editor

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today that a key government scheme to distribute free food grains to 80 crore of India's poorest would be extended by five months to November-end to give relief during the festival season as the country fights coronavirus. He referred to Diwali and Chhath Puja, a festival celebrated in a big way in Bihar. "Keeping in mind all the festivals that are coming up in the next few months, this scheme to provide 80 crore people with 5 kg free ration and 1 kg dal (pulses) per month will now be extended till Diwali and…

In a first such instance, 80 out of nearly 300 guests, who were part of a wedding feast-cum-function in Patna's Paliganj area have tested positive sending the entire health wing of the state government into a tizzy. Shockingly, the groom had lost his life a couple of days after the marriage which was held on June 15. The groom, working in Gurugram as a software techie, had arrived on June 12 days for his wedding on June 15 but died in a couple of days after developing fever and other symptoms akin to COVID-19. The ceremony took place on June…

With four rivers flowing above danger level, the threat of flood looms large in parts of north Bihar. The State meteorological department, meanwhile, has predicted that heavy rain would continue till July 2. Rivers Kosi, Bagmati, Kamla Balan and Mahananda were flowing above danger level at many places on Monday, threatening to inundate several parts of north Bihar districts such as Muzaffarpur, Katihar, Purnia, Jhanjharpur in Madhubani and Sitamarhi. About 15 lakh people of more than 350 panchayats have been facing the devastation of floods mainly due to the surge in Ganga, Burhi Gandak and Punpun. Besides Patna, other districts…

Though transport department has permitted private bus operators to resume operations under Unlock 1.0, many of them are reluctant. Reason: the operators are not in a position to pay quarterly tax (April-June) following stoppage of bus services during the lockdown. In all, the State has around 2,000 contract carriage buses and 1,500 tourist buses and all private bus operators stopped their services since March 24, affecting 30,000 directly or indirectly. Unable to meet expenses, several drivers and other staff are searching for alternate jobs,” V Ravindra Kumar, proprietor of Ravindra Tours and Travels, said.This apart, the spiralling diesel prices added to…

A day after India banned 59 apps with Chinese links for engaging in activities which are "prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity" of the country, Beijing on Tuesday voiced strong concern over the move, and said the Indian government has the responsibility to uphold the "legitimate and legal rights" of international investors. China is strongly concerned about the relevant notice issued by the Indian side. We are checking and verifying the situation," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Tuesday, in response to India's decision. The government of India on Monday banned 59 Chinese apps including popular ones like TikTok,…

Natasha Bhat learned in late February that her father-in-law had suddenly died. Bhat, 35, recently recalled how she grabbed a backpack and hustled her U.S.-born 4-year-old son to the San Francisco airport to catch a midnight flight to India, her home country. She didn't anticipate being stuck there indefinitely. Bhat works at a tech company in Silicon Valley on an H-1B visa, and her documents were due for renewal. So she threw them in the bag, knowing she'd have to get the chore taken care of before flying back to the U.S. in a few weeks. But she said her…

The COVID-19 pandemic is not even close to being over, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a briefing on Monday. Tedros noted that, six months after China first alerted the WHO to a novel respiratory infection, the grim milestones of 10 million confirmed infections and 500,000 deaths had been reached. "Most people remain susceptible, the virus still has a lot of room to move," he said. "We all want this to be over. We all want to get on with our lives. But the hard reality is that this is not even close to being over. Although many…

Impressing upon the Central government that despite staggered timings, staff strength at 33 percent in government offices, the West Bengal transport services are heavily strained and so treating it as a “very special case”, the metro train services may be allowed in Kolkata. The Centre on Monday issued guidelines for the second for the second of a three-phase plan amied at lifting restrictions imposed to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), announcing that educational institutions, Metro rail services and large gatherings will continue to remain banned. “We have introduced staggered timings, reduced the daily attendance in government offices…

Srinagar: In another huge success, the security forces on Tuesday gunned down two terrorists, who were responsible for the killing of CRPF personnel and five-year-old child in Jammu and Kashmir's Bijbehara district three days ago. In a statement, the security forces said that a joint search operation was launched by the Indian Army, CRPF and the Jammu and Kashmir police at the Waghama area in the Anantnag district after they received specific information about the presence of militants in the area. The search operation turned into an encounter after militants fired upon a search party of the forces, who retaliated, the officials noted.    "In…