Google says Chikungunya cannot cause deaths: Delhi health minister

Sep 15, 2016, Agencies

Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain reiterated on Thursday, that Chikungunya cannot cause deaths, according to the information that is available on Google. 

"People of Delhi have no need to panic.  All people need to do is to take precautions and go to the hospital", Jain said.

Jain had made a similar statement on Monday. "chikungunya medically cannot cause death and therefore these deaths reported in hospital would be examined, as to whether there were co-morbid conditions like diabetes or kidney problems in them."

Doctors also opined that Chikungunya is not a life-threatening disease in general, but in rare cases leads to complications that prove fatal, especially in children and old persons. According to a municipal report, at least 1,057 cases of this vector-borne disease have been recorded till September 10.

Meanwhile five more deaths from Chikungunya complications were reported  in Delhi on Wednesday, taking to 11 the number of fatalities due to the vector-borne disease in the city that is grappling with a severe health crisis.

Rejecting CBI's objection, Centre to shield serving, retired public servants

New Delhi, Sep 13, 2016 (PTI)

 A protective shield is likely to be given to both serving and retired public servants by making it compulsory for probe agencies like CBI to take previous approval of the central and state governments concerned before conducting any such enquiry against them.

The move assumes significance as there have been demands from IAS officers and other civil servants of protection to them from the investigating agencies on bonafide decisions taken by them.

They had cited legal cases being faced by former Telecom Secretary Shyamal Ghosh, and former coal secretaries P C Parekh and H C Gupta, for their alleged involvement in second generation (2G) spectrum and coal blocks allocations scams respectively. They are known for for their good reputation but facing investigations, these officers had claimed.

The Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) may give shield to both the serving and retired public servants, official sources said today.

It may make it mandatory for the probe agencies to seek prior approval from the competent authority which may be the appointing authority or administrative department where the officer concerned is working or has worked, they said.

The likely decision of DoPT, which is nodal authority for anti-corruption matters, is based on the recommendations of a select committee of Rajya Sabha that had examined a bill seeking to amend the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.

"No police officer shall conduct any enquiry or investigation into any offence alleged to have been committed by a public servant under this Act, where the alleged offence is relatable to any recommendation made or decision taken by such public servant in discharge of his official functions or duties, without the previous approval," the panel's report said.

The permission will be given by the appropriate governments--Centre and the states--for a serving and retired employee, as per the recent report of the committee on the Prevention of Corruption (Amendment) Bill, 2013.
However, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) while deposing before the committee had objected to this provision.
The CBI opposed the provisions as it may cause unnecessary delay in investigation, it had said.
Public sector undertakings, banks and state governments supported that competent authority should be the sanctioning authority for investigation and prosecution, while, members of civil society have supported the Lokpal or Lokayukta to be the sanctioning authority, the report had said.
Sources said after the government accepts this shield and notify it then it will be mandatory for any probe agency to take prior permission of the competent authority before conducting any investigation against retired and serving public servants--from peon to secretary.

A delegation of IAS officers had recently met Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh and demanded that honest civil servants need to be protected so that they do not shy away from taking administrative decisions.

Lalu seeks to douse fire, says Nitish is leader of coalition

Patna, Sep 13, 2016 (PTI)

As cracks appeared in ruling Grand Secular Alliance in Bihar following war of words between major partners JD(U) and RJD, Lalu Prasad today sought to play down the controversy, saying the so called "turmoil" was a media creation as he asserted that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is the leader of the coalition.

The RJD president, however, defended party strongman Mohammad Shahabuddin, saying he did not made any derogatory comments.

"This turmoil is created by the media," Prasad told reporters at Patna airport.
With fissures appearing in the ruling coalition following RJD vice-president Raghubansh Prasad Singh's remarks on Kumar while supporting Shahabuddin's comment that he was "Chief Minister by circumstance", Prasad asserted "Nitish Kumar is the leader of the coalition."

"The coalition is intact and there is no danger to it," Prasad, whose son Tejaswi Yadav is Deputy Chief Minister and another son Tej Pratap Yadav is the state Health Minister, said.

While he did not see any "derogatory" contents in the utterances of Shahabuddin while coming out of Bhagalpur jail on Saturday after getting bail from the Patna High Court, the RJD chief did not appreciate comments of Raghubansh Prasad Singh on Kumar.

"Despite telling him repeatedly, Raghubansh Singh speaks something to media," he said, adding he would speak to everybody within the party and tell them categorically not to make unnecessary comments about coalition.

On Shahabuddin saying that for him Prasad is the leader and Kumar is Chief Minister due to circumstance, the RJD chief said, "He is a member of RJD, so what is wrong if he says I am his leader."

He said Shahabuddin's release was part of a judicial process and the government had no role in it.
"Shahabuddin walked out of jail after 11 years on the basis of bail from the Patna High Court," he said.

On Shahabuddin's comment that Kumar is "not a mass leader", Prasad said no one becomes a mass leader on someone's comment in favour or against it.
Asked if he agreed to Shahabuddin's comment that Kumar was "circumstantial" chief minister, Prasad told mediaperson not to irritate him.

Central rule imposed not just on Governor's report: Rajkhowa

Itanagar, Sep 13, 2016 (PTI)

Outgoing Arunachal Pradesh Governor J P Rajkhowa today asserted that the brief spell of the President's Rule in the state from January 26 to February 19 was not imposed on the Governor's report only.

"The Central rule was imposed only after proper assessment and due application of mind by the President," he said in a message before leaving the state.

Rajkhowa, who had refused to quit after being nudged by the Centre to do so in the wake of the Supreme Court's judgement against him, was dismissed yesterday from the Governor's post.

On the advancement of the Assembly session and the July 13 judgement by a five-member constitutional bench of the Supreme Court holding that as "un-constitutional" and ordering restoration of the status-quo, the Governor said he would not like to comment.

"I would not like to go into the merit or otherwise of the judgement and order of the Supreme Court, because the High Courts and the highest judiciary have the authority under the Constitution to interpret the constitutional provisions and pass their verdicts," he said.

"It was a great opportunity for me to serve all of you, to the best of my abilities, with honesty, integrity, utmost sincerity, full commitment and dedication with the objective of ushering in good governance," the outgoing Governor said.

Rajkhowa said in his message he was happy that most of the people of the state, particularly the young generation, wanted Arunachal Pradesh to be developed in all fronts in a corruption-free and balanced manner.

"Most of you have realised that without fair, transparent and corruption-free governance, people continue to suffer, economic development takes a back stage and unemployment level goes up.
He and his family were accorded a warm farewell by the well-wishers in the Raj Bhavan.

Protests over Cauvery issue continue for second day in TN

Chennai, Sept 13, 2016, PTI

Protests over the Cauvery issue continued in some parts of Tamil Nadu for the second day today, with fringe outfits like Naam Tamizhar Katchi (NTK) holding agitations outside Kannada establishments here and in Coimbatore.

In Chennai, unidentified men pelted stones at an ATM of Karnataka Bank, damaging the glass panes, police said.

Activists of NMK held protests outside hotels owned by natives of Karnataka in different places in Chennai and around 12 people were arrested when they tried to enter the premises at Mylapore.

At Coimbatore, at least 30 NMK activists, led by its district secretary Wahab, raised slogans against Karnataka and went to Karnataka Association hall in Tatabad, police said.
However, they were stopped near the Association building and arrested.

At Neyveli, police foiled protestors' bid to burn an effigy of Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah and detained activists of the Tamizhaga Vazhvurimai Katchi.

Police protection continued for Karnataka establishments and buses from that state.
Meanwhile, Coimbatore district Omnibus Owners Association decided not to ply their vehicles to Karnataka for fear of attacks on the vehicles and crew.

It's secretary P Senthilkumar told reporters after a meeting of the association that 12 buses had been severely damaged in the last two days. Considering the prevailing situation, it was decided not to ply buses to Karnataka till normalcy returned in that state, he added.

A traders' body also announced holding a day-long bandh on September 16 against attacks on commercial establishments in Karnataka in the wake of the ongoing Cauvery crisis.

A M Vikramaraja, President,Tamil Nadu Vanigar Sangankalin Peramaippu (Federation of Tamil Nadu Traders' Association) claimed that Tamil traders, lorry and bus operators had incurred Rs 2,000 crore loss in the protest by Kannada groups, targeting commercial establishments,besides torching vehicles.

Commercial establishments owing allegiance to the Federation would down shutters on Friday, he said while appealing for the support of other trade bodies also.

Yesterday, one person was killed and another injured in police firing in Bengaluru after violence erupted there and other parts of Karnataka following Supreme Court's modified order on sharing Cauvery water by the two riparian states.

The Apex Court, modifying its September 5 order, had asked Karnataka to release a reduced amount of 12,000 cusecs of Cauvery River water to Tamil Nadu till September 20.

AIR to launch website, mobile app for Baluchi audience

New Delhi, Sep 13, 2016, PTI

Public Sector Broadcaster All India Radio (AIR) is planning to launch a website and mobile app for its Baluchi service to reach people who speak this language across the globe.

The Baluchi website and mobile app is likely to be launched later this week, sources told PTI.

"The All India Radio has been airing hour-long Baluchi programme everyday, which also includes news as well. This service was started in 1974 and reaches those who speak the language in Pakistan as well.

"However it is felt that with a website and mobile app, these programmes will gain a global audience especially among Baluchi speaking diaspora," a source said.

The move to start an AIR web service comes in the backdrop of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Independence Day speech in which he had brought up the issue of Pakistani atrocities on people of Baluchistan and PoK.

It was for the first time the disturbed areas in the control of Pakistan were mentioned by any Prime Minister during his Independence speech.

Earlier, DD News had also sent a team to Geneva to interview Brahumdagh Bugti, leader of Baloch Republican Party.

Public Broadcaster Prasar Bharati has been consistently focussing on strengthening its digital reach, a source said adding that a website and mobile app in Baloch language will also be a step in this direction.

The External Services Division (ESD) of All India Radio, presently broadcasts daily in 57 radio transmissions covering over 108 countries in 27 languages.

Out of these, 15 are foreign including Baluchi language.

Missing Kerala youths have reached Afghanistan: NIA

New Delhi, Sep 13, 2016 (PTI)

 Twenty-two Keralites, including six women and three children, who were reported missing in June this year, have reached the bastion of ISIS terror operations in Afghanistan, officials said.

These people, who went missing from Kasargod and Palakkad districts of the state, had left the country from Bangalore, Hyderabad and Mumbai airports for Kuwait, Dubai, Muscat or Abudhabi from where it is understood that they travelled to Afghanistan through Iran, they said.

The revelations were made by one Yasmin Mohd Zahid (29) who was arrested by NIA sleuths from the Indira Gandhi International Airport on August 1 while she was also trying to escape to Afghanistan, sources claimed.
Yasmin told interrogators that she had got married to Abdul Rashid (30) in May in a nikah-ceremony solemnised over phone in which co-accused Shihas acted as the 'wali' (guardian) of the bride, while other co-accused Ashfak and Yahya acted as witnesses.

She said subsequently Rashid used to send videos and messages in support of the 'Caliphate' and Abubacker Al Baghdadi to her using messaging app 'Telegram', they said.

Yasmin disclosed that Rashid and his first wife Ayisha were in touch with a British couple, who were converts to Islam and were spreading messages in support of the ISIS over 'Telegram', to which she had also subscribed as advised by Rashid.

Rashid also told Yasmin that in first week of July, he and other missing persons from Kerala, had reached the 'Caliphate' in Afghanistan.

She told the sleuths that Rashid had given the ATM card of his first wife Ayisha to her and transferred funds to the tune of Rs 1.5 lakh into the account in mid-July, which Yasmin used for her travel preparations to Afghanistan.

"She had purchased flight tickets, paid for the Afghanistan visa and also purchased USD 620 using the money," the officials said.

NIA officials were also informed that the sister of another missing accused Dr Ijas recently got a message from him informing their family that he and his wife Refaela have been blessed with a baby girl on September 6.