CMYK Morning India Rs. 3 KOLKATA FRIDAY, 6 MAY, 2022 PG-12, YEAR—8, ISSUE—341 (RNI NO.: WBENG / 2014 / 56803) Mamata bountiful in distributing ‘Laskhmir bhandar’ MI News service, Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during distribution of ' Lakshmir Bhandar', cheques aimed at welfare for women in Kolkata on Thursday. PIC PRABIR BHATTACHARYA. CAA triggers controversy between the Centre and the state MI News service, Kolkata: CAA will never happen in West Bengal, it is just an election issue for BJP” said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee after she lashed out at BJP after a closed door cabinet meeting at the newly formed TMC Bhawan at Nteropolitan. Earlier Home Minister Amit Shah, who paid a visit to the state quite categorically mentioned about implementing of CAA in West Bengal. Mamata countered it with an argument that West Bengal does not need CAA as all sections of people are equally treated an taken care of at this state. Mamata alleged that CAA is being purposefully used by BJP for ulterior motive. she also defined MAY 6 FRIDAY 31 31 26 Precipition: 24% Humidity: 74% Wind: 5 KM/H Electricity subsidy in Delhi to those who opt for it MI News New Delhi: Service Amid the power crisis, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced that subsidised electricity in the national capital will be given only to those who ask for it. The new rule will be implemented from October 1. "Now cheap electricity will be optional in Delhi. From October 1, the Delhi government to provide electricity subsidy to only those who ask for it. We will give options to people whether or not they need electricity subsidy," Kejriwal announced in a press conference. He added that "the work of asking people about subsidised electricity will begin soon." At present, consumers in the national capital get ''zero'' power bill up to 200 units of electricity and a subsidy of Rs 800 on consuming 201 to 400 units of power per month. Addressing the press conference, Kejriwal also announced that the Delhi cabinet has passed the 'Delhi Startup Policy' which will also help Delhi youth run a business in Delhi with the help of financial assistance provided by the government. "Creating entrepreneurs and business leaders out of our youth is a subject very close to my heart. Our youth has tremendous potential. Given the right opportunities, they can compete with anyone in the world. Not just India, we will see Delhi become the startup destination of the world," added the Delhi CM. "The government will provide financial help to start-ups through a collateral-free loan, financial parts of rent and employee salaries. CMYK CAA initiative of BJP as nothing but a ‘farce’. Mamata also alleged that BJP is using central agencies like CBI and ED as an instru- ment of terror to deviate common people from real issues and mundane realities. To her, it is due to BJP’s anti people policies the common people of this nation is going through interminable misery. She showered caustic criticism on Home Minister Amit shah for controlling and regulating IT sector only for issuing false propaganda. Mamata also accused the Home Minister for using BSF for political motive. She also mentioned that the police have been directed to act irrespective of party colour to tame the criminals at any cost. Mamata also attacked CPM for willfully acting as a B team of BJP and helping them to prosper in the state. WHO estimates 14.9 million excess COVID associated deaths in 2020, 2021 MI News Service, Geneva: New estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that the full death toll associated directly or indirectly with the COVID-19 pandemic between 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021 was approximately 14.9 million (range 13.3 million to 16.6 million)."These sobering data not only point to the impact of the pandemic but also to the need for all countries to invest in more resilient health systems that can sustain essential health services during crises, including stronger health information systems," said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. "WHO is committed to working with all countries to strengthen their health information systems to generate better data for better decisions and better outcomes."Excess mortality is calculated as the difference between the number of deaths that have occurred and the number that would be expected in the absence of the pandemic based on data from earlier years."Excess mortality includes deaths associated with COVID-19 directly (due to the disease) or indirectly (due to the pandemic's impact on health systems and society). Deaths linked indirectly to COVID-19 are attributable to other health conditions for which people were unable to access prevention and treatment because health systems were overburdened by the pandemic," the WHO said in a press release.The estimated number of excess deaths can be influenced also by deaths averted during the pandemic due to lower risks of certain events, like motor-vehicle accidents or occupational injuries.Most of the excess deaths (84 per cent) are concentrated in South-East Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Some 68 per cent of excess deaths are concentrated in just 10 countries globally. Middleincome countries account for 81 per cent of the 14.9 million excess deaths (53 per cent in lower-middleincome countries and 28 per cent in upper-middleincome countries) over the 24-month period, with high-income and low-income countries each accounting for 15 per cent and 4 per cent, respectively.The estimates for a 24-month period (2020 and 2021) include a breakdown of excess mortality by age and sex. They confirm that the global death toll was higher for men than for women (57 per cent male, 43 per cent female) and higher among older adults. The absolute count of the excess deaths is affected by the population size. The number of excess deaths per 100,000 gives a more objective picture of the pandemic than reported COVID-19 mortality data."Measurement of excess mortality is an essential component to understand the impact of the pandemic. Shifts in mortality trends provide decision-makers information to guide policies to reduce mortality and effectively prevent future crises. Because of limited investments in data systems in many countries, the true extent of excess mortality often remains hidden," said Dr Samira Asma, Assistant Director-General for Data, Analytics and Delivery at WHO. "These new estimates use the best available data and have been produced using a robust methodology and a completely transparent approach.""Data is the foundation of our work every day to promote health, keep the world safe, and serve the vulnerable. We know where the data gaps are, and we must collectively intensify our support to countries, so that every country has the capability to track outbreaks in real-time, ensure delivery of essential health services, and safe- guard population health," said Dr Ibrahima Soce Fall, Assistant DirectorGeneral for Emergency Response.The production of these estimates is a result of a global collaboration supported by the work of the Technical Advisory Group for COVID-19 Mortality Assessment and country consultations.This group, convened jointly by the WHO and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA), consists of many of the world's leading experts, who developed an innovative methodology to generate comparable mortality estimates even where data are incomplete or unavailable.This methodology has been invaluable as many countries still lack capacity for reliable mortality surveillance and therefore do not collect and generate the data needed to calculate excess mortality. Using the publicly available methodology, countries can use their own data to generate or update their own estimates."The United Nations system is working together to deliver an authoritative assessment of the global toll of lives lost from the pandemic. This work is an important part of UN DESA's ongoing collaboration with WHO and other partners to improve global mortality estimates," said Liu Zhenmin, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.Stefan Schweinfest, Director of the Statistics Division of UN DESA, added: "Data deficiencies make it difficult to assess the true scope of a crisis, with serious consequences for people's lives. The pandemic has been a stark reminder of the need for better coordination of data systems within countries and for increased international support for building better systems, including for the registration of deaths and other vital events." West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee handed over ‘Lakshmir Bhandar’ to about 20 lakh women as a part of ‘Laxmir Bhandar’ scheme as formulated and initiated by the state government. The money from Lakshmi’s treasury (Bhandar) was officially given by the state’s women and social welfare department. The Chief Minister herself handed it over from Netaji Indoor Stadium on Thursday in front of a thronging crowd. In the words of the Chief Minister,“we can proudly say that we have implemented every project that has been promised by us”. She also very wisely used the occasion and platform to criticize the opposition. She slammed BJP by saying that “We have made Laxmi treasure (Laxmir Bhandar) and they have made treasure of slander and falsehood (Kutsar Bhandar). She also did not spare CPM either as she fired at the Left by saying, Those who were ‘Bam’ (Left) are now ‘Ram’ (BJP) and both are equally evil and detrimental to the growth and development of the state. Mamata Banerjee also formally announced putting 1Crore 51 Lakhs women under the enhanced scheme of ‘Laxmir Bhamdar’ The women house maker would be getting Rs 500 via this scheme (as declared) and women from SC/ST background would be getting Rs 1000 under the same scheme. She also kicked off ‘Didi Ke Bolo version 2.0’ from the same event. Bangladesh sends emergency medical supplies to Sri Lanka MI News Service, Dhaka: Bangladesh on Thursday sent emergency medical supplies to Sri Lanka as the island nation faces one of the worst economic crises since gaining independence. At a token handover ceremony held at the State Guest House Padma, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen and Health Minister Zahid Maleque handed over a few boxes of medicines to the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Bangladesh Sudharshan D.S. Seneviratne, Xinhua reported. Momen described the supply of medicine as an expression of solidarity and friendship between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, at a time when the two countries are celebrating 50 years of their diplomatic relations. Meanwhile, Seneviratne said Sri Lanka values the friendly relationship with Bangladesh and is committed to further strengthening it. Kerala man blows up wife, children, jumps into well MI News Service, Kerala: In a ghastly incident, a man in Kerala's Malappuram on Thursday killed his wife and two children in a blast before committing suicide. The incident occurred in Perinthalmanna area of the district. The man, identified as Mohammed, had come from Kasargode in the morning and went in a three-wheeler to the house where his wife was staying. There, he called her and their two children to sit in the vehicle, and as they did, set it afire. The three-wheeler, which allegedly had some explosive material concealed, blew up, killing the woman and one child on the spot, while the other child suffered burns and was rushed to hopsital. Following his crime, Mohammad jumped into the well and died.