Heena Sharma Blog

  As many as 12 patients suspected to be infected with the COVID-19 ' Omicron ' variant have been admitted to Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan (LNJP) hospital in Delhi so far, said the sources on Friday. As per the sources, eight Omicron suspects were admitted to LNJP hospital yesterday. "Four suspects have been admitted today, out of which, two have been tested COVID-19 positive while the test results for the other two are awaited," stated sources. Of these four suspects, two have come from the UK, one from France and one from the Netherlands, sources added. Further, they informed that the samples of all four patients will be sent for genome sequencing today. Earlier on Thursday, the Union Health Ministry informed that two cases of the potentially more dangerous coronavirus strain were detected in Karnataka. Read More

  A 30-year-old man succumbed to injuries in a fire that broke out at a multi-story building in Mumbai's Parel area on Friday, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) officials said. As per the Mumbai Fire Department , the man jumped from the 19th floor of the building. The deceased has been identified as Arun Tiwari. Mumbai Mayor Kishori Pednekar and other officials arrived at the spot. The Level Three fire broke out at Avighna park apartment, Curry Road around 12 noon the Mumbai Fire Department. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Read More

  India logged 13,058 new coronavirus infections , the lowest in 231 days, taking the total tally of COVID-19 cases to 3,40,94,373, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Tuesday. The death toll climbed to 4,52,454 with 164 fresh fatalities, while the active cases have declined to 1,83,118, the lowest in 227 days, according to the data updated at 8 am. The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 25 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 114 consecutive days now. The active cases comprise 0.54 per cent of the total infections, the lowest since March 2020, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.14 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the ministry said. A decrease of 6,576 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours. India's COVID-19 tally had crossed the 20-lakh mark on August 7, 2020, 30 lakh on August 23, 40 lakh on September 5 and 50 l...

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission to provide a digital health ID to people which will contain their health records. The pilot project of the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission had been announced by the prime minister from the ramparts of the Red Fort on August 15, 2020. Currently, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is being implemented in a pilot phase in six union territories. Its nationwide roll-out coincides with the National Health Authority celebrating the third anniversary of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY). Based on the foundations laid down in the form of Jan Dhan, Aadhaar and Mobile (JAM) trinity and other digital initiatives of the government, Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission will create a seamless online platform through the provision of a wide range of data, information and infrastructure services, duly leveraging open, interoperable, standards-based digital systems while ensuring th...

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday launched several initiatives in the education sector, asserting that they will play an important role in shaping India of the future. Addressing the inaugural conclave of the ' Shikshak Parv ' through video-conferencing, he expressed confidence that these measures will not only make our education system globally competitive but also make the youth future-ready. Modi launched the Indian Sign Language Dictionary (audio and text embedded sign language video for the hearing impaired, in conformity with Universal Design of Learning), Talking Books (audio books for the visually impaired), School Quality Assurance and Assessment Framework of CBSE, NISHTHA teachers' training programme for NIPUN Bharat and Vidyanjali portal for facilitating education volunteers, donors or CSR contributors for school development. The theme of the Shikshak Parv-2021' is Quality and Sustainable Schools:Learnings from Schools in India. Read More

  Heavy rains continued to lash several parts of the capital city and adjoining areas for the second day in a row on Thursday. The heavy rainfall led to waterlogging on several roads, including Pragati Maidan area, Minto Road, the roads near the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and ITO. The rainfall led to heavy traffic jam on Vikas Marg to ITO and further to India Gate and Dhaula Kuwan. Delhi on Wednesday recorded 112.1 mm rainfall in a span of 24 hours, the highest single-day precipitation in September in 19 years, that inundated several areas, including the Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave, ITO, and Cannaught Place area that disrupted the road traffic. The traffic movement has been closed at Azad market underpass (both carriageways) due to waterlogging, said Delhi Traffic Police in its advisory. Delhi Police warned traffic was affected from Jahangirpuri metro station to Mukarba Chowk (both carriageways) and from Nangloi to Mundka due to waterlogging. Read ...

  The Indian Space Research Organisation has come out with an 'Announcement of Opportunity" (AO), seeking proposals towards scientific analysis and utilisation of data from all experiments of the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter. According to ISRO, the data from Chandrayaan-1 had been extensively used by Indian researchers to understand lunar morphology, surface age determination and composition of the lunar surface, studies on the possible presence of magmatic as well as exogenic water. "These studies have provided enhanced thoughtful views regarding lunar evolutionary processes", the Bengaluru-headquartered space agency said. "Such studies from Chandrayaan-1 have considerably expanded Indian lunar science community". To further strengthen the Indian research community for lunar science studies, Chandrayaan-2 orbiter payloads data are made available to public and scientific proposals are solicited for scientific analysis, it said. Chandrayaan-2 orbiter is cur...

  India on Monday brought back 146 of its nationals in four different flights from Qatar's capital Doha, days after they were evacuated from Afghanistan by NATO and American aircraft in view of the deteriorating security situation in the war-torn country. People familiar with the development said the Indians were flown back to Delhi as part of India's mission to evacuate its citizens and Afghan partners from Kabul following its takeover by the Taliban over a week back, they said. It was the second batch of Indians to be brought back from Doha after their evacuation from Kabul. A total of 135 Indians were flown back to Delhi from Doha in a special flight on Sunday. Out of the second batch of Indians who returned home from Doha, 104 people were brought back in a Vistara flight, 30 by a Qatar Airways flight and 11 of them returned by an Indigo flight. One person returned by an Air India flight, they said. India on Sunday brought back 392 people including two Afghan l...

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday launched vehicle scrappage policy and said that the policy is a significant milestone in India's development journey. Taking to Twitter, PM Modi informed about the launch and urged youth and start-ups to join this programme. "The launch of Vehicle Scrappage Policy today is a significant milestone in India's development journey. The Investor Summit in Gujarat for setting up vehicle scrapping infrastructure opens a new range of possibilities. I would request our youth and start-ups to join this programme," tweeted PM Modi. He further said that the vehicle scrapping will help to phase out unfit and polluting vehicles in an environment-friendly manner. "Vehicle scrapping will help phase out unfit and polluting vehicles in an environment friendly manner. Our aim is to create a viable #circulareconomy and bring value for all stakeholders while being environmentally responsible," he added. Read More

  Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday attacked the Modi government over the issue of high prices of cooking gas and said if the government is honest about its Ujjwala scheme it should give subsidy to the poor and reduce inflation. Her attack on the government came a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Ujjwala 2.0 -- the second phase of the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana (PMUY) -- by virtually presenting free LPG connections to some beneficiaries in Mahoba in Uttar Pradesh, where assembly elections are scheduled early next year. "Ninety per cent of the cylinders given under Ujjwala are lying in disuse and women are forced to cook using firewood because the BJP government has doubled the rates of a cylinder in the last seven years and reduced subsidy to a negligible amount," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi. Read More

  The Parliament is all set to witness a confrontation between the government and the Opposition over raging issues of the COVID-19 pandemic , farmers' protest, fuel prices hike and vaccination strategy as its monsoon session will start from today. The monsoon session will conclude on August 13. "The sixth session of the 17th Lok Sabha will commence on July 19. Subject to exigencies of government business, the session is likely to conclude on August 13," a Lok Sabha release said. Rajya Sabha press communique stated that President Ram Nath Kovind has summoned the House to meet on July 19 and the session will continue till August 13. This will be the first session of parliament since the results of assembly polls in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. Last year, the monsoon session began in September and the winter session was not held due to the COVID-19 situation. Read More

  Petrol prices in Mumbai have been turning more volatile with the prices of crude oil showing a firm trend. On Thursday, the price of petrol in the city increased by 34 paise to Rs 106.59 per litre. The price of diesel in the city went up by 9 paise to Rs 97.18 per litre. Amid the lockdown caused by the Covid-19 pandemic , several state governments had increased fuel taxes to bolster revenues. The central government had also raised the excise duty on both the automobile fuels. Here are the current rates of fuel in different cities. Petrol price in Mumbai: Rs 106.59/litre Petrol price in Delhi: Rs 100.56/litre Petrol price in Chennai: Rs 101.37/litre Read More

  Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has stayed the transfer of 100 MHADA flats here to the Tata Memorial Hospital for providing temporary accommodation to cancer patients undergoing treatment there. State Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad on Wednesday confirmed the decision. Shiv Sena MLA Ajay Chaudhary told reporters that the decision to stay the transfer order was taken after he complained to the CM about objections to it from local residents. Notably, Awhad had taken the decision to allot 100 flats in buildings of the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) to the hospital. The keys of the flats were handed over to the hospital authorities in May by NCP president Sharad Pawar, whose party shares power with the Shiv Sena and Congress in the state. Chaudhary, who is an MLA from Sewri in Mumbai, said over 1,000 families living in the vicinity objected to the disturbance created by outsiders arriving there on a temporary basis. Read More

  The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) on Thursday told the Supreme Court that it will declare Class 12 board exam results by July 31, using performance in Class 11 and Class 10 as a factor in evaluating students. Total marks will be based on a school's past performance in Class 12 exams, multiple media reports said. About 40 per cent of the marks will be based on Class 12 pre-board, the Board told the bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari, according to NDTV.com. The performance of the students in Class 11 and Class 10 exams will be factored in while making the assessments. While 30 per cent marks will be based on Class 11 final exam, 30 per cent marks based on best-of-three Class 10 marks will also be included while making the assessment, it said. Practicals will be for 100 marks and the students will be marked based on the marks submitted by the schools. Read More

  An Indian Air Force pilot was killed after a MiG-21 Bison aircraft crashed in Punjab's Moga district, officials said on Friday. The aircraft was on a routine sortie from Suratgarh when it crashed near a village in Moga, they said. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident which took place late Thursday night.   There was an aircraft accident last night involving a Bison aircraft of IAF in the western sector, the Indian Air Force (IAF) said in a tweet. The pilot, Sqn Ldr Abhinav Choudhary, sustained fatal injuries. IAF condoles the tragic loss and stands firmly with the bereaved family. A Court of Inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident, it said. Read More

  The Mumbai Police on Friday registered an FIR against the captain of barge P305, which sank on Monday in the Arabian Sea, 35 nautical miles from Mumbai under the impact of the Cyclone Tauktae . The barge captain Rakesh Ballav, along with others, has been booked on the basis of a complaint by rescued barge engineer Mustafizur Rehman Shaikh. According to the police, the case has been registered in Mumbai's Yellow Gate police station. "A case has been registered against Barge P305 Captain Rakesh Ballav and others on the complaint of a barge engineer. The case has been registered under section 304(2), 338 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," the police said. Police also said it has launched a search for the Captain. According to the FIR, despite receiving alerts on Cyclone Tauktae approaching, Captain Rakesh Ballav and others did not make any arrangements for the safety of the staff on board, due to which the barge sank in the cyclone storm and many lost their...

  The Navy on Wednesday said its personnel, battling extreme weather, have so far rescued 184 of the 273 people onboard barge P305, adding all personnel on board two other barges and an oil rig are safe after Cyclone Tauktae fury rendered these vessels adrift. "As of Wednesday morning, 184 personnel of barge P305 have been rescued and INS Kochi and INS Kolkata are returning to Mumbai harbour with the rescuees. "INS Teg, INS Betwa, INS Beas, P8I aircraft and Seaking helicopters are continuing with the search and rescue operations," a Navy spokesperson said. All the 137 personnel on barge GAL Constructor were rescued on Tuesday by the Navy and Coast Guard. The 196 personnel on barge SS-3 and 101 personnel on board oil rig Sagar Bhushan are safe, the official said. Read More

  Mumbai received 230 mm rainfall due to the cyclonic storm Tauktae , with a weather expert claiming it to be the highest 24-hour downpour in May in the recorded history. According to the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Mumbai centre, the Santacruz observatory (representative of suburbs) recorded 230.3 mm rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Tuesday. Besides, the Colaba observatory (representative of south Mumbai) recorded 207.6 mm rain during the same period. As per the IMD's calculations, rainfall above 204.5 mm is considered as extremely heavy, "Mumbai (Santacruz): 230 mm in last 24 hrs due to cyclone effect, this is the highest 24hrs rain in Mumbai in May in the recorded history. #CycloneTauktae," Vineet Kumar, a researcher on cyclones in the north Indian Ocean at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, tweeted on Tuesday. Read More

  Under the new found preference for revising fuel prices every alternate day, the Oil and marketing companies (OMCs) raised the pump prices of petrol and diesel yet again on Tuesday. Accordingly, the price of petrol increased by 27 paise per litre to Rs 92.85 a litre in Delhi while diesel price increased a tad higher by 29 paise to Rs 83.51 a litre on Tuesday. Across the country as well the petrol and diesel prices increased between 25-30 paise per litre on Tuesday but its actual retail prices varied depending on the level of local levies in respective states. The OMCs are following the practice of changing petrol and fuel rates every alternate day rather than undertaking changes on a daily basis for past few days. Accordingly, the Tuesday's price hike came after there was no change on Monday. Read More

  Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday took stock of the situation in Mumbai, Thane and other coastal districts of the state in the wake of the cyclonic storm Tauktae . According to an official statement, 12,420 people living in coastal stretches of Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg and Raigad districts have been shifted to safer places. These include 8,380 people in Raigad, 3,896 in Ratnagiri and 144 in Sindhudurg. Thackeray reviewed the situation in Mumbai, Thane and neighbouring areas and instructed authorities to ensure that the treatment of COVID-19 patients in the region is not affected due to the cyclonic storm, the statement said. A red alert has been issued for Raigad district, while an orange alert has been issued for Mumbai, Thane and Palghar, it said. A red alert is sounded for rainfall of over 20 cm and an orange alert is for rain between 6 cm and 20 cm. Read More