1. Epidemic Diseases Act amended: Attacking medics can cost up to 7 years in jail - In a significant move, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday amended the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1987 through an ordinance in order to ensure safety of health workers at a time when there has been a spate of attacks on them. Any violence against health workers may now bring steep fines and even imprisonments of up to seven years.

2. Inter-district movement allowed for three days in Assam; Call 104 for permission - Subject to Ministry of Home Affairs guidelines, the Deputy Commissioners in Assam can allow the inter-district movement of certain categories of people stranded across the State, for three days – April 25, 26 and 27. According to State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the Deputy Commissioners are the sole authority to grant permission for such movement of people.

3. Waive 50% fees for April: State Education Department to private schools - The State Education Department has said that the private schools in the State will have to waive 50 per cent of fees for the month of April, 2020; and also that such institutions cannot hike fees without approval from the department.

4. Tezpur Central Jail inmates donate to Assam Arogya Nidhi - In a bid to fight against COVID-19, the Superintendent of Tezpur Central Jail, Mrinmoy Dawka handed over an amount of Rs 12,000 on behalf of all convicts of Tezpur Central Jail. The convicts donated their one day’s wages to the Assam Arogya Nidhi through the Deputy Commissioner of Sonitpur.

5. Online initiatives undertaken for students in Lakhimpur - The Lakhimpur District Education Department has come up with some policies in order to carry on the teaching-learning activities for the benefit of the students’ community during the lockdown period. In this regard, while inquired, Lakhimpur District Inspector of Schools, Mridul Kumar Nath informed The Sentinel that various activities had been carried out in the district in order to continue the learning opportunities of students during the lockdown period.

6. Mob lynches two youths at Aathiyabari near Barpeta Road - Two brothers – Biswajit Das and Haradhon Arya alias Heba -were allegedly killed brutally by miscreants at Aathiyabari under Simlaguri police station near Barpeta Road on Wednesday. The brothers were imprisoned a few days ago for attacking some people without any reason. They were in Nalbari Jail but due to the lockdown they were released.

7. Coronavirus outbreak: Essential items distributed by many NGO - Amid nationwide lockdown in the wake of COVID-19 outbreak, a frontline NGO of Tezpur, Bhoomi distributed food packets to 25 poor daily wage worker families at Chandmari area under Lalmati Outpost recently. The programme was initiated by secretary of Bhoomi, Dip Kumar Kalita, member Parwaj Banu, Ranjit Barua, advisor of Bhoomi, Dr Pradip Kumar Lahkar and others.

8. SAGMDJP in charge president Ismail Ali registered FIR against professor - The Sadou Asom Goria-Moria-Deshi Jatiya Parishad, Guwahati City Committee in charge president Ismail Ali has registered a case against a female professor, on Wednesday. According to reports, the professor had uploaded a few lines from noted literature Syed Abdul Malik’s poem “Moi Axomiya” into her social media handle and alleged the latter of being a ‘pro-Mughal and attacker of Assam’. Responding to the professor’s statements, Ali has registered a case against her at Hatigaon Police Station.

Afternoon News - 23 April, 2020 05:46 Share

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Afternoon News - 23 April, 2020