Becoming doctors isn’t a tall order for Mumbai tailor’s ‘dwarf’ daughters

Mohammed.Wajihuddin@timesgroup.com

Mumbai:29.11.2020

For years their diminutive stature made some wonder if they would do anything meaningful with their lives, but the Idrisi sisters—Zubaida, 23, who is 3.5-foot tall and Humaira, 22, who is 3.9—have already become mini-celebrities in their Nagpada neighbourhood. They qualified in this year’s medical entrance exam (NEET) and recently secured their MBBS admission — Humaira has got into Topiwala Nair Medical College at Mumbai Central and Zubaida at Government Medical College in Jalgaon.

The Idrisi sisters who live with three other siblings and parents—father Ahsanullah who is a tailor and mother Rukhsar a homemaker—in the crowded Kazipura locality could not have made it to the MBBS course but for a chance meeting with Ashfaque Moosa of Khidmat Charitable Trust last year.

A local NGO runs a dispensary in a corner of P T Mane Garden at Nagpada, which Zubaida and Humaira visited to pick up medicine for their grandmother. Moosa, who is called Ashfaque bhai, was at the dispensary then and asked the two about their education. On hearing that they had abandoned their dream to be doctors and subsequently graduated in science from the nearby Maharashtra College, Ashfaque bhai told them to not give up on it. “If a six-footer needs 600 marks in NEET to get into MBBS, you need less than half of that,” he joked. On further enquiries, the sisters found their condition was covered in the reserved category of “differently disabled” and they could take a shot at NEET.

“Ashfaque uncle hamari gudiyon ke liye farishta bankar aae (Ashfaque uncle came as an angel for my dolls),” says the sisters’ burqa-clad mother Rukhsar. “He showed them the path and my beloved daughters never looked back since the day they met him.”

Ashfaque Bhai says the girls had full support of their poor parents but were discouraged from even trying to clear NEET. “Someone told them to become lab technicians or join BUMS, a Unani medicine course. But I saw the burning desire in them and that desire only needed a proper direction,” says Ashfaque bhai who helps arrange scholarships for needy and deserving students.

Full report on www.toi.in

SUPER SIBLINGS: Zubaida (L), who at 23 stands at 3.5ft, and Humaira, 22, and 3.9ft tall, with their mother Rukhsa

After surge, coronavirus case numbers dip in Rajasthan, MP, Haryana & UP

After surge, coronavirus case numbers dip in Rajasthan, MP, Haryana & UP

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

29.11.2020

The country reported aroundthesame number of fresh Covid-19 cases as the previous day, even as severalstatesin north andcentralIndia where the pandemic had surged in recent weeks showed signs of the virus receding.

India reported 41,927 new infections on Saturday, a slight increase from the 41,504 cases recorded the previous day, as per data collatedfrom state governments. Daily cases have decreased marginally in the past two days, with no signs yet of the feared second wave in the country following the festive season.

Daily cases were dropping gradually in several states across north and central India. These states — Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh — were among those that appeared to be leading the surge in the pandemic in the past two-three weeks.

In Delhi, fresh cases had decreased to 4,998 from a high of 8,593 recorded on November 11. Rajasthan reported 2,765 new cases on Saturday, down from a peak of 3,314 four days earlier.

Similarly, Madhya Pradesh’s daily count had dropped to1,634 from 1,798 on November 22whilethe number droppedto under 2,000 in Haryana (1,967) after 12 days. The state had logged a peak of 3,104 on November 20.

Likewise, Uttar Pradesh registered 2,170 new infections on Saturday, down from a November peak of 2,858 recorded eight days ago. Himachal Pradesh too reported a drop from a high of 948 cases recorded on November 24 to 650 on Saturday.

However, the infection appearedtobestillsurging in Gujarat. The state recorded 1,598 cases on Saturday, close to its peakof 1,607 reportedjust a day earlier.

After three days of recording 6,000-plus new Covid-19 positive cases, Maharashtra witnessed a marginal dip with 5,965 cases on Saturday. Mumbai, however, continued with its seemingly new stable number of little over 1,000 cases (1,063) for the fourth consecutive day.

Full report on www.toi.in

A BMC health worker doing a rapid antigen Covid-19 test in Mumbai on Saturday

PM Modi visits vaccine plants in 3 cities, reviews progress

PM Modi visits vaccine plants in 3 cities, reviews progress

Seeks Scientists’ Views On How To Improve India’s Regulatory Processes

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

29.11.2020

Pune/Ahmedabad/Hyderabad: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday visited the units of three vaccine manufacturers in India to review the progress of vaccine development and manufacturing process — Zydus Biotech Park in Ahmedabad, Bharat Biotech in Hyderabad and Serum Institute of India (SII) in Pune.

Modi’s first stop was Ahmedabad where he reviewed the vaccine development and manufacturing process of Zydus Group’s indigenous plasmid DNA vaccine – ZyCov-D.

“What struck me and left me impressed was PM @narendramodi’s emphasis on science and vision for global good,” Zydus group chairman Pankaj Patel tweeted after PM Modi’s visit.

The company has completed the phase-II human clinical trials of ZyCov-D and the results are currently being analysed. “Soon, the data will be presented(tothe regulator) and the third phase will be kicked off. The phase-III trial is expected to begin in December and we hope to complete the third phase trials by March,” Patel told TOI.

“The vaccine is likely to come to market after March next year, subject to regulatory approvals. The production capacity is now being ramped up and the expansion will be over by January. With this, Zydus Cadila’s vaccine capacity will increase to 100 to 150 million doses per annum,” added Patel.

Later, Modi visited Bharat Biotech’s facility at Genome Valley in Hyderabad as part of his three-city tour. The PM interacted with the company’s top brass, including its chairman and managing director Dr Krishna Ella, as well as scientists involved with the development of Covaxin, India’s first indigenous Covid-19 vaccine being developed by the Hyderabad-based vaccine maker.

His last stop was at the vaccine major Serum Institute of India’s new plant at Manjari and interacted with its team about the manufacturing, logistics and distribution of its Covid-19 vaccine — Covieshield.

In a tweet, the Prime Minister said, “Had a good interaction with the team at Serum Institute of India. They shared details about their progress so far on how they plan to further ramp up vaccine manufacturing. Also, took a look at their manufacturing facility.”

Serum Institute of India (SII) has partnered with the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca for the manufacture anddistribution of the vaccine.

Its owner and chief executive officer (CEO) Adar Poonawalla said there was a discussion with the Prime Minister regarding the implementation plan of vaccine rollout. The newfacility whichwill ramp up the capacity to 2 billion doses from 1.5 billion a year was also showcased to the PM, he said. At present, the company has stockpiled about 40 million doses, and will ramp up to 100 million doses per month after January.

Worldwide, everyone is dependent andlooking forwardto vaccines coming out of India which will be in large volumes and at an affordable price, as the country has about 50-60% global capacity, he said, adding India and Covax countries will be our priority.

The company did not take up queries on the adverse sideeffect, and legal notice reportedly served by a trial participant. A release by the PMO said Modi stressed on that fact that “India considers vaccines as not only vital to good health but also as a global good and that it is India’s duty to assist other countries, including the nations in India’s neighbourhood, in the collective fight against Covid-19.”

He also asked scientists for their suggestions on how the country couldimproveits regulatory processes further, the PMO release said.

VISION FOR GLOBAL GOOD: PM Narendra Modi said it is India’s duty to assist other countries in the collective fight against Covid-19

Union min Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti tests +ve

Kanpur: Union minister Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti tested positive for Covid-19 on late Friday night and was shifted to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi from the ICU ward of Lala Lajpat Rai’s (LLR) Neuro-Science Centre in Kanpur. The minister of state for rural development informed people about her testing positive and urged all those who had come in contact with her in the past 10 days to take care and get themselves tested. TNN Full report on www.toi.in

Cases rise marginally in south, officials wary

Cases rise marginally in south, officials wary

Sukshma.R@timesgroup.com

Madurai:29.11.2020

Even as Covid-19 cases across the state were on the decline during the past month, a marginal rise in the number of fresh cases in the southern region for the past few days has raised concerns of a possible spike. Health officials are vigilant and asserted that the daily Covid-19 testing will be kept as high as possible.

Active cases in the southern districts is on the rise again. On Saturday, the region had 1,075 active cases. By November 15, daily fresh cases were 150 on an average. However, since Tuesday, the daily cases have been above 150 consistently. On Thursday, when fresh infections reached 184, more than 50% of the cases were from Madurai, Dindigul and Virudhunagar.

“Except for the few days during Diwali, Covid-19 testing has not dropped. In Madurai, around 2,500-3,000 are tested daily. That is why we are able to identify even around 30 cases,” said a district health official. In Virudhunagar and Dindigul, health officials said around 1,000-1,500 samples are being tested for Covid-19 daily. “That’s a lot when we have cases as few as 20-30 a day,” said an official from Virudhunagar. Health officials said some cases are also due to people travelling between districts and states for Diwali. The official added that measures are being taken to test all those coming from other states.

No helmet, no fuel from next week

NEWS DIGEST

29.11.2020

No helmet, no fuel from next week

Refilling stations in the city will not dispense fuel to bike riders if they fail to wear helmets from next week, says the city traffic police. The petrol bunk owners have been asked to erect a poster in front of the fuel stations that two-wheelers without a helmet will not be provided petrol. The initiative is likely to come into effect from next week.

Boy, 11, fishing in canal drowns: M ukesh, an 11-yearold Class V student, drowned in Nalla canal at Kodungaiyur on Friday while fishing. Police said Mukesh had come to his grandmother’s house in the area. After fire and rescue services personnel fished him out, he was sent to the government general hospital where he was declared dead

Cop warns hotel manager at gunpoint, suspended: A 50-year-old police constable has been placed under suspension for allegedly threatening a restaurant manager at gunpoint in Villivakkam. Vincent of Secretariat Colony police weas personal security officer to All India Hindu Satya Sena national president Vasanthkumar. On November 24, he accompanied Vasanthkumar to a restaurant in Villivakkam and allegedly shared his phone number with a few women staff. On November 26, he reportedly received a call from one of the women who claimed the manager sexually harassed her. Vincent went there and pulled out his revolver to threaten the manager, police said.

DVAC raid recovers ₹4.9L from sub-registrar office: DVAC (special investigation cell) officers and inspection cell officers on Friday seized ₹77,000 from the Alandur sub-registrar’s office at Nanganallur and accumulated bribe money of ₹4.9lakh from the sub-registrar’s house. The check was carried out based on a tip.

Trains from Chennai to Vijayawada daily: Southern Railway will operate daily trains between Chennai and Vijayawada from December 1. Vijaywada-MGR Chennai Central super fast special (02711) will leave Vijayawada at 6.10am from December 1. In the return direction MGR Chennai Central–Vijayawada daily superfast special (02712) will leave at 2.10pm.

Annual IIT-M alumni meet from Dec 1to 6: IIT Madras Alumni Association (IITMAA) has converted its annual global conference into an online event due to the pandemic. Sangam 2020, the conference, will be held from December 1 to 6.

Two multi-level car parks at airport to be ready by April 2021, says AAI ‘2K Cars Can Be Parked, 80% Work Over So Far’

Two multi-level car parks at airport to be ready by April 2021, says AAI

‘2K Cars Can Be Parked, 80% Work Over So Far’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:29.11.2020

The two multi-level car parks at Chennai airport will be ready by April 2021, with about 80% of the work completed so far, an Airports Authority of India (AAI) official said.

Construction, which began in March last year, is progressing fast to meet the April deadline, the official added.

The initial plan was to have two towers, flanking the airport metro station, but it was later revised to add a hotel and a mall.

With the old terminal building — which had a transit lodging facility — pulled down to build a new terminal, AAI decided to set up a hotel in one of the parking blocks.

Many airports abroad have hotels on campus or nearby, said an official, adding that a hotel would benefit transit passengers and business travellers.

The entire two-tower complex will come up across 4.25 acres at a cost of ₹250 crore and can accommodate a minimum of 2,000 cars. The tower on the west will have six parking levels, including the basement, a hotel spread across 2,749sqm and food and beverage retail stores across 4,804.85sqm. The one on the east will have seven parking levels, a multiplex spread across 3,717.61sqm and a mall spread over 14,030sqm and three levels.

With domestic passenger traffic picking up and an integrated terminal almost ready, the towers will help accommodate all the cars and prevent traffic congestion inside the campus. The airport at present handles close to 190 flights and around 21,000 passengers a day.

Passengers after parking their cars in the towers can access the terminals without having to leave the building. A link bridge will connect the parking block with the elevated tube that runs before the terminals. Most of the buildings have been constructed and work will soon be taken up to link them to the terminals. The existing parking lot on the ground proved inconvenient as passengers have to cross the road in front of the terminal to access it.

“The multi-level car parks with its hotels and malls will help convert the area into a commercial zone and will enhance the airport’s non-aeronautical revenue,” an official said.

NEARING COMPLETION: Work is under way at the multi-level car parking facility at the airport

‘Work-from-home’ life increases Indians’ workday by 32 minutes

‘Work-from-home’ life increases Indians’ workday by 32 minutes

Himanshi.Dhawan@timesgroup.com

29.11.2020

As if hurried lunches and endless video meetings were not proof enough, a new study shows that the workfrom-home day for Indians got much longer during the pandemic.

A survey of 65 countries by workplace software developer Atlassian found that people across the world were starting remote work earlier and logging off much later. Israelis added 47 minutes to their average workday while Indians spent 32 minutes more at work in April and May as compared to the beginning of the year, as did Australians and Americans.

While work from home (WFH) has taken away long commutes, it hasn’t really added to metime as much as people had imagined.

‘Over half of respondents find it harder now to maintain work-life boundaries’

Hyderabad-based IT professional Puneet Srivastav, who always enjoyed flexi-timing, says earlier WFH was a euphemism for ‘work for home’ and used as an opportunity to finish chores, or squeeze in a doctor or school visit. Srivastav says, “Now I am chained to the desk. We are always supposed to be available for meetings.”

The study also indicates that while working remotely people finished higher amounts in the mornings and evenings while productivity dipped during the afternoon.

This could indicate employees were taking advantage of the extra flexibility of WFH but that it could be encroaching on what would have previously been free time. This shows how boundaries between home and office blurred during the pandemic.

The study noted, “Even those without caregiving responsibilities reported struggling to delineate between work time and personal time, and were prone to working long hours without pausing for a break. Over half of respondents said it’s harder now to maintain work-life boundaries than before the pandemic, and 23% reported thinking about work during their off-hours more than they used to.”

As is the case with a west Delhi-based corporate executive who calls WFH “work full hours”. She logs in a 12-hour day and after a break for dinner files a daily report till 2 am.

“There is no break from work like commute time or the small tea breaks we had in office. Our family — all working or studying from home — has resorted to readymade chapatis and packaged food because no one has no time to cook,” she says.

The study also indicates that while working remotely people finished higher amounts in the mornings and evenings while productivity dipped during the afternoon