New Delhi: There were 952 active cases of black fungus in Delhi as on July 6, which was more than the count of active cases of COVID-19 till that date, according to official data.

The data also showed that till July 6, Delhi had recorded over 1,650 cases mucormycosis (black fungus).

On March 27, the Delhi government had declared black fungus an epidemic, even as Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal had issued regulations under the Epidemic Diseases Act to contain and manage cases of the deadly mucormycosis in the city.

Till then, over 600 cases of mucormycosis were reported here.

According to officials figures, till July 6, Delhi had recorded 1,656 mucormycosis cases, including 952 active cases. The number of active cases of COVID-19 on July 6 stood at 833.

The 952 active mucormycosis cases included, 248 patients at Centre-run facilities, 302 at Delhi government hospitals, and 402 at private hospitals, as per the official data.

The total requirement of Amphotericin B till July 6 was about 1.5 lakh injections, according to the data.

The national capital recorded 45 fresh COVID-19 cases, and three deaths due to the disease on Monday, while the positivity rate stood at 0.08 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here.

The number of cumulative cases of coronavirus infection on Monday stood at 14,35,128. Over 14 lakh patients have recovered from the virus.

The number of active cases of Covid-19 had decreased to 693 on Monday.

Live TV

 

New Delhi: For the past few months, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati has been highly miffed with the Samajwadi Party and its president Akhilesh Yadav. Mayawati has been continuously attacking Akhilesh and Samajwadi Party on Twitter and at her press conferences. 

Mayawati and Akhilesh fought the 2019 Lok Sabha elections together. However, the SP-BSP alliance failed to spell any magic on the public and could not prevent the BJP from forming a government in the state. More so over, the alliance turned out to be a doomed relationship as it was called off by the BSP supremo barely two weeks after the general assembly election results were declared. 

Meanwhile, political experts in Uttar Pradesh believe that the BSP benefited the most from the alliance of SP and BSP. The BSP, which scored a duck in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, captured at least 10 Lok Sabha seats in 2019. However, the Samajwadi Party could not get any benefit out of the alliance as it was reduced to just 5 seats.

Ever since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Mayawati has been directly attacking Akhilesh Yadav in her press conferences. However, Akhilesh has so far refrained from replying to her. In fact, every time the SP president is questioned about the attacks launched by Mayawati on him, he chooses to avoid the question smartly, stating that he holds a lot of respect for her. Such statements by Akhilesh raise questions about why the Samajwadi Party is still maintaining a soft stand on Mayawati when the latter has been no stone unturned in carrying out political attacks on it.

Experts believe that the answer could be the 21% Dalit vote bank of Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh Yadav has probably set his eyes on BSP’s Dalit Vote Bank. Ever since the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, as many as 30 bigwigs of BSP have switched sides and joined the Samajwadi Party. As per political experts, Akhilesh feels that the Dalit vote bank, which is against the BJP, can favour them in the elections, and hence, neither Akhilesh nor his party has been saying anything against Mayawati.

7 BSP MLAs, who have turned rebels and met Akhilesh Yadav, are expected to join the Samajwadi Party in the coming days.

1. Aslam Raini (Bhinga, Shravasti)
2. Aslam Ali (Dhaulana, Hapur)
3. Mujtaba Siddiqui (Pratappur, Prayagraj)
4. Hakim Lal Bind (Handiya, Prayagraj)
5. Hargovind Bhargava (Sidhauli Sitapur)
6. Sushma Patel (Mundra Badshahpur, Jaunpur)
7. Vandana Singh (Sagadi Azamgarh)

Big names of BSP who have joined Samajwadi Party since 2019:

1. Inderjit Saroj, Kaushambi
2. Ramprasad Choudhary, Basti
3. Arvind Choudhary, former MP, Basti
4. Tribhuvan Dutt, Ambedkarnagar
5. Ambika Choudhary, Ballia
6. RK Chaudhary, Mohanlalganj
7. CL Verma, Lucknow
8. KK Gautam, Lucknow
9. Sunita Verma, Meerut
10. Yogesh Verma, Meerut
11. Amarpal Sharma, former BSP MLA
12. Dharampal Singh, former MLA, Agra
13. Vidya Choudhary, Azamgarh
14. Virendra Singh, Varanasi
15. Dayaram Pal, former president of UP BSP, Azamgarh
16. Mithilal, Mau
17. Baleshwar Yadav, Kushinagar
18. Amarpal Sharma, former MLA Sahibabad
19. Kamlesh Gupta, Handia, Prayagraj
20. Bacchu Nishad, Agra
21. Anees Ahmed, Bareilly
22. Zameer Ulla, Former MLA, Aligarh
23. Awadhesh Verma, Former Minister, Shahjahanpur
24. Vijaypal, Ex-MLA, Bareilly
25. Kalicharan Rajbhar, former MLA, Zahoorabad, Ghazipur
26. Jai Narayan Tiwari, Sultanpur
27. Former IPS Gurbachan Lal, Puwayan, Shahjahanpur
28. Asif Khan Babbu, Former MLA, Shahabad, Hardoi
29. Nasrina Bano, Municipal Chairman, Shahabad, Hardoi
30. Mahesh Arya, Former MLC, National General Secretary, Firozabad
31. Umesh Pandey, Mau
32. Raghunath Prasad Shankhwar, Kanpur-Lucknow
33. Kailash Nath Yadav, Ghazipur
34. Rajendra Kumar, former cabinet minister, Mau
35. Parshuram Nishad, Maharajganj-Gorakhpur
36. Vishwanath and Anand Nishad, Gorakhpur
37. Gangaram Pal, Bhognipur, Kanpur Dehat
38. Prabhu Dayal Chauhan, Maharajganj
39. Tilakchandra Ahirwar, former MLA, Jhansi
40. Fernlal Ahirwar, former MLA, Lalitpur
41. Anil Ahirwar, former MLA, Rath
42. Masood Alam, Gonda

It would be interesting to see how these political developments play out in the upcoming assembly polls.

Live TV

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government has said that it will implement strict COVID-19 protocol during the Kanwar yatra to prevent the spread of infection.

The government said that if needed, the administration will make negative RT-PCR test reports mandatory for pilgrims.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has said that a minimum number of pilgrims should take part in the yatra, according to a government spokesperson.

“The RT-PCR negative report could also be made necessary for the yatra, if required,” the spokesman was quoted as saying by PTI.

Earlier, the state government had given permission for yatra from July 25 even as the risk of COVID-19 infection looms large.

In a meeting with all the divisional commissioners of the state and senior officers of police zones, Adityanath reviewed the preparations and security arrangements for the holy Kanwar Yatra.

“Complete adherence to the Covid protocol should be ensured. There should not be any hesitation regarding the safe and successful operation of Kanwar Yatras,” the UP CM had said.

Meanwhile, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has said that the decision regarding this year’s Kanwar Yatra will be taken soon.

Live TV

New Delhi: As part of the Uttarakhand government’s efforts to reduce crowding at tourists places like Mussorie and Nainital, about 8,000 tourist vehicles were sent back over the weekend. According to Uttarakhand Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Nilesh Anand Bharane, check-posts have also been set up at the state border. Tourists have been informed that they must have negative RT-PCR tests, prior hotel bookings and registration on the online portal. 

“After videos went viral of huge crowds bathing in Kempty falls, the Uttarakhand government has taken steps to control the number of tourists. People have been given notices to carry negative RTPCR reports and register on the online portal,” Bharane said.

“Tourists were also informed that if they had not booked hotels prior to their visit, they could be sent back. Border check posts have been put up at the state border and about 4,000 vehicles each from Mussoorie and Nainital were sent back,” he added. He further appealed to people to consider other popular destinations like Bhimtal, Ranikhet and Landsdowne to avoid big crowds.

This comes amid concerns of COVID protocol violations at hill stations as state governments gradually lift lockdown restrictions. Holiday destinations in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have seen a huge influx of tourists over the last few days. Several videos have surfaced online of large gatherings where many have been spotted without masks and minimal social distancing. 

The Uttarakhand government has meanwhile extended the COVID curfew in the state till July 20. Restrictions will remain in force till 6 am on July 20. A cap of 50 people has also been imposed for weddings and funerals.

As per the union health ministry, there are currently 932 active COVID-19 cases in Uttarakhand. As many as 3,32,957 recoveries and 7,341 deaths have been reported in the state so far. 

A total of 49,31,189 vaccine doses have been administered in the state, including 39,30,271 first doses and 10,00,918 second doses.

Live TV

Lucknow: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday (July 13) announced Rs 6 crore cash reward for athletes belonging to the state on winning gold medals at the Tokyo Olympics.

A total of 10 players from the state will represent India in the Tokyo Olympics.

The state government has said it will give Rs 4 crore to athletes who win silver and Rs 2 crore to bronze winners.

For sportspersons participating in team events, Rs 3 crore each will be given to the gold medallists while Rs 2 and Rs 1 crore will be given to silver and bronze medal winners respectively.

All other athletes from the state will be given Rs 10 lakh irrespective of how they fare at the event.

The chief minister congratulated the athletes ahead of the showpiece event. 

Live TV

New Delhi: Investigations following the arrest of two alleged terrorists in Lucknow on Sunday (July 13), have revealed that Kanpur is a major hub of terror activities. ATS sources claimed that the interrogation of Maseeruddin and Minhaz Ansari has revealed that the two were frequenting madrasas in Nai Sadak and Chamanganj localities in Kanpur where some other members were being trained for terror activities.

It was mainly from here that they were in touch with their handler Umar Halmandi whose location is on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. Halmandi governs the Indian module of the Al-Qaeda. “Similar activities were being held in about two dozen locations in Kanpur. Youths from Rehmani market were supplying SIM cards and mobile phones to them. They have also been detained for questioning,” said an official.

Sources said that the arrested men had initially planned to trigger serial blasts in May but the plan was put off due to the lockdown. Meanwhile, ATS teams are continuing to raid various locations to arrest those who funded and provided logistical support to Maseeruddin and Minhaz for their proposed strike. The ATS will soon take the two to Kanpur for further investigations and will also bring them face to face with other suspects.

It may be recalled that working on a tip off, the ATS had arrested Maseeruddin and Minhaz Ansari from a house in Kakori area on the outskirts of Lucknow on July 11, after a seven-hour operation. The ATS team recovered a huge amount of explosives, firearms and live pressure cooker bombs from the house.

The parents of Minhaz Ansari and other family members were also detained after the operation but were released after a five-hour interrogation.

Live TV

New Delhi: Adjournment of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) elections have sparked a series of controversies over the ‘forces’ and their ‘intentions’ behind the decision and have also raised many an eyebrow over its independent status of the DSGMC.

The elections to DSGMC were scheduled to be held on April 25 but due to the sudden rise in COVID-19 cases, the Delhi government decided to postpone the elections and the new date is yet to be announced.

“We agreed with Delhi governments decision to postpone the elections due to rise in Covid 19 cases and we were informed that elections would be held within 7 to 10 days but later it was informed that elections would be held on July 18 but now our sources in the government say that the elections could further be postponed,” said DSGMC president Paramjit Singh Sarna while talking to Zee news.

Out of a total of 46  DSGMC seats, sources informed that Congress-backed and Paramjit Singh Sarna-led SAD(D) would contest as many as 35 seats independently while it would have an alliance in as many as 7 seats. SAD(B) backed Manjinder Singh Sirsa is all set to contest on all the 46 seats while the former ‘mentor’ of Sirsa and presently president of Jag Aasra Guru Ott Manjit Singh GK could contest over two dozen seats.

Though the Sikh Sangat of Delhi will elect their representatives to manage the religious places, educational and medical institutions run by DSGMC there is more to it.

DSGMC manages 12 historical Gurdwara’s, 13 public schools, 4 government-aided schools and degree colleges each, 5 management colleges, 2 Bed colleges 1 polytechnic college, 1 ITI, and 1 engineering college.

“It is not just managing the religious affairs of Sikhs in Delhi and holding religious functions but DSGMC is a parallel power seat and its president enjoys immense powers and control the destinies of thousands of its employees,” said sources.

And like any other election process which exacerbates corruption, the process for the DSGMC elections is almost the same. But the postponement to hold the DSGMC elections is seen in context with the after-effects of results of the DSGMC election on Punjab’s assembly elections. If the ruling SAD(B) Sirsa group fetch a considerable number of seats in the DSGMC elections with a  considerable majority the SAD(B) will get a chance to boast of its policies and religious tolerance in  Delhi which could sway the mindset of Sikh voters during Punjab’s 2022 assemble elections and have an adverse impact on AAP’s prospects.

Amid confusion and allegations, the rumors are abound while the facts are at a premium. All the major Sikh parties contesting the elections are blaming each other for the postponement of DSGMC elections.

Normally the turnout of Sikh voters for the gurdwara body elections in Delhi is around 45 % but this year it is believed that if elections are held now the voter’s turnout could be around 25% because many of the Sikh voters who had suffered COVID-19 are advised to stick to their homes. “The lower turnout of Sikh voters will only benefit SAD (B) which is not in favor of AAP’s election forecast in Punjab elections” said sources.

SAD(D) had also leveled serious corruption charges on the present management of DSGMC and one of the supporters of Sarna had moved the court in response of which a Delhi court had prohibited Sirsa to travel out of the country. Even the Manjit Singh GK had come under criticism for corruption in DSGMC during his tenure.

Interestingly, the court of chief metropolitan magistrate ordered investigating authorities to ensure that the Sirsa who is Badal’s aide didn’t fly out after having allegedly sold off his properties “said Sarna. 

Sarna also claimed that during his tenure as the president of the DSGMC imparting education and propagating Sikh Identity were their primary achievements besides other religious activities.  

He said SAD (D) had also appealed to ‘Guru ki Sangat’ to immediately inform them or the police if they notice Sirsa carrying out any suspicious activity.  “The golak thief and his gang must be brought to justice and delivered exemplary punishment per the law of the land,” Sarna said.

Retorting to Sarna’s allegations, Sirsa, on Saturday said he wondered at the acumen of a person who had been the president of DSGMC. “During our tenure, we have taken several historical decisions and brought DSGMC on the international map and this man is levering baseless accusation out of jealousy only” said Sirsa. He said he didn’t believe that Sarna had been the president of DSGMC given his balderdash.

Sirsa said he also wanted the DSGMC election to be held as soon as possible and the DSGMC had given the same in writing in the court.

Much more is at stake during the DSGMC elections. Going by the insiders’ anything around Rs 50 lakh expenditure could be incurred for the elections in every DSGMC constituency which means anything around Rs 20 crore to contest all the 46 seats.

Live TV

New Delhi: The police used water cannons to disperse Delhi BJP leaders and workers as they tried to cut the water connection to Delhi Jal Board chairman (DJB) Satyendar Jain’s house on Monday to protest the alleged poor water supply in the city.

Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta, who led the protesters, said the party workers will cut off the water supply to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s residence if the “water crisis” in the city is not resolved within the next two days.

आज दिल्ली जल बोर्ड चेयरमैन @SatyendarJain के निवास पर भाजपा कार्यकर्ताओं के साथ प्रचंड प्रदर्शन कर दिल्ली में पानी की मांग को लेकर संघर्ष किया।

अगर दिल्ली में अगले 48 घंटे में पानी की व्यवस्था सही नहीं हुई तो भाजपा CM @ArvindKejriwal के घर का पानी काटेगी।#DelhiMangeSaafPani pic.twitter.com/rnmbw6ZgJ2

— Adesh Gupta (@adeshguptabjp) July 12, 2021

दिल्ली के 100 से अधिक इलाकों में लोग पानी के लिए तरस रहे हैं, लोगों को अपने-अपने क्षेत्रों में पानी खरीदकर काम चलाना पड़ रहा है।

ऐसी स्थिति में भाजपा एक मूक दर्शक नहीं बनी रह सकती है, हमारे कार्यकर्ता हर क्षेत्र में केजरीवाल सरकार के खिलाफ आंदोलन चलाएंगे।#DelhiMangeSaafPani

— Adesh Gupta (@adeshguptabjp) July 12, 2021

Later, the BJP claimed in a statement that several party workers and leaders were injured as the police used water cannons on them and baton-charged them.

However, a senior police officer denied the use of force by police against protesters. He also said no one was injured when protesters were being dispersed by the police.

The BJP’s protest came a day after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers allegedly damaged the water connection to Gupta’s residence in Patel Nagar during a protest against the Haryana government for allegedly not providing the capital its share of water.

Addressing the protesters, Gupta said, “People in Delhi are craving for every drop of water. The ministers of the Kejriwal government will realise the problems being faced by the people when their water supply is cut off.”

Delhi BJP media cell head Navin Kumar said, “We used a JCB machine to remove the waterline outside Jain’s residence. We will cut the water connection to Kejriwal’s residence, too, if the Delhi government fails to resolve the water crisis within the next two days.”

He claimed around 10 party workers were detained by police during the protest.

“There were around 300 to 400 protesters. Around 10 protesters, led by president of Bhartiya Janta Yuva Morcha Vasu Rukhar, were detained at the spot for some time but were released later,” he said.

On Saturday, DJB vice-chairman Raghav Chadha alleged that Haryana was withholding part of Delhi’s share of water. He said the DJB had moved the Supreme Court seeking directions to Haryana to release the capital’s legitimate share of water.

जहां कभी यमुना नदी बहती थी आज वहां सूखा पड़ा है। ये सब हुआ क्योंकि हरियाणा की खट्टर सरकार ने दिल्ली का 120 MGD पानी रोका हुआ है। 1965 के बाद से आजतक कभी ऐसे हालात उत्पन्न नहीं हुए।
मेरा खट्टर साहब से हाथ जोड़कर निवेदन है दिल्ली की जनता से ऐसा अमानवीय व्यवहार न करें। pic.twitter.com/AMhZ1OWRKH

— Raghav Chadha (@raghav_chadha) July 12, 2021

The DJB has been supplying 945 million gallons of water a day (MGD) to city residents this summer against the demand of 1,150 MGD, he said.

At present, Delhi has been receiving 479 MGD against 609 MGD from Haryana. Besides, Delhi draws 90 MGD groundwater and receives 250 MGD from the Upper Ganga Canal, he said.

Countering Chadha, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri on Monday claimed that according to an agreement, Haryana has to supply 500 MGD of water every month to Delhi.

However, it’s providing 640 MGD of water per month to Delhi, he said, challenging Kejriwal and Chadha for a debate on the issue.

Bidhuri alleged that the DJB, which was once running in profit Rs 800 crore, was now running in loss due to corruption and mismanagement.

When the AAP came to power in Delhi, there was a requirement of 800 MGD of water. Now, against a requirement of 1,300 MGD, the DJB only supplies 775 MGD of water, he claimed. 

New Delhi: The Southwest Monsoon finally reached the capital Tuesday, 16 days behind the usual date of onset, making it the most delayed in 19 years, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). In 2002, the monsoon had covered Delhi on July 19.

“The monsoon has arrived in Delhi,” senior IMD scientist K Jenamani confirmed after a spell of rains drenched parts of South Delhi Tuesday morning.

Normally, the monsoon reaches Delhi by June 27. It covers the entire country by July 8. Last year, the wind system had reached Delhi on June 25 and covered the entire country by June 29.

#WATCH Southwest monsoon advances into Delhi; visuals from Connaught Place pic.twitter.com/FYpx49Rb9D

— ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2021

The weather department had a tough time forecasting the advancement of monsoon over Delhi this year. After several wayward forecasts, the IMD acknowledged Monday that “such type of failure by numerical models in the prediction of monsoon over the capital is rare and uncommon”.

The IMD had earlier said monsoon would hit Delhi on June 15, which would have been 12 days early, but the wind system entered a “break” phase.

#WATCH Delhi witnesses heavy showers; visuals from Akbar Road pic.twitter.com/6JfL3aXgbP

— ANI (@ANI) July 13, 2021

In early June, the Met office said the conditions will become favourable for the monsoon to advance to Delhi and other parts of northwest India by July 7. Later, it said Delhi will get its first monsoon rains around July 10.

The weather department revised the forecast yet again on Saturday, saying the monsoon may reach the capital in the next 24 hours. But the wind system kept the city waiting on Sunday and there was hardly any rainfall on Monday too.

As monsoon played truant in the region, Central Delhi is now the most rain-deficient district in the country, receiving only 8.5 mm rainfall against the normal of 132 mm since June 1, when the monsoon season starts. It has recorded a shortfall of 94 per cent.

Overall, Delhi has so far received 67 per cent less rainfall than normal, putting it in the category of “large deficient” states.

The IMD said it is continuously monitoring the further progress of monsoon into the remaining parts of the country. 

(With ANI Inputs)

Live TV

New Delhi: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday (July 12, 2021) hit out at the Centre and informed that the national capital has run out of the Covishield COVID-19 vaccine stock again.

Sharing a newspaper click, Sisodia raised the issue of shortage of COVID-19 vaccines in the city and said, “Vaccines have run out in Delhi again. The central government gives vaccines for a day or two, then we have to keep the vaccine centres closed for several days.”

“Why is our country’s vaccine programme faltering even after so many days?” he asked.

दिल्ली में वैक्सीन फिर ख़त्म हो गई है… केंद्र सरकार एक दो दिन की वैक्सीन देती है, फिर हमें कई दिन वैक्सीन केंद्र बंद रखने पड़ते हैं.

केंद्र सरकार की क्या मजबूरी है…इतने दिन बाद भी हमारे देश का वैक्सीन प्रोग्राम लड़खड़ा कर क्यूँ चल रहा है? pic.twitter.com/rXJEBQJRtt

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) July 12, 2021

As per reports, some of the COVID-19 vaccination centres in Delhi are likely to be closed on Tuesday. 

The national capital had 19,000 doses of Covishield and 2,39,000 doses of Covaxin till Monday morning and has so far administered over 89 lakh coronavirus vaccine doses. This is to be noted that the Government vaccination centres in the city were shut on Sunday as well.

Delhi COVID Vaccination Bulletin
12 July, 2021 pic.twitter.com/JnEozsMu0Y

— Aam Aadmi Party Delhi (@AAPDelhi) July 12, 2021

Meanwhile, Central government data showed there has been a decline in average daily inoculation since June 21, when the new phase of universalisation of COVID-19 vaccination had commenced.

According to the data available on the CoWIN platform, an average of 61.14 lakh doses of the COVID-19 vaccine was administered daily in the week from June 21-27, which dropped to 41.92 lakh doses daily in the subsequent week of June 28-July 4. In the week from July 5 to July 11, the number of daily average vaccine doses administered further dipped to 34.32 lakh.

Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Gujarat and Chhattisgarh showed a decline in average daily vaccinations since the week from June 21-27, while a mixed trend in the administration of daily doses of COVID-19 was seen in Kerala, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, and Jammu and Kashmir.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday morning had said that more than 38.86 crore vaccine doses have been provided to states and UTs so far, through all sources and a further 63,84,230 doses are in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, India’s cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 38 crores, of which, over 37 lakh vaccine doses were administered on Monday.

(With inputs from agencies)

New Delhi: Amid criticism over forecasting the advancement of the Southwest Monsoon, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday (July 13, 2021) predicted thunderstorms with light to moderate intensity rain in parts of Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan during the next few hours.

In a tweet around 6:30 AM, the weather department said that thunderstorms with light to moderate intensity rain and winds with speed of 20-40 km/h would occur over and adjoining areas of few places of South-West Delhi, South Delhi (Jafarpur, Dwarka, Palam, Ayanagar, Deramandi), NCR (Gurugram, Manesar, Ballabhgarh), Rohtak, Meham, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, Nuh, Sohana, Palwal (Haryana), Kasganj (UP) during the next few hours.

It has also predicted thunderstorms with light to moderate intensity rain over Rajaund, Safidon, Narwana,  Karnal, Kosli, (Haryana) and Bhiwadi (Rajasthan). 

Rohtak, Meham, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, Nuh, Sohana, Palwal (Haryana) Kasganj (U.P.) during next 2 hours. pic.twitter.com/9oZLbIgSXI

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) July 13, 2021

Light intensity rain/drizzle would occur over and adjoining areas of NCR ( Gurugram) Rajaund, Safidon, Narwana, Karnal, Kosli, Ballabhgarh (Haryana), Bhiwadi( Rajasthan) during next 2 hours. pic.twitter.com/3fA1rHkWUI

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) July 13, 2021

Earlier on Monday, the IMD on forecasting the advancement of the Southwest Monsoon over Delhi said that ‘such type of failure’ by numerical models in the prediction of monsoon over the national capital is ‘rare and uncommon’.

The weather department said its latest model analysis had indicated that the moist easterly winds in the lower level from the Bay of Bengal would spread to northwest India, covering Punjab and Haryana by July 10, leading to the advancement of monsoon and an increase in rainfall activity over the region, including Delhi, from July 10 onwards. Accordingly, the moist easterly winds have spread to northwest India, it said.

“These moisture-laden winds have led to an increase in cloudiness and relative humidity. The winds have also led to a revival of monsoon over the region and the occurrence of fairly widespread or widespread rainfall activity over east Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and scattered rainfall over Punjab and west Rajasthan,” the Met office said.

However, it did not cause significant rainfall activity over Delhi, even though there was rainfall activity over places around the national capital.

Live TV

New Delhi: Amid criticism over forecasting the advancement of the Southwest Monsoon, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Tuesday (July 13, 2021) predicted thunderstorms and rain in parts of Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan during the next few hours.

In a tweet around 6:30 AM, the weather department said that thunderstorms with light to moderate intensity rain and winds with speed of 20-40 km/h would occur over and adjoining areas of few places of South-West Delhi, South Delhi (Jafarpur, Dwarka, Palam, Ayanagar, Deramandi), NCR (Gurugram, Manesar, Ballabhgarh), Rohtak, Meham, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, Nuh, Sohana, Palwal (Haryana), Kasganj (UP) during the next few hours.

It has also predicted thunderstorms with light to moderate intensity rain over Rajaund, Safidon, Narwana,  Karnal, Kosli, (Haryana) and Bhiwadi (Rajasthan). 

Rohtak, Meham, Jhajjar, Farukhnagar, Nuh, Sohana, Palwal (Haryana) Kasganj (U.P.) during next 2 hours. pic.twitter.com/9oZLbIgSXI

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) July 13, 2021

Light intensity rain/drizzle would occur over and adjoining areas of NCR ( Gurugram) Rajaund, Safidon, Narwana, Karnal, Kosli, Ballabhgarh (Haryana), Bhiwadi( Rajasthan) during next 2 hours. pic.twitter.com/3fA1rHkWUI

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) July 13, 2021

Earlier on Monday, the IMD on forecasting the advancement of the Southwest Monsoon over Delhi said that ‘such type of failure’ by numerical models in the prediction of monsoon over the national capital is ‘rare and uncommon’.

The weather department said its latest model analysis had indicated that the moist easterly winds in the lower level from the Bay of Bengal would spread to northwest India, covering Punjab and Haryana by July 10, leading to the advancement of monsoon and an increase in rainfall activity over the region, including Delhi, from July 10 onwards. Accordingly, the moist easterly winds have spread to northwest India, it said.

“These moisture-laden winds have led to an increase in cloudiness and relative humidity. The winds have also led to a revival of monsoon over the region and the occurrence of fairly widespread or widespread rainfall activity over east Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and scattered rainfall over Punjab and west Rajasthan,” the Met office said.

However, it did not cause significant rainfall activity over Delhi, even though there was rainfall activity over places around the national capital.

Live TV

Kolkata: Much like last year, the traditional gaiety on Rath Yatra was missing in Bengal on Monday as authorities at the much-revered Mahesh temple in Hooghly district cancelled all festivities in the wake of COVID-related restrictions, and ISKCON temples in the city and Mayapur marked the occasion with muted celebrations.

At the Kolkata temple of International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), which had to put off its 50th year celebrations amid the pandemic-induced curbs, Lord Jagannath travelled in a decorated carcade, along with his divine siblings, as part of the rituals.

No chariot was taken out on the streets, in a departure from tradition.

The cavalcade travelled a distance of three kilometres – from Alfred Road premises to the organisation’s office on Gurusaday Road.

In Mayapur, the global headquarters of ISKCON, a makeshift Gundicha temple was set up on the courtyard, where the three deities — Sri Jagannath, Baladev and Subhadra Devi — will be putting up for nine days.

Only 50 servitors and devotees were allowed to pull a chariot in the temple complex during the day.

Similarly, temple authorities in Mahesh performed all rituals, with just a handful of locals visiting the shrine to offer obeisance. Smaller chariots rolled out on the premises of the temple to mark the journey of the deities to their aunt’s place at Gundicha temple.

In accordance with the custom, the ‘narayan shila’ (sacred stone) at the shrine was taken to another temple, which represented the aunt’s house, around a kilometre away.

The ritual was performed by local Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee.

Under normal circumstances, the temple, which had been celebrating Rath Yatra with fanfare for over six centuries, draws thousands of devotees every year.

Early in the day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sent offerings to the deities at ISKCON temple here on the occasion, official sources said.

Taking to Twitter, she wrote, “Warm wishes to all on the auspicious occasion of #RathYatra! I pray to Lord Jagannath for the safety and well-being of all my brothers & sisters. Jai Jagannath.”

Live TV

 

Uttarakhand

Earlier today, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) also urged Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to cancel the upcoming Kanwar Yatra to ensure public safety, after having witnessed the devastating rise in infections at Kumbh Mela in Haridwar.
 

Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has said the new population control policy recently implemented by the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, will not work.

Kumar said that this law would not help to control the population of any state or country.

“I am continuously advocating that educating the females is the only way to control the population,” Kumar says while indicating that forcible acts may not work in the country compared to awareness and self decisions of common people.

“Uttar Pradesh has endorsed population control policy from China but everyone knows what happened in China. The birth rate will be controlled only after the education of women. When women become educated, awareness about the population automatically comes and the population will be controlled accordingly,” Kumar said.

“Some educated people may be exceptions and give birth to several children,” Kumar said, without taking the name of his old rival Lalu Prasad Yadav who has 9 children.

Also Read: ‘Population control bill likely to imbalance communities,’ VHP on UP government’s proposed one-child policy

Live TV

New Delhi: As rains continued avoid Delhi, the India Meteorological Department on Monday (July 12) said the failure of numerical models in predicting the monsoon advance over the capital this time is ‘rare and uncommon’.

The weather department said its latest model analysis had indicated that moist easterly winds in lower level from the Bay of Bengal would spread into northwest India covering Punjab and Haryana by July 10, leading to advance of monsoon and increase in rainfall activity over the region, including Delhi, from July 10 onwards.

Accordingly, the moist easterly winds have spread into northwest India, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said in a statement.

These moisture-laden winds have led to an increase in cloudiness and relative humidity. It also led to revival of monsoon over the region and occurrence of fairly widespread or widespread rainfall activity over east Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir and scattered rainfall over Punjab and west Rajasthan, it said.

“However, it did not cause significant rainfall activity over Delhi even though there was rainfall activity over neighbouring places around Delhi. Such type of failure by numerical models in prediction of monsoon advance over Delhi is rare and uncommon,” the IMD said.

The IMD is monitoring the situation continuously and will provide regular updates on the advance of monsoon into remaining parts of northwest India, including Delhi, the statement read.

Southwest Monsoon rains reached the desert district of Jaisalmer and Ganganagar, its last outposts, on Monday, but gave Delhi and parts of Haryana a miss.

It rained in the periphery of Delhi — Aligarh in Uttar Pradesh and Karnal in Haryana — but clouds hovered over the national capital, without giving any relief from the heat. The rains also covered west Rajasthan, Punjab and other parts of Haryana.

In 2002, monsoon reached Delhi on July 19. This is the most-delayed monsoon in the city since then.

(With inputs from news agencies)

Live TV

 

New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested three members allegedly affiliated with banned organisation ISIS in Jammu and Kashmir’s Anantnag district on Sunday (July 11).

The agency said that the three namely Umar Nisar, Tanveer Ahmad Bhat and Rameez Ahmad Lone were involved in a conspiracy of ISIS to “radicalize and recruit impressionable youth in India to wage violent jihad against the Indian State”.

“ISIS terrorists operating from various conflict zones along with ISIS cadres in India, by assuming pseudo- online identities, have created a network wherein ISIS-related propaganda material is disseminated for radicalizing and recruiting members to the fold of ISIS,” NIA said in a statement.

“In this connection, an India-Centric online propaganda magazine ‘the Voice of Hind’ (VOH) is published on monthly basis with an aim to incite and radicalize impressionable youth,” the agency added.

The NIA said they recovered a large number of incriminating documents, multiple digital devices and T-shirts with ISIS logo while searching the premises of the arrested persons.

“Preliminary examination of the seized material and examination of the accused persons revealed that they are active cadres of ISIS and have been using cyberspace to propagate inciting material by the online magazine (VOH),” it said.

“Examination of the arrested accused led to searches on July 12 at two more locations in Anantnag district in which a number of digital devices and other materials have been seized,” it added.

Also Read: NIA conducts searches in Meerut, arrests arms trafficker in Khalistani terrorists extortion case

Live TV

Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh government has sounded an alert in the wake of the arrest of two terrorists of an Al-Qaeda-supported outfit on the outskirts of Lucknow in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, MP Home Minister Narottam Mishra said on Monday.

Talking to reporters here, Mishra said he has also directed authorities to keep a watch persons suspected or identified as linked to the SIMI (Students’ Islamic Movement of India) or Al-Qaeda.

“We have sounded a red alert in view of the arrest of two terrorists in Uttar Pradesh and the terror situation in Jammu and Kashmir. I have directed MP’s Director General of Police (DGP) to immediately issue an order on this,” the minister said.

Two terrorists of the Al-Qaeda-supported Ansar Ghazwatul Hind were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh ATS from the outskirts of Lucknow on Sunday, senior official earlier said, adding that they were planning explosions, including using “human bombs”, at several places in UP.

A huge amount of explosive was also seized from their houses, the official had said.

They were planning to “unleash terror activities before August 15 (Independence Day) in different cities of UP”, including Lucknow, the official had said.

Live TV

 

New Delhi: Security has been beefed up in Mathura following the arrest of two operatives of the Al Qaeda-linked Ansar Ghazwatul Hind in Lucknow who were planning to attack several places across the state including the temple town. The police claimed that they were planning to cause disruptions through pressure cooker bombs in Lucknow and surrounding areas before Independence Day.

The two terrorists, identified as Minhaz Ahmed and Maseeruddin, both residents of Lucknow, were arrested on Sunday by the state police’s Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS). The network of terrorists was in touch via Telegram and WhatsApp. The police have got their hands on some of their chats. 

Following their arrest, ATS conducted multiple raids across different cities of Uttar Pradesh and arrested 12 suspicious persons in connection with the case in the last 24 hours. At least three teams of UP ATS in Kanpur arrested two suspects. 

According to officials, the terrorists were planning to unleash terror activities on Independence Day (August 15) in different cities, including Lucknow, Mathura, Varanasi, and Ayodhya among others, they said. Maps of different cities, including Mathura, Varanasi, Ayodhya, and places near the Ram Temple have been recovered from the two Al-Qaeda associates. 

The Mathura Police have beefed up security at all important places including Shri Krishna Janmasthan and Thakur Banke Bihari Temple of Vrindavan, a senior officer told PTI. “The security arrangements at all important places are being reviewed and efforts are being made to ensure that there is no lapse of any kind anywhere. The security at all important places, including Shri Krishna Janmasthan complex, and oil refineries has been increased,” Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gaurav Grover said.

He said, a team of National Security Guards (NSG) closely inspected the security arrangements of Thakur Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan. Special police teams are also monitoring the movement of people on the Yamuna Expressway, Agra-Delhi Highway, as well as the towns of Vrindavan, Govardhan, and Barsana, police said. 

Srinagar: The houseboats in the Kashmir valley that are famous all over the world are slowly fading away. The numbers have gone down from 5000 houseboats to just 900. At this rate, it is being feared that they might soon become history.

The rich heritage of houseboats on water bodies of Kashmir Valley has always been a big tourist attraction. The stakeholders have always called it the ‘Jewel of Tourism Industry’ in the Kashmir Valley. But, more than 40 per cent of houseboats have vanished in the last three decades.

The reason people living on the lake say is that they do not get permission to repair the houseboats. They say that a huge number of repair requests are pending with the government for the restoration of these houseboats and the unending wait has led to a decrease in the numbers of these houseboats.

”There were thousands of houseboats across Srinagar in Dal Lake, Jhelum river, Chinar Bagh, and Nigeen. There was ‘dunga’, houseboats and ‘bahach’. The reason is that we don’t get permission on time, we don’t get timber. We have been asking the government for subsidized timber because Kashmir tourism was hit. Before 1989, we never used to ask anything from the government because we had business and now since we don’t have much business we are asking for their help. Government should come forward to help the community, there are only 900 houseboats left and many need repair and attention from the government. Otherwise, in the coming days there would be no houseboats,” said Tariq Patloo, a houseboat owner.

The houseboat owners said they are being subjected to injustice by the government. They said that thousands of liters of sewage goes into Dal Lake every day, and less than two to three per cent of pollution is caused by houseboats, but the entire blame is put on them.

”There will be a time when our grandchildren will read about the houseboats in books, as none would exist. If there are houseboats in Kashmir, the tourism industry is alive. The way we move the oar while riding a ‘shikara’ is how we keep the water clean. You should see the old pictures of Chinar Bagh and see how many houseboats there were. Dal Lake has 600 houseboats, Nigeen has 195 and Chinar Bagh has 40 while the river will have 70. Slowly numbers are going down and the day it finishes, tourism will finish too. They come here for Shikara and houseboats. We say with pride that we own houseboats. The government knows and even called it heritage. The future generation would blame us for not saving the heritage,” said M Ashraf Badyari.

In 2009, the Jammu and Kashmir High Court had banned the repair and renovation of houseboats after the government told the court that houseboats were the main cause of pollution of water bodies in Srinagar.  The government had said they are working on a policy to keep the heritage alive.

Live TV

Gorakhpur: A woman allegedly sold her three-month-old son for Rs 50,000 here and fabricated the story of his kidnap to cover up the incident, police said on Monday (July 12).

With the help of CCTV footage, the baby was found within two hours of the incident. His mother and the other woman to whom he was sold have been detained for questioning, news agency PTI quoted police saying..

On Sunday evening, Salma Khatoon, resident of Ilahibagh area under Gorakhnath police station limits, informed police about the kidnapping of her son.

She told them that a woman, clad in red sari, escaped in an SUV after snatching her son from her near a marriage hall in Rasoolpur area.

SP (City) Sonam Kumar along with a police team reached the spot and launched a search for the baby.

“Suspicion grew as the mother kept changing her statements and narrated the story of kidnapping. When police scanned CCTV footages of the area, it was found that Khatoon handed over her son to another woman and then left in an e-rickshaw.

“With the help of footage, police started tracing the other woman and her location was found at Humayunpur road. The baby was recovered,” the SP said.

The child’s father is a ragpicker and the woman sold their son under extreme poverty conditions, police said, adding one party claims that it is a case of adoption while the other says the baby was handed over in exchange for Rs 50,000.

A probe into the matter is underway and things will be clear after investigation, police said. However action will be taken against the mother for falsely claiming that the child was kidnapped, they said.

According to sources, the mother sold her son without informing her husband and when he asked her about the child, she cooked up the story of his kidnap.

Live TV

 

Janpath

Earlier, markets in Lajpat Nagar, Laxmi Nagar, Kamla Nagar, Sarojini Nagar and parts of Sadar Bazar and Karol Bagh were among those that were closed for violation of COVID-19 norms.

New Delhi: Yogi Adityanath on Sunday (July 11, 2021) unveiled Uttar Pradesh’s new Population Policy 2021-2030, following which the Opposition leaders hit out at the state government. While Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq said that the state government should ban marriages if it wants to stabilise the rising population, his fellow party member ST Hasan said that if there’s a need for a law, it should be about having three children. 

Shafiqur Rahman Barq also asked that where will the country get manpower in case of war if people are not allowed to procreate.

“It would be better to stop marriages. No one should be allowed to get married for the next 20 years and no children will be born,” the MP from Sambhal said.

“Those who will challenge the law of Allah will get finished,” he added.

Barq said while China was encouraging its citizens to have more children, India was doing the opposite which might backfire in case of a war.

“A lot of births are taking place in China and you (India) are stopping people from having children. A time will come when we will be very few. If there is a war, then from where will you bring people to fight,” he asked. 

ST Hasan said that in the coming years, the population of the country will get old.

“There are pros and cons of the larger population. There’ll be more vehicles and more fuel tax can be collected from it,” the Moradabad MP added.

According to the draft of the population control bill, people having more than two children in Uttar Pradesh will be debarred from contesting local bodies polls, applying for government jobs or receiving any kind of subsidy.

The draft bill, for which suggestions have been invited from the public till July 19, also prohibits promotions in government jobs for such people, while offering incentives to those limiting their children to two.

The draft states that it is necessary to control and stabilise the population of the state for the promotion of sustainable development with more equitable distribution.

The bill also says that because of the state’s ‘limited ecological and economic resources at hand, it is necessary and urgent that the provision of the basic necessities of human life are accessible to all citizen’.

This is to be noted that if Uttar Pradesh were a country, its 240 million people would reportedly make it the world’s fifth-most populous. India, on the other hand, is likely to overtake China as the world’s most populous country by 2027.

(With agency inputs)

Mumbai: The meteorological department has issued alerts in several districts of Maharashtra amid heavy rains. 

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert in districts like Raigad, Kolhapur, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg until Thursday (July 15). The weather department has predicted heavy rainfall in the Konkan region of Maharashtra. 

The Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai has issued a red alert for Ratnagiri district on Monday (July 12).

In the last 24 hours, Mumbai central received an average rainfall of 7.69 mm, westerner suburbs received 5.23 mm and eastern suburbs 2.10 mm, respectively, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) added in a tweet.

MumbaiWeather forecast July 12: MODERATE RAIN IN CITY AND SUBURBS WITH POSSIBILITY OF HEAVY TO VERY HEAVY RAINFALL AT ISOLATED PLACES.

High tide

13:51 hrs- 4.40 mtr
Low tide:
19:50 hrs- 1.68 mtr

Average rainfall in last 24hrs
CT- 7.69 mm
WS- 5.23 mm
ES- 2.10 mm https://t.co/RQrPaQDWbS

— माझी Mumbai, आपली BMC (@mybmc) July 12, 2021

The weather department has also issued an orange alert, predicting heavy rainfall, in other Maharashtra’s districts, such as Palghar, Mumbai, Thane from Monday (July 12) to Thursday (15 July) 2021. 

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) prediction, Mumbai, along with Thane and Palghar will witness extremely heavy rainfall till July 12.

Live TV

New Delhi: Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Sunday (July 11, 2021) said that the petrol price is a big problem in the country. During the inauguration of India’s first private LNG facility plant in Nagpur, Gadkari said, “The petrol price is a big problem in the country and the people are facing a crucial problem and agitating for that,” and added that the consumer will now have the choice at the petrol pump, whether he wants petrol or ethanol.

He stated that the rate of petrol will be more than Rs 110/litre while the rate of ethanol will be Rs 60 per litre.

His comment comes amid the rising petrol prices which on Monday (July 12) saw a hike of 25 to 34 paise. In the national capital, petrol is priced at Rs 101.23 per while in Kolkata, it has reached Rs 101.39 per litre. 

Petrol, notably, has also crossed the Rs 100-a-litre mark in several states including Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh.

ALSO READ | Govt working to reduce road accidents by 50 per cent before 2024, says Nitin Gadkari

Talking about flex engines, Gadkari said that decision will be taken in three months making it mandatory for automobile manufacturers particularly four-wheelers and two-wheelers to make flex engines. He stated that several countries like the USA, Canada and Brazil already have them and said that the cost of the vehicle will remain the same whether it is a petrol or a flex engine.

During the ceremony, Gadkari also emphasized on the importance of alternate biofuels for diversification of agriculture towards the energy and power sector and said, “In our economy, we are spending 8 lakh crores for the import of petrol diesel and petroleum products which is a big challenge.”

He further added that the Centre has designed a policy that encourages the development of imports to substitute cost-effective pollution-free and indigenous ethanol, bio CNG, LNG and hydrogen fuels. 

He said the ministry is also constantly working on different alternative fuels.