Mysuru district admin apprehensive about rise in COVID cases post Dasara festivities
Mysuru: There could be a spurt in coronavirus cases due to tourists from outside who came to the city to witness the Dasara festivities, Mysuru deputy commissioner Rohini Sindhuri said on Monday.
"We have been discussing it (spurt in cases). We will get the effect of Dasara after a fortnight," Sindhuri told reporters in Mysuru replying to queries on the Dasara event.
She added that in December there will be a Panchalinga festival, which too will have an effect on the spread of coronavirus.
The officer said once Mysuru had brought down the cases to zero but there will be a spurt in COVID-19 infections again.
She insisted that the trend of decline in cases needed to be maintained in the interest of people.
According to the health department, Mysuru has cumulatively reported 47,831 cases and 959 fatalities.
The district was in the limelight for the Nanjangud COVID cluster when a large number of employees of a pharmaceutical company were found to be coronavirus infected in April.
The persistence of the district administration had brought down the cases to zero, but the cases later increased to an alarming level of about 1,000 cases a day.
However, it has been brought down to 147 cases a day presently, the department said.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Chhattisgarh govt enforces austerity measures, restricts foreign travel and cuts convoy vehicles
Raipur (PTI): The Chhattisgarh government on Saturday rolled out a set of austerity measures, including restricted use of convoy vehicles for the chief minister, ministers and heads of state-run bodies, besides curbs on foreign travel at government expense.
The state has decided to implement the cost-saving steps with immediate effect to ensure efficient management of financial resources and discipline in public spending, said a directive issued by Finance Secretary Rohit Yadav.
The move follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s appeal for austerity amid the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
The order said that only essential vehicles should be used in the convoys of the CM, ministers and office-bearers of corporations, boards and commissions, while ensuring restrained use of other government resources.
It also directed departments to take steps for a phased conversion of all official vehicles into electric vehicles in order to promote the use of EVs.
As part of fuel-saving measures, expenditure on petrol and diesel for government vehicles should be kept to a minimum, the directive said.
Vehicle pooling arrangements should also be implemented for officials of departments travelling to the same destination, it added.
The order further stated that foreign travel of government employees at state expenses will be completely prohibited except under extremely unavoidable circumstances. In such cases, prior approval of the CM will be mandatory.
To reduce administrative expenditure, departments have been instructed to hold physical meetings preferably only once a month and encourage virtual and online meetings. Regular departmental review meetings should compulsorily be conducted through video conferencing, it said.
The government also stressed the need for energy conservation in its offices, directing that all electrical equipment, including lights, fans, air-conditioners and computers, must be switched off after office hours.
The directive will remain effective till September 30 this year.
Amid the war involving the US, Israel and Iran, Modi has suggested reducing petrol and diesel consumption, using metro rail services in cities, carpooling, increased use of EVs, utilising railway services for parcel movement and working from home to conserve foreign exchange.
