Budget 2018-19

  The daily coronavirus case count in Maharashtra is on the decline, but these numbers are close to last year’s peak levels, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said on Sunday. The daily coronavirus case count in Maharashtra is on the decline, but these numbers are close to last year’s peak levels, Chief Minister  Uddhav Thackeray  said on Sunday. Addressing people of the state through social media, he announced that the lockdown-like restrictions currently in force in the state since mid-April, have been extended by a fortnight till June 15. He said he was taking a district-wise review of the coronavirus situation and curbs will be made stricter where the numbers are on the rise, while some relaxation will be given where the case count is on the decline. Expressing concern over the steep spike in infection count in rural parts of the state, the chief minister announced “My village-Corona free” initiative, and asked the people of the state not to let their guard down while br...

  In a bid to encourage and honour the tireless and unparalleled contribution of journalists, Yogi Adityanath announced Rs 10 lakh financial aid for family members of scribes who died due to  Covid-19 In a bid to encourage and honour the tireless and unparalleled contribution of journalists, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister  Yogi Adityanath  announced Rs 10 lakh financial aid for family members of scribes who died due to COVID-19. On the occasion of ‘Hindi Journalism Day’, Adityanath said, “From the freedom movement to the present times, Hindi journalism has had an unprecedented contribution in social awakening and nation-building. My heartfelt greetings to all journalists on Hindi Journalism Day.” The chief minister said that the government is committed to provide all support to journalists and will continue to encourage them. Praising the efforts of journalists, he said, “During such challenging and testing times, all journalists and media workers have risked their liv...

  Liquor stores in Saifai of Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah district have started to sell liquor only to people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 and produce certificates Liquor stores in Saifai of Uttar Pradesh’s Etawah district have started to sell liquor only to people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19 and produce certificates. “We are selling liquor only after checking the COVID vaccination certificate of the customer,” a shopkeeper says. A sign outside his store reads, “Liquor will only be available to those who have been vaccinated (against COVID-19)”. When asked about instructions to stores regarding the same, District Excise Officer Kamal Kumar Shukla said that no such order has been issued by the government. “No such order has been issued. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate might have asked liquor sellers to motivate people to get vaccinated,” he said. The nationwide vaccination drive is currently underway. As per the union health ministry, as many as 19,80,245 people b...

  The Ministry of Labour and Employment on Sunday announced additional benefits for workers through social securities schemes run by the EPFO and the ESIC amid the Covid-19 pandemic The Ministry of Labour and Employment on Sunday announced additional benefits for workers through social securities schemes run by the EPFO and the ESIC amid the COVID-19 pandemic. These benefits include pension for dependents of insured persons with Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) who died due to COVID-19 and hike in maximum sum assured under the group insurance scheme Employees’ Deposit Linked Insurance Scheme (EDLI), run by Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), to Rs 7 lakh from Rs 6 lakh. “The Ministry of Labour and Employment has announced additional benefits for workers through ESIC and EPFO schemes to address the fear and anxiety of workers about wellbeing of their family members due to increase in incidences of death due to   COVID-19 pandemi c ,” a ministry statement...

  The ministry slammed Twitter’s statement on Thursday as an attempt to dictate terms to the world’s largest democracy. After  Twitter  alleged intimidation by police on the issue of ‘manipulated media’ tags, the government on Thursday condemned the statement issued by the microblogging platform as baseless, false and an attempt to defame India. The IT ministry asserted that representatives of social media companies, including Twitter, “are and will always remain safe in India”, and that there is “no threat to their personal safety and security”. The ministry slammed Twitter’s statement on Thursday as an attempt to dictate terms to the world’s largest democracy. Through its actions and deliberate defiance, Twitter seeks to undermine India’s legal system, the ministry added. “Government condemns the unfortunate statement issued by Twitter as totally baseless, false and an attempt to defame India to hide their own follies,” the IT ministry said. Earlier on Thursday, Twitter...

 The company's Q4 reported Ebitda margins expanded by 820 bps YoY at 33.2 per cent on the back of increased scale of business, strong cost optimization and automation efforts Shares Metropolis Healthcare rallied 14 per cent to Rs 2,613 on the BSE in intra-day trade on Friday after the company reported nearly four-fold jump in consolidated net profit at Rs 61.3 crore in the March quarter (Q4FY21), on the back of healthy operational performance. The company, a leading diagnostic service provider, had profit of Rs 15.5 crore in the year-ago quarter. The stock surpassed its previous high of Rs 2,605, touched on May 12, 2021. Revenue from operations grew 42 per cent year on year (YoY) at Rs 291.80 crore in Q4FY21, against Rs 206.10 crore in the corresponding quarter of previous year. Reported EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation) margins expanded by 820 basis points (bps) YoY at 33.2 per cent on the back of increased scale of business, st...

  In a major action, the bureau on Friday said it had arrested Sidharth Pithani, flatmate of late Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput, in a drug-related case In a major action, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on Friday said that it has arrested Sidharth Pitani, flatmate of late Bollywood actor  Sushant Singh Rajput in  a drug related case. “Pithani has been arrested from Hyderabad,” an NCB official told IANS. The arrest comes almost two and half months after it filed a 12,000-page charge sheet against 33 people, including actress Rhea Chakraborty, her brother Showik and others in the Bollywood-drugs mafia probe case linked to Sushant’s death on June 14, 2020, when he was found hanging in his flat. On March 5, the NCB charge sheet was filed before a Mumbai Special NDPS Court, following two cases registered by the drug law enforcement agency after an intimation from the Enforcement Directorate which was probing the financial angles in Sushant’s death.

  The company has been listed among the top 25 Best Big Companies to work for in the United Kingdom and among the Best Companies in the consultancy sector Tata Consultancy Services  said on Friday it has been listed among top 25 Best Big Companies to work for in the United Kingdom and among the Best Companies in the Consultancy sector. The Best Big Companies list honours 25 organisations with at least 2,000 employees based on an anonymous survey that assesses employee experience across engagement, culture, work environment, leadership, well being, diversity and giving back to the community. TCS was recognised for prioritising the health and wellness of its employees with initiatives like virtual access to a GP, HR outreach sessions and mental health awareness programmes, and commitment to reskill employees while on remote work. “TCS is today one of the top IT service providers in the UK, and the preferred growth and transformation partner of leading British corporations becaus...

  Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the state has now moved into a Covid ‘safe zone’ Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister  Yogi Adityanath  said that the state has now moved into a Covid ‘safe zone’. In a statement, he said that the state has proved the critics wrong and managed to “successfully blunt” the surge through the trace, test and treat method. “We are now preparing for a probable third wave. In Deoria, we will work on encephalitis control along with Covid care. The rainy season, which triggers encephalitis is just months away. Gorakhpur-Basti divisions previously bore the brunt of the scourge. We have reduced the encephalitis death rate by 95 per cent and now there are hundreds of health wellness and encephalitis treatment centres, which will help control the disease,” he said. The Chief Minister added that paediatric ICUs (PICU) in district hospitals and mini-PICU in community health centres were being operationalised. A new 20-bed PICU has been pl...

  Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Wednesday said the state will have a new Covid-19 discharge policy and post-Covid precautions in view of the rising cases of Black Fungus infection Karnataka Health Minister Dr K Sudhakar on Wednesday said the state will have a new COVID-19 discharge policy and post-COVID precautions in view of the rising cases of Black Fungus infection. Speaking to media after holding a meeting with experts on containment of  Black Fungus  infection, Dr Sudhakar said, “It has been decided to formulate a new discharge policy and post-COVID precautions for patients who have recovered from COVID-19 infection.” “There is more clarity now after meeting with the experts. It has been found that administering steroids in the first week of treatment of COVID-19 is one of the main causes of Black Fungus infection. We need to avoid this and steroids should be administered only from the second week,” the Minister added. He informed that there are about 95...

  The Delhi government has exhausted its Covaxin stock for people over 45 years while that of   Covishield   will last only 12 days, AAP MLA Atishi said on Wednesday The Delhi government has exhausted its Covaxin stock for people over 45 years while that of Covishield will last only 12 days, AAP MLA Atishi said on Wednesday. So, this means that those awaiting their second dose of Covaxin in Delhi are in a situation wherein they may be wondering if their first dose will go to waste, she said.Covaxin doses are administered at Centre-run hospitals like the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). For the 45 and above group, about 2.92 lakh doses of Covishield are in stock and this can be used for just 12 days of vaccination. The Covaxin stock, which was available at a diminished scale till recently, is already exhausted, Atishi said. The few  Covaxin  doses that were available in the past few days were used for administering the second dose, she said. In a ...

  Suitable for 12 yrs and above, Pfizer tells govt Seeking a fast-track approval for its COVID-19 vaccine, US major Pfizer has told Indian authorities that its jab has shown “high effectiveness” against the SARS-CoV-2 variant prevalent in India and on people of Indian ethnicity or nationality, while it is suitable for everyone aged 12 years or above and can be stored for a month at 2-8 degrees, sources said on Wednesday. Pfizer, which is ready to offer 5 crore doses to India between July and October this year and has sought certain relaxations including indemnification, has held a series of interactions with the Indian government authorities recently including one this week, during which it shared the most recent data points regarding efficacy trials and approvals for its vaccine in various countries and by the World Health Organisation (WHO). “The current situation in India, and across the world, is not business as usual’ and we must not respond to it with processes as usual too,”...

  Odisha’s State Task Force has decided to accelerate the implementation of 13,000 litre capacity LMO plant at the Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital at Baripada Odisha’s State Task Force (STF) for medical oxygen management on Tuesday reviewed the implementation of various liquid medical oxygen (LMO) and Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) plants in the state and decided to accelerate the implementation of 13,000 litre capacity LMO plant at the Pandit Raghunath Murmu Medical College and Hospital at Baripada. This facility will support the isolation wards, Obstetrics and  Gynaecology  wards, pediatric wards as well as the ICU and HDU beds being run at the hospital. Keeping in view the emerging and future requirements, the STF also prioritised early commissioning of a 1,000 LPM capacity PSA oxygen generation plant at the institute. Both the facilities – the LMO plant as well as the PSA plant – will be commissioned within maximum of 12 weeks and ensure long term...

  Around 300 students of Class XII on Tuesday sent a letter petition to the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana to quash the decision of CBSE to conduct physical examination amid the pandemic Around 300 students of Class XII on Tuesday sent a letter petition to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana to quash the decision of the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) to conduct physical examination amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The students asked the top court to direct the Central government to provide alternative assessment scheme to the students. This comes days after a high-level meeting chaired by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh reached a consensus on conduct of board exams. However, the government had sought a detailed list of suggestions from all the states.The CBSE Class XII examination is likely to be conducted and its date and format to be announced by Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank on May 30, according to sources. Earlier on April 14, the CBSE ...

  Over 7,000 submissions have already come in for Prime Minister  Narendra Modi ‘s ‘Mann Ki Baat’ scheduled for May 30 Many citizens have expressed anguish over weak healthcare infrastructure and slow vaccination to Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of his monthly radio show  ‘Mann Ki Baat ‘ scheduled for May 30. More than 7,000 submissions have already come in for the 77th edition, coinciding with seven years of the Modi government. Along with complaints and disappointments are suggestions to scale up hospital facilities, vaccinate faster and have daily press briefings by the PM on the Covid19 situation in the country. “Please build government hospitals all over India and even in small villages…. focus on health infrastructure… everyone is blaming the government about medical facilities and infrastructure, so please focus on health infrastructure,” writes a young professional. The absence of confidence in the healthcare system is making things worse and therefore the ne...

  Requiring messaging apps to trace chats is asking us to keep a fingerprint of every single message: Company. WhatsApp on Tuesday filed a legal challenge against the Indian government, protesting before the Delhi High Court new IT rules that would require messaging services to trace the origin of particular messages. “Requiring messaging apps to “trace” chats is the equivalent of asking us to keep a fingerprint of every single message sent on  WhatsApp , which would break end-to-end encryption and fundamentally undermines people’s right to privacy,” said a WhatsApp spokesperson. “We have consistently joined civil society and experts around the world in opposing requirements that would violate the privacy of our users. In the meantime, we will also continue to engage with the Government of India on practical solutions aimed at keeping people safe, including responding to valid legal requests for the information available to us,” said the spokesperson. Under the recently notifi...

  Accounts for over 20% of samples sent for genome sequencing Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Monday that the B.1.617 variant of coronavirus, first detected in India, has become the most common mutation detected so far, and was found in more than 20 per cent of samples sent for genome sequencing. Vardhan was speaking at the 27th high-level meeting of the Group of Ministers on Covid-19. He said 25,739 samples have been sequenced and variant B.1.617 has been found in 5,261 samples. “States have been requested to send samples regularly for better analysis,” he added. B.1.617, which has been termed a variant of concern by the World Health Organization (WHO), has been found to be moderately resistant to antibodies and is highly transmissible, but has low severity among those who are vaccinated, according to a molecular study. The strain was detected in Maharashtra towards the end of 2020 and spread throughout India and to at least 40 countries. Sharing details of  mucor...

  The state on Tuesday issued a red alert warning for Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur and Balasore districts, which are likely to be affected with heavy rainfall Ahead the predicted May 26 landfall of cyclone Yaas in coastal areas of the Odisha, the state on Tuesday issued a red alert warning for Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur and Balasore districts, which are likely to be affected with heavy rainfall. Umashankar Das, Deputy Director of India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Bhubaneswar said, “A red alert, i.e. extremely heavy rainfall warning has been issued for Kendrapara, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, and Balasore for today. The rainfall will exceed more than 20 cm.” The official said that an orange alert, i.e. heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected in Mayurbhanj, Jajpur, Cuttack, Khorda, and Puri today. “The rainfall in the district is expected to measure between 12-20 cm,” Das said. The IMD regional Deputy Director further said, “We are expecting wind speeds of 150-160 km...

  Flipkart has hired 23,000 people across its supply chain, including delivery executives, in the last three months as the  e-commerce  marketplace strengthens the supply chain to fast deliver products Flipkart on Tuesday said it has hired 23,000 people across its supply chain, including delivery executives, in the last three months as the e-commerce marketplace strengthens the supply chain to fast deliver products while creating additional employment.The hiring was done keeping the growing demand for e-commerce services across the country, as people continue to remain indoors to fight the pandemic, which has necessitated a ramp-up of supply chain, the company said in a statement. “All new hires will be covered with our healthcare and wellness initiatives to ensure their safety during these testing times,” said Hemant Badri, Senior Vice-President, Supply Chain at  Flipkart . From safety regulations and protocols across its warehouses to driving awareness on Covid saf...

  Federal Home Minister Amit Shah asked the state governments to ensure adequate power backup for hospitals, laboratories, vaccine cold stores and other medical facilities A powerful cyclone is set to slam into India on Wednesday, the second in less than two weeks, with authorities gearing up for relief operations at a time when the nation is facing the world’s worst outbreak of Covid-19. Cyclone Yaas, equivalent to a category 3 hurricane, will cause heavy rains in the eastern states of West Bengal and Odisha, with wind speeds as high as 185 kilometers (115 miles) per hour, according to the India Meteorological Department. Sea levels may increase 4 meters above regular tides and inundate low-lying areas, it said. The latest storm follows a severe cyclone that hit the west coast last week — the worst in over two decades in the western state of Gujarat — killing dozens after a barge sank in the sea. The eastern region was hit by a cyclone in May 2020 with similar wind speeds, while a...

  More than 75,000 volunteers have been put on standby in Bangladesh to deal with the possible effects of Cyclone 'Yaas' which is now developing over the east-central Bay of Bengal , officials said More than 75,000 volunteers have been put on standby in Bangladesh to deal with the possible effects of Cyclone 'Yaas' which is now developing over the east-central Bay of Bengal, officials said. The volunteers of the Cyclone Preparedness Programme (CPP) of the Red Crescent Society of Bangladesh are on standby at 41 upazilas in 13 districts of coastal areas of the country. CPP officials told IANS the volunteers have been kept standby to remove the inhabitants of risky coastal areas to the cyclone shelters within the shortest possible time. Maritime ports of the country, Chattogram, Cox's Bazar, Mongla and Payra have been advised to keep hoisted distant cautionary signal number 1. All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay and deep sea have been advised...

  Sahayata Trust formally began the distribution of over 400 oxygen concentrators and Covid-relief apparatus as the first consignment of 170 devices arrived from UK Sahayata Trust, a Hyderabad-based NGO on Saturday, formally began the distribution of over 400 oxygen concentrators and Covid-relief apparatus as the first consignment of 170 devices arrived in Hyderabad from the United Kingdom. It is the world’s largest donation of Oxygen Concentrators to any country.The second consignment of 270 concentrators is scheduled to arrive next week. Since international flights are grounded between two countries, the consignment arrived on a special flight of Qatar Airways on May 22. These concentrators will be distributed by Sahayata Trust to different healthcare organizations in Telangana and other states.According to Sahayata Trust CEO Syed Aneesuddin, “The relief effort will add oxygen to the efforts of NGOs scrambling to procure oxygen to save as many lives they can.” There are nearly 22...

  India was airlifting rescue and relief teams and keeping defence aircraft and naval vessels in readiness as it braced for  cyclone Yaas ‘ which is expected to hit eastern coastal areas of Odisha, WB India was airlifting rescue and relief teams and keeping defence aircraft and naval vessels in readiness as it braced for cyclone Yaas’ which is expected to hit eastern coastal areas of Odisha and West Bengal on Wednesday, barely a week after cyclone ‘Tauktae’ battered the western coast leaving behind a trail of destruction. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday that the cyclone is likely to make landfall on May 26 evening between Paradip in Odisha and Sagar islands in West Bengal after intensifying into a very severe cyclonic storm’ with wind speed ranging from 155kmph to 165 kmph, gusting to 185 kmph. It will start bringing heavy rain in coastal areas from Tuesday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting to review the preparedness ...

  The Pune district administration has directed health officials to screen Covid-19 survivors in rural areas to identify any suspected cases of mucormycosis, or  black fungus The Pune district administration has directed health officials to screen COVID-19 survivors in rural areas to identify any suspected cases of mucormycosis, or black fungus. As per an order issued on Sunday by district Collector Rajesh Deshmukh, the health departments in rural areas have been instructed to obtain lists of COVID-19 patients who recovered from the infection after April 15 and conduct the first round of the screening of suspected  mucormycosis  patients between May 24 and May 27. The Pune district in Maharashtra has so far reported more than 300 cases of mucormycosis. “If a suspected case of mucormycosis is found during screening, it is expected that he or she should be checked by experts, and if diagnosed with the ailment, the patient should be given necessary medication and referr...

  Xiaomi’s premium flagship justifies its price tag of Rs 69,999 simply because it is significantly cheaper but in no way inferior to its peers that cost over Rs 100,000 Xiaomi is no newbie in the premium smartphone segment, but in India it is not so well known for its flagship offerings as it wasn’t until recently that this Chinese technology company started bringing such products here. Expanding its premium smartphone portfolio, the company recently launched the Mi 11 Ultra in India. Touted as ‘the Superphone’, this flagship smartphone is brimful with industry-leading features and specifications. That said, the Mi 11 Ultra is capable of beating other premium smartphones on more parameters than one, but the real-life experience shows it wanting in some areas. Beginning with strengths, the  Mi 11  Ultra is a spectacular smartphone with regard to display, audio, imaging, performance, and battery efficiency. The display is sharp, bright, vivid and responsive. It is loaded w...