New Delhi [India], March 9 (ANI): Aircrew will be medically unfit for flying for 48 hours after the Covid-19 vaccination, Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), India’s aviation watchdog, said on Tuesday in its guidelines for ‘Temporary Unfitness for Flying’.
In the guidelines, the DGCA said Aircrew will be monitored for 30 minutes at the COVID-19 vaccination centre for any anaphylactic or idiosyncratic reaction.
“Aircrew will be “Medically Unfit for Flying for 48 hours after vaccination…If there are no symptoms after 48 hours, the aircrew is fit to resume ‘unrestricted’ flying duties,” the guidelines stated.
“If, after 48 hours, the pilots experience any symptoms,” DGCA said they will be reviewed by the treating physician.
“Such pilots can be declared fit for flying duties provided they are asymptomatic without any medications and a medical cure certificate to this effect to be obtained,” it added.
The guidelines said that if the medical unfitness period of aircrew member post COVID-19 vaccination is more than 14 days, then a special medical examination will be required to ascertain fitness for flying of the aircrew.
The vaccination drive for persons above 60 years and those above 45 with comorbidities is already going on. (ANI)

Lalitpur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 9 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday announced that an airport will be constructed in Uttar Pradesh’s Lalitpur.
“An airport will be constructed in Lalitpur. Now, wherever you want to go from here, you will be able to visit in a short time,” Adityanath said.
He added that a medical college will also be constructed soon in the district.
The Chief Minister was speaking at the launch of ‘Bandai Dam’ in Lalitpur today. (ANI)

By Sushil Batra
New Delhi [India], March 9 (ANI): The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) authorities to accord adequate publicity to its guidelines in order to ensure strict compliance.
A single-judge bench of Justice C Harishankar directed that the DGCA would ensure circulations of these guidelines to all airlines, for strict compliance therewith. Periodical review of the situation should be undertaken, to ensure that no laxity creeps into the system, he said in his direction.
The court also directed that DGCA, the ministry of civil aviation, and the ministry of home affairs, as well as all airlines operating in the domestic sector, should take all steps in order to ensure that these guidelines are complied with. In case the airlines repeatedly fail to ensure compliance with the said guidelines, penal action will be initiated in accordance with the law, the court said.
The high court took the suo moto cognisance after noting an alarming situation on March 5, where people were traveling from Kolkata to Delhi on an Air India flight without wearing a mask.
“To the perception of the court, such a situation, in the present scenario, when the country is seeing a resurgence of COVID-19 cases after they had shown signs of ebbing, is completely unconscionable.”
The court further said that passengers in a flight are in a closed air-conditioned environment, and, even if one of the passengers suffers from COVID-19, the effect on other passengers could be cataclysmic. “It is a matter of common knowledge that being. Within arm’s length distance of a COVID carrier, even if he is asymptomatic and is merely speaking, is more than sufficient to transmit the virus.”
“It is the duty of each of us to contribute towards this end. Pointing fingers at the central and state governments, who have formidable tasks to deal with, and are doing all they can, is of no use whatsoever. Each of us, as members of a conscious and conscientious citizenry, is required to be sensitive and sensitized in equal measure, and to strain every sinew to keep the pandemic at bay. If the citizenry becomes complacent, no government, howsoever activated and alive to the situation, can help,” said the bench.
“It was noticed that, though all the passengers had worn masks, many passengers had worn the masks below their chin and were exhibiting a stubborn reluctance to wear their masks properly. This behavior was seen not only in the bus transporting the passengers from the airport to the flight but also within the flight itself. It was only on repeated entreaties made by me (Justice C Harishankar) to the offending passengers that they condescended to wear their masks properly,” it added. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 9 (ANI): A Delhi court on Tuesday extended the interim protection from arrest to Shantanu Muluk and Nikita Jacob till March 15 in the ‘toolkit’ document case related to the farmers’ protest.
Additional Sessions Judge in the Patiala House court Dharmender Rana also directed the Delhi Police not to take coercive action against both the accused till March 15, the next date fixed for hearing.
Meanwhile, the Delhi Police filed the reply on the anticipatory bail plea of Muluk and Jacob.
During the hearing, Muluk’s defence counsel Vrinda Grover sought an adjournment in the case on the ground that she needs time to go through the document filed by the Delhi Police.
Jacob’s defence lawyer and senior counsel Rebecca John and Grover further urged the court to extend the interim protection from arrest to their client.
Muluk and Jacob are having interim protection granted by the Bombay High Court.
A Non Bailable Warrant was issued against Muluk by a Delhi court and thereafter, he had moved to the Bombay High Court for transit bail and the same was granted to him on February 16.
After being granted the transit bail, Shantanu had reached Delhi on February 19 and upon receiving summons on the same day, joined the investigation on February 22. He has cooperated with the investigation and has handed over all his devices, namely, laptop, iPad, and phone to the police, although no seizure memo was prepared, Muluk said in his bail plea.
Muluk also submitted that he would abide by every condition imposed by the court.
The bail application also said that Muluk is not a political person and he has no religious or political goals apart from exhibiting sympathy for farmers. The applicant believes in peaceful protest and condemns any and all violence whatsoever. He has been concerned about the environment and that is the only reason he has been working with the extinction rebellion movement, stated his bail application.
The applicant got to know that some ‘toolkit’ has been shared with Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg only after he was informed about the same by others, the bail petition said.
Muluk is a suspect in the ongoing ‘toolkit’ document case related to the farmers’ protest.
Muluk had joined co-accused 21-year-old “climate activist” Disha Ravi at the Delhi Police Cyber Cell office in the national capital for further probe in the ongoing case.
A Delhi court had earlier granted bail to Disha Ravi.
The 21-year-old activist was arrested from Bengaluru in connection with the formulation and dissemination of the ‘toolkit’ document, in the ongoing farmers’ protest. She was one of the editors of the ‘toolkit’ document.
On February 3, Thunberg had shared this ‘toolkit’ in a tweet, which she later deleted. She had also extended support to the protest by farmer unions on the borders of Delhi against the new farm laws.
Farmers have been protesting on different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws – Farmers’ Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020.
The implementation of the three laws was, in January, put on hold by the Supreme Court. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 9 (ANI): Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said that the national capital will bid to be the host of the Olympics in 2048 adding that a vision has been provided for the same in the Delhi Budget presented on Tuesday.
“A vision has been provided in the Budget (Delhi Budget) that 2048 Olympic games should be held in Delhi. Delhi will bid for the 2048 Olympics. We will take up whatever infrastructure and other necessities that are needed to be created for it,” he said.
“Delhi’s Finance Minister Manish Sisodia has made a great budget. The budget was prepared keeping in mind people of all sections of the society,” Kejriwal said.
Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Tuesday presented a budget worth Rs 69,000 crore for the financial year 2021-22 and said that the Aam Aadmi Party-led government aims to increase the per capita income of the national capital to Singapore’s level by 2047.
“We are aiming towards making Delhi’s per capita income equivalent to Singapore’s per capita income by 2047. A growth of 16 pc in the income would be required to successfully achieve this goal. It will be difficult but we will work towards making it a success,” said Sisodia during his budget address.
The Delhi government has allocated Rs 50 crores in this year’s budget to provide free COVID-19 vaccines to the people of the national capital.
“COVID-19 vaccines will be available free of cost for people of Delhi in government hospitals in the union territory. We have allotted Rs 50 crores in the budget for the same,” said Sisodia.
The budget session of the Delhi assembly is scheduled to continue till March 16. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 9 (ANI): An Indian farmer was on Monday thrashed by two Bangladeshi nationals after he tried to stop them from fishing in the Indian territory, a Border Security Force (BSF) official has informed.
The matter will be raised by the BSF in the upcoming flag meeting with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) of Bangladesh.
According to the BSF sources, “On March 8, an Indian farmer in Dangapara, Murshidabad of West Bengal went for cultivation ahead of fencing. He observed that some Bangladeshi nationals were fishing from his pond near the international border when he objected and asked Bangladeshi civilians to stop fishing and go back to Bangladeshi, they did not pay any heed and thrashed him badly and also tried to push him into the pond.”
“In the meantime, the BSF OP on duty near the area noticed the incident and immediately informed the troops. On seeing the BSF party, both the Bangladeshi nationals fled away towards Bangladesh and also took away belongings of the Indian farmer,” BSF official said.
A protest note has been lodged by the unit and a flag meeting will also be conducted. (ANI)