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COVID-19 cases in India at 114 after 4 fresh reports: Health Min

New Delhi (NVI): Four fresh cases of coronavirus have been detected in India across three states and a Union Territory, taking the total number of cases in the country to 144, the Government said in a statement today, even as the pandemic continued to afflict damage in various parts of the world.

In a media briefing on the coronavirus situation held here today, the Union Health Ministry said that four new cases- one each from Odisha, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh and Kerala have been confirmed as per the latest data available.

“There are now a total of 114 confirmed cases in India as of today, including 10 discharged, 3 cured and 2 reported deaths,” the Ministry said.

The Government also informed that contact tracing activity of these positive cases has led to the identification of more than 5,200 contacts, who are kept under surveillance.

Apart from this, the officials informed the media that Travel restrictions have been further tightened to prevent the spread of the virus from high-risk areas.

Under the fresh travel bans, travel of passengers from member countries of the European Union, the European Free Trade Association, Turkey and the United Kingdom to India is prohibited with effect from 18th March 2020, the Ministry said in a statement.

“No airline shall board a passenger from these nations to India with effect from 1200 GMT on 18th March 2020. The airline shall enforce this at the port of initial departure,” it said.

However, the Ministry said that this is a temporary measure and shall be in force till 31st March and will be reviewed subsequently.

The briefing was conducted by Home Ministry Additional Secretary Anil Malik, Luv Aggarwal, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry, MEA Additional Secretary Dammu Ravi and KS Dhatwalia, DG PIB, at National Media Centre.

Earlier today, a high-level meeting of the Group of Ministers (GoM) on COVID-19 was held at Nirman Bhawan, chaired by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan.

COVID-19: 321 more people under surveillance in J&K

NHM Director Bhupinder Kumar

Mubashir Bukhari

Srinagar (NVI): Jammu and Kashmir government today informed that a total number of 2,478 travellers and persons in contact with the suspected Coronavirus cases have been put under surveillance in the Union Territory.

Yesterday, 2,157 persons were put under surveillance in the UT and the number increased today with 321 more people taken under the process.

According to the daily Media Bulletin on novel coronavirus (COVID-19), 2,095 persons are under home quarantine and 29 persons are in hospital quarantine while 178 persons are under home surveillance.

NHM director, Bhupinder Kumar said that 176 persons have completed their 28 days surveillance period.

“So for 106 samples have been sent for testing, of which 98 tested as negative and only two cases have tested positive, so far,” he said.

Kumar said that yesterday, a test was carried on one suspected patient and which had reported high viral load. “Test had been sent to Pune,” he said.

He said reports of 6 news cases are awaited.

Home quarantined persons and their family members are requested to cooperate with the local surveillance teams/health authorities and strictly follow the guidelines for home quarantine issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, GoI.

Public, in general, has been requested to strengthen surveillance mechanism by making self-declaration about their foreign travel history to local health authorities. “Moreover all social, religious and political organizations are urged to avoid large gatherings,” reads the advisory.

Medical masks, according to the advisory should not be used by healthy persons who are not having any symptoms because it creates a false sense of security that can lead to neglecting other essential measures such as washing of hands. “In fact, erroneous use of masks or continuous use of a disposable mask for longer than 6 hours or repeated use of same mask may actually increase risk of getting infection.”

These 17 places in India to be set up as Iconic Tourist Sites

New Delhi (NVI): The Ministry of Tourism has identified 17 sites across the country to develop them as Iconic Tourist Sites, and they will also serve as a model for other tourist destinations.

The sites identified are- Taj Mahal & Fatehpur Sikri (Uttar Pradesh), Ajanta & Ellora (Maharashtra), Humayun’s Tomb, Red Fort & Qutub Minar (Delhi), Colva (Goa), Amer Fort (Rajasthan), Somnath & Dholavira (Gujarat), Khajuraho (Madhya Pradesh), Hampi (Karnataka), Mahabalipuram (Tamil Nadu), Kaziranga (Assam), Kumarakom (Kerala) and Mahabodhi Temple (Bihar).

The provision for development of these sites was announced in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 budget by the Centre.

The Tourism Ministry will develop these sites in an integrated manner with focus on issues concerning connectivity to the destination, better facilities/experience for the tourists, skill development, involvement of local community, promotion & branding and by bringing private investment.

Availability of land free from all encumbrances for the proposed developments under the scheme is the responsibility of the respective State Governments/UT administrations, Minister of State (I/c) of Culture and Tourism, Prahlad Singh Patel said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha today.

RBI Governor on Yes Bank crisis

RTGS facility from tomorrow: RBI

New Delhi (NVI): The moratorium on Yes Bank will be lifting on Wednesday March 18, Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das said today, while urging customers not to withdraw their money from the private sector lender.

In a press conference, RBI Governor Das assured depositors that their money is safe and that they do no need to withdraw their funds in panic.

On March 5, RBI had imposed a moratorium on Yes Bank for a period of 30 days, while placing a Rs 50,000 per month withdrawal limit on customers.

Speaking on coronavirus, the RBI Governor said that India is not immune to this pandemic. He added that already more than 100 cases have been reported. Efforts are being mounted by the government on war-footing, he informed the mediapersons.

COVID19 could impact India directly through trade channels, in which exposure to China is relatively high, he added.

Health Min activates helpline for COVID-19 queries

New Delhi (NVI): The Health Ministry today activated a 24X7 toll-free helpline number for health-related queries on coronavirus while informing that four new cases have been reported, taking the total number of cases in the country to 114.

“A 24×7 toll-free national helpline number 1075 has been activated for support, guidance, and response to health-related queries on COVID-19”, the Ministry said in a statement.

Four new cases one each in Kerala, Ladakh, Odisha, and Jammu and Kashmir, have been reported. This takes the total positive cases in the country to 114 out of which 13 people been discharged after they recovered and two died, the ministry said.

It has also urged people to wear masks only if they are feeling sick or uncomfortable due to coronavirus like symptoms.

A high-level review meeting of Group of Ministers (GOM) on COVID-19 under the chairmanship of Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan was held today at Nirman Bhawan.

CJI rules out complete shutdown of SC

New Delhi (NVI): Chief Justice of India SA Bobde has clarified that a complete shutdown of courts, including the Supreme Court, due to coronavirus is not possible.

Bobde made this clear yesterday in a meeting with four apex court judges, bar leaders of the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record Association and eminent doctors, including Randeep Guleria from the AIIMS, New Delhi.

He also said that virtual courts were on the verge of commencement and there could only be a possibility of limited shutdown at the present instance amid the coronavirus scare.

CJI Bobde said that any demand of the bar and the bench would be subordinated to the medical advice drawn in the meeting, a SCAORA (Supreme Court Advocates on Record Association) statement read.

J&K: Hirdesh Kumar appointed new Chief Electoral Officer

Srinagar (NVI): The Election Commission of India today appointed Hirdesh Kumar as the new Chief Electoral Officer of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir.

Kumar was holding the charge of Commissioner Secretary School Education.

He will replace Shailendra Kumar, with effect from the date he assumes charge, reads an order issued by BC Patra, Secretary, Election Commission of India.

Hirdesh has also served as Commissioner/Secretary to the Government, Power Development Department.

Relationship between obesity and colon cancer explored

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): Obesity per se does not cause cancer. But, the behaviour and prognosis of cancer can vary depending on whether or not the cancer patient is co-morbidly obese, according to a recent study by a team of researchers at National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) in Pune.

Obesity is a condition in which a person has an unhealthy amount and/or distribution of body fat. Many different factors can cause obesity. One of the major reasons is genetic in nature, the Ministry of Science and Technology said in a report.

To determine the impact of obesity resulting from leptin deficiency on cancer, Manoj Kumar Bhat and his research team at the National Centre for Cell Science (NCCS) in Pune studied the differences in the incidence and progression of colon cancer when it occurs in association with genetically-linked obesity, vis-a-vis when it occurs in association with diet-induced obesity.

Their study revealed significant differences between the two groups. Further, these differences were found to be strongly correlated with the balance between two important molecules, leptin and TNF alpha, which influence the growth of cancer cells.

The study has provided valuable insights into the molecular connections underlying the relationship of diet-induced and genetics-associated obesity with colon cancer.

These findings warrant further exploration through more in-depth clinical studies, to determine if they have any implications in and relevance to the management of cancers.

Three Nirbhaya convicts move ICJ

New Delhi (NVI): Three convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape and murder case — Akshay, Pawan and Vinay — today approached International Court of Justice (ICJ), seeking a stay on the execution of their death sentence.

They moved ICJ moments after the Supreme Court rejected a fresh plea filed by Mukesh Singh, one of the four death row convicts in the case, alleging that his lawyers had misled him.

The top court also said that Mukesh had used all the legal remedies available to him.

The four convicts, Mukesh Kumar Singh, Pawan Gupta, Vinay Sharma and Akshay Kumar Singh are to be hanged together at 5.30 am on March 20, according to an order by Delhi court earlier this month.

A 23-year-old woman was gang-raped and assaulted inside a moving bus in South Delhi by six persons, before being thrown out on the road on December 16, 2012. She later died on December 29, 2012, at a hospital in Singapore.

New rules for debit, credit cards effective from today

Representational image

New Delhi (NVI): To ensure the security and convenience of card users, new rules on debit and credit cards issued by the Reserve Bank of India have kicked in from today.

RBI had issued new rules in January to improve user convenience and increase the security of card transactions. The Central Bank had also said that these rules will help in curbing the misuse of debit and credit cards.

Under the new rules, RBI has directed banks to allow only domestic card transactions at ATMs and PoS terminals in India at the time of issuance/reissuance of the card.

Banks, including SBI, will block the debit and credit card online facility starting today if you haven’t done online transactions for at least once since the card’s issuance.

Meanwhile, for international transactions, card-not-present transactions, online transactions, and contactless transactions, cardholders will have to separately set up services on their card.

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