Several districts of Uttar Pradesh, including Jhansi, Chitrakoot, Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Bhadohi, Azamgarh and <keyword id="6388907" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="ambedkar-nagar">Ambedkar Nagar</keyword>, have been facing locust attacks in the past 48 hours. In Uttar Pradesh, locust swarms have invaded several districts in the past 48 hours and attacked trees and crops. <keyword id="9477401" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-up-agriculture-department">The UP Agriculture Department</keyword> said that the authorities of the neighbouring districts like Hamirpur, Banda, Fatehpur, Kaushambhi, Mirzapur, Sultanpur, Mau and Ballia have been asked to remain alert. Deoria, the home district of state Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi, in eastern Uttar Pradesh has also faced locust attacks. "A swarm of locusts had come to Deoria, but they descended only on the Baisila Mainuddin village. Villagers made noise and chased them away. The swarm has gone towards Kushinagar. We are spraying chemicals to kill the pests and all districts have been put on alert," he said on Sunday. Shahi said insecticides are being sprayed through fire department vehicles. People have been told to make loud noise by beating 'thaalis' and other utensils, he said. Police sirens will also be blared and smoke would be used to chase the locusts away. The minister said that, "The UP government has given Rs five lakh to each of the bordering districts of the state for spraying chemicals to kill locusts. Apart from this, a monitoring committee has been formed in each district under the chief development officer to continuously monitor the situation." <keyword id="189844" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Deoria-district">Deoria District</keyword> Magistrate Amit Kishor said a swarm spotted in the district has now moved to Kushinagar. With the onset of monsoon in the state, Jodhpur-based <keyword id="8720474" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Locust-Warning-Organisation">Locust Warning Organisation</keyword> (LWO) has intensified preparation to control the population of locusts that are hovering in the desert areas between India and neighbouring Pakistan which are now a breeding ground for the pests. According to experts, broadly four species of locusts are found in India -- desert locust, migratory locust, Bombay locust and tree locust. The desert locust is considered the most destructive since it multiplies rapidly and is capable of covering 150 <keyword id="1022949" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="kilometres">kilometres</keyword> in a day. This insect, a type of a grasshopper, can eat more than its body weight. A one square kilometre of locust swarm containing around 40 million locusts, can eat as much food as 35,000 people in a day. Experts blame the growing menace of desert locusts on climate change. They say breeding of locusts is directly related to soil moisture and food availability. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/swarms-of-locusts-blanket-indias-national-capital-region-pilots-and-airlines-alerted-ahead/articleshow/76660948.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Swarms of locusts blanket India’s national capital region — pilots and airlines alerted ahead</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/assam-flood-situation-worsens-4-63-lakh-people-affected-across-1289-villages/articleshow/76669400.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Assam flood situation worsens, 4.63 lakh people affected across 1,289 villages</a>

Swarms of locusts reach Uttar Pradesh, several districts put on alert

The Uttar Pradesh government, through its investment promotion agency <keyword id="9888370" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="invest-up" source="Orion">Invest UP</keyword>, has been successful in attracting beverages industrial units in Gorakhpur, Amethi, <keyword id="3481192" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="prayagraj" source="Orion">Prayagraj</keyword> and Chitrakoot. <keyword id="3270385" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="varun-beverages-ltd" source="Orion">Varun Beverages Ltd</keyword>, all India franchisee of <keyword id="54572" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="pepsico" source="Orion">PepsiCo</keyword>, has been allotted land in these districts through fast-track mode for setting up their units for producing carbonated soft drinks, fruit pulp or juice-based drinks. The company has proposed to invest Rs 3,740 crore in total in all the four plants with about 5,650 expected job opportunities. Chief Executive Officer, Invest UP, Abhishek Prakash said: "Under the leadership of Chief Minister <keyword id="43254" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="yogi-adityanath" source="Orion">Yogi Adityanath</keyword> and guidance of industrial development minister <keyword id="238672" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="nand-gopal-gupta" source="Orion">Nand Gopal Gupta</keyword> 'Nandi', policy of fast-track land allotment and promotion of mega projects in the state are proving to be significant enablers in attracting investment in the state." Additional Chief Executive Officer, <keyword id="14167509" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="prathamesh-kumar" source="Orion">Prathamesh Kumar</keyword> said that Varun Beverages Ltd. has been allotted 45-acre land through fast-track mode in Narkatha village of Gorakhpur. The company proposes to invest Rs 1071. 28 crore here with around 1,500 expected employment avenues. With allotment of 68. 6-acre land in Bargarh Industrial Area in Chitrakoot, Varun Beverages Ltd has proposed to invest around Rs 496.57 crore with estimated jobs to the tune of 1,000. Around 24.7-acre land has been allotted in Saraswati Hi-Tech City, Naini-Prayagraj and the investor has proposed to invest Rs 1,052.57 crore with 1,500 employment opportunities, while 26.1-acre area has been allotted in in Trishundi Industrial Area-Amethi, where proposed investment is Rs 1,119.59 crores with 1,650 expected jobs. SEE ALSO : <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/science/health/news/who-warns-against-covid-complacency-urges-for-life-saving-action/articleshow/94388039.cms">WHO warns against Covid complacency, urges for life-saving action</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/rbi-restrains-mahindra-finance-from-using-recovery-agents-after-accident/articleshow/94387976.cms">RBI restrains Mahindra Finance from using recovery agents after accident</a>

PepsiCo to set up 4 plants in UP

<ul><li>Uttar Pradesh is facing a 44% <keyword id="13195" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="rain" source="Orion">rain</keyword> deficit despite heavy showers in some parts of the state.</li><li>The absence of a typical monsoon spell is the main reason for the rain deficit.</li><li>The average rainfall per district in UP since June 1 to date has been 332.4 mm against the average normal of 593.1 mm. </li></ul>Uttar Pradesh is now facing a 44 per cent rain deficit despite heavy showers in some parts of the state. The main reason, according to officials, is the absence of a typical monsoon spell in which overcast skies with intermittent rains occur for two-three days at a stretch. Normally, a couple of such spells happen twice in each of the four monsoon months, but this time scattered rains with shorter duration of spells have been witnessed so far. However, meteorologists are hopeful of sufficient rain in September, which may not cover the entire deficit, but would narrow the gap between actual and normal rains by the end of the monsoon season which lasts in the state from June mid till October first week. The IMD data has revealed that over 28 per cent of districts, mainly in the north and northeast India are rainfall deficient during the monsoon season so far. According to the state monsoon assessment report, the average per district rainfall in UP since June 1 till date has been 332.4 mm against the average normal of 593.1 mm. Similar is the situation in the state capital, where total rainfall this monsoon so far has been 341.8 mm, which is 34 per cent below the normal of 519.3 mm. Chitrakoot is the only district with surplus rains (40 per cent above normal), while Farrukhabad has been the driest place in the state with 79 per cent below normal rainfall. There are about eight districts which have received near normal (range 19 per cent above or below normal) rainfall. About 49 districts are such where rainfall has been deficient (20-59 per cent below normal) and 18 are reeling under large deficit (60-99 per cent below normal). "The rainfall in June, July and August has been below the normal values of these respective months. However, we expect that rainfall in September will be as per the normal fixed for this month," said state Met director J P Gupta. At present, the monsoon trough - an elongated low pressure area embedded with small cyclonic circulations - is running close to the foothills of the Himalayas. A western disturbance is also approaching India and a cyclonic circulation is over Madhya Pradesh, he said. Under the influence of these factors, rain/thunderstorms are expected at a few places in East UP, including Lucknow, and at isolated places in the West UP till Friday. The rainfall activity will decline thereafter, but will pick up pace again next week, he added. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/asus-rog-strix-g17-2022-review-a-lovable-gaming-laptop-with-high-end-specs/articleshow/91010424.cms" style="">Asus ROG Strix G17 (2022) review — a good-looking gaming laptop with flagship performance</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/realme-buds-air-3-review-impressive-noise-cancellation-on-a-budget/articleshow/90805574.cms">Realme Buds Air 3 review: Impressive noise cancellation on a budget</a>

Uttar Pradesh records a 46 percent rain deficit, meteorologists are hoping September may be better

Banda (Uttar Pradesh), More than 1.89 <keyword id="10481084" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="lakh-trees">lakh trees</keyword> have been felled for the construction of the <keyword id="4648165" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bundelkhand-Expressway">Bundelkhand expressway</keyword>, according to an RTI response. The trees were cut in Banda, Chitrakoot, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Jalaun, Aurraiya and Etawah, it said. The 296-km long four-lane road will connect Etawah to Chitrakoot and Uttar Pradesh districts to <keyword id="9319704" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-national-capital-region">the National Capital Region</keyword> via the Yamuna expressway. In a reply to a query by Banda-based activist Kuldeep Shukla, senior manager of the state <keyword id="6356408" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="forest-department">Forest Department</keyword>, Atul Asthana, said that <keyword id="10057938" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="the-up-expressway-industrial-development-authority">the UP Expressway Industrial Development Authority</keyword> (UPEIDA) has cut 1,89,036 trees for the project. The UPEIDA has planned to plant over 2.70 lakh saplings along the expressway, the RTI added. <keyword id="10481083" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="banda-divisional-forest">Banda Divisional Forest</keyword> Officer Sanjay Agarwal said the trees were cut after permission from the Centre. The expressway will ensure better connectivity of the Bundelkhand area with the national capital region (NCR). SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/top-stocks-to-watch-infosys-wipro-jubilant-foodworks-bajaj-auto-majesco-and-others/articleshow/79909712.cms">Top stocks to watch – Infosys, Wipro, Jubilant FoodWorks, Bajaj Auto, Majesco, and others</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/there-are-one-of-only-17-indian-companies-out-of-500-that-aced-the-du-pont-test/articleshow/79911627.cms">There are one of only 17 Indian companies out of 500 that aced the Du Pont test</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/wipro-buyback-offer-details-and-700-million-metro-ag-deal-drives-share-price/articleshow/79911875.cms">Wipro offers 10% more to buy back shares and signs a $700 million deal with Metro AG – everything that’s driving the IT services stock higher today</a>

Over 1.89 lakh trees have been cut for the construction of Bundelkhand expressway

(Eds: Adding CM's condolence) Kanpur/Chitrakoot (UP), May 13 () Three migrant labourers and an infant girl were killed, while 46 others suffered injuries in two road accidents when they were returning home in Uttar Pradesh from other states during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, officials said on Wednesday.A truck carrying a group of 54 migrant labourers and their families from Ahmedabad in Gujarat to Balrampur in Uttar Pradesh rammed into a stationary truck near Lalpur police post on Kanpur-Jhansi highway, killing three people and injuring 43 others.Superintendent of Police (Kanpur Dehat) Anurag Vats said, "The deceased persons have been identified as Rohit (25), Hiraman (50) and Sumaiyya (2), all residents of Balrampur."The injured have been admitted to the district hospital, he said, adding that eight of them are critical and have been referred to Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) Hospital, Kanpur.Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath expressed grief over the loss of lives in the accident.In a statement issued in Lucknow, he instructed officials to ensure that those injured get proper treatment.In Chitrakoot, a migrant labourer returning home in Uttar Pradesh from Chhattisgarh on a bicycle was killed after being hit by a truck, the police said.Mohan (44), a resident of Saharanpur, was returning home along with three others on Tuesday evening when the accident took place, they said.The labourers had stopped on the roadside near Kalchiha village in Chitrakoot to take rest when they were hit by the speeding truck, the police said.All four were injured in the accident and taken to a community health centre in Mau village, where Mohan died.Mau community health centre superintendent Shekhar Vaishya said condition of the three other workers was stable.The truck has been impounded and its driver arrested, the police said.The workers, who hail from Saharanpur and Muzaffarnagar districts, were working at a jaggery factory in Chhattisgarh's Raipur.The factory was closed due to the lockdown enforced to check the spread of the novel coronavirus. CORR NAV DIVDIV

3 migrant labourers, infant returning home during lockdown killed in road accidents in UP

(Eds: Incorporating additional information) Kanpur/Chitrakoot (UP), May 13 () Three migrant labourers and an infant girl were killed and 46 others suffered injuries in two road accidents when they were returning home in Uttar Pradesh from other states during the coronavirus-induced lockdown, officials said on Wednesday. A truck carrying a group of 54 migrant labourers and their families from Ahmedabad in Gujarat to Balrampur in Uttar Pradesh rammed into a stationary truck near Lalpur police post on Kanpur-Jhansi highway, killing three people and injuring 43 others. According to Superintendent of Police (Kanpur Dehat) Anurag Vats, "The deceased persons have been identified as Rohit (25), Hiraman (50) and Sumaiyya (2), all residents of Balrampur." The injured have been admitted to the district hospital, the police officer said, adding that eight of them were critical and referred to the Lala Lajpat Rai (LLR) Hospital in Kanpur. In Chitrakoot, a migrant labourer returning home in Uttar Pradesh from Chhattisgarh on bicycle was killed after being hit by a truck. Forty-year-old Mohan, a resident of Saharanpur, was returning home along with three others on Tuesday evening when the accident took place, they said. The labourers had stopped on the roadside near Kalchiha village here to take rest when they were hit by a speeding truck, the police said. All the four suffered injuries in the accident and taken to a community health centre in Mau village, where Mohan died.Mau community health centre superintendent Shekhar Vaishya said condition of the three other workers was stable. The truck has been seized and its driver arrested, the police said. The workers, hailing from Saharanpur and Muzaffarnagar districts, were working at a jaggery factory in Raipur in Chhattisgarh.The factory was closed due to the ongoing lockdown enforced to check the spread of the novel coronavirus. CORR NAV SMNSMN

3 migrant labourers, an infant returning home during lockdown killed in road accidents in UP

Indore, May 8 () A total of 583 migrant workersstranded in Madhya Pradesh due to the coronavirus-inducedlockdown left for Jhansi in their native Uttar Pradesh fromIndore on specially arranged buses on Friday, officials said.These labourers, who were in two different sheltershere, belong to Basti, Bahraich, Chitrakoot districts amongothers in UP, an official said.  HWP MASBNM   BNM

Lockdown: Bus transit for 583 migrant workers to UP from MP

Lucknow, May 26 () Eight more people died of COVID-19 in Uttar Pradesh, taking the toll from the pandemic to 177 on Tuesday, while 229 new cases took the tally to 6,724, an official said. Two of the eight new deaths were from Aligarh, and one each from Firozabad, Barabanki, Siddharthanagar, Sant Kabir Nagar, Ambedkar Nagar and Chitrakoot districts, said Vikasendu Agrawal, joint director, Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme. There are 2,723 active cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and 3,824 people have been discharged so far, the official said. Out of the 229 new cases of the pathogen, 33 were from Amethi, 15 from Azamgarh, 13 from Ayodhya, and 10 each from Hapur, Meerut and Ambedkar Nagar districts, Agrawal said. Thirty-three out of the total 177 COVID-19 deaths are from Agra, followed by 22 in Meerut, 14 in Aligarh, 11 each in Kanpur Nagar and Moradabad, and 9 in Firozabad districts. NAV HMB

8 more COVID-19 deaths, 229 cases in UP

Chitrakoot (UP), May 13 () A migrant labourer returning home in Uttar Pradesh from Chhattisgarh on bicycle due to the coronavirus-triggered lockdown was killed after being hit by a truck, police said on Wednesday.Forty-year-old Mohan, a resident of Saharanpur, was returning home along with three others on Tuesday evening when the accident took place, they said. The labourers had stopped on the roadside near Kalchiha village here to take rest when they were hit by a speeding truck, the police said. All the four suffered injuries in the accident and taken to a community health centre in Mau village, where Mohan died. Mau community health centre superintendent Shekhar Vaishya said condition of the three other workers was stable. The truck has been seized and its driver arrested, the police said. The workers, hailing from Saharanpur and Muzaffarnagar districts, were working at a jaggery factory in Raipur in Chhattisgarh. The factory was closed due to the ongoing lockdown enforced to check the spread of the novel coronavirus. CORR NAV SMNSMN

Lockdown: Migrant labourer returning home in Uttar Pradesh on bicycle killed in road accident

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh), More than 5,000 policemen from civil police and other wings like ATS, STF, paramilitary forces, <keyword id="511117" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="SDRF">SDRF</keyword>, NDRF, <keyword id="243245" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="BDDS">BDDS</keyword>, fire, anti-mines and traffic, who will be deployed for the <keyword id="3920119" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="magh-mela">Magh Mela</keyword> in Prayagraj next month, will have to undergo antigen and RT-PCR testing before joining the Mela duties. The Magh Mela begins from January 14 next year. According to Inspector General (IG) (Prayagraj range) K.P. Singh, "We would be conducting antigen and RT-PCR tests of the police personnel arriving from different parts of the state for the Magh Mela duties. Police forces from different districts, including Fatehpur, Pratapgarh, Kaushambi, Mahoba, Hamirpur, Banda, Chitrakoot, Varanasi and Gorakhpur are being deployed at the Magh mela township for the month-long religious congregation." He, however, said that the antigen and RT -PCR testing of the policemen coming from different parts of the state, would help the authorities in checking the spread of the virus and the <keyword id="74296" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="police-officials">police officials</keyword> would also be maintaining a strict watch on the testing and its outcome". The officials of the health department have already asked devotees wanting to perform 'kalpwas' (month long stay at the township) at the banks of river Ganga during the Magh Mela to bring along a negative RT-PCR test report with them in order to get an entry in the Mela ground. The devotees will have to undergo a test every week during their month-long stay. Other visitors to the Magh Mela will also be tested for the Covid virus. A senior official said, "We would be taking all corrective measures to contain the spread of Covid-19 during the month-long Mela period and adequate health facilities would be offered to the devotees, pilgrims and the staff on duty. A network of 110 CCTV sets will be installed to maintain a close watch in every nook and corner of the Mela campus. Mobile police teams and pickets would be deployed at all entry and exit points. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/kunal-shah-cred-raises-80-million-valuation-doubles-to-800-million-for-the-just-two-year-old-startup/articleshow/79502864.cms">Kunal Shah’s CRED raises $80 million – valuation doubles to $800 million for the just two-year old startup</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/burger-king-grey-market-premium-and-heres-what-brokerages-say-about-the-ipo-opening-tomorrow/articleshow/79508730.cms?upcache=2">Burger King India IPO opens today — brokerages recommend ‘subscribe’ on attractive valuations</a>

Over 5,000 policemen on Magh Mela duty next month to undergo COVID-19 test

(Eds: Updating with reports of more accidents ) Lucknow, May 15 () Six migrant workers were killed and 95 others injured in separate road accidents in Uttar Pradesh when they were returning home during the ongoing lockdown to combat the coronavirus outbreak, police said on Friday. The accidents have taken place in Barabanki, Jalaun, Bahraich and Mahoba districts since Thursday evening, they said. In Barabanki, a group of seven labourers returning from Surat to Bahraich were waiting for conveyance near Badel on the Lucknow-Ayodhya National Highway on Friday morning when a speeding truck hit them, killing three on the spot and injuring the rest. Those killed have been identified as Shishupal (32), his brother Jeetendra (30) and uncle Mohan Nishad (40), the police said, adding that the four injured have been admitted to a hospital. The group members were working in a handloom company in Surat in Gujarat and had left for their homes after the factory was shut due to the ongoing lockdown to combat the novel coronavirus outbreak. They reached Barabanki in a truck and were waiting for another vehicle to take them home, the police said. In a separate accident, two people were killed and 40 injured when a truck carrying them from Mumbai to their homes in Uttar Pradesh fell in a ditch after being hit by another truck in Jalaun district. According to Jalaun Superintendent of Police Satish Kumar, the truck with 46 migrant labourers, hailing from different districts of Uttar Pradesh, had started its journey from Mumbai four days ago and met with the accident on Thursday night. The injured have been admitted to Orai Medical College, the police officer said. The deceased have been identified as Sundari, belonging to Chitrakoot district, and Sher Bahadur Gautam of Bhadohi district. Another truck, also ferrying migrant labourers from Mumbai, overturned after the driver lost control of the vehicle after hitting an electric pole on the Lucknow-Bahraich highway in Bahraich district, police said. The accident occurred under Chakkarpur Police Station and left 32 people injured, Additional SP Ajay Pratap Singh said. All the injured were rushed to Sadar Hospital where Ghulam Jilani (28), belonging to Bahraich, succumbed to injuries. All the injured are said to be natives of Bahraich, the SP added. In Mahoba district's Panewadi township, a truck carrying migrants from Gujarat to Chhattisgarh overturned injuring 20 people. The truck carrying about 70 to 80 migrant workers from Gujarat was on its way to Chhattisgarh when it overturned on Jhansi-Mirzapur National Highway, injuring 20 of them, Circle Officer (City) Jatashankar Rao said.The accident took place in the wee hours on Friday morning , he said adding that all the injured were however out of danger. COR SAB SMNSMN

Heading home during lockdown, 6 migrant workers killed, 95 injured in separate road accidents in UP

Lucknow, May 28 () Seven more people died of <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, while 80 fresh cases pushed the total number of COVID-19 cases in the state to 7,071, officials said. With seven more fatalities, the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 in the state has reached 189. "The total number of cases reported so far are 7,071, including 4,062 who have been treated and discharged and 2,820 active cases. The death toll in the state has reached 189," Principal Secretary, Medical and Health, Amit Mohan Prasad told reporters here. Prasad, however, did not elaborate about the districts where the seven fresh deaths were reported. Till Wednesday, of the 182 deaths reported, the maximum 33 were from Agra, 23 from Meerut, 15 from Aligarh, 11 each from Kanpur and Moradabad, nine from Firozabad, six from Sant Kabir Nagar, five each in Gautam Buddh Nagar and Gorakhpur, four each from Jhansi, Mathura and Varanasi, three each from Ghaziabad, Basti, Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Etah and Ayodhya and two each from Jaunpur, Lucknow, Bulandshahr, Bijnor, Azamgarh, Bareilly, Ambedkar Nagar, Chitrakoot, Mainpuri and Jalaun. Besides these, one death each has been reported from Barabanki, Hapur, Siddharth Nagar, Raebareli, Amroha, Muzaffarnagar, Etawah, Mahrajganj, Shravasti, Unnao, Kanpur Dehat, Kushinagar, Mahoba and Lalitpur. Prasad said samples of 7,923 persons have been sent for testing on Wednesday. "Health workers have surveyed over 10 lakh migrant labourers and 959 have shown symptoms of the coronavirus," he said. "We are emphasising on surveillance and over 3.74 crore people have been surveyed by 94,856 teams in Uttar Pradesh," he said. Prasad said the Centre's Aarogya Setu mobile application is being used and alerts are being sent to people. "We have made 28,054 calls on the basis of the alerts generated by the mobile app. Of them 104 are positive and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals while 49 were treated and discharged. Among those called, 1,248 are in quarantine," he said. He said pulse oximeter machines have arrived in the state and will be given at every quarantine centres.

Seven more people died of coronavirus in UP on Thursday, May 28

Lucknow, May 29 () Four more persons died of coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh on Friday taking the death toll due to the disease to 201 in the state, while 275 fresh cases pushed the total number of COVID-19 cases to 7,445 officials said. "The total number of cases reported so far are 7,445 including 4,410 who have been treated and discharged while there are 2,834 active cases. The death toll in the state has reached 201," an official statement said here. The number of active cases includes 2,012 migrant workers who recently returned to the state, a senior official said. The four deaths were reported from Gautam Buddh Nagar, Mathura, Ambedkar Nagar and Unnao, the statement said. Till Thursday, of the 197 reported deaths, the maximum 40 were from Agra, 24 from Meerut, 15 from Aligarh, 11 each from Kanpur and Moradabad, 10 from Firozabad, six from Sant Kabir Nagar, five each in Gautam Buddh Nagar, Mathura and Gorakhpur and four each from Basti, Ghaziabad, Jhansi and Varanasi. Apart from that, three deaths each were from Jalaun, Prayagraj, Pratapgarh, Etah and Ayodhya and two each from Kushinagar Jaunpur, Lucknow, Bulandshahr, Bijnor, Azamgarh, Bareilly, Ambedkar Nagar, Chitrakoot, Mainpuri. Besides these, one death each has been reported from Barabanki, Baghpat, Hapur, Siddharth Nagar, Raebareli, Amroha, Muzaffarnagar, Etawah, Mahrajganj, Shravasti, Unnao, Kanpur Dehat, Mahoba and Lalitpur. Principal secretary, medical and health, Amit Mohan Prasad said 9,981 samples were sent for testing on Thursday and presently 2,916 people are in isolation wards. He said 8,507 people are in quarantine facilities. "Health workers have surveyed over 10.85 lakh migrant labourers and 986 have shown symptoms of coronavirus. Till now 2,012 migrants have tested positive," he said. "We are emphasising on surveillance. Over 3.81 crore people have been surveyed by 96,773 teams in Uttar Pradesh," he said, adding that the Centre's Aarogya Setu mobile application is being used and alerts are being sent to people. "We have made 40,920 calls on the basis of the alerts generated by the mobile app. Of them, 112 are positive and are undergoing treatment at various hospitals while 49 were treated and discharged. Among those who were called, 1,266 are in quarantine," he said. He said pulse oximeter machines have been sent in every district and will also be sent to all quarantine centres. ABN RDM RDM

Uttar Pradesh reports 4 more COVID-19 deaths, total cases rise to 7,445

“I remember when we would boss around the people working in our fields. And look at me now. All these Punjabi ladies bossing me around, complaining about the rotis I make!” Kaushaliya Devi, a local of Mau Kasbah in <keyword id="6357713" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Uttar-Pradesh">Uttar Pradesh</keyword>’s Chitrakoot district, is ranting about her new life – new only for the last 20 years. But there is something transient about migrating to a new place, a big city, from your village and kheti deep inside the innards of a country as vast as India – such that it makes people like Kaushaliya feel like she doesn’t completely belong. She is not alone. India, according to a report derived from a study by the International Organization for Migration, has the second highest number of adults in the midst of the migration cycle – that’s 3.5 million planning and 1.3 million preparing. Zoom in on Uttar Pradesh, home to the largest population in the country, and the numbers are mind-boggling. The 2011 Indian Census pegged U.P. as the state with the most out-migration (26.9 lakh) followed, not so closely, by <keyword id="30033" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bihar">Bihar</keyword> at 17.2 lakh. In <keyword id="6368366" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Bundelkhand">Bundelkhand</keyword>, arguably among the most regressive swathes of land in U.P., migration is the norm with generations <keyword id="41744" type="ENTERTAINMENT" weightage="20" keywordseo="UP">up</keyword>on generations of families opting for it in order to survive. “Peedhiyon se palayan” is a common, oft-heard phrase around these parts, especially in the post-Diwali season, with the winters in the offing when hordes of men and women make their way to the Manikpur railway station to catch trains to Delhi. The families of Bakta Bujurg village in the district of Chitrakoot for instance, often speak of “palayan” and “pardes”. Alpana Devi tells us that her husband Ramdeen left ten years ago, while Ramdeen who is visiting, speaks of the reasons, "Our options are to work on land owner's fields, for which we get Rs 150 a day. We can either eat or send our children to school; there is no way we can afford both." Ramdeen’s father too had migrated, “for the same reasons”. And decades later, he says, it’s still the same, “I don’t see any other or new options that have come up since the time my father worked to bring us up.” What about his children, we ask. "What about them?" Alpana responds, even as Ramdeen sums it up, "Yeh toh ab rivaaz hi ban gaya hai. (Migration has now become a tradition)," watching his 10-year-old son play. 
 
 
 
 
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 Migration as a socio-cultural-economic phenomenon in U.P. has been a steadily intensifying one. Between 2001 and 2011, over 5.8 million people between the ages of 20 and 29 migrated from the state in search of jobs, but the tragedy in this mass exodus lies not as much in the process of migration itself as in the outcome. The search for jobs and better opportunities pushes these migrants into the informal sector in cities like Delhi, Punjab, Chandigarh, sometimes Mumbai, where, due to low educational attainment, they are often forced to make-do with low-paying jobs. As a result of which, they are often relegated to settlements and clusters on the peripheries of the cities they’re in – entire families crammed in one room, sharing the common toilet with other families in neighbouring shanties. We visited Rajapur in Delhi, one such popular settlement for scores of migrating Bundelkhand families, primarily from Mau, in Chitrakoot – where men work as drivers and car cleaners, women as cooks and maids, and the children dream of reality shows as they head out to the local government school. Arjun had dreamt of working in the wholesale business, but didn’t make the cut for “any company”. He currently cleans cars for a living and is aiming to be a driver, next. Kaushaliya Devi who cooks for a family in south Delhi lists "gas chalana” as one of her biggest challenges initially, “I couldn’t figure out the knobs! Now I’m super-fast!” nagging women of the house continue to be the bane of her existence even though she adds, “I make tasty food. You know, these city people don’t really know to cook!” Chunki recalls her early days and relives the pangs of loss she felt in the moment she left Mau for Delhi. “Oh! I cried and I cried. I couldn’t understand this Delhi, and why I was here.” And Kumkum misses the buzz of festivals back home – “It’s just not the same here,” she smiles, wistfully. But Kumkum hides other darker tragedies in her personal story of migration – one that reflects on an entire state and its defunct rural health system. According to an Indiaspend study, U.P. spends Rs 452 per capita on health, which is, on an average, 70% less than the others. And there’re more dismal figures here. There are 84% fewer specialists than needed, 50% fewer nursing staff, and the lowest share of health workers (19.9%) in India, as per an analysis conducted by the Observer Research Foundation in February 2017. The fact that T.B. continues to be a silent killer in Bundelkhand – as is clear in our reporting in Gopra, Banda – is just one illustration of the abysmal state the system is in. And this too is one of the big reasons for migration – the underbelly of a peculiar kind of medical tourism. “My husband had T.B.”, says Kumkum, “His condition was not improving. So we came to Delhi for his treatment.” As the treatment began, Kumkum, her husband, and their four kids took up accommodation in Rajapur. The children got enrolled in sarkari schools and since “school admission is such a problem now”, the family decided to stay on in Delhi. Kumkum’s husband eventually got better and regained his strength, but Kumkum still dreams of her special Purnima puja back home when "all the ladies would get together" and bond over a ritual – one that morphed into a ritual of exodus. The greatest driver of the migration story of course remains and continues to be linked with livelihoods – the basic need to earn, eat, feed, fend for your loved ones – in short, survival. The celebrated MGNREGA policy, put into place by the UPA government, has not been the very picture of a success story. A recent Indiaspend study revealed the shocking fact on how wage payments under the MGNREGA scheme have been frozen at the Centre across 19 states, as of October 31, 2017. In U.P., these payments have been released and are pending since 11 September 2017, but that’s only official data. Add the Aadhaar card requirements and bank account linkages, and couple those with job cards-hoarding village headmen at the rural level, and there is a clearer picture of the sheer dystopia that a “poor-friendly” policy has become. In the meanwhile, the migration story is deeply linked with the story of the overall deterioration of the country's most populous state – something is more than rotten in U.P., and specifically Bundelkhand. The proportion of households able to get 100 days of work, for instance, makes for another mind-boggling statistic, having decreased from 6% in 2013-14 to 2.13% in 2016-17. Figures it would do the current Yogi <keyword id="6360744" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Adityanath">Adityanath</keyword> government good to do some stock-taking on. The “sabka saath sabka vikaas” mantra is failing deeply in a place like Kabrai, for instance – a stone-mining haven in Mahoba where machines have replaced manual labour, which has, in turn, resulted in an acute employment crisis. Rajpal, who tried his luck with contracting in Kabrai, is now heading to Jaipur, to become part of the brick-laying unskilled labour force needed to construct, more malls, possibly. We asked his wife Sunita about the big move and her response is tempered with something close to rage, “What else can we do? There is nothing here that gives us money. Pet paalna hai, toh jaana hi hai.” And unfortunately, that is exactly what the palayan narrative of Bundelkhand boils down to. Author: Pooja Pande is Senior Editorial Manager at <a href="http://khabarlahariya.org/" target="_blank">Khabar Lahariya</a>. Khabar Lahariya is a rural, video-first digital news organisation with an all-women network of reporters in eight districts of Uttar Pradesh. <a href="http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/OB-ZE468_1007MI_M_20131007001332.jpg" data-type="tilCustomLink">Image Source</a>

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