Will Mayawati continue to back UPA? Decision expected after key party meeting today

October 10, 2012

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Lucknow, October 10: Mayawati is expected to make it officially clear today whether she will continue to extend external support to the Congress-led UPA government or not. The Bahujan Samaj Party chief will do this after she consults her party's top leaders in Lucknow on Wednesday morning.

From all the signs that Ms Mayawati held out for an anxious Centre at a massive comeback rally yesterday, she is not inclined to pull the rug from under it just yet. She said though she remains opposed to reforms in retail, she is willing to be convinced of its merits. It was the decision to open up India to foreign mega-chains like Wal-Mart that cost the Prime Minister his biggest ally, Mamata Banerjee. Last month, she pulled her Trinamool Congress out of his coalition, reducing the government to a minority. To remain in power, the coalition needs the external support of both Mayawati and her arch political foe, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said yesterday, "The Centre's decision to allow FDI in multi-brand retail will prove to be detrimental for the local economy. But the Centre has a different opinion. If the decision to allow FDI benefits the farmers, small businessmen and ordinary, the BSP may in future support the decision. But in the present situation, without seeing the effects of this decision, our party will not support FDI."

But Mayawati also made it clear at her rally that the valuable support she offers must not be taken for granted. She warned that she does not expect the UPA government to last its term till 2014, and said she has told her party workers to gear up for early general elections. And she did not spare the Congress-ruled UPA for being, she said, "anti-Dalit" and "anti-poor." Among many jibes was one at Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when she said, "It saddens me to see that instead of understanding the problems of the middle class and poorer sections of the population, the Centre says money doesn't grow on trees."

The reference was to Dr Singh's address to the nation last month when he explained why tough economic times demanded tough reform measures like reducing subsidy on fuel and allowing FDI in retail. Dr Singh had said in a 15-minute address to the nation last month, "Subsidies on fuel are very large, though, and the subsidy bill would have shot up to more than 2 lakh crores. Where will we find the money for this? Money does not grow on trees."

But for all her attacks on the Centre, Mayawati stands to lose more than she can gain from early elections. She needs time to rebuild her support base in UP, which rejected her overwhelmingly in the state Assembly elections earlier this year. Mayawati was also unambiguous at her first public rally since that rout seven months ago, where she is headed politically. The BSP chief clearly sees herself at the head of a national party very soon, and repeatedly exhorted her audience of nearly 4 lakh to extend the BSP's area of influence to many other states. The BSP chief said no government at the Centre has done anything for landless people in states like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh where Dalits, backwards and adivasis have been thrown out of their land.

The rally at Lucknow's Ambedkar Park had the usual trappings of a Mayawati show - a huge audience, a massive stage with a huge picture of her in the background, and a vitriolic attack on Mulayam Singh Yadav and son, Akhilesh, is now the chief minister of UP.

Akhilesh and Mulayam Singh Yadav, she said, were so against Dalit empowerment that they cancelled the holiday she had instituted to commemorate the death anniversary of Dalit leader, Kanshi Ram, who was her mentor.

In large parks around Lucknow, crores were spent by her on oversized statues of Kanshi Ram and herself, along with Dalit icon Dr BR Ambedkar, who led the committee that drafted the Constitution. "The state government has not only broken my statue but also a dozen statues of Dr BR Ambedkar. If it weren't for Dr Ambedkar you would have seen Mulayam Singh and family members handling the buffaloes of an upper caste person," she said.

She also said that since his sweeping victory, Akhilesh, who is 39, had failed to improve the law and order in Uttar Pradesh, or tackle corruption. "Everyone knows that during our government's time our policies were based on inclusiveness to allow entire society to benefit from it. But the Samajwadi Party hasn't done anything for Muslims in the state," she said.

Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav hit back, accusing the previous Mayawati government of indulging in loot in Dr Ambedkar's name.

"Had the BSP been the real followers of Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar, they would not have indulged in massive loot in the construction of memorials, statues and parks set up in the state in his name," Mr Yadav said yesterday, adding that the people of the state have given them the "ultimate punishment by ousting them from power".

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May 7,2020

May 7: India is projected to record the highest number of births in the 9 months since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic in March, with more than 20 million babies expected to be born in the country between March and December, according to top UN body.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned that pregnant mothers and babies born during the pandemic across the world were threatened by strained health systems and disruptions in services.

An estimated 116 million babies will be born under the shadow of COVID-19 pandemic, UNICEF said on Wednesday, ahead of Mother's Day, observed on May 10.

These babies are projected to be born up to 40 weeks after COVID-19 was recognised as a pandemic on March 11.

The highest numbers of births in the 9 months since the pandemic was declared are expected to occur in India, where 20.1 million babies are projected to be born between March 11 and December 16. Other countries with the expected highest numbers of births during this period are China (13.5 million), Nigeria (6.4 million), Pakistan (5 million) and Indonesia (4 million), it said.

"Most of these countries had high neonatal mortality rates even before the pandemic and may see these levels increase with COVID-19 conditions," UNICEF said.

It is estimated that there will be 24.1 million births in India for the January-December 2020 period.

UNICEF warned that COVID-19 containment measures can disrupt life-saving health services such as childbirth care, putting millions of pregnant mothers and their babies at great risk.

Even wealthier countries are affected by this crisis. In the US, the sixth-highest country in terms of the expected number of births, over 3.3 million babies are projected to be born between March 11 and December 16.

"New mothers and newborns will be greeted by harsh realities," UNICEF said, adding they include global containment measures such as lockdowns and curfews; health centres overwhelmed with response efforts; supply and equipment shortages; and a lack of sufficient skilled birth attendants as health workers, including midwives, are redeployed to treat COVID-19 patients.

"Millions of mothers all over the world embarked on a journey of parenthood in the world as it was. They now must prepare to bring a life into the world as it has become – a world where expecting mothers are afraid to go to health centres for fear of getting infected, or missing out on emergency care due to strained health services and lockdowns," UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore said.

"It is hard to imagine how much the coronavirus pandemic has recast motherhood" Fore said.

UNICEF said its analysis was based on data from World Population Prospects 2019 of the UN Population Division.

An average full-term pregnancy typically lasts a complete 9 months, or 39 to 40 weeks. For the purposes of this estimate, the number of births for a 40-week period in 2020 was calculated.

The 40-week period of March 11 to December 16 is used in this estimate based upon the WHO's March 11 assessment that COVID-19 can be characterised as a pandemic.

UNICEF warned that although evidence suggests that pregnant mothers are not more affected by COVID-19 than others, countries need to ensure they still have access to antenatal, delivery and postnatal services.

Similarly, sick newborns need emergency services as they are at high risk of death. New families require support to start breastfeeding, and to get medicines, vaccines and nutrition to keep their babies healthy, it said.

"This is a particularly poignant Mother's Day, as many families have been forced apart during the coronavirus pandemic, but it is also a time for unity, a time to bring everyone together in solidarity. We can help save lives by making sure that every pregnant mother receives the support she needs to give birth safely in the months to come," Fore said.

Issuing an urgent appeal to governments and health care providers to save lives in the coming months, UNICEF said efforts must be made to help pregnant women receive antenatal checkups, skilled delivery care, postnatal care services, and care related to COVID-19 as needed.

Ensure health workers are provided with the necessary personal protective equipment and get priority testing and vaccination once a COVID-19 vaccine becomes available so that can deliver high quality care to all pregnant women and newborn babies during the pandemic, it said.

While it is not yet known whether the virus is transmitted from a mother to her baby during pregnancy and delivery, UNICEF advised all pregnant women to follow precautions to protect themselves from exposure to the virus.

Closely monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 and seek advice from the nearest designated facility if they have concerns or experience symptoms. Pregnant women should also take the same precautions to avoid COVID -19 infection as other people: practice physical distancing, avoid physical gatherings and use online health services, it said.

UNICEF said even before COVID-19 pandemic, an estimated 2.8 million pregnant women and newborns died every year, or 1 every 11 seconds, mostly of preventable causes.

The agency called for immediate investment in health workers with the right training, who are equipped with the right medicines to ensure every mother and newborn is cared for by a safe pair of hands to prevent and treat complications during pregnancy, delivery and birth.

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News Network
May 20,2020

Kolkata, May 20: Cyclone 'Amphan' lay centred about 240 km south of Digha in West Bengal on Wednesday morning as an extremely severe cyclonic storm, the Met department said here.

The intensity near the centre of the storm was 170 to 180 kmph gusting to 200 kmph, the Met said.

'Amphan' is very likely to move north-northeastwards and cross West Bengal-Bangladesh coast between Digha and Hatiya, close to the Sunderbans during the afternoon to evening of Wednesday with a wind speed of 155 to 165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph as a 'very severe cyclonic storm', the Met department said.

West Bengal has evacuated more than three lakh people to safer places as the cyclonic storm 'Amphan' roared towards the coastal areas of the state, officials said.

The Met department, which has issued an "orange message" for West Bengal, warned of extensive damage in Kolkata, Hooghly, Howrah, South and North 24 Parganas and East Midnapore districts.

The Met department has advised that all establishments and markets remain closed in Kolkata and adjoining areas and movement of people be restricted on May 20.

There is likely to be disruption of rail and road link at several places, uprooting of communication and power poles, extensive damage to all types of 'kutcha' houses and some damage to "old badly managed pucca" structures and potential threat from flying objects, the weatherman warned.

There is also likelihood of extensive damage to standing crops, plantations and orchards and blowing down of palm and coconut trees, the Met said.

The weatherman has advised diversion or suspension of rail and road traffic in the districts which are likely to be affected.

The Eastern Railway (ER) has cancelled the departure of Howrah-New Delhi AC Special Express for Wednesday.

The departure of 02301 Howrah-New Delhi AC Special Express on Wednesday and 02302 New Delhi-Howrah AC Special Express on May 21 would remain cancelled, the ER said.

Wind speed along and off the coastal areas of West Bengal will reach 75 to 85 kmph with gusts up to 95 kmph from Wednesday morning along and off districts of North and South 24 Parganas, East and West Midnapore, Kolkata, Howrah and Hooghly, Regional Met director G K Das said.

"It will gradually increase thereafter becoming 110 to 120 kmph gusting to 130 kmph over West Midnapore, Howrah, Hooghly, Kolkata and wind speed of 155 to 165 kmph gusting to 185 kmph over the districts of North and South 24 Parganas and East Midnapore of West Bengal from the afternoon to night of May 20," he said.

Under its impact rainfall will occur in most places over the districts of Gangetic West Bengal on Wednesday, with heavy to very heavy downpour with extremely heavy rain at a few places in Kolkata, Howrah, East Midnapore, North and South 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts, he said.

"Storm surge of 4 to 5 metres above astronomical tide is likely to inundate low lying areas of South and North 24 Parganas and about 3 to 4 metres over low lying areas of East Midnapore district of West Bengal during the time of landfall," he said.

The Indian Navy has dispatched a diving team for providing assistance to the West Bengal government in relief operations, a Defence official said.

The diving team from Vishakhapatnam has brought specialised equipment along with them which can be used for rescue in case of flooding and have been positioned at the Naval Service Selection Board at Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district, the official said.

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March 5,2020

Bharuch, Mar 5: Vijay Kumar, a resident of the Tamil Nadu has sought help from his friend Abdulkhuda Mohd Hanif Shaikh who is residing in Gujarat to build a temple in his village.

Abdulkhuda Mohd Hanif Shaikh, who also belongs to Tamil Nadu's Paraipatti village and has been residing in Gujarat' Bharuch for a decade has collected Rs 3 lakh from his friends as a donation to build the temple in Paraipatti village in Dindigul district.

"They'd told me 4 months ago and came to me 10 days back. From Vapi to Mehsana, there are several Madrasis, even here in the village too. I personally went to them and collected around Rs 3 Lakh," Shaikh said.

Vijay Kumar said that he stayed in Gujarat for ten days and collected Rs 3 Lakh with him.

"I had sought help from him. I stayed here in Gujarat for 10 days, and went with him from people to people and collected Rs 3 Lakh. No one lives like Hindus or Muslims in our village, everyone lives like friends," he said.

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