North East - The Purbottar

24 Jun

Assam student who was upset because he did not have a smart phone to attend online classes, was found dead.

editor0 CommentsAssam, North East

GUWAHATI: A 16-year-old student, who was upset because he did not have a smart phone to attend online classes, was found dead near his house in Assam’s Chirang district on June 23.According to reports, the student of Class 10, who came from a very poor family, was troubled as he could not take part in online classes and examinations conducted by his school as he did not have a smart phone. From what we have been able to gather after talking to neighbours and others close to the student, it appears he was fed up with the situation and decided…

24 Jun

India coronavirus: US curbs ‘unfair’ Air India repatriation flights

editor0 CommentsNorth EastAIRINDIA

The US has accused India's national carrier of "discriminatory practices" and curbed repatriation flights it was operating both to and from the country. The US Department of Transportation (DOT) said Air India was also selling tickets for the flights which meant they were not "true repatriations". It added that US carriers were not being allowed to conduct similar operations to and from India, despite submissions from airline companies. Air India has not responded as yet. A statement on the DOT website said that the carrier would now have to apply for statements of authorisation prior to conducting charter flights and that…

24 Jun

Why Trump’s H-1B visa freeze will hurt India most

editor0 CommentsNorth EastUSA, VISA

Illegal immigration has long been the subject of fervid debate in the US. Now President Donald Trump is making "legal immigration a scapegoat" with an eye on the upcoming election, says Poorvi Chotani, a managing partner at Law Quest, an immigration law firm with offices in the US and India. "How can the US recover more than 17 million lost jobs due to the pandemic by keeping out a little more than half a million foreign workers for the rest of the year?" she told me. Ms Chotani is mainly alluding to the H-1B visa programme that currently admits 85,000 immigrants each…

23 Jun

Delhi HC grants bail to pregnant Jamia student Safoora Zargar.

editor0 CommentsNorth East

The Delhi high court Tuesday granted bail to Jamia student Safoora Zargar, who is pregnant and was arrested under anti-terror law UAPA in a case related to communal violence in northeast Delhi during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, as Solicitor General Tushar Mehta did not oppose it on humanitarian grounds. Justice Rajiv Shakdher passed the order after the Central government, represented by Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, agreed to Ms. Zargar's bail plea on humanitarian grounds. The Solicitor General said that the order enlarging her on bail should not be made a precedent and additonally insisted on a series of…

23 Jun

Healthcare specialists launch ‘Swasth’

editor0 CommentsNorth EastCovid19, Health

Aiming to launch ‘Swasth’, a coalition of over 100 healthcare specialists have come together. Swasth is a nationwide telemedicine platform for Corona care, which digitally connects Indians to the best doctors and wellness providers. This indigenous digital healthcare system is being launched at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged traditional service providers. The mobile app-based service leverages India’s technology prowess to deliver equal and affordable healthcare to 1.3 billion people, cutting across geographical and income divides. Along with the free consultations, Swasth will also provide services like home quarantine assistance, diagnostics, pharmacies, hospital bed discovery and booking assistance…

23 Jun

Jaishankar says need to follow ethos of international relations

editor0 CommentsNorth East

In the presence of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar Tuesday underlined the need for recognising legitimate interest of partners in a multilateral set-up and following ethos of international relations. Addressing a virtual conference of the Russia-India-China (RIC) trilateral, Jaishankar said, “This special meeting reiterates our belief in the time-tested principles of international relations. But the challenge today is not just one of concepts and norms, but equally of their practice.” This was Jaishankar’s first face-to-face meeting with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi after the violent face-off in the Galwan Valley in which 20 Indian Army…

23 Jun

Pregnant Jamia student arrested in Delhi riots case

editor0 CommentsNorth East

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday granted bail to Safoora Zargar, the pregnant Jamia Millia Islamia student who was arrested in April in connection with anti-CAA protests in northeast Delhi's Jaffrabad in February. Zargar was granted bail after Solicitor General Tushar Mehta did not oppose it on humanitarian grounds. Her bail plea was earlier dismissed by a trial court on June 4, compelling her to move the High Court. Zargar, the media coordinator of the Jamia Coordination Committee, was arrested in April in connection with anti-CAA protests in northeast Delhi's Jaffrabad in February. Later, she was booked under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act…

23 Jun

Worth Rs 2,000 crore under PM CARES Fund to fight COVID-19

editor0 CommentsNorth East

New Delhi: The Centre said on Tuesday said that out of the Rs 3,100 crore allocated for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Rs 2,000 crore has been earmarked for the purchase of 50,000 'Made in India' ventilators. In an official statement, the government also said that nearly 3,000 of the 50,000 'Made in India' ventilators sanctioned under the PM CARES fund to help COVID-19 patients have been manufactured and over 1,300 have been delivered to various states. On May 14, the PM CARES Fund Trust had decided to allocate Rs 3,100 crore for the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the amount was to…

23 Jun

Terrorist hideout busted in near J-K’s Srinagar

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Security forces have busted an active terrorist hideout and recovered warlike stores in an area on the outskirts of Srinagar in Jammu and Kashmir, the Indian Army said on Tuesday. The Chinar Corps of the army tweeted that the joint operation was launched in the morning in Harwan, which is about 19km from Srinagar city. “Op Harwan (#Srinagar). Joint Operation launched today early morning on own sources inputs corroborated by @JmuKmrPolice,” it said. “An active hideout busted & warlike stores - UBGL with grenades, GPS, AK magazine & administrative stores recovered. Joint operation in progress,” it added.

23 Jun

Amit Shah greets people as Rath Yatra

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Union home minister Amit Shah on Tuesday extended greetings on the occasion of Jagannath Rath Yatra, which commenced from today. “I extend my warm greetings to all, on the auspicious occasion of Rath Yatra. May Maha Prabhu Jagannath bless everyone with good heath, joy and prosperity. Jai Jagannath!” Shah tweeted. The Supreme Court had allowed the Rath Yatra on Monday, modifying its June 18 order. Shah said that the entire nation is delighted by the decision of the Supreme Court to ensure that Rath Yatra goes on. However, in its order on Monday, the court had put certain conditions for…