Quarantine isolation, Shastri's guidance helped Virat and Rohit renew friendship

via Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Live Match Scores & Sports News Headlines, Results & more https://ift.tt/39tzGJ4

Jofra Archer undergoes hand surgery after freak fish tank accident

via Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Live Match Scores & Sports News Headlines, Results & more https://ift.tt/2PixqO3

'Proud' Sergio Aguero to leave Man City

via Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Live Match Scores & Sports News Headlines, Results & more https://ift.tt/3cAwXj4

2nd Test: Patient Brathwaite on 99 against 'disciplined' Sri Lanka bowling

via Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Live Match Scores & Sports News Headlines, Results & more https://ift.tt/3rz8HSS

India pushes ahead with vaccination drive

Asli Bai Sayat, 72, had to travel for two hours on a camel cart to get her first coronavirus vaccine shot in the Indian desert state of Rajasthan but she may not have to go so far for the follow-up dose. After a slow start, India is picking up the pace of its immunisation campaign, simplifying the process, opening more vaccination centres and turning to social media as it tries to head off a new surge in infections that has brought the highest tallies of daily cases and deaths in months. More than 3.2 million people got vaccinations on a single day last week, one of the world's highest rates, and health authorities around the country are calling for more doses as demand picks up and supplies in some places dwindle. "I came with my husband from about 30 kilometres to get the first dose," Sayat, wearing a red-and-beige traditional dress with a walking stick by her side, told Reuters in the town of Shri Dungargarh. "It's hard to travel each time at this age but we have no choice." A health official said Sayat and her husband might not have to come all the way back for their follow-up shots with chances a new vaccination centre would be set up close to their home as part of the drive to expand and speed up the campaign. A senior health official in the eastern state of Jharkhand, said he was hoping to more than double daily vaccinations from about 35,000, partly with more centres. "We're trying to decentralise the process so people don't have to travel more than two kilometres from their residence," said Ravi Shankar Shukla, There's a lot at stake and not just for India. With a population of 1.35 billion, India is home to nearly 15% of humanity and struggling with the third-highest overall infection tally in the world at 11.8 million cases. In all, about 161,000 people have died. A successful immunisation campaign in India, where health workers have to contend with difficult terrain, poor internet connectivity and patchy transport, should set an example for anyone. Authorities initially wanted people to log on to the internet to make a vaccination appointment but that's not so easy for many so the rule was dropped and now many people can simply walk into an inoculation centre. 'EASY' Grassroots healthcare workers are also out in communities across the country, explaining the facts and cajoling people, like 56-year old sugarcane grower Kamal Sanas, to get their shots. Sanas was convinced and so went with her husband to a village office in Satara district and asked a worker to fix an appointment for them with his smartphone. "It was quite easy," Sanas told Reuters at a nearby health centre where she got her shot. "Health-care workers cleared up all our doubts about the vaccine and explained why elderly people should get it." At more than 53 million, India has administered the most doses after the United States and China. But per-capita, India, the world's biggest vaccine maker, ranks much lower. India wants to immunize at least 300 million people by August. From April 1, it will expand the campaign from the elderly and vulnerable to everyone over the age of 45. It helps that the vaccines being given - Indian-made doses of the AstraZeneca shot and a home-grown one from Bharat Biotech - can be stored in normal fridge temperatures so ice boxes are a must in places with unreliable power. Health workers struggling with internet outages now set aside data and upload it all in one go rather than holding up vaccinations as they wait for the connection to be restored. To fire up enthusiasm, health centres are setting up selfie booths and urging people getting shots to spread the message on social media. State officials are confident they can speed things up as long as they have the doses to hand. To help with that, India has put a temporary hold on all major exports of the AstraZeneca shot made by the Serum Institute of India and it may soon add Russia's Sputnik V vaccine to its arsenal. But India's restriction on exports is putting a squeeze on supplies in places like Papua New Guinea, where the government says the virus has "broken loose" and there's little immediate hope of help from vaccines.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3dk7hqc

Lenders want compensation for interest loss

Mumbai: The Indian Banks’ Association (IBA) has requested the government to compensate lenders for their income loss because of last week’s Supreme Court order, which prevented them from levying compound interest on loans for the moratorium period, two people with knowledge of the matter said.The request was made in a letter sent to the finance ministry on Saturday, they said.The government has already reimbursed banks for forgoing compound interest, or interest on interest, on loans up to Rs 2 crore outstanding during March-August last year, when borrowers had the option to seek moratorium on repayments. Lenders have been charging compound interest on larger amounts, but the Supreme Court order means they must now refund it to borrowers. Analysts estimate this amount to be between Rs 7,000 crore and Rs 10,000 crore“Banks are hoping that the government will take on the burden by enhancing the scope of the ex-gratia scheme to cover the additional refund after the apex court order,” a banker in the know said. “While the larger banks could easily foot the bill, all lenders have decided that such a request should be made to the government to get clarity on the matter.”The Supreme Court in its order last week directed the government and the RBI to waive penal interest charges on all loans, while rejecting the demand of borrowers to extend the repayment moratorium beyond August 31 and for a complete interest waiver. The loan moratorium scheme was aimed at giving temporary relief to borrowers.In November last, the government decided to waive interest-on-interest for borrowers below loan exposure of Rs 2 crore. It paid nearly Rs 6,000 crore to lenders to compensate them for the income loss.Govt Not Inclined for Additional BurdenWaiving compound interest on loans above Rs 2 crore could cost nearly Rs 4,000 crore to public sector banks, Rs 2,500 crore to private banks and another Rs 1,000 crore to non-bank lenders, say analysts. ET, citing a top official, reported on Monday that the government was not inclined to bear the additional burden. While a final call is yet to be taken, the government could ask banks to stagger the relief to borrowers over a few months, rather than taking another fiscal burden, the report said.Banks held a meeting on Friday last week where it was decided that they would work out a common approach to implement the directions of the Supreme Court. Lenders decided that the six-month moratorium period would be excluded while considering the non-performing status of accounts, irrespective of whether a borrower opted for moratorium or not. Banks also decided that they would start refunding compound interest they had already charged to borrowers within a “reasonable” time frame.The apex court had mandated that any compound interest deducted should be refunded to borrowers or they be given a credit adjustment in the next instalment of the loan account.“The IBA initiative gives operational clarity in NPA recognition, which will help both banks and the borrowers and facilitate smooth implementation of the recent Supreme Court verdict,” said Hari Hara Mishra, an independent banking expert. “Bankers’ request to the government for help in footing additional interest burden is logical, as banks, for the moratorium period also, will continue to have liability to pay depositors on compounding basis.”Meanwhile, NBFC industry body Finance Industry Development Council could also approach the government, as they want the state to compensate them for the cost towards paying interest to depositors. A representation could be made after the industry body assesses the impact of these waivers on individual members, people in the know said. 81751013

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3u8TkBY

BMC to monitor beds in private hospital

The Mumbai municipal corporation has ordered all its ward officers to take over the beds in private hospitals and nursing homes as the city gears up to tackle a new surge of Covid-19 infections. Asymptomatic Covid-19 patients without any comorbidity will not be allocated hospital beds. The corporation has instructed hospitals to discharge at the earliest all such patients who have been admitted.On Monday, the corporation issued 18 directives to its ward officers and private hospitals as part of its strategy to better utilise the hospital beds in the city, as it looks to avoid a situation similar to last year’s when many patients who had urgent need of hospitalisation could not get admitted due to poor allocation of beds. Eighty per cent of total hospital beds and all ICU beds will be reserved for Covid treatment in each ward, and no admissions by private hospitals will be allowed to these without the permission of the corporation.81751547Hospitals have been instructed to activate their beds to the maximum capacity. These hospitals will be run under the control of the assistant commissioners of each city ward. The ward officers will have the liberty to deploy police forces to facilitate bed allocation.The medical professionals in the 'war room' of each ward will be responsible for triaging the patients and beds. The ICU and hospital beds in a ward will be allocated first to patients from that ward. If there are more patients, they will be sent to facilities that are affiliated to the ESIS, jumbo centres, and other private hospitals. Hospital bed allocation will be done after it gets approved by the corporation’s war room. As of March 25, Mumbai had 931 ICU beds and 9,397 general beds.

from Economic Times https://ift.tt/3cDAyNz