Haryana’s Home and Health Minister Anil Vij was on Sunday admitted to a hospital in Chandigarh as his oxygen levels dipped. The 68-year-old BJP leader earlier could not attend the Assembly’s monsoon session on health grounds.

He was admitted to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) on Sunday evening, hospital sources said. The sources said that Vij is under the supervision of doctors led by a pulmonary and respiratory medicine specialist.

Vij had last week gone to Rohtak to attend the cremation of Chief Minister Manohar Lal’s younger brother. He had returned with the chief minister in a chopper and due to high altitude, his oxygen levels had dipped and have been fluctuating since, sources said.

Vij had tested positive for coronavirus last year on 5 December after taking a trial dose of Bharat Biotech’s Covid-19 vaccine Covaxin. He had offered to be the first volunteer for the third phase trial of Covaxin, which started in the state.

NEW DELHI: On the occasion of World Sanskrit Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said Sanskrit is an ancient as well as modern language with deep philosophy. Prime Minister Modi extended his best wishes on the occasion of World Sanskrit Day and shared his greetings with the people in Sanskrit. In a tweet in Sanskrit, Prime Minister said, “This language is ancient as well as modern. There is also good poetry with deep philosophy in it. It is easy to use and is endowed with supreme vision. That is why more and more people should read the Sanskrit language. Wish you all a happy Sanskrit Day.” World Sanskrit Day is observed on Shravana Poornima according to the Hindu calendar. This year it falls on 22 August. ANI

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar arrived in the national capital on Sunday to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the caste-based census.

“We (a delegation comprising representatives of different parties) will meet PM Narendra Modi at 11 am tomorrow with our demand for a caste-based census,” Kumar told ANI.

He also said that the Bihar government is taking necessary action to tackle the flood situation in the state. “We are taking all the necessary actions for the flood situation in Bihar,” he further said.

Notably, the delegation which will meet PM Modi also include Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav. The Bihar Chief Minister had earlier said that a delegation of leaders from 10 parties will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday over the demand for a caste-based census.

The Janata Dal (United) is an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar, is in favour of a caste-based census. He has been advocating for a caste-based census in the country and had thus sought an appointment with the Prime Minister.

Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly Tejashwi Yadav also wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi regarding the demand for a caste-based census.

Nitish Kumar had said a resolution regarding the caste-based census was passed unanimously in Bihar Legislative Assembly as well as the Legislative Council in 2019. A resolution was passed unanimously once again in 2020 in the state Assembly. WITH ANI INPUTS

India recorded 30,948 new Covid-19 cases and 403 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry informed on Sunday. The active cases of Covid infection in the country now stands at 3,53,398 which accounts for 1.09 per cent of the total cases.

According to the Union Ministry for Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), the positivity rate in India stands at 1.95 per cent. As many as 38,487 people recovered from the Covid infection in the last 24 hours. The recovery rate increases to 97.57 per cent, which is the highest since March 2020.

The national capital, in the meantime, reported zero Covid fatalities for the third consecutive day and recorded 24 fresh cases with a positivity rate of 0.04 per cent.

The total cases jumped to 14,37,317 including 398 active cases. The death toll stands at 25,079 with a case fatality rate of 1.74 per cent, informed the Delhi Health Department. As many as 56 patients recovered from Covid-19 in the last 24 hours, taking the cumulative recoveries to 14,11,840.

India’s cumulative Covid count has gone up to 3,24,24,234 while the total recoveries stand at 3,16,36,469 and 4,34,367 people have succumbed to the infection so far.

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the total number of samples tested up to August 21 is 50,62,56,239 including 15,85,681 samples tested were tested yesterday. On August 20, 17,21,205 samples were tested across India.

So far, 58,14,89,377 vaccine doses have been administered across India, with 52,23,612 doses being administered in the last 24 hours.

“With the administration of 52,23,612 vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India’s Covid-19 vaccination coverage has surpassed the cumulative figure of 58.14 crore (58,14,89,377) as per provisional reports. This has been achieved through 64,39,411 sessions,” read the Union Health Ministry’s release.

India’s highest altitude herbal park, located at the height of 11,000 feet near the Indo-China border in Uttarakhand’s Chamoli district, was inaugurated on Saturday. Under the central government’s Compensatory Afforestation Fund Act (CAMPA), the Uttarakhand forest department’s research wing established the park on 3 acres of land donated by Mana Van panchayat.

As per officials, this is under the central government’s CAMPA scheme, the Uttarakhand forest department’s research wing established the park on three acres of land donated by Mana Van panchayat.

According to Chief Conservator of Forest (research) Sanjiv Chaturvedi, the herbal park comprises roughly 40 species found in high altitude alpine locations in the Himalayan region. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list and the State Biodiversity Board, many species are endangered or threatened. It also contains several valuable medicinal herbs, added Chaturvedi.

The park is divided into four segments. The Badri Tulsi, Badri Ber, Badri Tree, and the sacred tree of Bhojpatra are linked with Badrinath (Lord Vishnu) in the first section. Badri Tulsi, scientifically known as Origanum Vulgare, grows in this location and is vital to Lord Badrinath’s offerings. Various studies have shown that it has a wide range of therapeutic properties. According to Chaturvedi, Badri Ber, also known as Hippophae Salicifolia and locally as Amaesh, is another nutrient-dense fruit that is extensively consumed. The second section is dedicated to Ashtavarga species, which include Riddhi (Habenaria Intermedia), Vriddhi (Habenaria Edgeworthii), Jeevak (Malaxis Acuminata), Rishbhak (Malaxis Muscifera), Kakoli (Fritillaria Roylei), Ksheer Kakoli (Lilium Polyphyllum), Maida (Polygonatum Verticillatum). There are the most important ingredients of Chyawanprash, he said.

While talking to The Daily Guardian Chaturvedi said that four herbs are from the lily family, and four are from the orchid family. The third part contains Saussurea species, including Brahmakamal (Saussurea Obvallata), also Uttarakhand’s state flower. Phemkamal (Saussurea Simpsoniana), Nilkamal (Saussurea Graminifolia), and Koot (Saussurea Graminifolia) are some of the other Saussurea species found in the park.

He further added that the fourth portion includes various alpine plants, including Ateesh, Meethavish, Vankakdi, and Choru, which are all essential medicinal herbs in high demand. In addition, Thuner (Taxus Wallichiana) trees, whose bark is used in the manufacture of cancer medications, Tansen, and Maple trees have been planted in the park, he added.

As the second wave of Covid-19 is steadily attenuating, what is coming out is that after the disease hit the state of Haryana, as many as 9635 people have lost their lives from 24 March to 31 July 2021. It is pertinent to mention that Hisar emerges on the top in terms of death toll as 1037 people could not survive the disease. Gurugram and Faridabad occupy second and third place with 919 and 716 deaths followed by Bhiwani and Panipat with 603 and 564 deaths respectively.

The data also revealed that after the death as many as 26 frontline health workers including doctors and other medical staff were given an insurance cover of Rs 50 lakh each as the same was announced by the state government. Out of these, 11 doctors, 8 paramedical staff members, 2 Asha workers along with 5 others members were provided the insurance cover. Besides, a compensation of Rs 2 lakh had also been distributed to family members of the BPL card-holders who died due to corona.

Meanwhile, the ruling faction and the opposition were at loggerheads against each other over the issue of shortage of oxygen and the number of Covid-related fatalities amid the pandemic. Surprisingly, the official data showed that not even a single patient died due to the shortage of oxygen. Regarding the same, the Chief Minister Manohar Lal said that the state government left no stone unturned to ensure the sufficient arrangements to tackle down the disease and besides, a string of efforts were made to avail oxygen in the hospitals across the state. In reaction to this and taking on the BJP-JJP led government, congress leader Bhupender Singh Hooda said that the ruling faction entirely failed to arrange oxygen in the hospitals, which resulted in untimely deaths of a lot of people. In wake of this, a high-powered committee should be constituted to enquire the matter so that truth can be brought into the light, he added.