Hyderabad News

  Hyderabad:   Prohibition and Excise Minister V Srinivas Goud on Monday made it clear to pub owners that no one can protect them if any activity pertaining to drugs was found on the pub premises. Interacting with the pub owners here, the Minister said the department came to know that drugs were being consumed extensively in pubs and if any pub was found to be indulging in such activity, the premises would be closed immediately. The managements should be careful and take the necessary steps to prevent the use of drugs in pubs. The officials of Police and Excise departments would regularly conduct surprise inspections to prevent drug abuse. The Minister said Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao already directed the Police and Excise departments not to spare even the elected representatives’ children if they are found with drugs. The Chief Minister asked officials to wipe out drug menace from the State. “There are many ways to earn money. However, any attempt to earn money throug...

  Hyderabad:   The Osmania University (OU) authorities on Monday evening have said that offline classes for all its courses will start from Tuesday, February 1. ‘As per the government instruction, offline classes will commence for all the courses in all the colleges under the Osmania University jurisdiction with effect from February 1, 2022,’ press release from OU said. Earlier on Monday, the University authorities had maintained that its courses will be held in online mode. “In view of the Covid pandemic situation in the city, OU will continue to take classes in online mode till February 12 for all the current semesters of undergraduate and postgraduate courses,” a press release from OU said. The decision was taken at a meeting held at OU with the Principals of the University campus and constituent colleges, and other administrative officers of the University, on Monday. “The teaching staff including those engaged on contractual and part-time basis will have to attend college...

  Hyderabad:   Upping the ante against the Centre, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi members from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha boycotted the joint session of Parliament addressed by President Ramnath Kovind on the first day of the budget session that commenced on Monday. They decided to stay away from the Presidential address to Parliament in protest against the injustice being meted out to the State by the Centre in various projects and release of funds. As per directions from TRS President and Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao, the TRS MPs stayed away from the Parliamentary proceedings on Monday. Further, the party Parliament members have decided to confront the union government on pending issues pertaining to Telangana. However, the TRS Parliamentary Party leader K Keshava Rao and Lok Sabha floor leader Nama Nageshwara Rao attended the All-Party meeting convened virtually and demanded for discussion on the people’s issues in the Parliament. They stated that the ruling BJP was mi...

  Hyderabad:   Telangana on Monday has registered 2861 Covid-19 infections out of which 746 positive cases were from areas under GHMC. The health authorities also have reported three Covid fatalities on Monday, taking the overall number of deaths in TS to 4,089. The active Covid-19 positive infections in Telangana, as on Monday, is 37,168. Apart from Hyderabad, Omicron driven Covid infections are registering significant increase in other urban centres of Telangana with authorities reporting 234 cases from Medchal-Malkajgiri, 165 cases in Rangareddy district, 130 from Khammam, 96 from Karimnagar and Hanumakonda, 91 from Bhadradri Kothagudem and Sangareddy. The health department conducted 81,486 Covid tests on Monday out of which results of 2,704 samples were awaited. On Monday, 4,413 individuals had recovered with a recovery rate of 94.60 per cent. So far, a total of 3,21,19,934 Covid-19 tests have been conducted in the State out of which 7,63,911 have tested positive and 7,22,...

  Washington:   The registration for the much sought-after H1B visa for the fiscal year 2023 will begin from March 1 and the successful applicants will be randomly selected and notified online by March 31, according to the US federal immigration agency. The H1B visa is a non-immigrant visa that allows US companies to employ foreign workers in speciality occupations that require theoretical or technical expertise. The technology companies depend on it to hire tens of thousands of employees each year from countries like India and China. The US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in a statement said the initial registration period for the fiscal year 2023 H1B cap will open at noon Eastern on March 1 and run through noon Eastern on March 18, 2022. During the period, prospective petitioners and representatives will be able to complete and submit their registrations using the online H1B registration system, the agency said in a statement on Friday. “If we receive enough reg...

  New Delhi:  Meta-owned WhatsApp on Monday said it is taking action on accounts engaging in automated and bulk messaging at a time when political parties and individual candidates are misusing the platform for reaching out to voters ahead of the Assembly elections in five states. Reacting to an IANS story on how the bulk WhatsApp API (application programming interface) tools are helping parties and candidates send political messages to the voters’ WhatsApp for just 8 to 10 paise per bulk message in a fraction of seconds, the popular mobile messaging platform said that it deeply cares about the online security of its users as well as about preserving election integrity. “WhatsApp has advanced spam detection technology that works round the clock to spot and take action on accounts engaging in automated and bulk messaging, which includes banning such accounts for violating WhatsApp’s Terms of Service,” said the company spokesperson. In December 2019, the company had said that it...

  It is another of those queer political ironies that arrest one’s attention. The ‘just one seat’ winner of the 2017 assembly elections of Uttar Pradesh -Rashtriya Lok Dal, is being wooed ardently by the BJP that won 53, out of the 58 seats, in Western Uttar Pradesh. Totally ignoring the fact that RLD chief Jayant Chaudhury, has already signed an electoral alliance with the Samajwadi Party, the BJP continues its unethical overtures to get Jayant in its team before the first phase of the poll on 10th February. These Jatland constituencies hold the key to the seven-phase assembly elections being held in the Hindi heartland Uttar Pradesh. These seats comprise huge chunks of farmers’ families who have suffered the loss of life and money in the over 14 months of agitation in which over 700 farmers lost their lives. COVID-19  and its not so efficient handling by the government has also left behind misery and pain over these eleven districts, including Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Meerut, ...

  Hyderabad:  Joy Bhattacharya, CEO, Rupay Prime Volleyball League along with others presented the Prime Volleyball League official match ball to KT Rama Rao, Minister for Municipal Administration & Urban Development, Industries & Commerce and Information Technology of Telangana on Monday. Bhattacharya thanked the Minister and the people of Hyderabad for their support to volleyball. The league is set to be held in Hyderabad from February 5. Speaking on the occasion KT Rama Rao said “I am happy to launch the official match ball of Prime Volleyball league. I would like to thank the organisers for choosing Hyderabad as a venue for the league and we will ensure all the support for the tournament.” “It was a great honour for us to present the official match ball to Minister KT Rama Rao. The presentation of the match ball also signifies the start of the volleyball frenzy as our nation gears up for the first season of the tournament,” said Bhattacharya. Tuhin Mishra, Co-Found...

  New Delhi:  With the Budget Session of Parliament commencing on Monday, the government is all set to lay Economic Survey 2021-22 along with Statistical Appendix in both Houses. Economic Survey 2021-22 and the Statistical Appendix will be laid on the table of the Lok Sabha at around 12.45 pm by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman While it will be tabled in Upper House a few minutes after the House assembles at 2.30 pm. Sitharaman will lay a copy of the Economic Survey, 2021-22 along with Statistical Appendix both in English and Hindi, mentioned the list of business of Rajya Sabha. Earlier, Secretary General will lay on the table, a copy (in English and Hindi) of the President’s Address to both the Houses of Parliament assembled together. Besides, obituary references to the passing away of sitting member Dr Mahendra Prasad; ex-members Jayanta Roy, Debendra Nath Barman, M Moses, Ganeshwar Kusum; and legendary Kathak dancer Pandit Birju Maharaj will be made by Rajya Sabha ...

  New Delhi:  India reported 2,09,918 fresh COVID-19 cases and 959 fatalities in the last 24 hours, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare informed on Monday. With this, the total tally of COVID-19 cases in the country moved up to 4,13,02,440 including 18,31,268 active cases which account for 4.43 per cent of the total cases. However, the COVID-19 fatalities reported an upsurge as the country’s total death toll rose to 4,95,050. On Monday, the country logged 893 deaths from this virus. As many as 2,62,628 recoveries were added in the last 24 hours, taking the total recoveries to 3,89,76,122. The recovery rate is currently at 94.37 per cent. Of the 13,31,198 COVID-19 tests conducted in the last 24 hours, a daily positivity rate of 15.77 per cent was reported. Moreover, the weekly positivity rate stood at 15.75 per cent. Under the nationwide COVID-19 vaccination drive, as many as 166.03 crore vaccine doses have been administered so far, the ministry informed.

  Hyderabad:  Continuing its effort to bring manufacturing units to the State, Telangana succeeded in getting Drillmec SpA, a global leader in design, manufacturing and supply of rigs for onshore and offshore applications, to set up its global manufacturing hub in Telangana with a proposed investment of $200 million (about Rs 1,500 crore). This will create employment opportunities to about 2,500 people. The global hub will include facilities for manufacturing, research and development, and a Centre of Excellence to train people. Drillmec, a subsidiary company of Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Limited (MEIL) Group, a global multi-sector conglomerate based in Hyderabad, has entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the State’s Department of Industries for the establishment of Drillmec International Hub for manufacturing oil rigs and ancillary equipment in Telangana. “We feel proud and welcome Drillmec which will establish its manufacturing unit near Hyderaba...

  Hyderabad:  As per the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) holiday list, all private and public banks across India will be closed for 12 days in February. However, banking activities and ATMs will continue to function. The RBI characterises holidays based on Holiday under Negotiable Instruments Act, Banks’ Closing of Accounts and Holiday under Negotiable Instruments Act, and Real-Time Gross Settlement Holiday categories. This month, all holidays fall under the Holiday Negotiable Instruments Act. Here is the list of bank holidays in February 2022: February 2:  All banks in Gangtok will remain closed because of the Sonam Lhochhar festival. February 5:  On this day, banks in Bhubaneswar, Agartala, and Kolkata will be closed due to Shree Panchami/Saraswati Puja/Basant Panchami. February 6:  All banks will be shut as the day is a Sunday. February 12:  All banks will be shut as it is the second Saturday of the month. February 13:  All lenders will be closed on a...