City Image

How mucH space we give to our roads!

THIS BRILLIANT ILLUSTRATION, made by Swedish artist Karl Jilg and commissioned by the Swedish Road Administration, shows just how extreme the situation truly is wherein most city roads are designed keeping cars in mind. The work recently won the second place in the 2020 edition of the Powerful Mobility Memes Awards, organised by the Urban Cycling Institute. In the image, Jilg depicts city streets as gorges, crosswalks as wobbly planks, and sidewalks as shallow ledges to show how little space pedestrians are allowed to inhabit in a typical intersection.

WFH is still the first choice of majority: Cisco study

Indian employees like the advantages of ‘increased autonomy’, ‘dispersed the team’ effect, and ‘faster decisionmaking’, that work-from-home regime brought with itself. Now, most of them want to stay in the work-from-home regime in 2021 as well, said Cisco Systems. According to a Cisco study titled ‘Workforce of the Future’, approximately 90 per cent of Indian employees are comfortable with a hybrid work model in the future. More than 14,000 participants across 14 markets in the Asia Pacific, including more than 1,000 participants from India, were part of the study.

Wi-Fi networks to be set up across India

The Cabinet of Government of India approved a proposal by the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecom (MeitY) to set up public WiFi access networks across the country. The Wi-Fi access points will be called PM Wi-Fi Access Network Interface, or PMWANI. According to a statement by Ravi Shankar Prasad, Minister of MeitY, public data centres will be opened across the country without any license fee or registration. Experts believe this model will prove to be a revenue lifeline for firms likes BSNL and would mean optimum use of their optical fiber infrastructure.

Report finds plastics disrupting endocrine health in people

NEW DELHI: Researchers from the Endocrine Society and the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) published a report outlining various ways through which a person is exposed to plastics in such a way that it disrupts their endocrine system. Exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) can intensify or directly cause many health problems in a person, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer of few types. The report highlighted that more than 1000 chemicals, widely in use today are EDCs and are typically present in plastics that we use, which has the potential to leech into a person’s body. These EDCs containing plastics are sizably found in children’s toys, packaging, food production, furniture, electrical goods, textiles, cosmetics, cookware, healthcare settings, and vehicles.

The lead author of the report, Prof Jodi Flaws, University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign in Urbana, said that many of the plastics that we use every day at home and work are continuously exposing us to a harmful cocktail of EDCs. She added, “Definitive action is needed on a global level to protect human health and our environment from these threats.” The Endocrine Society through the report highlighted that people can try to reduce their exposure to EDCs by learning which products typically contain these chemicals and finding replacements for those products. Pamella Miller, cochair, IPEN, said that it is imperative that global policies to reduce and eliminate EDCs from plastic and reduce exposures from plastic recycling, plastic waste, and incineration are introduced. She said that this particular report puts in view the current acceleration of plastic production, which is projected to increase by 36 per cent in next 6 years, which in turn will exacerbate EDC exposures and rising global rates of endocrine diseases.

European countries to fund green projects in Kerala

KOCHI: France, Germany and the European Union (EU) have filed a detailed plan to fund more eco-friendly projects in Kerala in the coming years to support the city in protecting the environment. Emmanuel Lenain, French Ambassador to India; Walter J Lindner, German Ambassador to India; and Ugo Astuto, Ambassador of EU to India, were on a joint visit to Kochi. The visit marked the fifth anniversary of Paris Agreement on Climate Change.

Lenain said that they will select the most innovative, environmentally green and gender-oriented projects to work towards mobility and transportation to curb carbon emission. Astuto added, “We will support eco-friendly projects in all of Kerala and not only in Kochi. EU, with the co-operation of Germany and France, will discuss and decide the projects.” Astuto said that the EU has already finalised on the financial package for supporting the projects in which, 30 per cent has been assigned for the projects which will directly address environmental issues. He also added that these eco-friendly projects will become the real drivers of growth and sustainable employment generation. The ambassadors reviewed the work of Kochi Metro Rail Ltd (KMRL) on Water Metro project financed by Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KFW), a German Investment Bank. Lindner pointed out that Kochi is a big city and should have an integrated transport system with last mile connectivity.

H5N1 Bird flu outbreak in India

NEW DELHI: In a press release issued on January 6, 2021, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairy, informed that samples from the states of Madhya Pradesh (MP), Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh (HP) and Kerala have been tested positive for avian influenza, confirming the outbreak of bird flu in these states. The tests were conducted by both the National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD) and the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The statement further said that in Rajasthan and MP, bird flu has been identified in crows while in HP, bird flu is reported in migratory birds. In Kerala, cases of bird flu have been reported in poultry ducks of Kottayam and Allapuzha districts. The ministry has issued an advisory to these states, asking them to act according to the guidelines of the National Action Plan of Avian influenza. Apart from this, the government has set up a control room in Delhi to take a stock of the situation daily. This control room would also help in undertaking preventive and control measures against bird flu in these states.

K Raju, Minister of Forests, Wildlife Protection, Animal husbandry, Dairy Development, Milk- Co-operatives and Zoos, Kerala, said that around 1,200 duck have died and 4,000 birds will be culled in the region where bird flu is reported. Prem Singh Patel, Minister of Animal Husbandry of MP, said an alert has been sounded to control the spread of bird flu in the state. Bird Flu or H5N1 virus has killed 2,403 migratory birds in HP, after which the Animal Husbandry Department of HP has closed poultry markets and banned the sale of eggs. Lachand Kataria, Minister of Agriculture, Animal Husbandry & Fisheries, informed that more than 50 birds have been found dead in a single district till date.

After the issuance of this advisory, several states which were earlier reporting deaths of crows and migratory birds quickly had their samples tested for the virus. On January 7, 2021, Maharashtra Government issued a red alert in the state and ordered district officials to keep a strict vigil on bird deaths. The government admitted that managing the outbreak of another virus would be difficult for the state, considering the delicate situation of Coronavirus.

According to a statement from the Punjab government, the entire state of Punjab has been declared as a controlled state starting from January 9. Also, complete ban has been placed on the import of any processed and unprocessed poultry meat in the state until January 15. The government said that decisions would be reviewed in accordance with the evolving situation in the state. These decisions were taken after consultation with Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Minister of Animal Husbandry, Government of Punjab. The Government of Delhi completely banned the import of live birds into the city on January 9, 2021, after reviewing the outbreak of bird flu in the neighbouring states. According to Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi, there have been no reports of the disease in the city even after analysing more than 100 samples from various parts of the state. Around 100 crows died in the past 3–4 days in the city and the incident was investigated by a rapid response team. The CM said that a surveillance team has been set up under the supervision of District Magistrate in every district of Delhi. The government has also closed poultry markets of Ghazipur for 10 days. As the anxiety of avian influenza spreads, there is a fear of a fresh blow to the poultry industry. Various markets are reporting incidents of people giving up chicken and eggs, which is causing a fall in prices. In a bid to quell this anxiety, the Ministry of Environment has said that infections in humans have not been reported in India yet. There is also no evidence of H5N1 virus being transferred to humans through the consumption of poultry products.

HelpAge India receives ‘2020 UN Population’ Award

United Nations General Assembly honored HelpAge India, a non-governmental organisaion with the ‘2020 UN Populations Award’ at a virtual ceremony. The award is recognition of the organization’s contribution towards serving the disadvantaged elderly and raising awareness on the cause of the elderly. With this, HelpAge India became the first ever Indian organisation to receive the award in institutional category. Kiran Karnik, Chairperson, HelpAge India, said that this recognition by the UN has not only made the organisation proud, but has inspired and motivated them further to continue doing what they know best, which is to help those in need.

Karnataka govt to solve Bengaluru garbage problem in 2 years

The Government of Karnataka has claimed that it will mitigate the garbage problem of the capital in the coming two years. The state government, in a written reply, said that five waste-to-energy plants will be built in the city for efficient waste management. JC Madhuswamy, Minister of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of Karnataka, said that out of 5,000 tonnes of waste in the city, almost 4,000 tonnes will be treated in these plants, which will convert it into power or Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) for the state.

India all set for COVID-19 vaccination drive

NEW DELHI: As India was gearing up for its vaccination drive, the Government of India had announced that it will deploy its vast election machinery to deliver 60 crore doses of COVID vaccines to 30 crore Indians. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) issued a draft of standard operating procedures (SOP) to all the states and union territories and stated that at least 100 people should get vaccinated each day at every site. Dr VK Paul, Niti Aayog member and head of National Expert Group on COVID-19 vaccination, said that the central government has lined up cold storage facilities with temperatures between 2 to 8 degrees Celsius and that the capacity of the syringes and needles have also been built up to the store. According to the plan developed by MoHFW, the coronavirus vaccine will be first given to health care workers, frontline workers, and people above 50 years. After this, vaccines are to be given to those who are below 50 years of age and are suffering from a chronic critical illness. The rest of the population will be given COVID-19 vaccine whenever it will be ready for public use, keeping in view the spread and availability of the disease.

The government is planning on identifying those above 50 years of age based on the voter list prepared in the Lok Sabha elections and assembly elections. The SOP by MoHFW also mentioned that the beneficiaries of the vaccine will be tracked through a digital platform called Co-WIN. All information on this platform will be updated in real time.

NEW DELHI: The latest data from the fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) revealed that over 60 per cent of women in 12 states and union territories (UT) have never used internet. In more than 10 states in India, less than 40 per cent of women have used the internet including Andhra Pradesh (21 per cent), Assam (28.2 per cent), Bihar (20.6 per cent), etc. In comparison to this, more men have used the internet in same states, Andhra Pradesh (48.8 per cent), Assam (42.3 per cent), Bihar (43.6 per cent), etc.

A total of 28 states and UTs were surveyed across the country. According to the findings of the survey, states such as Andhra Pradesh (68.6 per cent), Bihar (57.8 per cent) and Telangana (66.6 per cent) have recorded lowest literacy rates among women. Whereas, Kerala (98.3 per cent), Lakshadweep (96.5 per cent), and Mizoram (94.4 per cent) have recorded the highest literacy among women in all the surveyed states and UTs.

The survey points out that less than 40 per cent women had received 10 or more years of schooling in eight states and UTs including Andhra Pradesh (39.6 per cent), Assam (29.6 per cent ), Bihar (28.8 per cent), etc. The NFHS-5 examined almost 6.1 lakh sample households, including interviews to collect information on population, health, family planning and nutrition. In Phase-1, the data from 17 states and UTs have been released and Phase-2 with the data from other states will be released next year.

According to the NFHS-5 data, literacy refers to women or men who have completed standard 9 or higher and who can read a whole sentence or part of a sentence. Women literacy is an important issue in the country as they constitute the building blocks of the nation.

Over 60% women in 12 states never used Internet: Survey

Declare climate emergency: Guterres to world leaders

Anotnio Guterres, Secretary General, United Nations, while giving his opening remarks in the climate summit held virtually on December 12, urged world leaders to declare states of “climate emergency” in their countries until carbon neutrality is achieved worldwide. He added that there is need for impetus in bringing action to avoid catastrophic global warming. He mentioned that the economic recovery packages launched in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic represented an opportunity to accelerate the transition to a lowcarbon future.

Improve infant mortality but malnutrition worsened: NFHS

Dr Harsh Vardhan, Minister of Health and Family welfare (MoHFW), released the fifth National Family Health Survey (NFHS) on December 12. The survey details information on Indian states and union territories’ (UT) population, health, and nutrition. The survey revealed that the mortality rate of infants and those less than five years of age has fallen in 18 states and UTs out of the total 22 surveyed. However, 16 of the states surveyed reported rise in the percentage of children who are under five years of age, who are severely underweight and wasted (low weight for height among children under five).

India deliberating on E20 fuel to cut vehicular emissions

NEW DELHI: The Government of India has proposed adoption of E20 fuel, which is a blend of 20 per cent of ethanol and gasoline, to reduce vehicular emissions. With adoption of E20 fuel as an automobile fuel, the government aims to reduce one of the major causes of air pollution in India, which is vehicular emission. This will also reduce country’s import bill thereby saving foreign exchange and boosting energy security.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had released a notification inviting comments from the public on adoption of the E20 fuel. Ethanol is a biofuel and a common byproduct of biomass left by agricultural feedstock. Nitin Gadkari, Minister of MoRTH, stressed on the significance of the move and said that it aims to promote green fuel like ethanol and to reduce India’s huge crude import dependence, worth `8 lakh crore. An official statement from the MoRTH said that the vehicle manufacturer shall be the one to define compatibility of the vehicle to the percentage of ethanol in the blend of ethanol and gasoline and the same shall be displayed on the vehicle by putting a clearly visible sticker.

Currently, only 10% of ethanol blend is permissible in India. However, in 2019, it only reached 5.6%. The statement issued by the ministry states “E20 will help in reducing emissions of carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons, etc. It will also help reduce the oil import bill, thereby saving foreign exchange and boosting energy security.”

NEW DELHI: The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) has decided to develop aerial urban passenger ropeway links. The links will provide improved short-distance mode of transportation and also act as feeders for the metro system in the city. GDA officials on Friday, December 18, said that they wrote an Expression of Interest (EOI) for the development of a techno-feasibility study and a Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the project.

Generally, the ropeway is a transport system used in mountains or mines for ferrying goods or people. The carrier cars are suspended with the help of moving cables which are powered by a motor system. Such systems are already in operation in Haridwar and have been proposed for Ayodhya as well.

Kanchan Verma, Vice-Chairperson of GDA, said that Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, recently directed authorities to find alternative models for local transportation. Hence, ropeway system was planned to be introduced. Its cost per kilometre is approximated at `35-70 crore. She also added that the EOI had been floated and as soon as DPR is prepared, it will be sent to the state government.

Asheesh Shivpuri, chief architect and town planner, GDA, said that the commuters face daily hassles, and this is the reason why the authority has decided to introduce the ropeway system. He added, “It requires less funding and takes less space compared to metro in terms of land.” He cited the example of the New Bus Adda metro towards Ghaziabad railway station, which has less space and is highly congested, and since there is a flyover at the central verge of the Adda, the metro line cannot be extended. Therefore, he said that the ropeway system will be more appropriate and will be cheaper than the metro system.

Ghaziabad to introduce ropeway system

Arya Rajendran becomes youngest mayor of India, creates history

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Anavoor Nagappan, District Secretary, Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M), announced on Sunday, December 27, that Arya Rajendran will be the Mayor of the City Corporation. She will be the youngest in the country to take the chair. She was elected as the ward councillor from Mudavanmugal in the recent civic body polls. She was the youngest candidate CPI (M) fielded for the local body elections in 2020. A member of CPI (M) said that her father is an electrician and her mother is a Life Insurance Corporation agent. Both of them have been the member of the party for a long time. Arya is a student of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) at All Saints College. She said that she had been attending the party programmes with her father since she was five years of age. She was active with the work of Balasangam, children’s organization affiliated to CPI (M) and she became its state president. She was the member and worker of Students’ Federation of India (SFI) in college. Arya said that waste management is the foremost focus of her ward as well as whole city. In the times of COVID-19 it is important that there is a Public Health Care (PHC) at ward level. She added that people are afraid to go to government hospitals, especially those with non-COVID disease so it is important to have a 24-hours functioning PHC which is accessible to everyone.

Karnataka govt to create 13,000 jobs

BENGALURU: Five projects with an investment of `26,659 crore have been cleared by the State High-Level Clearance Committee (SHLCC) headed by B S Yediyurappa, Chief Minister, Government of Karnataka. The projects are expected to create employment for 13,341 people in the state. The SHLCC meet was held on Monday, December 21, where the clearance was given to four companies, including Elest Pvt Ltd, Hyunet Pvt Ltd, Miraculum Green Power Pvt Ltd, and Sanali Power Pvt Ltd. Elest Pvt Ltd has planned to set up an electric vehicle manufacturing unit in HubballiDharwad with an investment of `14,255 crore. The unit will be built on 85 acres of land and will create more than 850 jobs. The company has also received the permission to create a Lithium-ion cells & battery manufacturing unit on 88 acres in HubballiDharwad with an investment of `6,339 crore. It is expected to generate almost 1,800 jobs. Hyunet Pvt Ltd is cleared to set up a manufacturing plant for electric vehicles and lithium batteries on 300 acres in Chikkaballapura with an investment of `1,825 crore creating 2,210 jobs. Miraculum Green Power Pvt Ltd was given the clearance to set up a wind-solar power project with a capacity of 110-Megawatt (MW) and an investment of `1,290 crore. It will be established in Jagalur taluk of Devanagere and is likely to create 2,820 jobs. Sanali Power Pvt Ltd will also set up a hybrid wind-solar power project on 1,710 acres of land in Jagalur taluk with an investment of `2,950 crore. This project is expected to create 5,640 jobs.

World’s largest electric scooter factory to be set up in Tamil Nadu

Government of Tamil Nadu has signed an agreement with Ola on Monday, December 14, to set up its first electric scooter factory worth `2,400 crore. A statement issued by Ola mentioned that in line with the vision of Government of India, the factory is an important initiative towards making an ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. The project will reduce the country’s dependency on imports in various sectors such as electric vehicles. It will also boost the local manufacturing sector, create jobs and will improve the technical expertise of the country, the statement added. The factory will also create around 10,000 jobs.

Rajasthan CM grants

` 108 crore for MGNREGA

Ashok Gehlot, Chief Minister of Rajasthan, has sanctioned an additional allocation of approximately `427 crore for several schemes of the state government, in addition to Rs 108 crore under the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act. This approval also includes an additional provision of `33.10 crore that has been granted for the scooty distribution scheme to meritorious girl students with the intention of promoting girls’ education. Gehlot has also approved an additional provisional of `16.13 crore for organising various recruitment examinations to the Rajasthan Staff Selection Board.

GoI and World Bank sign $400-mn project to protect the poor

The Government of India and World Bank have signed a project worth $400 million to support India in its efforts for providing assistance to the poor and vulnerable, who were impacted by COVID-19. This is the second operation in the series of two projects and the first one, worth $750 million was approved in May 2020. This will strengthen the capacity of state and central governments to provide coordinated social protection to the poor and vulnerable from the shocks of pandemic. C S Mohapatra, Additional Secretary, Department of Economic Affairs, said that the crisis has brought the struggles and risks of migrants and urban poor to the front.

ITC targeting to produce 100% electricity from renewable sources by 2030

ITC Limited announced on January 6, 2021, that it is aiming to meet 100 per cent of its electricity requirements from renewable sources by 2030. This investment is a part of Sustainability 2.0 vision of ITC which aims to contribute to the fight against climate change. As part of this initiative, ITC has been rigorously expanding its renewable energy footprint in the past two decades. In order to mitigate climate change risks, ITC, with this project, is aiming to achieve 50 per cent reduction in specific emission and 30 per cent reduction in specific energy consumption by 2023. This project of ITC will also be beneficial for India’s target of achieving 450 Gegawatt (GW) of renewable energy consumption by 2022.

J&K will train 35K youth under ATAL Yojana

JAMMU AND KASHMIR: A statement released by an official from Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) administration said that they will cover over 35,000 youths for entrepreneur skill development under the Accelerated Transformation of Aspirations and Livelihoods for Youth (ATAL) Yojana within a duration of four years between 2021 and 2024. While chairing a meeting with officers of J&K Entrepreneurship Development Institute (JKEDI) and Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), Manoj Sinha, Lieutenant Governor of J&K, said, “J&K administration is focussing on creating a robust ecosystem in the union territory for growth and empowerment of entrepreneurs, and laying a strong foundation to nurture entrepreneurship abilities in youth.” The project aims to create 10,000 Conventional Tiny Enterprises (CTE) and more than 1,000 Impact Making Enterprises (IME), covering 20 districts to generate around 1 lakh direct or indirect employment. The Lieutenant Governor asked the officers concerned in the meeting to identify potential sectors for growth and expansion in entrepreneurship. The J&K government is hoping that the initiative will make a big impact in mainstreaming entrepreneurship among local youth, strengthen community development, help in employment generation, boost economic growth by introducing new technologies, innovation and services.

India to launch first Social Impact Bond after PCMC signs MoU with UNDP

PIMPRI-CHINCHWAD: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) to create India’s first Social Impact Bond (SIB). With this unique investment tool, PCMC will only have to bear the costs of a public welfare project associated with the SIB given that the pre-defined project targets are fulfilled. This is the first time when a government body will act as an outcome funder in a bond. The SIB lays down outcome based targets, which are to be achieved at the start of the contract. This allows tracking of the progress achieved and outcomes, thereby ensuring transparency for the investors. The mechanism ensures effective and efficient use of funds towards the projects as well. An official release stated that SIB will support the PCMC in improving healthcare services for its citizens, while incurring minimum investment risks. Sharan Hardikar, Commissioner, PCMC, commented that the SIB places PCMC at the forefront of adopting innovative mechanisms to drive social development. He said, “This is in line with our vision of making Pimpri-Chinchwad the most liveable city in India by 2030.” Dr Manish Pant, Chief, Health and Governance, UNDP India, added that health plays a critical role in achieving sustainable development. He said, “We hope that this will lead to the development of a successful public healthcare model that will ultimately address the city strategy objectives of PCMC.” PCMC is currently operating 30 plus primary, secondary and tertiary level healthcare facilities with an aggregate 1,500-bed capacity. These facilities have been crucial in addressing the health crisis during the pandemic. The SIB will allow PCMC to not only upgrade the infrastructure but also build the capacity of its staff and establish protocols that can support higher quality healthcare.

Alarming rise in black fungal infection

NEW DELHI: After Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) in New Delhi reported cases of rare black fungal infections in patients of COVID-19, hospitals from several other cities in the country have reported similar cases. Doctors have identified the disease as Mucormyosis, which is rare but not new, and affects people who are under medication or are suffering from some illness as their immunity remains in a compromised state. The infection affects the sinuses or the lungs if the fungus enters through inhaling. It can also enter the skin through a cut, burn or any other type of skin injury, but is not contagious. If not detected early, it can kill half the patients, lead to loss of vision or jaw in others, and cause meningitis if it spreads to the brain. Symptoms of mucormycosis include one-sided facial swelling, nasal or sinus congestion, black lesions on nasal bridge or on upper inside of mouth, etc.

Dr Manish Munjal, senior surgeon at SGRH, said that the occurrence of COVID-19 triggered Mucormycosis with high morbidity and mortality is alarming. According to a report by India Today, the national capital has registered at least 44 cases of Mucormycosis, out of which nine patients have died. He added that early clinical suspicion on symptoms should prompt a biopsy and start of the antifungal therapy as early as possible for timely intervention can prevent complications like removal of jaws or disembowelment of the eye. Similar precautions as of COVID-19 like wearing masks and gloves can go a long way in protecting oneself from the fungal infection.

Sisodia gives smart devices to students

NEW DELHI: In an attempt to make online classes accessible to all the students, Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, distributed 1,059 tables to students on Thursday, December 3, asking them to pursue their education without any obstacle during the ongoing pandemic. These tablets have been arranged by the Tata PowerDelhi Distribution Limited and Bombay Suburban Electric Supply (BSES).

The tablets were given out at an event organised at Government Savodaya Vidyalaya, Shalimar Bagh. During the event, Sisodia said that the vaccine for COVID-19 will be released soon around the world and this pandemic will merely be a matter of history. He added that however, the loss of education that students are facing because of the ongoing pandemic cannot be compensated by any vaccine, and therefore to lessen the loss, Delhi government is working relentlessly to find solutions. Sisodia also asked the students to use the tablets for their benefit in studies and return it to their school after the examinations so as the other students in need can also gain from it.

Sisodia on December 22, also distributed 230 smartphones among students studying in classes 9 to 12 of the Government Sarvodaya Co-ed Secondary Vidyalaya in Rohini. The devices were collected with the help of civil society members to help students in attending online classes, which have been going on since March 2020.

Sisodia commented that the education sector has received the hardest blow by the pandemic. He added that a lot of students have been unable to access online classes because of lack of devices and networks. He thanked organisations, volunteers, and citizens in helping the government mobilise the plan of getting devices and distributing them to students to minimize the loss that students and their education have taken due to the pandemic. He said, “These are symbols of the collective goodness of people coming together in such dire times.”

TENDER NOTICE

All India Institute of

Local Self Government invites sealed tenders in

Two-Bids (Technical &

Financial) for 1) Printing items 2) Stationery and general items, on need basis for the calendar year 2021 or so. The complete sealed tender should reach to the

Director General, All

India Institute of Local

Self Government,

M.N.Roy Human

Development Campus,

Opp.Teachers Colony, Bandra-East,

Mumbai-400 051 latest by 15.00 hrs. on 29th January 2021. Details of the Tenders and procedure of submission etc. are available on www.aiilsg.org and also at Institute's office at Bandra (East) Email: admin@aiilsg.org Contact Nos. & 86576 22552 & 86576 22554 & 86576 22550

Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches National Common Mobility Card

Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, via video conferencing launched “National Common Mobility Card” (NCMC), under his “One Nation One Mobility Card” initiative, on December 28, 2020. NCMC will serve as an automatic fare collection (AFC) system for Delhi Metro’s Airport Express Line, and will eventually be made available across the whole network of Delhi Metro. NCMC will allow passengers with RuPay debit cards, issued in the last 18 months by 23 banks, to be swiped for Metro travels. The difference between NCMC cards and other metro cards is that NCMC cards can be used across all transit systems.