Wednesday, September 17, 2025
Home Blog Page 1405

Delhi air quality still ‘very poor’

New Delhi (NVI): The overall air quality in Delhi remained in the ‘very poor’ category as cold weather and calm winds allowed accumulation of pollutants.

According to System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital stood at 355.

The SAFAR forecast suggests a slight deterioration of AQI for tomorrow but within the higher-end of very poor category.

Fresh western disturbance is predicted. It will likely affect the northwest India by December 11. Scattered rainfall is also expected on December 12.

The AQI in Chandini Chowk was in the ‘very poor’ category with PM2.5 of 304. At Mathura Road the PM2.5 was 367 while the neighbouring Noida recorded a PM2.5 of 414 which falls in the ‘severe’ category.

-sb

43 dead in Delhi building fire

New Delhi (NVI): At least 43 people were killed and over a dozen were injured in a massive fire in a four-storey building housing illegal manufacturing units in the North Delhi’s Anaj Mandi area today.

Fire department personnel saved 63 people by evacuating them from the building, officials said.

The Delhi Government ordered a probe into the incident and sought a detailed report within seven days.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of those who lost their lives and also approved Rs 50,000 each for those seriously injured in the fire.

On its part, the Delhi Government also announced an ex-gratia of Rs 10 lakh each for the next of kin of those killed and Rs 1 lakh for those injured.

Delhi Police has detained the owner of the building and registered a case under section 304 of IPC against him.

-sb

Vice President calls for making ‘Fit India’ a mass movement

Hyderabad(NVI): Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu speaking at the Hrudaya Cure A Little Heart Foundation in Hyderabad called upon people to cultivate at least one hobby, sports or yoga to stay healthy and fit. Naidu called upon everyone to actively participate in the ‘Fit India’ movement launched by PM Narendra Modi.

Addressing an event to celebrate the completion of 5,000 heart surgeries of underprivileged children, Naidu expressed concern that India accounted for nearly 40 per cent world’s heart failure patients and more than a quarter of all deaths were caused by heart ailments in India.

Naidu noted that a sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy diet coupled with lack of physical activities were at the root of the problem. He stressed on the need to revert to traditional foods and living in harmony with nature. “By keeping away from mother nature people are harming bodies and health. Loving the nature, living with nature is good for better future,” said Naidu.

The Vice President lauded the government for establishing over 5,000 Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana Kendras.

He also urged all the doctors and health care professionals to give primacy to educating people about changing their sedentary lifestyles. He said, “encourage people to take up physical activities and others to reduce the probability of heart diseases.”

Talking about the need to create affordable medical facilities to tackle non communicable and other diseases Naidu said that Ayushman Bharat scheme launched by the Government of India is playing an important role in nation’s well being.

C-section does not increase risk of obesity in the child

New Delhi (NVI): A new study has found that there is no association between women who have Cesarean sections and offspring obesity.
Many studies in the past have indicated that women who give birth through C section have higher chance of having obese children as compared to women who give natural births.
However, according to researchers at Karolinska Institute in Sweden whose study has been published in the journal PLOS Medicine, there is no such link.
C-section deliveries have increased manifold globally including in India where many women opt for the procedure over natural births.
Using Swedish population registers, a cohort of 97,291 males born between 1982 and 1987 were followed from birth until conscription (median 18 years of age) if they conscripted before 2006. At conscription, weight and height were measured and transformed to World Health Organization categories of body mass index (BMI), the study said.
 “Out of the 97,291 conscripts we observed, 4.9% were obese (BMI ≥ 30) at conscription. The prevalence of obesity varied slightly between vaginal delivery, elective CS, and nonelective CS (4.9%, 5.5%, and 5.6%, respectively), whereas BMI seemed to be consistent across modes of delivery,
 “We found no evidence of an association between nonelective or elective CS and young adulthood obesity (relative risk ratio 0.96, confidence interval 95% 0.83–1.10, p = 0.532 and relative risk ratio 1.02, confidence interval 95% 0.88–1.18, p = 0.826, respectively) as compared with vaginal delivery after accounting for prepregnancy maternal BMI, maternal diabetes at delivery, maternal hypertension at delivery, maternal smoking, parity, parental education, maternal age at delivery, gestational age, birth weight standardized according to gestational age, and preeclampsia,” the study said.
 “We found no evidence of an association between any form of CS and overweight (BMI ≥ 25) as compared with vaginal delivery. Sibling analysis and several sensitivity analyses did not alter our findings,” the study

Alliance Air flags off Guwahati-Dimapur-Imphal flight  

New Delhi (NVI): Alliance Air, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India Limited today flagged-off its first flight operations connecting Guwahati-Dimapur-Imphal under the regional connectivity scheme Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN).

Alliance Air will operate Guwahati-Dimapur and Imphal-Dimapur-Guwahati routes thrice a week on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The airline will deploy its 70 seater aircraft on this sector.

According to airlines officials Flight services from Dimapur to Imphal was a long pending demand from the region.

On August 27 this year, Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri had given assurance for the commencement of flight operations in the region during his meeting with the Nagaland Governor RN Ravi in New Delhi.

This marks another step by the Ministry of Civil Aviation to establish a strong air network in North East India.

Alliance Air continues to focus on new routes to connect regional destinations. With the addition of Dimapur and Imphal Alliance Air will connect 59 stations in ambit. It currently connects 57 destinations.

The airline has been awarded 12 new routes under UDAN-3.1, which are being launched progressively in the coming year bringing new destinations on India’s air map.

-sb

India, China military drill begins

‘Hand-in-Hand 2019’ military drill

Shillong (NVI): A joint military exercise, aimed at building and promoting positive relations between the armies of India and China, began in Meghalaya today.

The 15-day Joint Training Exercise — Hand-in-Hand-2019 —  will cover counter-terrorism operation in semi-urban terrain under the United Nations mandate.
The focus on initial four days of the 8th edition of the bilateral exercise will be on orientation to training area, lectures on counter-insurgency/counter-terrorism environment, firing by each other’s weapons, improvised explosive devices drills and various practices on above aspects, according to a defence spokesman.
The Chinese contingent comprises 130 personnel of Tibet Military Command of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
The Chinese military contingent was accorded a warm and traditional welcome by the Indian Army when it arrived at Air Force Station Borjhar in Guwahati yesterday.
The opening ceremony took place today after a speech by Major General Deepak Mehra, General Officer Commanding Red Horns Division.

Intel, MSME Ministry, SME Forum join hands to unleash tech absorption among Indian SMEs

New Delhi (NVI): Tech major Intel, in association with the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) and India SME Forum, has launched a countrywide initiative to enhance technology absorption among Indian SMEs.
The launch programme was attended by Joint Secretary in the MSME Ministry Alka Arora, India SME Forum President Vinod Kumar Wuthoo, brand guru Prahlad Kakar and Intel India’s Director (Marketing) Roshni Das and Head (Commercial Marketing) Eashwari Deshpande.
Digitally-empowering MSMEs is an urgent requirement to initiate value creation among SMEs.
While new-age companies are looking to strengthen their technology-based products and services, older and more traditional SMEs want to transform their legacy infrastructure to keep pace with increasing competition.
In a world of agile tech-based companies, older companies must modernise and transition to be a software defined business if they want to retain their competitive edge. In the current Digital Age, customers demand seamless access and will not stick to a business that does not deliver just that, while digital transformation will mean improved profitability and revenues for every business.
A survey conducted by India SME Forum as a part of its annual State of the MSME study in 19 states showed that over 34 per cent of the overall 1,29,537 MSME respondents are employing digital means of communicating with Employees, Customers and Suppliers whereas only 7 per cent have fully embraced digital technology or SAAS Solutions.
Over 50 per cent of the MSMEs highlighted several benefits (increase in profitability, operational efficiency and improved customer engagement).
However, 70 per cent of the MSME respondents cited lack of knowledge as key barrier for wider adoption.
Major causes for low technology adoption that have been cited by the MSME respondents in the survey are :
1. Lack of understanding and guidance of business benefits, technology can deliver
2. Resistance to incurring upfront investment-related costs to implement technology
3. Lack of skilled / trained manpower to manage technology setups
A majority of India’s employment is being offered by MSMEs with more than 123 million workers employed in the financial year 2016.
Successful SMEs in developed markets and all over the world have adopted technology for  higher productivity, better customer experiences and for scaling up their operations and presence, ensuring sustainable growth and profits.
While Indian tech startups  are at the forefront of the technology and the digital revolution, changes in policy and regulatory changes such as GST and demonetisation have already pushed many MSMEs India to go digital.
Tech platforms such as SaaS and business analytics offerings can help MSMEs connect with potential clients to grow their business further, manage inventory smartly and enhance delivery efficiency of their product or services, manage labour, RoC, IT, GST filings, accounts and more.
The National Campaign for Accelerating Business  using Technology was launched to enable Indian MSMEs for technology absorption resulting in increased revenues, lower risks, reduced costs and sustainable competitiveness in the International markets.
The first phase of this series, saw over 54,000 SMEs enroll for the showcase on Tech Tools for Business,  workshops on using technology, branding, and compliance along with face to face  sessions with mentors and speed networking sessions.
Covering 9 cities, the first phase of the initiative had around 2800 entrepreneurs attend and the content, discussions, FAQs and tools will now be made digitally available not only to those who enrolled, but also to the registered base of  MSMEs across the country.
Arora, while inaugurating the series finale in Delhi, congratulated the India SME forum and Intel for organising the programme across the country.
She emphasised the need of technology for the development of about six crore of MSMEs in India. “Many of them are in the micro sectors, some of them in the small, medium enterprise but today for any business to take it to the next level, technology is of prime importance,” she said.
“Tech platforms such as SAAS and business analytics offerings can help MSME’s connect with potential clients to grow their businesses further,” she added.
On the occasion, Wuthoo stated that, “The scale of digital transformation this country presents is tremendous and greater digitization of MSMEs has the potential to triple the MSME sector’s GDP contribution (from the current 8 per cent share), heighten employment opportunities for India’s growing workforce and boost overall economic growth.
“As the largest SME Institution in India, India SME Forum is committed to take global best practices and solutions to all the progressive MSMEs of India and we are thankful for the support of the Ministry of MSME and Intel. We are confident that our MSMEs, are extremely open to implementing New technologies, Solutions and Tools for boosting profits and growth.”
Roshni Das said, “MSMEs are the backbone of the Indian economy and pivotal to driving future innovation and growth in the country. Intel is committed to working with the ecosystem to ensure education, technology access and support for these businesses. We’re excited to collaborate with the India SME Forum to digitally empower MSMEs in India, enabling greater productivity, efficiency, opportunity and business success.”

Defence Ministry organised plogging over 400 locations

New Delhi (NVI): Defense Minister Rajnath Singh flagged off the ‘Swachhta Pakhwada’ campaign by the Defence Ministry from Delhi Cantt here today. As part of its campaign the Defence Ministry is organising a massive plogging programme around 400 locations across the country.

According to Defence Ministry officials the aim of this massive programme is to raise awareness within the community, collect plastic waste and make the surroundings clean and plastic free.

Over 3,000 people participated in the campaign. Indian Army, Navy, Air Force, Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Defence Public Sector Undertakings, Ordnance Factory Board, Cantonment boards, national Cadet Corps (NCC), Boarder Road Organisation (BRO) and other affiliated organisations conducted special plogging (picking up of litter while of jogging) events.

According to reports from Siachen to Jaisalmer and Bhuj to Bairengte, Mizoram, the Indian Army picked up waste at 17 locations across the country .

While the Indian Navy cleaned up waste at 30 locations from Mumbai to Karwar (Karnataka) and Kolkata to Vishakapatnam.

On their part the Indian Air Force also picked up plastic waste at 150 locations from Hindon to Upper Shillong (Meghalaya) and Nagpur to Trivandrum.

Apart from the three services, the Indian Coast Guard conducted clean up drives at 47 locations, Cantonment Boards at 62 locations, NCC at 18 locations, Sainik Schools at 31 locations, BRO at 18 locations, Comptroller General of Defence Accounts (CGDA) at 20 locations across the country.

Alongside, community awareness programmes such as nukkad nataks, debates, quizzes, painting competitions were also organised.

Swachh Bharat Mission is one of the flagship programmes of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi Government.

-sb

Govt working on more measures to boost economy: Fin Min

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. (File Photo)

New Delhi (NVI): Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government is working on more initiatives to reinvigorate the country’s sagging economy.

Addressing the gathering during the HT Leadership Summit here Finance Minister said that the government during the August and September has already taken several measures to boost the economy.

Sitharaman said that in order to boost consumption in the hinterland the public sector banks have disbursed nearly Rs 5 lakh crore in the last two months.

In the second quarter of the current fiscal the GDP growth has slowed down to more than six-year low of 4.5 per cent from 5 per cent recorded in the first quarter.

On the Goods and Services Tax (GST)the Finance Minister said that the rates have to be rationalised. She added that the rate structure will have to be decided by the GST Council.

-sb

Avail free WiFi at 5,500 stations now: Indian Railways

New Delhi (NVI): Mahuamilan Station in Jharkhand under the Indian Railways’ East Central Railway Zone becomes the 5,500th railway station in the country to provide free WiFi services. With that, according to the national transporter’s digital arm RailTel latest report, over 1.5 crore users accessed free WiFi services across all stations this year.

The Indian Railways began providing free WiFi services at its stations from January 2016. Mumbai Central Station was the first station to be equipped with the free WiFi service. Free Wi-Fi service to passengers is being provided under ‘RailWire’, which is a retail broadband initiative of the RailTel.

According to the Railways officials the idea behind the initiative is to transform the railway stations into the hub of digital inclusion. Indian Railways mandated RailTel, a Miniratna public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Railways, to provide free high-speed Wi-Fi at the railway stations.

Puneet Chawla, CMD of RailTel said that the free access to high-speed Wi-Fi will help in bridging the digital divide between rural and urban India.

“In October this year, a total of 1.5 crore users logins in RailWire Wi-Fi services across all stations,” Chawla added.

-sb

1...1,4041,4051,406...1,502Page 1,405 of 1,502

MUST READ