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Covid-19 containment strategy has been successful in country: Harsh Vardhan

New Delhi (NVI): Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan today affirmed that the spread of COVID-19 has been contained in the country, citing that containment strategy has been successful in states.

While addressing a virtual meeting with WHO’s regional directors for South East Asia (SEA), Harsh Vardhan mentioned the efficacy of the government’s containment strategy.

He stated that, “The strategy has been successful in a way that 50 per cent of the cases are from three States and 32 per cent of the rest are from seven states. The spread of the virus thus has been contained.”

Meanwhile, on the efficacy of the lockdown, Vardhan said, it was effective in slowing down the rate of growth of cases and gave the government time to augment the health infrastructure and testing facilities.

He added that “From one lab in January this year to 1,370 labs today the citizens anywhere can access a lab within three hours travel time. Thirty-three of the 36 states and UTs exceed WHO’s recommendation of testing 140 people per million per day.”

The minister also highlighted that India had been preparing for the pandemic as soon as China informed WHO on January 7.

He also stressed that earlier viral outbreaks like the Avian Influenza, H1N1pdm09 Influenza, Zika and Nipah had provided institutional memory in designing containment and management strategies.

“India’s proactive and graded multi-level institutional response to COVID made it possible to have very low cases per million and deaths per million in spite of having a high population density and low fractional GDP spending and per capita doctor and hospital bed availability as compared to other developed countries,” he pointed out.

The minister further stated that, telemedicine facilities at AIIMS Delhi helped identify the root causes of mortality and made high-impact interventions possible that significantly curbed the mortality rate from 3.33 per cent on June 18 to 2.11 per cent on August 3.

“Within a record 10 days, with the help of DRDO, we were capable of housing 1,000 patients, with an additional 100 ICU beds. Right now, on evaluation, we find that the daily handling capacity of COVID-19 cases in our hospitals has increased,” he added.

However, the meeting focused on maintaining essential health services and public health programmes in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

-RJV

Nigeria initiates mangrove restoration project in Niger Delta

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): The mangrove forests of the Niger Delta in southern Nigeria will soon be restored as part of measures towards ensuring the protection of mangroves and oceans in the country.

The Federal Government of Nigeria is going to come up with a National Mangrove Restoration Project that will deliver environmental and sustainable livelihood benefits for people living in the Niger Delta region.

The Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor, announced this project as Nigeria joined the global community to commemorate the 2020 International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem.

Furthermore, four sites have been identified – Taylor Creek Forest Reserve, Num Forest Reserve, Apoi Creek Forest Reserve, and Edumanon Forest Reserve – all in Bayelsa State which would be upgraded to the status of Marine Protected Area.

Mangrove forests are among the most powerful nature-based solutions to climate change, but with 67 percent of mangroves lost or degraded to date, and an additional 1.0 percent being lost each year, they are at a risk of being destroyed altogether.

Mangroves act as buffers between sea and land, protecting shorelines from damaging winds, waves and floods. They also reduce coastal erosion. Mangroves improve water quality by filtering pollutants and trapping sediment from the land.

“Mangrove For Live Project” is the name of the initiative, which aims to restore degraded mangrove forests and maintain those that are still in good condition in Nigeria. The project will soon be launched in this West African country.

According to Minister Sharon Ikeazor, Nigeria has the largest coverage of mangroves in Africa, and the fourth largest in the world. She added that more than 60 percent of these mangroves, equivalent to 6,000 km, are in the Niger Delta region.

The first phase of the Mangrove For Live Project will help promote the health of the mangrove ecosystem in the Niger Delta. It will also enable the people of this region to develop more sustainable livelihoods.

-CHK

CPM’s Shyamal Chakraborty dies of Covid

New Delhi (NVI): Veteran CPM leader Shyamal Chakraborty died of Covid-19 today, days after he was tested positive for coronavirus. He was 76.

The former West Bengal Transport minister breathed his last at a private hospital at around 1:45 PM today.

The former cabinet minister was admitted to a private nursing home on June 30 with breathing issues and other old-age ailments.

His daughter, Ushashi Chakraborty said that the leader was suffering from breathing problems after developing some infection in his lungs.

Shyamal was also elected to the Rajya Sabha. He was also the state president of CITU, the trade union arm of CPM.

-ARK

Mumbai witnesses heaviest one-day rain in Aug in 46 years: IMD

New Delhi (NVI): With heavy rains lashing the streets of Mumbai since yesterday, the incessant rainfall has now broken a 46-year-record, according to IMD.

The Colaba weather station recorded 33.2 centimeters (13 inches) of rainfall in the 24 hours till this morning, the highest downpour for a single day in August since at least 1974, according to the India Meteorological Department.

However, the rain intensity reduced from today morning, water receded in some flooded areas, leading to a gradual resumption of rain and road transport services.

In addition to this, IMD has predicted moderate to heavy rainfall in the city and suburbs and intense showers in some parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) in the next 24 hours.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray today took stock of the state administration’s preparedness in the wake of the incessant heavy rains in Mumbai and other parts of the state, including Kolhapur where the Panchganga river was flowing close to the danger mark.

A statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said Thackeray asked the authorities to remain alert and ensure citizens do not face hardships.

Furthermore, IMD has predicted widespread rainfall with isolated/scattered heavy to very heavy falls is most likely to continue over interior areas (ghats) of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Konkan and Goa for the next 24 hours and then decrease.

The weather department also predicted isolated heavy to very heavy falls likely over Tamil Nadu, Kerala and south interior and coastal areas of Karnataka over the next 4-5 days.

-CHK

RBI provides additional liquidity facility of Rs 10,000 crore to NHB, Nabard

RBI
Reserve Bank of India

New Delhi (NVI): Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das today said the central bank will provide additional special liquidity facility of Rs 10,000 crore to National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Nabard) and National Housing Bank (NHB).

The facility will be for a period of one year and will be charged at the RBI’s repo rate.

Announcing monetary policy decisions, Das said Rs 5,000 crore will be provided to NHB to support liquidity starved housing finance companies.

“In order to shield the housing sector from liquidity disruptions under the prevailing conditions and augment the flow of finance to the sector, it has been decided to provide an additional standing liquidity facility (ASLF) of ₹5,000 crore to NHB – over and above ₹10,000 crore already provided – for supporting housing finance companies (HFCs),” the RBI said in a statement.

RBI also announced a separate liquidity line of Rs 5,000 crore for Nabard for refinancing NBFC-MFIs and other smaller NBFCs.

In addition to this, RBI kept the repo rate, the key interest rate at which it lends to commercial banks, unchanged at 4 percent.

Furthermore, among the key announcements made, RBI has also decided to allow loans for non-agricultural purposes, against gold and jewellery, to be granted up to 90 percent of the pledged value of gold ornaments and jewellery. This relaxation of the limit, up from current limit of 75 percent, shall be available till March 31, 2021.

-CHK

UPSC clarifies on CSE result 2019

New Delhi (NVI): The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) today issued a clarification regarding misleading information on Civil Services Examination 2019 results, that the number of candidates recommended is fewer than the vacancies indented by the government.

The UPSC in a statement said, “It has been brought to the notice of the Union Public Service Commission that some misleading information is circulating regarding less number of recommended candidates against the vacancies indented by the Government for the Civil Services Examination, 2019.”

It is hereby clarified that, as against 927 vacancies for Civil Services Examination (CSE), 2019, the commission, in the first instance, has released the result of 829 candidates and has also maintained a reserve list in accordance with Rule-16 (4) & (5) of Civil Services Examination Rules, 2019.

“This is a standard practice since decades, commission said, adding that, “In case candidates belonging to reserve categories who are selected at general standards, wish to choose services and cadre based on their reserve status if it is beneficial for them, the resultant vacancies may be filled up from the reserve list.”

The statement further added, the reserve list carries adequate number of candidates from the reserve categories also to cater to the shortfall arising out of preferences exercised by candidates belonging to reserve categories figuring above general standard.

UPSC is also mandated to keep the reserve list confidential till the process of such exercise of preferences is over in accordance with Rule 16(5) of the Civil Services Examination Rules, 2019, it added.

-RJV

Canadian national sentenced to death in China over drug charges

Batla House
Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): A Canadian citizen was sentenced to death by a Chinese court today over drug charges, in a further escalation of tension between the two countries.

Canadian citizen Xu Weihong became the third Canadian today to be awarded capital punishment for producing drugs while his accomplice, Chinese national Wen Guanxiong, was sentenced to life imprisonment, reports the Global Times.

The Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court in South China’s Guangdong Province made the judgment on the drug production case this morning and Xu was sentenced to death. The court also ordered the confiscation of all his personal property, the Chinese newspaper reported.

Xu’s accomplice Wen will also face deprivation of political rights for life and confiscation of all his personal property.

According to the Global Times, in October 2016, Xu purchased the raw materials and tools for drug making, and worked with Wen to make ketamine in Wen’s residence and stored the drugs in Xu’s residence in Haizhu district, Guangzhou.

Police officers seized 120.56 kilograms of ketamine at the above-mentioned residences, the newspaper reports.

However, this is not the first case of Canadians being convicted and sentenced over drug charges. In January 2019, Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg was sentenced to death by the Dalian Intermediate People’s Court for smuggling more than 222 kilograms of meth, according to the Global Times.

Relations between China and Canada have strained since Canadian officials arrested Huawei Technologies Co. Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver in 2018.

The move was immediately followed by Beijing detaining two Canadian citizens working in China, Michael Kovrig and Michael Spavor over charges of spying.

In another case, China sentenced Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg to death last year on drug trafficking charges. The move came shortly after Meng’s arrest. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had denounced it as “arbitrary.” Another Canadian national, Fan Wei, was also subsequently given the death penalty by a Chinese court.

-ARK

Munda flags off ‘Medicine Van’ in Bihar

New Delhi (NVI): Union Minister for Tribal Affairs, Arjun Munda today flagged off “Medicine Van” for flood victims in Bihar.

Thakurdwra Trust, based in Delhi, has provided medicine support of Rs 15 lakh for flood victims. Around 2,000 volunteers are working on ground to serve the victims, the Ministry of Tribal Affairs said in a statement.

On the occasion, Munda lauded the noble efforts of Bhore Lal, retired IAS officer and his teammates at the Thakurdwara Trust for their selfless service to the society, it added.

He also thanked the Thakurdwara Trust for their generous support adding that the efforts of his team will serve the flood victims of Bihar in their hour of need.

More than 66 lakh people have been hit by the floods across 16 districts in Bihar.

-RJV

PM to address conclave on ‘National Education Policy’ tomorrow

PM expresses happiness over rise in India's leopard population
Prime Minister Narendra Modi (File photo)

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the inaugural address at the ‘Conclave on Transformational Reforms in Higher Education under National Education Policy’ tomorrow, through video conferencing.

The conclave is being organised by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and University Grants Commission (UGC).

This will be the first time PM Modi will be speaking on the National Education Policy 2020 after its announcement last month.

The virtual conclave will have sessions discussing different aspects of education covered under the National Education Policy, 2020. Some of the aspects which would be covered include Holistic, Multidisciplinary and futuristic education, Quality Research, and Equitable use of technology for better reach in Education.

Union Minister for HRD Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’, Union Minister of State, HRD, Sanjay Dhotre will also participate in the conclave.

Speakers at the conclave include members of the Committee for Draft NEP, UGC Secretary, Chairman, VCs, Directors, and Principals from eminent institutes, universities and colleges who will speak on different aspects of the National Education Policy 2020.

The conclave will be streamed live on the HRD Ministry’s Facebook page, social media handles and YouTube channel of UGC, and PIB YouTube channel. The programme will also be broadcasted on DD News.

On July 29, the National Education Policy 2020 was approved by the Cabinet. The policy highlights some major changes in the school and higher education system.

One of the major changes introduced in the policy is the shift from 10+2 framework of education to 5+3+3+4 years with a strong base of Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) from age 3.

Whereas, in higher education system, the policy introduces phasing out the system of affiliated colleges over a period of 15 years through a system of graded autonomy to colleges, a transparent system of graded accreditation, will be established.

-RJV

Centre releases Rs 890 crore financial package for states to combat COVID-19

New Delhi (NVI): Amid the rising coronavirus cases in the country, the Centre today released a financial package of Rs 890.32 crore to states and union territories in order to tackle the deadly pandemic.

Notably, this is the second tranche of financial package released by the Centre. The money released by the Centre will be used by 22 states and UTs to strengthen the infrastructure to tackle COVID-19.

The first installment of Rs 3,000 crore was released in April by the centre to all states and union territories.

On March 24, a fund of Rs 15,000 crore was announced as part of the ‘Whole of Government’ approach where the Centre is leading the COVID-19 response and management, and supporting the States/UTs through technical and financial resources, the COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health System Preparedness Package by the Prime Minister.

In addition to this, the states will be able to use this fund to procure things like beds, testing kits, etc.

As part of this package, States and UTs have been strengthened with 5,80,342 isolation beds, 1,36,068 oxygen supported beds and 31,255 ICU beds. Also, 86,88,357 testing kits and 79,88,366 Vial Transport Media (VTM) have been procured by them. As many as 96,557 human resource has been added and incentive has been given to 6,65,799 HR. The package has aided provision of mobility support to 11,821 staff.

-CHK

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