Chennai: The Centre will not impose any language on any state through the new National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, Union Minister for Education Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank said on Sunday.

Nishank’s clarification, through a tweet in Tamil, comes in the backdrop of opposition to NEP in Tamil Nadu on the grounds that the policy allegedly imposed Hindi and Sanskrit.

In his tweet to former Union Minister from the state Pon Radhakrishnan, Nishank said he was looking forward to the guidance of the ex-central minister in implementing NEP in Tamil Nadu.

“I once again like to insist that the Central government will not impose any language on any state,” he said.

The M K Stalin-led DMK and many opposition parties in Tamil Nadu have opposed NEP and want a review of the sweeping reforms it has proposed.

On Saturday, the DMK chief said the policy was an attempt at alleged imposition of Hindi and Sanskrit and vowed to fight against it by joining hands with like-minded political parties and Chief Ministers of other states.

The reforms were not a new education policy but “a glossy coat on the old oppressive Manusmriti,” he said.

Patna: The flood situation in Bihar worsened on Sunday as water from overflowing rivers inundated fresh areas, while a total of 53.67 lakh people across 14 districts were affected, the Disaster Management Department said here.

No fresh casualty was reported and the number of people who died in flood-related incidents stood at 13.

The number of people affected by the deluge has gone up by 4.62 lakh since Saturday, though that of the district remained at 14, the department said in a bulletin.

The number of panchayats hit by the calamity, however, rose to 1,059 from 1,043 on the previous day.

It said that an embankment of Tirhut canal breached in the early hours of Sunday inundating at least a dozen villages in Muraul block of Muzaffarpur district. Two National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed at the site.

With 16.89 lakh flood-affected people, Muzaffarpur is the worst-hit district, followed by 12.40 lakh people in Darbhanga and 8.09 lakh in East Champaran.

More than half of the affected populace live in Muzaffarpur and Darbhanga districts.

Of the 13 deaths in flood-related incidents, Darbhanga registered the highest seven casualties, followed by four in West Champaran and two in Muzaffarpur.

A total of 20 teams of the NDRF and 11 of the SDRF are involved in the rescue operations and they have evacuated 4.03 lakh people from the affected areas so far, the bulletin said.

It said that 26,734 people are staying in 19 relief camps while nearly 9.29 lakh people were being fed at 1,385 community kitchens in the affected districts.

Rivers such as Baghmati, Burhi Gandak, Kamlabalan, Adhwara, Khiroi, Mahananda and Ghaghra are flowing above the danger level at various places.

The Met Department has forecast light rain in the catchment areas of all rivers flowing in the state on Monday.

The 14-flood affected districts are Sitamarhi, Sheohar, Supaul, Kishanganj, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, Gopalganj, West Champaran, East Champaran, Khagaria, Saran, Samastipur, Siwan and Madhubani.

State reports less than 6,000 cases after a week; govt to wait and watch till August 31,  says the Chief Minister

CHENNAI: On a day when the State Covid tally climbed down from the 6,000-mark after a week’s gap, the government announced the extension of lockdown till August 31 with a few more relaxations. The decision was taken following a meeting of health experts chaired by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami at the Secretariat on Thursday.

“Though the pace of infection has come down owing to the lockdown and intense testing, the government has decided to extend the lockdown to contain the virus further,” Palaniswami said. The State on Thursday reported 5,864 cases, a substantial decline from the 6,426 reported on Wednesday. However, the toll touched an all-time high of 97.

In a big relief to the city folk, the government has permitted e-commerce firms to resume operations. However, public transport will not become operational anytime soon. A complete lockdown will continue on all Sundays across the State, and large social, political and religious gatherings will continued to be banned, said the Chief Minister.     

Small places of worship, except those located in municipal corporations, can now be opened up for public. All educational institutions, training centres, research centres, malls, film theatres, gyms, swimming pools, beaches, tourist spots, zoos and museums will remain shut till August 31.

“The government will continue to monitor the infection rate and more relaxations will be announced in due course, depending on the situation and people’s cooperation,” the Chief Minister said. Chennai reported 1,175 fresh cases, while its neighbouring districts witnessed a dip in numbers — Chengalpattu (354), Kancheepuram (175), and Tiruvallur (325). 

The Chief Minister also said that e-pass will be necessary, as before, for inter-district and inter-State movement. Independence Day will be celebrated as per the guidelines issued by the Centre, following all safety protocols. The reduction in Statewide tally is seen as a positive sign as the number had been hovering over 6,000 since July 23. Among other districts, Coimbatore reported 303 cases, Tirunelveli 277, Kanniyakumari 248, Ranipet 272, Theni 261, Virudhunagar 244, Madurai and Thoothukudi 220 each. Seven other districts also reported over 100 cases. 

Over 5K cured, nearly 60K tested on Thursday

Recovery rate across Tamil Nadu continued to remain impressive with 5,295 patients being discharged on the day, taking the number of cured people to 1,78,178. With the State continuing to test over 50,000 people on a daily basis, the total number of people tested crossed the 25-lakh mark. On Thursday, a total of 59,437 people were tested, taking the total to 25,01,919. Among the deceased, eight persons did not have co-morbidities. Two of the deceased were girls, aged three and five.

The five-year-old girl from Ariyalur died on July 27 at 3.30 pm, when she was brought to Thanjavur Medical College Hospital, the bulletin said. She died due to respiratory failure, acute encephalitis syndrome, aspiration pneumonia and viral pneumonia.

The three-year-old from Nagapattinam was brought to Government Tirvarur Medical College and Hospital. She was suffering from seizure and cerebral palsy. She tested positive on July 9 and died on July 13 due to status epilepticus, aspiration pneumonia, failure to thrive, cerebral palsy and seizure.

25,01,919 Total number of people tested in Tamil Nadu

More relaxations based on situation
The government will continue to monitor the infection rate and more relaxations will be announced, depending on the situation and people’s cooperation, the CM said

The death toll increased to 35,747 with 779 fatalities being reported in 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

NEW DELHI: With a record single-day surge of 55,078 infections, India’s COVID-19 caseload raced past 16 lakh on Friday, just two days after it reached the 15-lakh mark, while the number of recoveries rose to 10,57,805, according to Union Health Ministry data.

The country has so far registered 16,38,870 instances of the coronavirus infection.

The death toll increased to 35,747 with 779 fatalities being reported in 24 hours, the data updated at 8 am showed.

This is the second consecutive day that COVID-19 cases have increased by more than 50,000.

The total number of confirmed cases also includes foreigners.

There are 5,45,318 active COVID-19 cases in the country.

The recovery rate rose to 64.54 per cent while the fatality rate dropped further to 2.18 per cent.

As per the Union Health Ministry, Maharashtra has a total of 1,48,454 active cases and recorded 14,729 deaths due to COVID-19.

Tamil Nadu has a total of 57,962 active cases and 3,838 deaths in the state.

Delhi has a total of 10,743 active cases and 3,936 deaths.

The Indian Council of Medical Research on Friday informed that a total number of COVID-19 samples tested up to 30th July is 1,88,32,970 including 6,42,588 samples tested yesterday.

Non-communicable Diseases are estimated to account for 63 pc of all deaths in India and these are expected to rise further.

NEW DELHI: Smokers are likely to be more vulnerable to COVID-19 as smoking increases possibility of transmission of virus from hand to mouth, the Union Health Ministry has said, warning that use of tobacco products can increase severity of respiratory infections and make people susceptible to coronavirus.

In its document ‘COVID-19 Pandemic and Tobacco Use in India’, the ministry said experts have confirmed that smokers are more likely to develop severe symptoms or die from COVID-19, as it primarily attacks the lungs and warned against use of any such products.Smokers, it warned, are likely to be more vulnerable to COVID-19 as the act of smoking means that fingers (and possibly contaminated cigarettes) are in contact with lips which increases the possibility of transmission of virus from hand to mouth.”Further smoking products such as water pipes or hookah often involve the sharing of mouth-pieces and hoses, which could facilitate the transmission of COVID-19 in communal and social settings,” the ministry said.Tobacco use is a major risk factor for the four main Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs) cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic lung disease and diabetes, which puts people with these conditions at higher risk for developing severe illness when affected by COVID-19.NCDs are estimated to account for 63 pc of all deaths in India and these are expected to rise further.The chemicals in tobacco smoke suppress the activity of different types of immune cells that are involved in general and targeted immune responses.”Smoking impairs lung function, thereby reducing the immunity and making it harder for the body to fight off various diseases. Smoking, e-cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, pan masala and the like products use can increase risk and severity of pulmonary infections because of damage to upper airways and a decrease in pulmonary immune function,” it said.

Evidence from countries reporting coronavirus infection-related fatalities has highlighted that the people with pre-existing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are more susceptible to becoming severely ill with COVID-19, the document stated.Tobacco use poses a significant risk by accelerating the transmission of COVID-19 because the virus spreads primarily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an infected person coughs or sneezes.Chewing tobacco products (khaini, gutkha, paan, zarda) increases the urge to spit.Spitting in public places increases health risks especially those of spreading the infectious and contagious diseases like, COVID-19, tuberculosis, swine flu, encephalitis, etc, the ministry underlined.

“The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare warns against the use of any tobacco products,” it said, adding within 12 hours of quitting, the carbon monoxide level in the bloodstream drops to normal.Within 2-12 weeks, circulation improves and lung function increases.

Jaipur: The Bahujan Samaj Party on Wednesday filed a writ petition in the Rajasthan High Court challenging the merger of six BSP MLAs with the ruling Congress in Rajasthan.

Sandeep Yadav, Wajib Ali, Deepchand Kheria, Lakhan Meena, Jogendra Awana and Rajendra Gudha contested and won the 2018 assembly elections on BSP tickets.

They all defected to the Congress in September 2019.

BSP state president Bhagwan Singh Baba said, We have today filed a writ petition in the high court against the merger of BSP MLAs with Congress”.

The merger of BSP MLAs with the ruling Congress was a boost to the Ashok Gehlot-led government as the tally of the Congress increased to 107 in the house of 200.

Ambala: The first batch of five Rafale jets are scheduled to land at the Ambala air base here on Wednesday afternoon with police tightening the security around the air force station.

The squadron of Rafale jets will be stationed at the Ambala air base in Haryana.

The jets took off from the Merignac airbase in French port city of Bordeaux on Monday and will arrive here after covering a distance of 7,000 km with air-to-air refuelling and a single stop in the United Arab Emirates.

The fleet of five jets comprises three single-seater and two twin-seater aircraft. Authorities have imposed prohibitory orders near the Ambala Air Force Station, banning shooting of videos and photography.

The Ambala district administration has also prohibited people from flying private drones within the three-km radius of the air base, officials said earlier.

Section 144, which prohibits assembly of four or more people, has been imposed in the villages adjoining the air base, including Dhulkot, Baldev Nagar, Garnala and Panjkhora.

Ambala deputy commissioner Ashok Kumar Sharma said shooting of videos or taking photographs of the boundary wall of the air base and its adjoining areas will remain strictly prohibited during the imposition of the prohibitory orders.

Meanwhile, the Haryana Police has set up several check barricades and police officers were seen patrolling residential localities near the air base, making announcements over loudspeakers warning people not to stand on the rooftop of their houses to click pictures or shoot videos.

Violators would face punishment as per the law, they warned.

At many places here, hoardings have been erected to welcome the arrival of the fighter jets with some of these mentioning that their induction will further boost IAF’s capabilities.

Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday said the people of Ambala are very enthusiastic about the arrival of the jets.

This is a very proud and a historic moment for us that the Rafale jets will be stationed in Ambala Cantonment area. Rafales are IAF’s ‘Sikandar’, which will significantly boost our combat capabilities, he said.

He said had there not been the threat of coronavirus pandemic, thousands would have gathered in the streets to welcome the jets.

Nearly four years ago, India signed an inter-governmental agreement with France to purchase 36 Rafale jets under a Rs 59,000-crore deal to boost the IAF’s combat capabilities.

The five Rafales are scheduled to be inducted into the Indian Air Force (IAF) on Wednesday, though a formal induction ceremony would be held later.

The jets will be inducted into the IAF as part of its No 17 Squadron, also known as the ‘Golden Arrows’. The aircraft is capable of carrying a range of potent weapons.

European missile maker MBDA’s Meteor beyond visual range air-to-air missile and Scalp cruise missile will be the mainstay of the weapons package of the Rafale jets.

Of the 36 jets, 30 will be fighter jets and six will be trainers. The trainer jets will be twin-seater and they will have almost all the features of the fighter jets. The IAF has undertaken major infrastructure upgrades at the Ambala base for the deployment of the first Rafale squadron.

Built in 1948, the air base is located on the east side of Ambala and is used for military and government flights.

The air base has two squadrons of the Jaguar combat aircraft and one squadron of the MIG-21 ‘Bison’. Air Force Marshal Arjan Singh was the first commander of the base.

The Mirage fighters that were used for the air strike in Balakot in Pakistan in February 2019 after the Pulwama terror attack had taken off from here.

Maanyata, who is away from Sanjay Dutt on his birthday, sent an adorable greeting on social media

On Sanjay Dutt’s 61st birthday, the actor’s wife Maanyata and his daughter Trishala wished him in the best way possible. Maanyata, who is currently staying in Dubai (going by her recent Instagram posts) with her 9-year-old twins Shahraan and Iqra, shared an adorable picture with her husband on her Instagram profile on Wednesday morning. In the picture, the couple can be seen twinning in black outfits. She wrote in the caption: “Happy birthday love …..Love you.” She accompanied her post with the hashtags #missingyou #godbless, #love, #positivity, #birthdaymonth and #beautifullife. As of now, Sanjay Dutt, who is currently in Mumbai, hasn’t responded to Maanyata’s post but we would love to see his reaction.

Meanwhile, Trishala (Sanjay Dutt’s daughter with his first wife Richa Sharma), who stays with her grandparents in the US, shared a throwback picture of the actor from his young days and she wrote in the greeting: “Happy Birthday Papa Dukes. May God bless you with a long, happy and healthy life. I love you so much. To infinity and beyond, always and forever. Cheers Pops! FaceTime you in a bit! LOL – Have a beautiful day! #birthdayboy #leo #lionking #loveyou.”

Screenshot of Trishala Dutt’s Instagram post.

Sanjay Dutt was last seen in Ashutosh Gowariker’s period drama Panipat, co-starring Arjun Kapoor and Kriti Sanon. The actor’s impressive line-up of films includes KGF Chapter 2, Torbaaz, Sadak 2 and Bhuj: The Pride Of India. The actor will also be seen in Shamshera, co-starring Ranbir Kapoor and Vaani Kapoor. He has also signed Prithviraj, co-starring Akshay Kumar and Miss World 2017 Manushi Chhillar.

Maanyata Dutt produced Sanjay Dutt’s 2019 film Prassthanam, which also featured Jackie Shroff, Manisha Koirala, Ali Fazal, Chunky Panday, Amyra Dastur and Satyajeet Dubey.

Taking a serious view of over 70 people being infected after attending a marriage and a funeral in Kozhikode and Wayanaad districts recently, the government has decided to restrict the number of those attending such events, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

Earlier, the cap on attendees at marriages and funerals was 50.

With weddings and funerals turning out to be COVID-19 spreaders in some places, the Kerala government on Tuesday said a maximum of 20 people would only be allowed to participate in these events.

Taking a serious view of over 70 people being infected after attending a marriage and a funeral in Kozhikode and Wayanaad districts recently, the government has decided to restrict the number of those attending such events, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said.

Hereafter, only 20 people can participate in marriages and funerals, he told reporters.

Earlier, the cap on attendees at marriages and funerals was 50.

In Chekkiad panchayat in Kozhikode, more than 30 people who had participated in a wedding of a doctor onJuly9 tested positive later, Mr Vijayan said.

The groom was among those who had tested positive. Vadakara MP, K Muraleedharan, had also attended the previous day’s functionand was asked by the Kozhikode Collector to go on quarantine.

In Wayanad’s Thavinhal panchayat, eight members of a family, who had participated in a funeral, were found positive for the virus on July 19.

Following this, authorities tested 210 other people who came in contact with them and totally 43 were found infected, the chief minister said.

The tests are continuing and would be held on Wednesday also, district health department sources

The panchayat has been declared as a containment zone. Mr Vijayan also said three health workers of Kozhikode Medical College Hospital tested positive following which it has been decided to test all workers.

Noting that 12 migrant workers who had returned to the state were found infected in Kozhikode district, he said those coming back should give their details to the district labour officer. Instructions had been issued in this regard, he added.

The Governor said he was concerned about the “frightening” situation in the state and the rising active virus cases.

Governor Kalraj Mishra had blocked two previous proposals for the assembly over various reasons 

Rajasthan Governor Kalraj Mishra, in a statement today cancelling the annual Independence Day “at-home” event over what he called a spurt in coronavirus cases, delivered a message that Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot will not like to hear.

The Governor said he was concerned about the “frightening” situation in the state and the rising active virus cases.

“When the assembly session was cancelled on March 13, then there were two cases. At the time the session was cancelled to fight the spread of the global pandemic,” said Mr Mishra.

“There were 3381 cases on July 1. Now it is more than 10,000. The unrelenting virus spread is a cause for concern and the state has to take serious steps to save people from this worldwide pandemic.”

The statement comes a day after Chief Minister Gehlot submitted his third proposal for an assembly session from Friday. It is seen as a hint that if the Governor nixes it again, coronavirus could be a legit reason.

Mr Gehlot, who is fighting rebellion by his sacked deputy Sachin Pilot, is seen to be pursuing an assembly session for the singular goal of proving his majority on the floor of the house. He believes he has just about the numbers to win a trust vote at this time and accuses the Governor of stalling a session under pressure from the BJP.

The Governor blocked two previous proposals raising questions including one on coronavirus precautions.

On the last request, Mr Mishra had asked how social distancing and other virus protocol would be maintained during a session.

Yesterday, Mr Gehlot met with his cabinet to discuss the Governor’s questions and sent a revised proposal for a special session citing coronavirus as an agenda

To the Governor’s point on COVID-19 precautions, the Gehlot cabinet said it was up to the Speaker to ensure that all checks were in place. It also pointed out that Goa, Manipur and Puducherry had held sessions in the middle of the virus battle.

Mr Gehlot’s request to the Governor does not mention a trust vote. “We have a majority. We will prove it if required,” said a minister on Tuesday.