Columns

New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Thursday extended, by four weeks, protection from arrest granted to Ambience group promoter Raj Singh Gehlot in a money laundering case, related to an alleged Rs 800 crore bank loan fraud.

Additional Solicitor General S.V. Raju, representing the Enforcement Directorate, contended before a bench of Justices B.R. Gavai, Vikram Nath, and Sanjay Karol that all these economic offenders, after filing of cases, are always hospitalised, otherwise they are hale and hearty. Vehemently opposed any relief for Gehlot, he argued that bail allegedly on medical grounds should not be granted to a person, who siphoned off hundreds of crores.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, representing Gehlot, submitted that in November last year, the apex court had ordered his re-examination by a medical board to be constituted by the director of the AIIMS, Delhi and this order on medical examination cannot be rendered nugatory.

"Since the petitioner has already been examined by a team of experts from AIIMS, New Delhi, on the directions of this court, we direct the registry of this court to forward the copy of the said report to the trial judge. In addition, copies be also supplied to the Additional Solicitor General of India appearing in this matter as well as the learned counsel for the petitioner," noted the top court.

After hearing arguments, the top court extended the protection from arrest to Gehlot by four weeks and also directed the trial court to decide the bail application, if filed, during this period. "In order to enable the petitioner to apply for regular bail, the interim protection granted in favour of the petitioner shall continue to operate for a period of four weeks from today.....If an application is filed by the petitioner within a period of three days from today, the same shall be decided within a period of four weeks from today," said the bench, in its order.

The court has been extending the protection from arrest from time to time for Gehlot and he has challenged various orders passed by the Delhi High Court and the trial court, refusing to grant him relief.

The ED's case against Gehlot is based on a 2019 FIR of the anti-corruption bureau of Jammu against Aman Hospitality Private Ltd (AHPL) and its directors for alleged money laundering in the construction of the five-star Leela Ambience Convention Hotel located near Yamuna Sports Complex in Delhi.

--IANS
ss/vd

New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) The Union Health Ministry on Thursday wrote to six states - Maharashtra, Gujarat, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka, which have reported significant rise in the Covid cases in last week - to examine the Covid 19 situation at the micro level.

"India has observed a significant decline in the number of Covid-19 cases during past few months. However, since past few weeks, a rise in cases has been noted specifically in certain parts of the country with a total of 2,082 cases reported in the week ending March 8, 2023 which rose to 3,264 cases in week ending March 15," Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said in the letter to the states.

He said that there are few states which are reporting higher number of cases indicating possible localised spread of infection and there is a need to follow a risk assessment-based approach to prevent & contain the infection, without losing the gains made so far in the fight against the pandemic.

The Health Ministry has advised that state should examine the situation of Covid-19 at micro level (district & sub-districts) and maintain focus on implementation of necessary measures for prompt and effective management of Covid-19 duly ensuring effective compliance with various advisories issued by the Ministry.

The five-fold strategy, i.e., Test-Track-Treat-Vaccination should be followed with continued focus on adequate & proactive testing as per guidelines, reads the letter. The states have been asked to monitor new and emerging clusters of new Covid-19 cases and also Influenza-like illness (ILI) & SARI cases in all health facilities.

"It is essential that the state must maintain a strict watch and take pre-emptive action if required in any areas of concern to control emerging spread of infection," Bhushan said in the letter.

--IANS
avr/vd

Amritsar, March 16 (IANS) G20 countries on Thursday emphasised on identifying and addressing problems that inhibit effective academic research collaborations.

On the second day of the three-day G20 Education Working Group (EdWG) summit in this Punjab city, the focus centred around priority areas Ato strengthen research and promoting innovation through collaboration and building capacities, and ensuring foundational literacy.

The event brought together all G20 member countries, invited countries and international organisations to discuss the importance of knowledge sharing and collaboration to generate solutions to common global challenges.

It was also acknowledged that in order to create a multiplier effect for a larger and more inclusive global advantage of the accumulated knowledge and innovation skills, there is now a need for stronger collaboration among countries in research and innovation.

Some of the topics covered included developing a framework for joint collaboration for the exchange of researchers and students, international research, data privacy, and other ethical concerns.

During the meeting, the delegates also emphasised gender equality and gender inclusion in research arena, as well as improved grassroots participation in order to bridge the gap between academia, the private sector, and society.

Additionally, in the second and third sessions, the discussion centred around use of blended learning to achieve foundational literacy and numeracy, the importance of teacher training to induce creativity in classroom teaching by designing learning materials and development of skill development frameworks.

Collaboration was again a key point of the session with discussions revolving around building partnerships with wider stakeholders, including industry, to create opportunities for vocational learning for students to bridge the skill gaps and imbalances across G20 nations.

Some of the sub-priority areas mentioned for joint action were to develop curriculum assessment and pedagogical practices, provide equal opportunities, and support to disadvantaged and indigenous communities.

The meeting concluded with remarks from the Alternate India chair, Atul Kumar Tiwari, Secretary, Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, who emphasised that in order to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 goal of "ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all, we must ensure that blended learning opportunities are accessible to all students".

The summit will conclude on Friday with discussion around making tech-enabled learning more inclusive, qualitative and collaborative.

On the sidelines of the seminar, an exhibition was also organised showcasing best practices from various countries, industry, academia and civil society towards forging greater collaboration for advancing research.

The exhibition is open to students, academicians and researchers till March 17.

At the exhibition, IIT Ropar showcased deployment of drones of agriculture company Syngenta for use in spraying crop protection solutions.

The company also displayed how it was empowering farmers by helping them save money, labour cost and time to enhance their income eventually.

The company's technologies enable millions of farmers around the world to make better use of limited agricultural resources, said Susheel Kumar, company's MD and country head.

In more than 100 countries the company is working to transform how crops are grown. "Through partnerships, collaboration and good growth plan we are committed to accelerating innovation for farmers and nature, striving for regenerative agriculture, helping people stay safe and healthy and partnering for impact," he said.

"One of our primary goals is to identify, develop and scale a series of innovative, breakthrough transformations that will enable farmers to increase their yields sustainably," he added.

--IANS
vg/pgh

By Rachel V Thomas
New Delhi, March 16 (IANS) India is currently seeing a surge in respiratory illness commonly characterised by cough, body ache, fever, and sore throat. But how to know whether it is influenza, caused by H3N2 virus, or Covid, caused by Omicron sub-variants XBB.1.16 and XBB.1.5?


According to data from the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), there has been a combination of respiratory viruses ranging from Covid-19 virus, swine flu (H1N1), H3N2, and the seasonal Victoria and Yamagata lineages of influenza B viruses in circulation.

H3N2 and H3N1 are both types of influenza A viruses, commonly known as the flu. Some of the most common symptoms include prolonged fever, cough, running nose, & body pain. But in severe cases, people may also experience breathlessness and/or wheezing.

In addition, Covid is also on the rise. More than 700 Covid-19 cases were recorded in a day after a gap of over four months, taking the active caseload to 4,623, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

Health experts note that it is very difficult to differentiate between the clinical manifestations of the three, and the differentiation is generally based on a laboratory diagnosis from a nasopharyngeal swab sample.

"The only difference is that in the present clinical scenario, Covid symptoms barely last for 2-3 days and the patient recovers soon without any hassles and any major treatment," Dr. Samrat Shah, Senior Consultant, Internal Medicine, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital told IANS.

"Whereas with H3N2 and H1N1 has more predilection for productive and wet coughs which lasts longer for a few weeks and has more chances of getting pneumonia or a secondary bacterial infection," Shah added.

As per Dr Sanjith Saseedharan, Consultant & Head-Critical Care, S.L. Raheja Hospital, Mahim, there is "an increase in throat irritation and hoarseness of voice among people affected with H3N2, which goes on for two to three weeks".

"Those diagnosed with Covid19 are generally manifesting a stuffy nose and a fever that lasts for three to four days," he told IANS.

Influenza is not fatal. But irrespective of the virus if there is a major comorbid factor there are more chances of morbidity and mortality. The risk is also high for young children, infants, adults with comorbidities, elderly people over the age of 65 years, patients who are pregnant, patients who are immunocompromised, etc.

The total number of deaths due to H3N2 in the country has now reached nine, according to media reports. The Health Ministry, however, is yet to release the official death toll.

On the other hand, a total of 754 new Covid cases were reported in a span of 24 hours, while the death toll has increased to 5,30,790 with one fatality reported by Karnataka, as per the Health Ministry data updated at 8 a.m. on Thursday.

The doctors stated that coupled with the changing weather, pollution is also playing a pivotal role in multiplying the patient numbers impacted by viral infections.

"Some of the environmental factors contributing to the increase in cases are poor air quality and excessive construction pollution. The only way to prevent this influenza virus complication is by vaccinating once a year with the quadrivalent flu vaccine," Shah said.

The health experts advised people to follow Covid appropriate behaviours such as using masks, maintaining hand hygiene and avoiding crowded places. They also stressed on the need for an annual flu shot.

"Annual flu shot of influenza would help in preventing the disease or at least the severity of the disease even if you do contact the disease. Unfortunately, the influenza vaccine nation coverage in India is not adequate which might actually explain the rising cases of this particular virus all across," Dr. Umang Agrawal, Infectious Diseases Consultant from PD Hinduja Hospital & MRC, Mahim, said.

(Rachel V Thomas can be contacted at rachel.t@ians.in)

--IANS
rvt/vd

--A

Kochi, March 16 (IANS) An emotive artistic work that has an underlying reference to violence stemming from man-animal confrontations, exemplified by the brutal killing of a pregnant elephant by feeding it with explosive-laden pineapple, is getting noticed at the Kochi Muziris Biennale.

The tusker met with a horrific death at Ambalappara in Kerala's Palakkad district on May 27, 2020, after eating the fruit filled with country-made crackers which exploded in its mouth.

The blast was so powerful that the poor animal ran around the village in searing pain, unable to eat for days.

Finally, it entered a river and stood there with its trunk and mouth immersed in water till it breathed its last two days later.

Shikh Sabbir Alam, a contemporary artist from Bangladesh, has now recreated this incident, which received worldwide attention.

Shikh Sabbir has put up a total of six acrylic paintings on display at the Biennale, including the works about the Garden; Magic House 1,2,3; Elephants and Fruit; and White Rabbit.

The creations which showcase the flora and fauna from tortoises to elephants and fruits resemble much like a dream. At the same time, it is mystical as well.

"My pictures resemble the vision that slowly materialiaes before you when you open your eyes after a long sleep. The attempt is to guide viewers through the display of pictures using pastel colours to experience the wonders being depicted on the canvas. The colour of a flower or a fruit is enough to inspire original creations," said Alam.

Nature and life are the main elements reflected in Alam's creations for the Kochi Biennale.

--IANS
sg/svn/

London, March 7 (IANS) The world is facing the biggest surge in cholera for at least 20 years, as economic crises, climate change and the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic see deadly outbreaks flourish, experts say.

At least 30 countries have seen flare-ups of the water-borne infection, long associated with poverty, inadequate hygiene and poor sanitation, including several which have not seen the disease for years, The Telegraph reported.

The combination of the number and scale of the outbreak is thought to be the worst in decades and comes after many countries had made progress cutting deaths from the infection.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that flooding from the storm season in Southern Africa risks further fuelling outbreaks, even as the weekly case tally in the continent appears to dip.

Philippe Barboza, the WHO lead for cholera emergencies, said patchy historic data made it difficult to compare this year's outbreaks with the past, but they were the biggest seen in two decades.

"I would say the number of countries with these large outbreaks occurring at the same time, we have not seen it in at least 20 years," he told The Telegraph.

Health services that had been overwhelmed by Covid in the past three years were struggling to stop outbreaks or protect people when they were underway. Public health efforts to prevent cholera had often been put on hold during the pandemic.

Malawi has been battling its worst outbreak since records began in the 1970s and had seen 1,564 deaths by the end of February.

A new storm and flooding season is now battering Southern Africa and may make outbreaks worse.

Mozambique reports cases have been growing exponentially since December 2022 and are cropping up in areas where it has not been seen for more than five years, The Telegraph reported.

Barboza said climate change was thought to be adding to the problem.

He said: "Most of the major outbreaks we are looking at are all driven by major, unusual climate events."

The worrying spread of the outbreaks is underlined by the return of cases to countries where the disease is no longer endemic and has not been seen for decades, he said.

Lebanon has been dealing with its first outbreak in 30 years while the country endures an economic collapse described by the World Bank as one of the worst in the past 150 years, The Telegraph reported.

--IANS
san/ksk/

New Delhi, March 7 (IANS) As tech layoffs affect hundreds of women employees too, top behavioural experts on Tuesday said those who have been laid off need to have a good support system and realise that it's not their fault.

Many women tech employees have lost their jobs in the recent layoffs.

According to experts, women have always felt a lot of pressure with less outlets to let out their stress as they try to bottle their emotions, trying to create work-home balance, taking care of their families and ignoring their mental health.

According to Tara Mehta, Clinical Psychologist, Department of Mental Health and Behavioural Sciences, Fortis Hospitals, Mumbai, losing jobs to layoffs is going to cause some amount of stress and dysfunction in one's life.

"It's very natural for this to have an impact on any individual gender. It's going to cause some amount of disharmony in their plans for the future. It's going to result in anxiety and stress and all these are natural, regardless of the gender," Mehta told IANS.

"These times can be stressful, which is why staying connected with family and friends who radiate positive energy is crucial," she noted.

Divya Mohindroo, Founder, Embrace Imperfections and a counselling psychologist, told IANS that as a working women, she would suggest that the fastest way to end your pain and suffering of any kind, specially with matters related to stress and anxiety is to accept the reality of what is occurring even if it feels bad.

"Professionally, I would suggest that start making a list of potential employers, research about available opportunities and companies, look for avenues to upskill and even diversify into other sectors," Mohindroo told IANS.

Approach employers while being mentally prepared to describe their situation while pitching their candidature.

"It is also important to network with friends, ex-bosses and colleagues to ease your situation and understand that many people like you are sailing in the same boat and every individual has their own set of problems that is why self pity is not a feeling to stay with," she elaborated.

More than three lakh tech employees have lost jobs in recent months globally, including thousands in India.

According to Vishakha Bhalla, Clinical Psychologist at Max Hospital Gurgaon, they need to gather strength from past obstacles in life and affirm to themselves that they are capable of getting through this as before.

"Get busy with small and achievable goals that will make you ready to accomplish bigger things. Make a list of pros and cons of this situation and analyze what can be changed and how you can approach with alternative but practical solutions," said Bhalla.

Start your day with optimism through physical exercise/yoga/meditation to release muscle tension.

Shreya Chakraborty, CEO and Founder, Techfin, an edtech startup, told IANS that preparing for the future by investing in rebuilding and reshaping ourselves with regard to skills instead of going through repetitive thoughts of regrets of job loss is the way forward.

"This is the time to upskill with new technologies and be relevant. Instead of regretting the loss, consider this as an opportunity to do self-development both mentally and technically," said Chakraborty.

--IANS
na/dpb

United Nations, March 7 (IANS) UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for actions to close gender gaps in science, technology and innovation, saying women's full contributions will benefit all.

"The math is simple: without the insights and creativity of half the world, science and technology will fulfil just half their potential," Guterres on Monday told the opening of the 67th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.

The priority theme of the two-week meeting is "innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls", Xinhua news agency reported.

The theme could not be more timely, Guterres said, "because as technology races ahead, women and girls are being left behind."

Three billion people are still unconnected to the Internet, and the majority of them are women and girls in developing countries. In the tech industry, men outnumber women two to one, and in the field of artificial intelligence, only about one out of five workers is a woman, he said.

He pointed to "centuries of patriarchy, discrimination and harmful stereotypes" that have created a huge gender gap in science and technology, noting that women account for just 3 per cent of Nobel Prize winners in science categories.

"Promoting women's full contributions to science, technology and innovation is not an act of charity or a favour to women. It is a must and it benefits everyone," the UN chief stressed.

For example, when women scientists and technologists tackle global problems, they multiply the chance of finding solutions, he said.

Guterres urged increasing education, income and employment for women and girls, particularly in the Global South.

He also called for promoting women's and girls' full participation and leadership in science and technology, from governments to board rooms and classrooms, as well as creating a safe digital environment for women and girls.

"The meeting this year comes at a time when women's rights are being abused, threatened, and violated around the world," said Guterres, warning that "progress won over decades is vanishing before our eyes" and "gender equality is growing more distant".

"Let's be clear: global frameworks are not working for the world's women and girls. They need to change," he said.

--IANS
int/sha

New Delhi, March 6 (IANS) Future conflicts will be unpredictable. The constantly-evolving world order has forced everyone to re-strategise. Constant vigil on the Northern and Western borders as well as the entire coastline must be maintained. We need to be ready to deal with all future challenges, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said this to the navel commanders on Monday.

Rajnath Singh reviewed the operational capabilities of the Indian Navy during the Naval Commanders' Conference held aboard India's first Indigenous Aircraft Carrier INS Vikrant on March 06. He interacted with the Naval Commanders and witnessed the operational demonstrations at sea, highlighting the Navy's capability to undertake multi-dimensional missions towards safeguarding the maritime interests of the country.

In his address to the Commanders, Singh described secured borders as the first requirement to ensure social and economic progress, asserting that India, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, is moving forward in a'mrit Kaal' with renewed thrust and zeal to achieve this objective. Emphasising that economic prosperity and security scenario go hand-in-hand, he pointed out that the defence sector has emerged as a major demand creator, which has been boosting the economy and ensuring the country's development.

"In the next 5-10 years, orders worth over $100 billion are expected to be placed through the defence sector and it will become a major partner in the economic development of the country. Today, our defence sector is on the runway, soon when it takes off, it will transform the country's economy. If we want to see India among the top economic powers of the world by the end of aAmrit Kaal', we need to take bold steps towards becoming a defence superpower," the Defence Minister said.

Rajnath also made special mention of the credible and responsive presence of the Navy in the Indian Ocean Region. He stated that Mission-Based Deployments of the Navy have strengthened India's position as a preferred security partner of friendly foreign countries in the region.

He reiterated the need for a huge country like India to be completely self-reliant and not dependant on others for its security. He listed out numerous steps taken by the Government to achieve ‘Aatmanirbharta' in defence, including notification of four Positive Indigenisation Lists, increase in FDI limit and creating a favourable environment for Indian vendors including MSMEs. He termed the recent announcement of earmarking record 75 percent of the defence capital procurement budget for domestic industry in 2023-24 as a testament to the Government's firm commitment to achieve self-reliance in defence manufacturing.

Rajnath Singh commended the Navy for being at the forefront of indigenisation and innovation through inductions of ships and submarines and development of niche technologies, in consonance with the ‘Aatmanirbhar Bharat' vision. On the commissioning of INS Vikrant, he stated that it further reinforced the belief that India's Naval designing and development is at a promising stage and more progress will be made in the times to come.

The operational demonstrations witnessed by the Defence Minister included complex Aircraft Carrier and Fleet operations, weapon firings by ships and aircraft and Underway Replenishment at Sea. In addition, a demonstration of indigenous products, including spotter drone, remote controlled lifebuoy and fire-fighting bot was witnessed by the minister. The strides taken by the Indian Navy towards ‘pole-vaulting' the technological curve, through indigenous sources in the domains of Big Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Laser technology and cryptography were also demonstrated.

--IANS
gcb/arm

By Sujit Chakraborty
Kohima, March 6 (IANS) The northeastern state of Nagaland is heading for another Opposition-less government as almost all political parties have expressed their willingness to support the NDPP-BJP alliance government, which is likely to assume office on Tuesday.


Earlier, in April last year, an Opposition-less United Democratic Alliance (UDA) government was formed to expedite the Naga political dialogue with the Central government.

A senior BJP leader told IANS that in Nagaland, no party was keen to remain in opposition, and each of them wanted to remain with the government for various reasons, including the development of all areas.

"Till now, only Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas Paswan) in writing has submitted a letter supporting the NDPP-BJP alliance government. No other party has so far provided any letter of support to the alliance government even as they have verbally expressed their willingness to support the government," the BJP leader said.

He said that the central leaders of the BJP and the top leaders of NDPP along with Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio would decide whether the government would take any support from all other parties after they submit their letters of support.

The ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), along with its ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained power in Nagaland for a second straight term by winning 37 seats together in the 60-member Assembly.

In the February 27 elections, the results of which were declared on March 2, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) secured six seats; National People's Party led by Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma managed five seats; Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas Paswan), Naga People's Front and Republican Party of India (Ramdas Athawale) bagged two seats each; Janata Dal (United) bagged one seat; while four seats were won by Independent candidates.

As many as 12 political parties had fielded 183 candidates, including four women nominees in the recent assembly polls.

The Congress, which governed the state for many years till 2003, had contested 23 seats but drew a blank once again.

The grand old party had no legislator in the outgoing Assembly.

Nagaland Congress president Kewekhape Therie lost in Dimapur against BJP's H. Tovihoto Ayemi by a margin of 6,959 votes.

Leaders of NCP, NPP and NPF separately said that they would support the NDPP-BJP coalition government, and after holding discussions among themselves, they would submit letters of support to the Governor.

Even as the NDPP-BJP is yet to stake a claim to form the government, the alliance government, according to the earlier announcements, is likely to assume office on Tuesday.

On Sunday, Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and his Assam counterpart Himanta Biswa Sarma met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP president J.P. Nadda in Delhi and discussed the government formation.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, several central BJP leaders and ministers are likely to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

The NPF had emerged as the single largest party in the 2018 elections, but the NDPP and the BJP, with the support of the independent MLAs, managed to form a coalition government.

In April last year, 21 of the 26 NPF legislators led by former Chief Minister Taditui Rangkau Zeliang had "merged" themselves with the NDPP and formed the Opposition-less all party UDA government to expedite the Naga political dialogue with the Central government.

However, the Congress, which ruled the state for the most part, does not have a single MLA in the outgoing assembly.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)

--IANS
sc/pgh