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Nepal reports 279 new COVID-19 cases; tally reaches 4,364

New Delhi (NVI): Nepal reported 279 new cases of coronavirus today, taking the national tally to 4,364, according to local media reports.

The country’s Ministry of Health and Population said, “Of the infected, 4,055 are males and 309 are females.”

In the last 24 hours, 257 males and 22 females from Morang, Chitwan, Sunsari, Jhapa, Udaypur, Nawalpur, Sarlahi, Kapilvastu, Nalwaparasi West, Palpa, Pyuthan, Rupandehi, Banke, Bardiya, Saptari, Dailekh, Jajarkot, Surkhet, Darchula, Kailali, Dadeldhura, Dhading, Dhanusha, Gorkha Nuwakot, Rautahat, Sindhupalchowk, Siraha, and Kanchanpur districts.

At present, 72 of the 77 districts and all the Provinces have witnessed the transmission of COVID-19 virus in the country, as per media reports.

The ministry also said that, 257,962 samples have been tested for coronavirus in Nepal so far. Of these, 1,00971 samples were tested through the PCR and 156,991 through the RDT.

So far, 15 people have died of coronavirus in Nepal.

At present, 674 people have been cured form the virus and discharged.

58 more flights added to help Indians stranded in Gulf: Hardeep Puri

Vande Bharat

New Delhi (NVI): As part of the Vande Bharat mission, 58 more flights have been added to help stranded Indian citizens in the Gulf countries, Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said today.

The number of flights have been increased from current 107 to 165 with immediate effect till the end of this month, he said.

“58 more flights added to evacuate stranded & distressed Indian citizens from Gulf countries between now & 30th June 2020,” Puri tweeted.

“Starting immediately, number of flights from Gulf under phase-3 of Vande Bharat Mission now increased from originally planned 107 to 165,” the minister added.

In another tweet Puri said that more than 70 thousand citizens have returned & nearly 17 thousand flew out of India on VBM (Vande Bharat Mission) flights till date.

“In addition nearly 110K people flew out & 55K citizens returned on more than 730 charters on foreign & Indian carriers permitted by DGCA. Permission for more such flights is in process,” he added.

Earlier on Monday, the minister had said that till now, more than 66,000 people had been brought to India by Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express in 365 flights as part of the Vande Bharat Mission.

Apart from this, the Civil Aviation minister has said that India will take a decision on resumption of flights as soon as countries cease restrictions on entry of foreign nationals.

Bangladesh COVID-19 death toll exceeds 1,000 mark

Bangladesh lockdown

New Delhi (NVI): Bangladesh saw the highest number of single day new cases and deaths. A whopping 3,190 new cases were reported, taking the total number of confirmed cases to 74,865.

The country also recorded a total of 37 deaths due to the novel coronavirus during this period, raising the death tally to 1,012, according to United News of Bangladesh.

Notably, the country crossed the 1,000 mark in death toll within 91 days after recording the first death on March 11.

So far, a total of 15,899 people have recovered from the deadly contagion, after 563 more patients made recovery.

The detection rate of new patients was recorded at 1.91 per cent today.

Against the total number of detected cases, the recovery rate is 21.24 per cent and the mortality rate is 1.35 per cent in the country.

Afghanistan COVID tally crosses 22,000; death toll 405

New Delhi (NVI): Afghanistan witnessed a rise in coronavirus cases with 684 new cases, taking the overall tally to 22,143 across the country, according to Afghan media reports.

In the past 24 hours, 18 patients have died due to COVID-19 virus in the country.

Among the fresh cases, Kabul was on the top of the list with 393 new cases, followed by Herat with 96 positive cases.

Other provinces reporting cases were Kandahar (13), Nangarhar (95), Badghis (6), Nimruz (25), Parwan (3), Kunduz (8), Farah (12), Kunar (18), Zabul (4), Badakhshan (4) and Uruzgan (7)

The Afghan Ministry of Public Health said 2,975 people have recovered while 405 from the respiratory disease in Afghanistan.

So far, 50,658 people have been tested for COVID-19 in the country, as per media reports.

Meanwhile, Dr Ahmad Jawad Osmani, acting health minister said, “There are still a lot of management problems at the hospitals,” and added that, the coronavirus is expanding in the country.”

“We are working on a list of medications that we need to fight the coronavirus,” said Osmani, who also pledged that the problem of market prices of medical supplies would be addressed.

He further added that, “We are going to change our test methods for the coronavirus and we will provide details about it tomorrow.”

Coronavirus cases surpass 1,16,000 in Pakistan; death toll nears 2,300

New Delhi (NVI): Pakistan has now surpassed the 1 lakh mark in coronavirus cases after nearly 6,000 new cases were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the overall tally to 116,189 with at least 2,297 fatalities.

Looking at the breakdown of cases, Sindh province has reported 43,790 coronavirus cases, highest among all the provinces, while Punjab has 43,460 positive cases.

On the other hand, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa has recorded 14,527 cases, Balochistan is at 7,031, Gilgit-Baltistan at 974, Islamabad at 5,963 and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir is at 444 cases so far, according to Geo News.

Ministry of National Health Services stated that nearly 36,000 patients have fully recovered from the coronavirus.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the National Minorities Commission, Cheela Ram, has tested positive for COVID-19 today.

UNICEF releases guidance to prioritise child rights in global supply chains

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): As the COVID-19 pandemic threatens livelihoods across the world, UNICEF and Norges Bank Investment Management (NBIM) have released guidance to help clothing and footwear companies better address children’s rights in their global supply chains.

The guidance tool, which has been released ahead of World Day Against Child Labour (June 12), is the result of a partnership between UNICEF and NBIM, which manages the assets of the Norwegian Government Pension Fund Global.

It involved leading apparel and footwear companies including Adidas, H&M and VF Corporation, the UNICEF said in a statement today.

“As the socio-economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic threaten the livelihoods of millions of workers in global supply chains, children’s rights must be at the heart of business action,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Charlotte Petri Gornitzka. “We have an opportunity to re-imagine the post-COVID world and build a better garment and footwear sector that supports the right of every child,” she added.

According to UNICEF, the guidance tool provides practical steps for companies to embed children’s rights in their sustainability strategies and approaches. It calls on companies to gather evidence on how children are impacted; identify bottlenecks, and take proactive steps to integrate children’s rights into their supply chain management systems. It also includes specific metrics, which support the measurement of and reporting on children’s rights outcomes over time.

The guidance calls on companies to:

* Assess child rights risks and business preparedness to address them
* Integrate child rights into policies and management systems
* Get internal buy-in and engage key decision-makers
* Strengthen supplier capacity to address child rights and root causes
* Monitor and measure outcomes and progress
* Engage stakeholders, workers and implement grievance processes
* Report on outcomes and progress
* Collaborate and invest in multi-stakeholder initiatives
* Support governments and advocate for children’s rights

At the launch of the guidance, NBIM Chief Corporate Governance Officer Carine Smith Ihenacho said, “At Norges Bank Investment Management, we see respect for children’s rights as an inherent part of good business practice and risk management.”

“Children must be at the heart of companies’ sustainability efforts as they are among the most vulnerable members of society and the basis for future prosperity. It is our hope that the guidance tool and our partnership with UNICEF will contribute to improved market practices and greater respect for children’s rights across the sector,” she said.

2 dead in Assam oil well fire

The fire that broke out in Assam oil well (Source: Twitter)

New Delhi (NVI): Two firefighters have been killed in the massive fire that broke out at the gas well of Oil India Limited (OIL) in eastern Assam’s Tinsukia district yesterday.

According to media reports, the oil well had been leaking gas since May 27 and it caught fire yesterday.

The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel recovered the bodies of the deceased after drones used by the Assam Forest department located them near a wetland this morning.

The cause of death was said to be drowning after the two, both employees of OIL, had jumped into a pond to avoid the flames.

Over 50 houses have been gutted in the massive fire. As many as 1,600 families have been evacuated, as per the reports.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Assam Chief Minister Sarbanand Sonowal today to discuss the situation and assured all possible support from the Centre.

“PM @narendramodi spoke to Assam CM Shri @sarbanandsonwal to discuss the situation in the wake of the Baghjan fire tragedy. PM assured all possible support from the Centre. The situation is being monitored closely,” the PMO said in a tweet.

PM Modi reviews Kedarnath Reconstruction Project

New Delhi (NVI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi today conducted a review of the Kedarnath Dham development and reconstruction project with the Uttarakhand state government via video conferencing.

Laying out his vision for the reconstruction of the shrine, Prime Minister said that the State Government should envision and design development projects for holy sites like Kedarnath and Badrinath in a way and manner that stands the test of time and yet is eco-friendly and in harmony with nature and its surroundings, a statement by Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said.

Keeping in mind the present situation and comparatively lean pressure in terms of tourists and pilgrims to the holy sites, Modi suggested that the present construction season could be utilized for completing pending works by proper distribution of labour pools, keeping in mind the norms of social distancing.

This will help to create facilities and infrastructure to better sustain tourism flows in the years to come.

In addition to this, Narendra Modi also gave directions for further development of other heritage and religious spots in the stretch extending from Ramban to Kedarnath. This work will be in addition to the re-development of the main shrine in Kedarnath.

Topics related to status of development of Brahma Kamal vatika (garden) and museum to greet pilgrims en-route to Vasuki Taal were also discussed during the meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Furthermore, re-development was also sorted for old town quarters and properties of historical significance keeping intact their original architectural façade as well as other facilities like eco-friendly parking spaces at a proper distance from the shrine and at regular intervals.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat and other senior officials also participated in the discussions.

Delhi hospitals row: Kejriwal says LG Baijal’s orders will be followed

New Delhi (NVI): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today said that Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal’s order that overruled his government’s decision to reserve hospitals exclusively for Delhi residents for Covid-19 treatment will be followed.

“This is not the time for politics. This is not the time for disagreements,” Kejriwal said in his video address today while asserting that it is a time to put up a joint front against corona. The Delhi CM had gone into self-isolation suspecting a Covid-19 infection after bouts of fever and painful throat on Sunday.

LG Baijal, who represents the Centre, had on Monday cancelled the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government’s decision to reserve hospitals except those run by the centre for residents of Delhi.

“We will try our best to make arrangements to provide treatment to all. We all have to fight Covid-19 together,” said Kejriwal in his address today.

The Chief Minister had undergone a Covid test yesterday, the results for which came negative. He was also not able to attend a special all-party meeting called by the LG to discuss the pandemic situation in the national capital.

Meanwhile, coronavirus cases in the national capital have crossed the 31,000 mark with 1,366 fresh cases, while the death toll mounted to 905.

Health Min warns of action against hospitals denying Covid treatment under CGHS

Representational Image

New Delhi (NVI):  The Union Health Ministry today warned that hospitals denying Covid-19 treatment under the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) will face action.

The Health Ministry’s warning came after it representations form CGHS beneficiaries of difficulties in availing treatment facilities at private hospitals/Diagnostic Centres empanelled under CGHS.

In this regard, the Ministry has issued an order to all Health Care Organisations (HCOs) empanelled under the scheme for strict adherence to stipulated guidelines.

As per the Ministry order, all CGHS empanelled hospitals, which are notified as Covid-hospitals by state governments shall provide treatment facilities to CGHS beneficiaries as per the norms, for all Covid related treatments.

“Similarly, it has also been directed that all the CGHS empanelled hospitals, which are not notified as covid hospitals, shall not deny treatment facilities or admission to CGHS beneficiaries and shall charge as per CGHS norms, for all other treatments,” the order read.

The ministry also said that action will be taken in case of violation of the guidelines.

The Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) facilities are available in 71 cities in India with beneficiaries under nine different categories.

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