#bihar flood 2021

[ayushrajbhu]

The Annihilated ‘state’ of Bihar

The 1987 edition of the New York Times had a small article in its front Page titled-India’s Corner of Misery: Bihar’s Poor and Lawless. In a 30-year-Old edition of the India Today Magazine- A column stated that when a laborer named Hari Charan was asked about poverty, all that he uttered was “we have always been poor”, another ‘harijan’ stated that he needed to pay bribes for taking a loan in the local bank. While these are excerpts from the past like 30 years ago, anyone who has had even the least possible experience of living in Bihar will agree to my proposition that things are relatively the same even in the 21st Century.

If we talk about statistics, it only reinforces the facts stated decades ago, the net state domestic product per capita of Bihar in the 1960s was the least among its sister states, now as of today in 2022, the latest data for 2020-2021 financial year still ranks Bihar as the last one with NSDP of only Rupees 50555 as per the latest RBI figures. Let’s talk of international figures, the Multidimensional poverty index Bihar compares to that of Congo and Malawi (Countries of the African Subcontinent), Hunger is still a common issue here, and violence and corruption still plagues their societies.

From my perspective there are various reasons why Bihar has landed in such a desolate situation. From the glorious past of Mauryan, Gupta and Magadha empires, land of the buddha’s enlightenment, home to world’s oldest and most prosperous Universities of the Takshshila, Nalanda, to being termed as a- “standard of everything bad in the nation”. Submitted for the approval of my limited Knowledge, I will broadly classify them in five broad points- Unequal land Distribution, Lack of investment in agriculture, Freight equalization policy, Castism and caste-based policy, Lack of funds from the center. Statistically, 25 Percent of the population of the nation resides in this region. So, naive logic suggests that nation cannot progress keeping aside such fraction. Let’s talk about these issues sequentially.

 Unequal land Distribution- During the British Raj, there were three forms of taxation as a part of the land reforms. The zamindari System, Ryotwari System and the Mahal Wari System. In the Bihar Province, the British viceroy put forth the zamindari system. In this system, the British appointed certain people who would be responsible for collecting taxes from the farmers, workers who would work for the harvest of the final product. The farming sector was not performing well at the point of time of the implementation of this system. Taxes kept on falling, so the British introduced a permanent settlement act, according to this the zamindars were bound to give a fixed amount of tax, without considering the agricultural production in adverse times like drought and floods which were quite common. So, the Zamindars forced the laborer’s to work in tremendous misery, without guarantees, subsidies. This Act had sown the seeds to caste class conflict in the state. Most land owners were from the so-called upper caste of the society, the workers and laborers on the contrary mostly came from the people lower in the caste hierarchy. This dreaded the Society in such a fashion that up to this date the tussle between various caste groups has not come to an end. The Naxalite movement was an outcome of the wretched zamindari system which the British imperialists had bestowed upon us. Caste prejudices has plagued our society for centuries, the British Crooked policies just made sure that the gap keeps on widening for next centuries to come. And in a manner of saying they succeeded.

 According to research that was conducted in the 1960s to elucidate the ills of the zamindari system which were in official “effect” during the period between 1860s to the 1870s.The Research shows that the agricultural yields had declined, literacy rate has experienced a downfall, infant mortality increased, and crime, corruption were on the rise. These results often reflect in the current scenario, so he results of this research need not to be doubted upon under any circumstances.

 Coming to the second issue we have lack of investment in agriculture sector. Before elaborating the proposition, attention must be paid to the fact why the so much focus on the Agri-Sector, Going by Number, around 20 percent of the economy of India comprises the agriculture sector. For Bihar/UP Region this figure goes up to 50 Percent, coming under the

Gangetic plains give Bihar an advantage of fertile soil which with the right blend of policies and investment can be beneficial to the States falling economy. As result of the unequal land distribution 33% household in Bihar are landless, 15% have very less land, Majority of the land is in the hands of ‘a few’ zamindars. This affects investment in the following fashion-the small-scale workers and farmers cannot afford to put significant money in the Agri-Sector as they do not have the capital to do so. For Zamindars, Agriculture is not the primary source of bread butter, they have thus no reason to invest in this sector. Apart from the private sector investments, public investments are also not at par with what should have been in the ideal situation. In the early 1980s, only 50 percent of the land was irrigated, while in its counterparts Gujarat and Punjab, the number went to 80-90 percent. Further deepening the wound is the fact that owing to the lack of resources in Bihar, subsidies given in the early 80s were nowhere compared to its counterparts in the northern belt. Harvest produces were not that profitable, and the scale of the farmers was so small that he could not actually afford to sell his produces in the government mandis as the logistics, freight, handling, and other costs would suck any profit out of the pocket of the poor farmer.

 Shifting gears from agriculture, the lack of industrialization is a matter of great concern, the earnestness of this issue can be testified by the mass migration of daily wage laborers in the Covid times. One advantage of the undivided Bihar was that it was very mineral rich, a viable spot for industrialists to throw their money in. In 1953 the government put forth the Freight Equalization policy which stated that railway freight rates of minerals like Iron, Coal, steel, cement would be equal pan India. This proved out to be a disaster for Bihar’s Economy, Industries just Strolled out of Bihar because since freight charges had to be equal then there was no point in setting up their factories in Bihar, they could do so in well-connected ports like Mumbai, Gujarat. Example Being TATA discontinuing its plans to set up its facilities in Bihar. In 1991 this dreadful policy was rolled back, but the damage had already been done, Bihar’s industrial growth had hit the nail in its coffin very hard. Going by the statistics, official Data shows that in 1995 Private Investment in Bihar was 2.68 percent compared to the average of 14 Major states which was 16.45 Percent.

 This Lack of Industrialization adversely affect the Agri-sector too. Due to lack of Industries the only sector that the people of Bihar could go forth in was agriculture, making this sector come under tremendous pressure.  During the period of 1997 to 2001, the number of agricultural workers in India was on a decline, on the contrary, in Bihar the number was increasing. Agriculture- Sector in Bihar due to limited resources has not been very rewarding as means of livelihood, opportunities are also very feeble. So, a significant fraction of the population is compelled to migrate to other parts of the country in search of better opportunities.

 Now let us dig into social issues which are deeply engraved in the politics and Society of Bihar.

Post the Independence era, majority rich landowners came from the upper caste. Paraphrasing this, the economic and political power mostly rested in the hands of the Upper caste. To retaliate against the feudal hierarchy, the people from the weaker sections of the society started organizing themselves politically, aligning with the socialist ideology. This led to the establishment of various political parties like the BSP, JDU, RJD. Though aimed at the improving the downtrodden condition of the weaker sections, there has not been any significant upliftment in the economic condition of the marginalized sections. Politics remained entangled around caste rather than on socio-economics issues. People voted their preferred caste leaders rather than on policies and performance. This entanglement firmed with the enforcement of the points of the Mandal Commission (This is a separate debatable issue altogether).

 This region has also witnessed political instability due to which administration has been very less efficient. From 1991 to 2002. Uttar Pradesh saw 3 Presidential Rules and 8 Governments. Talking about Bihar, from 1960 to 1990, it saw 20 governments, none of which could complete a full term. This reinforces the inference that our leaders were more inclined towards saving their thrones, than focusing on policymaking.

 The next and a long-standing reason is the Centre’s outlook towards Bihar. Federalism of a nation strengthens when Centre provides financial aid for development Projects in the areas of Infrastructure, Heath and Education. Official Data testifies that UP Bihar region have received lowest per capita development funds from the center taking the sample space from the period of 1951 to 2012 straight. Quantitatively speaking it was approximately half of what its sister states Punjab, Gujarat and Other States Received, which resulted in visible contrast between the state of affairs in these regions.

 Governance has always been the limping part of attaining the cherished goal of economic prosperity. Unstable governments have always aggravated the administrative wing of the State, due to such conditions Tax collections were far from being efficient as per the general standards. With lack central development funds and lower tax collections combined with weak administration, the economic area of the state has been thrown into the trenches of despair, which would take very drastic-decisive policy measures to come out of.  The 8th and 9th Plan state that Bihar has only been able to utilize 50 percent of the development funds it receives for development projects. This phenomenon finds its roots long back in the British era, around the year 1927, the British didn’t prioritize Bihar’s expenditure in sectors of vital importance like education, healthcare, Strategic Industries. The statement can be backed by statistical data. At that point of time for every 770 People, 1 police officer was there in the state of Bombay, while the ratio increases to 2300:1, this highlights the graveness of the hollow administrative structure of Bihar.

 After such ‘elaborative rant’ about the issues and miseries, what is the way ahead, well as a layman would say, just do opposite to what has been done until now. Land Security must be administered, and Government needs to Intervene in land distribution, it is fitting to recall that such a Commission for Land Distribution Reforms was formed in 2008 but its recommendations were not put to implementation by any Government because none of them dared to lose the support of the Zamindars.  Government Needs to bring in investors in various Sectors by making the Administration, law, and order more accountable, creating a positive climate for businesses to set up their facilities. Greater Support from the Central Government is very essential, the historic ignorance of the British and Central Governments must be compensated for. The special compensation for Bihar which was in talk 2-3 Years ago should pave the way of this hand in gloves partnership. Bihar can use its Diaspora PAN India to contribute to the growth of the state. Although there has been increase in growth rate from 5% to 14 % in the recent years, but its not something to be excited about, because the growth figure is already so low that achieving a high growth rate is almost guaranteed. None the less, this is a step in the right direction in bringing the issue to the center’s podium. As Robert Frost Said- ‘I have Miles to go before I Sleep’, Bihar has a long way to go.

Ayush Raj

[journalistcafe]

Paramendra Mohan: जानिए आईएएस नतीजों को लेकर बिहार के छात्रों को क्यों दी जानी चाहिए बधाइयां...

Paramendra Mohan: जानिए आईएएस नतीजों को लेकर बिहार के छात्रों को क्यों दी जानी चाहिए बधाइयां…

[bs-quote quote=”यह आर्टिकल देश के जाने-माने पत्रकार परमेन्द्र मोहन (Parmendra Mohan) के फेसबुक वॉल से लिया गया है।” style=”default” align=”center” author_avatar=”https://journalistcafe.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/paramendra-mohan-1.jpg”%5D%5B/bs-quote%5D एक चर्चा छिड़ी हुई है फेसबुक और व्हाट्सएप ग्रुपों में कि आईएएस नतीजों को लेकर बिहार के छात्रों को बधाइयां क्यों दी जा रही हैं? इसमें…

[tezlivenews]

Bihar Panchayat Election: पंचायत चुनाव की तैयारी शुरू, बाढ़ प्रभावित इलाकों में अंतिम चरणों में होगी वोटिंग

Bihar Panchayat Election: पंचायत चुनाव की तैयारी शुरू, बाढ़ प्रभावित इलाकों में अंतिम चरणों में होगी वोटिंग

बिहार के बाढ़ प्रभावित इलाकों में अंतिम चरणों में पंचायत चुनाव कराए जाएंगे। राज्य निर्वाचन आयोग ने राज्य में दस चरणों में पंचायत चुनाव कराने की तैयारी शुरू कर दी है। राज्य निर्वाचन आयोग बाढ़ प्रभावित… Source link

[iakshaysrivastav]

Mamata Banerjee is confident that she will win, then why does the Bhabanipur bypoll matter?

TMC has been affirming a win for Mamata Banerjee in Bhabanipur. Why is there so much interest in the Bhabanipur bypoll? What makes it so exciting? As part of her campaigning, Mamata Banerjee visited temples, mosques, and Gurdwaras in the domestic constituency.

Mamata Bannerjee's home constituency is Bhabanipur. There have been recent reports that the people of Bhabanipur are talking about the days when Mamata Bannerjee grew up there.

The bypoll in Bhabanipur is in the spotlight. Along with Bhabanipur, Shamsher Ganj and Jangipur in the Murshidabad district will also contest the election on September 30.

Campaigning on the field by Mamata Bannerjee

"Ghorer meykey" (woman from the family) was the slogan of TMC's marketing campaign portraying the opposition are 'outsiders'. Bhabanipur will have five women candidates. Priyanka Tiberwal, the BJP candidate, seems to be Mamata Bannerjee’s strongest competitor.

Mamata Banerjee's extreme marketing campaign showcased her being a street-fighter and grassroots leader. It also gave the BJP a reason to assert that Mamata Banerjee is feeling tensed after losing the Nandigram seat despite running a massive campaign.

Keeping an eye on non-Bengali voters

TMC led the 2021 West Bengal campaign on Bangla pride by calling the BJP a foreign party. In Bhabanipur, 40% of voters are non-Bengali.

The TMC leaders have been positive in media interactions about winning votes from Marwaris, Gujaratis, and various non-Bengali ethnic groups in Bhabanipur.

In what's being seen as Mamata Banerjee versus Priyanka Tiberwal contest, the TMC seems assured of twenty percent Muslim voters in Bhabanipur. The BJP, however, banks on non-Bengali Hindu voters (around 32-35 percent) to provide Mamata Banerjee a tricky fight.

The Congress was an ally of Mamata Banerjee's TMC in 2011. The party candidate Deepa Dasmunshi, the wife of Congress politician Priyaranjan Dasmunshi, received 29 percent of the vote.

Priyanka Tiberwal is a lawyer who has initiated litigation in the case of alleged post-election violence in West Bengal. Her nomination was seen by many as a weak candidate for the BJP against Mamata Banerjee.

However, the presence of a large proportion of non-Bengali voters in Bhabanipur make Priyanka Tiberwal a potential dark horse in the voting competition.

The BJP also sent Lok Sabha MP Manoj Tiwari, a popular Bhojpuri singer turned politician, to attract significant numbers of voters from Bihar, Jharkhand, and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

WEATHER FORECAST

Weather can be a wonderful thing in Bhabanipur. Meteorological Department forecast heavy rainfall in Bhabanipur and surrounding areas by midweek due to low-pressure build-up in the Bay of Bengal.

Bhabanipur is not known for its high turnout, which is still around 50%. The Kolkata area experienced heavy rainfall last week, leading to flooding in many places. If the weather turns inclement on polling day and turnout is lower, Bhabanipur could experience a tighter-than-expected election.

[behealthy99]

Coronavirus live updates | Active COVID-19 cases in country highest in 230 days

New Post has been published on https://behealthy99.com/coronavirus-live-updates-active-covid-19-cases-in-country-highest-in-230-days/

Coronavirus live updates | Active COVID-19 cases in country highest in 230 days

While 89.7% of the eligible population has been vaccinated with at least one dose, 64.9% have received both doses. In the 15-17 age cohort, 48.4% of the population have received their first dose. Altogether, 91,41,91,708 first doses, 66,07,95,449 second doses and 49,35,439 booster doses have been administered across the country.

You can track coronavirus cases, deaths and testing rates at the national and State levels here. A list of State Helpline numbers is available as well.

Here are the updates:

Bihar

Records show Bihar doctor took 5 Covid vaccine shots, probe ordered

The Bihar government has ordered an investigation after records showed that a Patna-based civil surgeon was administered five shots of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The civil surgeon, Dr. Vibha Kumari Singh, however, said she had taken the jab thrice as per rules.

Singh also claimed that someone else managed to get vaccine shots using her PAN card details, and called for a probe.

According to the CoWIN portal, she received the first dose on January 28, 2021 and was fully vaccinated by March last year. – PTI

  Tamil Nadu

Volunteers resume free food supply for COVID-19 patients

Neeta Jessani (21) an interior designer, and her mother Poonam Jessani sent out hundreds of fresh home cooked meals for free for COVID-19 patients last year. Now, with sharp spike in cases in the city, they are flooded with calls again which has prompted her to resume her service.

“We didn’t realise several people were affected till we began to get numerous calls every day. We provide breakfast and lunch with varieties like idli, pongal, upma, paratha, dal, subzi, bisibelebath and pulao. We are cooking for ourselves anyway, so why not do it for another few families? At present, we are take up to 10 persons per meal. If there is a kid in the list, we drop in a chocolate as well to cheer him or her up. While the food is free, those ordering from us will have to take responsibility for delivery,” she says.

Lending a helping hand: To ensure health diet for patients, many volunteers cook food and supply them free of cost.   | Photo Credit: K. Pichumani

Like Ms. Jessani, quite a few in the city have resumed sending home-made meals for free for COVID-19 patients. These volunteers ensure the patients get fresh nutritious home-cooked meals that is low on oil, spices and salt.

  Tamil Nadu

In India, one person with COVID-19 is currently infecting at least 2 others, say IIT-Madras researchers

A team of researchers from the Centre of Excellence for Computational Mathematics and Data Science at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) has calculated that as on January 13, an infected person spreads the virus on an average to two others (2.2). As on January 10 it was three others (3.5) and on January 6, it was four persons.

The team includes S. Sundar, professor and co-principal investigator; Neelesh S. Upadhye, associate professor and principal investigator; and Jayant Jha, assistant professor at the Department of Mathematics. “The R nought (R0) value reveals that one infected person can infect three persons on an average. We assume that the neighbours are not infected,” explained Professor Sundar.

The model helps to understand the stringency with which safety protocols are observed. “The message is that R0 is an indicator of the rate of spread of the disease. We can also tell, with given data, how the stringency measures have affected the spread of the disease,” he said.

  USA

Unlikely that people will move around with masks on forever: Anthony Fauci on ‘new normal’

Warning that the COVID-19 pandemic is far from over and Omicron would not be the last variant, global health experts on Monday said a lot would depend on transmissibility and severity of the next mutants of the deadly virus.

Speaking at a session on COVID-19 on the first day of the World Economic Forum’s online Davos Agenda summit, American immunologist Dr Anthony S. Fauci also said while it was difficult to predict as yet what could be the new normal, he does not think that people will roam around with their masks on forever.

“Omicron is highly transmissible, but apparently not very pathogenic. While I hope that remains the case, but that would depend on what new variants emerge going forward,” he said. – PTI

Dr Fauci: ‘I also hope the new normal would include a strong memory about what a pandemic can do to us’   | Photo Credit: AP

      Molnupiravir kept out of revised clinical guidelines for management of adult COVID-19 patients

The Central government hasn’t included antiviral drug Molnupiravir in its revised clinical guidance for management of adult COVID-19 patients, and specified that Remdesivir and Tocilizumab should be prescribed under certain conditions only.

It stated that high-risk for severe disease or mortality is among those over 60 years. Also people with cardiovascular disease, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and other immunocompromised states (such as HIV), active tuberculosis, chronic lung/kidney/liver disease, cerebrovascular disease and obesity fall in this category.

The guidelines were revised by the All India Institute of Medical Science and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)-COVID-19 National Task Force/ Joint Monitoring Group, under the Health Ministry

  India

Vaccination for 12-14 age group likely from March: NTAGI chief

India may begin inoculating children in the 12-14 age group against COVID-19 in March as the 15-17 population is likely to get fully vaccinated by then, N.K. Arora, Chairman of the COVID-19 working group of the National Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (NTAGI), said on Monday.

Of the estimated 7.4 crore population in the 15-17 age bracket, over 3.45 crore have received the first dose of Covaxin so far and their second dose is due in 28 days, he said.

“Adolescents in this age group have been actively participating in the inoculation process, and going by this pace of vaccination, the rest of the beneficiaries in the 15-17 age group are likely to be covered with the first dose by January-end and subsequently their second dose is expected to be done by February-end,” he said. – PTI

  India

Daily case spike continues despite holding fewer tests

India recorded 2,32,760 COVID-19 cases on Monday, a 40% increase compared to a week ago. The number of infections has reached 3.74 crore, and the active cases have crossed the 17-lakh mark.

On Sunday, 13.13 lakh tests were conducted, a 21% decline from the day before. Cases increased on Monday, despite the reduction in tests. As a result, the test positivity rate (the number of cases detected per 100 tests) continued its ascent and reached 17.7%, the highest in the ongoing wave.

Maharashtra recorded 31,111 cases on Monday, the most for any State, followed by Karnataka (27,156) and Tamil Nadu (23,433).

The figures are based on the State bulletins released until 10 p.m. on Monday. However, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, Jharkhand and Tripura had not yet released data for the day.

      Supreme Court flags impact of third wave on children

The Supreme Court on Monday expressed a deep sense of anxiety on whether the third wave of the pandemic will put more children, orphaned or abandoned, on the streets.

A Bench of Justices L. Nageswara Rao and B.V. Nagarathna reminded the country’s bureaucracy that fighting COVID also means fighting to keep children off the streets.

“We are not running away from the reality of the pandemic. Bureaucrats are busy… But part of COVID battle is to see that children are off the streets,” Justice Rao addressed the Centre and the States.

  Delhi

COVID cases showing downward trend in Delhi

The daily new COVID-19 cases have reduced for the fourth consecutive day and Delhi has been showing a decreasing trend, Health Minister Satyendar Jain said on Monday.

“Weekend curfews have played a significant role in the dip. This trend indicates that the number of cases in Delhi is decreasing, but the government is still alert and will take some time to understand the trend,” the Minister said.

The number of new COVID-19 admissions at Lok Nayak Hospital, the largest Delhi government-run hospital, has also come down in the last two days, authorities said.

“Earlier, the number of new COVID admissions were increasing every day and it had reached 40-50 people a day. But now it is coming down. In the last two days, there have been only 35-40 new admissions a day,” said Suresh Kumar, Medical Director of Lok Nayak Hospital.

    Uncertainty delays jobs recovery: ILO

The global job market will take longer to recover than previously thought, with unemployment levels set to remain above pre-COVID-19 levels until at least 2023 due to uncertainty about the pandemic’s course and duration, the International Labour Organization said on Monday.

The agency estimated about 52 million fewer jobs in 2022 versus pre-COVID levels, which is about double its previous estimate from June 2021. Disruptions are set to continue into 2023 when there would still be about 27 million fewer jobs, it said in its World Employment and Social Outlook report. – Reuters

Tamil Nadu

With suspension of in-person classes, teachers think of ways to keep senior students engaged in Tamil Nadu

The State government’s announcement to suspend classes on campus for senior school students till January 31 in view of the COVID-19 spread, has prompted teachers to examine ways to ensure the feasibility of virtual assessments and that students keep learning over the next fortnight.

From January 19, revision exams were scheduled to start for Classes X and XII from State Board schools. It has now been postponed. After schools reopened in September 2021, these were the first major rounds of examination for students, since half yearly and quarterly exams were cancelled by the School Education Department.

“This closure of schools will definitely affect government school students. Only now they were regularly coming to school and preparing for the upcoming revision exams. We had faced difficulties even during the first and second lockdown to conduct online classes, and will struggle to keep the momentum going,” said K.P.O. Suresh, a science teacher at a government school.

    Third wave undoes last year’s resumption gains

The fast-spreading third wave of COVID-19 has undone the gains achieved due to resumption of business since the end of the lethal second wave last year, Japanese brokerage Nomura said on Monday.

The Nomura India Business Resumption Index, which compares activity against the pre-pandemic levels of March 2020, fell to 102.9 for the week ended January 16, from 107.9 in the preceding 7-day period.

The index has slumped by 17.4 percentage points since the third wave struck at the cusp of the new year.

The third wave — which has seen daily infections climb to more than 2.5 lakh from 1.7 lakh in the week earlier — has “undone business resumption gains since the second wave”, it said. – PTI

  India

90.84% of adult population received first dose, Centre tells Supreme Court

Calling the vaccination programme the “largest” in the world, the Centre has informed the Supreme Court that 71,36,71,234 doses have been administered to “eligible adult females”.

It said 90.84% of the adult population have received their first dose and 65% their second as on January 11.

The government was replying to a petition by the Delhi Commission for Protection of Child Rights about the safety measures in place for pregnant women and lactating mothers at the time of vaccination.

“Verbal declaration regarding the status of pregnancy/lactation is voluntary and it can only be verified at the time of vaccination,” the Health Ministry said in the affidavit.

  Tamil Nadu

100% State-run school students have received COVID jabs: Tamil Nadu government

The government has completed 100%, the first dose of vaccination against COVID for state-run school students of 15-18 years of age, Tamil Nadu Health Minister Ma. Subramanian said here on Monday.

As far as government schools in Tamil Nadu are concerned, the vaccination for students in the 15 to 18 age group was inaugurated by Chief Minister M.K. Stalin here on January 3, the Minister said.

Since that drive was launched in Tamil Nadu on the very same day it was rolled out by the Centre, the government has now completed inoculation for teenage students 100% as regards state-run schools, the Minister told reporters. – PTI

Israel

Israeli study shows 4th shot of COVID-19 vaccine not able to block Omicron

A fourth shot of COVID-19 vaccine boosts antibodies to even higher levels than the third jab but it likely is not enough to prevent Omicron infections, according to a preliminary study in Israel.

The vaccines led to a increase in the number of antibodies “even a little bit higher than what we had after the third dose”, said Regev-Yochay, adding that the results were preliminary and not yet published.

Israel was the fastest country to roll out initial vaccinations a year ago and last month started offering a fourth shot, or a second booster, to the most vulnerable, high-risk groups. – Reuters

Israel

Israel cuts COVID-19 isolation to five days

Israel’s Health Ministry said on Monday it would shorten the mandatory isolation period for those who test positive for COVID-19 to five days from seven days, following an initial cut last week, provided they are asymptomatic.

Until last week, the isolation period was 10 days.

The latest decision, which takes effect on Wednesday, brings Israel in line with recommendations in the United States. – Reuters

France

French COVID hospitalisations see biggest jump since November 2020

The number of people with COVID-19 in French hospitals rose by 888 to 25,775, the health ministry said on Monday, the biggest one-day increase since early November 2020, before the start of the country’s vaccination campaign.

The last time the number of COVID patients was over 25,000 was on December 17, 2020.

Health ministry data on Monday also showed that the number of people with COVID-19 in intensive care units rose by 61 to 3,913, after being flat to stable for four days. – Reuters

Canada

Canada approves Pfizer’s oral COVID-19 antiviral treatment, seeks supplies

Canada on Monday approved Pfizer Inc’s oral antiviral treatment for mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 in people aged 18 and older but said supply shortages would keep doses from being made available immediately.

Infections and hospitalizations due the Omicron variant have been rising in Canada, forcing provinces to put in restrictions and the federal government to support impacted businesses.

“[This] is particularly important, as access to easy to use treatments could help to reduce the severity of COVID-19 in adults who become newly infected at high risk of progressing to serious illness,” said chief public health officer Theresa Tam. – Reuters

[indianflash123]

Majority of India States Vulnerable to Extreme Climate

Majority of India States Vulnerable to Extreme Climate

Assam, Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are the most vulnerable to extreme climate events like floods, droughts and cyclones in India, according to a first-of-its-kind Climate Vulnerability Index released on October 26, 2021 by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). The report notes that majority of the Indian states and union territories are vulnerable to extreme…

[indianflashnews]

Majority of India States Vulnerable to Extreme Climate

Majority of India States Vulnerable to Extreme Climate

Assam, Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka are the most vulnerable to extreme climate events like floods, droughts and cyclones in India, according to a first-of-its-kind Climate Vulnerability Index released on October 26, 2021 by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW). The report notes that majority of the Indian states and union territories are vulnerable to extreme…

[acropolismediainc]

बिहार पंचायत चुनाव की तारीखों का ऐलान हो चुका है। सूबे में 11 चरणों में मतदान (Bihar Panchayat Election Schedule) होंगे। 24 अगस्त को इसकी अधिसूचना (Bihar Panchayat Chunav) जारी हो जाएगी। 24 सितंबर को पहले फेज की वोटिंग होगी, कुल 11 चरणों में चुनाव कराए जाएंगे। आखिरी फेज की वोटिंग 12 दिसंबर को होगी। नीतीश कुमार सरकार ने मंगलवार को कैबिनेट की बैठक (Nitish Kumar Cabinet Decision) में पंचायत चुनाव के प्रस्ताव को मंजूरी दे दी है। सबसे पहले उन जिलों में चुनाव होंगे जहां बाढ़ की समस्या (Bihar Flood) नहीं है। बाढ़ प्रभावित इलाकों में आखिरी फेज में वोटिंग कराने की तैयारी है। बिहार में त्रिस्तरीय पंचायत ग्राम कचहरी के विभिन्न पदों के लिए 11 चर��ों में चुनाव कराए जाएंगे। 24 सितंबर, 29 सितंबर, 8 अक्टूबर, 20 अक्टूबर, 24 अक्टूबर, 3 नवंबर, 15 नवंबर, 24 नवंबर, 29 नवंबर, 8 दिसंबर और 12 दिसंबर 2021 को मतदान की प्रक्रिया पूरी की जाएगी। छह पदों के लिए ग्राम पंचायत और ग्राम कचहरी के चुनाव होने हैं। इनमें मुखिया, पंचायत समिति सदस्य, जिला परिषद सदस्य, वार्ड सदस्य, सरपंच और पंच के पद शामिल हैं। #BiharPanchayatChunav #बिहारपंचायतचुनाव #बिहारपंचायतचुनाव2021 #Bihar #BiharNews #GrameenNews #NewsUpdate #NewsFlash #BiharPanchayatChunav2021 https://www.instagram.com/p/CStRs7yHtff/?utm_medium=tumblr

[economyandfinancialnews]

Raj first State to tag black fungus as epidemic

As coronavirus-hit India now braces itself for the new black fungus or mucormycosis nightmare, Rajasthan on Wednesday became the first State to declare the rare but potentially fatal fungal infection as an epidemic even as Haryana and Gujarat a few days ago categorised it under the notifiable disease to ensure its better management amid the deadly second wave of Covid.

An epidemic denotes a widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a particular time while a notifiable disease is any disease that is required by law to be reported to Government authorities.

As of Wednesday, Rajasthan had nearly 100 cases of black fungus, while Haryana and Gujarat had 115 cases and 900 cases respectively.

In fact, many other States too across the country like Maharashtra (1,500-2,000 cases) Karnataka (97), Uttarakhand (38), Uttar Pradesh (50), Telangana (50), Delhi (130) Odisha (10), Madhya Pradesh (281) and Bihar (30) are reporting a spike in the black fungus cases among recovering and recovered Covid-19 patients.

Most of the States have already started reporting mortalities in the fungus-infected patients. The fungus mostly attacks the virus-recovered immune-compromised or diabetic patients. Unsupervised and unregulated drug usage besides lack of surveillance of blood sugar levels are being attributed to the rare disease’ mortality rate at 50 per cent.

Health experts are expecting to see more mucormycosis cases in the next few weeks amid a devastating second wave of the coronavirus in India, known as the diabetes capital of the world.

For instance, health experts have warned that Bihar may see between 1,000 and 1,500 patients with black fungus by the end of May this year on the basis of the rate of infection of Covid witnessed in rural areas. The situation is likely to be no different in other medical facilities-starved villages in the country which are witnessing a surge in Covid-19 cases.

As the cases spike, the treatment drugs like Amphotericin B are drying up from the market across the States, including the national Capital and NCR, resulting in rampant black marketeering of the drug.

An anti-fungal intravenous injection which costs 3,500 rupees ($48) a dose and has to be administered every day for up to eight weeks is the only drug effective against the disease. Social media feeds and WhatsApp groups are already flooded with SOS messages from across the country from the desperate needy.

States are gearing up to deal with the new threat. Telangana has dedicated its two hospitals to exclusively treat the cases of black fungus. “A separate 250-bed mucormycosis ward has been established in Rajkot,” said Dr RS Trivedi, medical superintendent of Surat Medical College in Gujarat. Also, many States have started floating tenders for Amphotericin B, Posaconazole, and Isavuconazole with some of them regulating their allocation besides setting up expert panels to tackle the disease.

Earlier this week, the shortage was also flagged by hospitals in Gurugram, leading to the Haryana Government forming a panel to procure the injections hospitals have been using to treat recovering Covid patients who have developed mucormycosis (black fungus).

The disease is causing blindness in some cases. If left uncared for, mucormycosis may also turn fatal, stated an advisory released by the ICMR and Union Health Ministry even as the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is developing guidelines to treat black fungus or mucormycosis which is aggravated by excessive usage of steroids given by doctors for Covid-19 treatment.

The disease is caused by a set of micro-organisms known as mucormycetes, which are present naturally in the environment, seen mostly in soil and in decaying organic matter like leaves, compost and piles.  People catch mucormycosis by coming in contact with the fungal spores in the environment.

It can also develop on the skin after the fungus enters the skin through a cut, scrape, burn, or another type of skin trauma.

Doctors said most of their patients arrive late, when they are already losing vision, and doctors have to surgically remove the eye to stop the infection from reaching the brain.

Source: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2021/pioneer-exclusive/raj-first-state-to-tag-black-fungus-as-epidemic.html

[newsmatters]

Nitish calls Uttarakhand CM to enquire about flood situation, offers support

Nitish calls Uttarakhand CM to enquire about flood situation, offers support

India pti-Deepika S | Updated: Sunday, February 7, 2021, 16:05 [IST] Patna, Feb 07: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday called his Uttarakhand counterpart Trivendra Singh Rawat over phone and enquired about the flood situation in thenorthern state, an official release here said. He offered support to Rawat in this hour of crisis, the release said. Nitish Kumar A glacier broke off at…

[bbcbreakingnews]

Over 1,565 deaths due to extreme weather in 2020; Bihar, UP worst affected: IMD

NEW DELHI: Extreme weather conditions led to the death of more than 1,565 people last year with thunderstorm and lightning claiming the lives of 815 of them, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday. Bihar lost the maximum number of 379 lives due to flood, thunderstorm, lightning and cold wave, followed by Uttar Pradesh (356), it said in a report. The weather department said the number of deaths due to extreme weather events were based on media reports. Heavy rainfall and flood-related incidents reportedly claimed more than 600 lives in different parts of the country during pre-monsoon, monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, it said. Of these, Assam lost 129 lives, Kerala 72, Telangana 61, Bihar 54, Maharashtra 50, Uttar Pradesh 48 and Himachal Pradesh 38. Of the 815 deaths due to thunderstorm and lightning, 280 occurred in Bihar, 220 in Uttar Pradesh, 122 in Jharkhand, 72 in Madhya Pradesh, 23 in Maharashtra and 20 in Andhra Pradesh, according to the IMD report. Cold wave conditions, which mainly prevailed over central parts of the country, especially in the month of January, caused about 150 deaths, the IMD said. Of these deaths, 88 were reported from Uttar Pradesh alone, 45 from Bihar and 16 from Jharkhand. The deaths in Bihar were on a single day on January 1. According to the IMD, the year 2020 was the eighth warmest year since it started maintaining records in 1901. “However, this is substantially lower than the highest warming observed over India during 2016 (plus 0.71 degree Celsius),” the IMD said.

source https://bbcbreakingnews.com/2021/01/04/over-1565-deaths-due-to-extreme-weather-in-2020-bihar-up-worst-affected-imd/

[thoonline]

Plea in SC to postpone Bihar polls to March 2021 due to Covid, floods

Plea in SC to postpone Bihar polls to March 2021 due to Covid, floods

Image Source : PTI Plea in SC to postpone Bihar polls to March 2021 due to Covid, floods

The Rashtravadi Janata Party (RJP) has moved a plea in the Supreme Court seeking postponement of the Bihar assembly elections scheduled for October-November to March next year in the backdrop of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and the floods that are ravaging the state.

The plea said: “It will be better…

[newstfionline]

Headlines

2020 is the summer of booming home sales—and evictions (Washington Post) For Realtor James Dietsche, there is only one way to describe the real estate market right now: “It’s insane.” A 1950s style three-bedroom home he listed in late June for $200,000 in a small town outside Harrisburg, Pa., received 26 offers the initial weekend it was for sale. Many buyers were young couples seeking a starter home and retirees looking to downsize. But bids also came from Philadelphia, New York City and the Washington, D.C., area. One person was willing to pay up to $50,000 above asking. Several were offering to buy it without inspections. While Dietsche’s cellphone has been ringing with eager buyers, Tammy Steen’s phone has been buzzing for a different reason. Her landlord keeps calling demanding the $700 rent she does not have. Steen, 52, was a hotel housekeeper at a Hampton Inn in Pensacola, Fla. Her temporary layoff now looks permanent. She has yet to receive unemployment aid despite applying in late March. She has applied to countless fast food, retail and maid jobs but has not been hired. She has started selling hot dogs on the side of the road to beachgoers, praying she does not become homeless. The coronavirus pandemic is exacerbating inequities across America, especially in housing. This summer is one of the best times for home buyers and worst for many renters. Americans with money in the bank are buying bigger homes, while renters increasingly worry about eviction.

Gig workers are finding it harder to make money as surging unemployment drives up competition (CNBC) For the past two years, Chad Polenz has embraced the gig economy lifestyle. Polenz, who lives in Orlando, Florida, has worked for Instacart, Uber, Lyft, Amazon Flex and other services as a way to maximize his earnings. He likes the variety and even launched a YouTube channel, where he offers tips for fellow drivers and interviews other gig workers. But in May, with joblessness surging due to the coronavirus pandemic, Polenz saw his income plunge to $50 a day. The gig economy was suddenly “swamped with newbies,” he said. So Polenz quit and opted instead to collect state and federal unemployment income, which he said provides him with more money than he could get delivering groceries. The coronavirus has derailed the economy and the labor market, leading to 18 straight weeks with more than 1 million initial jobless claims. The massive pool of unemployed Americans has quickly saturated the market for contract-based drivers and delivery people, just as ridership on services like Uber and Lyft has come to a screeching halt. The problem is now poised to get worse. The federal moratorium on evictions signed in March expired Friday night, meaning millions of Americans are at risk of losing their homes, and the $600-per-week additional unemployment benefit dries up this weekend. With these financial pressures looming, more people are likely to turn to delivering for Instacart, Amazon Flex, Uber Eats, DoorDash, GrubHub, Postmates, and Target’s Shipt.

On Portland’s streets: Anger, fear, and a fence that divides (AP) In the no-man’s land outside the Portland courthouse there’s the fence: A thick, black iron installation, a dividing line between protester and protector, a stark separation between two radically different world views. To the protesters, the men inside the battened down courthouse are at best thoughtless political minions, at worst murderous henchmen. To the agents inside, the demonstrators that pack the downtown each night are violent anarchists, an angry sea of humanity bent on hurting—or even killing—federal agents doing their job. “It’s scary. You open those doors out, when the crowd is shaking the fence, and ... on the other side of that fence are people that want to kill you because of the job we chose to do and what we represent,” said a Deputy U.S. Marshal who has been protecting the courthouse for weeks. He requested anonymity because protesters have identified him and posted his personal information online. The nation is seething with anxiety and deeply divided about the role of police, the value of Black lives and the limits of federal authority in an election season like none other. In Portland, on a single city block owned by the U.S. government, that anxiety has turned to turmoil.

Hawaii battles complacency after another hurricane near-miss (AP) Hurricane Douglas joined a long list of hurricanes that have come near the Hawaiian Islands but didn’t cause major damage. Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami said such experiences unfortunately help people become complacent and think disaster will never strike them. “What we’re really concerned about is Mother Nature—there’s no way you can control her. And the one time that she does decide to not send a message but really impact our island, it’s going to be when certain people have taken it lightly,” Kawakami said. Douglas passed about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Maui and possibly even closer to Oahu as a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday. Despite earlier warnings that Douglas could pass directly over the islands, surfers hit the waves and selfie-takers flocked to the shoreline on Oahu.

Coronavirus turns the City into a ghost town (Financial Times) When Stephen Welton went into the City of London last week, the veteran financier felt like he was walking through a “ghost town”. The chairman of the Business Growth Fund, one of the UK’s largest investors in small businesses and start-ups, who has worked in the City for more than three decades said: “You could practically see the tumbleweeds.” A week after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he would relax lockdown rules to allow workers to return to their offices, the City’s largest employers show little sign of accelerating plans to get staff back at their desks. While the government guidance comes into effect this week, most executives are sticking to their policies of gradually restoring office numbers. Many companies will start bringing back a skeleton-staff in September or October, but others do not plan to return until 2021 at the earliest. Coronavirus is threatening to transform permanently the traditional workplace and with it London’s semi-autonomous financial centre, which traces its roots back to 1376. Many of the executives who spoke to the Financial Times said some staff would not return at all given the success of homeworking during the lockdown.

Sacre Bleu! (NYT) The economic crisis brought on by the coronavirus, combined with the Trump administration’s 25 percent tax on French wines in the trade war dispute with Europe, has collapsed the wine market. So winemakers are—sadly—sending their excess product off to another life as ... hand sanitizer.

Floods, coronavirus hobble two of India’s poorest states (Reuters) Floods caused by heavy monsoon rains in two of India’s poorest states have displaced or affected 8 million people and killed 111 since May, authorities said on Tuesday, at a time when coronavirus cases have swelled there. The Brahmaputra river in the northeastern state of Assam is flowing above the “danger level” in many places, while heavy rains that began this week in Bihar in the east will last until Wednesday, officials say. Since the start of the monsoon season on June 1, Assam has received 15% more rainfall than a 50-year average and Bihar 47% more, according to the country’s weather department.

We’ll Be Wearing Masks for a While. Why Not Make Them Nice? (NYT) As the virus continues its relentless spread, with rules on mask-wearing being tightened in many places around the world, consumers are starting to demand more of the coverings that will guard their public breaths for the foreseeable future. In response, companies and designers have flooded the market with alternatives to the common throwaway surgical masks. Inventors have dreamed up masks with motorized air purifiers, Bluetooth speakers and even sanitizers that kill germs by heating the face covering (but hopefully not the face) to over 200 degrees. In South Korea, the electronics giant LG has created a mask powered with fans that make it easier to breathe. In boutiques, patterned masks are showing up on mannequins, exquisitely paired with designer dresses. The coronavirus “has driven a rapid evolution in mask technology,” said Yukiko Iida, an expert on masks at the Environmental Control Center, a consulting company in Tokyo. The urge to innovate has been great in Japan, where masks were widespread even before the pandemic. Taisuke Ono, the chief executive of a tech start-up, Donut Robotics, said his company is building a mask that serves as a combination walkie-talkie, personal secretary and translator. It can record its users’ voice, projecting it to someone else’s smartphone—all the better for social distancing—or transmuting it from Japanese into a variety of languages.

Danang on lockdown (Foreign Policy) Danang, Vietnam’s third-largest city, has been placed on lockdown after a the discovery of a coronavirus outbreak linked to a local hospital. Vietnam is still closed to foreign tourists, but all flights, buses, and train services in and out of the city have been suspended. Vietnam is the most populous country that has not yet registered a single coronavirus-related death. It has reported only 431 cases in total.

Iran holds annual Gulf drill amid rising tensions with U.S. (Reuters) Iran’s elite Revolutionary Guards launched a military drill in the Gulf on Tuesday, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported, at a time of high tension between Tehran and Washington. There have been periodic confrontations in the Gulf in recent years between the Guards and the U.S. military, which has accused the Guards’ navy of sending fast-attack boats to harass U.S. warships as they pass the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran, which opposes the presence of U.S. and Western navies in the Gulf, holds annual naval war games in phases in the strategic waterway, the conduit for some 30% of all crude and other oil liquids traded by sea. Satellite images published on Monday showed Iran has moved a mock-up U.S. aircraft carrier to the Strait, suggesting it will use the fake vessel for target practice in war games there.

Israel says it repelled incursion from Lebanon; Hezbollah denies launching attack (Washington Post) Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon escalated Monday as Israeli forces repelled what security officials described as a border infiltration with heavy shelling in a clash that had both sides on high alert. Hezbollah, which is known for claiming responsibility for its actions, denied launching an operation against Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused its patron, Iran, of stoking the unrest by “entrenching its military in our region.” The skirmish followed a week of rising tensions and provocations, including an airstrike attributed to Israel that killed a Hezbollah fighter in Syria and to which the group has vowed to respond. The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon said it was in contact with both sides and would launch an investigation to determine the cause of Monday’s incident.

Torrential rains wreak destruction in Yemen, killing dozens (AP) Flash floods have ravaged swaths of war-torn Yemen, leaving dozens dead and destroying thousands of homes, security officials and an aid group said Monday. At a time when Yemen is already mired in escalated fighting, widespread hunger and a major coronavirus outbreak, the spate of torrential rains is exacerbating the world’s worst humanitarian disaster. “The combination of coronavirus, conflict and heavy rains this year is hurting millions of Yemenis across the country,” said Abdi Ismail, the head of the International Committee of the Red Cross mission in Yemen.

Vloggers show how to migrate illegally on a jet ski (The Economist) Compared with the dross of north Africa’s state broadcasters, it makes riveting viewing. The video-blogger cuts his way through rainforests, travels by wooden canoe, flirts with various women and finally reaches Panama, one of ten countries he has entered illegally on his way to the United States. Each instalment, filmed on a mobile phone and posted regularly on YouTube, packs suspense, adventure and tips for would-be illegal migrants. The vlogger, Zouhir Bounou, who calls himself Zizou, has become a household name back home in Morocco. North African migrants have long shared advice about how to enter Europe and America illicitly. On social media they offer a romanticised view of life on the other side of the journey. These posts have encouraged hundreds of thousands of north Africans to embark on haraga, or illegal migration. Now vloggers like Zizou are turning their travels into entertainment. And they may be enticing a new generation to pack up and go. “The vlogs have a tremendous pull,” says Amine Ghoulidi, a Moroccan academic. The vlogs are full of useful information for would-be migrants, such as the co-ordinates for a route across the Turkish-Greek frontier and the going rates for bribes. Some name lawyers who can help with paperwork or tell of charities that provide the best shelter. Want to know where to conduct a sham marriage or get a fake employment contract? Check the vlogs. How do you avoid deportation? “Claim to be underage, claim to be Libyan and claim to be looking for your father,” suggests a vlogger.

Virus-linked hunger tied to 10,000 child deaths each month (AP) The lean season is coming for Burkina Faso’s children. And this time, the long wait for the harvest is bringing a hunger more ferocious than most have ever known. That hunger is already stalking Haboue Solange Boue, an infant who has lost half her former body weight of 5.5 pounds (2.5 kilograms) in the last month. With the markets closed because of coronavirus restrictions, her family sold fewer vegetables. Her mother is too malnourished to nurse her. All around the world, the coronavirus and its restrictions are pushing already hungry communities over the edge, cutting off meager farms from markets and isolating villages from food and medical aid. Virus-linked hunger is leading to the deaths of 10,000 more children a month over the first year of the pandemic, according to an urgent call to action from the United Nations. Further, more than 550,000 additional children each month are being struck by what is called wasting, according to the U.N.—malnutrition that manifests in spindly limbs and distended bellies. Over a year, that’s up 6.7 million from last year’s total of 47 million. Wasting and stunting can permanently damage children physically and mentally, transforming individual tragedies into a generational catastrophe. “The food security effects of the COVID crisis are going to reflect many years from now,” said Dr. Francesco Branca, the World Health Organization head of nutrition. “There is going to be a societal effect.”

[todaybharatnews]

via Today Bharat Polavaram racing towards realising a long-cherished dream *YS Jagan unveils action plan to complete the project as per timelines *Regular reviews – quick nods for key designs *1000 cubic metres of concrete works per day in the spillway, 2000 cubic metres in spill channel *Spillway bridge to be completed even during flood period *Coffer dam construction picks pace, ECRF works gather momentum Irrigation facility for the command area by June 2022 Huge cranes and ready mixers rumble across the stretch.... countless workers swarm and sweat the swathe... Incessant work is on at the spillway. That’s Polavaram project these days!! The engineers are proudly proclaiming that concrete works of the order of 100 cubic metres a day are being accomplished at the spillway. They say that the 48 gates would be installed and the spillway work would be completed by May 2021. “We will fill the coffer dams upstream and downstream soon after the floods recede and will divert the water via the spillway. This will ensure that the delta crops would remain unaffected in any which way. We will complete the two coffer dams by July 2021. Then we will take up earth-cum-rock fill dam works and hope to complete them by December 2021,” exulted the engineers working onthe project. Polavaram is a monumental example of what a determined government, a foolproof strategy and hard-working and never-say-die spirit of the Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited can do together. Due to this synergy, the project works are racing towards realising a long-cherished dream. In the process an engineering marvel is taking shape to ensnare the swirling Godavari waters so that every droplet is used to turn barren stretches into lush green crops. Action plans and Timelines ·Lack of a proper planning and failure to understand the nuances and the utter absence of determination on the part of the erstwhile TDP Government have proved to be the bane of Polavaram. The works were haphazard and the progress was clueless. It was in these dire circumstances that Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy took reins of the project. He had unveiled an action plan to complete the project by December 2021. The action plan included coordinated and synchronised works on spillway, spill channel, coffer dam works upstream and downstream along with rehabilitation and resettlement works for the displaced persons. Regular and painstakingly methodical reviews and constant monitoring by CM YS Jagan and Minister Anil ensured that the works complied with the timelines. They ensured that the Central Water Commission gave its nod to the long-pending designs. This has helped speed up the works further. No letup despite stalking Corona fears ·The works were taken up in November last after the flood season to dewater the area between the spillway and spill channel. ·Due to the Corona lockdown, a large number of the construction workers left for their home states of Bihar and Odisha. The State Government and the MEIL have worked out a plan to instil confidence in these workers and brought back over 2000 of them. Ever since, these workers have begun concrete works at the rate of 1000 cubic meters per day in the spill way and 2000 cubic metres per day in the spill channel. All this while, every care was taken to ensure social distancing and sanitisation of the employees. Till Wednesday, 2.77 lakh cubic metres of work (129 lakh cubic metres in Spilway and 0.98 lakh in spill channel) was completed. Now 2.62 lakh cubic metres of extent in spillway and 6.98 lakh cubic meters in spill channel remain to be completed. These works are expected to be completed by May 2021. ·The remaining works on the upper coffer dam to an extent of 35.85 lakh cubic meters would be in November soon after the recession of the flood water. These would be completed by July 2021. From November, the water needed to irrigate the Godavari delta would be diverted via the spillway. ·The ECRF works on the main dam, located between the upper and lower coffer dam to the extent of 117.69 lakh cubic metres would be completed by December 2021. Meanwhile the connectivities between the canals and the reservoirs wold be completed so that water can be supplied to the command area by June 2022.