MP, 2 May 2024, Siliguri: North Bengal districts shone in the Madhyamik examination this year with many of the rank holders emerging from this region. Kalimpong district had the highest pass percentage rate with 96.88 per cent.
About 14 students have clinched the first to tenth rank from North Bengal. South Dinajpur has the highest number with 7 among the 13. Chandrachur Sen of Cooch Behar clinched the top spot in the West Bengal Secondary Examination 2024 with an impressive score of 693 out of 700.
Asif Kamal, a student of Mathabhanga High School in Cooch Behar, secured the seventh rank with 687 marks. Udayan Prosad of South Dinajpur ranked 3rd in the state with an impressive score of 691.
Balurghat High School in South Dinajpur saw four students placed in the state merit list this year, reflecting the institution’s dedication to academic excellence.
In addition to Udayan, Krishanu Saha (688 marks with 98.29 per cent) secured sixth position, Saatwata De (687 marks with 98.14 per cent) secured seventh position and Rounak Ghosh (685 marks with 97.86 per cent) secured ninth position in the state merit list, all from Balurghat High School.
Two students from Balurghat Girls High School, Abritti Ghatak and Arpit Ghosh (687 marks with 98.14 per cent) placed in the seventh position and one from Baul Parameshwar High School Ashmita Chakraborty (685 marks with 97.86 per cent) placed in ninth position in the merit list.
Around 4 students of Mozampur HSSB High School under Kaliachak Police Station, Malda have etched their name in the merit list. Their names are Sahabuddin Ali, who ranked 6th by scoring 688 marks; Bishal Chandra Mandal and Aminul Islam both scored 685 and ranked 9th along with Bishal Mandal who secured the 10th position by getting 684 numbers.
Bhowmi Sarkar, a student of Raiganj Girls’ Higher Secondary School of North Dinajpur, secured the 10th position. She has obtained a total of 684 marks. She is a resident of Purbasa para in Ward 13 of Raiganj Municipality.
In Kalimpong district, the pass rate for male students was 96.79 per cent, while for female students it was 96.97 per cent.
Out of 1375 male students, 1370 were successful and 1617 female students emerged successful out of 1619 students. In Darjeeling district, of 6,713 male students, 6,684 passed. Out of 8,244 female students, 8,207 students passed.
The total pass rate was 82.27 per cent. In Jalpaiguri district, 9824 male students passed out of 9890 students and 12519 female students passed out of 12611 students. The total pass percentage was 73.09 per cent.
In Alipurduar, 6589 male students passed out of 6640, 8029 female students passed out of 8071, the total pass percentage was 76.38 per cent.
In Malda district, 19013 male students qualified out of 19120 students, 23555 female students qualified out of 23765 students. Total pass percentage stood at 81.46 per cent.
In Cooch Behar, 13405 male students became successful out of 13498 students. 15871 female students qualified out of 16018 students.
The total pass percentage was 83.91 per cent. In North Dinajpur, 11392 male students emerged successful out of 11495 students. 17391 female students qualified out of 17690 students.
The total pass percentage was 75.47 per cent. In South Dinajpur, 6718 male students became successful out of 6756 students. 7845 female students became successful out of 7896 students.
Severe heatwave situations will, however, continue in districts like Bankura, Jhargram, West Midnapore, East Burdwan and West Burdwan on Friday
MP, 3 May 2024, Kolkata: The Regional Meteorological Centre in Alipore held out a ray of hope for the heatwave situation to change from Sunday or Monday with the possibility of rains in the coastal districts on Saturday.
Severe heatwave situations will, however, continue in districts like Bankura, Jhargram, West Midnapore, East Burdwan and West Burdwan on Friday.
The MeT office also predicted that mercury will start sliding down in the next 48 hours. Many of the South Bengal districts will receive rainfall between Sunday and Tuesday. The MeT office said that heatwave conditions are very likely to continue till Sunday over south Bengal, which has been reeling under a scorching sun.
Several districts in the Western parts of Bengal have been consistently registering temperatures over 45 degrees Celsius for the past many days.
The MeT office prediction said severe heatwave is likely to continue in Bankura, Birbhum, Jhargram, West Midnapore, East Midnapore and West Burdwan. There will not be any large change in maximum temperature during the next two days and thereby it will fall gradually in the subsequent three days in the region.
The severe weather conditions in the southern and western districts of Bengal are being caused by dry westerly winds and strong solar insolation, the MeT office said. Kolkata is also bracing for severe heatwaves.
The city and its adjoining areas like Dum Dum, Salt Lake, Barrackpore, Barasat already witnessed the highest temperature of over 42 degrees in the past couple of days.
The Gangetic West Bengal, Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Jharkhand, and Odisha are all reeling under the extreme heatwave conditions, according to reports.
Thunderstorms may hit districts like Nadia, Murshidabad, Birbhum, parts of North and South 24-Parganas and East Midnapore on Sunday. Rainfall may intensify on Monday.
A mild breeze may also sweep through several parts of South Bengal. North Bengal districts like Darjeeling, Kalimpong and Jalpaiguri will receive thunderstorms accompanied by strong winds measuring around 30-40 kmph in the next 48 hours.
Kolkata on Thursday registered the highest temperature at around 40 degree Celsius, Salt Lake 39, Dum Dum 39, Diamond Harbour 39, Midnapore 43, Purulia 43, Asansol 42.
Out of the total number of candidates, 7,65,252 were successful while the results of two were withheld, 46 candidates’ exams were cancelled and 81 were exonerated
MP, 3 May 2024, Kolkata: Children With Special Needs (CWSN) performed well in the Madhyamik 2024 with a success rate of 86.90 per cent. “This proves that the urge for education is universally present among all school-goers” the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education stated on Thursday.
The result of the Madhyamik was announced on Thursday. A total of 9,12,598 candidates appeared. Exams were conducted in seven compulsory subjects, 12 first languages, three second languages and 47 optional elective subjects.
Out of the total number of candidates, 7,65,252 were successful while the results of two were withheld, 46 candidates’ exams were cancelled and 81 were exonerated.
Out of the total number of candidates, 962 CWSN candidates appeared for the examination. According to the data provided by the Board, 192 visually impaired candidates — 101 male and 91 female — 184 with hearing impairment — 94 male and 90 female — and 586 Orthopedic Physically Handicapped (OPH) candidates — 353 male and 233 female.
Out of 192 visually-impaired candidates, 182 were successful candidates out of which 99 were boys and 83 were girls. Out of 184 candidates with hearing impairment, 141 were successful candidates and out of 586 OPH candidates, 539 candidates were successful.
The visually impaired students were allowed one amanuensis (one substitute when required) during the examination and were allowed 45 minutes extra time.
The examination centres were requested to make provision for examinees suffering from Thalassaemia and those who are wheelchair-bound to take their examination on the ground floor. Orthopaedically handicapped examinees were allotted examination centres with ramps.
The court acknowledged the corruption allegations against the accused and the filed chargesheet, emphasizing the automatic nature of the grant. The court held the delay a “violation of orders” and an attempt to “subvert the criminal prosecution.
PTI, Kolkata, 2 May 2024 : The Calcutta High Court expressed dismay over the delay in granting sanction to prosecute former officials in the 2016 West Bengal school jobs case. Despite directing the decision by May 2, the state requested seven more weeks, which the court deemed “wilful delay.”
The court acknowledged the corruption allegations against the accused and the filed chargesheet, emphasizing the automatic nature of the grant. The court held the delay a “violation of orders” and an attempt to “subvert the criminal prosecution.” The accused were seen as too powerful to allow for a fair trial, raising concerns about institutional support and prosecution viability.
he Calcutta High Court on Thursday expressed ”pain” at the prolonged delay by the West Bengal chief secretary in deciding on the grant of sanction to prosecute former public servants arrested by CBI in the 2016 school jobs case.
The high court on April 23 directed the top official to decide on the matter by May 2 in the case. During the day, the state government prayed for seven weeks to decide on granting the sanction. The court termed it a ”wilful delay” and said a sanctioning authority ”cannot hold prosecution to ransom” by dragging its feet on taking a decision on sanction for prosecution.
Stating that it is pained at the delay despite repeated directions by it and setting guidelines on the issue of granting sanction to the chief secretary, a division bench presided by Justice Joymalya Bagchi said that it will hear out the parties and take a decision on bail applications by the accused persons on Friday.
Former West Bengal minister Partha Chatterjee, one of the accused in custody, moved a bail application before the court along with other ex-public servants who were arrested in the case.
The chief secretary, through the state’s advocate general, prayed for seven weeks’ time to take a decision on the application for sanction by the CBI.
Maintaining that the accused persons were public servants and that there is an allegation of corruption against them and a chargesheet has been filed, the court said that it is an automatic course to take a decision on grant of sanction.
The bench said the court is being constrained to take a harsh view of it.
Advocate General Kishore Dutta submitted that this court should not have gone into the question of sanction as the issue to be decided in this matter is bail applications by the accused persons.
Holding that the matter before it is definitely whether the accused persons are enlarged on bail or not, the court said, ”If it comes to our light that a particular agency is subverting the process of criminal justice, will the court turn a blind eye?” Stating that constitutional democracy moves on trust, the bench said that this is not an expected stance of a constitutional democracy.
”We are constrained to observe that this has been a wilful effort not only to violate our orders, but suffered the administration of criminal justice,” the bench said.
The court said that it will be a relevant consideration for deciding the bail applications that there are roadblocks creating hindrances to trial.
Maintaining that it is an ”institutional conspiracy”, the court said that the accused persons seemed to be too powerful to subvert the criminal prosecution. The court said that it is ”really apprehensive whether the wherewithal and institutional support for a fair trial is possible here.” Stating that it is up to the prosecuting agency to take a call on that, the court said that it feels extremely distressed.
On April 9 also, the bench expressed its displeasure over the delay in grant of sanction and directed the chief secretary to take a decision by April 23.
The CBI had stated before the court during a previous hearing of the matter that the governor of West Bengal had granted sanction to prosecute former minister Partha Chatterjee.
The division bench is jointly hearing the bail prayers of the state’s former Education minister Partha Chatterjee, former secretary of West Bengal School Service Commission Ashok Saha, former SSC chairman Subires Bhattacharyya and former chairman of SSC’s advisory committee Santi Prasad Sinha, who are in custody for about two years in connection with the case.
The Calcutta High Court on Thursday expressed “pain” at the prolonged delay by the West Bengal Chief Secretary in deciding on the grant of sanction to prosecute former public servants arrested by CBI in the 2016 school jobs case.
Maintaining that the accused persons were public servants and that there is an allegation of corruption against them and a charge sheet has been filed, the court said that it is an automatic course to take a decision on grant of sanction. The bench said the court is being constrained to take a harsh view of it.
Advocate General Kishore Dutta submitted that this court should not have gone into the question of sanction as the issue to be decided in this matter is bail applications by the accused persons. Holding that the matter before it is definitely whether the accused persons are enlarged on bail or not, the court said, “If it comes to our light that a particular agency is subverting the process of criminal justice, will the court turn a blind eye?”
Stating that constitutional democracy moves on trust, the bench said that this is not an expected stance of a constitutional democracy. “We are constrained to observe that this has been a wilful effort not only to violate our orders, but suffered the administration of criminal justice,” the bench said. The court said that it will be a relevant consideration for deciding the bail applications that there are roadblocks creating hindrances to trial.
YOWAN MOTHAY, EOI, KALIMPONG, MAY 2, 2024: In this year’s Madhyamik Examination, the Kalimpong district has achieved the highest pass percentage in the state of West Bengal. The Kalimpong district has secured a pass percentage 96.2 in secondary examination this year.
This is considered to be the highest pass percentage in the state. Last year, the Kalimpong district was the second in pass percentage and this year it has reached first place. This year’s Madhyamik examination results have made Kalimpong proud and there is a wave of happiness throughout the district after the results.
Leeom Lenchyao Lepcha of St Philomena School in Kalimpong is the district topper, securing 90.2 percent marks. Leeom is a resident of Chibo under constituency no.33. She has attributed her success to God and Sisters, teachers and parents. She also said that hard work is behind her success.
“The bigger the goal, the harder it is to work and if you work hard, you will surely succeed,” she said. She said that she is planning to prepare for her NEET as her dream was to become a doctor.
Similarly, Norden Lepcha, her father, while expressing his happiness at his daughter’s success, said that instead of scolding the children, one should give advice and encouragement. Principal of St. Philomena School Sister Cricenta Rai, thanked God for the good results of the school in the secondary examination and Leeom Lencho Lepcha from the school for her score and for becoming the Kalimpong district topper.
A total of 3921 students took the exam from Kalimpong district this year.
The forest fire, which started on Thursday morning, was brought under control by the evening with the intervention by the fire operators and officials of the Forest Department, and with the help of local residents.
EOI, DARJEELING, MAY 2, 2024 : The
sudden forest fire at Topkey Dara,
near 3rd Mile, around 19 km from
Darjeeling, has posed an imminent
threat to the breeding center for red
panda and snow leopards at Topkey
Dara, just one km away.
The area
falls under the Senchal Wildlife
Sanctuary and is run by the
Padmaja Naidu Himalayan
Zoological Park (PNHZP).
The forest fire, which started on
Thursday morning, was brought
under control by the evening with
the intervention by the fire
operators and officials of the Forest
Department, and with the help of
local residents.
Ranger Uttam Pradhan of the
Darjeeling Wildlife Division
Sinchel East Range said: “The fire
might have started around 7 a.m. We
came to know about the fire only
after we got a phone call around 7.20
a.m. when a former forest staff
informed us about it, seeing smoke
coming out of the area. He had seen
the smoke from Mall Road in
Darjeeling.
Acting on the
information we went for inspection
and found that fire had started from
3rd Mile and was spreading
towards the Breeding Centre.
Another fire had also started at 6th
Mile on the road towards
Kalimpong. We had to face a lot of
difficulty trying to fight two fires.”
Pradhan said initially fire
extinguishers were utilized to fight
the spreading fire with the Fire
Department from Darjeeling town
also sending one fire tender to help
them.
A fire tender that has been
kept as reserve by the fire
department in the Dispersion Centre
and Receipt Centre (DCRC) set up
at Darjeeling Government College
(DGC) where strong rooms have
been made for the recently
concluded polls though could not
be utilized.
“We also requested
water tanks that sell water from
perennial water sources like
Kalikhola close by to this area to
help us in supplying water. They
helped by bringing water in 10
vehicles,” Pradhan said. Each of the
trucks which supply water to
Darjeeling town can carry 2000 litres
of water at a time. The local police
force, staff of the PNHZP and the
forest department along with locals
from nearby villages located in 3rd
Mile, Dabaipani, Naya Basti among
other places where the Joint Forest
Management Committee also exists
pitched in to fight the forest fire.
Fire lines were also made in places
by cutting grass to ensure that the
fire did not spread. When asked
about how the fire could have
started Pradhan stated, “The exact
reason for the fire starting is not
known but the month of April to
May is a very dry season with the
jungles also very dry. The few days
have also been excessively windy,
and a natural fire could have started
due to friction caused by the wind
and with the forest being dry a
small fire can get out of control.”
Pradhan also said that though more
than 80 percent of the fire had been
brought under control by the
afternoon, the day being windy and
with chances of ground fires still
burning underneath there, the
surface could ignite again. He said
that this fire was hard to detect.
“We
will stay on vigil throughout the
night and there could be the danger
of the fire starting again,” he said
while adding that the extent of area
damage could not be ascertained
right now
Refuse to be cowed down by engineered narratives….truth will triumph: Bose
EOI, KOLKATA, MAY 2, 2024 : In a sensational incident that stirred a political furore in the state a female employee of Raj Bhavan today put West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose in the dock for sexual harassment.
She filed a complaint against the Governor at Hare Street police station under Kolkata Police . The woman, who had been working as a temporary employee of Raj Bhavan used to live in the staff quarters of Raj Bhavan.
However the Governor refuted the charges vehemently. “Truth shall triumph. I refuse to be cowed down by engineered narratives If any body wants some election benefits by maligning me God bless them. But they can not stop my fight against corruption and violence in Bengal,’’
Governor Bose said in a statement. In expected fashion the incident triggered a political slugfest in the state. `
`A Governor is being accused of indulging in sexual harassment. What kind of state we are in,’’ fumed state minister Chandrima Bhattacharya.
Retorted Subhendu Adhikary, BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly. “It could be an attempt to divert people’s attention from the several scams the ruling TMC is reeling under. However the allegation should be probed. `
If it turns out to be a conspiracy the perpetrators should be punished. But if it comes out to be true action should also be taken,’’ Ashikary said.
However, according to constitutional experts a Governor, while in office enjoys immunity from all criminal proceedings under Article 361 of the Constitution.
He was addressing a poll gathering at Surendranagar in Gujarat in support of BJP candidates for Surendranagar and Bhavnagar Lok Sabha seats
PTI, Surendranagar, May 02 2024 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday attacked the Congress over party president Mallikarjun Kharge’s recent remark on Lord Ram and Lord Shiva, accusing the opposition party of trying to create divisions among Hindus due to its appeasement politics.
He was addressing a poll gathering at Surendranagar in Gujarat in support of BJP candidates for Surendranagar and Bhavnagar Lok Sabha seats. “Now, Congress is trying to create divisions among Hindus. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has made a very dangerous statement about Lord Ram and Lord Shiva.
This statement has been made with malafide intentions.
They are playing a game to divide the Hindu community,” he said. “They are creating differences among the devotees of Lord Ram and Lord Shiva so that they fight with each other. Even Mughals could not break our thousands of years of traditions.
And now Congress wants to break it? How low will Congress stoop for appeasement?” Modi added. The PM also alleged that Congress, in its manifesto, has proposed a separate quota for minorities in the allocation of all government tenders.
Addressing a rally in Jamnagarin Gujarat, the PM said the Congress government in Karnataka issued a “fatwa” overnight to include Muslims in the Other Backward Classes
segment to give them quota benefits. “The Congress is contesting elections on two strategies. The first is to divide society in the name of caste and the second is unite its vote bank through appeasement,” Modi said.
He further said the Congress planned to change the Constitution to give reservation on the basis of religion. This is why the Congress party spread an “absolute rumour” regarding (curtailing of) reservations to Dalits, Adivasis and OBCs and tried to make it an election agenda, the PM said. The Congress is trying to take away reservations of SCs, STs and OBCs
and give these benefits to Constituent Assembly did not have Muslims.
In Karnataka, 27 per cent OBC quota was “looted overnight” by the Congress to appease its vote bank, whereas those who drafted the Constitution were clear that religion-based quota could not be provided, the PM said.
“The leaders from BJP, RSS. Scholars
like Babasaheb Ambedkar were
present and after detailed
discussions they decided that
reservation cannot be given in the
name of religion as it would create
a grave danger for the country,” he
said.
“The poison sprayed by
Congress has gone very high and I
don’t know to what places it will
spread by end of this election,” the
PM said, adding the opposition
party’s leaders were at the
forefront of supporting “terrorists”
and were now calling for “vote
jihad”. The then prime minster
served as the guest of Kashmiri
separatists and Congress leaders
came forward to save Ajmal Kasab,
the lone gunman arrested after the
26/11 terror attack on Mumbai,
Modi said.
“Books were written to
save jihadis of the Mumbai terror
attack and a Congress leader
released (one such) book. In Delhi,
when terrorists were killed at Batla
House, the ‘madam’ of the Congress
could not stop tears. When Afzal
Guru was sentenced to hang, people
from this ecosystem reached the
Supreme Court and the President,”
the PM said.
These people are now
calling for “vote jihad” (religion
based voting to stop the BJP), he
pointed out. Slamming the
Congress’ manifesto, Modi said it as a sign of danger for the country.
“INDI alliance leaders are asking
Muslim voters to go for vote jihad.
It is not something being uttered by
a child studying in a madrassa but
by Congress leaders who come
from highly educated families,” the
PM said. “
“The kind of language
that the Muslim League used, the
narrative on which the country was
divided are unfortunately the same
on the basis of which they are
seeking votes,” he said.
The
Congress leaves no opportunity to
mock “our faith” but would it dare
to make fun of anything related to
other religions, the PM asked.
“They boycott the Ram Temple,
they call Dwarka a lie. They say we
will make Lord Shiva and Lord
Ram fight and ensure Ram’s defeat.
The ‘shehzada’ of the Congress even
ridiculed my offering prayers in
submerged Dwarka. Therefore, I
say we should be careful of the
Congress,” the PM said.
The
Congress’ politics started with false
propaganda and has now fallen into
despair, Modi said.
“The Congress
has the same frustration and hatred
towards the country’s development
that it once had for Gujarat. While
India’s stature is rising across the
world, the shehzada of the Congress
and his ecosystem go abroad and
defame our country with long
lectures,” the PM said in a swipe at
Rahul Gandhi.
When the Congress-
led UPA was unseated in 2014, the
country’s economy was the 11th
largest in the world, whereas India
was ranked 6th when it gained
Independence, the PM pointed out.
“They were intellectuals. However,
then came a chaiwala who had
Gujarati blood and the economy
rose to 5th rank,” the PM said,
adding he did not seek people’s
blessings for power, prestige and
position but to fulfil the pledge of
making India the third largest
economy.
“You can imagine how
much the world’s attitude will
change towards India when we
achieve third rank. India will be
self-reliant and will not have to
spread its hand before the world for
anything. I need blessings to make
such an India,” Modi asserted.
Slamming the Congress’ “scholars”
for claiming that the country’s
economy would achieve third rank
by itself and for stating that
poverty can be removed in an
instant, Modi said these persons
had never thought about facing and
overcoming challenges and solving
problems. “When the intentions are
clean, the results are grand,” the PM
emphasised.
Modi said he has three
challenges for the Congress, and
these are, firstly, giving in writing
whether it would provide religion-
based quota to Muslims by
changing the Constitution,
secondly, not taking away
reservation benefits of Dalits,
tribals and OBCs, and thirdly, that
its state governments will not run a
hidden agenda of including
Muslims in the OBC segment.
“Will
Modi stay silent when the country
is facing such dangers? Will he
ever allow the country to be
divided? As long as Modi is alive,
he will not allow the country to be
divided again in the name of
religion,” he asserted. The
Congress’ leaders, instead of
responding (to such challenges) are
misleading the public, he added.
Voting on 25 of Gujarat’s 26 Lok
Sabha seats will take place on May
7. The BJP has won the Surat seat
unopposed.
Agencies, 1 May 2024 : An amazing video has come from Pilibhit TR, where the confidence of a sloth bear wins him the day from a stalking tigress. The aggressive charge by sloth bear caught her unaware. VC – Siddhartha Singh.
But tigers only forfeit because they do not want injury, but if a tiger is hungry, dedicated to win, and experienced, they are known to hunt and eat bears.
Shared by IAS Sanjay Kumar on X, the video captures the heart-pounding exchange between the animals at Pilibhit Tiger Reserve, Uttar Pradesh.
The video begins with the tigress swiftly walking through the sides of the way towards the tall grass when it notices a sloth bear approaching. The tigress then takes a moment and sits at a distance, waiting for the sloth bear to cross the road.
As the video progresses, the tigress crosses the road to make sure the sloth bear is gone. However, in the blink of an eye, the sloth bear reappears and aggressively charges at the tigress. The encounter ends with the sloth bear disappearing into the tall grass.
Sharing the video, IAS Kumar wrote, “An amazing video has come from Pilibhit TR, where the confidence of a sloth bear wins him the day from a stalking tigress. The aggressive charge by sloth bear caught her unaware.”
The video garnered many reactions with one saying, “When physical strength matches the aggressive stance, the challenger derives an advantage.” Another user wrote, “Wonderful interactions!”
Last month, a video of a tiger shrewdly using its sense of smell and hunting down a fawn took over the internet. Shared by IAS officer Sanjay Kumar on X, the video also shows how the food chain works in wildlife. The video was from the Jim Corbett Resort in Uttarakhand’s Jim Corbett National Park.
Other than praising this initiative, people also urged the government to plant more trees for a long-term solution.
News 18, MAY 02, 2024: By the time we reach May, many parts of India start recording temperatures over 35 degrees Celsius. Stopping at a signal and waiting for the light to turn green can feel like an hour-long task. Now the Public Works Department in Puducherry has set up green shade canopies for a few meters at the traffic signal. This offers respite to those who are on two-wheelers to escape the direct sun as they wait at the signal. On Thursday, an X user shared a video that showed these shaded nets over a small stretch of roads at the traffic signal.
This small clip got over 7 lakh views in less than 24 hours. In the comments, many people praised the Puducherry government for these considerate gestures.
— Indian Tech & Infra (@IndianTechGuide) May 2, 2024
Installing shades at traffic lights can help deter people from jumping red lights, especially during the summer when some individuals may be tempted to do so to escape the heat.
— Indian Tech & Infra (@IndianTechGuide) May 2, 2024
An X user praised this initiative and said, “What a wonderful initiative by the Pondicherry Public Works Department! Erecting a shaded structure at a busy traffic crossing is a simple yet impactful way to improve the daily lives of local residents and commuters. In the sweltering heat, having a place to find respite from the sun’s relentless rays can make a big difference, both in terms of physical comfort and overall well-being.”
— Indian Tech & Infra (@IndianTechGuide) May 2, 2024
An X user recalled, “Takes me 6 years back. Oh yes, I remember the PY sun. It was summer. I was starting work in a Cafe, as a Barista. Doing supply runs in this heat, on the same exact road. God knows how much I welcome this move. It’s the small things that count.”
Takes me 6 years back.
Oh yes, I remember the PY sun.
It was summer. I was starting work in a Cafe, as a Barista.
Doing supply runs in this heat, on the same exact road.
Many people also urged the government to plant more trees alongside roads. Making this point, an X user wrote, “Rather than this, perhaps the government can focus on planting more trees, which would provide shade to individuals riding two-wheelers while also benefiting the environment and lowering temperatures by 3-5 degrees Celsius.”
— Indian Tech & Infra (@IndianTechGuide) May 2, 2024
Another person wrote, “There is a natural shade giver which has 20000 times more use than these tarpaulins- it’s called a ‘TREE’. Plant more trees at junctions out of the way of pedestrian footpaths and traffic, on traffic islands.”
This initiative of covering roads at traffic signals with shade is also implemented in other cities around south India such as Trichy, Bhubaneswar, Gadag-Betgeri and more.
The risks which are now causing paranoia have been known since 2021 – and experts believe they do not outweigh the benefits the vaccine brought at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition, the adverse effects show up a few months after vaccine delivery, at the latest.
A vial of the Covishield vaccine candidate. Photo: Covid-19 vaccination/Flickr, CC BY NC 2.0
Banjot Kaur, The Wire, 01 May 2024 : New Delhi: The Telegraph‘s report that the maker of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which was sold in India as Covishield, has “admitted” to an adverse event called ‘Thrombosis with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome’ or TTS in “very rare cases” has led to deluge of social media posts and a growing sense of paranoia among people.
TTS is a spectrum that involves blot clots along with a low platelet count in the body, which at times can cause serious injury or even death.
While there had been reported cases of deaths and serious adverse effects following the administration of the vaccine, all drug regulators and scientific bodies have categorised them as extremely rare occurrences. All of them have said there are risks, but the benefits of the vaccine, including saving lives, have outweighed the risks.
The Wire breaks down the risk v/s benefits scenario for those who took Covishield in India.
How rare is rare?
One of the keywords that was reported to have been used by AstraZeneca, in terms of adverse events occurring, was ‘rare’ – something that most of the commentary is now missing.
But how rare is it? By looking at the data from the UK and the European Union, the Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety assessed that the risk was low. The committee consists of independent vaccine and other domain experts. It advises the World Health Organisation on vaccine safety.
“[The] data from the UK suggest the risk is approximately 4 cases per million adults who receive the vaccine, while the rate is estimated to be approximately 1 per 100, 000 in the European Union (EU),” it said back in 2021. It was in late 2020 and early 2021 that the Covid-19 vaccination drive picked up globally.
There are several other studies that looked into the rate of TTS caused by the AstraZeneca vaccine. One such study looked at the AstraZeneca Global Safety Database in 2022. They found the rate of this adverse event to be 7.5 per million vaccinated persons, while yet another meta-analysis, which studied two mRNA vaccines and the AstraZeneca vaccine, found the rate of severe adverse reactions with the latter as two per million vaccinated in 2020.
For how long does one run the risk of developing clots?
An Australian assessment says the serious adverse events may develop within four to 42 days of administration of the vaccine. The TTS can develop within a short stretch of duration, and not years after the vaccination. Hence any TTS event, or clotting, can’t occur with Covishield/Astrazeneca vaccine unless one has taken it in the immediate past.
“This time period may also stretch to 3-6 months,” Jacob John, an infectious diseases expert with Christian Medical College (CMC) Vellore, told The Wire.
“The vaccine can’t cause an epigenetic effect. It is not something that it has altered your genes,” he explained, and so can’t lead to the development of clots years down the line.
Is this new information?
Another claim that is doing the rounds is that this is the ‘first time’ we have come to know that TTS could take place in rare instances due to the vaccine. While it may be the first time the information has reached such a wide audience, scientific papers had spoken of the issue back in 2021.
Moreover, the company too had put in the public domain something called a ‘package insert’ while rolling out the vaccine for use. That package insert, shared on the AstraZeneca website, mentions the occurrence of clotting as a rare event.
However, what did not happen was adequate publicising of this information. Neither governments around the world, including India’s, nor the company itself, made meaningful efforts to let the risks be known on a large scale. Therefore, people are now raising questions regarding the transparency of governments and vaccine companies – even if such adverse events were rare.
How does the rare clotting happen?
The British Heart Foundation says the exact pathway is still being studied.
Satyajit Rath, a noted immunologist who has also been associated with Institute of Immunology in India, says it may be due to an inadvertent event. Apart from making the antibodies against the Covid-19 virus, the autoantibodies against a protein found in blood called platelet-4 also got developed in some rare cases, he explained.
“This, in turn, seems to be contributing to triggering a cascade of platelet clumping, and, therefore, the clots,” Rath said.
He added that why it happens in the case of some people – even though rare – and not in others, is yet to be understood clearly.
Heart attack because of Covid-19
There are ample studies, like this long-term research, now, on Long Covid – a spectrum of diseases that many have developed even after patients have recovered from the initial infection. Heart attacks are the most common among them. The British Heart Foundation says the clots were far more common after a Covid-19 infection than after the vaccine.
This large-scale study looked into the records of 10.17 million vaccinated and 10.39 million unvaccinated people in the UK, Spain and Estonia. The researched concluded:
“[The] COVID-19 vaccination reduced the risk of post-COVID-19 cardiac and thromboembolic outcomes. These effects were more pronounced for acute COVID-19 outcomes, consistent with known reductions in disease severity; following breakthrough [or reinfection] versus unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2 [virus causing Covid-19] infection.”
Another study by a group of scientists from Oxford University published in 2021 compared the possibility of thrombocytopenia after Covid-19 infection, and after the administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
They concluded that there was an ‘increased’ risk of thrombocytopenia (low platelet count) and venous thromboembolism (clotting in veins) in short time intervals after the administration of the first dose of the vaccine.
But they also wrote that these risks were much higher if one got the Covid-19 disease, as compared to the vaccine.
“Importantly, the risks of these outcomes after vaccination were much lower than those associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in the same population,” they wrote.
Countries suspended/stopped use of AstraZeneca vaccine for young populations
More than a dozen countries, especially in Europe, suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for an interim period after reports of clotting surfaced in 2021. However, many of them resumed using it a month or so later.
The governments in the UK and Australia have maintained that younger people, especially those below 50, should not take the AstraZeneca vaccine. They recommended alternative vaccines for this age group; Australia recommended Pfizer’s mRNA vaccine for the younger cohort.
Should India have altered its strategy too? The answer heavily rested on the fact that the Indian government did not allow the import of Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Therefore, it had limited the options for itself, should a change in strategy have been required.
Moreover, the Indian government had hardly initiated any study, like the other governments, to understand the adverse effects of the vaccine on the younger population after its rollout.
“In order to make a good determination of Covid risk versus vaccine risk to an individual, it would be necessary to have really robust evidence for local transmission situations and clinical risk profiles,” Rath said.
Even though the Astrazeneca vaccine-associated adverse effects were rare, Rath questioned whether India had collected reliable background information as the basis for any potential decision to halt vaccine use in a specific set of the population.
Lack of adverse events monitoring system in India
One of the reasons that a paranoia of sorts has taken over people after the reports of AstraZeneca’s admission is the lack of a proper monitoring mechanism for the side effects of Covid-19 vaccines, or Adverse Effects Following Immunisation (AEFI), in India.
Till date, there is no public platform that the Indian government has built where one can easily look into the data regarding this. As against this, many governments around the world have been transparent.
A case in point is this website of the UK’s drug regulator, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
On this website one can look for the number of adverse reactions caused by each of the three available vaccines in the country – two mRNA vaccines of Pfizer and Moderna, and Novovax. Not only have they put in the public domain how many adverse events occurred, they have also put a summary of how many events were reported and studied to be finally characterised as adverse events.
The US’s Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) gives anyone the opportunity to download data for the vaccine’s side effects.
The public availability of this information is one point. Another worrisome point in India, as far as Covid-19 vaccines are concerned, is how one should report if an adverse event has occurred.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India created a toll free number for this. But there were no efforts made to widely circulate that number – definitely much less than the efforts taken to convince people to take vaccines.
There have been reports how registering an AEFI event caused due to Covid-19 vaccination has been an uphill task in India. On the other hand, the MHRA has an easy-to-use ‘yellow card reporting’ website for this.
There have been 180 reported deaths in India following Covid-19 vaccination, but experts don’t rule out some sort of an undercounting here
“Our regulator really needs to learn regarding creating an efficient AEFI reporting system,” CMC’s John said. There have been no post-approval real-life long-term studies in India done by the government to understand how the vaccines performed.
“If such a system [of monitoring] isn’t created, then it is bound to hit the trust of the people in Science. Worse, should an epidemic occur again, how are people going to trust [the vaccines],” John asked.
Other vaccines causing side effects
A panic has now set in among common people. They are questioning why this ‘unsafe vaccine’ was rolled out in India. However, there has been no vaccine against any virus in history which was shown to have 100% safety. Rare side effects have been associated even with those jabs which have been in use for decades now.
“The oral polio vaccine can, in rare instances, lead to vaccine-induced poliomyelitis disease,” Rath explained. He cited another example of the BCG vaccine which, in rare instances, can cause severe inflammation and abscess formation.
It is then not entirely unsurprising – and perhaps not a cause for widespread panic – that the Covid-19 vaccine too can lead to rare adverse events.
Justice Subramonium Prasad issued a notice on a petition filed by B R Aravindakshan and asked the Centre to file its response within four weeks
PTI, New Delhi, 02.05.24 :
The Delhi High Court has sought the Centre’s stand on a plea alleging disappearance of 70,772.48 kg of heroin from seizure records between 2018 and 2020.
Justice Subramonium Prasad issued a notice on a petition filed by B R Aravindakshan and asked the Centre to file its response within four weeks.
The petitioner, a journalist, has claimed that there is a huge discrepancy between the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) report and the data released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) regarding seizure of drugs in the country from 2018 to 2020.
“He (petitioner) states that cumulatively, 70,772.48 kg of heroin has disappeared from seizure records between 2018 and 2020. Issue notice. Let replies be filed within four weeks,” the court said in its order passed on Wednesday.
The petitioner has said “the alarming disappearance” of more than 70,000 kg of heroin, valued at approximately Rs 5 lakh crore in the international market, raises concerns of national security, social stability and economic repercussions.
The plea says the magnitude of the “discrepancy” is so large that if not sorted promptly, it may result in chaos in the society, but no action has been taken on the issue.
“On 12.09.2022, the petitioner filed a complaint before the MHA representing the data relating to the mismatch of data provided by NCRB and the data provided by Hon’ble Nityanand Rai, Minister of State, Ministry of Home Affairs, concerning seizure of heroin during the year 2018 and 2020.
“The petitioner insisted that 70,772.54 kg heroin worth Rs 5 lakh crore seized in India has been missing, thus insisting the ministry that an immediate investigation should be ordered for the safety and welfare of the country,” the petition says.
The petitioner has sought several directions with respect to the alleged mismatch, including a direction to the MHA to order an investigation in a stipulated time period.
The victim’s father, Rodulal has alleged that two of his son’s friends, Ajay Salvi and a boy conspired to kill Yashwant Nagar under the pretext of shooting a video
PTI, Kota, 02.05.24 : A day after a 22-year-old man died while making a reel with a country-made pistol, two accused have been detained for questioning, police said on Thursday.
The victim’s father, Rodulal has alleged that two of his son’s friends, Ajay Salvi and a boy conspired to kill Yashwant Nagar under the pretext of shooting a video, police said.
The matter came to light on Wednesday when Yashwant Nagar suffered a bullet injury in the chest while shooting a video with a country-made pistol at a tea shop near Maharishi Gautam Bhawan in Mahaveer Nagar Extension. He was immediately rushed to New Medical College Hospital where he succumbed to his injuries, police said.
While talking to the reporters, Rodulal said that as per the video that he had seen of his son, a boy was loading the gun and shot Nagar in the chest while Ajay was standing nearby.
He further said that Ajay brought Nagar from Kota to Jhalawar a few days ago and conspired to kill him. Based on Rodulal’s complaint, a case has been registered under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code against Ajay Salvi and a boy, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Manish Sharma said.
The police handed over the body to the family after conducting a post-mortem. The two accused were brought in for questioning and further investigation is underway, SHO Mahendra Maru said.
Premoday Khakha has been accused of allegedly raping a minor girl several times between November 2020 and January 2021 and is currently in judicial custody after being arrested in August
PTI, New Delhi, 02.05.24: The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to grant bail to the wife of suspended Delhi government officer Premoday Khakha, who allegedly raped a minor girl several times and impregnated her.
A bench of justices C T Ravikumar and S V N Bhatti dismissed the plea of the official’s wife Seema Rani and said it was not inclined to interfere with the Delhi High Court order which had dismissed her plea.
Khakha has been accused of allegedly raping a minor girl several times between November 2020 and January 2021 and is currently in judicial custody after being arrested in August.
The minor was the daughter of a person known to the accused, according to police.
Rani is also an accused in the case. She allegedly gave the girl medicines to terminate her pregnancy. The woman is in judicial custody.
The couple was arrested after the survivor recorded her statement before a magistrate at a hospital.
The case was registered under the provisions of the POCSO Act and Indian Penal Code sections 376(2)(f) (being a relative, guardian or teacher of, or a person in a position of trust or authority towards the woman, commits rape on such woman) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to outrage the modesty of a woman).
IPC sections 506 (criminal intimidation), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 313 (causing miscarriage without woman’s consent) and 120B (criminal conspiracy) have also been invoked in the case, police said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is lying about the benefits of UCC that it will help everybody. Instead, if UCC is implemented, it will put at stake the existence of SCs, STs and OBCs. BJP will destroy the constitution, says the Bengal Chief Minister
West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.: File picture.
PTI, Tehatta (WB), 02.05.24 :West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the Narendra Modi government of attempting to marginalise the SCs, STs, and OBCs.
Speaking at a rally in support of TMC candidate Mahua Moitra at Tehatta in Nadia district, Banerjee criticised the BJP government’s ‘falsehoods’ about citizenship benefits for marginalised communities, warning that the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) could jeopardise the rights of SCs, STs, and OBCs.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi is lying about the benefits of UCC that it will help everybody. Instead, if UCC is implemented, it will put at stake the existence of SCs, STs and OBCs. BJP will destroy the constitution. But rest assured, we will not let it happen,” Banerjee said.
The TMC chief said for the past 10 years, the BJP has been spreading lies about Matuas and other backward castes getting citizenship through the CAA, which is a ploy to take away one’s already existing bona fide citizenship rights and deport them to concentration camps.
The Krishnanagar constituency has a large population of Matua population.
She also said the UCC will prevent different communities, tribes and sects from practicing their own customs and rituals.
The CM cautioned the electorate against BJP’s ploy “to inflate the voting figure after the actual date of polling by using the Election Commission.” She expressed bewilderment over the Election Commission’s announcement of an increased poll percentage four days after the actual voting took place, stating that while she wasn’t casting aspersions on the EC, she found it unfathomable.
Banerjee cautioned against BJP’s tactics to manipulate voting figures and alleged threats by BJP leaders to IAS and IPS officers in West Bengal and vowed to resist any attempts to undermine the state’s integrity.
“Intimidation, threat and pressure by the Narendra Modi government on state ministers, officials or people will not work in Bengal,” she said.
BJP sources said that Modi is scheduled to address election rallies in support of party candidates in Krishnanagar, Bardhaman Purba and Bolpur Lok Sabha constituencies on Friday
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.: File picture.
PTI, Calcutta, 02.05.24 :
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on a two-day visit to West Bengal from Thursday, during which he is scheduled to address several election rallies, a senior official said.
The PM is scheduled to arrive in Calcutta on Thursday evening and spend the night at Raj Bhavan, he said.
BJP sources said that Modi is scheduled to address election rallies in support of party candidates in Krishnanagar, Bardhaman Purba and Bolpur Lok Sabha constituencies on Friday.
“Tight security arrangements have put in place in the city for the prime minister’s visit. He will spend the night at Raj Bhavan,” the official told PTI.
Owing to the PM’s visit, West Bengal Governor CV Ananda Bose cut short his personal visit to his home state Kerala to return to the city, he said.
Meanwhile, Kolkata Traffic Police has decided to regulate vehicular movement on certain stretches in the city in view of the PM’s visit.
Sources said the management had not been paying provident funds and gratuity for the past few months, much to the disgruntlement of the workforce
The factory premises of the Totapara tea estate on Wednesday. Biplab Basak
TT, Jalpaiguri , 02.05.24 : Around 850 people turned jobless on Wednesday when the world observed International Labour Day as the management of the Totapara tea estate in Jalpaiguri district announced the suspension of work, citing lawlessness in the garden.
The tea estate is located in Banarhat block and has around 855 workers.
Sources said the management had not been paying provident funds and gratuity for the past few months, much to the disgruntlement of the workforce.
“In the past few weeks, the management didn’t even pay the wages. We are yet to receive wages of three fortnights,” said worker Ravi Baraik.
A section of the labourers went to Banarhat police station on April 27 and held a demonstration, seeking the intervention of the law enforcers and the administration.
After their demonstration, a tripartite meeting was called in the BDO’s office
in Banarhat but none from the management’s side turned up.
“The management informed the administration that it would clear a fortnight’s wages on Tuesday. Accordingly, the wages were disbursed yesterday (on Tuesday) but later at night, a notice announcing the suspension of work from today (Wednesday) was issued,” said another worker Durga Oraon.
The workers saw the notice when they reached the factory on Wednesday morning to join their duties.
“The management was not paying the workers and when they demanded wages, the garden was closed down on the pretext of lawlessness. The administration should intervene immediately,” said Tabarak Ali, a vice-president of the Trinamool Cha Bagan Sramik Union.
Jairaj Biswakarma, the Banarhat block president of the BJP-backed Bharatiya Tea Workers Union, said the management should have held talks with trade unions.
“Instead, they (management) decided to close down the garden at the beginning of the tea season because of financial constraints and put the blame on workers. We condemn such moves,” he said.
Those associated with the Dooars tea industry said the garden had closed down several times in the past over financial issues.
Amitangshu Chakraborty, the principal advisor of the Indian Tea Planters’ Association of which Totapara is a member, said the organisation had received a copy of the suspension notice.
Officials of the state labour department said they hadn’t received any official information about the suspension of work from the company that owns the Totapara garden.
“Even then, we are gathering information from various sources. If the garden has closed down, we will take appropriate steps so that it reopens at the earliest,” said Subhgata Gupta, the deputy labour commissioner of Jalpaiguri.
