Over 20 die after drinking illicit liquor in western India

STORY: Over 20 die after drinking illicit liquor in western India DATELINE: July 26, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:01 LOCATION: New Delhi CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: various of India gatevarious of the incident STORYLINE: More than 20 people have died and nearly 20 others have been hospitalized after drinking illicit liquor in India's western state of Gujarat over the past 24 hours, media reports said on Tuesday. The deaths reportedly took place mainly in the villages in Botad, Bhavnagar and Ahmedabad areas. The incident has sent shock waves across the country, especially because the sale and consumption of liquor are strictly prohibited across Gujarat for local people. Meanwhile, local officials said that it is yet to be ascertained that the deaths were a result of the consumption of illicit liquor. "Post-mortems of the dead are being conducted in order to establish the actual cause of the deaths. We will be able to comment only after post-mortem reports come out," a government official told Xinhua over the p

India makes masks mandatory during flight, at airport as COVID-19 cases rise

STORY: India makes masks mandatory during flight, at airport as COVID-19 cases rise DATELINE: June 9, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:41 LOCATION: New Delhi CATEGORY: HEALTH SHOTLIST: various of the India Gatevarious of airportvarious of people receiving swab testsvarious of planes STORYLINE: The regulator of air traffic in India on Wednesday issued fresh guidelines making it mandatory for all air passengers to wear face masks throughout a flight. The passengers aboard found flouting the guidelines by not wearing face masks could be deboarded before take-off. Masks are also compulsory at airports, said the guidelines issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The new guidelines assume significance in the wake of an increase in the number of active cases of COVID-19 in India. Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from New Delhi. (XHTV)

India heading toward another power crisis in July-August: report

STORY: India heading toward another power crisis in July-August: report DATELINE: May 30, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:40 LOCATION: New Delhi CATEGORY: ECONOMY SHOTLIST: various of the India Gatevarious of power plantsvarious of power pylonsvarious of coal mining areas STORYLINE: Lower pre-monsoon coal stock at thermal power plants in India could lead to another power crisis in July-August, an independent research organization said in a report on Sunday. "Going by coal stocks in thermal power stations, India's current power crisis is unlikely to be resolved soon. The onset of the southwest monsoon will further hamper mining and transportation of coal from mines to power stations," the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) said in the report. "At the start of May, non-pithead power stations have only six days of coal left, against the stipulated 20-26 days. On the other hand, pithead power stations have coal stock enough for 13 days," said the report. According to the CREA, a lower pr

Survey finds 19 pct of Indian households have no sanitation facility

STORY: Survey finds 19 pct of Indian households have no sanitation facility DATELINE: May 8, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:35 LOCATION: New Delhi CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: various of the Indian Gatevarious of local householdsvarious of the facilities STORYLINE: India's 5th National Family Health Survey has found that 19 percent of the households in the country are devoid of any sanitation facility with their members practicing open defecation. The latest family health survey report was released by the federal health ministry on Thursday in the western state Gujarat. "Sixty-nine percent of households use an improved sanitation facility that is not shared with other households and 8 percent use a facility that would be considered improved if it were not shared," the report said. "19 percent of households have no facility, which means that the household members practice open defecation." The findings of the report are based on gathered information from 636,699 households across India between 20

Migration of workers, break in supply chains during pandemic impact real estate projects in India

STORY: Migration of workers, break in supply chains during pandemic impact real estate projects in India DATELINE: April 8, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:40 LOCATION: New Delhi CATEGORY: SOCIETY SHOTLIST: various of Indian Gatevarious of street viewvarious of workers STORYLINE: Indian government Thursday said that real estate projects across the country were adversely impacted due to the migration of workers from the construction sites and break in supply chains of construction material during the COVID-19 pandemic. The information was presented by the federal junior minister for housing and urban affairs Kaushal Kishore in his written reply in the lower house of the Indian parliament, locally called Lok Sabha. However, the minister said the quantum of job loss and financial loss in the real estate sector was not maintained by his ministry. Kishore said the ministry had issued an advisory to all states and their regulatory authorities for an extension of completion date or revised/extended comp

Schools in Indian capital reopened at full capacity after 2 years

STORY: Schools in Indian capital reopened at full capacity after 2 years DATELINE: April 2, 2022 LENGTH: 00:01:41 LOCATION: New Delhi CATEGORY: EDUCATION SHOTLIST: various of India gatevarious of schools and studentsvarious of street view STORYLINE: Authorities in the Indian capital region Friday reopened schools fully in offline mode after a gap of two years. It is for the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic that physical attendance was made no longer optional. Schools in Delhi were first closed in March 2020 immediately after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent imposition of a countrywide lockdown. The classwork resumed after some time in online mode and students were asked to attend classes sitting at their homes while remaining connected to their school teachers via the Internet. Although the schools reopened for in-person classes multiple times in the past two years, the online mode was never called off. Last year, schools reopened briefly, howe