Delhi News Highlights: City logs 326 new Covid-19 cases, three deaths with positivity rate of 0.77%

The Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi will organise a ‘Raahgiri Day' in Burari on Sunday to promote citizen engagement towards reducing pollution.

A street from Pushta Road Baba Colony to Pradhan Colony in Burari will be cordoned off for a few hours this Sunday morning – so that citizens can come together in large numbers and use the street for recreation that promotes health, wellbeing, fitness, togetherness and joy, the Delhi government said. The event, being organised in partnership with Raahgiri Foundation and WRI India, will be held in the presence of Burari MLA Sanjeev Jha as the Chief Guest, it said.

“The concept of ‘Raahgiri Day' was adopted by DDC Delhi as it helps foster a sense of belonging to the community and participating in the fun activities together is a wonderful, joyous way to come together for common community goals. By creating open streets and public spaces for such fun community activities, Delhi Government has also shown its commitment to promoting public health, well-being, fitness, togetherness, and joy," DDC Vice Chairperson Jasmine Shah said. (PTI)

Terming it surprising that two other district judges were present in a courtroom when a Chief Metropolitan Magistrate of Tis Hazari court was to pass a sentence against a senior bar leader in November last year following his conviction in a criminal case, the Delhi High Court Thursday called for a report from the principal district judge headquarters and the record of the trial court including video footage.

Delhi on Thursday reported 326 fresh Covid-19 cases, 338 recoveries and 3 death, with a positivity rate of  0.77%. The active cases in the national capital is at 1,588.

Delhi reports 326 fresh #COVID19 cases, 338 recoveries and 3 death in the last 24 hours.

Active cases 1,588
Daily positivity rate 0.77% pic.twitter.com/6nwOoIW6hN

— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2022

Full court reference: SC pays homage to five distinguished members of legal fraternity New Delhi, Mar 3 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Thursday held a full court reference to pay homage to five distinguished members of the legal fraternity who passed away recently.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana, other apex court judges were among those who paid tribute to the former judges at the reference held in the auditorium of the new apex court premises. A full court reference is held for departed judges of the apex court and senior advocates as a mark of respect and remembrance for their service to the court and the legal profession.

"My brother and sister Judges join me in conveying our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families of Shri Vinod Kumar Singh, Shri Arun B Saharya, Shri V N Ganpule, Shri S K Dholakia, and Shri P N Nag. We pray to the Almighty to give them strength to bear this irreparable loss with fortitude," CJI Ramana said in the full court reference. (PTI)

Last year in February, when President Ram Nath Kovind visited the Statue of Unity in Gujarat’s Kevadia, he came back with a thought. It was to develop a medicinal garden within the campus of the Rashtrapati Bhavan on the lines of the Arogya Van at Kevadia, a tourist spot that exhibits a wide range of medicinal plants and health-related landscapes.

And so, work on replicating it at the Rashtrapati Bhavan started in the same month. A year later, notwithstanding pandemic-related obstacles, the six-acre Arogya Vanam was inaugurated by the President on March 1, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. (Read more)

Introducing courses in engineering, construction of new hostels, setting up of Centenary ASEAN studies centre and launch of a commemorative stamp and coin--these are among the initiatives planned by Delhi University as part of its year-long centenary celebrations, according to Vice Chancellor Yogesh Singh.

Delhi University has also announced a "centenary chance" for those whose studies in the university have remained unfinished besides adoption of a centenary village with achievable and tangible social welfare-oriented goal.

The centenary celebrations will commence on May 1 and the university has planned several events in a year-long celebration that will culminate on May 1 next year. The Delhi University has allocated Rs 10 crore for its centenary celebrations and also has plans to bring out a coffee table book to mark the occasion.

"Many many students could not complete their degrees. The university has decided to give them two chances. We have called them a centenary chance to complete their studies. They can register on the University portal," the VC said at a press conference here. Singh announced that the university will be releasing a commemorative stamp and a coin.

"We have prepared a road map for the celebration of the centenary of DU. As a part of it, we will be launching a commemorative coin and stamp. The year-long activities have been planned including the adoption of a centenary village with achievable and tangible social welfare-oriented goals, health awareness checkup and blood donation camps, among others," he said. (PTI)

A 40-year-old man died at a hospital here, days after allegedly being beaten up by some people in north Delhi's Sadar Bazar area, police said on Thursday. According to police, the Lady Hardinge hospital informed them on Sunday that a person with injuries was admitted to the facility.

The victim, Mangal, was taken to the hospital by his nephew Bhuvan, police said. Bhuvan stated that around 5 am, he was going to meet his father, who is a security guard in Shiv Market, Sadar Bazar, a senior police officer said.

He spotted his uncle Mangal lying in a pool of blood and unconscious condition near Rui Mandi. Bhuvan took him to Lady Hardinge hospital, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North) Sagar Singh Kalsi said.

A case under section 307 (attempt to murder) was initially registered at Sadar Bazar police station and one person was arrested, police said. (PTI)

A study conducted in urban slums of Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Telangana revealed that 67 per cent of girls attended online classes and 56 per cent did not get time for recreational activities during the Covid-induced lockdown in 2020.

The study by NGO "Save The Children" in February last year also found that 68 per cent of girls, aged between 10 and 18 years, faced challenges in accessing health and nutrition services in these states. Delhi, Maharashtra, Bihar and Telangana represented the four geographical zones -- east, west, north and south.

The states were selected using a composite measure, including metrics such as incidence of COVID-19, child sex ratio, women getting married before 18 years, annual dropout ratio and women aged between 15 and 24 years using hygienic methods during the menstrual cycle. In each state, two districts or cities were selected. (PTI)

As many as 370 Indian students, who reached Slovakia from the war zones of Ukraine, will be brought back in two flights on Thursday, Union minister Kiren Rijijju said.

The Minister of Law and Justice is currently at the Slovakian city of Kosice overseeing the evacuation plans of Indian students following a directive of Prime Minister Narendra Modi under the 'Operation Ganga'. "Today, we will send two flights from here (Kosice) with around 370 students," he told PTI over phone.

Earlier, the minister interacted with the stranded students, who were lodged in hotels in Kosice and provided them with food and other amenities, and said they could face some difficulties as the government has been facilitating evacuation of a large number of Indian students at a very short time.

"There may be certain shortcomings, certain difficulties. I am sure you will bear with that. Because it is not a normal time to evacuate such a large number of students as soon as possible which requires high level of intervention," he told the students. Rijiju said the prime minister decided that senior ministers should themselves go to the neighbouring countries of Ukraine and lead the evacuation operation. (PTI)

These group of students have left for India from Košice in Slovakia.
Our new generation of young Indians are very confident. I've conveyed to them the message of Prime Minister @narendramodi Ji and wished them safe journey back home.#OperationGanga ?? #UkraineWar pic.twitter.com/t7NQ5vBjjk

— Kiren Rijiju (@KirenRijiju) March 3, 2022

Delhi's vibrant art district in Lodhi Colony has now some new quirky residents -- a flying 'fish', an 'owl' on roller skates and a 'flamingo' on a bicycle.

This colourful, surrealistic menagerie has been imagined by two women -- a graphic novel artist from Germany and an architect-illustrator from India -- who joined hands to create a dazzling mural in the heart of the national capital. The Indo-German collaborative work titled 'Fish Out of Water' took two weeks. Besides depicting flora and fauna, it draws its essence from the idea of travelling and experiencing a new culture, as also travelling in one's mind to places that don't exist on a map.

Aashti Miller, an architect by day and an illustrator by night, said, The idea of travelling in one's minds essentially happened during the pandemic when lockdown and new safety norms essentially meant there was no physical travelling. The artwork also draws from that aspect of life .(PTI)

Days after a 35-year-old pastor was allegedly tied up, thrashed and abused by a mob in South Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri over suspicion that he was indulging in forced religious conversion, the Delhi Police registered an FIR in the natter.

The alleged incident took place on February 25 when the pastor was walking to work. He alleged that a group of unknown men tied him up to a road divider and tortured him for nearly two hours, forcing him to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in the crowded area. 

The alleged incident took place on February 25 when the pastor was walking to work. He alleged that a group of unknown men tied him up to a road divider and tortured him for nearly two hours, forcing him to chant ‘Jai Shri Ram’ in the crowded area. Read more 

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted the possibility of very light rainfall in Delhi on Thursday.

The maximum temperature is likely to settle at 28 degrees Celsius, and the minimum temperature is likely to be around 14 degrees Celsius. On Wednesday, the maximum temperature was 27.4 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature registered early on Thursday was 13.7 degrees Celsius. Read more 

A district court Wednesday dismissed the bail application of an accused in a multi-crore heist case in Gurugram.

On Tuesday, 23-year-old Kavya Mukhija and her family were excited to find a theatre that was wheelchair-accessible near their house in Dwarka. They booked tickets for the 6.10 pm show of Alia Bhatt-starrer Gangubai Kathiawadi through bookmyshow.in, which showed that the PVR at Vegas Mall was wheelchair accessible. But they landed there to find that the seats were just regular ones. When Kavya was asked to move from her wheelchair to the regular seats, she refused, following which she was asked to sit next to a row of stairs near the exit, away from her family. Read more 

After the Delhi government ordered liquor vends to stop offering discounts, an association of drug retailers have written to Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal asking that similar orders be issued for medicines being sold both online and offline. Citing deep discounts of up to 80 per cent advertised, the association said that it could lead to an influx of substandard or spurious medicines. Read more 

The Delhi Police on Wednesday morning arrested four alleged car thieves and booked them for the ‘attempted murder’ of two police personnel in front the IIT metro station.

Days after a 35-year-old pastor was allegedly tied up, thrashed and abused by a mob in South Delhi’s Fatehpur Beri, the Delhi Police registered a case against unknown persons under sections of abduction, voluntarily causing hurt and wrongful restraint. 

On February 25, a mob assaulted the pastor over suspicion that he was indulging in forced religious conversion.

Union Ministers Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi & Virendra Kumar welcome Indians on their return from war-torn #Ukraine via Budapest (Hungary) pic.twitter.com/NeT9pGG0ys

— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2022

The Delhi Police on Wednesday morning arrested four alleged car thieves and booked them for the ‘attempted murder’ of two police personnel in front the IIT metro station.

Nearly 10 days after a senior resident doctor and an OT technician were killed in a road accident in Najafgarh, the Delhi Police has arrested a 21-year-old medical student from Haryana in connection with the incident. Read more 

Delhi on Wednesday recorded 325 new Covid-19 cases and one death, the city health department data shows. The positivity rate stood at 0.81 percent. The capital's cumulative case count has now reached 18,60,561 and the death toll stands at 26,127.