PM speaks Maha, Guj, Goa CMs over Tauktae preparation, impact

TB Team
-
0
PM speaks Maha, Guj, Goa CMs over Tauktae preparation, impact

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday spoke to the Chief Ministers of Maharashtra, Gujarat, and Goa and the Lt Governor of Daman and Diu over their preparedness to deal with severe cyclonic storm Tauktae.

In a telephonic conversation with Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, and Daman and Diu Lt Governor Praful Patel, he took stock of the situation and preparedness to deal with the cyclonic storm if it impacts these states and the UT, more than what was expected.

The Prime Minister also assured all possible Central assistance to these states and the UT, informing that the National Disaster Response Forces (NDRF) teams are also active in relief and rescue operations.

Thackeray told Modi that the administration in the state is fully alert.

Earlier in the day, Maharashtra CM’s Office tweeted, “CM Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray is closely monitoring the Cyclone Tauktae situation in the state.”

So far, 12,420 residents of the coastal areas were relocated to safer places, and Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar districts were on orange alert while Raigad district was on red alert.

Sawant said that the Prime Minister called to enquire about the impact of cyclone Tauktae on the state, and assured all possible assistance from the Central government.

The Gujarat Chief Minister’s Office said that the Prime Minister, in a telephonic conversation with Rupani, discussed the preparations of the state to face cyclone Tauktae. “PM also expressed his readiness for all help from the Central government to the state,” it said.

Cyclonic storm Tauktae is very likely to reach Gujarat coast on Monday evening and make landfall between Porbandar and Mahuva (Bhavnagar district) during early hours on Tuesday as a very severe cyclonic storm with a maximum sustained surface wind speed of 155-165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph.

Telangana told to avoid steroids in Covid kits

TB Team
-
0
Telangana told to avoid steroids in Covid kits

The Telangana High Court on Monday directed the state health authorities to ensure that there are no steroids in medicine kits being distributed among people with Covid-19 symptoms.

Stating that Mucormycorsis or Black Fungus is a matter of concern, the court observed that steroids should not be given without a doctor’s prescription.

Hearing a batch of public interest litigations on Covid-related matters, a bench of Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice B. Vijaysen Reddy asked the health department to be cautious in view of the reports that misuse of steroids is causing Black Fungus among Covid-19 patients.

When the court wanted to know if the medicine kits being distributed contain steroids, Advocate General B. S. Prasad said he would check with the officials concerned and inform the court.

The bench also asked the government to submit a detailed report as to how it plans to tackle Black Fungus.

The court was also informed that the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Hospital at King Koti in Hyderabad has been designated to treat Black Fungus infected people.

The court also wanted to know from the government about its strategy to deal with the likely third wave of Covid. The court suggested that the government should prepare in advance for the third wave.

It also directed the court to constitute a task force to look into complaints that private hospitals are fleecing patients. There should be a task force where an aggrieved patient could lodge a complaint.

It also wanted the government to fix maximum rates for Covid-related treatment in hospitals to stop them from overcharging patients. When the government brought to the notice of the court that it has already issued a GO in this regard, the court felt that a fresh GO is required in view of the changes in treatment modalities. It wanted to know why there is no capping for various medical investigations and rates for PPE kits and other items.

It asked the government to issue in 48 hours GO fixing the maximum charges and display it on the official website.

The court once again pulled up the state authorities for not doing enough tests. It wanted to know why the health department is not conducting one lakh tests daily despite repeated directions.

The court also expressed its unhappiness over the department not providing a break up of RT-PCR and Rapid Antigen tests in the report submitted to it.

When the petitioners brought to the court’s notice that 15 out of 500 teachers contracted Coronavirus while attending duties for recently held elections in the state and later died, the court directed the government to treat the deceased teachers as ‘Covid warriors’. It wanted the government to extend all benefits to the families of these teachers which are being given to other ‘Covid warriors’.

It also felt that community kitchens are the need of the hour. When the whole family is infected, someone has to reach their door with food. It suggested that the resident welfare associations and various housing societies need to be roped in for Covid relief.

Some petitioners brought to the court’s notice that 390 hospitals on the Telangana dashboard don’t treat Covid patients. The court remarked that this is misleading and asked the authorities to update the dashboard.

The Director-General of Police also submitted a report on the implementation of lockdown and the action taken against the violators.

The police also submitted to the court videos taken at different places in Hyderabad on the occasion of Eid to monitor any violations during the lockdown. The bench expressed its satisfaction over the effective implementation of lockdown during the festival and patted the police commissioners of Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Rachakonda.

Jio constructs largest international submarine cable system centred on India

TB Team
-
0
Jio constructs largest international submarine cable system centred on India

Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (Jio) is constructing the largest international submarine cable system centered in India.

Jio, in conjunction with several key global partners and world-class submarine cable supplier SubCom, is currently deploying two next-generation cables to support the extraordinary growth in data demand across the region.

The India-Asia-Xpress (IAX) system connects India eastbound to Singapore and beyond, while the India-Europe-Xpress (IEX) system connects India westbound to the Middle East and Europe.

The systems will seamlessly interconnect as well as connect to the world’s top interexchange points and content hubs for extension of service globally. IAX and IEX will enhance the ability for consumer and enterprise users to access content and cloud services in and out of India, said a company statement said.

It said that for the first time in the history of fiber optic submarine telecommunications, these systems place India at the center of the international network map, recognizing India’s increased importance, staggering growth, and the quantum shift in data use since the launch of Jio services in 2016.

This high capacity and high-speed systems will provide more than 200Tbps of capacity spanning over 16,000 kilometers. Employing open system technology and the latest wavelength switched RoADM/branching units ensures rapid upgrade deployment and the ultimate flexibility to add/drop waves across multiple locations.

“Jio is at the forefront of India’s explosive growth in digital services and data consumption. To meet the demands of Streaming Video, Remote Workforce, 5G, IoT, and beyond, Jio is taking a leadership role in the construction of the first of its kind, India-centric IAX, and IEX subsea systems,” said Mathew Oommen, President, Reliance Jio.

“Implementing these critical initiatives in the shadow of a global pandemic is a challenge, but the ongoing pandemic has only accelerated the digital transformation and the necessity of high-performance global connectivity for the delivery of a richer experience to enterprises and consumers.”

The IAX system connects India, the world’s fastest-growing economy, to Asia Pacific markets with express connectivity from Mumbai and Chennai to Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore. The IEX system extends India’s connectivity to Italy, landing in Savona, and additional landings in the Middle East and North Africa.

Apart from the seamless connection of the IAX and IEX sub-sea systems, the two systems are also connected to the Reliance Jio Global Fiber Network beyond the Asia Pacific and Europe, connecting to both the east and west coast of the USA. IAX is expected to be ready for service in mid2023, while IEX will be ready for service in early 2024.

Govt has failed but gratitude to heroes serving others: Rahul

TB Team
-
0
Govt has failed but gratitude to heroes serving others: Rahul

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has hailed the heroes who are continuously serving the people even though the government has failed.

Rahul Gandhi on Monday tweeted, “While GOI has failed not just in managing Covid crisis but also in standing with the people, there are numerous individual stories of strength and altruism every day. Immense gratitude to these heroes dedicated to serving others and showing the world what India truly stands for.”

Rahul Gandhi earlier slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying ventilators provided by PM CARES don’t work and there is a lot in common between the PM and these ventilators.

“There’s a lot common between PM Cares ventilators and the PM himself: too much false PR, don’t do their respective jobs and nowhere in sight when needed,” he said in a tweet.

His remarks came two days after Modi ordered an “immediate” audit of installation and operation of ventilators provided by the central government.

This comes against the backdrop of reports about ventilators supplied under the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and Relief in Emergency Situations (PM CARES) Fund lying unutilized in some states, even as Covid-19 patients are gasping for breath due to medical oxygen shortage.

According to the government, PM CARES Fund has allocated Rs 2,000 crore for supplying 50,000 ventilators in government-run Covid hospitals in the states and Union territories.

“The Prime Minister took serious note of some reports about ventilators lying unutilized in storage in some states and directed that an immediate audit of installation and operation of ventilators provided by the central government should be carried out. The Prime Minister added that refresher training for properly operating ventilators should be provided to healthcare workers if necessary,” the statement issued on Saturday said.

Railways has delivered over 10K MT LMO to various states: Chairman

TB Team
-
0
Railways has delivered over 10K MT LMO to various states: Chairman

The Indian Railways has been able to deliver over 10,000 MT of oxygen across the country, Railway Board Chairman Suneet Sharma said on Monday.

Addressing a virtual press conference, he said: “Reached milestone of carrying 10,000 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen on Monday morning on Oxygen Express. Oxygen Express delivered the life-saving gas to 13 states.”

Noting 800 MT oxygen has been transported on a daily basis, Sharma said that 269 Oxygen Expresses have delivered 10,302 MT of LMO to different states since April 19.

He also said that the railways also made ramps at several stations to load oxygen tankers onto the railway wagons.

Sharma also said that the railways have 4,176 isolation coaches which have been stationed at several stations in different states at the request of state governments.

He said that at the request of the Delhi government, the railways provided 50 coaches at Shakur Basti railway station and 25 coaches at Anand Vihar railway station. At Shakur Basti, five patients have been admitted in the isolation ward coaches.

The railways also provided 60 isolation ward coaches to the Maharashtra government, out of which 24 coaches are stationed at Nandurbar station where 120 patients are currently admitted, 12 coaches at Ajni station where 14 patients have been admitted, and 24 coaches at Palghar station where 10 patients are admitted.

Sharma said in Madhya Pradesh, 20 coaches at Bhopal have 31 patients admitted and 22 coaches at Indore have another 31 patients.

He said that the railways provided 20 coaches in Gujarat, 50 in Uttar Pradesh, 71 in Assam, and 20 in Tripura’s Agartala.

Across the country, a total of 211 patients have been admitted in these isolation ward coaches, he said.

The Railways Board Chairman also pointed out that despite the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the railways have been able to achieve a maximum loading of 1,232 MT in the financial year 2020-21, and in April this year, it recorded the highest-ever loading of 111.53 MT of freight.

He said this May, railways have already loaded 58 MT of freight as compared to 53 MT in the same period last year.

He said that the national transporter has taken all precautions against Cyclone Tauktae, and was ready with all the arrangements to deal with it, and also in touch with the state governments to take corrective measures in advance.

He said that the railways are currently running 1,005 mail or express trains, 3,893 suburbans, and 517 passenger trains. He said that the trains are being rationalized, based on occupancy.

To a question about how many railway employees have been vaccinated for Covid, he said as of now, 4.32 lakh employees have been inoculated and the railways are also in touch with state governments for the vaccination of its employees.

NZ refuses to visit India for Hockey Pro League games

TB Team
-
0
NZ refuses to visit India for Hockey Pro League games

The Indian men’s hockey team lost an opportunity to test its competitive skill after its FIH Hockey Pro League home matches against New Zealand this month were postponed as the opponents refused to visit India due to the raging Corona pandemic.

The two matches were to be held on May 29 and 30 in Bhubaneswar.

“Due to the second coronavirus wave in India, the New Zealand men’s hockey team has refused to travel to Odisha to play the Pro League matches against India,” a source told IANS on Monday.

The matches would have also helped India prepare for the Olympic Games, scheduled to start on July 23 in Tokyo.

Earlier, the Indian men’s team’s Europe tour to play a series of Pro League matches were put off, again due to the pandemic.

The Great Britain leg of Pro League in London on May 8 and 9 was postponed as Indians were denied visas because coronavirus cases surged in India. The Spanish leg of the league in Valencia on May 15 and 16 was also postponed as the team couldn’t travel to Spain.

Germany, too, restricted travelers from India, and the hockey team couldn’t play matches on May 22 and 23 in Hamburg.

Last month, India competed in the Argentina leg of the Pro League. Since then the core group of 33 players has been training at the Sports Authority of India training center in Bengaluru.

Chhattisgarh CM proposes to allow 20% oxygen for industrial use

TB Team
-
0
Chhattisgarh CM proposes to allow 20% oxygen for industrial use

A day after Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow oxygen for industrial use in the state, the CM on Monday wrote to Union Minister for Industries and Commerce Piyush Goyal demanding that steel industries be allowed to use 20 per cent of the oxygen produced in Chhattisgarh.

In the letter, the Chief Minister said that the total daily oxygen production capacity of various units of Chhattisgarh is 462 MT. Under normal circumstances, oxygen is supplied to the steel makers of the state by the oxygen manufacturers. But due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases, the Central government had banned the industrial use of oxygen to ensure medical oxygen supply in the country.

It was ensured by the state government that in this time of national crisis, all the oxygen producers of the state supplied oxygen to other states according to their requirement and demand.

During the discussion with the Chief Minister over the telephone on May 16 and a video conference with chief ministers to discuss the corona situation, the Prime Minister had assured Baghel that he will consider his request to allow the use of oxygen in Chhattisgarh in an 80:20 ratio.

The chief minister also held discussions over the telephone with Union Minister for Industries and Commerce Piyush Goyal on the issue and was asked by the minister to send a proposal in this regard.

“As on 15 May 2021, 114.93 MT of oxygen was supplied to the corona patients of the state and 175.27 MT of oxygen to other states. Whereas on April 28, 2021, the total requirement of oxygen of the state was 149.83 MT and the total requirement of other states was supplied by the state’s oxygen manufacturers at 340.18 MT,” Baghel said.

The Chief Minister mentioned that oxygen-producing units are suffering due to lack of demand and all the steel-making units of the state are closed due to lack of oxygen, due to which millions of laborers have become unemployed.

Keeping these circumstances in view, it is requested that the steel makers of the state should be allowed the use of 20 percent quantity (92 MT) of oxygen produced in the state, he said.

He added that the corona situation is constantly improving and the availability of oxygen is sufficient and accordingly 20 percent oxygen can be provided to the industries.

If the demand for additional medical oxygen arises, the supply of oxygen to the steel-making units can be stopped immediately, he said.

Shilpa Shetty: Please don’t neglect your health, food, sleep or water intake

TB Team
-
0
Shilpa Shetty: Please don’t neglect your health, food, sleep or water intake

Shilpa Shetty Kundra took to social media on Monday to remind netizens that they need to be gentle towards themselves at a time when the nation is battling the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“To be able to stay united and help each other, we need to be gentle with ourselves. Prioritise what needs and deserves your attention before everything else. Please don’t neglect your health, your food, your sleep, or even your water intake,” the actress tweeted.

“When you feel everything around you is overwhelming; straighten your back, release your tongue hitting the roof of your mouth, and loosen your shoulders. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. You can ensure everyone around you is okay only when you are okay. #MondayMotivation,” she further wrote.

The actress is gearing up to return to the screen after over a decade. She will be seen in the films “Nikamma” and “Hungama 2” soon. Her last release in Bollywood was “Apne”, in June 2007.

Bhumi Pednekar shares some ‘Monday motivation’

TB Team
-
0
Bhumi Pednekar shares some ‘Monday motivation’

Bhumi Pednekar has shared some Monday motivation along with an Instagram picture she has shared for fans.

In the image, she poses in a mustard-hued boat neck blouse paired with denim and strikes a smiling pose for the camera.

“Things are tough, but this too shall pass, it’s been a while so just some #mondaymotivation,” she wrote as the caption.

On the work front, Bhumi will next be seen alongside Rajkummar Rao in “Badhaai Do”. The film is the second installment in the “Badhaai Ho” franchise. While the first film starring Ayushmann Khurrana and Sanya Malhotra, the new film will see the Bhumi team with Rajkummar.

The film is directed by Harshvardhan Kulkarni, who helmed the Gulshan Devaiah-starrer comedy “Hunter” (2015), and is written by Suman Adhikary and Akshat Ghildial, who earlier wrote “Badhaai Ho”.

Samsung’s US chip plant investment may be in offing: Report

TB Team
-
0
Samsung’s US chip plant investment may be in offing: Report

Samsung Electronics may unveil its plan later this month to build a new chip factory in the United States, industry sources said on Monday, as the South Korean tech giant tries to cope with rivals’ capacity expansions.

Speculation has run high that Samsung would reveal its US investment upon the summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US President Joe Biden to be held in Washington on Friday.

Samsung, the world’s largest memory chip producer and No. 2 foundry firm, has been mulling building a $17 billion foundry factory in the US, with Texas, Arizona and New York mentioned as possible candidate sites, reports Yonhap news agency.

Kim Ki-nam, who heads Samsung’s chip business, is expected to visit the U.S. as a member of President Moon’s business delegation for the summit and may confirm the plan after meeting with U.S. officials, sources here said.

Samsung was the only South Korean firm to join a White House online meeting last month to discuss global semiconductor shortages. The company has reportedly been invited again to a virtual meeting to be hosted by U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo on Thursday.

The tech giant already runs a chip facility in Austin, Texas, but the need for additional U.S. investment emerged after its rivals moved ahead for capacity expansions.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) recently announced that it will invest $100 billion over the next three years for capacity expansion.

The world’s top contract chip maker already unveiled last year it would set up a $12 billion plant in Arizona, but speculation has been growing that the company may build five additional fabs with advanced nodes.

Intel, the world’s leading semiconductor seller, also announced that it will invest $20 billion to expand its chipmaking capacity and teased its re-entry to the foundry business.

Samsung’s US investment will also be in line with its vision of becoming the world’s No. 1 player in the logic chip and foundry sectors by 2030.

The company last week said it will spend an additional 38 trillion won to expand its previous investment plan of 133 trillion won unveiled in 2019.

1...2,2512,2522,253...4,378Page 2,252 of 4,378