[hans]Bigg Boss 13 runner-up Asim Riaz is on cloud nine these days as the music videos of his recent songs Khyaal Rakhya Kar and Kalla Sohna Nai have been received very well. To add to his happiness, the actor-model bought his dream car- BMW 5 series. Asim is now a proud owner of this luxurious vehicle.
Asim also took to Instagram to share the exciting news with his fans and followers and shared a series of gorgeous pictures of his BMW car. "I’m extremely happy today to get my DREAM CAR. new beast - BMW 5," he wrote.
Meanwhile, Asim is currently in a relationship with Punjabi actress-singer Himanshi Khurana. The two first time met during their stint in Bigg Boss 13. While Asim fell head over heels in love with her, Himanshi was dating an NRI guy Chow at the time. Later, she broke off her engagement with Chow after she realised that she also had feelings for Asim.
After coming out of the house, the couple was seen spending a lot of time with each other. From going on coffee dates to enjoying late night drives, Asim and Himanshi had been inseparable.
The post has garnered nearly 8 lakh likes, with fans flooding Asim's timeline with congratulatory notes. Asim's best friend and Bigg Boss 13 co-contestant Rashami Desai also extended her best wishes, writing, "Congratulations for the new baby."
As West Bengal is all set to embrace "rigorous" lockdown in containment zones from July 9 due to the rising number of Covid-19 cases, worried office-goers, panicked family members of critical patients, a devastated traders' community and panic buying have all made a return.
Since Wednesday morning, people queued up before local shops, wholesale grocery chains and hypermarkets like Spencer's, More, METRO Cash & Carry, etc, to stock daily essentials.
“Yes, we are panicked because no shops will be open from tomorrow in my area. I came to Spencer's to buy daily essentials for at least one month. The situation is very concerning as children are unable to attend their classes in schools, office-goers can’t go to their respective workplaces, traders are crying, patients will be having a harrowing time...God knows what is in store for us,” Gurmeet, an interior designer, who stays in Rajarhat said.
As of July 1, there were 18 containment zones and 1,872 isolation units in Kolkata, while in Howrah the figure is 146 and in North 24 Parganas the total number of containment zones is 219.
In South 24 Parganas the figure is 155 while in East Burdwan there are 134 containment zones and in West Midnapore it is 199. In the rest of the districts, the figures range from 5 to 40.
Deputy mayor of Kolkata Atin Ghosh said, “The fresh lockdown announcement was necessary considering the rise in the number of cases. In containment zones, all shops (except which fall under essential category), hotels, food stalls, private and government offices will be closed. Nothing will be open in these areas. Same rules will be applicable in the bordering areas of containment zones which fall under the buffer zone category. In these areas, the local administration will help people in crisis in terms of providing medical assistance, providing essential services, etc. No one will be allowed to roam around in these areas. Only emergency cases will be allowed. The office-goers will have to apply for passes for their movement in extreme cases.”
On July 7, Bengal recorded the highest single-day deaths, repeating this trend for five days in a row. Total new positive cases reported were 850. Total active cases till Tuesday was 7,243 and 25 people died in the last 24 hours.
Total deaths in the state so far are 804 and Kolkata remains the largest contributor of Covid-19 cases in the state. The total number of people discharged so far is 15,790, which is nearly 66.24 per cent.
SK Ghatak, an employee of a cable-manufacturing unit in Howrah, is a worried man ever since the state government announced it was going for a strict lockdown.
“We have to deliver cables to our clients on an urgent basis. From tomorrow, there will be no goods vehicle available to deliver the finished products. We are in a complete mess on how we will survive this pandemic. The traders and manufacturing community people are the worst affected. We are under pressure to deliver fresh goods as clients are not releasing pending dues,” he said.
Like Ghatak, Sheikh Munna, a wholesale mango dealer at Narayanpur in North 24-Parganas, is also in panic.
He bought two quintals of ‘Bhagalpuri Langda’ and ‘Chausa’ mangoes from Koley Market at Kolkata’s Bepin Behari Ganguly Street on Tuesday, unaware of the new notification of the state government on a ‘rigorous’ lockdown.
“The business was going well as the price for mangoes went up and demand was high. Yesterday, I came late in the evening and came to know that from July 9 there will be a strict lockdown. I deal in perishable items (mangoes). I am clueless about how I will be able to sell the fruits now as there will be no buyers,” Munna said.
Similar panic was also noticed in various districts as policemen were seen telling people to follow the lockdown norms or face penal action. Special focus was on Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Howrah where the number of cases are high.
State BJP president Dilip Ghosh blamed poor governance behind increasing number of Covid-19 cases in Bengal.
“The state government has completely failed in containing the virus. They failed to ensure WHO norms among the public. No one bothers to wear masks. No one is maintaining social distancing. This shows the failure of the administration in handling the situation,” he added.
The impact of the fresh lockdown notification was also felt at various ATMs as long queues were witnessed at many places.
“The notification has triggered panic buying in Kolkata as customers making bulk purchases. Interestingly most of them are stocking potato and onion as they fear that the prices will increase from tomorrow,” Sukhen Mahato, a vegetable vendor at Salua Market in Rajarhat, said.
For Sujoy Pal (name changed on request) the problem is grave as he stays in the US and his parents are alone in South Kolkata. His mother needs regular dialysis and chemotherapy as she has early stage cancer and acute kidney infection.
For them every day is a battle to survive, as they need to visit the hospital for regular checkups. “My relatives are taking care of my parents. I am just waiting for the resumption of international flight so that I can fly down to Kolkata. Honestly speaking, the overall situation is harrowing and I don't have words to explain the trauma and fear we are facing every day,” Sujoy said.
On Wednesday, concerned over the rising number of Covid-19 cases in West Bengal, chief minister Mamata Banerjee decided to enforce a "rigorous" lockdown in all the containment zones from 5pm on July 9.
The state government has also extended the parameters of the containment areas by combining the buffer zones to minimise the spread of the novel coronavirus in the state.
The broader containment zones (including the buffer areas) may be subjected to strict lockdown, and the following activities will be closed in these areas: all offices including government and private, all non-essential activities, all congregations, all transportation, all marketing/industrial/trading activities.
A statement issued by Alapan Bandyopadhyay, additional chief secretary and chairman of the Enforcement Task Force, reads, “In terms of recent discussions and in terms of deliberations with you as well as other members of the Enforcement Task Force with regard to lockdown, I am to impress upon you to rigorously implement the containment policies and practices for combating spread of Covid-19. The current concept of containment zones may be combined with the current concept of buffer zone, and together, they may constitute a revised and broad-based containment zone approach. Residents of the containment zones may be exempted and prohibited from attending government and private offices, in fact, their ingress and egress may be strictly regulated. To the extent practicable, local authorities will try to arrange home delivery to the residents staying inside the broad-based containment zones. You may now delineate your broad-based containment zones. In the case of Kolkata, Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Kolkata Police will have to do it in mutual consultation. In case of districts, DM may initiate similar exercise in consultation with respective CPs/SPs.”
Commandos of the Special Armed Police (SAP) were deployed on Wednesday in Thiruvanthapuram's Poonthura area that has seen a rapid rise in coronavirus cases over the last few days.
The authorities have also barred people from inter-state travel between Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu and Thiruvanthapuram.
Public health specialist and core member of the state’s COVID-19 management team Dr Mohammed Asheel said there have been instances of super spreading in Poonthura where one person has infected more than six people.
Devaswom and Tourism Minister Kadakampally Surendran said the technical term 'super spreader' can be used for Poonthura. “Such rapid spread of COVID-19 has not been witnessed in any other nearby region," he said.
Of the 600 samples tested from the Poonthura area in the last five days, 119 people have been found to be infected of the virus. The strict measures were put in place after a patient was found to have had 120 primary contacts.
Dr Asheel said, “Poonthura perhaps may be the first evolving cluster outbreak in Kerala. However, with strict cluster containment strategy and co-operation of people, we will be able to contain at this level."
State Police Chief Loknath Behra said the Coastal Security and Marine Enforcement have been instructed to prevent movement of fishing boats between Poonthura and Tamil Nadu.
Twenty-five commandos have been deployed in the area under SAP Commandant-in-Charge L Solomon for special duty. Help of local religious leaders will also be sought to raise awareness on social distancing.
Police in both Kerala and Tamil Nadu states will ensure prevention of cross-border movement, Behra said, adding that he had spoken to Tamil Nadu DGP K Tripathi over the phone in this regard.
Deputy Commissioner Divya V Gopinath and Assistant Commissioner Aishwarya Dongre will lead the police operations in Poonthura.
Families living in the three wards of Poonthura will receive 5kg of rice for free, while more tests will be conducted in the coming days.
Kerala on Wednesday registered the highest single-day spike on Wednesday with 301 new cases being reported. Of these, 90 people got infected through contacts. Thiruvananthapuram reported 64 positive cases of which 60 were through contacts.
Indian drugmaker Cipla Ltd has priced its generic version of Remdesivir, Cipremi, at 4,000 rupees per 100 mg vial, according to several sources, making it among the lowest priced versions of the COVID-19 treatment available so far globally.
Cipla had earlier said pricing would not exceed 5,000 rupees. On Tuesday, Sovereign Pharma, which is manufacturing and packaging the drug for Cipla, said it had dispatched the first batch.
Cipla India business chief executive officer and executive vice president Nikhil Chopra said in an emailed statement that the company was launching Cipremi commercially on Wednesday and aims to supply over 80,000 vials within the first month, but did not give details on pricing or dosage.
The drug will be available through the government and hospitals only, the company said.
Sources said the first batch of 10,000 vials had been printed with a price of 4,000 rupees, 800 rupees below the cheapest option, launched by European competitor Mylan this week.
Privately held Hetero Labs Ltd's version, Covifor, costs 5,400 rupees per vial while Mylan prices Desrem at 4,800 rupees.
CNBC TV-18 said earlier on Wednesday that Cipla was set to launch its drug in the next couple of days, priced at 4,000 rupees.
With coronavirus cases growing, several more of the big India-based healthcare firms which make much of the world's pharmaceuticals are expected to launch competing versions of Remdesivir, the only major treatment so far approved for COVID-19.
Remdesivir's developer, Gilead Sciences Inc, has priced the original version at $390 per 100 mg vial for wealthier nations while signing licensing deals with generic producers to make the treatment widely available.
India is now the third worst hit nation in the pandemic with 700,000 cases, behind the United States and Brazil.
An employee at Cipla, who declined to be named because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said the company would send Cipremi to stockists starting Thursday.
It was not immediately clear how many of Cipla's vials would be required for a full treatment course. Gilead has said a patient would typically need six vials of Remdesivir for a five-day course.
The Odisha government has decided not to take up new schemes except those of the health department and banned renovation of offices as part of its austerity measures in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, officials said on Wednesday.
The government has also put a ban on creation of new posts in all departments except health, and purchase of new vehicles for two years, they said.
The authorities stopped journey of officials outside the country and asked them to rationalise travel expenses.
"No new state schemes or projects will be taken up except those of the health and family welfare department.
Expenditure on existing state schemes will be capped for the current financial year, though the programmes relating to livelihoods in the agriculture and its allied sector and spending on combating the COVID-19 outbreak will be excluded from the austerity measures," the officials said.
In a letter to all departments, Finance Secretary Ashok Meena said the state is going through an unprecedented crisis due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, which has posed challenges in every sphere of life.
The state government has been fighting the pandemic but the nationwide lockdown has interrupted the economic activities which resulted in a shortfall in the realisation of resources, the letter said.
On the other hand, the management for the COVID-19 crisis would require higher expenditure. There would also be higher spending needs for generating employments for the most affected sections of the society, it said.
"Therefore, all administrative departments are required to prioritise their expenditure needs to limit the expenses within the resources available," the letter read.
The government has decided that there will be a complete ban on the purchase of new vehicles for the next two years, the officials said, adding that the officers were asked to avoid air travel, and meetings through video conferences may be preferred.
The government officers were also instructed to avoid 1st class AC compartments in trains for official trips, while new hiring of vehicles would require approval of the finance department.
"No officer, while on tour, will be allowed for reimbursement for occupancy in any hotel in Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Chennai, except when the home department will not be able to provide accommodation in the government's establishments," they said.
Purchase of new equipment except items for medical and internal security purposes has been prohibited.
"There will be a complete ban on expenditure on the renovation, remodelling and furnishing in the government offices. Meetings, seminars, workshops and hosting of official lunch and dinner in hotels using government funds will also be banned," the officials said.
The sanction of new long-term advances for house building, car, computer and other purposes will not be given, they said.
The austerity measures will also be followed in recruitment and manpower engagement.
"New engagement of consultants and retired government employees will be restricted and prior concurrence of the finance department would be required for the purpose," they added.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will be vacating her Lodhi Estate bungalow by month-end and shifting base to Lucknow when the COVID-19 situation improves, sources close to her said.
The Vadras are learnt to be scouting for an alternative accommodation in Delhi that will cater to her security considerations, and a house for Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been finalised in Lucknow where she will shift later when the ongoing lockdown eases.
Sources close to her said no house has been finalised yet, but the Vadras are in the process of winding up their 35, Lodhi Estate house, and the packing and shifting of their household belongings are underway.
Some of her old belongings are also learnt to have been kept at Sonia Gandhi's 10, Janpath residence.
The Lucknow house that she will occupy belongs to Sheila Kaul and is located on Gokhle Marg. The house is lying vacant and renovation work is also almost complete.
Sheila Kaul, who died in 2015, was the sister-in-law of India's first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru. She had been a Union minister and a governor.
The sources said that plans for her to shift base to Lucknow have been afoot for a few months now, but were delayed due to the outbreak of the pandemic.
Priyanka Gandhi is in-charge of Congress's affairs in Eastern Uttar Pradesh, but is practically looking after the entire state now, ever since Jyotiraditya Scindia switched over to the BJP.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Development had last week served a notice on her to vacate the said premises before August 1 as she no longer comes under SPG security cover.
"Consequent to withdrawal of SPG protection and grant of Z+ security cover by MHA, which does not provide for allotment or retention of government accommodation on security grounds to you, the allotment of type 6B house No. 35 Lodhi Estate is hereby cancelled wef July 1. One month concession period on same rent till August 1 is allowed as per rules," the Housing Ministry notice said.
The Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CICSE) on Thursday said it would announced the Board results for Class 10 (ICSE) and Class 12 (ISC) at 3 pm on Friday.
Board Secretary Gerry Arthoon made the announcement of the declaration of the CICSE board results.
"The results of the Class 10 (ICSE) and Class 12 (ISC) year 2020 examinations will be declared on Friday, July 10 at 3 pm. The results will be made available through the board website and SMS facility," Arathoon said on Thursday.
The board had last week announced an alternate assessment scheme for the two classes after the pending exams were cancelled in view of a spike in COVID-19 cases.
As per the scheme, candidates will be assessed based on best three percentage marks obtained in subjects for which board exams have been conducted and the marks of their internal assessment as well as project work will be taken into account.
The internal assessment formula will be applicable for class 12 which is the Indian School Certificate (ISC) exam, while for class 10 which is Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), the project work will be taken into account.
