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Rajpath has evidently replaced Lodhi Gardens and even Sunder Nursery in the affections of the chatterati, which is why there has been a surfeit of lamentation over the future of this central spine of New Delhi. No wonder all manner of grim fairy tales are being spun and disseminated about the boulevard that would confound not only Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker, but also Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, the original iconoclast. Of course, the discourse has been progressing downhill, quite literally. Beginning with the purported demolition of North and South Blocks atop Raisina to the need for the new Parliament below and thence, to the supposedly imminent destruction of the trees and waterbodies of Rajpath and the post-Lutyens effulgence of revivalist Rajput-Mughal and socialist prefab Moscow apartment block type government office buildings on its flanks. The centrality of Rajpath (originally named Kingsway) in national discourse today–albeit mostly among people who hardly ever fre

New Delhi: Fifty-three shanties were gutted in a fire that broke out near Kalindi Kunj Metro station in south east Delhi, officials said on Sunday. The incident took place on Saturday and the fire department received information about it around 11.55 pm, a senior fire official said. No one was injured in the fire, the official said. Five fire tenders were rushed to the spot near Kalindi Kunj Metro station, Madanpur Khadar. The fire was brought under control around 3 am, the official said. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/2TunsuU Press Trust of India

10:46 (IST) Coronavirus news LIVE Updates Thane district sees 432 new COVID-19 cases, 23 deaths With the addition of 432 fresh coronavirus positive cases, the infection count in Thane district of Maharashtra mounted to 5,24,704, an official said on Sunday. These new cases were reported on Saturday, he said. With 23 more patients succumbing to coronavirus, the death toll in the district rose to 10,221. The mortality rate now stands at 1.94 percent, he added. The details of the recovered and under-treatment patients were not provided by the district administration. In neighbouring Palghar district, the COVID-19 case count has gone up to 1,13,416 while the death toll is 2,398, he said. 10:34 (IST) Coronavirus news LIVE Updates ICMR says 19 lakh COVID-19 tests conducted yesterday The Indian Council of Medical Research (IMCR) said that a total of 37,81,32,474 samples have been tested for COVID-19 up to 12 June, 2021. Of these, 19,00,312 samples were tested on Saturday. 10:20

09:53 (IST) Coronavirus news LIVE Updates Lowest single-day new number of COVID-19 cases in 71 days With 80,834 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, India reported its lowest daily figure in the last 71 days, the Centre said. The daily positivity rate is at 4.25 percent, which is less than 10 percent for 20 consecutive days. The recovery rate rose to 95.26 percent in last 24 hours, with 1,32,062 recoveries recorded. 09:37 (IST) Coronavirus news LIVE Updates India reports 80,834 new COVID-19 cases today, lowest new figure in 71 days India on Sunday reported 80,834 new COVID-19 cases, 1,32,062 discharges, and 3,303 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said. Total cases: 2,94,39,989 Total discharges: 2,80,43,446   Toll: 3,70,384 Active cases: 10,26,159   09:20 (IST) Coronavirus news LIVE Updates Salons, weekly markets likely to reopen in Delhi from next week With the COVID-19 situation improving in Delhi, authorities are expected to give more relaxations an

Mumbai:  Maharashtra on Saturday reported 10,697 new coronavirus infections , taking the case tally to 58,98,550, the health department said. As many as 360 deaths were recorded during the day, taking the death toll to 1,08,333. As many as 14,910 patients were discharged from hospitals, taking the recovery count to 56,31,767. The state's recovery rate is 95.48 percent and the case fatality rate is 1.84 percent. With 2,23,049 new coronavirus tests during the day, the tally of tests done so far rose to 3,78,34,054. There are 1,55,474 active cases in the state now. The state capital Mumbai reported 749 cases and 18 deaths. The total of cases in the city rose to 7,14,965, and the death toll rose to 15,097. The larger Mumbai division reported 2,267 cases and 84 deaths. The total of cases in the region rose to 15,61,266 and death toll reached 30,236. Nashik division reported 978 cases, including 601 in Ahmednagar district. Pune division reported 2,760 cases including 790 in Satara d

New Delhi: West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra on Saturday alleged that his voice was "muzzled" during the GST Council meeting on Saturday and his opposition to levy taxes on COVID-19 essentials like vaccines, masks, PPE kits and anti-viral drug Remdesivir, was not heard. Minister of State for Finance Anurag Singh Thakur, however, countered Mitra's charges saying that technical glitches marred West Bengal Finance Minister speech. The 44th GST Council meeting, chaired by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and comprising state ministers, on Saturday slashed tax rate on COVID-19 drugs such as remdesivir and tocilizumab as well as on medical oxygen, and oxygen concentrators but ignored demands for a reduction in taxes on vaccines. In the evening, Mitra tweeted: "GoI-led the anti-people move & imposed GST on vaccine, mask, hand sanitizer, oxygen, PPE, oximeter, Covid test kit, Remdesivir, RT PCR machine." GoI led the anti-people move & IMPOS

Reports of a post COVID complication, which can affect multiple organs, in children have raised concerns in recent days.  Firstpost spoke to two senior doctors in Maharashtra to understand the condition, its symptoms and the signs parents need to watch out for. What is MIS-C? According to the Indian Academy of Pediatrics’ (IAP) statement dated 22 May, Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children  (MIS-C) may be seen in some cases, after 2-6 weeks of asymptomatic or symptomatic COVID-19 infection due to immune dysregulation. Dr Yogesh Kumar Gupta, pediatrician in Bangalore’s Fortis Healthcare had told news agency PTI that MIS-C is an outcome of a reaction in the body against the antigen developed to counter the coronavirus infection. "Active COVID infection is not something we are worried about because most of them are mildly to moderately symptomatic but once they recover and once they have antibodies in them, then these antibodies are somehow reacting in children. It's

New Delhi  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday called for following a "one earth, one health" approach to effectively deal with the coronavirus pandemic globally, and sought the support of the G7 grouping to lift patent protections for COVID-19 vaccines, during a virtual address at an outreach session of a summit of the bloc. Calling for global unity, leadership, and solidarity to prevent future pandemics, Modi also emphasised on the special responsibility of democratic and transparent societies to deal with the challenge, according to an official statement. Sources said Modi's call for adopting a "one earth, one health" approach received support from German Chancellor Angela Merkel. They said Australia and several other countries came out in strong support of Modi's call to waive patents on coronavirus vaccines to boost their production. India and South Africa have come out with the proposal at the World Trade Organisation. The prime minister, spea

Panaji: The Goa government on Saturday announced extension of the coronavirus-induced "curfew" in the state till 21 June with some more relaxations. Chief Minister Pramod Sawant said the curfew will be extended up to 7 am on 21 June. "Shops, including in panchayat and municipal markets, may open between 7 am to 3 pm. Marriage function with up to 50 persons have been permitted," he said on Twitter late in the evening. "Detailed order will be issued by District Collectors, he said. Goa recorded 472 new coronavirus cases on Saturday, taking the caseload to 1,62,048. With 15 patients succumbing during the day, the toll in the state reached 2,914. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/3gdSRuh Press Trust of India

Kolkata: A day after Mukul Roy joined Trinamool Congress leaving BJP, former West Bengal minister Rajib Banerjee, who had moved to the saffron party only months before the Assembly elections, met TMC leader Kunal Ghosh on Saturday fueling speculations of his return to the old party. Banerjee, who unsuccessfully fought the elections on BJP ticket from Domjur, went to state TMC general secretary Kunal Ghosh residence in the northern part of the city where the two had long meeting which later both described as a "courtesy call". "Please do not try to look into this as something different. I had come to see one of my relatives who is staying in the same locality of Kunalda's. This is nothing but a courtesy call. There was no political talk between us," Banerjee told reporters while coming out of Ghosh's home. Ghosh also echoed similar views. Though the two said that not much should be read into the meeting, speculations are rife that many TMC leaders who ha

At least five showrooms were damaged in a massive fire that broke out in a market area in Delhi's Lajpat Nagar on Saturday morning, officials said, adding no injuries were reported. The incident took place in south Delhi's Lajpat Nagar Central Market area, officials said. According to the fire department, a call about the blaze was received around 10.20 am, following which 16 fire tenders were rushed to the spot. "When fire tenders reached the spot, four showrooms were on fire and later (the blaze) spread to the fifth shop. It must have started early morning in one of the shops and then spread to the rest," Delhi Fire Service Director Atul Garg told PTI . Showing ANI the houses across a narrow street at the backside of these showrooms, Garg said, "Our men have worked very smartly; they ensured that the fire stays confined to its place. The operation began from the backside of the showrooms so that the fire does not cause any harm to the houses that side"

The Western Railway has released an official notification for the recruitment of Staff Nurse posts. Eligible and interested candidates can appear for the walk-in interview for the Nursing Staff vacancies. Aspirants should note that the hiring will be on a full-time contract basis for three months to work in COVID-19 Isolation Wards of Vadodara Division (WR). As per the notice , the interview will be conducted on 21 June. Meanwhile, aspirants can check the advertisement by visiting the official website https://ift.tt/2QtI1Uk. This recruitment drive aims at filling up a total of 18 Staff Nurse posts in the organisation. Eligibility Criteria: Candidates applying for the post must have a certificate as a registered Nurse and Midwife having passed 3 years course in General Nursing and Midwifery from a school of nursing or other institute that has been recognised by the Indian Nursing Council or BSc. Also, the age limit should be between 20 to 40 years. How to Apply: Aspirants will h

New Delhi: The ICMR's fourth round of national-level serosurvey to assess the intensity of the spread of COVID-19 in India will begin this month, but all states/UTs should also be encouraged to conduct them so that information from all geographies can be collected, the Centre said on Friday. At a press conference, NITI Aayog member (Health) VK Paul said the Covid situation in the country appears to be stabilising with decline in daily and active cases and the positivity rate coming down to almost 5 percent. Follow LIVE updates on COVID-19 here He, however, urged people to continue following the Covid appropriate behaviour and social distancing norms. "The ICMR will begin work for the next serosurvey this month which will help assess the intensity of spread of COVID-19. But if we want to protect our geographies, we cannot depend on one national sero survey alone and will have to encourage states/UTs to do serosurveys at their levels also," Paul said. According to th

The National Board of Examination (NBE) is all set to conduct the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) 2021 as per schedule this year, said reports . The exam will be conducted on 18 June across the country amid the coronavirus pandemic. Keeping in mind the COVID-19 protocols and behaviour, NBE has issued few guidelines for students and examiners to follow while conducting the exam. According to NDTV , the FMGE admit card has also been released on the official website natboard.edu.in. The official notice reads, “Timely conduct of this examination will enable the foreign medical graduates who are successful, to get registered with state medical councils and contribute in the fight against COVID-19 as registered medical practitioners”. Further in the notice, the board also informed that keeping in mind the sharp decline in COVID-19 infections, NBE has decided not to defer this examination and to conduct it with extra protective measures. Below are the necessary guidelines iss

The BJP on Saturday slammed Congress leader Digvijaya Singh's comments regarding the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir. Singh, who was speaking to a Pakistan-based journalist on the Clubhouse app, allegedly said that the Congress will consider restoring the region's special status if it comes to power in the Union Territory. BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya shared a purported clip of the conversation on Twitter, in which Singh said, "Democracy was not there in Kashmir when they revoked Article 370, ‘ insaniyat ’ was not there as they had put everyone behind bars. Meanwhile, ‘ Kashmiriyat ’ is something that is the fundamentals of secularism. Because in a Muslim-majority state there was a Hindu king and both worked together." News18 further quoted him as saying, "In fact, the reservation in Kashmir was given to Kashmiri pandits, therefore, the decision of revoking Article 370 and reducing the statehood of Jammu and Kashmir, is a sad decision. And t

Srinagar: Two policemen and as many civilians were killed and at least three others injured on Saturday when militants opened fire targeting security forces in Sopore town of Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said. Militants fired upon a joint party of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and police near Main Chowk Sopore in north Kashmir district around noon, they said. The officials said in the firing, two police personnel and two civilians were killed. At least three others, including a policeman, were injured in the attack, they said. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital from where the injured policeman was taken to the Army's 92 Base Hospital in Srinagar, the officials added. The security forces have cordoned off the area and further details are awaited, they said. from Firstpost India Latest News https://ift.tt/35b8UTd Press Trust of India

The Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET) 2021 has been postponed once again by the Board of Secondary Education, Rajasthan (RBSE). As per the latest notification , the test has been pushed ahead due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and the state government will announce the new date in due course of time. The exam was originally slated to be held on 25 April and later got scheduled to be conducted on 20 June. Now, the board has postponed it again. Candidates are advised to keep a check on the official website reetbser21.com for all the latest updates and information related to the exam. Last month, State Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra had said that it is not feasible to conduct the test on 20 June due to the current COVID-19 crisis across the state. He added that the government's prime focus is to save the lives of people. The exam will be conducted soon after the situation gets better. This year, REET will be held after a gap of two years for the

New Delhi: Diesel price on Saturday breached the Rs 100 per litre mark in Rajasthan after yet another increase in fuel rates, which also led to Karnataka becoming the 7th state to record Rs 100 a litre petrol. Petrol price was hiked by 27 paise per litre and diesel by 23 paise, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers. The hike -- 23rd since 4 May -- pushed fuel prices across the country to new historic highs. In Delhi, petrol hit an all-time high of Rs 96.12 a litre, while diesel is now priced at Rs 86.98 per litre. Fuel prices differ from state to state depending on the incidence of local taxes such as VAT and freight charges. And because of this petrol retails at over Rs 100 per litre mark in six states and union territories -- Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Ladakh. Karnataka got added to that list with many places in the state including Bidar, Bellary, Koppal, Davanagere, Shimoga and Chakmangalur recording over Rs

The online application process for admission to Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU) or IP University's various CET and non-CET based courses has started for the academic year 2021-22. Aspirants can visit the official websites ipu.ac.in or ipu.admissions.nic.in to register for admission to undergraduate (UG), postgraduate (PG) and diploma programmes. The last date to apply is 15 July. The admission brochures containing details of all programmes along with eligibility criteria and other important details are available on the websites. Apart from general programmes, admissions are also open for Ph.D and M.Phil courses. You can check the brochures here: General Admission Brochure Brochure for Ph.D, M.Phil programmes Students can follow these simple steps to apply: Step 1: Go to the official websites, ipu.ac.in or ipu.admissions.nic.in Step 2: Register yourself using contact details Step 3: After registration, fill the application form Step 4: Choose the

The Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) has begun the admission process for July session 2021. Students who are interested can fill the registration form online by visiting the official website http://ignou.ac.in. Candidates should note that the last date to apply for open and distance learning (ODL) and online mode programmes is 15 July. Hence, for the ODL programme, students can apply by visiting https://ift.tt/37dbiIB while for online programmes, the website is https://ift.tt/3ixGuuN. Currently, IGNOU is offering sixteen programmes through online mode for the July session which have been approved by University Grants Commission (UGC). Students can follow these steps to apply for both ODL and online programmes: Step 1: Go to the official link http://ignou.ac.in Step 2: Search for the ‘Alerts’ section that is available on the homepage Step 3: Click on the link, “Online Admission Portal Links for July 2021 Session; the last date is July 15 2021” following which a n

The daily COVID-19 count in India remained below the one-lakh mark for the fifth consecutive day with the country reporting 84,332 fresh cases, its lowest in 70 days, according to data updated by the Union Health Ministry on Saturday. With the fresh cases, the infection tally has climbed to 2,93,59,155. The COVID-19 death toll climbed to 3,67,081 with 4,002 daily deaths, the data updated at 8 am showed. The number of active cases further declined to 10,80,690 accounting for 3.68 percent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to 95.07 per cent. India's active caseload declined to less than 11 lakh after 63 days while 84,332 new cases reported in 24 hours are the lowest in 70 days, the ministry said. Also, 20,44,131 coronavirus tests were conducted on Friday taking the total number to 37,42,42,384. The daily positivity rate was recorded at 4.39 percent. It has been less than 10 per cent for the 19th consecutive day, the ministry said, add

The VIT Engineering Entrance Examination (VITEEE) 2021 results have been declared by the Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT) today, 12 June. Aspirants, who appeared for the test, can visit the official website vit.ac.in to check their scorecards. To access the results, candidates need to enter their application number and password. Applicants can follow these simple steps to check their VITEEE 2021 results: Step 1: Visit the website, vit.ac.in Step 2: On the homepage, click on the 'VITEEE 2021 - Results' link Step 3: A new page will open. Enter your application number and password Step 4: Click on the 'Submit' button to log in Step 5: The result will be displayed on the screen Step 6: Check and download it. If required, take a printout Here's the direct link: https://admissionresults.vit.ac.in/viteee/ The result carries a candidate's name, application number, gender, scores, and rank. It has been prepared on the basis of marks secured by applicants

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a high alert for Mumbai , forecasting that the city will receive "very heavy rain" on 13 and 14 June. The weather department on Saturday morning said that the city's eastern suburbs received 89.30 to 92.38 milimetres of rainfall, while Mumbai city received 79.66 milimetres in the last 24 hours. Detailing its preparation to prevent or tackle a flood-like situation in the city, the BMC said that all its control rooms, as well as those operated by other agencies, have been issued the "high alert" directive. #Rain has picked up over northern and central parts of #Mumbai . See the attached screenshot of #Skymets #Mumbairainapp showing last 6 hours rain at various places in Mumbai. Intensity may increase o er other parts as well. #MumbaiRains @SkymetWeather pic.twitter.com/flARov5hAo — Mahesh Palawat (@Mpalawat) June 12, 2021 Power utility firms like BEST and Adani have also been instructed to ensure

A Delhi hospital reported that two patients who were administered monoclonal antibodies showed remarkable recovery from the onset of symptoms of Covid-19 and were discharged within hours following the beginning of the treatment. Here’s how monoclonal antibodies work and why all eyes are on this therapy. Monoclonal antibodies made news as a treatment for Covid-19 when they were given to former US President Donald Trump last year after he tested positive for the disease on the US election campaign trail. It was described at the time as an “experimental antibody cocktail" that the New York Times reported was “one of the most promising candidates". Initial results, the New York Times said, had “suggested that they can reduce the level of the virus in the body and possibly shorten hospital stays — when they are given early in the course of infection". When US president received drug, it was an experimental therapy The former US President had a low-grade fever, nasal conge