Articles by News Desk

CBSE announces Term 1 examination schedule for Classes 10 and 12  The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) this week released the date sheet or timetable for students of Classes 10 and 12 who will be writing the Term 1 papers of the Board examination 2021-22. The first term board exams for class 10 will begin on November 30th, while the exams for class 12 are scheduled to commence on December 1st. This date sheet is only for the major subjects, while the schedule for minor subjects has been communicated to the schools separately. Practical exams or internal assessment will…

Corporation evicts pavement dwellers in Egmore The Greater Chennai Corporation evicted close to 50 families who had been residing on the pavement close to Egmore Railways station. The families allege that they had been given no notice of the move and that their belongings had been bundled and taken away. The evicted families were residents of Egmore for close to five decades. After the eviction they are currently housed in a Corporation shelter near Pattalam with the promise of permanent housing in 10 days. The evicted families returned to the site of their shanties the following day and staged a…

Mumbai registers zero COVID-19 deaths for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic After 18 months and 3 weeks, Mumbai recorded no COVID-19 deaths on a single day on October 17th. "Mumbai recorded zero Covid deaths after March 26, 2020. This is great news for all of us in Mumbai. I salute Team MCGM (Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai) for their spectacular performance," I S Chahal, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner told news agency ANI. Even before the second wave of the pandemic hit the country, Mumbai had already reported more than 25% of the country’s total number…

BBMP schools to reopen primary sections BBMP schools will resume classes for grades I to V from Monday, October 25. No online classes were held for these students in the past one-and-half years; teachers only interacted with the students who accompanied their parents to collect rations from school, said an education department official. The teachers and non-teaching staff have been fully vaccinated, the official added. The 16 civic-run primary schools will be sanitised over the weekend. The strength of students in classes I to V will be ascertained once physical classes resume. Source: The Hindu Read more: The reality of…

Fuel prices hiked again, petrol costs Rs 110 in Pune, CNG Rs 62 Petrol prices rose again after a break of two days, with a litre of diesel now at Rs 99.36 and petrol at Rs 110.25. CNG price, thought to be stable, too were hiked to Rs 62.10 in Pune on October 14, the second hike this month. The government justified the regular hikes in fuel prices by saying it needed to raise revenue to fund the free COVID-19 vaccination programme. The continuous hike in fuel prices is affecting transportation costs. Transport associations have appealed to the central government…

Houses, airport flooded The overnight rain of 18 cm between Monday night and Tuesday morning is the highest ever that the Met observatory at KIA (Kempegowda International Airport) recorded since it was set up in 2011. The roads leading to KIA were waterlogged due to the heavy rains on Monday night. Hence cabs and private vehicles were stranded, forcing some to depend on alternative modes of transport, even a tractor. BIAL (Bangalore International Airport Limited) sources said that 20 departing flights between 5.30 pm and 11.59 pm were delayed due to weather conditions. Heavy rains also flooded scores of houses…

Marina beach safety improved Following a spate of drowning deaths along the Marina beach, safety measures have been beefed up at the Marina beach. There have been 13 deaths in the past 50 days, prompting action by the authorities to take action to ensure the safety of the general public. The most recent incident involves the disappearance of two undergraduate students, feared to have been drowned in the rough seas. In addition to lifeguards and monitoring outposts with all terrain vehicles, police teams will also carry out additional patrolling along the beach. Dedicated Whatsapp numbers have also been published for…

Mumbai sees highest COVID-19 cases since July 26 Cases of COVID-19 have gradually increased in Mumbai since the festive season began with Ganesh Chaturthi. On Thursday, the number hit 5,317, the highest in the city since July 26. Officials from Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s health department said they are anticipating a spike post-Dussehra as more people step out. However, officials said the rise in cases is not a cause for concern. They say the situation is under control since most of Mumbai’s population has taken at least one dose of the and nearly half have taken both doses. Source: The…

In 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) found that roughly 7.5 per cent Indians suffer from some form of a mental disorder, and predicted that by the end of 2021, close to 20 percent of Indians will suffer from mental health illnesses. With a shortage of mental health professionals, a culture of denial and hesitation, a majority that cannot afford professional help, these statistics confirm that there is a desperate need for informed discourse around mental health and the systems that affect it.  Read more: Mental health helpline received 72,000 calls in a year, thanks to the pandemic Below is…

50% fully vaccinated, over 10,000 refused jabs The BBMP crossed a milestone on October 5 by covering 50% its population with both doses of COVID vaccine. In Bengaluru Urban district, 58% have been fully vaccinated. But it is among the few districts in Karnataka to have covered half the population with both doses. Meanwhile, the BBMP learnt through a block-and-lane-level vaccination survey that about 10,000 people from 4,437 households have refused to get jabbed. They were identified from a survey of 76,373 households. Many from lower-income groups seemed to be afraid of side effects. The most number of unvaccinated households…