Coronavirus death toll in China crosses 1,000
Beijing: Global efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak intensified on Tuesday with a team of WHO experts holding in-depth exchanges with specialists here, as the death toll from the deadly infection in China crossed 1,000 while the confirmed cases rose to 42,708.
The World Health Organisation convened a meeting in Geneva on Tuesday to fast-track promising tests, drugs and vaccines to help slow the outbreak that has spread to over 20 countries, including India.
The death toll on Monday rose to 1,017 with confirmed cases totalling to 42,708 in China. The confirmed cases abroad have gone up to 390, health officials here said.
A 15-member advance team of the WHO specialists led by Bruce Aylward, a veteran of past public health emergencies which arrived here on Monday night, began consultations with their Chinese counterparts on Tuesday.
They will join with Chinese experts to conduct in-depth exchanges on the situation and epidemic prevention and control, China's Health Commission spokesman Mi Feng said.
"We welcome experts from all countries, including the United States, to participate in the team of experts. We believe that after consultation and communication, we can make appropriate arrangements for the joint team in China," he said.
Some 400 scientists will be meeting on February 11-12 in Geneva to discuss all aspects of the virus, the WHO announced.
"On 11-12 February, WHO is convening a global research and innovation forum to mobilize international action, and identify knowledge gaps and research priorities to contribute to the control of #2019nCoV, a WHO tweet said.
This is the biggest gathering of specialists to evaluate the coronavirus which surfaced in December last year and wreaked havoc in China.
The Chinese government has sealed 18 cities with over 50 million people in the virus-hit Hubei province including its provincial capital Wuhan to prevent its spread.
Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO told the media in Geneva that it is important to have risk management procedures associated with the virus are worked out at the earliest.
"You can't shut the world either and normal activity must go on," he said.
The two-day forum in Geneva will try to work out a roadmap to deal with the coronavirus in China and around the world. This includes the development of medication and vaccines, state run CGTN TV reported on Tuesday.
The world's leading experts will bring together all their expertise from around the globe to focus their attention on how best to try and defeat the coronavirus, the report said.
They will examine issues like how to fill the knowledge gaps of virus, focus their discussions on specifics like how it is transmitted in particular. Most crucial is to develop medicine in particular and a vaccine to contain it.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government has removed several senior officials in Wuhan, the epicentre of the epidemic, for their mishandling of the coronavirus outbreak.
Those sacked included the party secretary for the Hubei Health Commission, and the head of the commission, official media reported.
Last week, three Chinese officials of the Red Cross Society in Hubei province were punished for improperly dealing with donations for the prevention and control of the epidemic.
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25 lakh properties in Bengaluru brought under e-Khata system: Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Friday said that the state government has brought over 25 lakh properties under the e-Khata system in Bengaluru.
e-Khata is an electronic property certificate that maintains ownership information in an online database.
The e-Khata initiative aimed to ensure accuracy, transparency and universal coverage for property owners, he said.
Addressing a press conference here, Shivakumar, who is also the Bengaluru in-charge Minister, said over 25 lakh properties are being brought under the e-Khata system. Of them more than 7,000 applications have been processed, and additional outreach measures being planned for those yet to obtain their e-Khata.
"Twenty five lakh e-Khatas is a great number which has created history," he said.
The Deputy CM said the government is ensuring that every e-Khata will have its GPS, the shape of the property, and the measurement with every photo and document.
He explained that the government is integrating Aadhaar details, digital documentation, GPS mapping and property sketches to create a robust database.
"We want to see that every record is filled right. They (officials) are asking for documentation, stamp, digital documents. We wanted to connect every Aadhaar card and have it online," Shivakumar said.
To facilitate access, the Deputy CM announced the opening of more than 50 centres across Bengaluru, many of them in government schools, where citizens can apply for or rectify their e-Khata records.
"All of them will be working this Saturday. This 'Khata Mela' will be done. It is 'Nanna Khata, Nanna Swathu'," he said.
Applicants whose documents require verification will be given an acknowledgement and asked to return after 15 days, during which officials will conduct site inspections, he said.
Shivakumar said the government has also taken steps to identify and reclaim properties recorded as roads in revenue documents, asserting that such lands belong to the government.
"We have decided through the law that all the roads in the revenue records have been taken out. Those properties belong to the government itself," he said.
He noted that the initiative has received recognition from the Union government. "The Government of India has awarded us. It said that it is the model for the entire country," he said, while thanking officials involved in the project.
The Deputy CM said the government expects around 10 lakh additional households to benefit from the drive and assured that even those who have not downloaded their documents will receive printed copies free of cost at their residences.
"We will see that all the 25 lakh people will get their e-Khata to their home free of cost," Shivakumar said.
On apartment properties, he said all flats that have obtained occupancy certificates have been cleared.
"All the 37,460 flats (who have applied for e-Khata) have been issued an occupancy certificate. We have cleared all of them," the Deputy CM said.
