Coronavirus Kills Two Indian American Doctors Treating Patients In The US May 11, 2020 17:58
Constantly striving to take care of patients suffering with COVID-19 killed two Indian American doctors in New Jersey. Satyender Dev Khanna was 78 years old and he worked as a surgeon. Across New Jersey, in many hospitals, he was the head of surgical departments. Priya Khanna was 43 years old and she had a double certification in internal medicine and nephrology. In the Residents at Union Hospital, she was the Chief and worked with RWJ Barnabas Health. Governor Phil Murphy described their demise as "particularly tough" and honored them for dedicating their lives for others. "Dr. Satyender Dev Khanna and Dr. Priya Khanna were father and daughter. They both dedicated their lives to helping others. This is a family dedicated to health and medicine. Our words cannot amply express our condolences," New Jersey Governor Murphy tweeted on Thursday. "Both dedicated their lives to helping others and we lost both of them to COVID-19." Satyender Dev Khanna worked for 35 years at the Clara Maass Medical Center. where he had worked for more than 35 years. He was a "pioneering doctor" and one of the first surgeons to perform laparoscopic surgery in the state. His colleagues are recollected memories with him stating that he was a gentle and caring physician. The doctor was passionate about bicycling, and he loved biking along the Jersey Shore. Priya Khanna completed her medical training in New Jersey. With Cooper health system, in South Jersey, she finished her fellowship in nephrology. Even she worked at Clara Maass, where she died. Apart from this, she was even a Medical Director at two dialysis centers in Essex County and "took pride" in teaching the next generation of doctors. The physician who took care of Priya in the ICU was trained and taught by her. "Priya will be remembered as a caring and selfless person who put others first. And even while in the hospital, fighting her own battle, she continued to check up on her mom and dad and her family," Mr Murphy said. The entire family is dedicated to health and medicine. The other family members are Pediatricians. - Neha Makhija
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Goa To Be Included In Vande Bharat Mission On Request Of NRI Commission May 11, 2020 15:44
Around 4500 Goans from 65 countries are waiting to return to Goa with the fear of the coronavirus pandemic. The people have registered to travel from abroad to their hometown as well. The NRI Commision of Goa urged the Central Government to add Goa to the list of Vande Bharat Mission. Vande Bharat Mission brings back the stranded Indians from abroad in various parts around the world. The Goans have registered on the NRI Commission Portal to return to their hometown. Coming across registration in huge numbers, Commissioner for NRI Affairs of Goa Narendra Sawaikar has made a request to add Goa in the Vande Bharat Mission. He said "I urge upon the Central Ministry to let Goa international airport at Dabolim be opened for flight movement in order to get back stranded Goans via direct special flights," Sawaikar said. Swaikar made an attempt to arrange the special flight to bring back the stranded Goans in the first phase of Vande Bharat Mission which started on May 7. But the efforts didn't work during the first phase. Hence, it is to bring back the Goans in the coming phase of the repatriation mission. According to the official report, around 100 Goans are stuck in UAE and they are waiting to come back. They are struggling to stay as they lost their jobs. Speaking on this, Commissioner Sawaikar said that- they shared the details to the Central Government for evacuation who registered on the portal to fly from abroad. He assured to help the stranded and said "If there is any issue, let them bring to our notice”. - Ramya
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Relief For NRIs Who Stuck In India- They Won't Lose NRI Status and Don't Need To File Returns May 11, 2020 15:14
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman declared that NRIs don't need to file returns. It was ordered by the income tax department to make it an exception for the NRIs who are stuck in India due to lockdown. Indians who are residing abroad are not considered as a resident for tax purposes by the income tax department if they spend less than 120 days. The point to be noted is, many NRIs exceeded the limit of 120 days stay in India as per COVID-19 condition and they may have to extend for a few more days. An official from the financial ministry said that the Finance Minister received many people who are concerned about their stay in India as they need to file returns as Indian citizens. So, the minister addressed the issue of such people and extended their stay to determine their residence status. The Finance Minister confirmed that the Central Board of Direct Taxes would extend the stay of NRIs without any tax returns in India as it is unsure about when the international flight will start. This exception is applicable for the financial year 2020-21. This exception is for both the categories of NRIs who are staying back in the country from an evacuation flight or were already in the country. - Ramya
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US Will Need More Immigrants Once Pandemic Is Over: Reports May 11, 2020 10:07
Owing to the rising rates of unemployment in the US, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that temporarily suspends immigration to the United States. These new restrictions aren’t necessarily as stringent as they seem…
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India Permits The Foreign Citizens To Travel Back their Country- For OCI and green Card Holders May 07, 2020 15:01
The Government of India passed and started allowing the foreign citizens to travel to their country. The travellers must be holding the OCI or and Green Card. Under the condition of travelers holding a visa of at least one-year duration of that foreign country and in case of medical emergency or death in the family of those Indian nationals holding six-month visas are also permitted to travel- declared by Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)They need to complete the formalities by applying to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). The application includes the purpose and the particular details. It is mandatory to mention the departure and arrival destinations. Before the ticket book for the travelling, it includes the process where the destination country allows the person’s entry. This is clarified by SOP to MoCA as it is responsible to confirm the entry in the home country.The condition must be fulfilled by the citizens to start and land in the destination country. Confirmed by SOP stating “The conditions, if any, imposed by the destination country, will have to be fulfilled by the persons intending to travel,” the SOP reads.” Along with this confirmation it stated “The travel from India shall be on the non-scheduled commercial flights that are being arranged by MoCA for bringing back stranded Indian nationals from abroad and the cost of travel, as specified by MoCA, will be borne by such travellers.”Before boarding the flight from India, the travelers must undergo the thermal screening as per the health protocol and the health check process is handled by MoCA. The thermal screening results COVID-19 negative, only then the person is allowed to board the flight. While traveling, everyone needs to follow the health protocol that includes wearing the mask, sanitizing hands, and environmental hygiene. Staff, crew and passengers, everyone must strictly follow this health protocol while the flight is on board.By Ramya C
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Indian-American psychiatrist fined over opiod violations May 01, 2020 17:57
An Indian-American psychiatrist was recently fines with $145,000 for prescribing excess dosage of opiod medication, as per the reports from the Justice department. The accused, Prakash Bhatia, who practised pain control medication San Diego area in California was ready to pay the fine following the threat from the Drug Enforcement Agency to begin an investigation into whether or not he prescribed opiods to his patients in an improper way in violation of the Controlled Substances Act. Robert Brewer, the federal prosecutor for Southern California further stated saying, “Overprescribing opioids to patients who need treatment for their pain has contributed to the opioid epidemic in this country.” The US has been facing an epidemic with the drug abuse from the illegal use of the medications that should only be prescribed with a doctor’s prescription and not otherwise. As per the released government statistics, over 15,000 people have died because of drug overdose in 2018. The prosecutors have reported that Bhatia prescribed medications like hydromorphone, morphine, methadone, oxycodone, fentanyl and oxymorphone to his patients without any legitimate need of the same. He had also prescribed those said medicines along with anti-depressants including benzodiazepines and muscle relaxants which further deteriorate the abuse and cause even worse implications of the condition. By Somapika Dutta
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Over 1 Lakh NRI Keralites register to return home April 28, 2020 14:13
Following the announcement made by the Kerala government about opening the online registration for the Non-Resident Keralites who are stranded in foreign countries, over 1 lakh registrations have been submitted so far. The same happened just after 12 hours of the registration being open. Majority of the registrations have poured in from countries and nations around the Middle East countries. Maximum of the registrations are from UAE. The registration was being conducted on www.norkaroots.org which is the official body of the diaspora in the state. This new facility was finally opened by the State followed the flood of messages that they received from the NRIs stranded all across the globe. The Union Cabinet Secretary has also asked on the ways that the state governments are going to work to make arrangements for the returning diaspora, especially if they are coming from some of the most infected parts of the world. The efforts and strategies suggested and imposed by the Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan were highly praised by the Union Minister cabinet and they have also suggested the other states to follow through with the same process. Vijayan reported that all the necessary arrangements were sorted out in all four airports in Kerala. The people who are going to arrive are going to be screened. While the ones with no signs of Covid-19 will be allowed to return to their homes and isolate there, the other will be quarantined in the facilities that the government has arranged and with all the necessary precautions. According to the reports from the state government, several of the hostels, hotesl, and even private hospitals will host the accommodation facility. Some of the floating houseboats at Alappuzha will also act as quarantine facilities. Some of these quarantine centres are going to function for free. But, in case some wants better facilities and comfort, they will be levied with charges for that. Out of the 2.5 million non-resident Keralites in the world, 90% of them are based out of the Middle East Countries. Around 3-5 lakh people are likely going to return following the resuming of the air services in the country. By Somapika Dutta
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Kerala initiates online registrations for NRIs wanting to return to India April 27, 2020 13:20
Even before the resumption of the flight services that have been halted in the country due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis, Kerala has started their online registrations for all the NRIs of the state who want to return from abroad.The Kerala Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan held video conferencing sessions with some Non-Resident Keralites yesterday regarding the steps that the government is taking to bring back some of the people who have appealed to return to the country.The CM then announced that the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NORKA) has opened up the online registration process for the individuals who want to return home due to the rising crisis surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic.Those stranded in other countries are going to be brought back to safety to India after the Centre resumes the flight services and gives this a green signal."Those returning should undergo screening at airports. All those returning should undergo mandatory home quarantine for 14 days. Arrangements of isolation wards will be provided for those unable to go home," CM Pinarayi Vijayan exclaimed.The Kerala government has been working extensively to bring back the expatriats with a lot of elaborate arrangements. All of these individuals will have to follow a minimum of 14 days of self-quarantine after they land in India.CM Vijayan has also written an appeal to PM Narendra Modi about arranging some flights to bring back the NRIs who are stranded abroad, especially around the Gulf nations.The state government has also clearly mentioned that the online registration process is to get a ballpark figure for the isolation facility that needs to be created, if there is a need for one. The same is not going to impact any priorities on flight bookings. Once every NRK fills out the registration form, the Kerala government is going to draw up the list and try and get as many people back to the country once the lockdown is removed and things get back to normal. Kerala currently has around 120 active cases and had a total of 458 confirmed cases and 2 deaths.By Somapika Dutta
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President Trump to temporarily suspend immigration to US April 21, 2020 12:40
In the daily press conference in the White House, President Donald Trump said that he going to suspend all the immigration to US temporary to avert further complications of the coronavirus outbreak.This is to not…
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Miss England gets back to her duty as NHS doctor during pandemic April 08, 2020 11:30
Beauty with brains is a term that is often misused, especially for women. Crowned as Miss England in 2019, Bhasha Mukherjee kept aside her beauty crown and returned to the United Kingdom from her charity work to continue her career as the NHS doctor to help patients during the coronavirus pandemic. Mukherjee took a break from her career after winning the Miss World pageant wherein she represented England. Owing to her intellect, she was asked to be part of a number of charities across the world, which is where she was planning to be in until August of this year. In an interview with CNN, she stated saying, “I was invited to Africa, to Turkey, then to India, Pakistan and several other Asian countries to be an ambassador for various charity work.” She started her tour with India on March 04 and was there for four weeks on behalf of Coventry Mercia Lions Club, which she was an ambassador for. The charity mainly focused on development and community charity. They worked with orphaned kids and abandoned girls to provide them with a home and education. But, with the coronavirus pandemic hitting UK pretty bad, Mukherjee was consistently getting calls from her former colleagues to come back as the hospitals were in need of more doctors. She got calls from her old hospital, the Pilgrim Hospital that is located in Boston, eastern England. Responding to the crisis, Mukherjee contacted the management of her old hospital to let them know that she wanted to come back home during this time and take on her responsibilities. She said to CNN that it doesn’t feel right to wear a crown when she can’t even do any good that she was touring the world for. Mukherjee said that after hearing everything that was happening back at home, all that she wanted to do was come back home and get straight to work. Mukherjee has been a resident of the United Kingdom after moving from Kolkata, India at the age of 9. She further stated saying, “I felt a sense of this is what I'd got this degree for and what better time to be part of this particular sector than now." She was elated to see how the world was celebrating the key workers and appreciating their efforts and knowing that she could add more value to it because of her degree and skills, she wanted to come back and do that. Mukherjee was in contact with the British High Commissioner in Kolkata and talked to them to arrange a flight back home. She returned on Wednesday in a flight from India to Frankfurt and then to London. She believes that there is no better time to stand up to her crown of Miss England and save people’s lives now. Mukherjee is currently self isolating for the coming one or two weeks as protocol following which she will be able to return to work. UK has already reported over 55,000 confirmed cases with over 6000 deaths. By Somapika Dutta
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Three Indians among 42 confirmed Covid-19 cases in Singapore March 30, 2020 19:20
Among the 42 new cases reported in Singapore, three Indian nationals have been identified in them. This has taken up the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 844. Out of the 42 new cases, 24 of them are imported and have international travel history from some of the hotspots across the globe. The three Indians who have been identified as positive for the coronavirus infection include a 35 year old female, 34 year male with a work pass of Singapore and a 43 year male who is a permanent resident of Singapore. One of the latest cases in the country also includes a 42-year old permanent resident who is a nurse in the local hospital. She contracted the virus possibly at her workplace as there are no reports of international travel. She started showcasing the symptoms of the disease on March 24, 2020 and finally got the confirmed test results on March 27, 2020. According to reports from a local news channel, she is kept in isolation in the hospital that she works in. Of all the 423 cases in the hospitals in Singapore, 19 are currently in critical condition. The others are either stable or improving from the state that they were admitted in. 14 patients have recently already recovered from the condition and have been discharged from the hospitals in Singapore. In total, 212 of the infected patients in Singapore have already recovered from the virus. By Somapika Dutta
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Indian Students Stuck In UK Write Their Plea To S Jaishankar March 24, 2020 20:03
62 students from various UK Universities have written to the Union External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar to help them come back to India amidst the Covid-19 crisis. Majority of the students from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have also written the respective Chief Ministers of the states, K Chandrasekhar Rao and YS Jaganmohan Reddy to help them in this time of crisis. In the plea, the students mentioned that they are currently at the UK airports and at HCL London. The virus is spreading the UK pretty fast but the NHS has confirmed saying that they won’t be providing with treatment facilities to individuals under the age of 65. They mentioned that they didn’t feel safe being there. The students also mentioned saying that things could turn for the worse in the upcoming days which is why they need immediate action to be taken against the situation to further better it. They also stated that the students are willing to undergo the isolation process that is being followed in India and would readily cooperate with the officials in the country. They urged the government officials to understand their distress suggesting that they don’t feel safe in the country and didn’t want to die here. The students hail from some of the most notable Universities in the UK. By Somapika Dutta
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