Jaipur: Rajasthan has become India’s swine flu ‘capital’ this year.

JAIPUR: Rajasthan has the least availability of water and the least reliable supply, with only 162 out of the state's 222 towns receiving water everyday, says a World Bank report. India, while maintaining the targeted subsidies for the poor, can also provide more and better quality of water to its citizens, the report states.

The report, Improving Urban Water Supply & Sanitation Services - Lessons from Business Plans for Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and Haryana and International Good Practices seeks to address the key issues facing the water sector in India's states and cities.

Over 110 Have Succumbed To Swine Flu In 65 Days

Jaipur: Alarmed over the spurt in swine flu deaths, the health department on Sunday directed the officials to closely monitor high-risk groups including persons suffering from diabetes, hypertension, obesity, under-5 children, senior citizens and pregnant women.
Over 110 deaths took place in the past 65 days even as 600 persons underwent test for swine flu. Principal secretary, health, Deepak Upreti directed officials to take necessary steps to prevent the spread of swine flu and especially deaths. He said that within 24 hours of swine flu testing, the report must be issued. There should not be delay in the treatment. There should be no shortage of testing kits and medicines.

JAIPUR: Driving in to Parkota (Walled City) and parking your vehicle there will be costlier from Saturday onwards, as civic authorities will start levying premium parking fees. In all three markets of the area, the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) will charge premium parking fees for both four-wheelers and two-wheelers. The civic body will implement the premium parking fees between 11 am and 9 pm in Bapu Bazaar, Johari Bazaar and Chaura Rasta.

However, in the absence of a strategy to stop people from parking their vehicles in the lanes adjoining these markets, the aim of decongesting the Walled City's market areas is likely to remain unfulfilled.

Maximum Number Of Cases Were In The Past 60 Days

Jaipur: Eighteen pregnant women have died of swine flu in the state in the current financial year so far, with most of them dying in the past two months. So far 136 people have succumbed to swine flu in the current financial year but 102 deaths have been reported in the past 60 days. The health department officials said that 18 pregnant women have died of swine flu so far.

JAIPUR: Targeting a revenue of more than Rs 800 crore for the financial year 2013-14 , the Jaipur Municipal Corporation ( JMC) on Monday presented the budget with a total outlay of Rs 1,015 crore. Mayor JyotiKhandelwal read out the details amid uproar and protest in hall.

In the budget, Rs 444 cr has been proposed for development work in the city. The JMC will arrange Rs 363 cr while an assistance of Rs 81 cr will be asked from the state government for the development in peripheries of JMC.

JAIPUR: In a major relief to the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) in Rajasthan, the forest advisory committee (FAC) on February 4 granted clearance for widening of the Kishangarh-Udaipur-Ahmedabad highway. With the approval, work on the project is expected to begin soon.

FAC, the statutory body for advising on forest clearances, has given the long pending nod for diversion of 78 hectare of forest land to widen the Kishangarh-Udaipur- Ahmedabad section of NH 79A, NH 79, NH 76 and NH8 from four lane to six lane in favour of NHAI. The permission was granted after the concessionaire in the project, GMR, terminated its contract in the absence of forest clearance.

Mining Destroys Habitat; 78 Spotted In 1992

Ajmer: Owing to massive mining in the Sokhliya grassland of Nasirabad block of Ajmer, only two Great Indian Bustards were spotted in the survey which ended on Monday night. In 1990s, more than 75 bustards were spotted here. The department is preparing to restore the habitat of these birds after which it will conduct the second phase of the survey in June. Around 35 teams of forest department were out in the region all long day to spot the state bird (GIB). “Sokhaliya is the natural habitat of this bird but in the last ten years their numbers have drastically dropped in the area,” said the sarpanch of Deratu village.

Tamiflu Still Effective Against H1N1: Virology Institute

Jaipur: The strain of the H1N1 influenza virus has not mutated since 2009 when cases of swine flu were first reported in the state. The National Institute of Virology (NIV) in Pune, in a reply to the medical health and family welfare department, said that swine flu’s viral sequencing was done here and the results revealed that the strain has not mutated and the virus is still susceptible to Oseltamivir (tamiflu) tablets.

Jaipur: A screening for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in seven districts of Rajasthan, conducted by the health department, has found that Bikaner and Jodhpur are most vulnerable to NCDs such as diabetes and hypertension.

The survey also revealed that Barmer, Jaisalmer and Nagaur have the least cases of NCDs. In these three districts, less than 3% of the population screened by the department was found to be suffering from diabetes or hypertension.