New Delhi Apr 22 PTI The Students Federation of India SFI on Friday accused the Ambedkar University administration of disrupting a peace march organised to express solidarity with the victims of the violence in Delhis JahangirpuriThe university however said it is not against any peace or protest march but the SFIs march and sloganeering had to be discontinued as a preventive measure after observing outsiders present at the event in the campusThe SFI unit of Ambedkar University said it had given a call for a peace march following incidents of communal violence in the nation and against the BJP-ruled North Delhi Municipal Corporations anti-encroachment drive to destabilize the socio-economic prowess of the minority in Jahangipuri Students were prepared for a peaceful march outside the CR Area and were singing songs when the registrar proctor and the security officer of Ambedkar University aggressively disrupted the march by pushing around students and tearing the posters and placards it allegedThe members of the administration brought a horde of security guards and erected barricades to stop the peaceful march organized by SFI and students of the university it saidThe university in a statement said it respects the right of students over their campus and is also not against peace or protest march However there were reports that outsiders may be present in the march and cause disturbance in the university and also interrupt classes it said During the march it was observed that outsiders were present on the campus and were engaged in sloganeering Therefore as a preventive measure the sloganeering and the march had to be discontinued The present circumstances do not warrant that the university takes any risk the statement said PTI SLB NSD NSD

New Delhi Mar 31 PTI The omicron variant of coronavirus was detected in all the 442 samples of Covid positive patients genome sequenced here in March according to official dataBetween January and March 578 samples of people who died due to COVID-19 were genome sequenced and 560 samples around 97 per cent were found infected with the Omicron variantThe laboratories had received 776 samples in March However 442 samples were found viable and all of them were found to be infected with the Omicron variant None of the samples had the Delta variant or its sub-lineages The number of daily COVID-19 cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching the record high of 28867 on January 13 On Thursday the city reported 113 fresh COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 049 per centDelhi had recorded a positivity rate of 306 per cent on January 14 the highest during the third wave of the pandemicThe surge in Covid cases in Delhi during the third wave of the pandemic was largely due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virus PTI SLB NSD NSD

New Delhi Mar 31 PTI It was a hot day in the national capital on Thursday as the maximum temperature settled at 395 degrees Celsius six notches above the seasons averageParts of Delhi sweltered under a severe heatwave on Thursday with the maximum temperature crossing the 41-degree mark at three places the India Meteorological Department saidThe mercury settled at 414 degrees Celsius 416 degrees Celsius and 411 degrees Celsius at Gurgaon Narela and Pitampura stations respectivelyThe Safdarjung observatory considered the official marker for the city recorded a high of 395 degrees Celsius The minimum temperature was recorded at 201 degrees Celsius two notches above the normalHumidity levels oscillated between 80 per cent and 28 per centIMD officials said a prolonged dry spell has led to severe hot weather conditions in northwest India The weather department has predicted severe heatwave conditions at isolated places between April 3 and 6For the plains a heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius and at least 45 notches above normalA severe heatwave is declared if the departure from normal temperature is more than 64 notches according to the IMDThe weatherman has predicted strong surface winds on Friday with the maximum and minimum temperatures likely to settle at 39 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees Celsius respectivelyThe capital had recorded a maximum temperature of 401 degrees Celsius on March 30 last year The all-time highest maximum temperature in this month -- 406 degrees Celsius -- was recorded on March 31 1945 PTI SLB NSD NSD

New Delhi Mar 25 PTI The Delhi governments power department met the peak demand of 7323 MW from April to December last year according to the Outcome Survey status report 2021-22It stated that out of 52 indicators for assessment 83 per cent are on trackThe survey said 1160 rooftop solar photovoltaic plants were installed in government buildings till December 2021 as against the target of 1150 Also 4519 such plants were installed in private buildings against a target of 4500 it notedDelhi met the peak demand of 7323 MW successfully during April-December 2021 the survey mentionedIt said the power department has subsidized 100 of the energy charges for domestic consumers consuming up to 200 units per month and provided subsidies up to Rs 800 per month for consuming between 201 to 400 units monthlyThis has benefitted 4693 lakh domestic consumers out of the 5420 lakh consumers 8660 per cent approx till December 2021 the Outcome Survey status report 2021-22 statedDelhi has installed 897601 MW capacity of solar power against the target of 1825 MW till December 2021 These plants have generated 692049 Mega Units till December 2021 against a yearly target of 750 mega units it mentioned PTI SLB NSD NSD

New Delhi Mar 23 PTI Delhi reported 132 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 040 per cent while no death due to the infection was reported data from the health department on Wednesday revealedThe total number of COVID-19 cases reported in the city has increased to 1864135 The death toll remained unchanged at 26148 the bulletin statedDelhi on Tuesday reported 104 Covid cases with a positivity rate of 037 per cent while there was one fatality due to the infection The day before the city had logged 108 infections while the positivity rate stood at 049 per centThe national capital had on Sunday reported 97 COVID-19 cases with a positivity rate of 041 per cent and one death SO Saturday the city saw 61 cases with a positivity rate of 068 per cent and one deathOn March 5 6 10 11 13 and 14 also the city did not record any death due to the viral diseaseThe number of daily cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching the record high of 28867 on January 13 The city had recorded a positivity rate of 306 per cent on January 14 the highest during the third wave of the pandemicThe surge in COVID-19 cases in Delhi during the third wave was largely due to the highly transmissible Omicron variant of the virusAmid the decline in daily cases the number of patients under home isolation in Delhi has also fallen significantlyThere are 3065 containment zones in Delhi the bulletin stated adding that of the 10225 beds earmarked for COVID-19 patients in Delhi hospitals 75 073 per cent are occupied PTI SLB NSD NSD

New Delhi Dec 22 PTI The national capital logged 125 Covid cases in a day the highest since June 22 with a positivity rate of 020 per cent while there was zero death due to the viral infection according to data shared by the Delhi health department here on WednesdayWith this the total COVID-19 cases reported in the city so far increased to 1442515 Of these over 1416 lakh have recuperated from the disease the department saidThe death toll due to COVID-19 stands at 25102Delhi had recorded 134 coronavirus cases on June 22 with a positivity rate of 020 per cent while eight people had succumbed to the disease according to data shared by the citys health department hereOn Sunday Delhi had recorded 107 coronavirus cases while the positivity rate was 017 per centThe national capital has recorded four deaths due to Coivd in December so far Seven deaths were reported in November four in October and five in SeptemberThe city reported 102 cases on Tuesday with a positivity rate of 020 per cent and 91 cases on Monday with the same positivity rate On Sunday the city logged 107 cases while the positivity rate was 017 per centAs many as 86 cases were reported on Saturday and 69 on Friday with a positivity rate of 013 per cent and 012 per cent respectivelyA total of 63313 Covid tests including 56511 RT-PCR was conducted in the city on Tuesday the bulletin stated There are 624 active cases in the city up from 557 on TuesdayThe number of people in home isolation stands at 289 up from 262 on Tuesday the health department bulletin statedThe active case count crossed the 500-mark after over four months on Sunday The national capital had 513 active cases on August 15 The number of containment zones in the city stands at 184 up from 173 on Tuesday the bulletin saidAmid the Omicron scare Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had on Monday said all samples that test positive for COVID-19 will now be sent for genome sequencingThe decision was taken at a meeting of the Delhi Disaster Management Authority during which the Omicron situation including its possible effects and steps to deal with it was discussed according to the chief ministerHe also urged the Centre to allow the administration of booster shots to the fully vaccinated city residentsKejriwal also said the home isolation system will be strengthened in Delhi as according to experts the Omicron variant only causes mild symptoms He said the government has made adequate arrangements for hospital beds oxygen medicines and everything else that may be needed to combat the virusWe will not let the people of Delhi face any difficulty in their treatment he addedThe chief minister held a meeting on November 30 to review preparations to tackle a possible third wave of coronavirus and the spread of the Omicron variantIt has been assessed that 30000 Covid beds are ready in Delhi The government will be able to arrange 100 beds per ward on a two-week notice which will take the total bed capacity in Delhi to over 64000 according to an official statementAdditionally 6800 ICU beds will also be ready very soon Medicine stocks are currently being added and home isolation arrangements are being strengthened the government statement said PTI SLB NSD NSD

New Delhi Nov 29 PTI The Ministry of Railways needs to be more realistic in its estimation of demand for supplementary grants the Comptroller and Auditor General CAG said in a report tabled in the Lok Sabha on MondayAccording to the Financial Audit of the Accounts of Union Government for the financial year ending in March 2020 the Railway Ministry was provisioned Rs 50014023 croreMinistry of Railways had obtained supplementary grants of Rs 81751 crore in anticipation of higher expenditure at grant level However the final expenditure was even less than the original provisionsThis indicates the need for a more realistic estimation of supplementary requirements after considering up-to-date expenditure and requirements at grant level the report readIt also stated that the unsanctioned expenditure of the ministry was recorded at Rs 499987 crore and no steps have been taken to improve the situationExpenditure incurred by Indian Railways in excess of sanctioned estimates expenditure incurred without detailed estimates and miscellaneous overpayments et cetera are recorded in objection books by the zonal railways administration and treated as an unsanctioned expenditureDuring Financial Year 20 unsanctioned expenditure of Rs 499987 crore involving 3426 cases was incurred by Indian Railways while in Financial Year 19 there was an unsanctioned expenditure of Rs 5003 crore covering 3464 cases Thus no steps had been taken to improve the situation it saidThe Railways also reported savings of Rs 4384539 crore under the revenue section the report said adding they were mainly due to lesser appropriation to Railways funds and lesser operating expenses under fuelSavings of Rs 1289882 crore under capital section was stated to be on account of less expenditure than budgeted from Rashtriya Rail Sanrakshan Kosh and other Railways FundsThe ministry further intimated that the appropriation to Railway Funds had been reduced on account of lower resource availability at RE stage due to less revenue generation the CAG report statedIt also stated that during FY 20 there was excess disbursement of Rs 3263779 crore over authorization involving two grants of Ministry of Defence and one grant pertaining to the revenue department PTI SLB NSD NSD

New Delhi Nov 23 PTI The national capital reported zero death and 27 COVID-19 cases in a day with a positivity rate of 005 per cent according to data shared by the Delhi government on TuesdayThe city has recorded four deaths due to COVID-19 so far in November Four people had succumbed to the viral disease in October and five in SeptemberWith the fresh cases the total number of cases reported in the city rose to 1440719 Of this over 1415 lakh patients have recoveredThe death toll stayed at 25095A total of 49590 tests for the detection of COVID-19 were conducted the previous day It included 39341 RT-PCR CBNAAT and True Nat tests while the rest were rapid-antigen testsThere are 296 active Covid cases in Delhi a minor decline from 297 the previous day while 123 patients are in home isolation down from 126 on MondayThe number of containment zones in the city stands at 121 up from 120 a day ago the bulletin statedDelhi reported 26 Covid-19 cases on Monday 29 cases on Sunday and 32 on SaturdayIn April and May Delhi battled a brutal second wave of the pandemic that claimed a large number of lives and led to a shortage of oxygen and essential drugs at hospitalsOn April 20 Delhi had reported 28395 cases the highest in the city since the beginning of the pandemic last year On April 22 the case positivity rate was 362 per cent the highest so farThe highest number of 448 deaths was reported on May 3According to the sixth sero survey 97 per cent of the population in Delhi has developed antibodies against coronavirus as a result of a large number of people getting exposed to the infection during the second wave and robust vaccination in the capitalAll districts in the capital have a seroprevalence rate of more than 93 per centSouth Central Northeast and East districts recorded a seropositivity rate of 99 per cent 995 per cent 997 per cent and 998 per cent respectivelyWomen 901 per cent have a higher seropositivity rate than men 882 per cent Those aged below 18 have a seropositivity rate of 88 per centNinety-five per cent of the vaccinated people who have a history of COVID-19 infection have developed antibodies as compared to 82 per cent of the unvaccinated onesAccording to government data over 219 crore vaccine doses have been administered in Delhi since the inoculation exercise started on January 16 Over 8364 lakh people have received both doses PTI SLB NSD NSD

New Delhi Nov 23 PTI The national capital reported zero death and 27 COVID-19 cases in a day with a positivity rate of 005 per cent according to data shared by the Delhi government on TuesdayWith the fresh cases the total number of cases reported in the city rose to 1440719 The death toll stayed at 25095A total of 49590 tests for the detection of COVID-19 were conducted the previous day It included 39341 RT-PCR CBNAAT and True Nat tests while the rest were rapid-antigen tests PTI SLB NSD NSD

New Delhi Oct 26 PTI The Delhi University Executive Council will meet on Friday to discuss changes in the screening process for the appointment of assistant professors a move opposed by teachers bodies who alleged it to be exclusionaryThis will be Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Yogesh Singhs first Executive Council meeting after assuming charge earlier this monthAccording to the proposed changes the screening committee will draw up a list of candidates indicating their marks in descending order The marks will be decided on the weightage accorded to scores of candidates in graduation postgraduation and in PhDAn applicant securing less than 65 for departments and 55 marks for colleges will not be included in the list of shortlisted candidates SC and ST candidates will be given a relaxation of five marksIn case of a tie the candidate having the higherhighest marks at Masters level shall be ranked above others according to the agenda of the meetingFor an appointment in university departments a minimum of 30 candidates for the first vacancy and 10 candidates for every additional vacancy shall be called for interview in order of their ranks in the list prepared by the Screening CommitteeThe marks awarded to the candidates during screening shall not have any weightagecredit or merit during assessmentinterview by the Selection Committee These marks shall be used only for screeningshortlistingThe time taken by candidates to acquire MPhil and or PhD degree shall not be considered as teaching or research experience to be claimed for appointment to the teaching positions according to the proposed changesFurther the period of active service spent on pursuing research degree simultaneously with teaching assignment without taking any kind of leave shall be counted as teaching experience for direct recruitmentpromotion it saidExpressing their disapproval over the changes Delhi University Teachers Association wrote to the vice-chancellor demanding immediate withdrawal of the criterion stating that they will be unjust for ad-hoc and contractual teachersThe Executive Council agenda restricts the number of shortlisted candidates to be called for the interview This creates both an anomaly and injustice the teachers body saidThe same small number of candidates will get repeat opportunities to appear in interviews till they are selected while thousands of other candidates including own incumbent ad hocs will never get a chance to appear for almost any interview it allegedThis is nothing less than a travesty of justice in a university where interviews have not happened for around a decade and where so many wait for a fair equitable and just procedure the Delhi University Teachers Association wrote saidThe Screening Criteria gives poor recognition to teaching experience the association alleged adding it devalues teaching experience of many years in ad hoc capacityThe screening criteria awards 25 per cent weightage to PhD degrees a disproportionate sum that will exclude all candidates without PhDs This will be particularly discriminatory in disciplines like english economics commerce History and mathematics where PhDs are difficult to attain early in careerThe high weightage also does not take into account the disparity in quality of PhDs done at various universities but will privilege candidates from other places over the incumbents in DU they saidThe screening criteria award higher marks to those with scores of 80 per cent and above in PG and UG which leads to teachers from disciplines like Languages Humanities and Social Sciences losing scores the Delhi University Teachers Association saidHigh scores like these are also not awarded universally across Indian universities particularly to students who graduated in previous decades some of who are incumbentserving ad hoc teachers in DU causing another layer of problems through the criterias homogenizing approachSuch teachers despite their track record in academic as well as professional work will not even be called for the interview they saidAnother teachers body Academics for Action and Development said the December 5 letter of Education Ministry entitles each ad hoc and temporary teacher to be called for interviews Ad hoc and temporary teachers have been taking classes doing exam-related works undertaking co-curricular activities for years Hence serious questions are being raised about the proposal for taking presentation from them before the interviews it said PTI SLB NSD NSD