#yatra complaint in Delhi

[typoeastnews]

Priyanka backs protesting wrestlers, says BJP's arrogance is "crushing voices"

Her remarks came after India's top wrestlers on Tuesday intensified their protest demanding the arrest of WFI chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh.

NEW DELHI: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday slammed the government over the protests by top wrestlers here, and asked whether it wants to save the culprits in the matter.

The Congress general secretary also said that the pleas of the sportspersons, who enhance the country’s honour were being ignored, and asserted that “when the arrogance of a party and its leaders” is sky high then such voices are crushed.

Her remarks came after India’s top wrestlers on Tuesday intensified their protest against Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and asserted that they won’t leave the protest site until the WFI president, who is facing sexual harassment charges, is arrested.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday issued notices to the Delhi government and others on a plea by seven women wrestlers alleging non-registration of an FIR over their sexual harassment allegations against the WFI president, saying these are “serious allegations” requiring its consideration.

Expressing support for the protesting wrestlers, Gandhi said that sportspersons are the pride of the country as when they win medals despite all the difficulties and after working tirelessly, “their victory is our victory” and the whole country smiles.

“The victories of women players are bigger than the rest. They are sitting on the road next to Parliament with tears in her eyes. No one is listening to their complaint against exploitation that has been going on for a long time,” Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

“These girls with strong arms and pure hearts believed the government when it told them that there would be an inquiry. But the investigation did not happen. The question of punishment did not arise at all. Does the government want to save the culprits?” the Congress leader said.

Whose pressure is there on the Delhi Police, Gandhi asked.

She also questioned why Opposition leaders are being questioned by the same police on hearing the pain of a girl during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, but the pleas of the sportspersons who enhance the country’s honour are ignored.

Her remarks were in reference to a Delhi Police team last month querying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi at his residence over his remark made during the Bharat Jodo Yatra that “women are still being sexually assaulted.”

The police team had asked him to provide information about the “victims” to take up their complaints.

“When the arrogance of a party and its leaders touches the sky, then such voices are crushed. Let’s support these sisters of ours. It is a matter of honour for the country,” Gandhi asserted.

The wrestlers, including Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and Bajrang Punia, have also alleged that the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief is now resorting to strong-arm tactics and trying to break the “victims” by issuing threats and offering bribes.

Former Haryana Chief Minister and senior Congress Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Congress leader Udit Raj and CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat, who was stopped from joining the stir by the wrestlers in January, were welcomed by the wrestlers, at the protest site on Tuesday, a day after they had sought support from all quarters.

[onlineconsumerforum]

Yatra.com Bus Ticket Booking Complaint Resolved at Voxya

One more success story!

A consumer complaint against Yatra online travel booking agency resolved at Voxya, India’s trusted platform for resolving consumer complaints.

A consumer got a refund of his money from Yatra and not happy with the services given by the Voxya.

Are you also looking for a refund, replacement and compensation from the company or the seller then File a complaint now!

[squarwell-breakingnews]

Court directs Twitter to block accounts of Congress, Bharat Jodo Yatra over 'unauthorised use' of KGF-2 music | India News - Times of India

Court directs Twitter to block accounts of Congress, Bharat Jodo Yatra over ‘unauthorised use’ of KGF-2 music | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: A Bengaluru court on Monday directed Twitter to temporarily block the accounts of the Congress and Bharat Jodo Yatra for allegedly infringing the statutory copyright owned by MRT Music by illegally using sound records of the film KGF Chapter-2. The complaint was filed by MRT music and FIR was lodged against Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh and Supriya Shrinate at Yeshwanthpur Police…

[theechudar]

Court directs Twitter to block accounts of Congress, Bharat Jodo Yatra over 'unauthorised use' of KGF-2 music | India News

Court directs Twitter to block accounts of Congress, Bharat Jodo Yatra over ‘unauthorised use’ of KGF-2 music | India News

NEW DELHI: A Bengaluru court on Monday directed Twitter to temporarily block the accounts of the Congress and Bharat Jodo Yatra for allegedly infringing the statutory copyright owned by MRT Music by illegally using sound records of the film KGF Chapter-2. The complaint was filed by MRT music and FIR was lodged against Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh and Supriya Shrinate at Yeshwanthpur Police…

[znewstech]

Court directs Twitter to block accounts of Congress, Bharat Jodo Yatra over 'unauthorised use' of KGF-2 music | India News - Times of India

Court directs Twitter to block accounts of Congress, Bharat Jodo Yatra over ‘unauthorised use’ of KGF-2 music | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: A Bengaluru court on Monday directed Twitter to temporarily block the accounts of the Congress and Bharat Jodo Yatra for allegedly infringing the statutory copyright owned by MRT Music by illegally using sound records of the film KGF Chapter-2. The complaint was filed by MRT music and FIR was lodged against Rahul Gandhi, Jairam Ramesh and Supriya Shrinate at Yeshwanthpur Police…

[profoundyouthpanda]

India Tour and Travels Packages

India Tour and Travels Packages

You have booked your flights and lodgings, over the long haul the going with thing you attempt to do is scour through visit bundles and book one.. In case it is locally you expect to travel, you will find ceaseless event packs, but not a lot of that match your major, or other than your tendencies and character. Enter Yatra and you would now have the decision to look at a gathering of event packs in India that compass across the length and broadness of the country, bringing you into astonishing tea spaces, slant resorts to amazing backwater pulls out. By booking your India visit with Yatra, you will change your move away to suit your need, and shockingly more all around can help some captivating cutoff centers and offers once in a while.

Animating event offers and cutoff centers

Presently, there are Andaman packs starting from INR 15,999 genuine for a limited time frame outline length. There are equivalently limitless ideas on Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and North East India social affairs. You can even analyze the 'workstation packages' where you can see the value in stunning vistas by stopped from the city and choose to work or even chill from a superb region in the country. Yatra moreover offers an epic load of cutoff bases on week's end move away from get-togethers, outside of family occasion cutoff focuses, and wedding trip noteworthy plans.

Event by subject

Another interesting method for glancing through a move away pack is by subject. On Yatra, subject for your potential benefit region you would now have the choice to glance through a move away assembling. The points contain untamed life, family, genuine, intriguing first evening, week's end move away, coastline, summer, winter, wealth and experience get-togethers. Among the top move away bundles are those in Manali, Shimla, Kashmir, Munnar, Srinagar, Gangtok, Darjeeling, Gulmarg, Jaipur, Trekked, Alopecy, and Paha gam. An untamed life darling can explore from a tempest of social occasions to the Jim Corbett National Park, Kanha National Park, Bandhavgarh National Park, Pench National Park and a couple other including Periyar, Ooty and Jabalpur. Looking for first class winter event bits of knowledge in India?

Striking India visit social events

You would rapidly have the decision to look for a piece of the notable event fights in India and book them on the spot. Andaman, Ladakh, Himachal, Kerala, Goa, North East, South India, Bhutan and Rajasthan are among the top event battles choices in the country. You can book a visit pack to any of these fights depending on your cash related strategy and various parts, for instance, how long you should remain, your tendency of activities like authentic visit, nursery and lake visits, or you incline toward water practices like swimming or scuba ricocheting. There is an event to suit every cash related game-plan correspondingly as every penchant of progress. From staying in a meandering sporadically tea stop in Darjeeling to a charming homestay at an apple home in Himachal Pradesh, you will really be spoilt for choice. Coastline bums can hit Havelock in Andaman or go to Goa and spend a quiet event in the southern piece of the state, entrancing a couple, getting into rich fish and exploring the beaches and neighborhood markets.

Workstation packs

Yatra workstation packs are a staggering technique to keep from city life and head to a superb district where you can see the value in stunning or grade sees from your room where your PC set up proceed with your office work. A great work and chill decision, such packages go with fast Wi-Fi for the whole of your calls, work and redirection, home-coordinated suppers, especially cleaned accommodation staying aware of all COVID shows as set some spot near the WHO. Yatra has handpicked properties for these workstation packages the country over where you can partake in the actually alluded to comforts and more like getting more to know nearby individuals, taking a morning walk around a brand name thing ranch, spotting phenomenal cases and getting back to a percolating cup of tea before you start your workday.

Week's end move away from packs

With a Yatra weekend move away from you would now have the decision to re-enable your energy for headway with open skies, long exceptional drives, moving scenes and staggering nightfalls. You can inspect a level of week's end trips whether you stay in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai or Kolkata. You will find plentiful issues with suit your propensities for development with a tremendous heap of exercises. You can design an especially week's end escape with your more far off family or a couple of dear accomplices and participate in a satisfying, fulfilling move away. Yatra's weekend move away from loads attract fascinating recommendations with cleaned stay decisions in this universe of post-pandemic travel. Basically expect a stunning week's end.

Family visits

Yatra has unequivocal family visits made concerning the necessities of a family whether gigantic or little, with kids or the more settled. It is a surprising system to get more to know one another in a remarkable target. You can analyze a get-together of motel decisions and even complaints and get some unbelievable cutoff centers around your move away. There are some long and short stay decisions in places like Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Munnar, Kashmir, Kochi, including some self-drive family visits. Pick a target depending on your present situation and view penchant and pick a hotel that immaculately sums up your disposition and look into your involvement in your family.

Exceptional curated packs

Offering Yatra affiliation confirmation are a lot of uncommon curated packs that recollect a stay for a wonderful fair with everything, for instance, your still open to question in. A piece of Yatra's renowned astounding curated packs entwine a 3 night stay in Kathmandu's Hotel Fairfield by Marriott, a sharp wedding trip bundle in Munnar, a prohibitive 2 night stay in Shillings,

Noor Tour & Travels contact click hear!

[ericfruits]

The shortcomings of India’s police are not entirely their fault

EVERY summer across north India, millions of Hindu youths honour Lord Shiva by travelling to the sacred Ganges to collect holy water for anointing the Shiva lingams in their local temples. The pilgrims travel on foot and use a wooden yoke or kanvar to balance two small buckets. But though the sight of orange-clad kanvarias on country roads is picturesque, the scene Indians may remember best from this year’s Kanvar Yatra took place in the crowded heart of Delhi, India’s capital.

Mobile-phone footage captured a gang of kanvarias smashing a small passenger car to pieces and then tipping it over. Yet it was not this sudden fury—provoked, apparently, by the driver causing one man to spill some water—that shocked Indians. What rankled most was seeing two armed, crisply uniformed police officers wander into the melee and watch, making no effort to stop the methodical demolition of some poor citizen’s property on a busy street.

Get our daily newsletter

Upgrade your inbox and get our Daily Dispatch and Editor's Picks.

India’s 1.9m policemen do not, by and large, enjoy a good reputation. It is easy to understand why. A simple glance at recent news clips substantiates a range of complaints. Are police corrupt? Consider that public rage over extortion by traffic police has prompted the state of Uttarakhand to forbid its finest to carry more than 200 rupees ($2.85) in cash. Brutal? A high court has just ordered an independent investigation into the killing by police gunfire, including from sniper rifles, of 13 people at a peaceful protest against the pollution caused by a copper smelter. Ineffective? In recent incidents of mob lynching that have shocked India, perpetrators have repeatedly explained that they had to take the law into their own murderous hands because the police were absent or unreliable. Callous and incompetent? When a seven-year-old boy was murdered in the bathroom of a private school last year, police in a Delhi suburb forced the lower-caste conductor of a school bus to confess and closed the case. Weeks later a court-ordered reinvestigation used previously ignored CCTV footage to reveal that the killer had been an older student.

Are police in the pockets of powerful politicians? Consider that Delhi police answer not to the city government but to the home ministry, run by the rival Bharatiya Janata Party of the prime minister, Narendra Modi. The city’s ruling party is Aam Aadmi. Since winning Delhi’s election in 2015 it has complained of continuous petty harassment. Among other things, police raided one official’s home and then charged him for possessing a bit more alcohol than is permitted by the arcane Delhi Excise Act. Courts have thrown out 19 out of 22 cases filed by Delhi police against Aam Aadmi’s senior members.

But while lurid press coverage makes it easy to spot police shortcomings, it does less to explain them. Talk to policemen themselves and the reasons for poor performance become clear. There are, to start with, too few of them. Excluding paramilitary forces and riot squads—and including only those in active service rather than the number that governments, for budget purposes, claim are working—India’s ratio of ordinary policemen per 1,000 people is just 1.2, about half the level recommended by the UN. By the government’s own reckoning, the country has 600,000 too few of them. Contrary to impressions of laziness, Indian police tend to be overworked. A national survey in 2014 found that 90% of officers worked longer than eight hours a day, and 73% got no more than one day off per week. Researchers say the recent introduction of eight-hour shifts in the state of Kerala and for city police in Mumbai has radically improved morale.

Police also spend much energy doing things other than fighting crime. Akshay Mangla of Oxford University reckons that in the state of Madhya Pradesh, election duties alone take up between a sixth and an eighth of all police time. This does not just mean providing security to campaign rallies, or protecting ballot boxes in endless rounds of polls. Rules intended to prevent corruption or political bias require that as many as half the higher-ranking officers in the state must be transferred to a new district before every major election.

The administrative structure of the force has changed little since the British Raj. Some two-thirds of police are lowly constables, typically with little training, limited equipment and no powers to arrest or investigate. At the pinnacle stand the 5,000 members of the Indian Police Service, a national corps that before 1920 was staffed only by British officers. Selected via competitive exams, these elite officers rarely stay in a post more than two years, but enjoy housing, transport and other perks. Between them and the lowest-ranking policemen are officers in various state police forces who hold full responsibility for everyone junior but enjoy no influence over their pampered superiors. “Basically they have not invested in middle management,” says Mr Mangla.

One frustrating result is that police stations are often reluctant to issue First Information Reports (FIRs), the necessary beginning to most legal action in India. Mr Mangla explains that since the performance metric that gets reported upwards is the proportion of FIRs that a station investigates and closes, “there is every incentive to keep this denominator low.”

Complaints about India’s police are nothing new. Successive national commissions since the 1970s have urged a range of reforms, which have largely been ignored. A report in 2018 by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, an NGO, measured compliance by Indian states with six separate directives on police reform issued by India’s Supreme Court in 2006. Not a single state had fully complied. Small wonder many Indians have concluded that politicians are unwilling to reform the police, because the force serves the interests of politicians perfectly well. The police agree. One state’s police chief recently asked officers to rank their top three problems. In ascending order, they were poor communications inside the force, lack of manpower or resources—and meddling politicians.

This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline "Politicians’ pets"

https://ift.tt/2KXNGMk

[brajeshupadhyay]

Coronavirus Updates: Passengers arriving at Delhi Airport from abroad to be quarantined for 14 days

22:20 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Updates

UP govt issues new discharge policy for COVID-19 patients

Uttar Pradesh government issued a new discharge policy for patients who have recovered from COVID-19. Asymptomtic patients staying in home isolation will be considered recovered if they show no symptoms for 10 days, but they will have to stay in home isolation for 7 more days after these 10 days.

Mild asymptomatic patients admitted in COVID facility will be discharged 10 days after their initial testing or 7 days after being admitted (whichever comes later) if they show no symptoms. After being discharged they'll have to be in mandatory home isolation for 8 days.

Samples of mild symptomatics will be collected through TrueNat on 8th day of first sample. If negative they'll be discharged 10 days after first sample/10 days after show of symtoms/3 days without fever(whichever is later)&have to be in 7-day home isolation from that date.

21:13 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

Mumbai reports 995 COVID-19 new cases

995 new COVID-19 cases, 905 discharges and 62 deaths have been reported in Mumbai on Tuesday. Total number of cases rises to 1,03,262 including 23,893 active cases, 73,555 discharged patients and 5,814 deaths, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

21:03 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Kerala Latest Updates

720 new COVID-19 cases in Kerala today

720 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Kerala on Tuesday. The total number of positive cases in the state is now 13,994 including 8,056 active cases. Number of COVID-19 clusters goes up to 101 in the state. Of them, 18 are large clusters, The Indian Express reported.

20:47 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Railways spends up to Rs 6 lakh on coaches to ensure safety

The Railways has spent an additional Rs 3 lakh per non-AC coach and Rs 6 lakh per AC coach to ensure the safety of passengers during and after the Covid-19 pandemic with these specially designed coaches, a senior official said Tuesday.

The Rail Coach Factory (RCF) Kapurthala has manufactured two such coaches which have amenities like foot-operated washbasins, dispensers and toilet flushes, door handles which are maneuvered with the forearm and handrails coated with anti-microbial copper to prevent the spread of the infection.

These coaches also have fixtures coated with titanium dioxide and the provision for plasma air equipment in AC ducts to sterilise interiors using ionised air.

(PTI)

20:35 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Sharjeel Imam tests COVID-19 positive

Sharjeel Imam has tested positive for COVID-19, ANI reported. Delhi Police Special Cell had applied for his production warrant in Assam as he is lodged at Guwahati Central Jail and he was going to be presented before a Delhi Court on 25 July, but will not be produced now.

20:18 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

COVID-19 tally in Dharavi crosses 2,500

The coronavirus tally in Mumbai's slum colony of Dharavi surpassed 2,500 on Tuesday with the addition of 10 new cases, the city civic body said.

According to a senior BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) official, the tally of COVID-19 cases in the slum -dominated area rose to 2,502 with 10 new infections.

He said Dharavi now has 151 active COVID-19 cases, while the number of recovered patients stood at 2,101.

The civic body has, however, stopped sharing figures of COVID-19 deaths, if any, in Dharavi since last month.

Spread over 2.5 square kilometres, Dharavi is considered as one of the largest slums in Asia with a population of over 6.5 lakh.

(PTI)

19:49 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Karnataka Latest Updates

BS Yediyurappa rules out lockdown extension

Lockdown is not the solution for controlling COVID-19 and resource mobilisation is equally important for a government to function, Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday said as he ruled out extension of the week-long shutdown in the city and elsewhere.

Addressing the people of the state, he stressed on maintaining social distancing and wearing masks and said experts have advised 5T strategy —  trace, track, test, treat and technology —  to control the coronavirus spread.

"We had been successful at the beginning in controlling the COVID, but in recent days especially in Bengaluru the COVID cases have increased....I want to tell the people of the state that for the control of the virus, lockdown was not the solution. The solution is wearing masks and maintaining social distancing," Yediyrappa said.

(PTI)

19:29 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Amarnath Yatra 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic

The annual Amarnath Yatra, the Hindu pilgrimage to a shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, has been cancelled in view of the coronavirus pandemic, reports said on Tuesday.

"Based upon the circumstances, the Board decided with heavy heart that it is not advisable to hold and conduct this year's Shri Amarnathji Yatra and expressed its regret to announce the cancellation of Yatra 2020," the Amarnath Shrine board's statement was quoted by NDTV.

18:55 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Tamil Nadu Latest Updates

4,965 new COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu today

Tamil Nadu recorded 4,965 new COVID-19 cases and 75 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 51,344 and death toll to 2,626, the state health department said.

18:18 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Bihar Latest Updates

Rahul Gandhi slams Bihar govt over 'mismanagement' of COVID-19

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday criticised the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government over the "mismanagement" of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He said, "The state of the corona pandemic in Bihar is critical and out of control of the state government. Unclaimed bodies lying in the hospital ward expose the 'good governance' of the Bihar government."

17:40 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

NITI Aayog says will make COVID-19 vaccine affordable

Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog on Tuesday said, "India's two COVID-19 vaccines are in phase 1 and 2 of trials. Discussions have already begun how will the vaccines be made available to all those who need it."

"The government will leave no stone unturned to ensure people of India and international community have access to an Indian vaccine as early as possible. Every possible facilitation will be ensured making sure trials conducted scientifically and ethically, and we arrive at an affordable option," he added.

17:35 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Centre says evidence shows valved masks are effective protection

Rajesh Bhushan, OSD, Health Ministry on Tuesday said, "...Evidence suggests that with a valved mask the person wearing it is safe but if they are asymptomatic person then propensity of that person infecting others is there. This is an evolving situation."

#WATCH: ...Evidence suggests that with a valved mask the person wearing it is safe but if they are asymptomatic person then propensity of that person infecting others is there. This is an evolving situation: Rajesh Bhushan, OSD, Health Ministry pic.twitter.com/XB3XPxIK7c

— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2020

16:52 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Updates

77% population of Delhi susceptible to COVID-19, finds survey

Dr. Sujeet Kumar Singh, Director, National Centre for Disease Control on Tuesday said that spoke about the findings gathered by the sero surveillance conducted in Delhi.

"Sero surveillance was done in Delhi to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19 among the general community of Delhi. Nearly six months into the pandemic, 22.86 percent people are affected and 77 percent of the population is susceptible," he said.

He added, "8 out of 11 districts have sero-prevalence more than 20 percent. In central, northeast, north and Shahdara districts have sero-prevalence of about 27 percent."

16:44 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Centre says 30 states, UTs have positivity rate lower than average

30 states and Union Territories have a positivity rate lower than the national average, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday in a briefing on the COVID-19 situation in the country.

The statement added that the number of COVID-19 deaths per million population in India continues to be among the lowest in the world.

16:24 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Aggressive testing is necessary, says Centre

The Union health ministry on Tuesday said that "aggressive" testing is necessary to reduce the spread of coronavirus in the country.

"Aggressive testing is necessary to bring down COVID-19 positivity rate; the aim is to maintain this level of testing so as to bring down positivity rate below 5 percent," said Rajesh Bhushan, OSD, Health Ministry.

He added that 19 States and Union Territories are performing more than 140 tests per day per million population.

15:52 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

BMC takes action against private hospitals overcharging COVID-19 patients

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Tuesday reportedly "launched a crackdown" on private hospitals in Mumbai for "overcharging" for COVID-19 treatment, News18 reported.

"The civic agency has received 1,115 complaints so far and close to Rs 1.5 crore has been refunded. It is being reported that patients were overcharged by 10.48 percent," the report said.

15:18 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak Latest Updates

Phase II trial finds Chinese COVID-19 vaccine is safe, induces immune response

A phase II clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate, conducted in China, has found that it is safe and induces an immune response, a study published in The Lancet says.

Scientists, including those from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the trial sought to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate.

They said the results provide data from a wider group of participants than their earlier phase I trial, including a small sub-group of participants aged over 55 years and older.

15:09 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Karnataka Latest Updates

Karnataka CM to address state at 5 pm today

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will address the people of the state through youtube and facebook live on Tuesday evening, his office said.

Yediyurappa's address to the people of the state comes as about a week-long lockdown in Bengaluru urban and rural areas, aimed at controlling the spike in COVID cases, nears it end. Bengaluru urban and rural areas are currently under "complete lockdown" since 8 pm of 14 July and it will be effective till 5 am on 22 July.

14:40 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Nepal Latest Updates

Nepal to resume domestic, international flights from 17 Aug

Nepal will resume domestic and international flight operations starting from 17 August, over four months after they were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 20 March, the government had banned all passengers, including Nepalis, from entering the country. Four days later, it imposed a nationwide lockdown to limit the spread of coronavirus.

14:35 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

FabiFlu more economical, effective treatment option for COVID-19: Glenmark

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday said its generic version of antiviral drug Favipiravir, FabiFlu, is more economical and effective than other drugs available in the market approved for emergency use for treatment of COVID-19.

The company was reacting to a letter sent by India's drug regulator DCGI seeking clarifications on the concerns raised and allegations made by a Member of Parliament.

13:59 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Puducherry Latest Updates

Puducherry reports 91 new cases, 1 death today

Puducherry registers 91 new case and one death, reports PTI. With this, the tally in the Union Territory rises to 2,179 and toll is 30. Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar says the morality rate is 1.4%.

13:15 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Odisha Latest Updates

Odisha's toll climbs to 103 with 6 more deaths, 647 new cases reported

The toll due to COVID-19 in Odisha crossed the 100-mark on Tuesday, with six more fatalities taking the total to 103, reports PTI. At least 647 more people have tested positive for the disease, pushing the tally to 18,757, he said. All six fatalities were recorded from as many districts in the state.

13:06 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

India's recovery rate now at 62.7%

As many as 7,24,578 COVID-19 patients have been cured and discharged so far, the Union Health Ministry has said in its latest update. India’s COVID-19 recovery rate now stands at 62.7 percent.

12:58 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Arunachal Pradesh Latest Updates

50 new cases reported in Arunachal; count rises to 790

Fifty more people, including nine Army jawans and six police personnel, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, taking the northeastern state's tally to 790 on Tuesday, reports PTI.

Thirty-four fresh cases were reported in the Capital Complex region, 10 in the border district of Tawang, five in Lower Subansiri and one in West Siang, he said.

12:50 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Rajasthan Latest Updates

Rajasthan's COVID-19 total reaches 30,741, toll rises to 574

Six more people succumbed to COVID-19 in Rajasthan on Tuesday, taking the toll to 574, while 351 fresh cases pushed the state's tally to 30,741, reports PTI. It said 21,494 patients have been discharged so far and the state now has 7,868 active COVID-19 cases.

The fresh cases include 103 in Alwar, 43 in Jalore, 32 in Nagaur, 27 in Ajmer, 23 in Sirohi, 18 in Dausa and 15 in Kota.

12:45 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates

COVID-19 total in Aurangabad rises to 11,420

The number of COVID-19 cases in Aurangabad reached 11,420 in the Maharashtra district after 179 more people tested positive for the disease on Tuesday, reports PTI. The new cases included 123 from the city, 46 from rural parts of the district, and 10 from various entry points in Aurangabad, an official said.

12:42 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Updates

41 arrested for violating norms by partying at Delhi cafe

Forty-one people, including the owner of a cafe, were arrested for allegedly violating social distancing norms by partying at a cafe in outer Delhi's Paschim Vihar area amid the coronavirus pandemic, reports PTI.

A raid was conducted by police on Sunday night after a constable who was patrolling in the area saw vehicles parked outside the cafe and heard loud noises coming from the house, they said.

12:31 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Results of sero-prevalence study shows 23.48% have antibodies

The Centre on Tuesday said that the results of sero-prevalence study show that 23.48% have antibodies, reports ANI. The study also indicated that a large number of infected persons remain asymptomatic

Results of sero-prevalence study show that nearly 6 months into the epidemic, only 23.48% of ppl are affected in Delhi, which has several pockets of dense population.This can be attributed to efforts taken by Govt as well as citizen compliance to COVID appropriate behaviours: GoI https://t.co/kdobGqlWcj

— ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2020

11:02 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Mizoram Latest Updates

11 BSF jawans, one Army personnel test positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram

At least 13 more people, including 11 BSF jawans, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram, pushing the total tally in the state to 297, reports PTI.

A total of 133 samples were tested for the disease on Monday, it said. Barring the Army personnel, all others, including a civilian, are asymptomatic, the statement said.

10:40 (IST)

Coronavirus in Delhi Latest Updates

Delhi reports 954 new cases, recovery rate at 84%

Delhi reported 954 new cases so far, taking the total positive cases to 1,23,747, with 1,04,918 having recovered till now. The recovery rate in the National Capital stands at 84 percent.

10:27 (IST)

Coronavirus in Japan Latest Updates

Downloads of Japan's COVID-19 app reach 7.7 mn

Downloads of Japan’s coronavirus contact-tracing app have slowed since its debut last month, a blow to the government’s aim to use smartphones to head off a second wave of infection.

Just 27 positive cases have been registered through the app, named COCOA for Contact-Confirming Application, even as Tokyo saw new daily cases surge to almost 300 in recent days. Downloads stood at 7.69 million as of Monday, said health ministry official Yasuyuki Sahara. In the first week after its 19 June start, downloads had reached 4.4 million.

09:55 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Govt warns against use of N-95 masks with valved respirator

The Centre has written to all states and union territories warning against the use of N-95 masks with valved respirator by people, saying these don't prevent the virus from spreading out and are "detrimental" to the measures adopted for its containment.

The Director-General of Health Services in the Ministry of Health, in a letter to the Principal Secretaries of health and medical education of states, said it has been observed that there is "inappropriate use" of N-95 masks, particularly those with the valved respirator, by the public other than designated health workers.

09:34 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Russia Latest Updates

Russia’s elite got access to experimental Covid-19 vaccine from April: Report

Scores of members of Russia’s business and political elite have been given early access to an experimental vaccine against Covid-19, according to people familiar with the effort, as the country races to be among the first to develop an inoculation, reports Bloomberg.

Top executives at companies including aluminum giant United Co. Rusal, as well as billionaire tycoons and government officials began getting shots developed by the state-run Gamaleya Institute in Moscow as early as April, the people said. They declined to be identified as the information isn’t public.

09:16 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

India reports over 37,000 new cases, 587 deaths in past 24 hrs

India reports 37,148 new cases, taking the its total count to 11,55,191. The toll rises by 587 to 28,084. Total active cases are now more than 4 lakh.

09:05 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak Latest Updates

Over a million doses of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine possible by September: Researcher

Early estimates of the production a million doses of the University of Oxford's experimental COVID-19 vaccine by September could be an underestimate depending on how quickly late-stage trials can be completed, a researcher said on Monday, reports Reuters.

"There might be a million doses manufactured by September: that now seems like a remarkable underestimate, given the scale of what's going on," Adrian Hill of University of Oxford said, referring to the manufacturing capability of partner AstraZeneca.

08:52 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Sikkim Latest Updates

Sikkim to remain under complete lockdown till 27 July

The Sikkim government yesterday announced imposition of a complete lockdown in the state from today till 27 July in view of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases.

Government offices, shops, commercial establishments, institutions, markets and factories will remain closed except where a specific exemption is granted, according to a notification.

08:36 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Serum to apply for local trials on Oxford's vaccine in a week

With the trials of COVID-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University showing encouraging results, Serum Institute of India (SII) on Monday said it will apply for licence from the Indian regulator to start clinical trials of the shot in a week's time.

"The trials have shown promising results and we are extremely happy about it. We will be applying for the licensure trials to the Indian regulator in a week's time. As soon as they grant us permission, we will begin with the trials for the vaccine in India. In addition, we will soon start manufacturing the vaccine in large volumes," SII Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla said.

08:03 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Clinical trials of Covaxin to start at Bhubaneswar from tomorrow

Human clinical trials of the country's indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine is set to begin this week at a Bhubaneswar-based institute – one of the 12 centres selected by the ICMR for conducting phase one and two of the process, a senior official said.

The human trials of BBV152 Covid Vaccine or Covaxin will begin on Wednesday in a special laboratory set up at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM (IMS & SUM) Hospital, in accordance with the protocols laid down by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), reports PTI.

07:54 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Indian medical experts hail Oxford trial results for Covid-19 vaccine

Medical experts in India on Monday hailed the results of Oxford University's early-stage human trials for a Covid-19 vaccine, with some saying it's the "most scientifically done" among all such exercises, while others expressing hope that the final trials will "bear fruit".

From clinicians to pathology experts, doctors in the country feel the Oxford trials have been the "most transparent" one by far.

07:52 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

ICMR, Union health ministry advise states on how to enhance testing capacity

The ICMR and the Union health ministry have suggested short and medium term methods to all states and union territories for enhancing their COVID-19 testing capacity.

In a joint letter issued on 17 July, Union health ministry secretary Preeti Sudan and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Balram Bhargava said the evolving scenario demands for enhanced testing capabilities to handle any surge in testing demands.

Increasing the testing capacity may be achieved by adding more laboratories for COVID-19 testing and enhancing the existing testing capacity of the approved laboratories, the letter said.

07:49 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Updates

Hindu Rao hospital nurse tests 'positive' again, NDMC says nothing to worry

A nurse employed at a civic-run dedicated COVID-19 hospital has tested positive again after recovering, but the municipal authorities on Monday claimed there was nothing to worry as it ostensibly is the "dead virus" left in her body from the previous infection.

The hospital, run by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), was declared a dedicated coronavirus facility on 14 June.

07:47 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates

Serum Institute of India eyes licence to manufacture Oxford vaccine

The Serum Institute of India says it will seeking to get the licence to manufacture the vaccine developed at the Oxford University, reports NDTV. Trials will begin in India as soon as the license is procured. The vaccine has been found to be both effective and safe in early trials, according to a study in the medical journal The Lancet.

07:44 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Assam Latest Updates

Assam records 1,093 new cases; infection total crosses 25,000-mark

Assam breached the 25,000-mark in COVID-19 cases with 1,093 fresh cases reported on Monday, while one more person died due to the disease in the state, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

The state, at present, has 7,936 active coronavirus patients, who are being treated in different hospitals and COVID care centres, he said on Twitter.

📌Alert ~ 1093 new #COVID19 ve+ patients in Assam today with 448 cases from Guwahati City. With 20000 + tests carried out today, our daily positivity rate is only 5% ↗️Total cases 25092 ↗️Active cases 7936 ↗️Deaths 58 11:55 PM/July 19/Day's total 1093#AssamCovidCount pic.twitter.com/v6Tog5jy1k

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 20, 2020

07:35 (IST)

Coronavirus Outbreak in Goa Latest Updates

Human trials of Covaxin begin at Goa's Redkar Hospital: Pramod Sawant

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that the human trials of coronavirus vaccine have begun at the state's Redkar Hospital and congratulated the team behind it.

The country's top drug regulator had recently given a green signal for human clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin, which has been developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the ICMR and the National Institute of Virology

Human trials of #Covaxin, an indigenously developed vaccine for #COVID19 has begun at Redkar Hospital in Goa. This is a testimony of India's immense potential in healthcare innovation. My best wishes to the entire team working on #Covaxin. #IndiaFightsCOVID19

— Dr. Pramod Sawant (@DrPramodPSawant) July 20, 2020

Coronavirus LATEST Updates: Sharjeel Imam has tested positive for COVID-19, ANI reported. Delhi Police Special Cell had applied for his production warrant in Assam as he is lodged at Guwahati Central Jail and he was going to be presented before a Delhi Court on 25 July, but will not be produced now.

The annual Amarnath Yatra, the pilgrimage to a shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, has been cancelled in view of the coronavirus pandemic, reports said on Tuesday.

"Based upon the circumstances, the Board decided with heavy heart that it is not advisable to hold and conduct this year's Shri Amarnathji Yatra and expressed its regret to announce the cancellation of Yatra 2020," the Amarnath Shrine board's statement was quoted by NDTV.

Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog on Tuesday said, "India's two COVID-19 vaccines are in phase 1 and 2 of trials. Discussions have already begun how will the vaccines be made available to all those who need it."

"The government will leave no stone unturned to ensure people of India and international community have access to an Indian vaccine as early as possible. Every possible facilitation will be ensured making sure trials conducted scientifically and ethically, and we arrive at an affordable option," he added.

The Union health ministry on Tuesday said that "aggressive" testing is necessary to reduce the spread of coronavirus in the country.

"Aggressive testing is necessary to bring down COVID-19 positivity rate; the aim is to maintain this level of testing so as to bring down positivity rate below 5 percent," said Rajesh Bhushan, OSD, Health Ministry.

He added that 19 States and Union Territories are performing more than 140 tests per day per million population.

Delhi's sero-prevalence study has discovered that 23.48 percent of the people have been affected by the novel coronavirus in the national capital, which has several pockets of dense population.

The Centre has written to all states and union territories warning against the use of N-95 masks with valved respirator by people, saying these don't prevent the virus from spreading out and are 'detrimental' to the measures adopted for its containment.

India reports 37,148 new cases, taking its total count to 11,55,191. The toll rises by 587 to 28,084. Total active cases are now more than 4 lakh.

The Serum Institute of India says it will seeking to get the licence to manufacture the vaccine developed at the Oxford University, reports NDTV. The vaccine has been found to be both effective and safe in early trials, according to a study in the medical journal The Lancet.

The total number of coronavirus cases crossed 11 lakh with a single-day spike of 40,425 cases on Monday, while the toll rose to 27,497 with 681 new casualties reported. It is the first time the number of new cases registered was above 40,000.

The total tally of 11,18,043 cases includes 3,90,459 active cases and 7,00,087 cured/discharged/migrated patients and the toll.  The health ministry said that the recovery rate is now 62.62 percent.

Meanwhile, a vaccine candidate developed at the University of Oxford has shown encouraging results in early human testing and appears to be "safe well-tolerated, and immunogenic", according to a study published in The Lancet on Monday.

Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine produces 'strong antibodies', shows initial study

Trials by the Oxford University involving 1,077 people showed that the injection led to them making antibodies and white blood cells that can fight coronavirus. The vaccine, named 'ChAdOx1 nCoV-19', has been made from a harmless virus called 'chimpanzee cold virus'.

"Our preliminary findings show that the candidate ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine given as a single dose was safe and tolerated, despite a higher reactogenicity profile than the control vaccine, MenACWY," the researchers, led by Pedro M Folegatti and Katiet Ewer, wrote in the study.

"No serious adverse reactions to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 occurred. The majority of adverse events reported were mild or moderate in severity, and all were self-limiting," the study said.

The clinical trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine on humans began in April. The human vaccine trial has been developed by scientists at Oxford University's Jenner Institute.

Reportedly, the scientists also said that they "found their experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced a dual immune response in people aged 18 to 55 that lasted at least two months after they were immunised".

The study showed that the vaccine induced strong antibody and T-cell immune responses up to day 56 of the ongoing trial.

“We are seeing good immune response in almost everybody,” said Dr Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at Oxford University. “What this vaccine does particularly well is trigger both arms of the immune system,” he said.

ICC postpones Men's T20 World Cup due to COVID-19 pandemic

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the postponement of this year's Men's T20World Cup in Australia due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The T20 World Cup was slated to be played in Australia from 18 October to 15 November this year.

"The IBC Board (the commercial subsidiary of the ICC) agreed to continue to monitor the rapidly changing situation (regarding coronavirus pandemic) and assess all the information available in order to make a considered decision on future hosts to ensure the sport is able to stage safe and successful global events in 2021 and 2022," ICC said in a statement.

"The IBC Board will also continue to evaluate the situation in relation to being able to stage the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2021 in New Zealand in February next year. In the meantime, planning for this event continues as scheduled," the statement added.

ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said their number one priority was to protect the health and safety of everyone involved in the sport.

Delhi seems to have reached COVID-19 peak, says AIIMS chief

Certain areas of Delhi have hit their peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, while certain other areas in the city are yet to reach the peak, said AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria on Monday. He added that there is not much evidence of community transmission happening at the national level.

"Certain areas have hit their peak in COVID-19 cases. Delhi seems to have done so because the cases have declined significantly. Certain areas have yet to reach the peak. They will reach the peak a little later," Guleria said, while addressing a press conference.

The National Capital had witnessed a surge in the cases of novel coronavirus cases over the past one month. However, the number of active cases has seen a dip over the past few weeks.

Bengal govt to enforce lockdown for two days every week

In light of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state, the West Bengal government announced a lockdown in the state for two days every week starting from 23 July.

In a press meet, the West Bengal home secretary said, "There will be a two-day complete lockdown every week starting from Thursday. Lockdown will be on Thursday and Saturday this week. This lockdown has been imposed in addition to running a broad-based containment zone approach."

The two days of lockdown will be decided on a weekly basis.

"All views have been taken into account and it has been decided the days for the lockdown will be announced each week. There will be complete lockdown in offices and transport," the official added.

State-wise cases and deaths

Maharashtra reported 176 deaths and 8,240 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. The total count of cases now stands at 3,18,695, including 1,75,029 recovered cases and 1,31,334 active cases.

Meanwhile, Mumbai reported 1,043 new COVID-19 cases, 965 cured patients and 41 deaths. The total number of cases in the city stands at 1,02,267, including 23,865 active cases, 72,650 discharged patients and 5,752 deaths.

A total 4,985 COVID-19 cases and 70 deaths were reported in Tamil Nadu. The total number of cases has risen to 1,75,678, including 51,348 active cases and 2,551 deaths.

Delhi reported 954 new COVID-19 positive cases, 1,784 recovered /discharged/migrated patients and 35 deaths. The total count of cases has risen to 1,23,747 including 1,04,918 recovered/discharged/migrated and 3,663 deaths.

Karnataka reported 3,648 COVID-19 cases and 72 deaths, taking active cases to 42,216 and toll to 1,403. Kerala reported 794 COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking the number of active cases to 7,611. A total of 5,618 patients have been discharged so far in the state.

Punjab reported 411 new COVID-19 positive cases and eight deaths. The total number of cases has risen to 10,510, including 3,130 active cases, 7,118 discharged patients and 262 deaths.

Telangana recorded 1,198 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths. The total count of cases has risen to 46,274, including 11,530 active cases and 422 deaths.

Uttar Pradesh reported 1,924 COVID-19 cases and 46 deaths in the last 24 hours. The active cases stand at 19,137 and the toll has risen to 1,192. A total of 30,831 patients have been discharged so far.

Rajasthan reported 956 new COVID-19 cases and nine deaths till 8.30 pm on Monday. The total number of cases has risen to 30,390, including 7,627 active cases and 568 patients have died due to the disease.

A total of 998 COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours in Gujarat. The state's count of cases has risen to 49,439, including 11,613 active cases, 35,659 cured/discharged patients and 2,167 deaths.

Manipur's COVID-19 case count has risen to 1,925 with 14 new cases reported today. The number of recovered cases is 1,320 and there are 605 active cases.

With inputs from agencies

via Blogger https://ift.tt/2OKP2hJ

[boldlykeenblizzard]

Airlines, OTAs battle fraud alerts, hoax calls to customers seeking refunds

New Delhi: Airlines, tour operators and online travel agents (OTAs) dealing with a barrage of cancellation and refund requests for trips booked ahead for the summer are now facing with a new menace – phishing emails, fraudulent calls and false alerts to customers promising trip refunds on their behalf.

India’s biggest OTA MakeMyTrip has issued alerts to its customers stating there are attempts being made by fraudsters to seek bank account details and other personal information from customers who are seeking refunds for booking cancellations.

“We advise you to remain vigilant and refrain from providing such information. We wish to clarify that no MakeMyTrip representative will ever reach out to you seeking confidential banking or payment related information including OTP, UPI pin or wallet details,” an alert issued by the company to its customers stated.

In a tweet on Monday, carrier Indigo said some fraudsters, posing as Indigo’s customer support executives, are reaching out to its customers through fake social media accounts and performing unauthorised transactions for flight refunds.

“Please remember that we never ask for bank information such as UPI, CVV etc. ….look out for verified blue ticks when interacting with our social media accounts,” Indigo added.

Scores of customers have also been raising such concerns and complaints on social media platforms.

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), a body representing more than 1600 operators, said it is issuing an advisory to its members asking them to beware of such hoax calls.

A spokesperson from Yatra said the company is reaching out to customers and warning them against such potential calls.

“In the prevailing situation of Covid-19 pandemic, we are taking all the necessary steps to advise and help our customers in the hour of need and against possible financial crime and fraud. We are requesting our customers not to share their bank details with anyone and reach out to our customer support teams for any assistance,” the Yatra spokesperson said.

Aloke Bajpai, CEO at ixigo said his company had issued advisory emailers to customers to refrain from sharing their personal information and bank details for any flight refund or rescheduling related query.

Refund requests are continuing to pile up for companies and are becoming a major challenge.

“We are facing a funds crisis. The response from airlines has been really slow for refunds. For hotel refunds, we are reaching out to industry associations who have given us some assurance. State governments have not been cooperating with refunds,” said Pronab Sarkar, president, IATO.

Kapil Goswamy, managing director of Bigbreaks.com, said airlines are not being fair with refunds and have little clarity with regard to policies.

“One of the airlines is not refunding and is saying they’ll create a shell balance in the customers’ name. But, customers may not need this and may not have any travel plans for the next six months. What will they do with this balance?” he asked.

if(geolocation && geolocation != 5 && (typeof skip == 'undefined' || typeof skip.fbevents == 'undefined')) { !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '338698809636220'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); }

Source link

The post Airlines, OTAs battle fraud alerts, hoax calls to customers seeking refunds appeared first on Investium.

from Investium https://ift.tt/3bG08hx

[ainvestops]

Airlines, OTAs battle fraud alerts, hoax calls to customers seeking refunds

New Delhi: Airlines, tour operators and online travel agents (OTAs) dealing with a barrage of cancellation and refund requests for trips booked ahead for the summer are now facing with a new menace – phishing emails, fraudulent calls and false alerts to customers promising trip refunds on their behalf.

India’s biggest OTA MakeMyTrip has issued alerts to its customers stating there are attempts being made by fraudsters to seek bank account details and other personal information from customers who are seeking refunds for booking cancellations.

“We advise you to remain vigilant and refrain from providing such information. We wish to clarify that no MakeMyTrip representative will ever reach out to you seeking confidential banking or payment related information including OTP, UPI pin or wallet details,” an alert issued by the company to its customers stated.

In a tweet on Monday, carrier Indigo said some fraudsters, posing as Indigo’s customer support executives, are reaching out to its customers through fake social media accounts and performing unauthorised transactions for flight refunds.

“Please remember that we never ask for bank information such as UPI, CVV etc. ….look out for verified blue ticks when interacting with our social media accounts,” Indigo added.

Scores of customers have also been raising such concerns and complaints on social media platforms.

The Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO), a body representing more than 1600 operators, said it is issuing an advisory to its members asking them to beware of such hoax calls.

A spokesperson from Yatra said the company is reaching out to customers and warning them against such potential calls.

“In the prevailing situation of Covid-19 pandemic, we are taking all the necessary steps to advise and help our customers in the hour of need and against possible financial crime and fraud. We are requesting our customers not to share their bank details with anyone and reach out to our customer support teams for any assistance,” the Yatra spokesperson said.

Aloke Bajpai, CEO at ixigo said his company had issued advisory emailers to customers to refrain from sharing their personal information and bank details for any flight refund or rescheduling related query.

Refund requests are continuing to pile up for companies and are becoming a major challenge.

“We are facing a funds crisis. The response from airlines has been really slow for refunds. For hotel refunds, we are reaching out to industry associations who have given us some assurance. State governments have not been cooperating with refunds,” said Pronab Sarkar, president, IATO.

Kapil Goswamy, managing director of Bigbreaks.com, said airlines are not being fair with refunds and have little clarity with regard to policies.

“One of the airlines is not refunding and is saying they’ll create a shell balance in the customers’ name. But, customers may not need this and may not have any travel plans for the next six months. What will they do with this balance?” he asked.

if(geolocation && geolocation != 5 && (typeof skip == 'undefined' || typeof skip.fbevents == 'undefined')) { !function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s) {if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function(){n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}; if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version='2.0'; n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0; t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window, document,'script', 'https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js'); fbq('init', '338698809636220'); fbq('track', 'PageView'); }

Source link

The post Airlines, OTAs battle fraud alerts, hoax calls to customers seeking refunds appeared first on Invest Ops.

from Invest Ops https://ift.tt/2UKzMUJ

[dailymagazinblog]

Vidisha (Madhya Pradesh) [India], Nov 10 (ANI): Hours after a video went viral on social media where Congress leader Mahendra Verma was seen ranting at his senior party leader Digvijaya Singh over ticket distribution process in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh, the former said that he was unhappy as a ticket had been given to a candidate from Vidisha who had lost in the last three elections. "I was disappointed with Digvijaya Singh as a ticket was given to a candidate from Vidisha, who had lost in the last three elections. This was my complaint. We had even told him that give us the tickets, we are ready to contest in the polls," he told ANI. Further defending his heated argument with the senior Congress leader, Verma asserted that he became emotional. "I wanted to meet Digvijaya Singh. I became emotional as I ranted at him. I don't remember now what I had said. He (Digvijaya) kept his hands on my head and shoulders and listened to me calmly. I would say that he understood my pain and he saved the party workers from defecting," he added. In the video dated November 6, Verma can be seen lashing out at the former Madhya Pradesh chief minister over the ticket distribution process. "You had called me to Delhi and asked me to start preparing. I did all the preparations, but you gave a ticket to Sakaal. You gave a ticket to Narayan Singh. I rolled out the 'Digvijaya Singh Yatra' for you. I travelled to 101 villages. We are in a position to consume poison. You are distributing tickets to everyone like bullets and biscuits, but you didn't come to this poor's place since I am from the Kayastha community. Entire Bhopal is filled up with Kayastha community, including Vidisha. Don't do injustice, I don't want to disrespect your orders and I don't want to join any other party," he was heard saying. Digvijaya could be seen asking a visibly-upset Verma to look at a phone and narrate his ordeal, where the entire incident was being filmed by some people. Madhya Pradesh is slated to go to polls on November 28 for 230 constituencies. Counting of votes will take place on December 11. (ANI)

https://www.aninews.in/news/cong-gave-ticket-to-candidate-who-lost-last-3-elections201811101157150001/

[nhai09-blog]

Sukhad Yatra – NHAI’s Efforts for a Streamlined Commute

The National Highways Authority of India has time and time deployed strategies to ensure a comfortable and safe journey for all its commuters. Their implemented ways and methods have reaped a lot of fruit, given the fact that the national highway users have experienced a very relaxed and smoother journey in comparison to what the situation might have been just a few years back. In lieu of the drive concerning digital India, NHAI has launched its first official highway utility mobile application, Sukhad Yatra viz. “Happy Journey” in English. The final version of the application was launched by the honourable Union Minister, Mr Nitin Gadkari on March 7th 2018 in New Delhi.

This citizen-centric highway utility application was launched to ensure a safer and a much more streamlined highway journey for the commuters. The main purpose of this application is to increase the safety, encourage transparency and develop the operational sector of the national highways across India, all the while propelling the concept of Digital India further. This is also a strategy embraced by the Centre to augment the condition of the highway infrastructure across the country.

The Sukhad Yatra application has been developed by the Com Vision (India) Pvt. Ltd. for the autonomous body of the National Highways Authority of India. Often times, the motorists and the majority of the highway commuters face issues remembering the routes and roads along the highways. In order to make this process easier and a lot more compact, NHAI has come up with the one stop solution with their own commuter-centric application.

There are primarily has eight distinct features that help a commuters pre-plan and execute a smooth journey up till their destination. These features include “Nearby Toll Plaza (s)”, “Toll Plaza Enroute”, “Buy FASTag”, “Know Your Highway”, “Report An Issue”, “Report Summary”, “Near By”, and “Rate Us.” These features have their individual significance and act as a “digital guide” for the commuters. To shed some light on a few of the most important features, they cumulatively not just enhance the journey experience of the traveller but all the while ensure to improve the highway infrastructure based upon the inputs of the commuters themselves.

The “NearBy Toll Plaza” and “Toll Plaza Enroute” help the commuters pinpoint the toll booths along their journey so they can plan their trips accordingly and ensure their halts based on the same. NHAI is accepting any and every kind of inputs from the citizens who travel along the national highways frequently with the “Report An Issue” feature. With this, the commuters can express their grievances and lodge complaints that they have faced along the highway, be it any kind of issues with the roads or even with the authorities at the toll plazas. Every kind of issue is taken into serious consideration and solutions are implemented with immediate effect.

The Sukhad Yatra app has been a boon for the day to day highway users as well as the novice travellers. Every person can use this application to navigate through the national highways without any kind of hassle. It also ensures that the commuters can purchase their FASTag stickers for smoother toll tax payments. NHAI is working day and day out to ensure that the commuters can have a safe, smooth and effortless journey across the highways which are why they have even administered a toll-free helpline (1033) that’ll tend to any kind of emergencies that anyone faces on the highways.

[khabarsamay]

Shri Nitin Gadkari to launch Sukhad Yatra App and Toll-free Emergency number for Highway users

Union Minister for Road Transport & Highways, Shipping, Water Resources, River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Shri Nitin Gadkari will launcha mobile App and Toll-free Emergency number for Highway users tomorrow in New Delhi. Sukhad Yatra mobile application has been prepared by National Highways Authority of India, NHAI, to empower the Highway user. The key feature of the app includes provision for the user to enter road quality-related information or to report any accident or pothole on the highway. It also provides users with real-time data related to waiting time expected at Plazas and various facilities like points of interest, highway nest/nest mini, etc., available across the highway. The app can also be used by the users to purchase the FASTag tag and further facilitate the highway user experience. A toll-free number, 1033, will enable users to report an emergency condition, or highway-related feedback, across the highway. The service has also integrated with various ambulance/tow away services along the road to ensure rapid response time in emergency. The service is supported by a multi-lingual support and user location tracking features to provide the user with accurate and responsive complaint resolution. At least one model driving training centre will be set up in each district of the State or UT. financial assistance of up to Rs. 1 Crore will be provided by the Ministry. The agency shall also invest equal amount of the grant under the scheme. The scheme is designed with an objective of creating employment and meeting the requirement of HMV and LMV drivers in the country. It also aims at inculcating the habit of road safety, like behavioral and attitudinal changes among drivers. Training course will be conducted for drivers who carry dangerous/hazardous goods. The agencies willing to open the centre shall be required to provide infrastructure facilities like land, class rooms, simulator, etc. Under the scheme for grant of financial assistance for administering Road Safety Advocacy and awards for the outstanding done in the field of Road Safety, assistance up to Rs. 5 lakh will be provided to NGO / Trust / Cooperative Societies and another agencies for administering road safety programme. Three awards of Rs. 5 lakhs, Rs. 2 lakh and Rs. 1 lakh will be given in each State / UT to the individuals of agencies engaged in road safety advocacy and allied activities. Read the full article

[brajeshupadhyay]

22:20 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Uttar Pradesh Latest Updates UP govt issues new discharge policy for COVID-19 patients Uttar Pradesh government issued a new discharge policy for patients who have recovered from COVID-19. Asymptomtic patients staying in home isolation will be considered recovered if they show no symptoms for 10 days, but they will have to stay in home isolation for 7 more days after these 10 days. Mild asymptomatic patients admitted in COVID facility will be discharged 10 days after their initial testing or 7 days after being admitted (whichever comes later) if they show no symptoms. After being discharged they'll have to be in mandatory home isolation for 8 days. Samples of mild symptomatics will be collected through TrueNat on 8th day of first sample. If negative they'll be discharged 10 days after first sample/10 days after show of symtoms/3 days without fever(whichever is later)&have to be in 7-day home isolation from that date. 21:13 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates Mumbai reports 995 COVID-19 new cases 995 new COVID-19 cases, 905 discharges and 62 deaths have been reported in Mumbai on Tuesday. Total number of cases rises to 1,03,262 including 23,893 active cases, 73,555 discharged patients and 5,814 deaths, said Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). 21:03 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Kerala Latest Updates 720 new COVID-19 cases in Kerala today 720 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Kerala on Tuesday. The total number of positive cases in the state is now 13,994 including 8,056 active cases. Number of COVID-19 clusters goes up to 101 in the state. Of them, 18 are large clusters, The Indian Express reported. 20:47 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Railways spends up to Rs 6 lakh on coaches to ensure safety The Railways has spent an additional Rs 3 lakh per non-AC coach and Rs 6 lakh per AC coach to ensure the safety of passengers during and after the Covid-19 pandemic with these specially designed coaches, a senior official said Tuesday. The Rail Coach Factory (RCF) Kapurthala has manufactured two such coaches which have amenities like foot-operated washbasins, dispensers and toilet flushes, door handles which are maneuvered with the forearm and handrails coated with anti-microbial copper to prevent the spread of the infection. These coaches also have fixtures coated with titanium dioxide and the provision for plasma air equipment in AC ducts to sterilise interiors using ionised air. (PTI) 20:35 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Sharjeel Imam tests COVID-19 positive Sharjeel Imam has tested positive for COVID-19, ANI reported. Delhi Police Special Cell had applied for his production warrant in Assam as he is lodged at Guwahati Central Jail and he was going to be presented before a Delhi Court on 25 July, but will not be produced now. 20:18 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates COVID-19 tally in Dharavi crosses 2,500 The coronavirus tally in Mumbai's slum colony of Dharavi surpassed 2,500 on Tuesday with the addition of 10 new cases, the city civic body said. According to a senior BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) official, the tally of COVID-19 cases in the slum -dominated area rose to 2,502 with 10 new infections. He said Dharavi now has 151 active COVID-19 cases, while the number of recovered patients stood at 2,101. The civic body has, however, stopped sharing figures of COVID-19 deaths, if any, in Dharavi since last month. Spread over 2.5 square kilometres, Dharavi is considered as one of the largest slums in Asia with a population of over 6.5 lakh. (PTI) 19:49 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Karnataka Latest Updates BS Yediyurappa rules out lockdown extension Lockdown is not the solution for controlling COVID-19 and resource mobilisation is equally important for a government to function, Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa on Tuesday said as he ruled out extension of the week-long shutdown in the city and elsewhere. Addressing the people of the state, he stressed on maintaining social distancing and wearing masks and said experts have advised 5T strategy —  trace, track, test, treat and technology —  to control the coronavirus spread. "We had been successful at the beginning in controlling the COVID, but in recent days especially in Bengaluru the COVID cases have increased....I want to tell the people of the state that for the control of the virus, lockdown was not the solution. The solution is wearing masks and maintaining social distancing," Yediyrappa said. (PTI) 19:29 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Amarnath Yatra 2020 cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic The annual Amarnath Yatra, the Hindu pilgrimage to a shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, has been cancelled in view of the coronavirus pandemic, reports said on Tuesday. "Based upon the circumstances, the Board decided with heavy heart that it is not advisable to hold and conduct this year's Shri Amarnathji Yatra and expressed its regret to announce the cancellation of Yatra 2020," the Amarnath Shrine board's statement was quoted by NDTV. 18:55 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Tamil Nadu Latest Updates 4,965 new COVID-19 cases in Tamil Nadu today Tamil Nadu recorded 4,965 new COVID-19 cases and 75 deaths in the last 24 hours, taking active cases to 51,344 and death toll to 2,626, the state health department said. 18:18 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Bihar Latest Updates Rahul Gandhi slams Bihar govt over 'mismanagement' of COVID-19 Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday criticised the Nitish Kumar-led Bihar government over the "mismanagement" of the COVID-19 pandemic. He said, "The state of the corona pandemic in Bihar is critical and out of control of the state government. Unclaimed bodies lying in the hospital ward expose the 'good governance' of the Bihar government." 17:40 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates NITI Aayog says will make COVID-19 vaccine affordable Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog on Tuesday said, "India's two COVID-19 vaccines are in phase 1 and 2 of trials. Discussions have already begun how will the vaccines be made available to all those who need it." "The government will leave no stone unturned to ensure people of India and international community have access to an Indian vaccine as early as possible. Every possible facilitation will be ensured making sure trials conducted scientifically and ethically, and we arrive at an affordable option," he added. 17:35 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Centre says evidence shows valved masks are effective protection Rajesh Bhushan, OSD, Health Ministry on Tuesday said, "...Evidence suggests that with a valved mask the person wearing it is safe but if they are asymptomatic person then propensity of that person infecting others is there. This is an evolving situation." #WATCH: ...Evidence suggests that with a valved mask the person wearing it is safe but if they are asymptomatic person then propensity of that person infecting others is there. This is an evolving situation: Rajesh Bhushan, OSD, Health Ministry pic.twitter.com/XB3XPxIK7c — ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2020 16:52 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Updates 77% population of Delhi susceptible to COVID-19, finds survey Dr. Sujeet Kumar Singh, Director, National Centre for Disease Control on Tuesday said that spoke about the findings gathered by the sero surveillance conducted in Delhi. "Sero surveillance was done in Delhi to estimate the prevalence of COVID-19 among the general community of Delhi. Nearly six months into the pandemic, 22.86 percent people are affected and 77 percent of the population is susceptible," he said. He added, "8 out of 11 districts have sero-prevalence more than 20 percent. In central, northeast, north and Shahdara districts have sero-prevalence of about 27 percent." 16:44 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Centre says 30 states, UTs have positivity rate lower than average 30 states and Union Territories have a positivity rate lower than the national average, the Health Ministry said on Tuesday in a briefing on the COVID-19 situation in the country. The statement added that the number of COVID-19 deaths per million population in India continues to be among the lowest in the world. 16:24 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Aggressive testing is necessary, says Centre The Union health ministry on Tuesday said that "aggressive" testing is necessary to reduce the spread of coronavirus in the country. "Aggressive testing is necessary to bring down COVID-19 positivity rate; the aim is to maintain this level of testing so as to bring down positivity rate below 5 percent," said Rajesh Bhushan, OSD, Health Ministry. He added that 19 States and Union Territories are performing more than 140 tests per day per million population. 15:52 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates BMC takes action against private hospitals overcharging COVID-19 patients The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Tuesday reportedly "launched a crackdown" on private hospitals in Mumbai for "overcharging" for COVID-19 treatment, News18 reported. "The civic agency has received 1,115 complaints so far and close to Rs 1.5 crore has been refunded. It is being reported that patients were overcharged by 10.48 percent," the report said. 15:18 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak Latest Updates Phase II trial finds Chinese COVID-19 vaccine is safe, induces immune response A phase II clinical trial of a COVID-19 vaccine candidate, conducted in China, has found that it is safe and induces an immune response, a study published in The Lancet says. Scientists, including those from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said the trial sought to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate. They said the results provide data from a wider group of participants than their earlier phase I trial, including a small sub-group of participants aged over 55 years and older. 15:09 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Karnataka Latest Updates Karnataka CM to address state at 5 pm today Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will address the people of the state through youtube and facebook live on Tuesday evening, his office said. Yediyurappa's address to the people of the state comes as about a week-long lockdown in Bengaluru urban and rural areas, aimed at controlling the spike in COVID cases, nears it end. Bengaluru urban and rural areas are currently under "complete lockdown" since 8 pm of 14 July and it will be effective till 5 am on 22 July. 14:40 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Nepal Latest Updates Nepal to resume domestic, international flights from 17 Aug Nepal will resume domestic and international flight operations starting from 17 August, over four months after they were suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On 20 March, the government had banned all passengers, including Nepalis, from entering the country. Four days later, it imposed a nationwide lockdown to limit the spread of coronavirus. 14:35 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates FabiFlu more economical, effective treatment option for COVID-19: Glenmark Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday said its generic version of antiviral drug Favipiravir, FabiFlu, is more economical and effective than other drugs available in the market approved for emergency use for treatment of COVID-19. The company was reacting to a letter sent by India's drug regulator DCGI seeking clarifications on the concerns raised and allegations made by a Member of Parliament. 13:59 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Puducherry Latest Updates Puducherry reports 91 new cases, 1 death today Puducherry registers 91 new case and one death, reports PTI. With this, the tally in the Union Territory rises to 2,179 and toll is 30. Director of Health and Family Welfare S Mohan Kumar says the morality rate is 1.4%. 13:15 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Odisha Latest Updates Odisha's toll climbs to 103 with 6 more deaths, 647 new cases reported The toll due to COVID-19 in Odisha crossed the 100-mark on Tuesday, with six more fatalities taking the total to 103, reports PTI. At least 647 more people have tested positive for the disease, pushing the tally to 18,757, he said. All six fatalities were recorded from as many districts in the state. 13:06 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates India's recovery rate now at 62.7% As many as 7,24,578 COVID-19 patients have been cured and discharged so far, the Union Health Ministry has said in its latest update. India’s COVID-19 recovery rate now stands at 62.7 percent. 12:58 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Arunachal Pradesh Latest Updates 50 new cases reported in Arunachal; count rises to 790 Fifty more people, including nine Army jawans and six police personnel, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh, taking the northeastern state's tally to 790 on Tuesday, reports PTI. Thirty-four fresh cases were reported in the Capital Complex region, 10 in the border district of Tawang, five in Lower Subansiri and one in West Siang, he said. 12:50 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Rajasthan Latest Updates Rajasthan's COVID-19 total reaches 30,741, toll rises to 574 Six more people succumbed to COVID-19 in Rajasthan on Tuesday, taking the toll to 574, while 351 fresh cases pushed the state's tally to 30,741, reports PTI. It said 21,494 patients have been discharged so far and the state now has 7,868 active COVID-19 cases. The fresh cases include 103 in Alwar, 43 in Jalore, 32 in Nagaur, 27 in Ajmer, 23 in Sirohi, 18 in Dausa and 15 in Kota. 12:45 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Maharashtra Latest Updates COVID-19 total in Aurangabad rises to 11,420 The number of COVID-19 cases in Aurangabad reached 11,420 in the Maharashtra district after 179 more people tested positive for the disease on Tuesday, reports PTI. The new cases included 123 from the city, 46 from rural parts of the district, and 10 from various entry points in Aurangabad, an official said. 12:42 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Updates 41 arrested for violating norms by partying at Delhi cafe Forty-one people, including the owner of a cafe, were arrested for allegedly violating social distancing norms by partying at a cafe in outer Delhi's Paschim Vihar area amid the coronavirus pandemic, reports PTI. A raid was conducted by police on Sunday night after a constable who was patrolling in the area saw vehicles parked outside the cafe and heard loud noises coming from the house, they said. 12:31 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Results of sero-prevalence study shows 23.48% have antibodies The Centre on Tuesday said that the results of sero-prevalence study show that 23.48% have antibodies, reports ANI. The study also indicated that a large number of infected persons remain asymptomatic Results of sero-prevalence study show that nearly 6 months into the epidemic, only 23.48% of ppl are affected in Delhi, which has several pockets of dense population.This can be attributed to efforts taken by Govt as well as citizen compliance to COVID appropriate behaviours: GoI https://t.co/kdobGqlWcj — ANI (@ANI) July 21, 2020 11:02 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Mizoram Latest Updates 11 BSF jawans, one Army personnel test positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram At least 13 more people, including 11 BSF jawans, have tested positive for COVID-19 in Mizoram, pushing the total tally in the state to 297, reports PTI. A total of 133 samples were tested for the disease on Monday, it said. Barring the Army personnel, all others, including a civilian, are asymptomatic, the statement said. 10:40 (IST) Coronavirus in Delhi Latest Updates Delhi reports 954 new cases, recovery rate at 84% Delhi reported 954 new cases so far, taking the total positive cases to 1,23,747, with 1,04,918 having recovered till now. The recovery rate in the National Capital stands at 84 percent. 10:27 (IST) Coronavirus in Japan Latest Updates Downloads of Japan's COVID-19 app reach 7.7 mn Downloads of Japan’s coronavirus contact-tracing app have slowed since its debut last month, a blow to the government’s aim to use smartphones to head off a second wave of infection. Just 27 positive cases have been registered through the app, named COCOA for Contact-Confirming Application, even as Tokyo saw new daily cases surge to almost 300 in recent days. Downloads stood at 7.69 million as of Monday, said health ministry official Yasuyuki Sahara. In the first week after its 19 June start, downloads had reached 4.4 million. 09:55 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Govt warns against use of N-95 masks with valved respirator The Centre has written to all states and union territories warning against the use of N-95 masks with valved respirator by people, saying these don't prevent the virus from spreading out and are "detrimental" to the measures adopted for its containment. The Director-General of Health Services in the Ministry of Health, in a letter to the Principal Secretaries of health and medical education of states, said it has been observed that there is "inappropriate use" of N-95 masks, particularly those with the valved respirator, by the public other than designated health workers. 09:34 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Russia Latest Updates Russia’s elite got access to experimental Covid-19 vaccine from April: Report Scores of members of Russia’s business and political elite have been given early access to an experimental vaccine against Covid-19, according to people familiar with the effort, as the country races to be among the first to develop an inoculation, reports Bloomberg. Top executives at companies including aluminum giant United Co. Rusal, as well as billionaire tycoons and government officials began getting shots developed by the state-run Gamaleya Institute in Moscow as early as April, the people said. They declined to be identified as the information isn’t public. 09:16 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates India reports over 37,000 new cases, 587 deaths in past 24 hrs India reports 37,148 new cases, taking the its total count to 11,55,191. The toll rises by 587 to 28,084. Total active cases are now more than 4 lakh. 09:05 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak Latest Updates Over a million doses of Oxford COVID-19 vaccine possible by September: Researcher Early estimates of the production a million doses of the University of Oxford's experimental COVID-19 vaccine by September could be an underestimate depending on how quickly late-stage trials can be completed, a researcher said on Monday, reports Reuters. "There might be a million doses manufactured by September: that now seems like a remarkable underestimate, given the scale of what's going on," Adrian Hill of University of Oxford said, referring to the manufacturing capability of partner AstraZeneca. 08:52 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Sikkim Latest Updates Sikkim to remain under complete lockdown till 27 July The Sikkim government yesterday announced imposition of a complete lockdown in the state from today till 27 July in view of the recent surge in COVID-19 cases. Government offices, shops, commercial establishments, institutions, markets and factories will remain closed except where a specific exemption is granted, according to a notification. 08:36 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Serum to apply for local trials on Oxford's vaccine in a week With the trials of COVID-19 vaccine being developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University showing encouraging results, Serum Institute of India (SII) on Monday said it will apply for licence from the Indian regulator to start clinical trials of the shot in a week's time. "The trials have shown promising results and we are extremely happy about it. We will be applying for the licensure trials to the Indian regulator in a week's time. As soon as they grant us permission, we will begin with the trials for the vaccine in India. In addition, we will soon start manufacturing the vaccine in large volumes," SII Chief Executive Officer Adar Poonawalla said. 08:03 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Clinical trials of Covaxin to start at Bhubaneswar from tomorrow Human clinical trials of the country's indigenously developed Covid-19 vaccine is set to begin this week at a Bhubaneswar-based institute – one of the 12 centres selected by the ICMR for conducting phase one and two of the process, a senior official said. The human trials of BBV152 Covid Vaccine or Covaxin will begin on Wednesday in a special laboratory set up at the Institute of Medical Sciences and SUM (IMS & SUM) Hospital, in accordance with the protocols laid down by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI), reports PTI. 07:54 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Indian medical experts hail Oxford trial results for Covid-19 vaccine Medical experts in India on Monday hailed the results of Oxford University's early-stage human trials for a Covid-19 vaccine, with some saying it's the "most scientifically done" among all such exercises, while others expressing hope that the final trials will "bear fruit". From clinicians to pathology experts, doctors in the country feel the Oxford trials have been the "most transparent" one by far. 07:52 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates ICMR, Union health ministry advise states on how to enhance testing capacity The ICMR and the Union health ministry have suggested short and medium term methods to all states and union territories for enhancing their COVID-19 testing capacity. In a joint letter issued on 17 July, Union health ministry secretary Preeti Sudan and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Balram Bhargava said the evolving scenario demands for enhanced testing capabilities to handle any surge in testing demands. Increasing the testing capacity may be achieved by adding more laboratories for COVID-19 testing and enhancing the existing testing capacity of the approved laboratories, the letter said. 07:49 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Delhi Latest Updates Hindu Rao hospital nurse tests 'positive' again, NDMC says nothing to worry A nurse employed at a civic-run dedicated COVID-19 hospital has tested positive again after recovering, but the municipal authorities on Monday claimed there was nothing to worry as it ostensibly is the "dead virus" left in her body from the previous infection. The hospital, run by the North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), was declared a dedicated coronavirus facility on 14 June. 07:47 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in India Latest Updates Serum Institute of India eyes licence to manufacture Oxford vaccine The Serum Institute of India says it will seeking to get the licence to manufacture the vaccine developed at the Oxford University, reports NDTV. Trials will begin in India as soon as the license is procured. The vaccine has been found to be both effective and safe in early trials, according to a study in the medical journal The Lancet. 07:44 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Assam Latest Updates Assam records 1,093 new cases; infection total crosses 25,000-mark Assam breached the 25,000-mark in COVID-19 cases with 1,093 fresh cases reported on Monday, while one more person died due to the disease in the state, Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said. The state, at present, has 7,936 active coronavirus patients, who are being treated in different hospitals and COVID care centres, he said on Twitter. 📌Alert ~ 1093 new #COVID19 ve+ patients in Assam today with 448 cases from Guwahati City. With 20000 + tests carried out today, our daily positivity rate is only 5% ↗️Total cases 25092 ↗️Active cases 7936 ↗️Deaths 58 11:55 PM/July 19/Day's total 1093#AssamCovidCount pic.twitter.com/v6Tog5jy1k — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) July 20, 2020 07:35 (IST) Coronavirus Outbreak in Goa Latest Updates Human trials of Covaxin begin at Goa's Redkar Hospital: Pramod Sawant Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has said that the human trials of coronavirus vaccine have begun at the state's Redkar Hospital and congratulated the team behind it. The country's top drug regulator had recently given a green signal for human clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccine candidate Covaxin, which has been developed by the Hyderabad-based Bharat Biotech in collaboration with the ICMR and the National Institute of Virology Human trials of #Covaxin, an indigenously developed vaccine for #COVID19 has begun at Redkar Hospital in Goa. This is a testimony of India's immense potential in healthcare innovation. My best wishes to the entire team working on #Covaxin. #IndiaFightsCOVID19 — Dr. Pramod Sawant (@DrPramodPSawant) July 20, 2020 Coronavirus LATEST Updates: Sharjeel Imam has tested positive for COVID-19, ANI reported. Delhi Police Special Cell had applied for his production warrant in Assam as he is lodged at Guwahati Central Jail and he was going to be presented before a Delhi Court on 25 July, but will not be produced now. The annual Amarnath Yatra, the pilgrimage to a shrine in Jammu and Kashmir, has been cancelled in view of the coronavirus pandemic, reports said on Tuesday. "Based upon the circumstances, the Board decided with heavy heart that it is not advisable to hold and conduct this year's Shri Amarnathji Yatra and expressed its regret to announce the cancellation of Yatra 2020," the Amarnath Shrine board's statement was quoted by NDTV. Dr VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog on Tuesday said, "India's two COVID-19 vaccines are in phase 1 and 2 of trials. Discussions have already begun how will the vaccines be made available to all those who need it." "The government will leave no stone unturned to ensure people of India and international community have access to an Indian vaccine as early as possible. Every possible facilitation will be ensured making sure trials conducted scientifically and ethically, and we arrive at an affordable option," he added. The Union health ministry on Tuesday said that "aggressive" testing is necessary to reduce the spread of coronavirus in the country. "Aggressive testing is necessary to bring down COVID-19 positivity rate; the aim is to maintain this level of testing so as to bring down positivity rate below 5 percent," said Rajesh Bhushan, OSD, Health Ministry. He added that 19 States and Union Territories are performing more than 140 tests per day per million population. Delhi's sero-prevalence study has discovered that 23.48 percent of the people have been affected by the novel coronavirus in the national capital, which has several pockets of dense population. The Centre has written to all states and union territories warning against the use of N-95 masks with valved respirator by people, saying these don't prevent the virus from spreading out and are 'detrimental' to the measures adopted for its containment. India reports 37,148 new cases, taking its total count to 11,55,191. The toll rises by 587 to 28,084. Total active cases are now more than 4 lakh. The Serum Institute of India says it will seeking to get the licence to manufacture the vaccine developed at the Oxford University, reports NDTV. The vaccine has been found to be both effective and safe in early trials, according to a study in the medical journal The Lancet. The total number of coronavirus cases crossed 11 lakh with a single-day spike of 40,425 cases on Monday, while the toll rose to 27,497 with 681 new casualties reported. It is the first time the number of new cases registered was above 40,000. The total tally of 11,18,043 cases includes 3,90,459 active cases and 7,00,087 cured/discharged/migrated patients and the toll.  The health ministry said that the recovery rate is now 62.62 percent. Meanwhile, a vaccine candidate developed at the University of Oxford has shown encouraging results in early human testing and appears to be "safe well-tolerated, and immunogenic", according to a study published in The Lancet on Monday. Oxford's COVID-19 vaccine produces 'strong antibodies', shows initial study Trials by the Oxford University involving 1,077 people showed that the injection led to them making antibodies and white blood cells that can fight coronavirus. The vaccine, named 'ChAdOx1 nCoV-19', has been made from a harmless virus called 'chimpanzee cold virus'. "Our preliminary findings show that the candidate ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine given as a single dose was safe and tolerated, despite a higher reactogenicity profile than the control vaccine, MenACWY," the researchers, led by Pedro M Folegatti and Katiet Ewer, wrote in the study. "No serious adverse reactions to ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 occurred. The majority of adverse events reported were mild or moderate in severity, and all were self-limiting," the study said. The clinical trials of a potential COVID-19 vaccine on humans began in April. The human vaccine trial has been developed by scientists at Oxford University's Jenner Institute. Reportedly, the scientists also said that they "found their experimental COVID-19 vaccine produced a dual immune response in people aged 18 to 55 that lasted at least two months after they were immunised". The study showed that the vaccine induced strong antibody and T-cell immune responses up to day 56 of the ongoing trial. “We are seeing good immune response in almost everybody,” said Dr Adrian Hill, director of the Jenner Institute at Oxford University. “What this vaccine does particularly well is trigger both arms of the immune system,” he said. ICC postpones Men's T20 World Cup due to COVID-19 pandemic The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced the postponement of this year's Men's T20World Cup in Australia due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The T20 World Cup was slated to be played in Australia from 18 October to 15 November this year. "The IBC Board (the commercial subsidiary of the ICC) agreed to continue to monitor the rapidly changing situation (regarding coronavirus pandemic) and assess all the information available in order to make a considered decision on future hosts to ensure the sport is able to stage safe and successful global events in 2021 and 2022," ICC said in a statement. "The IBC Board will also continue to evaluate the situation in relation to being able to stage the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2021 in New Zealand in February next year. In the meantime, planning for this event continues as scheduled," the statement added. ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said their number one priority was to protect the health and safety of everyone involved in the sport. Delhi seems to have reached COVID-19 peak, says AIIMS chief Certain areas of Delhi have hit their peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, while certain other areas in the city are yet to reach the peak, said AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria on Monday. He added that there is not much evidence of community transmission happening at the national level. "Certain areas have hit their peak in COVID-19 cases. Delhi seems to have done so because the cases have declined significantly. Certain areas have yet to reach the peak. They will reach the peak a little later," Guleria said, while addressing a press conference. The National Capital had witnessed a surge in the cases of novel coronavirus cases over the past one month. However, the number of active cases has seen a dip over the past few weeks. Bengal govt to enforce lockdown for two days every week In light of the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the state, the West Bengal government announced a lockdown in the state for two days every week starting from 23 July. In a press meet, the West Bengal home secretary said, "There will be a two-day complete lockdown every week starting from Thursday. Lockdown will be on Thursday and Saturday this week. This lockdown has been imposed in addition to running a broad-based containment zone approach." The two days of lockdown will be decided on a weekly basis. "All views have been taken into account and it has been decided the days for the lockdown will be announced each week. There will be complete lockdown in offices and transport," the official added. State-wise cases and deaths Maharashtra reported 176 deaths and 8,240 new COVID-19 cases on Monday. The total count of cases now stands at 3,18,695, including 1,75,029 recovered cases and 1,31,334 active cases. Meanwhile, Mumbai reported 1,043 new COVID-19 cases, 965 cured patients and 41 deaths. The total number of cases in the city stands at 1,02,267, including 23,865 active cases, 72,650 discharged patients and 5,752 deaths. A total 4,985 COVID-19 cases and 70 deaths were reported in Tamil Nadu. The total number of cases has risen to 1,75,678, including 51,348 active cases and 2,551 deaths. Delhi reported 954 new COVID-19 positive cases, 1,784 recovered /discharged/migrated patients and 35 deaths. The total count of cases has risen to 1,23,747 including 1,04,918 recovered/discharged/migrated and 3,663 deaths. Karnataka reported 3,648 COVID-19 cases and 72 deaths, taking active cases to 42,216 and toll to 1,403. Kerala reported 794 COVID-19 cases on Monday, taking the number of active cases to 7,611. A total of 5,618 patients have been discharged so far in the state. Punjab reported 411 new COVID-19 positive cases and eight deaths. The total number of cases has risen to 10,510, including 3,130 active cases, 7,118 discharged patients and 262 deaths. Telangana recorded 1,198 new COVID-19 cases and seven deaths. The total count of cases has risen to 46,274, including 11,530 active cases and 422 deaths. Uttar Pradesh reported 1,924 COVID-19 cases and 46 deaths in the last 24 hours. The active cases stand at 19,137 and the toll has risen to 1,192. A total of 30,831 patients have been discharged so far. Rajasthan reported 956 new COVID-19 cases and nine deaths till 8.30 pm on Monday. The total number of cases has risen to 30,390, including 7,627 active cases and 568 patients have died due to the disease. A total of 998 COVID-19 cases and 20 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours in Gujarat. The state's count of cases has risen to 49,439, including 11,613 active cases, 35,659 cured/discharged patients and 2,167 deaths. Manipur's COVID-19 case count has risen to 1,925 with 14 new cases reported today. The number of recovered cases is 1,320 and there are 605 active cases. With inputs from agencies

http://sansaartimes.blogspot.com/2020/07/coronavirus-updates-passengers-arriving.html

[titoslondon-blog]

New Post has been published on Titos London

#Blog New Post has been published on http://www.titoslondon.in/a-sari-is-not-just-a-fabric-but-a-canvas-and-i-paint-my-story-on-them-ayush-kejriwal/

A sari is not just a fabric but a canvas, and I paint my story on them: Ayush Kejriwal

By: Lifestyle Desk | New Delhi | Updated: October 5, 2017 5:29 pm The designer who only uses stunning dark-skinned models. (Source: Ayush Kejriwal) Top News

Private complaint filed against actor Prakash Raj over his criticism of PM Modi

Attention Hrithik Roshan! Kangana Ranaut wants you to answer these questions

Delhi shocker: Six-year-old raped in south Delhi school, accused staff arrested

If there is one word that defines his collection, it has to be ‘modern vintage’. Designer Ayush Kejriwal portrays a perfect image of an Indian woman through his designs and he feels fashion can bring sociological changes. “A sari is not just a fabric but a canvas, and I paint my story on them”, he says.

Keeping Indian culture and classic Bollywood style at the centre, the designer plays well with contrasting colours. To name a few, his cora silk floral piece from Benaras, and the Rajnigandha bridal collection are simply exquisite.

In an email interview with indianexpress.com, Kejriwal talks about how his designs are for every woman, especially those who find themselves caught up in the world of stereotyped beauty.

You always send out strong social messages through your collections and campaigns. Lately, you broke the ‘only fair is beautiful’ stereotype by roping dusky models to feature your vibrant collection. Before this, you had a woman wearing a sari with a hijab. How important do you think is the role of fashion in ushering social change?

Style has a much bigger voice than it’s perhaps recognised. At times it has allowed itself to be trivialised even scandalised to a certain extent, though I think it has the power of becoming an incredibly strong voice for change. Style surpasses colour, size, body type or any prejudices for that matter. Stylish people are imaginative, they have a love and understanding of design and a desire to see things that are not there.

In any culture, the perception of beauty is manipulated. Who decided that ‘being slim, fair and not bald’ or have ‘scanty hair, no blemishes and scars’, or be ‘tall, fair, no bingo wings and stretch marks’ are the only parameters for being beautiful. Who came up with these notions? We did, each and every one of us is responsible for harnessing these notions and letting them become a part of our DNA.

It’s time that this comes to a stop. I refuse to adhere to your rules, I refuse to look at beauty in the way you describe it. I refuse to follow your rules, I refuse to be a part of such a society and I refuse to not be ‘ME’. THIS IS MY STYLE. MY BODY. MY SKIN. MY WORLD. Are you ready for a change?

(Source: Ayush Kejriwal)

What sparked your interest in traditional Indian wear?

From a very young age, I have been fascinated by my mum and grandmother. I have grown up seeing them wear the gorgeous saris! A sari is a 6-metre long canvas that I can use to tell a story. Traditional Indian wear is such fun to work with. I used to be constantly drawing or painting on anything I could get my hands on. I have ruined quite a few walls and bedsheets by drawing on them when I was little! I have used several of my grandmother and mum’s saris to make numerous things with.

What according to you is your design aesthetic?

Eclectic, eccentric, ethnic and bold.

Where do you find your inspiration from?

Women who are comfortable with how they look inspire me. A woman who does not try to be different for the sake of being different amazes me. A woman who does not look at glossy magazines to style themselves amuses me. I love women who stand for what they believe in and are brave enough to create a unique look that works for them, without feeling the need to be something they are not! My mum is one such woman.

(Source: Ayush Kejriwal)

Has the fashion industry been kind to you?

I don’t care about the industry. I make my own rules. I am not here to seek validation. The industry cannot be kind or unkind to me, the industry is irrelevant to me. I will not let the industry take power over me. I do not belong to the fashion industry.

One fashion trend that shouldn’t have been here in the first place? And one fashion trend that people should experiment with more?

The obsession with caked up make-up and use of glitter is something I do not understand. I feel overpowering eye make-up with clashing colours and massive eyelashes with overemphasised eyebrows make one look like a walking talking Christmas tree! There is no need for it. Less is more.

I think people should try to mismatch things and not colour coordinate everything. There is some magic in playing with colours and clashing prints, experiment with your sari blouses, you will be pleasantly surprised.

(Source: Ayush Kejriwal)

Clothing that you won’t ever include in your collection?

Swimsuits.

Your favourite colour of the season?

Oh, I don’t know about what is trending, but I love the colour red, It’s my all-time favourite and is always in trend in my world.

Who according to you is the biggest fashion influencer in India?

Sabyasachi.

What is your personal style? Less is more or more the merrier?

On most days, you will find me in semi-formal chinos with a T-shirt and a jumper as it’s very cold in Scotland! I am a great believer in less is more!

Who is your style icon?

Rekha!

(Source: Ayush Kejriwal)

What’s the best part about working in the fashion industry?

It has given me a voice with which I can bring a change. It has enabled me to raise awareness about issues that needs to be challenged and as a result of that, it has enabled me to empower people. More importantly, it has provided me with an opportunity to make people feel good about themselves by helping them look beautiful in my clothes.

One lady from Bollywood you would want to dress up?

I admire Vidya Balan, Tabu and Rekha. Fortunately, Vidya has worn my Dhanno sari once, if Tabu and Rekha follow on I would be over the moon.

For all the latest Lifestyle News, download Indian Express App

© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd More Top News

Can you recognize Uday Chopra in this latest photo?

Amit Shah skips Kerala Jan Raksha Yatra, BJP left red-faced

No Comments.