Thursday, September 10, 2026
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Fact check: WHO has not advised against social distancing, wearing mask for Covid patients

New Delhi (NVI): A viral message is doing rounds on social media, especially WhatsApp, claiming that World Health Organisation (WHO) has advised people against social distancing and wearing mask for COVID-19 patients.

The viral video and messages citing WHO also claims that the COVID-19 virus does not transfer from person to person.

Debunking the claims, the Fact Check Unit of Press Information Bureau (PIB) clarified that the claim is fake and no such comments has been made by the doctors of WHO.

“Viral message claims that doctors from WHO are advising against social distancing and wearing mask alleging COVID-19 is a treatable flu virus.

#PIBFactCheck: The claims are #FAKE. COVID-19 is a contagious disease, precautions like wearing masks, social distancing must be followed,” PIB tweeted.

The viral message reads, “Breaking news: WHO has completely taken a U-turn and now says that corona patient neither needs to be isolated, nor quarantined, nor needs social distancing, and it cannot even transmit from one patient to another.”

According to the World Health Organization’s official website, it is mandatory for everyone to wear a face mask and maintain social distancing to keep one safe from the spread of COVID-19.

-RJV

Two LeT terrorists killed in encounter in J&K’s Pulwama

Representational Image

Srinagar (LeT): Two Lashkar-e-Taiba militants were killed, while one surrendered during an encounter in Meej area of Pampore in South Kashmir’s Awantipora district, that began yesterday.

One of the two civilians, injured in the gunbattle last evening, also succumbed to his wounds this morning.

The deceased was identified as Abid Nabi and he breathed his last at SMHS, Srinagar. The condition of another injured civilian, identified as Kifayat Ahmad, is stable at Bone and Joint hospital Srinagar.

According to Medical Superintendent SMHS hospital, Dr Nazir Choudhry, Nabi succumbed to his injuries in the morning at around 6:30 am.

During the operation, the security forces also appealed to militants to surrender and they said they we will continue to make offers for surrender so that the youth who have chosen a wrong path get a chance to reform themselves. According to police sources, one of the three militants was given an offer to surrender and was convinced to do so successfully.

The operation was stopped for a brief spell due to darkness last evening. However, it was resumed at the break of dawn today.

The operation is over now with the killing of the third militant.

The encounter started last evening in Pampore after Police, Army’s 50 RR and CRPF launched a joint Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) on information about the presence of militants in the Meej area.

-RJV/ARK

IT Dept conducts searches in Kerala

Income Tax Department

New Delhi (NVI): The Income Tax department has conducted search operations on the premises of a well-known self-styled evangelist of Thiruvalla in Kerala and his group of various trusts.

The group operates places of worship, along with schools, colleges across the country, a medical college and a hospital in Kerala.

These trusts enjoy exemption under the Income-tax Act, 1961 as charitable or religious trusts.

The department operation covered 66 premises located in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Karnataka, Chandigarh, Punjab and Telengana, a release said.

“The searches were carried out as credible information was received that the group has received donations from foreign countries ostensibly for helping the poor and the destitute and for evangelical purposes, but was actually siphoning out such tax-exempted funds in cash to engage in unaccounted cash transactions for personal and other illegal expenses in real estate transactions,” it added.

The group also operates about 30 trusts, across the country, and most of them exist only on paper and have been found to be used for routing the unaccounted funds, the release said.

During the search operation, evidences have been found of systematic inflation of expenses in purchase of consumables, construction expenses, real estate development expenses, payment of salary, etc. The search also led to unearthing of a number of real estate transactions involving unaccounted cash payments and related documents such as sale agreements have been seized.

Meanwhile, the evidence found so far indicate that the siphoning of funds in cash may be running into hundreds of crores of rupees.

“Unexplained cash of approximately Rs 6 crore has been found during the search, including Rs 3.85 crore in a place of worship in Delhi. Further investigations are going on,” the release added.

-RJV

Fully geared to steer transformation in India’s power sector: NTPC

NTPC Dadri has been striving to become the cleanest coal-fired plant in the country.

New Delhi (NVI): Ahead of its 45th year of completion, National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) today said that it is fully geared to steer transformation in India’s power sector through renewable and clean energy.

The PSU under the Ministry of Power has reiterated its commitment to nation-building and energising India ahead of its Raising Day tomorrow.

India’s largest power producer, which commenced its purposeful journey on November 7, 1975 and has made a stellar contribution in lighting every nook and corner of the country, is fully geared to steer the next phase of growth and transformation in India’s power sector that offers immense opportunities, the Ministry of Power said in a statement.

This year, the Raising Day event will be celebrated through online platforms and maintaining social distancing amidst the COVID pandemic.

This also makes the Raising Day special, as NTPCians worked round the clock during the lockdown phase earlier this year to ensure uninterrupted power supply to the nation, the Ministry said.

“Electricity is an essential part of our lives and its availability 24 by 7 during the lockdown proved extremely critical in providing seamless emergency services and facilitating the smooth working of lifesaving equipment. This brought additional responsibility on NTPC and it delivered beyond the demand. Everyone has been rightfully applauding the front-line Corona warriors including medical professionals and essential service providers, but the pandemic also established power engineers as new heroes,” the Power Ministry said.

NTPC has been the flag bearer for the power sector in the country in the last 45 years. From its current power-producing capacity of 62 GW, NTPC plans to become a 130 GW company by the year 2032.

In line with the global trend towards renewables, which is a cleaner source of energy, NTPC has plans to achieve 32,000 MW of capacity through renewables or 25% of its overall power portfolio at the beginning of the next decade, the Ministry said.

Currently, NTPC has 2,404 MW of RE projects under implementation, out of which 237 MW comes from floating solar projects located in reservoirs at NTPC’s existing stations. In fact, Ramagundam 100 MW Floating Solar, being set up under non-PPA mode, is the largest in the country.

The gradual shift towards renewables is one part of NTPC’s commitment towards sustainable power generation and safeguarding the environment. At the same time, NTPC is currently making huge investments towards deployment of FGD equipment, whereby more than 60 GW capacity has been tendered for FGD for its various coal based power plants, in order to cut down harmful emissions, it said.

As part of its commitment towards the environment, NTPC has undertaken many ‘firsts’ for the sector. NTPC is working towards utilizing agro residue for power generation to discourage in-field crop residue burning. NTPC has pioneered co-firing of Biomass pellets along with coal in the boilers.

NTPC power plants have also set new benchmarks in water consumption, going beyond compliances, by implementing the Zero Liquid Discharge System, and Rainwater Harvesting System. NTPC’s other significant undertaking is its efforts towards 100% utilization of fly ash.

NTPC has also been committed towards the betterment through by embracing various Learning & Development (L&D) initiatives for its employees. During the ongoing COVID 19 pandemic, India’s largest power producer adapted to digital webinars and online courses implementing newer learning modules reaching out employees including their families from across locations. NTPC has also tied up numerous organisations like Art of Living, Isha Foundation and others for employee well-being.

NTPC has marked its presence in Coal, Gas, Hydro, Solar and Wind and also ventured into Biomass, Waste-to-Energy, Mobility and now it has started exploring the Captive industry. NTPC will continue to grow by aligning its development with national priorities and global changes.

-ARK

K’taka bans firecrackers during Diwali

New Delhi (NVI): The Karnataka government has decided to ban firecrackers in the state ahead of the Diwali festival.

Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa said the government banned firecrackers in the state over Covid-19 fears.

“Keeping Covid-19 in mind, crackers have been banned in the state. We have discussed this and taken a decision not allow bursting of fireworks,” CM Yediyurappa said.

After holding consultations with officials of the Health and Family Welfare Department, the State government made a formal announcement of banning bursting of firecrackers.

Already a few states of north India have banned bursting of firecrackers citing twin problems of COVID-19 and air pollution.

-CHK

PM to inaugurate Ro-Pax terminal

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Ro-Pax terminal and flag off its ferry service from Hazira to Ghogha in Gujarat on November 8 through video conferencing.

The inaguration of the terminal will be a big step towards the Prime Minister’s vision of harnessing waterways and integrating them with the economic development of the country, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

During the virtual event, PM Modi will also interact with local users of the service, while Union MoS for Shipping Mansukh Laxmanbhai Mandaviya and Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will also be present on the occasion.

The statement said that, the Ro-Pax terminal being inaugurated at Hazira, about 100 meters length and 40 meters width, has cost implications of approx Rs 25 crores with wide ranging facilities including administrative office building, parking area, substation and water tower etc.

The Ro-Pax ferry vessel, ‘Voyage Symphony’ is a three decks vessel, which has a load capacity of 30 trucks on the main deck, 100 passengers cars on the upper deck and 500 passengers plus 34 crew and hospitality staff on the passenger deck, it added.

Moreover, there will be several benefits of the Hazira-Ghogha Ro-Pax ferry service. It will work as a Gateway to South Gujarat and Saurashtra region, PMO said in a statement.

It will reduce the distance between Ghogha and Hazira from 370 Km to 90 Km with the reduced cargo travel time from 10 to 12 hours to about 4 hours.

Furthermore, the ferry service will also give an impetus to the tourism industry with ease of access to Saurashtra region and lead to creation of new job opportunities.

With the onset of ferry services, the port sector, furniture and fertilizer industries in Saurashtra and Kutch region will get a big boost, including eco-tourism and religious-tourism in Gujarat, the statement noted.

-RJV

ISRO to launch its radar imaging satellite PSLV-C49 tomorrow

New Delhi (NVI): Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set to launch its PSLV-C49 Radar Imaging Satellite tomorrow afternoon from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota.

The launch is scheduled tomorrow around 3.00 PM and the countdown for the same commenced today at 1302 hrs (IST) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

“Countdown for the launch of #PSLVC49/#EOS01 mission commenced today at 1302 Hrs (IST) from Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR, Sriharikota. Launch is scheduled tomorrow at 1502 Hrs IST,” ISRO said in a tweet.


The PSLV-C49 is carrying the RISAT-2BR2 satellite which is codenamed EOS-01 and nine other international commercial satellites.

However, the launch will be taking place from the launching pad at Sriharikota, subject to weather conditions.

The RISAT-2BR2 is a radar imaging satellite that features Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) capable of shooting pictures in all weather conditions. The satellite can also shoot pictures during day and night and will be used for surveillance and for civilian activities as well.

ISRO said in a statement recently that the EOS-01 satellite will have its applications in agriculture, forestry and disaster management support. The customer satellites will be launched under the commercial agreement with NewSpace India Ltd (NSIL) which is the commercial arm of the Department of Space.

-ARK

UNICEF, WHO call for action to prevent measles, polio epidemics

(Source: @UNICEF)

New Delhi (NVI): As COVID-19 continues to disrupt immunization services around the world, UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) have called for an emergency action to avert major measles and polio epidemics.

The disrupted immunization services have left millions of vulnerable children at heightened risk of preventable childhood diseases, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and WHO said in a joint statement.

Both the organizations estimate that a USD 655 million fund (USD.400 million for polio and USD 255 million for measles) is needed to address dangerous immunity gaps in non-Gavi eligible countries and target age groups.

The financial support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, enabled access to funding for outbreak response, preventive campaigns and routine immunisation strengthening in eligible countries, the joint statement said.

“However, financing gaps remain in middle-income countries that are not Gavi-eligible and the emergency call to raise funds and support would go to these regions,” it added.

WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on health services and in particular immunization services worldwide.”

“But unlike with COVID, we have the tools and knowledge to stop diseases such as polio and measles. What we need are the resources and commitments to put these tools and knowledge into action. If we do that, children’s lives will be saved,” Tedros added.

Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director also said, “We cannot allow the fight against one deadly disease to cause us to lose ground in the fight against other diseases.”

“Addressing the global COVID-19 pandemic is critical. However, other deadly diseases also threaten the lives of millions of children in some of the poorest areas of the world. That is why today we are urgently calling for global action from country leaders, donors and partners, Fore added.

Meanwhile, there has been a global resurgence of measles with ongoing outbreaks in all parts of the world and gaps in vaccination coverage have been further exacerbated this year by COVID-19 pandemic, the organizations said.

In 2019, measles climbed to the highest number of new infections in more than two decades. “Annual measles mortality data for 2019 to be released next week will show the continued negative toll that sustained outbreaks are having in many countries around the world,” the joint statement stated.

Simultaneously, poliovirus transmission is expected to increase in Pakistan and Afghanistan and in many under-immunized areas of Africa, the agencies said, adding that, the failure to eradicate polio now would lead to global resurgence of the disease, resulting in as many as 200,000 new cases annually, within 10 years.

The two organizations further informed that, new tools, including a next-generation novel oral polio vaccine and the forthcoming Measles Outbreak Strategic Response Plan are expected to be deployed over the coming months.

It will help tackle these growing threats in a more effective and sustainable manner, and ultimately save lives. This plan is a worldwide strategy to quickly and effectively prevent, detect and respond to measles outbreaks, the statement added.

-RJV

Will not accept any shift in Line of Actual Control: CDS Bipin Rawat

technical textiles
CDS General Bipin Rawat. (File photo)

New Delhi (NVI): Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Bipin Rawat today said that India will not accept any shift in Line of Actual Control (LAC), amid the ongoing border tensions with China in eastern Ladakh.

“Our posturing is unambiguous. We will not accept any shift in Line of Actual Control,” he said.

In an address at a virtual seminar, Gen Rawat said, “The situation along Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh remains tense and Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is facing unanticipated consequences of its misadventure in Ladakh because of the firm responses by Indian forces.”

He also said that border confrontations and unprovoked military actions spiralling into larger conflict can’t be discounted.

His remark comes just ahead of the eighth round of Corps Commander-level talks between the Indian Army and the Chinese PLA today.

The talks will take place in Chushul on the Indian side of the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

Nearly 50,000 Indian Army troops are currently deployed in a high state of combat readiness in various mountainous locations in eastern Ladakh as multiple rounds of talks between the two sides have not yielded concrete outcome to resolve the six-month-long military standoff.

Furthermore, the Chinese PLA has also deployed an equal number of troops, according to reports.

The last round of Corps Commander-level talks took place on October 12 but there was no breakthrough on the disengagement of troops from the friction points.

-CHK

Air quality in Delhi continues to worsen, remains in ‘severe’ category

A layer of haze over Delhi (File photo)

New Delhi (NVI): The air quality in Delhi was recorded in the ‘severe category’ at several places this morning and is even expected to turn worse in some parts of the national capital.

According to the the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the Air Quality Index (AQI) was at 422 in Anand Vihar at around 9 am, 407 in RK Puram, 450 in ITO, 421 in Dwarka and 430 in Bawana, all five in the ‘severe’ category.

This is for the second consecutive day when the AQI remained under ‘severe’ category in Delhi. The overall air quality recorded at 486 this morning in the national capital, the air quality monitoring agency, SAFAR said.

On Thursday, the city recorded the worst air quality index since November 14 last year as the AQI level at several places remained above 500.

The CPCB also noted that the concentration of major air pollutants PM 2.5 and PM 10 are high in Delhi.

On the the hand, the neighbouring cities of Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Greater Noida, Gurugram and Noida also recorded ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ category air quality, as per the CPCB data.

An AQI between 0-50 is marked good, 51-100 is satisfactory, 101-200 is moderate,201-300 is poor, 301-400 is very poor and 401-500 is considered severe.

Meanwhile, the air monitoring agencies have said that unfavourable meteorological conditions like calm winds, low temperatures and smoke emanating from farm fires in the neighbouring states have led to a dense layer of haze in Delhi.

The national capital struggles with air pollution mostly provoked by stubble burning in the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana which is also expected to increase over the next few days.

Furthermore, in order to combat the rising air pollution and coronavirus cases in the national capital, the Delhi government yesterday announced the imposition of a ban on the sale, purchasen and use of firecrackers from November 7 to November 30.

-RJV

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