State and Centre in a fued surrounding quarantine for NRIs May 12, 2020 14:27
With one of the biggest repatriation process already underway, it looks like the state and central government of India are not on the same page concerning the quarantine process for the rescued NRIs. The repatriation process has initiated from May 07 and with the disagreement that both these governments have been showcasing, it is likely going to end up causing a dispute with the process.The Kerala government has clearly mentioned that the NRIs returning from outside will mandatorily have to stay in the state-run quarantine facility for 7 days irrespective of their Covid-19 infection status. On the other hand, a standard operating procedure (SOP) that has been released by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs reported that the returnees will have to give an undertaking clarifying that they are willing to undergo the institutional quarantine for a minimum of 2 weeks on their own expenses. They have also been asked to submit the results of the reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test that they have to undergo. This should be submitted to the Indian missions where they have particularly registered themselves.Rules for the symptomatic casesAccording to the SOP, the symptomatic patients will be immediately transferred to a medical facility and the remaining asymptomatic or the healthy individuals will be kept in quarantine facilities that are going to be arranged by the State government.If the individuals test negative for Covid-19, they will be free to go home otherwise they’ll be shifted to the medical facilities as per the requirements. Even if they are free to go home, the individuals will be under strict guidance of self monitoring for the next 14 days as well.On the contrary, the State Government has issues rules suggesting that the RT-PCR test will be conducted on them in 7 days after their arrival. The ones who test positive for the test will be immediately hospitalised while the individuals who test negative will be allowed to go home.They will be advised with home quarantine for another week as a mode of precaution.The health authorities have reported that the containment program of the State will have to be changed against the backdrop of the decision made by the Union Ministry.The authorities are planning to follow the same protocol for all the returnees from 10 other states which have been classified as the intense disease transmission zones and the ones coming around from the sea ports.“It may take at least 6 to 7 days or more for the virus to show up in the lab test. Around 30% to 40 % of people who test negative within seven days may test positive subsequently,” reported a senior official.It is also likely that a small section of the returnees might take more time to test positive for Covid-19. When questioned about the decisions, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that the 7-days quarantine and containment program was decided based on the expert suggestions.By Somapika Dutta
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Coronavirus Kills Two Indian American Doctors Treating Patients In The US May 11, 2020 17:58
Constantly striving to take care of patients suffering with COVID-19 killed two Indian American doctors in New Jersey. Satyender Dev Khanna was 78 years old and he worked as a surgeon. Across New Jersey, in many hospitals, he was the head of surgical departments. Priya Khanna was 43 years old and she had a double certification in internal medicine and nephrology. In the Residents at Union Hospital, she was the Chief and worked with RWJ Barnabas Health. Governor Phil Murphy described their demise as "particularly tough" and honored them for dedicating their lives for others. "Dr. Satyender Dev Khanna and Dr. Priya Khanna were father and daughter. They both dedicated their lives to helping others. This is a family dedicated to health and medicine. Our words cannot amply express our condolences," New Jersey Governor Murphy tweeted on Thursday. "Both dedicated their lives to helping others and we lost both of them to COVID-19." Satyender Dev Khanna worked for 35 years at the Clara Maass Medical Center. where he had worked for more than 35 years. He was a "pioneering doctor" and one of the first surgeons to perform laparoscopic surgery in the state. His colleagues are recollected memories with him stating that he was a gentle and caring physician. The doctor was passionate about bicycling, and he loved biking along the Jersey Shore. Priya Khanna completed her medical training in New Jersey. With Cooper health system, in South Jersey, she finished her fellowship in nephrology. Even she worked at Clara Maass, where she died. Apart from this, she was even a Medical Director at two dialysis centers in Essex County and "took pride" in teaching the next generation of doctors. The physician who took care of Priya in the ICU was trained and taught by her. "Priya will be remembered as a caring and selfless person who put others first. And even while in the hospital, fighting her own battle, she continued to check up on her mom and dad and her family," Mr Murphy said. The entire family is dedicated to health and medicine. The other family members are Pediatricians. - Neha Makhija
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Relief For NRIs Who Stuck In India- They Won't Lose NRI Status and Don't Need To File Returns May 11, 2020 15:14
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman declared that NRIs don't need to file returns. It was ordered by the income tax department to make it an exception for the NRIs who are stuck in India due to lockdown. Indians who are residing abroad are not considered as a resident for tax purposes by the income tax department if they spend less than 120 days. The point to be noted is, many NRIs exceeded the limit of 120 days stay in India as per COVID-19 condition and they may have to extend for a few more days. An official from the financial ministry said that the Finance Minister received many people who are concerned about their stay in India as they need to file returns as Indian citizens. So, the minister addressed the issue of such people and extended their stay to determine their residence status. The Finance Minister confirmed that the Central Board of Direct Taxes would extend the stay of NRIs without any tax returns in India as it is unsure about when the international flight will start. This exception is applicable for the financial year 2020-21. This exception is for both the categories of NRIs who are staying back in the country from an evacuation flight or were already in the country. - Ramya
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Police Prepared To Take Care Of NRI Arrivals May 08, 2020 21:42
The Police force have organized and prepared themselves to smoothly handle the expatriates who arrive at the Cochin International Airport Limited on Thursday.These expatriates will be medically screened. There will be two hundred police personnel deployed at the airport and in the areas nearby.The COVID-control room will begin at 2 p.m. Two DySps, two sub-inspectors and four civil police officers will be appointed to manage things.District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural) K. Karthik said that details of the flights and passengers will be collected at the control room. Social distancing rules will be followed at the airport. Three inspectors, three sub-inspectors and seven civil police officers will stand at the arrival gate. The police will properly monitor the arrival area.After a strict check, vehicles will be allowed to move in and out. At the airport check-post area police picket will be set up.Expatriates will be transported in special taxis, arrangements are made. In a seating capacity of four or five passengers, only two passengers will be allowed in a cab.On Thursday, at 9.40, a single evacuation flight will land at Kochi and it will come from Abu Dhabi with 200 passengers. On Saturday, 200 passengers from Doha would land here.By Neha Makhija
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India Permits The Foreign Citizens To Travel Back their Country- For OCI and green Card Holders May 07, 2020 15:01
The Government of India passed and started allowing the foreign citizens to travel to their country. The travellers must be holding the OCI or and Green Card. Under the condition of travelers holding a visa of at least one-year duration of that foreign country and in case of medical emergency or death in the family of those Indian nationals holding six-month visas are also permitted to travel- declared by Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)They need to complete the formalities by applying to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). The application includes the purpose and the particular details. It is mandatory to mention the departure and arrival destinations. Before the ticket book for the travelling, it includes the process where the destination country allows the person’s entry. This is clarified by SOP to MoCA as it is responsible to confirm the entry in the home country.The condition must be fulfilled by the citizens to start and land in the destination country. Confirmed by SOP stating “The conditions, if any, imposed by the destination country, will have to be fulfilled by the persons intending to travel,” the SOP reads.” Along with this confirmation it stated “The travel from India shall be on the non-scheduled commercial flights that are being arranged by MoCA for bringing back stranded Indian nationals from abroad and the cost of travel, as specified by MoCA, will be borne by such travellers.”Before boarding the flight from India, the travelers must undergo the thermal screening as per the health protocol and the health check process is handled by MoCA. The thermal screening results COVID-19 negative, only then the person is allowed to board the flight. While traveling, everyone needs to follow the health protocol that includes wearing the mask, sanitizing hands, and environmental hygiene. Staff, crew and passengers, everyone must strictly follow this health protocol while the flight is on board.By Ramya C
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Indian-American psychiatrist fined over opiod violations May 01, 2020 17:57
An Indian-American psychiatrist was recently fines with $145,000 for prescribing excess dosage of opiod medication, as per the reports from the Justice department. The accused, Prakash Bhatia, who practised pain control medication San Diego area in California was ready to pay the fine following the threat from the Drug Enforcement Agency to begin an investigation into whether or not he prescribed opiods to his patients in an improper way in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. Robert Brewer, the federal prosecutor for Southern California further stated saying, “Overprescribing opioids to patients who need treatment for their pain has contributed to the opioid epidemic in this country.” The US has been facing an epidemic with the drug abuse from the illegal use of the medications that should only be prescribed with a doctor’s prescription and not otherwise. As per the released government statistics, over 15,000 people have died because of drug overdose in 2018. The prosecutors have reported that Bhatia prescribed medications like hydromorphone, morphine, methadone, oxycodone, fentanyl and oxymorphone to his patients without any legitimate need of the same. He had also prescribed those said medicines along with anti-depressants including benzodiazepines and muscle relaxants which further deteriorate the abuse and cause even worse implications of the condition. By Somapika Dutta
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Over 1 Lakh NRI Keralites register to return home April 28, 2020 14:13
Following the announcement made by the Kerala government about opening the online registration for the Non-Resident Keralites who are stranded in foreign countries, over 1 lakh registrations have been submitted so far. The same happened just after 12 hours of the registration being open. Majority of the registrations have poured in from countries and nations around the Middle East countries. Maximum of the registrations are from UAE. The registration was being conducted on www.norkaroots.org which is the official body of the diaspora in the state. This new facility was finally opened by the State followed the flood of messages that they received from the NRIs stranded all across the globe. The Union Cabinet Secretary has also asked on the ways that the state governments are going to work to make arrangements for the returning diaspora, especially if they are coming from some of the most infected parts of the world. The efforts and strategies suggested and imposed by the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were highly praised by the Union Minister cabinet and they have also suggested the other states to follow through with the same process. Vijayan reported that all the necessary arrangements were sorted out in all four airports in Kerala. The people who are going to arrive are going to be screened. While the ones with no signs of Covid-19 will be allowed to return to their homes and isolate there, the other will be quarantined in the facilities that the government has arranged and with all the necessary precautions. According to the reports from the state government, several of the hostels, hotesl, and even private hospitals will host the accommodation facility. Some of the floating houseboats at Alappuzha will also act as quarantine facilities. Some of these quarantine centres are going to function for free. But, in case some wants better facilities and comfort, they will be levied with charges for that. Out of the 2.5 million non-resident Keralites in the world, 90% of them are based out of the Middle East Countries. Around 3-5 lakh people are likely going to return following the resuming of the air services in the country. By Somapika Dutta
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Kerala initiates online registrations for NRIs wanting to return to India April 27, 2020 13:20
Even before the resumption of the flight services that have been halted in the country due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Kerala has started their online registrations for all the NRIs of the state who want to return from abroad.The Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan held video conferencing sessions with some Non-Resident Keralites yesterday regarding the steps that the government is taking to bring back some of the people who have appealed to return to the country.The CM then announced that the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) has opened up the online registration process for the individuals who want to return home due to the rising crisis surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.Those stranded in other countries are going to be brought back to safety to India after the Centre resumes the flight services and gives this a green signal."Those returning should undergo screening at airports. All those returning should undergo mandatory home quarantine for 14 days. Arrangements of isolation wards will be provided for those unable to go home," CM Pinarayi Vijayan exclaimed.The Kerala government has been working extensively to bring back the expatriats with a lot of elaborate arrangements. All of these individuals will have to follow a minimum of 14 days of self-quarantine after they land in India.CM Vijayan has also written an appeal to PM Narendra Modi about arranging some flights to bring back the NRIs who are stranded abroad, especially around the Gulf nations.The state government has also clearly mentioned that the online registration process is to get a ballpark figure for the isolation facility that needs to be created, if there is a need for one. The same is not going to impact any priorities on flight bookings. Once every NRK fills out the registration form, the Kerala government is going to draw up the list and try and get as many people back to the country once the lockdown is removed and things get back to normal. Kerala currently has around 120 active cases and had a total of 458 confirmed cases and 2 deaths.By Somapika Dutta
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Miss England gets back to her duty as NHS doctor during pandemic April 08, 2020 11:30
Beauty with brains is a term that is often misused, especially for women. Crowned as Miss England in 2019, Bhasha Mukherjee kept aside her beauty crown and returned to the United Kingdom from her charity work to continue her career as the NHS doctor to help patients during the coronavirus pandemic. Mukherjee took a break from her career after winning the Miss World pageant wherein she represented England. Owing to her intellect, she was asked to be part of a number of charities across the world, which is where she was planning to be in until August of this year. In an interview with CNN, she stated saying, “I was invited to Africa, to Turkey, then to India, Pakistan and several other Asian countries to be an ambassador for various charity work.” She started her tour with India on March 04 and was there for four weeks on behalf of Coventry Mercia Lions Club, which she was an ambassador for. The charity mainly focused on development and community charity. They worked with orphaned kids and abandoned girls to provide them with a home and education. But, with the coronavirus pandemic hitting UK pretty bad, Mukherjee was consistently getting calls from her former colleagues to come back as the hospitals were in need of more doctors. She got calls from her old hospital, the Pilgrim Hospital that is located in Boston, eastern England. Responding to the crisis, Mukherjee contacted the management of her old hospital to let them know that she wanted to come back home during this time and take on her responsibilities. She said to CNN that it doesn’t feel right to wear a crown when she can’t even do any good that she was touring the world for. Mukherjee said that after hearing everything that was happening back at home, all that she wanted to do was come back home and get straight to work. Mukherjee has been a resident of the United Kingdom after moving from Kolkata, India at the age of 9. She further stated saying, “I felt a sense of this is what I'd got this degree for and what better time to be part of this particular sector than now." She was elated to see how the world was celebrating the key workers and appreciating their efforts and knowing that she could add more value to it because of her degree and skills, she wanted to come back and do that. Mukherjee was in contact with the British High Commissioner in Kolkata and talked to them to arrange a flight back home. She returned on Wednesday in a flight from India to Frankfurt and then to London. She believes that there is no better time to stand up to her crown of Miss England and save people’s lives now. Mukherjee is currently self isolating for the coming one or two weeks as protocol following which she will be able to return to work. UK has already reported over 55,000 confirmed cases with over 6000 deaths. By Somapika Dutta
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Three Indians among 42 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Singapore March 30, 2020 19:20
Among the 42 new cases reported in Singapore, three Indian nationals have been identified in them. This has taken up the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 844. Out of the 42 new cases, 24 of them are imported and have international travel history from some of the hotspots across the globe. The three Indians who have been identified as positive for the coronavirus infection include a 35 year old female, 34 year male with a work pass of Singapore and a 43 year male who is a permanent resident of Singapore. One of the latest cases in the country also includes a 42-year old permanent resident who is a nurse in the local hospital. She contracted the virus possibly at her workplace as there are no reports of international travel. She started showcasing the symptoms of the disease on March 24, 2020 and finally got the confirmed test results on March 27, 2020. According to reports from a local news channel, she is kept in isolation in the hospital that she works in. Of all the 423 cases in the hospitals in Singapore, 19 are currently in critical condition. The others are either stable or improving from the state that they were admitted in. 14 patients have recently already recovered from the condition and have been discharged from the hospitals in Singapore. In total, 212 of the infected patients in Singapore have already recovered from the virus. By Somapika Dutta
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Minor boy’s Custody granted to NRI father: Delhi HC March 10, 2020 18:11
The Delhi high court has granted the custody of a 10- year old boy to his father who is a Non- resident Indian and an industrialist living in Kenya as it has been said that the man was in a better position for taking care of the child.It has also been observed by the bench of Justice G S Sistani and Justice Jyoti Singh that although the woman who is said to be an advocate practicing in the Delhi High Court may be well within her rights for seeking the alimony from her husband as she has made use of the minor as a “chattel to be traded for alimony or the other benefits can never be in the best interests of the child.”An appeal which has been filed by the high court has bee dismissed by the high court where the appeal was challenging an order of the trail court by which the custody of the child has been granted to his father.“We are of the view that the father/ respondent is in a better position to take care of the child and the best interests of the child would be protected by granting his custody to the father. Accordingly, we find no merit in the appeal and the same is dismissed,” as said by the high court as it has dismissed the appeal that has been filed by the woman.It has been said by the High Court that the Supreme Court has reiterated time and again that while making the decision as to which parent would be getting the custody of the minor, paramount consideration has to be given to the ‘welfare of the child’ and also to the ‘best interest’ principle.The court has been hearing an appeal that has been made by the mother where in it was challenging an order made by a family court in the month of January of 2018, granting the guardianship of the child to his father and has directed the mother to hand over the custody of the boy to the man at the end of the academic session of the years 2017-2018.The couple has got married in the month of July in the year 2007 and their son was born in the month of December of the year 2009. It has been said that the woman has come to along with her child after she has been facing problems with her husband, in the year 2012.The woman had alleged that the father of the child was unfit to be granted the custody of the child as he has been habituated to drinking alcohol and that he was racist and that he was not interested in the child before the commencement of the litigation has been done.The woman has said that the father of the child was a busy businessman who travels for days in a month and that he had also wanted to entrust the custody of the child to the paternal grandparents who are old aged and they would not be able to bring up the minor.The man has however alleged that the woman has been trying to isolate the child from him and also from the members of his family and that she has been telling their son about demons in Kenya and there might be a plane crash during his flight to stop him from travelling to Kenya.The man has said that he has his family were highly NRI industrialists with being interested to spread their business over Kenya and the United Kingdom and that the child would be the heir of their business and that he has to be exposed to the business environment from a young age.He has also mentioned that the woman who is an advocate by profession lives in an accommodation which is small and that she lives along with he old mother. The high court has said in its order that the man has been holding a dual citizenship of Kenya and the United Kingdom and that the business interest of the man and his family was to spread in both the countries of Kenya and also in the United Kingdom.The order of the high court has mentioned that both the woman and her mother are not working and are staying at home and are reaping the rental income and that they would not be an ideal role model for the child. The order has also said that although financial superiority can never be the sole ground for granting the custody, however it can also be one among the factors that has to be considered while ascertaining where the welfare of the minor in all the aspects lies.By Shrithika Kushangi
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NRI from Italy tested Positive being the First Case of Covid-19 in Punjab March 10, 2020 16:39
A Non- resident Indian who has reached Amritsar last week from Italy has been tested positive and confirmed of getting infected by the deadly novel coronavirus turning out to be the first case in Punjab, as said by Balbir Singh Sidhu who is the Health Minister of the state of Punjab, on Monday.Anurag Aggarwal who is the Punjab Principal Secretary of Health has said that the man who has reached Amritsar travelling by an Air India flight has been confirmed as being infected by the deadly novel coronavirus as he has been tested positive for the virus. It has been said that the patient has landed at the Amritsar International Airport via Delhi on the 4th of March along with his two other members of his family.The Principal Secretary of Health of the state of Punjab has also said that the wife and the child of the patient have been tested negative and the two of them have been kept quarantined at a hospital in Amritsar.The patient has been identified as a resident of Hoshiarpur and it has been said that the patient had managed to evade the screening which has been conducted at the Delhi International Airport, where he has initially landed from Milan in an Air India flight, as said by an officials.Anurag Aggarwal has added saying that the patient and his family members have been tracked to the Amritsar airport and they have been admitted to a government hospital in Amritsar as they have been suspected of showing symptoms of being infected by the deadly novel coronavirus.They have been tested and the samples have been sent to the AIIMS, Delhi for the investigation through which the man along with his wife have been tested positive for the afflictions and the sample have been subsequently sent to the National Institute of Virology in Pune which has confirmed the case of the man being suffering from the deadly novel COVID-19 afflictions, as said by Anurag Aggarwal.The government of Punjab has written to the Centre where in it has urged the Centre to track the all the passengers who have been on the two Air India flights that was taken by the trio to first reach Delhi and then to Amritsar.The state government has also issued a bulletin Monday which has stated that the ten people bearing the symptoms of the deadly novel coronavirus have been admitted to several different hospitals and have been tested. The blood samples of all the ten people with the symptoms of COVID-19 have been sent for testing.According to the bulletin that has been issued by the state government, a total number of 2001 beds are said to be quarantined and 950beds have been set for isolation at various hospitals across the state.The government of Punjab has also launched a mobile application named as Cova Punjab in order to spread the awareness about the precautions that has to be taken for staying safe and protected ourselves from being infected by the deadly coronavirus. The app has been launched by Punjab Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh.The name of the mobile application Cova Punjab has been described as Cova standing for Corona Virus Alert and the app is said to have been developed by the Department of Government Reforms and the Public Grievances along with consulting the Department of Health and Family Welfare.The app is said to provide options to check for the symptoms and to follow the advice that have been prescribed in the application and the suggestions of the nearest hospitals where the people can report if they show any kind of symptoms, would also be shown in the mobile application, as said by Karan Avtar Singh who is the Chief Secretary of Punjab.It has been said by Vini Mahajan who is the Additional Chief Secretary of the Governance Reforms, that the mobile application can be downloaded from Android play store as well as from the iOS AppStore.By Shrithika Kushangi
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