Eight more COVID-19 cases from IIT-Madras, tally now 191
Tamil Nadu govt orders Covid testing in all colleges
Chennai, Dec 15: Eight more people have tested positive for coronavirus on the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras campus here, taking the tally in the institution to 191, a senior health official said on Tuesday.
Out of the 978 samples lifted from the IIT-M since December 1, a total of 191 people have tested positive till date and results for 25 specimens alone were yet to be received, Tamil Nadu Health Secretary, J Radhakrishnan said.
From 104 on Monday, with the addition of 87 more positive cases, the IIT-M's COVID-19 tally stood at 191.
Six students have tested positive for the virus at Anna University too.
The Tamil Nadu government has intensified Covid testing on campuses and has ordered testing at all colleges and universities after the IIT-Madras break out.
For testing, as many as 539 samples were taken on Monday alone which includes workers in addition to students and from this batch, 79 tested positive, he said.
The overall positivity rate vis-a-vis the institution has however gone down to 15 per cent from about 20 per cent seen earlier, he said.
A majority of those affected were students and the rest being people like workers in canteens. All of them are being treated at the government-run King's Institute of Preventive Medicine and Research here.
Following the outbreak, the institute shut all its departments and classes were being held online.
Allaying fears over further spread of the virus in the area, the official told reporters that IIT-M was only a localised cluster.
Earlier, similar localised outbreaks were witnessed elsewhere like in a large textile store and in a gathering for a feast and hence, people should wear masks always without fail and follow all other norms to help prevent the virus spread, he said.
Testing would be done for those associated with facilities like canteens in educational institutions and mansions for early identification of positive cases and treatment, he said.
Media statement from #IITMadras - 14th December 2020 pic.twitter.com/atJSrxP1sR
— IIT Madras (@iitmadras) December 14, 2020
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2001 Parliament attack anniversary: Vice Prez, PM Modi, MPs pay tributes to fallen heroes
New Delhi (PTI): Vice President C P Radhakrishnan on Saturday led Parliamentarians in paying floral tributes to those who died fending off terrorists who attacked the Parliament House in 2001.
On the 24th anniversary of the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Radhakrishnan, who is also the Rajya Sabha Chair, were among the first to offer tributes.
A brief function is held outside the now old Parliament building (Samvidhan Sadan) every December 13 to mark the day.
CISF personnel presented a salute or "samman guard" at the venue, after which a moment of silence was observed to mark the anniversary. Till 2023, the CRPF used to offer 'salami shastra' (present arms).
Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a senior party leader, were also present at the event. Union ministers Kiren Rijiju, Jitendra Singh and Arjun Ram Meghwal also lined up to offer flower petals at the photographs of the personnel who went down foiling the attack.
Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is in Latur to attend the funeral of former speaker of the Lower House of Parliament and ex-Union minister Shivraj Patil.
The attack was carried out by five armed terrorists, but personnel from the now former Parliament Security Service, CRPF and Delhi Police foiled the attack, with no terrorist being able to enter the building.
Six Delhi Police personnel, two Parliament Security Service personnel, a gardener and a TV video journalist were killed in the attack. All five terrorists were gunned down in the forecourt of the then Parliament building.
