NCERT develops alternative academic calendar to engage school students during lockdown
The National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) has developed an alternative academic calendar for school students to engage them meaningfully as they stay at home during the lockdown imposed to fight Covid-19.
The calendar was released by Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal 'Nishank' on Thursday.
'The calendar provides guidelines to teachers on the use of various technological tools and social media tools available for imparting education in fun-filled, interesting ways, which can be used by learners even while at home. However, it has taken into account varying levels of access to such tools-Mobile, Radio, Television, SMS and various social media,' Nishank said.
This minister said all Classes from I-XII and subject areas will be covered under the alternative calendar, which will also cater to children with special needs using links to audio books, radio programmes and video programmes.
India gets 6,50,000 coronavirus testing kits from China
India on Thursday received 6,50,000 coronavirus testing kits from China even as it continued its global hunt to buy medical equipment from a number of countries including the US, the UK, South Korea, France and Germany, official sources said.
They said a large consignment of personal protective equipment (PPE) kits is expected to arrive in India shortly as the Ministry of External Affairs has ramped up efforts to procure vital medical supplies from other countries.
The testing kits from China came from three suppliers.
The sources said 300,000 rapid antibody testing kits came from Guangzhou Wondfo, 250,000 kits were procured from Zhuhai Livzon, and 100,000 RNA extraction kits came from MGI Shenzhen.
India has been reeling under severe shortage of PPEs and testing kits in view of rising cases of the coronavirus. According to Health Ministry data, 12,380 people were infected by the virus and 414 lost their lives.
On Tuesday, Indian Ambassador to China Vikram Misri told reporters in Beijing that India has placed orders to procure 15 million personal protection gear from China for medical personnel treating Covid-19 patients.
As demand for Chinese medical supplies scaled up due to the spread of the virus in several parts of the world, China on Wednesday asked all the countries to import these items through reputed Chinese firms cleared by the government and vowed to punish those involved in counterfeit behaviour.
ED books Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad under PMLA
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) has filed a money laundering case against Tablighi Jamaat leader Maulana Saad Kandhalvi, trusts liked to the Jamaat and others, officials said on Thursday.
They said an Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) has been filed by the agency based on a Delhi Police FIR.
A criminal case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) has been filed against Kandhalvi, the trusts linked to him and the Jamaat and few others, a senior official said.
The Delhi Police's crime branch had, on March 31, lodged an FIR against seven people, including the cleric, on a complaint by Station House Officer of Nizamuddin police station for holding a congregation of Tablighi Jamaat followers in alleged violation of the orders against large gatherings to contain the spread of coronavirus.
Officials said the ED has worked on the finances and transactions of the Tablighi Jamaat and its office bearers over the last few days and has obtained various documents from banks and financial intelligence gathering agencies.
It is soon expected to issue summons to Kandhalvi, reported to be in self quarantine, for questioning in the case. The agency, they said, is also looking at the opinion of medical experts about Kandhalvi's claim of self quarantine in the wake of Covid-19 exposure.
Kandhalvi had organised the religious gathering at Nizamuddin Markaz in Delhi last month against the social distancing protocol imposed by the Centre to curb the spread of the deadly virus..
Telcos ask Trai for time till April 20 to submit data on prepaid recharge pattern
Telecom operators including Reliance Jio, Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea have approached sector regulator Trai seeking time till April 20 to submit data on recharge pattern of prepaid users.
Trai, earlier this week, had asked operators to explain the pattern of mobile phone recharge by prepaid users during the lockdown period, as it examined uninterrupted services.
Source privy to the development told PTI that telecom companies have asked Trai for time till April 20 to provide the details. The operators have said that assimilating information would require additional time given the ongoing lockdown, and that 24 hour turnaround would be difficult.
The regulator had given operators 24 hours to revert with data on recharge pattern during the lockdown.
Food delivery business expected to slump further as pizza delivery boy tests Covid-19 positive
Online food delivery, the silver lining to the economic gloom set in by the coronavirus pandemic, is likely to take a massive blow in the capital after news of a pizza delivery agent testing Covid-19 positive in south Delhi went viral and raised alarm bells in the minds of the already terrified people.
A total of 89 people have been put under quarantine after a 19-year-old delivery agent from a restaurant in Malviya Nagar tested positive for the virus on April 14.
Many Delhitees on Thursday woke up to a barrage of messages on their WhatsApp groups strictly advising them not to order food from outside anymore.
Looking at the severity of the situation and fearing a dip in their online orders, food delivery platforms and several restaurants have reached out to their customers to reassure them of all the precautions taken at their end for their safety and well-being
The death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 420 with 28 fatalities reported since Wednesday evening, while the number of cases saw a jump of 826 to go up to 12,759 cases on Thursday, according to the Union Health Ministry.
The number of active Covid-19 cases stood at 10,824 while as many as 1,514 people have been cured and discharged, and one has migrated, it said.
The total number of cases include 76 foreign nationals.
Twenty-eight deaths have been reported since Wednesday evening, of which nine were reported from Maharashtra, six from Gujarat, five from Andhra Pradesh, and two each from Delhi, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh.
Of the total 420 deaths, Maharashtra tops the tally with 187 fatalities, followed by Madhya Pradesh at 53, Gujarat 36, Delhi 32 and Telengana 18.
Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh have reported 14 deaths each while Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka 13 deaths each.
West Bengal has reported seven Covid-19 fatalities.
Four persons have lost their lives in Jammu and Kashmir while Kerala, Haryana and Rajasthan have recorded three deaths each. Jharkhand has reported two deaths.
Meghalaya, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha and Assam have reported one fatality each, according to health ministry data.
However, a PTI tally of figures reported by various states as on Thursday showed at least 12,953 cases and 436 deaths.
There has been a lag in the Union Health Ministry figures, compared to the number of deaths announced by different states, which officials attribute to procedural delays in assigning the cases to individual states.
According to the ministry's data updated in the evening, the highest number of confirmed cases in the country are from Maharashtra at 2,919 followed by Delhi at 1,578 and Tamil Nadu at 1,242.
Covid-19 cases have gone up to 1,120 in Madhya Pradesh followed by 1,023 in Rajasthan, 871 in Gujarat and 773 in Uttar Pradesh.
Telengana has 698 cases, followed by Andhra Pradesh at 534 and Kerala at 388.
The number of novel coronavirus cases has risen to 315 in Karanataka, 300 in Jammu and Kashmir, 271 in West Bengal, 205 in Haryana and 186 in Punjab.
Bihar has reported 74 Covid-19 cases, while Odisha has 60 coronavirus cases. Thirty-seven people were infected with the virus in Uttarakhand, while Himachal Pradesh has 35 cases and Assam and Chhattisgarh have registered 33 cases each.
Jharkhand has 28 cases, Chandigarh has 21 cases and Ladakh has 17, while 11 cases have been reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Meghalaya,Goa and Puducherry have reported seven Covid-19 infections each, Manipur and Tripura have two cases each, while Mizoram and Arunachal Pradesh have reported a case each.
'State-wise distribution is subject to further verification and reconciliation,' the ministry said on its website. The website also mentions that the patient from Nagaland has been shifted to Assam.
Army to strictly observe 'no movement' till April 19
The Indian Army on Thursday directed all its military establishments, cantonments, formation headquarters and field units to totally restrict movement of forces till April 19 in view of the government's fresh lockdown related guidelines.
India went under a total shutdown of 21 days from March 25 to April 14 to fight the coronavirus pandemic. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced extending the lockdown till May 3, adding the drastic measures would be relaxed in some areas from April 20.
The Army issued a fresh set of directives to all its units following the extension of the lockdown.
'In view of the extension of lockdown, all military establishments, cantonments, formation headquarters and units will observe strict 'No Movement' till April 19,' the order from the Army headquarters said.
In the Army headquarters, the wings handling military operations, military intelligence, operational logistics and strategic movement will carry out their functions with bare minimum staff strength till April 19, according to the order.
Within the command headquarters, wings handling manpower, logistics and operations will only function with skeletal staff. In Northern and Eastern commands, the intelligence branch will also function as usual.
The order also mentioned that offices in Army headquarters, command headquarters and formation headquarters would start functioning with 50 per cent manpower from April 19 to May 3.
It said all training activities and temporary duties will remain suspended till May 3, adding directions on actions to be taken post the lockdown period will be issued on receipt of fresh orders from the government.
In its directive, the Army said personnel connected with providing essential services will be allowed to move and that the restrictions will not hinder any operational tasks of any formation or units.
Govt to transfer financial assistance only through DBT mechanism
The finance ministry on Thursday clarified that financial assistance to people hit by the Covid-19 crisis will be provided only through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) mechanism and no other means.
The clarification came amid various rumours doing the rounds on financial assistance by the government.
'India has JAM (Jan Dhan, Aadhaar, Mobile) based DBT mechanism for diff. schemes. Successfully deposited Rs. 28,256 Cr. to 31.77 Cr. beneficiaries bank a/cs under Covid relief. DBT is fulcrum for targeted delivery of such measures. Pls don't believe any outlandish rumours!,' the Department of Financial Services said in a tweet.
There have been various rumours since the government announced the Rs 1.70 lakh crore Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalayan Yojana to help the poor withstand the hardship caused by the coronavirus lockdown.
Earlier this week, there was a rumour on social media that money transferred to women's Jan Dhan accounts will be taken back if the beneficiary does not withdraw immediately from the account.
This led to serpentine queues outside bank branches as worried women scrambled to claim the amount, thus putting social distancing measures in jeopardy.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had last month announced that as many of 20.5 crore women Jan Dhan account holders will get Rs 500 per month for the next three months.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman attends the plenary meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee of the International Monetary Fund through video conferencing, in New Delhi, Thursday, April 16, 2020. PTI
A doctor takes swab from the mouth of a child for Covid-19 test at Kalyanwadi in Dharavi slums, in Mumbai, Thursday, April 16, 2020. PTI
A food delivery man is seen on a deserted road during a nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of novel coronavirus, in Bengaluru, Saturday, April 11, 2020. PTI
