Online entertainment a hit among youth

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Online entertainment a hit among youth

A larger number of freshers, people below 25 years of age, and those in the age group of 25-45 year are spending more time watching TV/movies, playing games or on other online entertainment amid the ongoing nationwide lockdown to contain Covid-19 spread, according to the latest IANS-CVoter survey.

According to the survey, nearly 61.1 percent freshers were found hooked to online entertainment, while 50 percent of the ‘young’, the next category in the age profile, also agreed that they are spending most of their time watching TV or movies.

In the income group category, 55.6 percent people in the middle-income group are spending most of their time on online entertainment, whereas 53.5 percent in the lower income group said they are not spending much time on online entertainment.

It is apparent that people in the lower-income were caught up mitigating livelihood challenges, which emerged due to the lockdown. Yet, 39.6 per cent of the people from this category agreed on spending more time watching TV or movies.

Region wise, nearly 50 per cent of people in East, North and West India are spending more time watching TV or movies, while in the southern region, 34.2 percent of people are doing the same.

Education group wise, 43.3 percent people in the lower education groups are spending more time watching TV, while in the middle and higher education groups, more than 50 percent of the people are spending time on online entertainment.

In the social group category, 70.3 percent Christians, the highest in the group, are spending more time on online entertainment, while only 37.4 percent Sikhs, lowest in the group, are doing the same.

Location wise, the survey found that 54.7 percent of people in the semi-urban settings are spending more time watching TV or movies, while 42.6 percent of people in urban settings are doing the same.

 

477 new cases take Tamil Nadu Covid-19 tally to 10,585

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477 new cases take Tamil Nadu Covid-19 tally to 10,585

As many as 477 people tested Covid-19 positive and 939 patients were cured and discharged in Tamil Nadu on Saturday, according to the Health Department.

Three Covid-19 patients died, taking the toll to 74, it added.

The new cases took the state’s tally to 10,585. The new infections included, 93 people who had come to Tamil Nadu from Maharashtra (81), Gujarat (7), Andhra Pradesh (1) and Dhaka (4).

With 939 discharges during the day, the number of Covid-19 cured people in the state reached 3,588.

According to the government, 10,535 samples have been tested taking to total to over 3.13 lakh till date. Testing of 531 samples are under process.

Chennai continued to see the highest number of infections at 332, taking the total to 6,271.

The number of infected children in the age group 0-12 went up to 621. The total number of active cases in Tamil Nadu stands at 6,970.

People with lower education, income became more health conscious

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People with lower education, income became more health conscious

While about 20 percent of the people with lower education or income were taking care of their health before the lockdown, post the spread of the coronavirus, about 65 percent of those from the two categories have started taking care of their health, according to the latest IANS-CVoter survey.

The nationwide survey indicated that 65.4 percent of those with lower education have started taking care of their health since the lockdown and 64 percent of those in the lower income have been doing the same.

In terms of gender, about 20 percent of both males and females were taking care of their health before the coronavirus spread. Post the imposition of the lockdown, while 68 percent of males have started taking care of their health, 62 percent of the females have been doing the same.

Age wise, about 43 percent of those above 60 years were taking care of their health. Post the infection pread, the numbers have gone up to 49 percent.

After the lockdown, 72 percent of those below 25 years; 66 percent of those between 25 and 45 years; and 67 percent of those between 45 and 60 years have started taking care of their health.

Similarly, about 65 percent of people having lower, middle and higher education have started taking care of their health, up from about 20 percent earlier.

A huge jump can also be seen in people having lower and middle income — up from 20 percent before the lockdown to about 70 percent now.

While 32 percent of those from higher income groups were taking care of their health before the lockdown, the numbers have gone up to 56 percent now.

Power Ministry writes to states/UTs extending Rs 90K cr package

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Power Ministry writes to states/UTs extending Rs 90K cr package

The Ministry of Power has written to all states/UTs extending Rs 90,000 crore financial package to assist the stressed DISCOMs.

A communication in this regard was sent on May 14.

“The package for power sector will significantly reduce the burden of Discoms for maintaining distribution of electricity as supplied by gencos/transcos during these difficult times,” said Power Ninister R.K. Singh.

The government had on May 13 decided to make an infusion of liquidity of Rs 90,000 crore through Power Finance Corporation (PFC) and Rural Electrification Corporation (REC) as a part of the ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan’.

Under this intervention, REC and PFC would extend special long-term transition loans up to 10 years to DISCOMs.

The letter sent to States/UTs mentions that REC and PFC shall immediately extend loans to DISCOMs which have headroom for further borrowing within the working capital limits prescribed under UDAY.

Further, the DISCOMs that do not have headroom under UDAY working capital limits but have receivables from the state government in the form of electricity dues and subsidy not disbursed will also be eligible for these loans to the extent of receivables from the state government.

Since these loans are long-term and are not against the working capital requirement of the DISCOMs, with repayment security from the state government, UDAY Working capital limits will not be applicable.

In addition, the respective states may request for relaxation of the limit to the government of India for the DISCOMs that do not have receivables from states or headroom available under the working capital limits imposed under UDAY.

The letter says the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown has adversely affected the power sector finances, creating a situation of acute liquidity crisis across the value chain in the power sector as a consequence. In this situation, the liquidity infusion in the power sector value chain will help to tide over the cash flow problem. This money will help discoms to repay most of the money that they owe to power generators (Gencos) and transmission companies( Transcos). It will help restart the virtuous cycle of cash flow in the power sector.

The loans will be provided to the DISCOMs against guarantees by the state governments which will be used to clear liabilities of CPSE Gencos/Transco, IPP and RE generators. Total funding quantum will be about Rs 90,000 crore. The funding would be done in two tranches of Rs 45, 000 crore each, it adds.

To further lift the discoms out of the financial stress, the Power Ministry as per another communication issued on May 15 has decided to defer the fixed charge on power not scheduled of Central Gencos for lockdown period and it will be repaid in interest-free three equal instalments in subsequent months.

During the lockdown period, there has been a significant drop in demand because industrial and commercial units were closed.

According to the Power Purchase Agreements, Discoms pay a fixed charge to Gencos for all the contracted quantity, even if power is not drawn. This has burdened the Discoms because they have to pay for the power that was not used during the lockdown period.

They have also been suggested a rebate of 20-25 percent on power supplied (fixed cost) including Inter State Transmission Charges (ISTS) payable to PGCIL for the lockdown period. The Discoms have been asked to pass on these cost savings to the end consumers which will lead to reduction in electricity cost to the consumers.

People from the south most concerned about losing jobs

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People from the south most concerned about losing jobs

Theres no prize for guessing that it’s the low income group that has been the most concerned about the coronavirus outbreak in the country, but what may interest you is that among all the four regions of India, its the south of Vindhya that has most people freaking out over the prospect of job losses due to Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing nationwide lockdown, according to the latest IANS-CVoter Economy Battery survey.

When asked, “How concerned are you that you or someone in your household who is currently employed will lose his/her job because of the coronavirus outbreak”, 49.0 percent from South India said they are very concerned while 33.3 percent, 35.5 percent and 33.2 percent said the same from East, North and West India, respectively.

Even among people in the job within their households, 76.8 percent from South India responded by saying they are concerned about losing their jobs, 65.7 percent, 72.5 percent and 63.6 percent said the same from East, North and West India, respectively.

Among the pay grade strata, 43.0 percent belonging to the low income groups said they are very concerned that they may end up losing their jobs. From the middle income groups, 38.3 percent, and 16 percent from the high income groups said they are “very concerned” about losing their jobs.

Among the people in job within their concerned households, when asked to choose between ‘concerned’ or ‘not concerned’, 75. percent from the lower income groups said they are indeed concerned. However, that number fell to 67.5 percent when it came to MIG and further lower to 55.2 percent in the HIG category.

Women are more worked up than their male counterparts with the prospect of losing their jobs. As many as 41.0 per cent of women said they are very concerned while 34.1 per cent men said the same. A total of 22.6 per cent men said they are not at all concerned while just 18.9 per cent women said the same.

Religious wise, Sikhs seem to be the most concerned, as 59.1 per cent of them said they are way too perturbed at the thought of losing their jobs, while 48.3 per cent Christians, 38 per cent Muslims and 32.8 per cent upper caste Hindus said the same. The most comfortably placed, or so it seems, are those from the Scheduled Tribes as 21.3 per cent of them said they are “very concerned” that the pandemic may cost them their jobs.

Lockdown diaries: Payal Ghosh learns kickboxing

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Lockdown diaries: Payal Ghosh learns kickboxing

Actress Payal Ghosh loves to take up a sport and, considering the limitations right now, she is learning kickboxing.

She is taking lessons from digital platforms.

“I had weight issues. So I try to take up a sport which engages my body and mind. In kickboxing, the intensity is high. I burn a lot of calories and it engages the entire mind and the body. Moreover, it’s a great way of expression,” said Payal.

“I am just loving it and looking forward to taking it to the next level,” she added and urged all “my country people to follow all the protocols set up by the government. We would come out strong and hopefully soon. A huge salute to the health workers and the people who are protecting us”.

Last month, Payal had opened up on experiencing panic attacks a couple of years ago and how the medicines led to weight gain. The actress had also shared how she successfully battled the situation, regained shape and feels much fitter now.

Actor files complaint against imposter offering audition on behalf of Salman Khan Films

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Actor files complaint against imposter offering audition on behalf of Salman Khan Films

Television actor Aansh Arora has filed a complaint at Mumbai’s Oshiwara Police Station against an imposter trying to dupe him in the name of Salman Khan Films (SKF). The complaint was lodged on Friday.

On March 1, an impersonator, identified as Shruti, got in touch with Aansh pretending to represent Salman’s production house. Shruti informed the actor that she is “heads the casting at Salman Khan Films” and that they were looking for a “TV actor to portray a main role” in a film titled “Ek Tha Tiger 3”.

“She told me that she’s leading the casting of Salman Khan Films’ production ‘Ek Tha Tiger 3′ and they wanted to audition me for the lead negative role. She briefed me (on) the character and story as well,” Aansh told IANS.

The actor further revealed that he was asked to visit their office for a meeting and audition with director Prabhu Deva on March 3. However, Shruti later cancelled the meeting saying that the director was busy, and also informed Aansh that he had been shortlisted for the negative role on the basis of his profile and videos.

Asked about the specifics of the role he was offered, Aansh was informed that it is the role of the “main antagonist who is also the wrestler”, reveal screenshots of a conversation lying with IANS.

The hoax came to light on Thursday when Bollywood superstar Salman Khan took to Twitter to issue a statement where he categorically denied any such film was in the making right now. The actor also warned of taking legal action against impersonators.

“This is to clarify that neither I nor Salman Khan Films are casting for any film currently. We have not hired any casting agents for any of our future films. Please do not trust any emails or messages received by you for this purpose. Legal action will be taken if any party is found falsely using SKF or my name in any unauthorised manner,” Salman had said in his Twitter statement.

The superstar’s tweet acted as an eye-opener for Aansh. “Just when I saw Salman Khan’s tweet on this (matter) — that neither he nor Salman Khan Films production were casting for any film currently — that I realised (the truth),” shared the TV actor, who is a resident of Lokhandwala. The actor filed a police complaint against the imposter at Oshiwara Police Station the very next day.

Aansh Arora is not the only actor who has falled prey to the hoax. A few days ago, another television actor Vikkas Manaktala shared on Facebook how an impersonator pretending to be from SKF had approached him for a role in a film titled “Ek Tha Tiger 3”.

“Impersonator alert… Please be careful… The number doesn’t belong to Dipti R Sharma and the email id is fake… Skf.com is not Salman Khan Films’ domain… Please don’t be fooled by such impersonators.. #fakecasting #impersonator #becareful,” wrote Vikkas Manaktala on Facebook sharing a phone number and an email id.

When IANS tried reaching Shruti on the number mentioned in Aansh’s chat conversation as belonging to Shruti, nobody responded.

56.2% males took up child-care duties amid lockdown

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56.2% males took up child-care duties amid lockdown

Amid the ongoing nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, 56.2 percent of males have taken up child-care duties against 50.8 percent females, according to the latest IANS-CVoter Economy Battery survey.

According the survey, 49.3 percent males said ‘yes’, when they were queried on having taken up child-care duties during the nationwide lockdown, while 22.9 percent males said they have already been doing this. A total of 16 percent males said ‘no’, while 9.5 percent said the query was not applicable to them, which led to a nett of 56.2 percent.

When similar query was put to the females, 41.7 percent said ‘yes’ while 20.2 percent said ‘no’. A total of 29.3 percent females said they have been doing this already, while 8.5 percent said it was not applicable to them, taking the nett to 50.8 percent.

The survey found that 53.3 percent of those in the age group 25-45 years have taken up child-care duties during the lockdown.

Nearly 50 percent of people, who have taken up child-care duties, belong to the lower education group, while 33.6 percent belong to the higher education group.

The survey also found that 49.3 percent of people involved in child-care duties are from the middle income group and 46.4 percent from the lower income group.

In terms of social groups, 58.5 percent of Muslims have taken up child-care duties, highest in the group, followed by 53.9 percent Schedule Tribes, 48.3 percent Sikhs and 32.7 percent Christians.

Region wise, in the east and west, 50 percent people have taken up child-care duties, followed by north at 48 percent and south at 32.4 percent.

The urban region recorded the highest number of people taking up child-care duties at 47.5 percent.

Lizaa Malik does virtual workouts with her girl gang

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Lizaa Malik does virtual workouts with her girl gang

Actress Lizaa Malik is not compromising on her fitness even during these gloomy days, and she has her girl gang with her on this.

After a virtual party, she and her friends engage in virtual workouts.

“Me and my friends are all trying to stay healthy and make the best of the situation at hand. We get on a video conferencing and we do our workouts. Obviously the buzz and the bustle of the gym is missing but it’s not bad,” said Lizaa.

“We are enjoying the workouts and we have hit good momentum. Let’s see how things go. Till then we will keep to our virtual workouts day in and day out,” she added.

On the work front, Lizaa was last seen in the web series “Who’s Your Daddy?” for which she had followed different diet charts.

Bruce Willis slips into his ‘Armageddon’ spacesuit

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Bruce Willis slips into his ‘Armageddon’ spacesuit

Hollywood star Bruce Willis is ready to “save the world” in his “Armageddon” spacesuit.

The 65-year-old actor pulled out his iconic orange spacesuit from the 1998 film “Armageddon” that, according to his daughter Rumer Willis, he calls his “saving the (world) outfit”, amid the COVID-19 pandemic, reports usatoday.com.

Rumer shared an Instagram picture of her father donning the complete costume.

She said his spacesuit is the “actual one from Armageddon”, and after 22 years, the orange costume still fits him well.

Willis has been quarantining since March in Iowa with ex-wife Demi Moore and the couple’s three children: Rumer, Scout and Tallulah, 26.

He also shares daughters Evelyn Penn, and Mabel Ray, with his current wife, Emma Heming Willis

Dalai Lama teaches ways to tackle negative emotions amid pandemic

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Dalai Lama teaches ways to tackle negative emotions amid pandemic

Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, after a three-month-long break from all engagements since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, began two-day virtual teaching on Saturday on tackling negative emotions of fear and anxiety precipitated by the global health crisis.

Drawing from the teachings of Buddhist scholar, Nagarjuna in his text, ‘Precious Garland’, he said the analytical and scientific approach of the Nalanda tradition, forming the base for Tibetan Buddhism, is precise in the study of the workings of human mind, according to a post on the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA).

He compared it to quantum physics that makes a distinction between appearance and reality.

“Appearance can be misleading, an object can be dissected into the tiniest molecule. While inherently the object holds no fixed meaning, we as observers ascribe meaning to the object. Therefore, we should instead seek an objective reality”.

His Holiness observed how materialistic development with its comfort and ease has brought along the human ignorance towards inner peace, so much that even materially successful people feel discontent.

The antidote to this discontent is the understanding that mental and emotional wellbeing is central to self-confidence and happiness.

Tibetan Buddhist philosophy espouses the transformation of mind as the key to achieving peace and happiness within oneself and in the world at large.

Especially relevant in the present circumstances, the spiritual leader spoke on the interdependence of all living beings — “an individual is reliant on community to survive which teaches us to strive for kindness and compassion towards one another, qualities intrinsic to human nature.”

Similarly in the COVID-19 crisis that the world is facing today, the Nobel Peace laureate stressed global cooperation and focus on “what unites us as members of one human family”.

In this vein, he called upon all citizens of the world to also pay attention to the long-term issue of global climate change that has been set in motion and are expected to have far-reaching consequences within the next two decades.

His Holiness will resume the teachings on Sunday.

When Aamir Khan didn’t offer curd rice to ‘hungry’ Deepika Padukone

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When Aamir Khan didn’t offer curd rice to ‘hungry’ Deepika Padukone

She was hungry and he was having curd rice in front of her, but he did not offer her a bite even once. At least, that is Deepika Padukone’s allegation against Aamir Khan!

On Saturday, Deepika shared a “major throwback” photo from 2000 when Aamir Khan visited their place. In the photo, the actor can be seen sitting on a sofa along with teenager Deepika and the rest of her family.

“Major throwback to 1st January, 2000. I was 13 and awkward. I still am. He was having lunch. Curd Rice to be precise. I was hungry, like I always am. But he didn’t offer and I didn’t ask… #random #anecdote @_aamirkhan,” captioned the actress.

Commenting on Deepika’s post, hubby Ranveer Singh commented: “Major throwback indeed.”

On the work front, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh will next be seen in Kabir Khan’s “83”.

 


 

Higher income group tops in panic buying

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Higher income group tops in panic buying

India’s higher income group purchased groceries and supplies more than their normal needs during the lockdown imposed to fight the coronavirus pandemic, according to the latest IANS-CVoter Economy Battery survey.

As per the survey, 27 percent of the higher income group bought certain groceries and supplies more amid the lockdown than they normally used to purchase. Among this group, 58.5 per cent purchased normal supplies, while 3.4 percent bought less than what they used to buy.

The survey showed how people resorted to panic buying despite the government’s assurance that there won’t be any shortage in the supply of essential goods.

The middle income group followed the higher income group in panic buying with 24.4 percent purchasing these items more than their consumption levels. A total of 47.2 percent of the people bought normal items, while 27 per cent purchased less.

As per the survey, the purchasing capacity of the lower-income group, however, decreased drastically as 42 percent bought less grocery than their normal routine. An estimated 37.5 percent of people in this group bought these items in a normal way, while 16.8 percent bought more than they did otherwise.

Surprisingly, 26.5 percent of people in the higher education group purchased goods more than their normal requirement, followed by 20.3 percent in the lower education group and 19.4 percent in the middle education group.

At least 23.7 percent of people residing in semi-urban areas bought more, while the figure was 20 percent in the urban areas and 17.8 percent in the rural areas.

Eastern, southern and western parts of India bought more than normal groceries and supplies at 23.8 percent, 22.6 percent and 22.5 percent, respectively, while 14.9 percent showed similar trend in the northern part of the country.

Going by ethnic groups, 50.9 percent Christians purchased goods more than they normally did, followed by 34 percent Scheduled Tribes (ST), 22.5 percent upper caste Hindus, 21.4 percent Muslims, 19.2 percent Scheduled Caste (SC), 14 percent Other Backward Classes (OBC), 9.2 percent Sikhs and 48.3 percent others.

Age group wise, 26 percent aged below 25 year years purchased more, followed by 22.2 percent aged between 25 and 45 years and 19 percent aged between 45 and 60 years.

As per the survey, only 11.4 percent people aged 60 years and above bought more groceries.

Gender wise, 23 percent females purchased more as compared to 18.9 percent males.

Rajat Barmecha: ‘Udaan’ a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

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Rajat Barmecha: ‘Udaan’ a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

Vikramaditya Motwanes “Udaan” had premiered at Cannes Film Festival in May 2010 and went on to garner universal acclaim. Actor Rajat Barmecha, who shot to fame with his portrayal of a 17-year-old boy Rohan in the film, has come a long way since then.

Over the past decade since the film’s release, Rajat has explored himself professionally as an actor and also spiritually as a person.

” ‘Udaan’ is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Any actor in this world would love to get a debut like that, and I was fortunate enough to get one. It’s been an amazing journey since then,” said Rajat.

” ‘Udaan’ made me the actor I am today. The root of all that I know about filmmaking and my craft as an actor comes from ‘Udaan’ and my director Vikramaditya Motwane. He taught me a lot about cinema and filmmaking in general,” he added.

On the personal front, life has been beautiful, he says.

“I learnt and explored so many things about myself since ‘Udaan’, especially in the past five years. I have been backpacking solo. Travelling and spirituality have made me grow as an actor and more importantly as a human being. There is nothing in this world that can teach you what travelling does,” said the actor, who was seen in the 2016 series “Girl In The City” starring Mithila Palkar.

“‘Today at 31 when I look back at myself when ‘Udaan’ happened, I realise how much I have grown. At 21, I was naive. I wanted to do too much. I gave all my energies to money and a career, but today I give more importance to quality of life. I am still very raw and honest with myself as I was at 21, and that’s one thing I love about myself and don’t want to change ever. But at the same time I have matured as a soul,” he said.

“Today, I am doing projects that interest me. Acting is something I love and will continue forever but today by living I mean actually living my life to the fullest. That is my top priority and that’s the reason every single day of my life, I do exactly what I want to do. I am living my best life,” he said.

Beware of mobile banking malware EventBot, warns CERT-In

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Beware of mobile banking malware EventBot, warns CERT-In

An Android mobile banking malware called “EventBot” which steals user data from financial applications is spreading, warns the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In).

This mobile banking Trojan abuses Android’s in-built accessibility features to steal user data, read user SMS messages and intercept SMS messages, allowing malware to bypass two-factor authentication, the cybersecurity agency said in its advisory this month.

EventBot targets over 200 different financial applications, including banking applications, money-transfer services, and cryptocurrency wallets, or financial applications based in the US and Europe region at the moment but some of their services may affect Indian users as well.

The malware largely targets financial applications like Paypal Business, Revolut, Barclays, UniCredit, CapitalOne UK, HSBC UK, TransferWise, Coinbase, paysafecard etc., said CERT-In.

While EventBot has not been seen on Google Play Store yet, it uses several icons to masquerade as a legitimate application.

EventBot is using third-party application downloading site to infiltrate into the victim device, the CERT-In warned.

“Once installed on victim’s Android device, it asks permissions such as controlling system alerts, reading external storage content, installing additional packages, accessing Internet, whitelisting it to ignore battery optimisation, prevent processor from sleeping or dimming the screen, auto-initiate upon reboot, receive and read SMS messages, and continue running and accessing data in the background,” the cybersecurity agency said in its advisory.

Further, the malware prompts the users to give access to their device accessibility services.

“Also, it can retrieve notifications about other installed applications and read contents of other applications. Over the time, it can also read Lock Screen and in-app PIN that can give attacker more privileged access over victim device,” the advisory said.

To help users prevent the malware infection into Android phones, the cyber-security agency recommended certain counter-measures.

“Do not download and install applications from untrusted sources (offered via unknown websites/ links on unscrupulous messages),” it said.

It also asked users to install updated anti-virus solution on Android devices.

Ministry wants better monitoring in 30 municipal areas with 80% corona cases

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Ministry wants better monitoring in 30 municipal areas with 80% corona cases

The Union Health Ministry on Saturday said officials of 30 municipal areas contributing 80% of Covid-19 cases should maintain high vigilance and monitoring in areas of old cities, urban slums and other high- density pockets along with camps for migrant workers to manage COVID-19 in urban areas.

Health Secretary Preeti Sudan held a high-level review meeting with the Principal Health Secretaries, Municipal Commissioners, district magistrates (DMs) and other officials from the 30 municipal areas which are contributing almost 80% of the country’s Covid-19 cases.

The officials of these 30 municipal areas were informed about the management of indicators such as the high doubling rate, high case fatality rate and high confirmation percentages seen in the containment zones.

“It was also highlighted that especially in the densely populated urban areas, more challenges need to be considered such as poor socio-economic conditions, limited health infrastructure, lack of social distancing and issues faced by women among others factors”, said a statement issued by the Health Ministry.

It highlighted that the geographic area of the containment zones should be defined based on factors such as mapping of cases & contacts, geographical dispersion of cases and contacts, area with well-demarcated perimeter and enforceability.

These 30 municipal areas are from the following States/UTs: Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Odisha.

The Health Secretary also emphasized that along with the containment and management of COVID-19 cases, the issue of continuing all essential non-COVID health services in the urban localities such as RMNCHA+N care, cancer treatment, TB surveillance, immunization efforts and vector control measures in view of the ensuing monsoon need to be ensured.

The Health Ministry asked the municipal areas to focus on effective risk communication in order to build trust and confidence. The ministry asked the officials concerned to engage with community leaders and local opinion leaders who could accompany the local surveillance teams to encourage cooperation from the local communities.

“Mumbai shared its experience of ‘containment leaders’, who were local community elders and leaders working with ward officers to support the government efforts in encouraging the people particularly in the slum clusters”, said the statement.

According to the ministry, a total of 30,150 people have been cured. “In the last 24 hours, 2233 patients were found cured. This takes the total recovery rate to 35.09%. The total number of confirmed cases is now 85,940. Since yesterday, an increase of 3,970 has been noted in the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in India”, said the ministry.

The Health Secretary also emphasized that attention needs to be accorded to timely tracing of patients to improve recovery percentage, SARI/ILI surveillance and more effective human resource management.

People with higher income, education spending more time on hobbies

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People with higher income, education spending more time on hobbies

About 50 percent of people with higher education and income have started spending more time on hobbies amid the Covid-19 induced lockdown, according to the latest IANS-CVoter Economy Battery survey.

The nationwide survey indicated that about 55.7 percent of people with higher education and about 49.6 percent of those from the higher income group have been spending more time on hobbies during the lockdown.

Also, in terms of gender, 35 percent male have started spending more time on hobbies, while 38.5 percent female have started doing the same. However, 50 percent of female respondents and 49.5 percent of male respondents have opted for ‘no’ in the survey.

In terms of age group, 42 percent of people below the age of 25 years have started spending more time on hobbies during the lockdown, while 39 percent of those between the age of 25 and 45 years have been doing the same since the lockdown was imposed.

As many as 32 percent of those between 45 and 60 years of age have been indulging their time in pursuing their hobbies, while only 26.8 percent of those above 60 years of age have been doing the same.

In terms of educational qualification, 30 percent of those having lower education have started spending more time on hobbies, while about 45 percent of those in the middle education group have started doing the same.

A similar pattern was visible in the income category. About 32 percent of those from the lower income groups have been spending more time on hobbies, while about 39 percent of those from the middle income groups have been doing the same.

The 21-day nationwide lockdown was imposed on March 25. While it was to end on April 14, it was extended till May 3 and later to May 17. However, certain relaxations were given after May 4.

South Central Railway develops RAIL-BOT for patient care in hospitals

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South Central Railway develops RAIL-BOT for patient care in hospitals

Amid increased attention to physical distancing, South Central Railway (SCR) Zone of Indian Railways has developed a robotic device equipped to effectively manage patient care in hospitals.

The robotic device, christened “RAIL BOT” (R-BOT) has been developed by Hem Singh Banoth, Additional Divisional Railway Manager, Hyderabad Division, SCR and his team. it has undergone extensive trials and demonstration before its use at the Central Railway Hospital, Secunderabad.

SCR officials said the R-BOT can be operated by using Android mobile app and radio frequency (RF) remote control.

R-BOT is being used to provide medicines, medical accessories, and to serve food to the patients, taking away the need for human contact in such activities.

As a result, doctors, nurses and other support medical staff are better placed to stay away from the risks of contacting infections.

The R-BOT is operated through a unique mobile application, and supported by Wi-Fi facility. Using sensor-based features, the robot can read the body temperature of patients, and transmit it for display on a mobile phone.

It is also capable of raising an alarm in case of any abnormally high body temperature readings to alert medics attending to the patients.

The R-BOT is equipped with a real-time video camera that has pan & tilt functions. The robot also performs as a two-way audio and video communication with recording facility, helping in a smooth interaction between patients and doctors.

It uses infra-red technology with emergency night lamp & night vision to enable communication even in complete darkness. It can circumvent any foreign objects in its path with the help of inbuilt observation avoidance sensors.

Moving at a speed of 1 kmph and a load-carrying capacity of 80 kg, the R-Bot is capable of continuously functioning for six hours on a single charge of battery.

SCR officials said that plans are afoot to further innovate and develop the R-BOT, in terms of optimal functional efficiency, which can lead to more widespread use of the device at the medical facilities in the railway zone.

Gavaskar picks Hanif Mohammad & Sehwag to open in his Ind-Pak XI

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Gavaskar picks Hanif Mohammad & Sehwag to open in his Ind-Pak XI

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar made a combined India and Pakistan XI out of players that he would love to see play. He admitted that this may not be the best eleven players that may have represented the two sides statistically, but these are players that he would like to see playing together.

Interacting with former Pakistan skipper Ramiz Raja on the Sony Ten show Pit Stop and a part of the Blue Revolution Series which was streamed live on the network’s Facebook page, Gavaskar said that regardless of what happens if this team actually played or not, he expects the dressing room to be “hilarious.” It will be difficult to get the boys out of the dressing room because they will be having so much fun.

Gavaskar chose the an opening pair of Virender Sehwag and the legendary Pakistan batsman Hanif Mohammad, who was the first batsman outside of Australia and England, to score a triple century in Test cricket and who was originally called the ‘Little Master’ before the title was assumed by Gavaskar himself and later Sachin Tendulkar.

Pakistan great Zaheer Abbas comes in at no.3 and India’s Sachin Tendulkar follows. Former India batsman Gundappa Viswanath comes in at no.5 while Kapul Dev slots in at no.6. Imran Khan followed suit after which Gavaskar chose Syed Kirmani as his wicketkeeper. Wasim Akram, Abdul Qadir and former Indian leg spinner BS Chandrashekhar completed the team.

Gavaskar’s India-Pakistan XI: Hanif Mohammad, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Abbas, Sachin Tendulkar, Gundappa Viswanath, Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Syed Kirmani, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Abdul Qadir

HC, subordinate courts to perform limited functions till May 23

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HC, subordinate courts to perform limited functions till May 23

The Delhi High Court has extended suspension of its as well as subordinate courts’ full functioning till May 23 in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis.

“The administrative and general supervision committee of this court, while considering further extension of suspended functioning of this and the courts subordinate to it, has been pleased to order that the functioning of the courts subordinate to Delhi High Court shall continue to remain suspended till May 23,” said an order signed by Delhi High Court Registrar General Manoj Jain.

While the arrangement regarding mentioning and hearing of the urgent matters would continue, the high court has increased the number of single-judge benches to 10. The subordinate courts would continue to take up urgent matters related to bail, stay/injunction as per the directions already issued, it said.

“All the courts shall also take up the matters ready for final arguments, while giving preference to more than 10-year-old cases and cases where the accused is in the judicial custody. MM (mahila courts) shall take up matters in which interim urgent relief has been sought under the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 1985. Rent controllers/additional rent controller shall take up matters in which application seeking leave to contest/defend is pending disposal in the cases filed on the ground of bonafide requirement,” the court said.

It also said no adverse order should be passed by the subordinate courts without giving hearing through video link or without having written submissions from the concerned counsel.

On Friday, taking suo motu cognizance of the “extraordinary circumstances” arising out of nationwide lockdown, the Delhi High Court extended till June 15 all the interim orders passed by it or by district courts that were subsisting on or after May 15.

A full court Bench of the high court said there would be extension except in the matter where orders had been passed by the Supreme Court during the intervening period.

“In case, the extension of the interim order causes any hardship of an extreme nature to any party to such proceeding, they are at liberty to avail appropriate remedy as per law,” stated the Bench, headed by Chief Justice D.N. Patel.

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