate can snatch away any farmer’s land as long as Narendra Modi is Prime Minister of the country, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday and asserted that the provision of MSP will continue and mandis will not be shut down.

Addressing a gathering in Kishangarh village in the national capital, Shah said if farmer organisations felt that any provision of the three new farm laws is against their interests, the Modi government was ready to discuss and consider the same with an open mind.

Shah blamed the Opposition, including Congress, for spreading lies about the minimum support price (MSP) and other provisions of the farm laws.

“The Opposition is speaking brazen lies. I again reiterate that the MSP will continue and the mandis will not be closed. Farmers’ welfare is the top-most priority of the Modi government,” Shah asserted.

The years-old demand of one and half times MSP on crops has been implemented by the Modi government during 2014-19, he said.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 96,93,173 pushing the national recovery rate to 95.75 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent

NEW DELHI:  India’s COVID-19 caseload rose to 1,01,23,778 with 24,712 new infections being reported in a day, while the recoveries surged to 96.93 lakh, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

The death toll increased to 1,46,756 with 312 new fatalities, the data updated at 8 am showed.

The number of people who have recuperated from the disease surged to 96,93,173 pushing the national recovery rate to 95.75 per cent, while the COVID-19 case fatality rate stands at 1.45 per cent. 

The COVID-19 active caseload remained below 3 lakh for the third consecutive day.

There are 2,83,849 active coronavirus infections in the country which comprises 2.80 per cent of the total caseload, the data stated.

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.

It went past  60 lakh on September 28,  70 lakh on October 11, crossed 80 lakh on October 29,  90 lakh on  November 20 and surpassed the one-crore mark on December 19.

According to the ICMR, 16,53,08,366 samples have been tested up to December 23 with 10,39,645  samples being tested on Wednesday.

The 312 new fatalities include 93 from  Maharashtra, 34 from West Bengal, 22 from Kerala and 21 from Uttar Pradesh.

A total of 1,46,756 deaths have been reported so far in the country including 48,969 from Maharashtra followed by 12,038 from Karnataka, 12,024 from Tamil Nadu, 10,347 from Delhi, 9,473 from West Bengal, 8,245 from Uttar Pradesh, 7,085 from Andhra Pradesh and 5,243 from Punjab.

The health ministry stressed that more than 70 per cent of the deaths occurred due to comorbidities.

“Our figures are being reconciled with the Indian Council of  Medical Research,” the ministry said on its website, adding that state-wise distribution of figures is subject to further verification and reconciliation.

NAGPUR (MAHARASHTRA): A 28-year-old man in Nagpur, who tested positive for COVID-19 on December 15, is suspected of carrying the new strain of COVID-19 found in the United Kingdom, administration of Government Medical College, Nagpur said on Thursday.

As per Dr Avinash Gawande, Superintendent, Government Medical College Nagpur, the patient, who returned from the UK on November 29, was tested at the airport on arrival but was found COVID-19 negative at the time.

“After seven days he stated showing symptoms and complained about the loss of smell. He was again tested for COVID-19 at Nandanvan public health clinic (PHC) and his Rapid Antigen test came on December 15,” said Dr Gawande.

He added that his family members were also tested positive for COVID-19.

“The family has a history of going to Gondia (in Maharashtra). On December 22, the man was admitted at the hospital. We collected two samples for testing. A sample has been sent for RT-PCR test and another to Pune for further examination,” the doctor added.

However, the Municipal Commissioner of Nagpur said that it cannot be confirmed whether the patient is carrying the new strain or not till the final test reports come.

“28-year-old male COVID positive patient, with travel history to the UK, has been admitted to a separate ward at Government Medical College Nagpur. His swab has now been sent to Pune for further investigation. After receiving the report from Pune, it can be said whether this patient is a new strain or an old strain,” said Radhakrishnan B, Municipal Commissioner, Nagpur.

Meanwhile, India has temporarily suspended all flight operations between India and the UK till December 31, 2020.

On December 20, Prime Minister Boris Johnson had informed the public that a new variant of the COVID-19 virus has been found in the UK.

“Given the early evidence we have on this new variant of the virus and the potential risk it poses, it is with a heavy heart that I must tell you we cannot continue with Christmas as planned,” he had tweeted.

Ramu Dosapati at Rice ATMRamu Dosapati

• Ramu Dosapati, an HR executive in a corporate firm, has been running a ‘Rice ATM’ – a 24X7 supply of rice and other rations for the needy in Hyderabad since April 2020.
• Over the months, Dosapati claims to have spent almost ₹50 lakh out of his own pocket.
• From lockdown days to during Hyderabad floods, Dosapati has been helping out the needy in the city.

In the gruelling months of the coronavirus lockdown earlier this year, several stories of migrant workers and the poor being stranded without jobs and money emerged. This also led to the emergence of stories of Sonu Sood and the likes – the real heroes who went out of their way to help people out. And in the southern state of Telangana’s capital city Hyderabad, one such story is that of Ramu Dosapati.

Dosapati, an HR executive in a corporate firm, has been running a ‘Rice ATM’ – a 24X7 supply of rice and other rations for the needy in Hyderabad since April, 2020. Over the months, Dosapati claims to have spent almost ₹50 lakh out of his own pocket and has no intentions of claiming it back.

Just about a month into lockdown, Dosapati’s younger son wanted to have chicken for his birthday. Dosapati went to the nearest shop to buy chicken, only to find a security guard buying chicken for ₹2000. “I was quite surprised as to why this lady is buying so much chicken. When I asked her I got to know she was buying it as a treat for migrant workers sheltered nearby, who had run out of food. When I asked her about her salary, she said it was ₹6,000. That made me think that if a lady with ₹6,000 salary can spend ₹2,000 on the needy, why can’t I do the same?,” Dosapati told Business Insider.

In the next few days, Dosapati got to work. He went with the security guard to the place where the migrant workers were and made a list of 192 people who needed ration and other necessary items. “There were people who wanted to go back to their hometowns by walking over 400-500 kms, I asked them to stay back and told them I would help them out,” he said.

He started out an initial ₹1,50,000 from his savings to feed the needy. But the amount could only result in ration for a few days. And as the word spread about the Rice ATM, more and more people came forward asking for help. “Then I went to the local kirana store owner and requested him to lend out ration on my word. I broke my provident fund and showed him the receipt for the same, assuring him that the money would come to me and I would pay him,” he said.

Giving up his 3 BHK dream to feed the needy

Dosapati, who currently lives in a 1 BHK with his wife and two sons, also wanted a bigger 3 BHK. “My sons have been fighting for a long time as they want separate rooms,” Dosapati tells us. He had even selected a 3 BHK and sold land in his ancestral village for ₹38.5 lakh.

But one morning at 6 am, his apartment guard woke him up saying about 50-60 people had gathered outside and wanted to meet him. The word about ‘Rice ATM’ kept spreading and people wanted help. “That’s when my wife supported me and asked me to go ahead and carry on with the initiative,” he said.

He gave up on the 3BHK house and instead directed the money to helping out more people, even when floods struck Hyderabad.

Over time, there has been an outpouring of support from other groups and people to help his initiative, which Dosapati vets before taking any help. It’s been over 250 days since Dosapati has been running this initiative, and for now there’s stopping him.