FIR against Haryana flyer for travelling despite positive result

Udaipur:  25.03.2021 

In a first in Rajasthan, Udaipur district administration has filed an FIR against a Haryana resident for violating Covid protocol and travelling despite testing positive.

The incharge deployed at Dabok airport to ensure adherence of pandemic protocol has submitted a written complaint at Dabok police station against Roshan Singh, resident of Gurugram, for travelling by air and putting other's life at risk even after he knew he had contracted the infection.

Udaipur collector Chetan Ram Deora had issued strict orders to airport authorities and airline companies not to permit any traveller to fly to Udaipur without an RT-PCR negative report.

Roshan Singh arrived in Udaipur without the report and tested positive after landing. He was made to stay at a hotel in Pratapnagar here and quarantined for 2 weeks. However, Roshan Singh did not abide by the order and flew back home on March 20. A complaint has been lodged against him under Section 270 of the IPC and sections 51, 52 of the Disaster Management Act. TNN

No risk of thrombosis or blood clotting due to Covishield: Paul

No risk of thrombosis or blood clotting due to Covishield: Paul

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:25.03.2021 

There is no risk of thrombosis or blood clotting due to use of Covishield, Niti Aayog member-health Dr V K Paul said on Wednesday and urged people to get vaccinated without any fear.

This comes in the wake of concerns about possible adverse events in people vaccinated with Covishield, a vaccine developed by Oxford University and AstraZeneca.

“The Indian product Covishield has not been associated with any incidents of thrombosis,” Paul said. “There is no signal whatsoever for this concern. Covishield is safe, please proceed with its scale-up and uptake. We want to assure that there is no risk of blood clotting-related complications that were suspected in some nations with Covishield,” he added. Paul emphasised that both vaccines — Covishield and Covaxin — currently in use in India were effective against the Brazil and UK strains.

3 airlines to bar 15 flyers from flying for not wearing masks

3 airlines to bar 15 flyers from flying for not wearing masks

Saurabh.Sinha@timesgroup.com

New Delhi:25.03.2021

Three Indian carrier have initiated the process of putting 15 domestic travellers on their no fly list for refusing to follow Covid norms on the aircraft. These passengers are likely to be barred from flying for three months, as per DGCA's unruly flyers norms. Of these 15 passengers, three were offloaded before take off for refusing to wear PPE gown as required on their middle seats or masks and the rest were handed over to police on arrival.

The action has been initiated by IndiGo against 9 of its passengers; Alliance Air against four passengers and AirAsia India against two passengers. These violations were reported between March 15 and 23.

“Airlines have informed us that all of the 15 have been deemed unruly and face bar on flying for upto three months. Those who have been handed over to police will additionally face action for intimidating or misbehaving with crew, apart from the flying ban,” said a senior official of the DGCA, which has adopted a strict “zero tolerance” policy for non-compliance of Covid protocol at airports and during flying.

Under unruly flyer norms, the airline on whose flight disruptive behaviour took place can put a person on no fly list for certain time as per the gravity of his or her safety violation after following a due process. Though the offender cannot fly that airline, other carriers are free to bar that unruly person from flying on them too for the same period.

So far whenever Indian airlines have taken such action against someone deemed unruly, they all have collectively barred the person for flying for some time.

The DGCA had directed airlines, airport managements and security agencies to have zero tolerance for Covid norm violations after Delhi High Court Justice C Hari Shankar observed an “alarming situation” while flying from Kolkata to Delhi on March 5. Taking suo motu cognisance, the court passed a landmark order on March 8 to agencies for ensuring strict compliance of Covid norms by flyers. Last October, IndiGo had barred nine electronic media personnel from flying for a fortnight after they violated Covid norms.

Parliament nod for Allied & Healthcare Professions Bill

Parliament nod for Allied & Healthcare Professions Bill

Can Bring Paradigm Shift In Health Professionals’ Situation: Min

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

New Delhi:25.03.2021 

The Lok Sabha on Wednesday cleared the National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Bill, 2021, even as Union health minister Harsh Vardhan said the proposed legislation has the potential to bring a paradigm shift in health professionals' situation.

“Paramedics and allied healthcare workers are a critical part of the medical profession and their contribution is similar to doctors, if not more. The group of allied professionals is large and the bill is trying to regulate this field, by providing dignity to their roles,” Vardhan said.

The bill, passed by the Rajya Sabha, was moved for passage in Lok Sabha on Wednesday. Recalling the role played by paramedics and allied health care workers, lab technicians, radiographers, and dieticians during the Coronavirus pandemic, Vardhan said they were as much part of the people's recovery as doctors are. He said the bill aims to establish a statutory body or commission that frames policies and standards, regulate professional conduct and qualifications for allied healthcare professionals besides providing uniformity of service standards across institutions. He also said all standards have been coded by international yardsticks and there will be representations from all States and Union Territories on this commission with each state having statelevel commissions.

“A common regulator has been prepared for all allied professions. This will enable a team-based approach to patient care,” he said.

The bill provides for regulation and maintenance of standards of education and services by allied and healthcare professionals, assessment of institutions, maintenance of a central and a state register and creation of a system to improve research and development and adoption of latest scientific advancement.

Bill amending juvenile justice law passed

New Delhi:

Lok Sabha on Wednesday approved crucial changes to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 to better protect children against crimes and speed up the process of adopting them.

Union women and child minister Smriti Irani congratulated Lok Sabha for arriving at a political consensus, a rarity in recent years, to pass an amendment that will have far-reaching impact on protecting children. She also said the proposed law seeks to make the district magistrate a “synergising officer” for issues related to protection of children. TNN

Paramedics and allied healthcare workers are a critical part of the medical profession and their contribution is similar to doctors. The group of allied professionals is large and the bill is trying to regulate this field, by providing dignity to their roles

10kg plastic bag retrieved from fish

10kg plastic bag retrieved from fish

Deepthi.Sanjiv@timesgroup.com

Mangaluru:  25.03.2021 

A plastic bag with material resembling paper wrapped inside and weighing about 10kg was retrieved from a reef cod fish at a shop in Attavar here early this week.

An employee cleaning the fish stumbled upon the plastic deposit on Monday. Shocked, the storeowner decided to make a video and shared it on online platforms to spread awareness on the hazards of unchecked dumping of garbage into the sea.

“We are noticing this for the first time. If people continue to dump plastic into the sea at this rate, then fish breeding will be severely affected,” said the shop owner who did not want to be identified.

Dr A Senthil Vel, professor and dean (fisheries), College of Fisheries, said fish do not eat plastic.

“Fish are selective in what they eat. But the challenge is that the bottom of the coast is flooded with plastic and fishermen say 40%-50% of what trawlers pick is plastic. In this case, the fish caught by a trawler may have eaten plastic on the sea floor. Fish normally consume microplastic that toxifies their body. Most plastic waste flows into the sea through rivers and drains, and the administration should build a cost-effective grid that prevents the flow of waste from joining the sea,” he said.

Nagaraj Raghav Anchan, coordinator, ocean plastic recycling, Hasiru Dala, said, “We can’t ask fish not to eat plastic, but we can stop dumping waste.”

Hasiru Dala and Anti-Pollution Drive Foundation, with support from other organisations with similar ecological concern, have lifted 32 tonnes of waste dumped by the public near Netravati bridge in the past three Sundays. Of this, at least 15-20 tonnes are dry waste and, mostly, plastic.

“Up to 50-75 tonnes of waste is still needed to be lifted. Despite conducting the drive, it is unfortunate poultry waste was dumped recently. The administration assured us that CCTV cameras will be installed at the spot,” he added.

CAUGHT UNAWARES: A Mangaluru shop employee cleaning the reef cod fish stumbled upon the plastic

BIRYANI the hit for all seasons

BIRYANI the hit for all seasons

New Avatar: After Pasta & Ice Cream, Biryani-Flavoured Popcorn Is Now A Sizzling Hit

Kamini.Mathai@timesgroup.com

25.03.2021 

Whether the smoky dark Dindigul version or the veiled spiciness of the Ambur spin-off, biryani is a dish that’s local in flavour but clearly universal in appeal. Bizarrely so, in fact. Earlier this year, it adapted itself into a flavour of popcorn as well. Vishal Gurusami of Chennai-based Binge Pop began offering the biryani-flavoured popcorn, and found that within days of its launch it had become a bestseller. “We do our own seasoning for the popcorn. Clearly, people like biryani in any form,” he says.

The popcorn joins the bandwagon of recent out-of-the-box fusions of the staple such as biryani-scented attar and biryani pasta. And not to mention the biryani flavoured ice cream (which apparently comes with caramelized onion shavings for garnish!) Clearly, it’s the flavour of every season.

Giving an idea of just how much it’s in demand, Swiggy’s 5th Annual StatEATstics report 2020 reveals biryani was ordered more than once every second. In fact, during the lockdown, a large number of users made their debut on the food-ordering app by placing an order for chicken biryani. And now with the elections around the corner, the one-pot meal takes centre stage again at rallies as the surefire route to a voter’s heart — a packet of biryani, the carb-protein dish perfectly poised to raise flagging energy levels.

At its most basic level, biryani is just a meal of meat and rice, says sociocultural anthropologist Dr S Sumathi. “But that little plate holds within it the complexities of Tamil culture and that’s what makes it so popular,” she says.

In the state, the concept of hospitality or ‘Virunthombal’ is all-important, explains Sumathi. “Both food and culture are interlinked so deeply, one does not exist without the other. At a typical feast, for instance, even the very action of how you close a leaf, towards or away from you, signifies whether the experience was mournful or joyous,” she says.

In some villages, food serves as a traditional fundraiser. People who are bankrupt take a loan and throw a feast, says Sumathi. “Well-wishers enjoy the meal and place money under the leaf. So the man in debt raises money without loss of face. Food is the common denominator in times of crisis and occasions of joy.”

“There is a saying in Tamil, veetilai kai nanachitta, vaaku maara kudathu (once you come to the house and eat, you cannot go back on your word), which shows just how closely food and honour are connected. Also what makes food an integral part of TN politics,” says Sumathi. With almost 98% of the state being non-vegetarian, the easy-going and hearty biryani is the perfect way to cement a bond.

When food vlogger Irfan (of the popular social media handle Irfan’sView) got started three years ago, among the first videos he put up was of him relishing a plate of Dindigul style biryani. Almost instantly, it got him 1.6 million views and helped his digital trajectory get off to an explosive start. “When my vlogging was taking off, I would do biryani episodes at least once every two weeks because I found they got the most views,” says Irfan, a 27-year-old BPO employeeturned-popular vlogger. “Biryani is a universal dish but can be customized to local tastes. I realised viewers are on the lookout for what’s new on the biryani scene.”

Biryani is a versatile meal, says Krish Ashok, author of ‘Masala Lab: The Science of Indian Cooking’. “It can be minimalist or extravagant, depending on the ingredients. It can be made sinfully expensive with ingredients like rose water, dry fruits and saffron, or cheap by using lower quality rice and cuts of meat. But whichever way you cook it, biryani brings with it the aroma and aura of a feast,” he says.

Though it traces its origins to Persia and is believed to have been brought to India by the Mughals, today, every part of the country has its own signature version, says Krish. “For instance, the Malabar style incorporates pineapple, while the Bengalis add potato.”

“The Madurai style uses the more meaty seeraga samba rice, while in Chennai it’s the lighter basmati rice that is used. Just the type of rice can change the taste.” Though biryani merely combines the most widely eaten staple rice with meat, it is truly a canvas that adapts itself across class and situation, says Krish. “It’s perfect for people in a rush, for those who have all the time in the world, for the poor and the rich. It’s infinitely variable,” he says. Which is why, election season or not, it’s always got the vote of the masses.

‘My aunt said she was stepping aside for now, told me to take up poll fight’

TALKING TO TOI ELECTIONS 2021

‘My aunt said she was stepping aside for now, told me to take up poll fight’

AMMK general secretary T T V Dhinakaran says the decision to step aside from politics by his aunt V K Sasikala was her own and that no one forced her to take the call. He denied the BJP had forced her to step aside or tried to bring the AIADMK and the AMMK together. In an interview to D Govardan amid his campaign in Tiruvannamalai on Wednesday, Dhinakaran exuded confidence that the AMMK-led alliance will triumph in the assembly election on the back of people’s yearning for a real change.

How is the response from the people to your campaign?

The response has been very good. The ground reality is reflecting the people’s yearning for change. They have understood that the present government has betrayed the public as well as those who anointed them to the position of power. On the other, the DMK has created an illusion, as it does in every election, that it is coming to power. But the people are ready to demolish that illusion. People are looking for a real change and the AMMK has formed a formidable alliance with the DMDK, SDPI and Owaisi’s AIMIM as well as several smaller local parties, besides several organisations and fronts too have extended their support. Moreover, people are wholeheartedly supporting us and will ensure that our alliance wins with a clear majority.

DMK president M K Stalin says his alliance will win all 234 seats, while AIADMK minister S P Velumani has said their alliance will win more than 200. How many seats have they left for your alliance?

Had Velumani said his party will lose more than 200 seats, it would be closer to reality. The DMK always creates a hype that it will emerge the winner right from the days of Kalaignar (M Karunanidhi) and the best example was the 1980 assembly election, where the DMK had even printed victory posters and had kept them ready for his birthday. But the people re-elected MGR as the CM. The DMK cannot aspire to get people’s votes, beyond those of the allied parties. I am sure people will repose faith in the AMMK.

Your aunt V K Sasikala was given a rousing welcome on her return. So, why did she step aside from politics?

There were a lot of expectations. But not from us. After returning from Bengaluru, she wanted to get into politics full-time. But the repeated statements by AIADMK leaders that she is not welcome, hurt her. Did she say that she wanted to rejoin the AIADMK? It is one thing that someone wants to join and another if the party leaders make statements on their own. It was these people, who had elected her as their general secretary and fell at her feet to accept that post. Watching these developments, she expressed her anguish and told me that she was stepping aside for the present and asked me to go ahead with my electoral fight.

There were reports that the BJP had forced her to step aside.

No. It is not true. No one from the BJP spoke either to me or her. No one coerced her to step aside.

There were reports that I too have been forced to step away from politics. But I informed the media that no one can coerce me and that the first list of candidates will be released on March 10 and I did that. Some vested interests created such rumours.

Who are these vested interests?

Our political enemies and our betrayers, besides the media which supports them and the agents who participate in political debates on television channels. The state is also involved in spreading such rumours. It is definitely an act of those, whose poll prospects will be affected by the AMMK.

There were also reports that the BJP intervened to bring the AIADMK and the AMMK together.

No. There were no talks like that. I also saw such media reports. But no one, especially from the BJP, spoke to me.

There were reports that O Panneerselvam was in touch with you.

It is a blatant lie. We never spoke to each other. In the past people had even spread rumours about Amma (J Jayalalithaa) having a daughter.

Such rumours are the handiwork of our enemy – the DMK or the betrayers – Palaniswami and Company.

But why is Edappadi Palaniswami so cut up with you?

It is because of the fear of losing. To reclaim the AIADMK democratically is our aim. That is why the AMMK was formed and he now fears that our party will defeat them. They are only banking on purchasing votes. But they know they will not succeed. People also know that it is their money that is coming back to them and they will take it. But we will do an RK Nagar across the state.

On Tuesday, O Panneerselvam told a news channel that he never doubted Sasikala in the death of Jayalalithaa and the party is open to examine her re-entry to the party. What do you think made him take such a stand now?

I also saw that. There is opposition building against him in his constituency and the fear of losing could have force him to say such a thing now. He started a ‘dharmayudh’ against our family and the world knows what he had said about us then. If he is changing his stand, it must be due to belated realisation of his folly. You have to pose the question to him. But since this is happening closer to the election, one has to doubt his realisation.

While you attack both the DMK and the AIADMK, you seem to be silent on the BJP in your campaign.

In 2019, it was the Lok Sabha election and hence I had to attack the BJP.

This is an assembly election and the fight is only between the AMMK, the DMK and the AIADMK. Whenever a move is made by the BJP against the interests of Tamil people, I attack it.

Contesting elections is an expensive affair. With your aunt backing out, how will you manage without her financial support?

We are heading into the election based on the strength of our cadres and the personal financial strength of our candidates. Is Chinnamma (Sasikala) running a finance company to fund me? What support can she provide, when she herself has come out of prison after four years.

If as predicted by opinion polls, the DMK wins, is there a possibility of the AIADMK and the AMMK coming together?

First, the cadres will come together. The AIADMK leaders with moneybags and all those who spoke ill about us will look for alternative pastures out of fear. If by chance, please note, only by chance, the DMK comes to power, everyone will know where these leaders, with skeletons in their cupboards, will be. All those who are not at fault or don’t have any dirty baggage will come together as Amma’s cadres.

Will it be a unified AIADMK then?

Only the cadres will decide when that happens.

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