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Former Union Minister and senior congress leader and M L C C .M Ibrahim mother Bibi Sara passed away at her residence at the age of 93 owing to age old related dieseases . she was discharged from hospital a few days ago .
PATNA: Lockdown was imposed in Bihar till May 15 amid the surge in COVID-19 cases, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced on Tuesday.
The decision was taken on Monday after discussions with ministers and government officials, he added.
With 11,407 more COVID cases Bihar breached the five lakh-mark of infections Monday, while 82 fresh fatalities pushed the death toll to 2821 in the state, health department bulletin said.
The caseload of the state went up to 5,09,047, with capital Patna being the worst-hit.
Out of 82 new deaths, Patna accounted for 24 casualties while Muzaffarpur reported 13 fatalities, Madhepura (6) and West Champaran (5).
Among the 11,407 new cases, Patna’s share was 2028, the health bulletin said.
Other major COVID-hit districts are Gaya with 662 cases, Muzaffarpur (653) and Begusarai (510).
Meanwhile, sources in the East Central Railway (ECR) zone said that a total of 4654 staff have tested positive so far while 123 of them have succumbed to the virus.
There are 80,000 employees working in the Hazipur- based ECR which comprises of five Railway divisions-Danapur, Sonepur, Samastipur, Dhanbad and Deen Dayal Upadhyaya.
In the second wave, a total of 556 staff engaged in operation including loco pilots, their assistant and guards who play an important role in running of trains have contracted infection, the sources said.
The sources said that out of the 2161 active cases in the ECR, there are 230 loco pilots, 229 assistant loco pilots, 194 guards and 230 station masters.
A total of 13,603 COVID patients recovered in last 24 hours, where overall 3,98,558 people have been cured so far.
The state has a recovery rate of 78.29 per cent.
Total 72,658 samples were tested since Sunday while over 2.66 crore clinical examinations for the virus have been conducted since the start.
There are 1,07,667 active caseload in Bihar at present.
On the vaccination front, 72,658 beneficiaries were administered jabs Monday while a total of 74,18,981 people have been inoculated in the 45-plus age group till the date.
The state is yet to start vaccination for 18 plus population due to non-availability of the additional stock.
VARANASI: After second extesion of lockdown-like curfew in Uttar Pradesh on Monday amid rising COVD-19 cases and deaths in the state, weavers in Varanasi said they are facing financial loss due to the pandemic.
Banarasi saari weavers said they are now planning to cease the production of saaris as they feel there is no demand for their production since all weddings and other functions which triggered demand for their product shall now remain suspended due to the disease.
“We are unhappy with the fact that when there was an election, all the people gathered around and rallied. Not only this, lakhs of people were allowed to bathe during the Kumbh mela in Haridwar. But now that the wedding season has come, the government is trying to impose a full curfew,” said a weaver.
He further said, “Marriages and and other such celebrations were our sole source of income. But now for the past one year, the country has been struggling with the Corona crisis and the government has ordered to limit social ceremonies including marriages. COVID-induced lockdown has ruined our businesses. It is very difficult for us now to make our ends meet.”
Amid the spike in the COVID-19 cases across the state, the Uttar Pradesh government on Monday announced the extension of the partial lockdown till May 7.
According to an order issued by Additional Chief Secretary Navneet Sehgal, the partial ‘corona curfew’ imposed in Uttar Pradesh has been extended till 7 am on May 6.
The restrictions were slated to be lifted on Tuesday (May 4) morning. This is the second extension of lockdown-like curfew in the country’s most populous state.
The restrictions will continue as earlier and markets, shopping malls, and restaurants will remain shut.
The government has advised people to remain indoors and only those involved in essential services will be exempted from the restrictions. Medical shops and hospitals will remain open during the lockdown. Religious places will also remain closed, as per the order.
According to official data, Uttar Pradesh reported 30,857 new COVID cases and 288 deaths on Sunday while the number of active cases stood at 2,95,752.
The Supreme Court said media is a powerful watchdog in democracy and cannot be stopped from reporting any court hearing.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday said media is a powerful watchdog in democracy and cannot be stopped from reporting any court hearing.
The observation came on the Election Commission’s plea challenging the Madras High Court’s sharp remarks warning its officials could be hauled up for murder for not strictly enforcing Covid norms in the run up to the recent Assembly elections
“We cannot say that media will not report the discussion that takes place in court. The discussion that takes place is in as much public interest as the final order of the court. The discussion in court is a dialogue between the Bar and the bench. Media is a very powerful watchdog in protecting the sanctity of this process,” a bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud said.
The bench asked the EC to take HC’s observations in the right spirit.
Senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi appearing for the EC, said, “Harsh criticism is welcome, but certain observations should not have been made.”
Justice Chandrachud said, “Speaking for myself, I would not have used the words of Madras High Court.” The bench later reserved its order.
NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said the only way to stop the spread of coronavirus now was a full lockdown with the protection of minimum income guarantee scheme, NYAY, for the vulnerable sections.
“GOI’s inaction is killing many innocent people,” he said.
The Congress has been asserting that the central and state governments move to control the situation by resorting to partial curfews, travel restrictions, closure and lockdowns will again be restricting economic activity that will hit the poor and, therefore, it was imperative to provide monthly income support.
Gandhi has been pushing for the implementation of the party’s proposed Nyuntam Aay Yojana (NYAY) providing minimum income guarantee to vulnerable sections.
The Congress have been critical of the government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis.
India’s total tally of COVID-19 cases crossed the 2-crore mark with 3,57,229 infections being reported in a day, while the death toll increased to 2,22,408 with 3,449 new fatalities, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday.
NEW DELHI: More than 75 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine are available with states and union territories and they will receive over 48 lakh more within the next three days, the Union health ministry said on Tuesday.
Of this, the total consumption, including wastage, is 15,94,75,507, according to ministry data updated at 8 am.
“More than 75 lakh (75,24,903) COVID vaccine doses are still available with the states and UTs to be administered.
“Furthermore, more than 48 lakh (48,41,670) vaccine doses will be received in addition by the states and UTs within the next three days,” the ministry said.
The government of India is leading the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic in collaboration with the states and UT through a “Whole of Government” approach.
Vaccination forms an integral component of the government’s five-point strategy for containment and management of the pandemic, it said.
The third phase of the COVID-19 vaccination drive to cover people in the 18-44 age group started from May 1 and the registration for the eligible population groups commenced from April 28.
Potential beneficiaries can either register directly on the CoWIN portal (http://cowin.gov.in) or through the Aarogya Setu app.
By bagging 18 Lok Sabha seats two years ago, the BJP created a perception that it was coming to power in Bengal.
KOLKATA: The soaring-up graph of BJP’s vote-share since 2011 in West Bengal received a jolt in 2021 Assembly elections as the saffron camp’s electoral vote share dipped from 40.7% to 38.13% secured during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
But the party’s momentum received a massive blow as it bagged victory in only 77 Assembly seats, which falls short of 44 seats comparing to the saffron camp’s peak performance in the 2019 elections.
In 2011, BJP had a thin vote-share of 4.06% which had jumped to more than 40% in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Elaborating on the possibilities behind the drop in BJP’s vote-share, the leader pointed out the party’s strategy of welcoming all TMC turncoats without scanning their background might be responsible.
‘’We were gaining strength in West Bengal riding anti-TMC sentiment. People were supporting us against TMC’s misrule and atrocities. When these section of electorates showing allegiance to the BJP found their tormentors in the same camp and being fielded in the Assembly elections, they decided not to support us. Rather, they possibly voted for th TMC to ensure defeat of the turncoats,’’ he explained.
Citing another example, the leader said the saffron camp started performing impressively in Dalits dominated Junglemahal area since 2018 pandhayat elections. “But we received a jolt in the region because the TMC turncoats who were elected in local civic bodies failed to deliver,” he added.
UNICEF Australia’s India COVID-19 Crisis Appeal is procuring oxygen generation plants in hospitals to treat seriously ill patients and providing testing equipment in heavily impacted districts.
MELBOURNE: Australian Cricket will be throwing its support behind the India COVID-19 Crisis Appeal, with Cricket Australia, the Australian Cricketers’ Association and UNICEF Australia partnering to raise much-needed funds.
UNICEF Australia’s India COVID-19 Crisis Appeal is procuring and installing oxygen generation plants in hospitals to treat seriously ill patients, providing testing equipment in heavily impacted districts, and supporting the acceleration of the COVID-19 vaccination rollout.
Cricket Australia will make an initial donation of USD 50,000 and encourage Australians everywhere to give generously at this critical time in India’s COVID-19 response.
“Australians and Indians share a special bond and, for many, our mutual love of cricket is central to that friendship. It has been distressing and saddening to learn of the suffering of so many of our Indian sisters and brothers during the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic and our hearts go out to everyone impacted,” Nick Hockley, Cricket Australia’s Interim CEO said in an official statement.
“We were all deeply moved by the sentiments expressed and donations given by Pat Cummins and Brett Lee over the past week. In that same spirit, we are proud to partner with UNICEF Australia to raise funds that will help the people of India by providing the health system with much-needed oxygen, testing equipment and vaccines,” he added.
Earlier, Pat Cummins and Brett Lee had also donated their share to help India fight the pandemic.
In welcoming the partnership with Australian Cricket, UNICEF Australia CEO Tony Stuart said he was heartened that a major sport such as cricket, and its players, who have had a long relationship with India, and its people, recognised this urgent need to act now.
“We know that sport has the power to bring people together and there has never been a more important time,” Stuart said.
“UNICEF has been working tirelessly throughout the pandemic and as the world’s largest children’s charity we know the devastating and life-long consequences this emergency will have, in particular, on children and young people,” he added.
NEW DELHI: The Indian Premier League was on Tuesday suspended indefinitely after multiple COVID-19 cases were reported in its bio-bubble.
The annoucement came after Sunrisers Hyderabad’s wicketkeeper-batsman Wriddhiman Saha tested positive for COVID-19.
A source in the SRH team who also said that the entire squad has gone into insolation.
“He had fever and had been in isolation for the past five days. We are also being asked to stay in the room,” the source said.
This comes after Wednesday’s IPL game between Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals was postponed after CSK bowling coach L Balaji tested positive for the virus.
On Monday, the match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bangalore was also cancelled after KKR bowlers Sandeep Warrier and Varun Chakravarthy tested positive for the infection.
As per the Board’s Standard Operating Procedure (SOP), anyone who has come in contact with an infected person has to undergo six days of hard quarantine and return three negative RT-PCR reports during the course of it.
“Tomorrow’s match at the Arun Jaitley Stadium between CSK and RR will be rescheduled as per SOP rules. As Balaji was in contact with the players, all of them have gone into hard quarantine. They are supposed to be tested everyday,” a senior BCCI official said
When CSK CEO Kasi Viswanathan was contacted, he said that the team had informed the BCCI about Balaji’s RT-PCR result.
“From our end, we had informed that Mr Balaji has tested positive and as per SOP our players have been isolated,” Viswanathan said.
All CSK playing members have tested negative during their scheduled RT-PCR tests
This is the second IPL match to be rescheduled after Monday’s Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore game was postponed owing to a couple of KKR players, Varun Chakravarthy and Sandeep Warrier — testing positive.
Delhi is hosting Mumbai Indians vs SunRisers Hyderabad clash this evening.
The match remains on schedule for now but there is palpable anxiety as Mumbai Indians had played against CSK as recently as Saturday and Balaji did come in contact of MI players during the match.
Many in BCCI feel that it would have been prudent to even reschedule this evening’s game.
“Even MI players are at risk having played CSK. BCCI ideally should reschedule today’s game also. Normally symptoms start showing mostly on 6th or 7th day after you have come in contact of the infected person,” the BCCI source said.
Speculation is also rife about a possible shift to Mumbai for the remainder of the tournament but some logistical concerns are in the way.
“What do you do for seven days of hard quarantine for multiple hotel staff as you would need at least four hotels to create a new bio bubble,” the official said.
If the tournament is moved to Mumbai, then Kolkata and Bengaluru would be missing out on their quota of games.
Another view is to keep the games in the venues currently being used — Delhi and Ahmedabad.
“If you see when matches were being held in Mumbai and Chennai, things were under control. The trouble started after teams began were travelling from one city to another,” a franchise official said.
The spread of infections had led to postponement of two IPL games earlier.
There was cause of concern in Delhi too as a few groundsmen at the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium tested positive even though DDCA chief Rohan Jaitley asserted that “none of the groundsmen on duty” were among the infected.
Just days before this, three Australian players had pulled out of the league, citing COVID-19 concerns amid a devastating second wave of the global pandemic that has overwhelmed the medical infrastructure of the country.
The 2020 IPL had also been held in a bio-secure bubble in the UAE and at that time, infections were only reported before the start of the tournament.
India is currently recording over 3 lakh cases everyday and more than 3,000 daily deaths.
Pramesh Jain
The South Division police of Kumaraswamy Layout police arrested a gang of three habitual offenders and recovered 921 grams of gold valuables worth Rs 44.5 lakh from them.
The accused has been identified as,Yogesh alias Abhi alias Chapathi,24,resident of Chennammanakere achukkattu,Yeshwanth,22 of Electronic City and Mohan Kumar,29,of Banashankari.
DCP South,Harish Pandey told reporters,as on 17th April our Kumaraswamy layout police inspector Shivakumar received a reliable information from their source that three persons are moving suspiciously in front of jewelery shop near SBI ATM near Airtel office.
As soon as the information was received Inspector and team rushed to the spot and during questioning they dint give correct information and as the team got suspicious on the trio they checked their pockets and found gold ornaments in their possession.
The team arrested them while they were trying to sell the gold at a jewelry shop in KS Layout during lockdown.
The accused confessed that they had stolen the valuables in three different cases reported in the south division as in Chennammanakere achukkattu police station limits a Jewellery shop was burgled and team were formed to nab the gang.
A detailed investigation by the team has revealed that this is the same gang who burgled the jewellery shop and based on their statement the team recovered 921 grams of gold ornaments worth Rs.44.5 lakhs from them.
The accused are habitual offenders who met in the prison two years ago and ganged up.After coming out of prison they began to break into the locked houses and steal valuables.
The trio have been remanded to judicial custody while the police would return the valuables to the owners after obtaining permission from the court.
Finally Bengaluru Police Commissioner,Kamal Pant,has appreciated Addl CP West,Soumendhu Mukherjee,DCP South,Harish Pandey,ACP, Subramanyapura Sub-Division,TM Shivakumar,PI,P Shivakumar,PSIs,as,Subramani K,Nagesh HM,and crime staff as, Ravikumar,Siddaih,Kempegowda,Dinesh BV,Eshwarappa,Anekanth Bilagi,Sathish,Smt.Manjula,Smt.Jyothi and other staff has been appreciated for the exemplary work done by them in nabbing the notorious habitual HBT offenders and for the commendable job done by the team a suitable reward will be given to the team he added.