New Delhi: The head of Epidemiology and Infectious Diseases division of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), Dr. Samiran Panda on Sunday expressed hope that the Covid vaccine may prove effective against the new Omicron variant of the lethal virus.

“We are hopeful that India’s vaccine will prove effective against the new variant, but it will take time to be sure about how much it will provide protection against the new variant,” Dr. Panda said.

Asked about the challenges the new variant poses to India, the ICMR scientist said “it poses equal challenges across the globe but we need to take extra precautions in view of this variant”.

He said that scientists have so far observed the structural changes. “But more studies are required to confirm that the variant is deadlier than the other variants of Covid.”

He added that it would require more time to examine whether the variant is getting transmitted ‘really fast’ or causing clusters of infection.

At the same time, he emphasised that those who have not taken the second dose of the vaccine should take the jab, and follow the Covid appropriate behaviour.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the new Covid variant detected in South Africa this week as the ‘Variant of Concern’ — VOC, following the Technical Advisory Group meetings.

“Based on the evidence presented indicative of a detrimental change in Covid-19 epidemiology, the TAG-VE has advised WHO that this variant should be designated as a Variant of Concern and the WHO has designated B.1.1.529 as a VOC, named Omicron,” the global health body said.

The WHO said that this variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning. Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of re-infection with this variant, compared to other VOCs. (IANS)

Says Pulwama on trajectory of development, prosperity

Pulwama: Principal Secretary, Power Development Department, & Information Department, Rohit Kansal Sunday said that lackadaisical approach of any government officer can’t be afforded and that the officers should be proactive in making public services accessible.

Kansal visited Pulwama to review the overall developmental scenario in the district.

He took a first-hand appraisal of all central and UT government developmental and social security schemes, assessing performance of different departments besides taking stock of winter preparedness of the district administration. Principal Secretary, who is also Secretary In-charge District Pulwama, also assessed sector wise performance of all departments.

Principal Secretary undescored that the UT government is putting sustained efforts to remove difficulties and making social security & welfare schemes easily accessible to all eligible citizens. He exhorted upon officials to undertake regular public outreach activities for ensuring 100% saturation of all the beneficiary-oriented schemes and prompt redressal of public grievances.

Reviewing the District Capex plan and other important infrastructure projects in the district, Principal Secretary noted that developmental works which had been budgeted for had been tendered and most of them stood allotted for execution.

He issued instructions to the Deputy Commissioner to closely monitor the progress of works and ensure their timely completion. He also asked the Dc to ensure that ensure that all works which had been physically completed were paid for as well.

While reviewing the progress on AIIMS Pulwama, he asked the DC to ensure that allied works of PWD, PHE and PDD departments were started as per the realigned design and executed on priority.

He took serious note of the fact that many works which were completed by the executing agencies were not being put to use because of want of furniture or inadequacies in completion of allied works such as water and electrification.

Kansal asked the DC to ensure that rectifications were carried out on priority and also to ensure that all future DPRs were comprehensively drafted so as to include all components needed to make the building functional. He also reviewed the status of various individual beneficiary oriented schemes, pension and scholarship programmes and credit schemes.

He was informed that the district was the leader in implementing various employment and social assistance programmes and that government support under NRLM and PMEGP had given a big boost to the local unemployed youth and others.

On the power situation, he was briefed that Pulwama district was being supplied nearly 4 hrs additional power daily as compared to the last year. This had become possible due to release of supply constraints after the commissioning of the Lassipora Grid station.

While complimenting the department, the Principal Secretary asked KPDCL to ensure that replacement of damaged transformers and restoration of utilities after snowfall must be duly planned for. “Adopt advance planning and Optimum resource allocation to ensure minimum hassle to common citizens”, He said.

While addressing the officers, he said that Pulwama is on the trajectory of Development and Prosperity and can be made a Developmental Model if Officers and other stakeholders remain proactive and positive. He pointed out that Pulwama was already the dairy capital of J&K and nearly all of the saffron produced in the country was sourced from here. Pulwama was also the leading producer of pencils.

He emphasized on Officers to work in unison and also directed them to identify bottlenecks and impediments in ongoing projects so that projects are accomplished in a time-bound manner. He stated that lackadaisical approach of any government officer can’t be afforded and officers should be proactive in making public services accessible.

Earlier, Deputy Commissioner, Pulwama, Baseer Ul Haq Choudhary through a power point presentation gave a detailed overview of the developmental activities and scheme-wise achievements under District Capex Budget, Languishing Projects, JJM, Back to Village, PWD, Power, PHE, Social welfare, and other sectors.

Among others the meeting was attended by MD KPDCL, Chief Engineers of PDD, District Development Commissioner, Pulwama, besides all the district and sectoral officers.

Srinagar: Director School Education Kashmir, Tasaduq Hussain on Sunday warned of strict action against any private school involved in overcharging of school from parents of students.

Talking to a local news gathering agency on the sidelines of a function, he said that nobody is above law and the department will definitely take action against those who are charging extra fees from students.

Replying to a question about inaugurating a private coaching institute, Hussain said that he was here for providing quality education and the private educational institutions are their co-partners.

“I have come here to inaugurate a private institution as they are helping in bridging the education gap, which has been left due to the pandemic. Wherever education is provided, we will support them. We are with the education,” he added.

About the reopening of primary schools, he said that the guidelines regarding Covid-19 are provided fortnightly by a designated committee. “The committee takes everything into account like infectious rates, new variants of COVID-19 etc. As of now according to their guidelines only 20 students are allowed per classroom to attend offline classes,” he said. (KNS)

New Delhi: With the starting of the winter session of Parliament Monday, opposition and the government are all ready to train guns on each other with the opposition ready to fire salvos on the government and the Centre defending itself from allegations.

The winter session, which begins on Monday, will continue till December 23 and will have 20 sittings. The Parliament session is being considered very important from the political point of view as this will be held before the assembly elections of five states.

The winter session could not be held last year due to the corona pandemic but this time it has been called keeping in mind COVID protocols.

Political activity has been in full swing this time, as the opposition is preparing to surround the government on various issues, and the government is preparing strong defence against opposition’s allegations.

Opposition parties have made it clear that they will leave no stone unturned to surround the government on issues like farmers, agriculture, legalization of MSP, inflation, price of petrol diesel, unemployment, Pegasus, Corona, Tripura violence and BSF’s jurisdiction. The opposition has insisted that it will keep questioning the government on every burning topic and will put forward its failures.

Even though the opposition may not appear to be united, various political parties are taking a tough stand on issues and are not likely to miss an opportunity to raise their objection from Parliament ahead of the assembly elections in five states.

The government is also working on a comprehensive strategy to thwart the attacks of the opposition. The government has listed more than 25 bills to further its agenda of good governance and development. These include bills related to withdrawal of controversial agricultural laws, bills related to Cryptocurrency, Electricity Amendment Bill 2021, Pension Reform Bill, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Second Amendment Bill 2021, Energy Conservation Amendment Bill 2021 and Arbitration Bill 2021 etc.

The government says that it is ready to hold discussion on every issue approved by the Speaker, but the opposition will have to desist from the uproar in the House.

The opposition had created a ruckus in the Monsoon session over various issues and no significant work could be done as the proceedings remained disrupted. In the midst of the uproar, the government passed many important bills and adjourned the proceedings of both the houses before the stipulated time. So, the success of the government’s strategy this time will depend on the extent to which it is able to take the opposition into confidence so that maximum work can be done in the House. (UNI)

New Delhi: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday—at a meeting between the government and the floor leaders of political parties ahead of the Winter Session, said the government wants healthy discussion in Parliament.

In his opening address, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Pralhad Joshi talked about the upcoming session of the Parliament commencing on Monday.

Joshi said: “The government is always ready to discuss on the floor of the House any issue as permitted under Rules of Procedure.”

He also requested all parties to extend co-operation for the smooth functioning of the House.

Addressing the meeting, after listening to the leaders of all parties attending, Defence Minister Singh pointed out that the discussion had been very healthy and that important issues had been flagged.

He noted that the parties had expressed the need for more discussion in Parliament with regard to which, he said that the government also wants healthy discussion in Parliament.

Joshi informed the floor leaders of all political parties that the session will provide a total of 19 sittings spread over a period of 25 days.

“During the ensuing winter session tentatively 37 items, which Includes 36 Bills and 1 financial item have been identified for being taken up during the winter session,” Joshi said.

Three Bills replacing ordinances namely — the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Amendment) Ordinance 2021, the Central Vigilance Commission (Amendment) Ordinance 2021, and the Delhi Special Police Establishment (Amendment) Ordinance, 2021 promulgated during the inter-session period are required to be enacted as Acts of Parliament within a period of six weeks from the reassembly of Parliament.

Rajnath Singh, Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Joshi participated in the meeting. Ministers of state of parliamentary affairs Arjun Ram Meghwal and AV. Muraleedharan also attended the meeting.

Thirty parties — besides the BJP, including Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress, YSRCP, JD(U), BJD, BSP, TRS, Shiv Sena, NCP, Samajwadi Party and others were present in the meeting. (IANS)

Gandhinagar: Expressing pride on being the first Cooperative Minister of the country, Union Minister Amit Shah on Sunday said the cooperative sector has the potential to make India prosperous and give impetus to the country’s economy, thereby bringing prosperity.

Shah, who is also the Member of Parliament from Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency, while inaugurating projects worth Rs 415 crore including a new milk powder plant in his parliamentary constituency, said Amul Dairy, a renowned milk brand worldwide, has a vast network of 36 lakh milk producers, who have a large number of livestock.

Amul should foray into the production of organic fertilisers as well and as there is huge demand for such fertilizers, Amul can play a big role in this, he added.

Shah said the reckless use of chemical substances in other fertilisers has not only adversely affected the fertility of the land, but has also caused great harm to the health of people.

Consumers of such products have also faced diseases like cancer, he added. (UNI)

By: Avinash Prabhakar

New Delhi: Several studies suggest that during winter, risk of stroke, heart failure, cardiovascular issues, arrhythmia and disorders rises several times. Many top cardiologists think that it happens due to body’s physiology and the temperature drop that impacts the heart’s functionality.

According to a study of JAMA Cardiology, a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal, which analysed information on about 274,000 people living in Sweden in 2018, the risk of having a heart attack was greatest on days when the temperature was below freezing point.

PLOS One, open access scientific journal, in a study in 2015 found more than 31 per cent increase in heart attacks in the coldest months of the year compared with the warmest. Several studies suggest that during extreme cold conditions, the risk of getting a stroke increases by 80 per cent, particularly when temperature dips below 15 degree Celsius.

As temperatures drop, the blood vessels tighten and blood flow speeds up to help stay warm. That is why the blood pressure is often higher in colder seasons, opines cardiologists.

“Onset of winters can evoke mixed reactions. As per some study, the chances of person suffering from heart attack goes up nearly 33 per cent during winters. The Coronary arteries like other arteries can constrict during winter which can lead to poor supply of blood to the heart muscle. Decreased blood supply can precipitate myocardial ischemia and heart attack,” said Tarun Kumar, Professor of Cardiology, ABVIMS and RML Hospital.

Dr Tarun said that there is increased blood volume during winters. As in summer there is increased fluid loss through sweat which is missing in winters. It can lead to increase salt and fluid retention during winter which can lead to increase in blood pressure and heart attacks.

“Because of hormonal variations during winters there is increase in levels of clotting factors including fibrinogen. Adding fuel to fire is vasoconstriction and platelet aggregability along with clotting factors which can lead to increased tendency for clot formation and heart attacks”, he added.

Increased calorie intake and decreased physical activity can induce myriad physical changes in the body including weight gain and vascular changes which can provide a mileu for clot formation and heart attack, he said, adding that elderly, alcoholics, smokers, people with sedentary lifestyles are more at risk.

While talking about precautions, he advised to reduce exposure to cold, avoid excessive alcohol intake and there should not be coal based or faulty heating appliances in closed rooms. He also advised to go for regular physical activity and blood pressure and blood sugars level check ups after regular intervals.

Dr Vipul Gupta, Director Neurointervention, Artemis Agrim Institute of Neurosciences, said: “One of the prime reasons can be attributed that during the cold season the blood vessels constrict, which leads to increase in blood pressure, which means that the blood has to be really pumped harder in order to travel around the body, making it one of the major factors for the onset of stroke”.

“Also, there are various changes in the chemical balance in our body during winter including cholesterol levels and some other factors that increase the chances of clotting. Changes in the physical activity which usually decreases during the winter months as well as weight gain can play a role. Probably this is the reason stroke cases go up by 11 per cent during winter,” added Gupta.

Low temperature constricts the blood vessels which in turn increases blood pressure and aggregates blood clotting process, said Cardiologist Praveen Jha.

He said that Vitamin D deficiency is also common in winter which also contributes to cardiovascular disease. Air pollution and physical inactivity are also reasons for rise in heart attacks during winter, said Jha. (IANS)

Srinagar: Cold wave conditions intensified again after showing a slight improvement in Kashmir valley where the tourist resort of Pahalgam was the coldest place with temperature at minus 3.0 degree Celsius followed by the ski resort of Gulmarg at minus 1.3 degree Celsius on Sunday.

Srinagar, which recorded sub zero temperatures a day ago, plunged to minus 0.2 degree Celsius on Sunday. There was no respite as the cold conditions prevailed across with fog engulfing most places including the famous Dal Lake and Boulevard road.

The Meteorological Department office said, weather is most likely to remain cold and dry till December 3 and predicted light to moderate snowfall in Kashmir valley and Ladakh region on December 4 and 5.

At Airforce stations of Drass, the second coldest place in the world after Siberia, the temperature was recorded at minus 10.9 degree Celsius while at Leh it was minus 10.5 dgree Celsius and at Karrgil minus 6.2 degree Celsius recorded on Sunday.

The MeT office said, the tourist resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir was the coldest place in the Kashmir valley where minimum temperature was recorded at minus 3.0 degree Celsius against the sub zero temperature recorded a day ago, a further dip of three degrees, intensified cold breeze conditions there.

Most of the small water boides have been frozen in Pahalgam due to the drop in night temperature.

The famous Ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir was the second coldest place in the Kashmir valley with minimum temperature recorded at -1.5 degree Celsius against the minus 1.0 degree recorded the previous day. Freezing cold wave conditions remain with thick fog making the moment of the people there difficult.

Qazigund on Srinagar-Jammu national highway where temperature was recorded at sub zero a day ago on Sunday plunged to minus 1.3 degree Celsius and at Kokernag it was recorded at minus 0.2 degree Celsius against minus 0.5 degree Celsius the previous day.

In frontier Kashmir district of Kupwara the minimum temperature was recorded as minus 1.5 degree Celsius against the minus 0.5 degree Celsius recorded the previous day, the MeT office said. (UNI)