North East - The Purbottar

17 Jun

Soldier, killed in Galwan Valley violence, planned to get married on his next visit home

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Ganesh Kunjam, a resident of a nondescript village in Chhattisgarh’s Kanker district, last came home in January this year. The parents of the 27-year-old Indian Army soldier had fixed his wedding during that visit to Kukurtola in Bastar region of the state. He was among the 20 soldiers who lost their lives in the clash with Chinese troops in Galwan Valley of eastern Ladakh on Monday night. “In January, his parents fixed his marriage… He was going to be married on his next visit,” Surya Nevendra, a childhood friend of Ganesh’s, said. “His parents and his uncle live in a…

17 Jun

Among Indians killed in Ladakh, a trooper who was to go home to see his baby

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Kundan Kumar Ojha, a trooper in the Bihar Regiment who was among 20 soldiers killed in a clash with Chinese troops in Ladkah’s Galwan valley, had become a father barely a fortnight ago and was planning to go home to see his baby girl in Jharkahnd. Family members said Kundan spoke to them last when his daughter Diksha was born. “He became a father only 17-18 days back. He promised his wife Namita Devi that once tension along the India-China border eased, he would come to see Diksha soon after. But that day will never come. His wish to see…

17 Jun

From feeding the stranded to helping them get home, Delhi Samaritans become helping hand for many

editor0 CommentsNorth East

NEW DELHI: Gullena Biraiah, an octogenarian from Telangana, wanted to go on a pilgrimage to Kashi (Varanasi) in Uttar Pradesh, following a bitter quarrel with his son. But a series of miscommunications due to language barrier prolonged his journey, making him board trains to Kolkata and Odisha before he ended up in Delhi again. Before he could proceed further, he was struck by another blow—the nationwide Covid-19 Lockdown. Stranded for over 70 days at a shelter home in Delhi, Biraiah could return to his hometown in Jangaon, some 60 km from Warangal, only last week, thanks to a group of Samaritans…

17 Jun

Ensure payment of salaries to healthcare staff

editor0 CommentsNorth East

The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Centre to issue a direction to states for payment of salaries to doctors and healthcare workers treating Covid -19 patients. Warning that non-compliance of the order would be viewed seriously, the court asked Centre to file a report on payments within a month. It also said that healthcare staff involved in fighting the infection should not be denied quarantine facilities. During the hearing, Solicitor General (SG) Tushar Mehta appearing for the Centre, told the court that the government had already issued a circular saying that the healthcare workers must be paid. He also said that…

17 Jun

As Delhi plans next steps, on the table: Chinese stakes in Indian tech

editor0 CommentsNorth East

AS New Delhi plans its next military and diplomatic steps to deal with the unprecedented LAC standoff with China which cost the lives of 20 Indian Armymen Monday, on its table will be a factor that could also weigh in: the rising appetite of Chinese investors in Indian technology start-ups over the last five years. While China may not be a big investor in the traditional sense, and business relations are viewed more in terms of the trade deficit that India suffers, it is the new economy and start-up space where China has increased its influence.

17 Jun

PM Modi calls for all-party meeting on June 19 to discuss situation

editor0 CommentsNorth East

In an attempt to forge a broad political consensus on the situation at the India-China border, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday called for an all-party meeting on June 19, Friday. The move comes a day after the Army disclosed that 20 military personnel, including a colonel-rank officer, were killed in the worst flare-up on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in nearly five decades. The decision to call an all-party meeting comes after protracted discussions at top-level last night and this morning. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had met the prime minister late Tuesday night where they were said to have been joined by Home Minister Amit…

17 Jun

Nearly 12,000 deaths in 97 days: How India’s toll soared across states

editor0 CommentsNorth East

India’s death toll from the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) has exceeded the 10,000-mark after nearly 100 days since the first fatality was recorded in the country in March. The country added 2,004 deaths, including the 1,672 backlogged fatalities, and 10,951 infections in its Covid-19 tally on Tuesday, taking the toll to 11,919 from 353,853 infections. The country’s case fatality rate, which is defined as the proportion of death to the total number of cases, rose from 2.9% to 3.4%. The Union health ministry, which updates its data every morning, is yet to reflect the backlogged deaths. The death toll in India…

17 Jun

Rahul Gandhi demands answers over Galwan Valley face-off

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday demanded to know about the violent confrontation between Indian and Chinese armies along the undefined Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh. The Indian Army has said 20 of its soldiers, including a commanding officer, had been killed in clashes with Chinese troops in a major escalation of a weeks-long standoff between the two neighbours in the western Himalayas. “Why is the PM silent? Why is he hiding? Enough is enough. We need to know what has happened,” Gandhi tweeted. “How dare China kill our soldiers? How dare they take…

17 Jun

COVID-19: Pernod Ricard India’s contribution

editor0 CommentsArunachal Pradesh, Health, North East

Itanagar, June 2020: As the number of COVID-19 cases accelerates with lockdown restrictions easing across the country, Pernod Ricard India Foundation pledges support towards strengthening Arunachal Pradesh’s Government Hospital ICUs and public Healthcare Infrastructure. In such time of distress, Pernod Ricard India Foundation is humbled to join hands with Excise Department, Government of Arunachal Pradesh to provide preventive health care supplies such as 5 ICU ventilators, 10 ICU fowler beds and 5000 surgical masks for Arunachal Pradesh State. Pernod Ricard India Foundation remains resolute in its efforts supporting the State Healthcare Departments and Public Service and Delivery professionals, at the…

17 Jun

Covid-19 patient recovers after he was administered plasma therapy

editor0 CommentsNorth East

Convalescent plasma therapy, an experimental medical procedure, where critical coronavirus disease (Covid-19) patients are treated using plasma collected from those who have recovered from the viral infection, have come to the rescue of a critical patient (51), who is undergoing treatment at Thrissur Medical College Hospital in Kerala, the state health department authorities said. The patient, who had returned from Delhi recently, amid the easing of nationwide lockdown restrictions, which were enforced from March to contain the spread of the Covid-19 outbreak, had tested positive and was on a ventilator support for six days, as his condition had worsened. However,…