News Services Division, All India Radio News
Morning News
0830 HRS
23.05.2020
THE HEADLINES
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces assistance of one thousand crore rupees to West Bengal and 500 crore rupees to Odisha for relief and rehabilitation in cyclone hit areas.
COVID-19 recovery rate improves to 41 per cent in the country.
Government revises advisory to use Hydroxychloroquine for asymptomatic health care and front line workers.
Air India resumes booking for domestic flights.
ICSE remaining Class 10th and 12th Board exams to be conducted from 1st to 14th July.
Community Radio network to be expanded in the country says Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced one thousand crore rupees assistance to West Bengal and 500 crore rupees to Odisha for relief and rahabilitation work in Cyclone Amphan affected areas of the two states.
The Prime Minister announced the assistance package for West Bengal at Bashirhat in North 24 Paraganas District after an administrative meeting yesterday. The meeting was held to assess the extent of damages caused by the super cyclonic storm. The Prime Minister also announced two lakh rupees compensation to the families of each victim killed in storm-related incidents.
The Prime Minister also informed that a Central team will arrive in the state soon to assess the damages. Earlier yesterday, the Prime Minister accompanied by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee made an aerial survey of the cyclone hit areas in the state. The Prime Minister also announced 500 crore rupees assistance for Odisha yesterday. He also announced an exgratia of 2 lakh rupees to the family members of the deceased and 50 thousand to the seriously injured in the cyclone. The Prime Minister made the announcement in Bhubaneswar after holding a review meeting.
Health and Family Welfare Ministry said that a total 48 thousand 534 people affected with corona virus have been cured. The recovery rate has reached around 41 percent per cent in the country.
Briefing media yesterday, Health Ministry official said during the last twenty four hours, three thousand 234 people have recovered. He added, case mortality rate has also improved in the country to 3.02 per cent. The official further said, the government is focusing on worst affected districts in coordination with the state governments.
The Indian Council of Medical Research said, total 27 lakh 55 thousand 714 tests were done till 1 PM yesterday. Within 24 hours, one lakh three thousand 829 tests have been done by the various government and private laboratory chains in the country.
Member (Health) in NITI Aayog, Dr. V K Paul said, one crore treatments have been done under the Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana which is a great achievement. He said, 14 thousand Health and Wellness centres have been commissioned so far. He added, the decision of lockdown has been taken in a timely manner and it proved beneficial for the public to restrict the expansion of the corona virus in the country. Mr. Paul said, doubling rate of Covid-19 cases was 3.4 days when lockdown was started and it is now at 13.3 days. Mr. Paul said, the current active cases are concentrated in a few states, cities, districts and 80 per cent cases are in five states-Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh. He said, the lockdown proved gainful in terms of preparedness. He added, 10 crore people are using Arogya Setu app and telemedicine is increasing day by day.
The Health Ministry yesterday issued a revised advisory for use of Hydroxychloroquine, HCQ as prophylaxis, preventive treatment, for COVID-19.
Under it, HCQ has now been recommended for asymptomatic health care workers in non-COVID settings as well and for all asymptomatic health care workers involved in containment and treatment of COVID-19.
Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan yesterday took over as the chairman of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Executive Board. Dr. Harsh Vardhan has been elected as Chair of the Executive Board of WHO for the year 2020-21. He replaces Dr Hiroki Nakatani of Japan. Addressing the board through tele conference, Dr. Harshvardhan called for a shared response from member countries to tackle the COVID 19 pandemic.
Highlighting India’s efforts in tackling COVID-19, he said the country faced COVID19 in a proactive and pre-emptive way, on an unmatched scale and with determination.
The Executive Board of WHO is composed of 34 technically qualified members elected for three-year term. The main functions of the Board are to implement the decisions and policies of the Health Assembly and advise and facilitate its work.
In our series ‘Expert Speak’ on All India Radio, we bring you views of leading medical experts on COVID-19.
Talking to AIR News, Dr. Amarchand Bajaj, Senior Consultant in Sitaram Bhartia Institute of Science and Research, New Delhi highlighted the importance of hygiene and how to maintain it to contain Novel Corona virus.
Dr Naresh Gupta of LNJP Hospital, Delhi said that in most of the cases, the COVID-19 infections are self-limiting and very few patients are required to take admission in hospital.
Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh has said that Post-COVID India will emerge as more confident and gain esteem in the world arena.
Dr. Jitendra Singh was speaking to a TV channel in an interview. Dr Singh said, notwithstanding all the apprehensions in this hour of crisis, he is confident that in six months , the world will look up to India with respect and seek to engage with us. Not only this, he said, India will also emerge as a safe destination for business and trade.
Dr Jitendra Singh also observed that early lockdown announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had helped India to train itself for the new norms of Post-COVID world.
Information and Broadcasting Minister, Prakash Javadekar has said that Ministry will come out with a plan to increase the number of such stations for Community radio soon. He said, 75 per cent of the expenditure for setting-up of Community Radio stations is borne by the Ministry. Addressing listeners of all Community Radio stations through All India Radio News yesterday, Mr. Javadekar said, Community Radio is a community in itself and it is agents of change.
He added government is eager to raise air time for advertisements to 12 minutes from 7 minutes per hour on Community Radio Stations to bring them at par with TV channels.
On the key demand of Community Radio of broadcasting news from their platform, the Minister assured that he will consider it. He prodded stations to play key role in combating fake news menace by verifying it through local sources. He invited stations to share it with All India Radio so that the reach of the truth can be amplified. He added that the Ministry has created a Fact Check Cell under PIB and the Community Radio can complement the role of Fact Check Cell.
Mr Javedkar said, that fake news is very dangerous and should not be considered as part of press freedom. He stressed on the crucial role of community radios in countering fake news by giving the correct information verified at the local level.
Exhorting people to keep up their fight against Coronavirus, the Minister said, we will drive it away the way we have driven away other diseases. He stressed on the 4 steps to keep themselves safe by staying at home, frequent washing of hands, wearing face mask in public and maintaining social distancing.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has stressed the need to make the country self-reliant. She said, import should be possibly made within the country, but the country still has to import goods which help produce both for the country itself and also for exports. In an exclusive interview to Doordarshan News, Ms Sitharaman said, the way the goverment has designed the package, it would give immediate help to all those who need additional capital in order to kickstart the economy. She said, it will benefit both the demand and supply side.
On the call for restarting the economy during the epidemic, Ms Sitharaman said that she has kept open all options with reassurance that the government is ready to help.
Talking about the RBI’s recent decisions, Ms Sitharaman said, they have been very timely and made a lot of difference to the sentiments which prevail and also immediately make available affordable liquidity.
Ms Sitharaman also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking bold decisions to free farmers of historical shackles. She said, farmers can now choose to whom they want to sell their produce.
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations, CISCE has announced that it will conduct pending Class 10 and 12 exams,from 1st to 14th of July. Exams were postponed due to the Corona virus-induced nationwide lockdown,
CISCE Chief Executive and Secretary Gerry Arathoon said, while the exams for Class 12 students will be held from 2nd to 12th July, Class 10 students will appear for exams from 1st to 14th July. He asked schools to ensure social distancing is followed and directed candidates to carry hand sanitizers and wear face masks.
Air India has started booking of tickets for domestic flights from yesterday. In a tweet, the airline informed about it. Many private carriers like IndiGo, Vistara and SpiceJet have also resumed bookings for domestic flights. They have started accepting bookings on their websites.
Earlier, the government had announced that domestic flight operations would restart from Monday in a calibrated manner. The flight operations were suspended from 25th of March due to the imposition of lockdown in view of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad has instructed India Post to work towards realizing the vision of Prime Minister for an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The Minister of Communications, Electronics and Information Technology stressed on the need to provide logistics support for Indian systems of medicines that include Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha. He said, India Post should prepare strategic plan to become flag bearer of Indian supply chain through which agri-products, handicrafts and artisan products can be delivered. More from our correspondent
India Post has taken several steps to deliver essential items during the lockdown. In this period, India Post with its vast network of one lakh 56 thousand post offices, delivered mails and medicines, provided financial assistance at the doorsteps and distributed food and ration to needy people. More than two thousand tonnes of medicines and medical equipment were delivered to individuals and hospitals across the country. Around one thousand 500 crore rupees disbursed to around 85 lakh beneficiaries using Aadhaar enabled Payment System of India Post Payments Bank. Six lakh food and ration packets were distributed to labourers and 1,100 crore rupees disbursed in beneficiary accounts through direct benefit transfers. With Dipendra, Bhupendra Singh, Air News, Delhi.
In Gujarat, the State Government yesterday announced some more relaxations in order to normalize the public life during the lockdown four. Our correspondent reports that the odd-even formula for the opening of shops in non-containment zones will not be effective on shops providing essential services, Petrol pumps on the highways can operate round the clock in the state. The government also allowed dairy collection and dairy processing sector to operate from 7 A.M. to 7 P.M. in the evening.
As many as 392 patients were discharged from the various hospitals yesterday in the state. The number is higher than the 363 fresh cases that reported from the state. The total number of cases in the state rose to 13, 273 yesterday. More from our correspondent —
“The State Health Department said the rate of recovery in the state has improved to 44.3 per cent. The state still has 6,588 active patients of COVID-19 out of which 63 are on ventilator support. The mortality rate in the state remains alarming. The death toll crosses 800 mark yesterday. Meanwhile, the recovery rate in Ahmedabad has improved by around 140 per cent in the past two weeks which is a good sign. Additional Chief Secretary Rajiv Kumar Gupta said the civic administration has asked 42 private hospitals to provide 50 percent beds for the treatment of COVID-19. The number of cases in the city continues to rise. The mortality rate in Ahmedabad is also highest in the state. So far, the city reported a total of 9,724 cases and 645 deaths. Aparna Khunt, AIR News, Ahmedabad.”
The Bombay High Court has said that the right to a decent burial is recognized as a facet of the right to life and even in such a pandemic situation this right cannot be taken away from any person.
The division bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice S S Shinde dismissed a bunch of petitions challenging an April 9 circular issued by the Mumbai civic body designating 20 burial grounds and cemeteries in the city for disposing of bodies of persons who died due to COVID-19. More in this report —
“The Bombay High court noted that there is no scientific study or observation by WHO to show that novel Corona virus spreads through cadavers. The court rebuked the initial notification issued by the BMC which said burial of bodies of COVID-19 patients would not be permitted and said the corporation’s move to withdraw that circular and issue a fresh one is a timely move to restore sanity. The court ordered the civic body that proper management of disposal of dead bodies ought to have been worked out consistent with the recommendations of WHO and the government of India guidelines, as well as the sentiments of the members of the communities for whom burial of a dead member is an integral part of their religious belief and faith. The HC directed strict compliance of protective measures by state, BMC, families and second line workers who deal with the cadaver. WITH Nivedita,KUNAL, Air News, Mumbai.”
Maharashtra recorded 2,940 new Corona virus patients yesterday, which is the highest one-day spike so far. With this, the overall tally in the state has reached 44,582.
On the first day of resumption of intra-district bus service in Maharashtra yesterday, only 11,151 passengers traveled by the buses of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation. The state-run corporation operated 2,007 buses.
In Madhya Pradesh, the State Government has started fever clinics to make screening facilities for corona virus more easily available to people. Additional Chief Secretary Health Mohammad Suleman said the government is going to start fever clinics in every locality, ward and area both in the government and private sector. A report —
As per the official information, one thousand 391 Fever Clinics have started functioning in all districts of the state where health check-up on 42 thousand 151 people has already been conducted.
Of these, 30 thousand 555 people have been advised home isolation and samples of 6 thousand 50 people have been taken for Corona test.
Any person with symptoms of cold, cough, flu can go to the fever clinic and get their test done. Based on the investigation in the Fever Clinic, it can be sent to COVID Care Centre.
At the same time, the Social Justice and Disability Welfare Directorate have set up an eight-member cell to manage the homecoming of the Divyangs and the elderly during the Corona virus outbreak in the state. Divyangs and old age people can contact the control room of the directorate on 0755-2556916 for their problems. Sanjeev Sharma, AIR News, Bhopal.
In Uttar Pradesh, almost 85 per cent of industrial units have started working again after opening up of economic activities by the State Government. Minister of State for Industrial Development Satish Mahana said that production in these factories have started while maintaining the social distance and rest of the 15 per cent industrial units will soon start working.A REPORT
“Industrial Development minister Satish mahana said that while production units saw all time low in the month of March and April, after second phase of Lockdown work again started in industries and it is evident by the power load on industrial feeder also.
He said that return of migrant workers from states like Punjab Rajasthan Haryana Karnataka and Delhi has also gone in the favor of state as Industries here are getting more and more orders now. Citing the example of industrial units of state who are producing spare parts of cycles and auto rickshaws Mr Manana said that while production has not started in in other states due to lack of the workers now industries in UP are getting orders of such items. Some units are even getting 3 times extra order. He said that state has started 21 online services for the benefit of investors during lockdown. SUSHIL CHANDRA TIWARI, AIR NEWS, LUCKNOW”
In Karnataka, rural women’s Self-Help Groups formed under the National Rural Livelihood Mission have played a key role in COVID-19 pandemic containment measures launched by the State Government. More from our Correspondent —
“The Gram Panchayats in Karnataka utilized the team work of 11,80,000 Sanjeevinies comprising of rural women to educate villagers about the pandemic and its prevention. The Mission Director of Karnataka Rural Livelihood Promotion Society, Sanjeevini Dr. Mamtha B R spoke to AIR about the role played by groups of Sanjeevinies during the lockdown period in the state.
Dr. Mamtha informed that the rural women Self-Help Groups managed community kitchens, distributed food packets and vegetables and also conducted survey on the health status of family members in all the villages. Each member of the group earned between 500 to 800 rupees per day by selling masks and sanitizers to government departments, private retailers and individuals. Sudhindra, AIR News, Bengaluru.”
Tamil Nadu has recorded 786 new COVID-19 cases yesterday surging the total tally to 14,753. Chennai alone recorded 569 new cases taking the total number in the city to 9,364. Four Patients with comorbidity conditions died taking the total fatalities to 98. 846 people have been discharged leaving the active caseload at 7,524. More from our correspondent —
“In yet another step towards relaxing the lockdown conditions, running auto and cycle rickshaws has been permitted outside Chennai city limits. However, the service is restricted to be from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., for twelve hours a day. Even outside Chennai, the service would remain barred in containment areas. Those drivers living in such areas are not allowed to run them. Importantly, in an auto or cycle rickshaw, besides the driver, only one passenger is allowed to travel. The vehicles should carry hand sanitizers and the vehicle needs to be disinfected at least three times a day. It is said that gradually more such measures are set to be announced in the days to come. Jayasingh, AIR News, Chennai.”
Now, Let us take a look at the weather forecast for today.
National capital, Delhi will witness minimum temperature of 25 degrees Celsius and maximum of 45 degrees Celsius today. The capital city will experience another bout of heat wave.
Mumbai will witness partly cloudy sky. The minimum temperature in the city will be 28 degrees Celsius while maximum will remain around 35 degrees Celsius.
In the south, Chennai will see a partly cloudy sky. The temperature will hover between 29 and 41 degrees Celsius.
Kolkata will witness generally cloudy sky with light rain. The minimum temperature in the metropolis will witness 25 degrees Celsius while maximum will be around 32 degrees.
On to North, in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Jammu will witness minimum temperature of 24 degrees Celsius while maximum will be around 38 degrees Celsius. The city will observe partly cloudy sky. In Srinagar, the minimum temperature will be 13 degrees Celsius while maximum will be around 25 degrees celsius. The city will observe partly cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers. In Gilgit, the temperature will hover between 14 and 28 degrees Celsius. There will be generally cloudy sky in the city.
In Muzzafarabad, the sky will be generally cloudy. It will witnesses minimum temperature of 15 degrees Celsius while maximum temperature will be around 35 degrees Celsius.
In Abu Dhabi, Al Ain Zoo celebrated ‘World Turtle Day’ to encourage the international humanitarian action to conserve and protect the Oldest Creatures on Earth – turtles. World Turtle Day is an annual event that has been taking place since the year 2000 and was founded by American Tortoise Rescue. The purpose of World Turtle Day is to educate people about how to protect turtle and tortoise habitats.
Turtles can only crawl between 0.21 and 0.48 kilometre per hour but they can swim in water at speeds of up to 35 kilometres per hour.
NEWSPAPER HEADLINES
“PM hails Didi for Amphan relief, grants 1,000 crore rupees; Odisha 500 crore rupees” writes the Pioneer.
“RBI predicts economy to shrink, cuts key rate” headlines the Hindustan Times. The Tribune states “RBI slashes rates again to soften virus impact”.
“City tax revenue doubles in 1 month due to liquor sale, VAT on fuel” reports The Times of India, on the partial opening of the economy and levy of special corona fee on liquor, having a positive impact in Delhi.
Gurugram police suspends checking of movement passes at the border between 6-9 am and 5-8 pm daily, to prevent traffic congestion, notes the Hindustan Times on its front page.
“Healthy elderly can fly; Aarogya app not must for air travel” The Times of India quotes Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, also terming as “impractical”, calls for quarantining domestic flyers after they disembark.
The Page 1 Anchor in the Indian Express titled “Girl cycles father 1,200 km to Bihar — and hope follows” carries the story of willpower, of 15-year-old Jyoti, with the US President’s daughter Ivanka Trump joining social media to salute what she called a “beautiful feat of endurance”. Cycling Federation of India Chairman, Omkar Singh has invited Jyoti for a trial to ascertain if she can be groomed to pursue a career in cycling.