Articles by News Desk

COVID-19: Radhakrishnan takes charge as health secretary, no lockdown extension in Chennai, 40 patients booked for violating home quarantine In a recent development, Dr J Radhakrishnan has been reappointed as the State Health Secretary, replacing Dr Beela Rajesh. The order passed on June 12th added that Dr Radhakrishnan will continue to serve as the Commissioner of Revenue Administration until further orders, and Dr Beela Rajesh will head the Department of Commercial Taxes and Registration department as Secretary. The state witnessed a massive spike of 1,933 COVID cases on June 12th with 1,479 of the cases in Chennai, according to the…

Spurt in COVID deaths Although Bengaluru has a recovery rate of 51.4% with respect to COVID-19 patients, its death rate of 3.95% is the highest among districts in Karnataka. In comparison, the State's average death rate is 1.15%. The number of deaths has shot up in Bengaluru since June 1. According to the State health bulletin, of 581 positive cases in Bengaluru as on June 11, 23 have died. Of them, 13 died in June alone. Doctors say that the deaths are due to late reporting and referral by other hospitals, apart from severe co-morbidities. The deaths are expected to…

The Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs has recommended holistic planning for pedestrian friendly market spaces in various cities and municipal areas in the country in consultation with stake holders. The advisory issued by Shri Durga Shanker Mishra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to all states/cities/municipal corporations has also suggested the million plus cities to select at least three market places for pedestrianisation & non-million plus cities to select at least one market area for pedestrianisation in market places. The following steps have been suggested for adopting pedestrianisation in market places 1. Selection of Market Location – Million Plus…

World's first semi high-speed rail corridor got approved by Railway board and Maharashtra government The world's first semi high-speed corridor over broad gauge, which will allow trains to run at a speed up to 250 kmph between Pune and Nashik, has been given a green signal by the Railway Board and Maharashtra government. The detailed project report for the high-speed rail corridor was completed by the state-run Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (MRIDC) in February. Pune and Nashik are two of the fastest-growing cities in the state and collectively account for 18% of the population of the state and…

The Gig Economy is characterised by economic activity based on short-term or temporary labour contracts - as opposed to permanent employment - typically in the service sector. The rise of app-based companies has created a new economic model which deems workers to be independent contractors, rather than employees. While this allows for low barriers for entry and exit to the field, it exempts gig workers from protections conferred by employment laws including minimum wages, overtime and other benefits. The COVID-19 crisis, in particular, has brought into sharp focus the precarious conditions gig workers are subject to. Platform workers engaged in…

Tamil Nadu recorded 1,116 fresh COVID cases on Friday, June 5th, of which 1,438 patients were reported from Chennai, according to the Health department bulletin. The total number of cases in Chennai alone stood at 19,826 till that date. In view of the same, the state government has deputed five ministers to monitor the relief work carried out by the Greater Chennai Corporation (GCC). Here is the list: D Jayakumar - Madhavaram, Tondiarpet, RoyapuramKP Anbalagan - Adyar, Perungudi, Sholinganallur R Kamaraj - Anna Nagar, Teynampet, KodambakkamRB Udhayakumar - Thiruvottiyur, Manali, MadhavaramMR Vijayabhaskar - Ambattur, Valasaravakkam, Alandur Among the cases, eight policemen,…

COVID cases spike After the relaxations made to inter-state and inter-district travel, 79 positive COVID cases were reported among returnees to Bengaluru between May 18 and June 3. Among them, 40 individuals were from Maharashtra, 12 from Delhi, eight from Tamil Nadu, two from Rajasthan and one from Andhra Pradesh. The remaining 16 cases are from other places, including other districts of Karnataka. A senior BBMP official said it is challenging to keep road travellers under check, as border controls were being ignored in many areas especially along Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh borders. While the BBMP has jurisdiction over…

Non-essential item shops to reopen in Kolkata from June 1 As per a notice issued by Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), shops selling non-essential items in 46 markets in Kolkata can open from 10 am to 5.30 pm from June 1. The 46 markets include New Market, Entally Market, Charu Market, Lake Market, Hatibagan Market, Sealdah Baithak Khana Bazar and Maniktala Bazar.  According to Member of the Board of Administrators in KMC and former Mayor-in-Council Amiruddin Bobby, the decision was taken following a notification from the state secretariat which stated that shops selling non-essential items can be allowed to open in…

COVID-19: Work to set-up largest COVID care centre on, Multistorey buildings in T Nagar to remain shut, autos continue to ply in the city The state government today extended the lockdown with significant relaxations till June 30. According to the new guidelines, public transportation is not allowed to resume services in Chennai, Kancheepuram, Thiruvallur and Chengalpattu as the number of cases is increasing every day. Check the detailed guidelines below. New guidelines issued by the Tamil Nadu government for lockdown. Graphic: Aruna Natarajan On May 29, Tamil Nadu recorded 856 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the total to 21,184, according to…

Shorter hospital stay for COVID patients COVID-19 patients will have a shorter stay in hospital, with the state government changing its discharge protocols. From now, symptomatic patients staying in isolation facilities will be discharged 10 days after admission if they show no symptoms on the last three consecutive days and test negative. If they test positive, repeat tests will be done after 72 hours. Asymptomatic patients in isolation facilities will be discharged following a test seven days after admission, if the result is negative. Earlier, all patients had to spend a minimum of 14 days in hospital and a patient…