LIC extends premium payment date
The Life Insurance Corporation on Saturday announced an extension of 30 days for payment of premium due in March and April 2020.
For February premiums, where grace period was expiring after March 22, relaxation is allowed till April 15, LIC.
Policies can be revived without any evidence of good health can also be done online.
LIC's policyholders can pay premiums through LIC's digital payment options without any service charge. Policyholders do not need to register on the website for paying premium and can directly do so by giving basic details.
Premiums can also be paid by downloading mobile app LIC Pay Direct.
Policy premiums are accepted through Net banking, Debit Card, Credit Card and on payment apps such as Paytm, PhonePe, Google Pay, BHIM, UPI among others.
Premiums can also be paid at all IDBI and Axis Bank branches and in cash through Common Service Centres (CSC), operating at block level.
'Chicken' penalty
The Mumbai police on Saturday subjected several lockdown violators to 'murga' (rooster) punishment, an act in which a person has to assume a submission position resembling a rooster by squatting and holding the ears from behind the knees.
Several people who ventured out during the lockdown in place for the coronavirus outbreak without valid reason, and some for not wearing masks despite it being compulsory, were punished with the 'murga' pose in south Mumbai's Bhendibazaar area, officials said.
While the 21-day nationwide lockdown was to end on April 14, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday announced that it would be extended in the state till April 30.
Maharashtra has the highest number of COVID-19 patients in the country.
Covid-19 positive woman undergoes C-section surgery, delivers baby
A team of doctors at a medical college hospital near Kannur, Kerala made new strides by performing c-section on a Covid-19 positive pregnant woman, successfully delivering her new born.
The woman, a native of Kasaragod, was found to be Covid-19 positive and admitted to the Pariyaram medical college hospital, where she was undergoing treatment at an isolation ward.
The doctors performed the surgery wearing PPEs. Samples of the baby have been sent for testing. The mother is in remission and has tested negative according to her last performed pathology.
Kasaragod has reported 130 positive cases, whereas Kannur has 38 .
The death toll due to the novel coronavirus rose to 242 and the number of cases to 7,529 in the country on Saturday, according to the Union health ministry.
While the number of active Covid-19 cases is 6,634, as many as 653 people were cured and discharged and one had migrated, it said.
As many as 36 new deaths have been reported since Friday evening, the ministry said.
The Friday morning figure of 7,447 cases included 71 foreign nationals. The death toll on Friday evening was 206.
A policeman enquires from tourists about their travel history during a nationwide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus outbreak, in Patna, Friday, April 10, 2020. PTI
BJP contractor among 10 arrested for lockdown violations
A BJP corporator and 10 others were arrested at Panvel in Raigad district of Maharashtra after they were found assembled at one place for his birthday celebration despite the ongoing lockdown, police said on Saturday.
The incident took place late on Friday night, they said.
All of them had gathered on the terrace of a residential building at Takka village in Panvel for the birthday celebration of Ajay Bahira (42), the BJP corporator in Panvel Municipal Corporation (PMC), they said.
'The police received a tip-off that some people have gathered on the terrace to celebrate his birthday. A police team rushed to the spot and 11 persons, including the corporator, were held when the celebration was on,' senior inspector of Panvel Police Station, Ajaykumar Landge, said.
Another official said that alcohol was being served at the party.
'They were not wearing masks and flouted the social distancing norms. An alert citizen informed about the celebration to the Navi Mumbai control room, following which a Panvel police team rushed to the spot and took all of them into custody,' he said.
They were arrested and later released on bail, the official added.
Houseboats likely to double up ass isolation wards in Kerala
Houseboats, much sought after by tourists for cruising across the backwaters, are likely to double up as Covid-19 isolation wards in Alappuzha district in Kerala, if the need arises.
The administration is exploring the possiblity of using houseboats as isolation units in the event of any emergency, district collector M. Anjana said.
'We have identified 5,806 beds with attached toilets in Alappuzha from hotels, resorts, hostels and lodges to accomodate patients, if there is a need, as there are not many hospitals in the district', she told PTI.
Discussions with the Houseboat Owners Association has been held and they were willing to provide their boats, she said.
'We can easily get at least 1,500-2,000 beds from the houseboats she said adding this was an option that can be worked out.
Various issues like logistics, bringing the boats to one point, etc have to be streamlined, she said.
This was in addition to the over 5,800 beds already identified.
All Kerala Houseboat Owners Association president, V. Vinod said they were willing to cooperate with the government during the trying times.
Services at Delhi State Cancer Institute suspended after 21 people test positive
ervices at the Delhi State Cancer Institute (DSCI) here have been suspended till further notice in view of 21 people testing positive at the facility, officials said on Saturday.
The Delhi government-run facility was sanitised during the day and another round of sanitisation will take place on Monday, a senior official said.
'Admitted patients have been shifted to a private facility nearby and services at the facility have been temporarily suspended. So, till further notice, it will remain suspended,' the senior official told PTI.
Three cancer patients admitted to DSCI had tested positive for COVID-19 on Thursday, taking the total number of cases reported at the hospital to 21.
Earlier this week, a doctor and nine para-medical staff had also tested positive for the virus at the hospital.
Lockdown violation: 568 arrested, Rs 13 lakh collected as fine in UP
As many as 568 people have been arrested in this district of Uttar Pradesh for reportedly violating the nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of coronavirus, police said on Saturday, adding a fine of Rs 13 lakh was collected from the offenders.
'Till April 10, as many as 171 cases have been registered and 568 persons arrested for violation of lockdown orders. Of this, action was initiated against 470 persons under the Epidemic Diseases Act, Superintendent of Police (city) Jitendra Kumar Srivastava said.
On Friday itself, 10 cases were registered and 32 persons arrested, he said.
The official said over Rs 13 lakh was collected as fine from the offenders.
22-year-old dies in Dhule
A 22-year-old woman on Saturday died of COVID-19 in Maharashtra's Dhule district, according to the administration.
The woman hailed from Malegaon in Nashik district.
'The woman, who was suffering from severe anaemia and some cardiac issues, was admitted in the Dhule Medical College on April 7,' the official communication said. She was later tested positive for the coronavirus.
Kerala govt launches WhatsApp number to report domestic violence
The Kerala government on Saturday launched a WhatsApp number to report cases of domestic violence in the state, which have been on the rise during the coronavirus lockdown.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said complaints can be made to the number—9400080292—which will be available 24 hours.
'In the wake of reports of an increase in domestic violence during the lockdown, the Social Justice Department has been urged to take immediate steps to prevent them. Subsequently, a WhatsApp number was launched to make it easy for women and children to complain,' Vijayan said in a Facebook post.
The 24-hour helpline has been started by the Directorate of Women and Child Development with the help of the technical cell of the National Service Scheme.
'Similarly, complaints can be made on the child line number 1098 and women helpline Mitra's number, 181, and stern action will be taken in the matter,' Vijayan said.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has received 123 complaints of domestic violence in the last 18 days, with the panel saying it has observed a spike in such cases during the lockdown imposed to control the spread of coronavirus.
According to the data shared on Friday by the NCW, from March 23 till April 10, a total of 370 complaints related to women issues were received by the panel.
Of the 370 complaints, the highest 123 were of domestic violence, the data said.
The NCW had also launched a WhatsApp number—7217735372—to report cases of domestic violence.
UP Shia board tells members to inform police about those who attended Tablighi meet
The Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board has directed all its caretakers to immediately inform police if they hear about any person who had attended the Tablighi Jamaat in Delhi's Nizamuddin area.
In a statement issued here, chairman of Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board Waseem Rizvi said, 'All the muttawlis (caretakers) are hereby informed that if any person who had attended Tablighi Jamaat are noticed at your mosques or madrassas, or want to hide on the pretext of being a Muslim, then the police should be immediately informed.'
Information can also be given in this regard to the helpline of the Uttar Pradesh Shia Central Waqf Board.
'Special attention should be paid by mosques and madrassas located in the vicinity of India-Nepal border. If any muttawali tries to give shelter to any traitor or help him, then the Board will recommend that action be initiated against the said muttawali under National Security Act,' he said.
The chief executive officer and all the inspectors of the board have been instructed in this regard to inform the muttawalis, he said in the statement.
Policewomen wearing visors perform their duty during the nationwide lockdown in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in Bengaluru, Saturday, April 11, 2020 PTI
UP govt plans isolation enclosures at tiger sanctuaries
The Uttar Pradesh forest department has identified isolation enclosures and quarantine areas for wild cats in the two zoos, tiger reserves and sanctuaries in the state after reports of a tiger testing positive for coronavirus in New York's Bronx zoo.
Besides this, places have also been identified to set up quarantine facilities for the forest department staff attending to the wildlife, in case of any requirement or emergency, chief conservator of forests and zoo authority in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Dr Ramesh Pandey said.
Following directives to maintain a state of highest alert and monitor wild cats and animals round the clock, almost half of the staff of the two zoos in Lucknow and Kanpur have been sent on leave to maintain social distancing and those attending to the animals asked to take all necessary precautions like using gloves, face masks and sanitisation before entering the cages, he said.
'Soon after getting the news of a tiger in Bronx zoo in New York testing positive for the Covid-19, clear directives have been issued to the two zoos, tiger reserves and sanctuaries of the state, as per the guidelines of Indian Veterinary Research Institute (IVRI) Bareilly, to maintain highest alert for safeguarding the wildlife,' Pandey said.
Special care has been taken to conduct regular health checks of the staff attending to the wild animals in the zoological gardens and those deployed in the areas falling along the path of movement of tigers, leopards or other endangered species in the forests, he added.
2 new cases in Odisha, tally 50
Odisha has reported two fresh COVID-19 positive cases taking the total number to 50, while 12 coronavirus patients have recovered in the state, an official of the Health and Family Welfare department said on Saturday.
Two more persons tested positive and 10 recovered on Friday, the official said, adding that that the state now has 37 active COVID-19 cases. Two others had recovered earlier.
One person has so far succumbed to COVID-19.
The cumulative tests in the state stand at 3,547 out of which 50 have tested positive, the department said.
Ten COVID-19 patients have recovered and tested negative for the virus, the department said in a tweet on Friday. Five of them are from Bhubaneswar, two from Bhadrak and one each of Cuttack, Jajpur and Puri, the Health department said in its official twitter post.
Chief Secretary A K Tripathy congratulated the doctors and paramedical staff on the complete recovery of 10 patients in one day.
'Excellent news! Congratulations to Health Department Team and all the doctors and para-medics!!,' Tripathy said.
71-year-old dies in Kannur
A 71-year old man, undergoing treatment for Covid-19 at a government hospital in Kannur, died on Saturday.
The deceased, who had tested positive for the coronavirus, hailed from neighbouring Mahe, an enclave of Puducherry, Kannur district medical officer Dr K. Narayana Naik told 'PTI'.
The man, had earlier undergone treatment at two private hospitals at Thalassery for fever and later was admitted to the Pariyaram Medical College Hospital, where he died this morning, Dr Naik said.
All protocols with regard to Covid-19 related death would be followed for his funeral, he added.
Dr A. K. Jayshree of the medical college hospital said the man was also suffering from heart ailment and and hypertension.
On March 26, he had been taken to a private hospital in Thalassery, which is near Mahe, after he developed high fever and breathlessness and later taken to another hospital.
