Fani hit Odisha seeks donation from foreigners, NRIs

Agencies
May 21, 2019

Bhubaneswar, May 21: Odisha government has sought donations from foreign nationals and NRIs to rebuild the state in the aftermath of cyclone Fani, saying their contribution will "heal many lives".

Cyclone Fani had ravaged the coastal districts of the state on May 3, resulting in an estimated loss of Rs 12,000 crore.

"#Odisha Chief Minister's Relief Fund now accepts donations from foreign nationals, Persons of Indian origin, overseas citizens of India and NRIs," the Chief Minister's Office tweeted on Monday.

People can donate by visiting cmrfodisha.gov.in/donation/onlinedonation.php.

Calling upon all to join hands to rebuild Odisha, the state government said, "Your contribution will heal many lives and also the state."

Separate phone lines have also been set up for donors from the US, Canada, UK, Australia, Singapore and UAE, among others.

Though the state government has spent more than Rs 6,000 crore in relief and restoration works within a fortnight of the calamity, the Centre has released Rs 1,341 crore so far, an official said.

The state government has sought Rs 12,000 crore from the Centre for the restoration work.

The state has so far received donations of about Rs 200 crore from different agencies, organisations, individuals, industries and others in the aftermath of the cyclone that wreaked havoc in the coastal districts, leaving at least 64 people dead and above 5 lakh houses damaged.

The condition of people in the worst-affected Puri district continues to be grim as they have no power in mid- summer. Of about 19 lakh electricity consumers in the district, power has been restored to only 19,000 even after 18 days of the calamity.

"In Puri, electricity restoration work is being carried out in full swing," an official said, adding that daily necessities of affected people have been met as relief assistance and monthly pensions have been disbursed.

The official said normalcy has returned to 90 per cent areas in the other 13 districts.

"It will take time to restore power in Puri because of the massive destruction of the infrastructure," he said.

More than 100 electricity towers have been uprooted in the cyclone in Puri. The cyclone, which made landfall in Puri with a wind speed of up to 240 kmph, also left at least 241 people injured.

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Agencies
May 24,2020

Lucknow, May 24: The Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh has banned Corona patients from keeping mobile phones inside isolation wards of COVID-19 hospitals in the state.

Patients admitted in dedicated L-2 and L-3 COVID hospitals will no longer will allowed to take mobile phones along with them in the isolation wards in order to check the spread of the infection.

According to an order issued by the state government late on Saturday night, two mobile phones will now be available with the ward in-charge of the COVID care centres so that patients and talk to their family members and administration if required.

Further, the orders specify that the mobile numbers should be communicated to the family members of the patients also.

Director General Medical Education, K.K. Gupta, who issued the order, has informed all concerned officials and directors of dedicated COVID hospitals.

"To facilitate the communication between COVID-19 patients admitted in clinics, with their family members, or anyone else, ensure that two dedicated mobile phones while adhering to infection prevention norms, are kept with ward in-charge of COVID care centre," the order said.

According to the latest data available on the website of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Uttar Pradesh now has 5,735 cases of Corona positive patients and the numbers have been growing steadily since the past ten days.

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News Network
April 8,2020

Bengaluru, Apr 8: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has asked all universities and higher education institutions across the nation to set up helpline to combat mental health issues among students during the Covid-19 crisis and nation-wide lockdown period.

In an official circular, the UGC stated that, "It is important to address psychological concerns of students and to address mental health and for the well-being of students, universities/colleges and higher education institutions should setup mental health helplines."

These helplines need to be monitored by counselors and other identified faculty members. "It is important for students to stay calm and stress-free. This can be achieved through telephones, e-mails, digital and social media platforms," says UGC.

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News Network
January 10,2020

Washington, Jan 10: It is “highly likely” that Iran shot down the civilian Ukrainian jetliner that crashed near Tehran late Tuesday, killing all 176 people on board, U.S., Canadian and British officials declared Thursday.

They said the fiery missile strike could well have been a mistake amid rocket launches and high tension throughout the region.

The crash came just a few hours after Iran launched a ballistic attack against Iraqi military bases housing U.S. troops in its violent confrontation with Washington over the U.S. drone strike that killed an Iranian Revolutionary Guard general. The airliner could have been mistaken for a threat, said four U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence.

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, whose country lost at least 63 citizens in the downing, said in Toronto: “We have intelligence from multiple sources including our allies and our own intelligence. The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile.”

Likewise, U.K. prime Minister Boris Johnson and Australian prime minister Scott Morrison offered similar statements. Morrison also said it appeared to be a mistake. “All of the intelligence as presented to us today does not suggest an intentional act,” he said.

The assessment that 176 people were killed as collateral damage in the Iranian-U.S. conflict cast a new pall over what had at first appeared to be a relatively calm aftermath following the U.S. military operation that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

At the White House, U.S. president Donald Trump suggested he believed Iran was responsible for the shootdown and dismissed Iran's initial claim that it was a mechanical issue with the plane.

“Somebody could have made a mistake on the other side.” Trump said, noting the plane was flying in a “pretty rough neighborhood."

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