Healthcare workers seen inside a Covid care facility in New Delhi. (Express Photo by Tashi Tobgyal)Delhi Live News: The national capital reported 24,383 fresh Covid-19 cases and 34 deaths on Friday, with a positivity rate in the city to 30.64 per cent. The cumulative caseload has risen to 16,70,966 and the toll to 25,305. There are currently 92,273 active cases in the city, of which 64,831 are in home isolation.
The drop in the numbers on Friday was due to fewer tests being conducted. On Thursday, Delhi recorded 28,867 cases, the highest single-day number since the beginning of the pandemic.
Delhi’s second weekend curfew in the third wave began on Friday. All non-essential activities are on hold till 5 am on Monday.
In other news, an improvised explosive device (IED) was discovered inside an unattended bag at East Delhi’s Ghazipur market on Friday, sending security agencies into high alert. It was eventually destroyed via a controlled explosion by the National Security Guard’s (NSG) bomb detection and disposal team.
Separately, a review meeting is being held by the Sanyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the farmers body that spearheaded the year-long agitation at Delhi’s borders. SKM leader Yudhvir Singh said discussions will be held on progress made on demands put forth to the government; farm unions contesting the upcoming Punjab elections; the dismissal of Union Minister Ajay Mishra in connection with the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.
Last month, the Haryana government had prohibited large congregations after five districts, including Gurgaon, witnessed a spike in cases. (File)
Three brothers were killed after an unidentified vehicle allegedly hit their motorcycle in Gurgaon on Thursday night.
The deceased have been identified as Sanjay Pandit alias Sunil, 35; Randhir Pandit, 28; and Suchi Pandit, 24.
Police said the brothers, originally hailing from Kachhwa village in Bihar’s Madhubani district, had been staying in Tajnagar village in a rented house. They had opened a mobile and utensils shop in Hayatpur village near sector 93. Read more
A controversy recently broke out after the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) recommended that the Delhi government suspend its flagship ‘Desh ke Mentor’ programme till “the time when all the loopholes pertaining to the safety of the children are overhauled”. On Friday, both Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia hit back, claiming the move was a “conspiracy by the BJP” to derail its education initiatives. Know more
Faridabad Police on Friday arrested four people, who had allegedly duped 55 people across several states by posing as employees of banks.
The police said the gang targeted people by offering them holiday packages on behalf of the bank and after obtaining their credit card details, the accused transferred money to their bank accounts. Police have recovered 18 mobile phones, 18 SIM cards, Rs 35,000 cash and equipment used to forge documents. Read more
The Delhi University’s (DU) Aditi Mahavidyalaya — an off-campus girls’ college based in the semi-urban area of Bawana — has launched a Digital Incubation Platform with Integrated Mentorship to encourage its students, largely from the semi-rural areas, to become entrepreneurs. Principal Mamta Sharma said it is the first DU college to do so.
The incubation platform has been set up in collaboration with the SKILLSertifika Bootup 360 Company. SKILLSertifika Global is an Indian research-based ed-tech firm headquartered in Singapore with an “expertise in innovative thinking, research and innovation and creation of digital incubation platforms”, the college said. Read more
A 66-year-old man was found dead in his car, about 400 metres from his house, in South City-1 area on Thursday night. Police said he was allegedly strangled to death. On the complaint of his wife, police have booked a relative on charges of murder.
According to the police, the deceased has been identified as Nirbhay Singh, a resident of South City 1. Police said Singh previously ran a business in Qatar and for the past 2-3 years, he had settled in Gurgaon. On Thursday around 6 pm, Singh had gone out to meet a relative. Read more
Yogendra Yadav, Swaraj India leader, said, "The Government has not acted on any of the demands which it had agreed to in writing last month. We will review the steps taken and accordingly decide the future course of action. Over 22 farm unions have floated a political outfit to fight elections in Punjab. But it doesn't include the five major unions which have been spearheading SKM's agitation. All this shall be discussed and a decision shall be taken."
SKM leader Yudhvir Singh said three main agendas will be taken up at the meeting.
"More than a month has passed since the agitation was suspended and the Government had agreed to demands of the protesting farmers. We will review the progress made and if the Government has acted on our demands or made any headway. Some farm unions have announced that they shall he fighting elections and entering political fray. This shall be discussed at the meeting. In Lakhimpur Kheri, despite the SIT's report that it was a planned conspiracy, Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni has not been dismissed, which was one of the demands. These three issues shall be discussed."
All India Kisan Sabha president Ashok Dhawale said, "We will review if the government has acted on the agreed demands. Apart from issuing a notification regarding withdrawal of cases in Haryana, there has not been much headway, either on MSP committee or regarding compensation. We will discuss these issues and accordingly decide the future course of action."
Asking the Delhi government whether it has forgotten its election promises, the High Court Friday said the promises of “24 hours water supply in your home” and “drinking water from tap” are made every time there is an election.
During the hearing of a suo motu petition related to mosquito breeding and the spread of vector-borne diseases in Delhi, the division bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Jasmeet Singh said, “Or you are never serious about them? These are all lollipops that you wave at the people.” Read more
It’s expected to remain chilly in Delhi today as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicts ‘cold day’ conditions to prevail.
A ‘cold day’ is recorded when the maximum temperature is 4.5 to 6.4 degree Celsius below the normal, and the minimum temperature is less than or equal to 10 degree Celsius. On Saturday, the maximum temperature is expected to be 16 degree Celsius, and the minimum is likely to settle at 6 degree Celsius, IMD said. Read more
Markets will not be allowed to open during the weekend curfew barring those dealing in essential goods and services like groceries, vegetables and fruits, medicines, milk among others.
The weekend curfew has been imposed from 10 pm of Friday till 5 am of Monday by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) through its order on January 1.
1. Metro train services will continue to be regulated on the weekend (January 15 -16) in compliance with the DDMA guidelines issued last week, said an official spokesperson of the Delhi Metro.
2. Metro services and public transport buses will operate with full seating capacity during the curfew but no standing commuters will be allowed.
3. Trains will be available at a frequency of 15 minutes on the 'Yellow Line' - HUDA City Centre to Samaypur Badli-and 'Blue Line' (i.e. Dwarka Sec-21 to NOIDA Electronic City/Vaishali, the spokesperson said.
4. On all other lines, trains will be available at a frequency of 20 minutes during the weekend curfew. The e-passes issued last week for essential services will be valid during the curfew. ---PTI
Covid testing numbers could come down in the days ahead as the Delhi government shifts focus on testing only those with symptoms of the virus or those referred by doctors. This comes following a change in Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines that no longer allows testing on demand.
Random testing of asymptomatic individuals being conducted at Metro stations, bus stops, markets, ISBTs and railway stations has been stopped and several districts have reduced the number of government Covid testing centres. Read more
The weekend curfew imposed by the Delhi government on January 1 began on Friday. All non-essential activities will be put on hold till Monday at 5 am, while all permitted services will be continue in compliance with the DDMA guidelines.
Delhi on Friday reported 24,383 fresh Covid-19 cases and 34 deaths, as the positivity rate rose to 30.64 per cent. The cumulative caseload has risen to 16,70,966 and the death toll to 25,305. Currently, there are 92,273 active cases in the city, of which 64,831 are in home isolation.
When he first heard about Covid-19 vaccination drive, Dr Gopal Jha thought the pandemic would soon come to an end. That was a while ago, and though he took the third dose of the vaccine on Wednesday, he continues to remain hopeful.
Dr Gopal Jha (52) and his wife Dr Alpana Jha (50), both of whom work at mohalla clinics in East Delhi, were the first reported cases of doctors getting the viral infection in the capital. They were part of Delhi’s first cluster of infections in March 2020, which branched from a woman who had returned from Saudi Arabia.
“I never had any hesitation about getting the vaccine. But when I first heard about it, I thought the pandemic would come to an end. Now, I have got one, two, three doses, but it still continues. I still have hope that it will end soon. We all need to continue taking precautions. The booster dose adds to our defence,” said Dr Jha after getting the shot along with his wife. Read More
The Friday namaz prayers were not offered at any public place in Gurgaon as Muslim community leaders appealed to people to refrain from gathering in large congregations amid the surge in Covid cases in the district.
Last month, the Haryana government had prohibited large congregations after five districts, including Gurgaon, witnessed a spike in cases. A recent order issued by the Haryana State Disaster Management Authority, declaring new curbs in more districts, had said, “Large congregations like all kinds of public meetings, rallies, protests, dharnas etc shall be prohibited in the state.”
Mufti Mohammad Saleem, President Jamiat Ulema e Hind, Gurgaon, said, “We had appealed to people to offer prayers at their homes considering the Covid situation. Namaz was not offered at public places in the city today. At mosques, prayers were offered in batches and multiple rounds to accommodate people and as per social distancing norms.” Read More
Observing that his act was an “affront to the dignity of women of a particular community and communal harmony of society”, a Delhi court has denied bail to engineering student Neeraj Bishnoi, who is accused of creating an app using GitHub which hosted photographs of more than 100 Muslim women without their consent, alongside objectionable comments.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Dr Pankaj Sharma denied bail to 21-year-old Bishnoi stating that the facts disclosed that he created the ‘Bulli Bai’ app where “women journalists and celebrities of a particular community who are famous on social media are targeted and they are projected in a bad light with an objective to insult and humiliate them by objectification”.
“A vilification campaign against these women containing derogatory content and offending material having communal overtones was run on this app being made by the accused. The act of the accused is apparently an affront to the dignity of women of a particular community and communal harmony of society,” the court said. Read More
Delhi on Friday reported 24,383 fresh Covid-19 cases and 34 deaths, as the positivity rate also rose to 30.64 per cent.