News

Covid-19: Delhi govt sets up 350 isolation beds for international travellers, Omicron cases

The Delhi government has set up a total of 350 isolation beds at four places, including the Commonwealth Games village, for international travellers, their contacts and Omicron cases, amid the rising number of COVID-19 infections in the city, according to an official order on Thursday. In a separate order Director General of Health Services, Delhi government, Dr Nutan Mundeja said that in compliance of guidelines for international arrivals issued by the Health Ministry, institutional isolation of COVID-positive patients arriving at the IGI airport and their contacts will be done at designated paid and free facilities. The isolation facilities set up at Terapanth Bhawan (100 beds), Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre (100 beds), Commonwealth Games village in Akshardham (50 beds) and Ibis hotel (100 beds) will be linked to hospitals to look after patients, the health department said in the other order. The Terapanth Bhawan facility will be linked to the Ambedkar Nagar Hospital, Sardar Patel COVID Care Centre with the Madan Mohan Malviya Hospital, the Commonwealth Games village facility in Akshardham with the Lal Bahadur Shastri Hospital, and Ibis hotel with the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka, it said. The 50 beds at the Commonwealth village facility will be scaled up to 500, the order noted. The linked hospitals will ensure proper monitoring and adequate supply of logistics to the isolation centres, it said. Guidelines issued by the Health Ministry on November 30 stipulates that passengers found to be symptomatic during screening at the IGI airport will be immediately isolated and taken to a medical facility. If tested positive for Covid, their contacts shall be identified and managed as per laid down protocols. Travellers from ‘at risk’ countries will be tested at the point of arrival. If they are found to have contracted Covid, their samples would be sent for genomic testing and they will be managed at separate isolation facilities and treated as per laid down standard protocol, including contact-tracing, the guidelines stated.

Read more

Time to unleash India’s potential to be a global exhibition hub and promote business tourism: IEIA

Indian Exhibition Industry Association (IEIA) has highlighted that according to industry estimates, over INR 3,00,000 crore of business is transacted through exhibitions/trade fairs in India annually, while the direct spend of the Indian exhibition industry is estimated to be over INR 23,800 crore with more than 550 shows held annually in the organised sector, making exhibitions one of the most important tools for the economic and business growth. The association further stated that with a steady growth rate of almost 8 per cent, the exhibitions sector is growing faster than the GDP of the country, while also being a significant employment provider in the country, supporting over 15 lakh livelihoods. The first woman president of IEIA, Sonia Prashar, IEIA, stated, “The last two years were extremely challenging for exhibitions in India, and we were compelled to look at processes and strategies more closely, which in turn not only made us resilient but also better-prepared and brought us on a par with global standards. Putting the worst behind us, the time has now come to position India as a Global Exhibition Hub.” She further added that the Indian exhibition industry armed with the necessary policies and relevant economic impetus will be positioned extremely well to make India the Epicentre of Exhibition and Events. “Our infrastructure in terms of venues and other ancillary support is wellpositioned, our customers are completely convinced about the power of exhibitions, and India as a country is on the right growth trajectory, slated to become the next manufacturing hub and an important player in the entire global supply chain network,” she said. IEIA also highlighted the catalytic value brought in by exhibitions by way of boosting investments, exports, multi-sectoral growth, and business tourism, which in turn helps to generate a positive multiplier impact on the overall economy of India, supporting the 'AtmaNirbhar Bharat' vision while helping the country achieve the USD 5 trillion economy status. With such high potential, exhibitions act as the most important tool for the economic and business growth across the country, the association underlined.

Read more

PM Modi in Kumaon: New rail routes, roads, ropeways, and homestay facilities will bring tourists to Uttarakhand

Inaugurating and laying the foundation stone of development projects worth INR 17,500 crores in Haldwani, Uttarakhand, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that new rail routes, roads, ropeways, and homestay facilities will bring tourists to Uttarakhand for a rejuvenating experience. He also reiterated that commitment and efforts are being made to strengthen connectivity in the hilly state. “We will inaugurate roads, railways projects, hydropower projects, facilities for tourism and homestay in Uttarakhand. The projects inaugurated today will provide better connectivity and amenities that will enhance the ease of living of citizens of the state. Continuous efforts are being made to strengthen connectivity in Uttarakhand. The rail routes, roads, and ropeways being developed will bring tourists to Uttarakhand,” said the Prime Minister in his addressal. On the occasion, the Prime Minister also launched road sector projects worth INR 8,700 crore, that are aimed at improving connectivity in the state including improved connectivity to the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. He also mentioned that the development of the tourism sector and the attraction of visitors to Yoga will be a game-changer for the state. “The capability of the people of Uttarakhand, recent development in rail services, the launch of new hydro projects, development of the tourism sector, Char Dham project and attraction among the countries for ‘Yoga’ will make this decade, the decade of Uttarakhand,” said PM Modi. Under the PM Gram Sadak Yojana, the work of constructing 1,200 km of rural roads has also started in the state. Apart from these roads, 151 bridges will also be constructed in Uttarakhand. The Prime Minister said the Central Government has also set up India's largest optical telescope at Devasthal in Nainital.

Read more

Hindu pilgrims from India, UAE, US to visit century-old shrine in Pakistan vandalised by radicals

A group of 250 Hindu pilgrims from India, the UAE and the US is scheduled to visit this week a century-old shrine in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province which was vandalised by a radical Islamist party last year, according to a media report on Thursday. The Hindu pilgrims will visit the shrine of Paramhans Ji Maharaaj, a saint who died at Teri village in Karak district of the province in 1919. The temple was established in 1920. A number of Hindu pilgrims from India, the United Arab Emirates and the United States will arrive in Peshawar on January 1 to visit the Samadhi at Teri at the invitation of the Pakistan Hindu Council (PHC), the Dawn newspaper reported. "This is the second time that the Council has invited Hindu pilgrims from other countries so that they can see for themselves the existence of a tolerant and pluralistic society in Pakistan," Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani, the PHC's patron, told the newspaper. The Council has arranged the programme in collaboration with Pakistan International Airlines, the report said. Fifty-four Hindus from India, Canada, Singapore, Australia and Spain had visited the country last month. The group was led by Shri Satguru Ji Maharaaj Ji, the fifth successor of Paramhans Ji Maharaaj. In December last year, over 1,000 people led by some local clerics belonging to the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) instigated the villagers to demolish the temple and as a result, people led by local seminary students attacked the temple. On the orders of the Chief Justice of Pakistan, the temple was restored. The apex court also ordered the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provincial government in October 2021 to recover INR 33 million (USD 1,94,161) from the culprits involved in vandalising the century-old shrine. Earlier in 1997, the shrine was first attacked and severely damaged, and the PHC head Vankwani had approached the apex court in 2015 seeking help to restore the holy place and restart the annual pilgrimage to the place. Pakistan Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmad had celebrated Diwali this year at the temple last month to express solidarity with members of the Hindu community and to welcome pilgrims from other parts of the country. According to Vankwani, the PHC invited the Chief Justice only to give a message to "hate-mongers that the state is determined to foil their nefarious designs".

Read more

Emirates upbeat on growth despite global surge in Covid

Aviation giant Emirates said Thursday it expects business to grow next year despite the surge in global Coronavirus cases fuelled by the Omicron variant. The Dubai-based carrier said in November it was already on the path to recovery as six-month losses dropped by more than half from a year earlier. "Despite the recent rise of the Omicron variant and the slight slowdown it brought to our network, we are going into 2022 with optimism," said Emirates CEO, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum. "We've built up some great momentum this year and expect business growth to pick up speed in 2022," he said in a company statement. "Aviation has always been resilient, and we will continue to work with our industry partners to build back better for our customers and communities," he added. Emirates President Tim Clark said in November that the carrier expects to return to profitability "in the next 18 months". The carrier posted an AprilSeptember loss of USD 1.6 billion, compared with losses of USD 3.4 billion during the same period in 2020. Emirates specialises in long-haul flights, with its fleet composed solely of large A380 and B777 aircraft, dozens of which it grounded amid a lack of passenger traffic. According to the statement on Thursday, its passenger network by December had reached 128 cities, adding all the carrier's 133 Boeing 777 aircraft and nearly 60 of its A380 fleet are in active service. Earlier this month, Dubai international airport, one of the world's busiest travel hubs, announced it was fully operational for the first time since the pandemic erupted in March 2020. According to Emirates, a peak in travel has begun ahead of the New Year, with nearly one million passengers expected to depart and arrive in Dubai between December 30 and January 10. Dubai, which is heavily dependent on tourism, was one of the world's first destinations to welcome back visitors in July 2020. The Covid spikes around the world have caused severe disruptions to travel over the end of year holidays, with thousands of flights cancelled worldwide. The World Health Organisation warned on Wednesday of a Covid "tsunami" that threatens to overwhelm healthcare systems. The United Arab Emirates, a seven-member federation which includes Dubai, has the world's highest vaccination rates. But it has also recorded the largest number of infections among Arab countries of the Gulf, with 2,234 infections reported on Wednesday, the highest number since June.

Read more

Kerala resumes houseboat service to boost tourism amid Covid-19

The tourism in Kerala is witnessing an overwhelming footfall as the houseboats are operating again after a long gap due to Covid-19 infection and lockdown. "The Covid-19 restrictions stopped all boat services in Kumarakom for almost a year, now all are back for Christmas and New Year tourism season", said a boat owner. "Houseboat tourism restarted after a long time in Kottayam as Covid-19 situation has improved after the pandemic but footfall isn't high. 70 per cent of tourists are from Kerala while the rest 30 per cent are from other states", said Sreekumar another houseboat owner. "I hope that the Omicron situation would be over soon and the tourism business will bounce back", Sreekumar added. According to him, the houseboats have seen a dip in booking in January in the wake of increasing Omicron cases. The houseboat owners are following all Covid-19 protocols with the tourists. Some houseboat owners lamented over the absence of foreign tourists in Kerala post-pandemic.

Read more