!" !! '#() %% " #$ %& , . + / 30. +2* +2 /+/ * 0 / #/0 10 *1 1*+*2 2*# 2* 2 #* 3*2 * * 210* 7( 3*8*# 4 #0 +* 5 2* 42*1*5 6*4** !#! $%& $'( )*+,"!* !"#$% #& & '%()(*+ , * Q! "# R #/0 for tracing, testing and treat- ment has been prepared for hief Minister Yogi this. If the infected person is CAdityanath said that the identified early and treatment battle against the second wave begins promptly, the case will he anti-Covid inoculation drive in most parts of Covid was being fought on not be critical. We are giving Tof Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, a war-footing and it was the the health teams medical and Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu was affected on reason why the active cases antigen test kits. Even though Sunday due to the cyclonic storm ‘Tauktae’ that across the state were waning the RT-PCR test report comes displaced thousands of people and claimed rapidly. later, treatment is started,” he eight lives so far. Interacting with media- said. Yogi said that 2.50 lakh Keeping in view of India Meteorological persons in Noida on Sunday, people were being tested daily Department’s warning, most of the coastal Yogi said, “Our plans are ready on an average. regions in these states suspended the drive for two to deal with a possible third On vaccination, the chief days-Sunday and Monday. wave of Covid and we are minister said that around 1.50 The inoculation was suspended for two days working with utmost care. crore people across the state –Sunday and Monday in Mumbai, Palghar, Directives have been issued to had been administered the jabs north Konkan, Thane, Ratnagiri districts in form dedicated ICUs to counter and the focus was now on vil- Maharashtra. Gujarat has also suspended the the possible third wave, espe- lages. “I have directed that drive for two days. The drive was also affected cially in community health vaccination should be carried in Kerala, Goa, Tamil nadu, Gujarat and centres, district hospitals and " # $ out in the common service area Karnataka. medical colleges for women % & in villages so that local residents Heavy to heavy rainfall, gusty winds with 145 and children.” can get themselves registered to 175 kmph, disruption in power supplies, floods Admitting that the viral rural areas of the state, the CM is to prevent the infection from and then vaccinated without in low lying areas, water logging and blockage of infection has infiltrated into the said that the need of the hour spreading further. “A strategy Continued on Page 6 roads due to fallen trees impacted the inocula- tion drive. As per preliminary reports, the cyclone has claimed eight people (two in Kerala, two in Goa ) Q, R ./0 and four in Karnataka), uprooted a large num- ber of trees, electricity poles and damaged a large number properties so far. bolts of “kafan”. The production lakh “kafan” per month manu- in Gaya is known as the According to the India Meteorological has been ramped up to meet the factured in Lohta area of Manchester of eastern Bihar and Department (IMD), Tauktae which has taken the surge in demand. While these Varanasi, Mau and Azamgarh the workers here are doing form of a “very severe cyclonic storm” is likely units produced 10,000 individ- has now nearly trebled. The overtime to meet the demand to intensify further during the next 24 hours and ual pieces of the shourds a powerloom units of these areas for about 50,000 “kafan” per day ! reach the Gujarat coast on Monday evening. month, they are coping with the supply to entire northern India, for adjoining areas and other Continued on Page 6 demand for a similar number from the Poorvanchal region to States. Besides cotton, the units every day. That’s not it. They Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal from here also make shrouds likely to hit. need to be cut to size, packed Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and out of polyester and silk. Giving details here on here are things one takes for and transported as fast as pos- other parts of southern India. “We have been working ready to be deployed at a Saturday, official said the Tgranted, like the cloth used sible. “Nowadays these are done round the clock. Pained to short notice. The IAF planes Navy’s ships, aircraft, heli- to cover a body. Not any longer. Such looms in Bihar’s Gaya on powerloom and it’s no more make bolts of kafan. The racing for Cyclone on Saturday morning airlift- copters, diving and disaster The “kafan” (shroud), general- are functional round-the-clock. a handloom material. Raw demand is high, but we have BTauktae, the Government ed teams of the National relief teams are on standby for ly a thick, white, unstitched The labourers have no shift materials come from Gujarat been supplying with full integri- has put the Indian Air Force Disaster Response Force “rendering full support to piece of cloth, is suddenly dear- breaks. They are meeting the and then made in looms of UP, ty and at same price as earlier. (IAF) and the Navy on stand- (NDRF)to some parts of the State Government. er. It is on account of the unusu- challenge to dispatch the stuff Bihar and then supplied to No black marketing for this by with nearly 40 planes Gujarat where the cyclone is Continued on Page 6 al spike in the number of deaths not only to various places in most parts of India,” said the product,” said Dwarika, who owing to Covid-19. More peo- Bihar, but Jharkhand, Madhya official. owns a small unit at Patwatoli, ple are buying the cloth to Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Underlining a factor of class Gaya, which has several small drape their dear ones on their West Bengal and even the divide, the official said as the units. He said all religions final journey than for the living north-eastern States. making of the product is not a require this piece of cloth and these days. An official of the profitable one, it is mostly con- the price could vary from place In Bihar ad Uttar Pradesh, Handlooms and Textile fined to areas where cheap to place and depending on small handloom and machine Department of Uttar Pradesh labour is available, like in Bihar, sizesrange from 100 to 1,000. loom units are busy making said that the demand of one UP and West Bengal. Manpur Continued on Page 6 surveillance for influenza-like in these areas while continuing illness periodically by ASHA to provide other essential s rural areas become new workers among others. health services. Ahunting grounds for dead- Releasing the guidelines, In every village, active sur- ly coronavirus, the Centre on the Union Health Ministry veillance should be done for he Centre has directed Sunday issued guidelines call- said there is a need to strength- influenza-like illness/severe TStates to prevent dumping ing for door-to-door surveil- en primary-level healthcare acute respiratory infections of dead bodies in the Ganga lance, teleconsultation for infrastructure at all levels to (ILI/SARI) periodically by and focus on their safe dispos- asymptomatic cases, and active intensify Covid-19 response ASHA workers with help of the al and providing support for Village Health Sanitation and ensuring dignified funeral. Nutrition Committee Secretary, Ministry of Jal (VHSNC). Shakti, Pankaj Kumar reviewed The advisory comes a day the position and action taken after Prime Minister Narendra in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in Modi, chairing a high-level this regard. meeting on the Covid-19 situ- He highlighted the instruc- Governments are looking to ation, directed Government tions and wanted expeditious combat. officials to make a distribution action and also underscored aught off guard, the Centre ASHA workers risk their plan for oxygen supply to rural the need to give equal attention Cand State authorities are lives each day in exchange of areas and scale up health infra- to such incidents in urban as now banking on oft-ignored a meagre sum of 2,250 per structure to manage the disease well as rural areas along the frontline workers, ASHA, to month. However, they have to burden in those regions. Ganga and other rivers. take on the second wave of face pay cuts for taking more Continued on Page 6 He said after knowing the Covid-19, which has already than 10 days off leave even in progress from the States, CWC, swept a vast swathe of rural this time of crisis. CPCB and State Pollution areas, where the bulk of the Rural communities face Control Boards would also population lives. unique challenges in respond- give their feedback. Officials said that the chal- ing to the pandemic due to Rajiv Ranjan Mishra, lenge from Covid was bigger medical workforce shortage, Director General National this year and only pro-active fewer hospital beds per capi- Mission for Clean Ganga stat- ASHA workers can help stop ta, limited access to tele-med- ed that the situation is being villages from being affected. ication, and populations that followed up with several dis- Lack of awareness, reluc- are at elevated risk for Covid- tricts like Unnao, Kanpur rural, tance to submit to testing and 19 related deaths due to age or Ghazipur, Balia and Buxar, widespread hesitancy against chronic disease prevalence. Saran in Bihar. vaccine are challenges that the Continued on Page 6 Continued on Page 6 R B.1.617 variant compared to ings are from a study conduct- ongress Rajya Sabha mem- the vaccine variant (D614G). ed in collaboration with the Cber Rajeev Satav suc- ndigenously developed Bharat Biotech joint man- National Institute of Virology cumbed to Covid-19-related IBharat Biotech’s Covid-19 aging director Suchitra Ella — Indian Council of Medical complications on Sunday after vaccine — Covaxin — has cited it.