News Breakfast @6

01. Abducted ONGC Employee Ritul Saikia Released, In Assam Rifles Custody

In a major breakthrough, abducted ONGC employee Ritul Saikia entered the Indian borders at 7. 10 am on Saturday in Mon district along the Nagaland-Myanmar border. Saika was released by the United Liberation Front of Asom-Independent (ULFA-I) on Friday. Saikia is currently in the custody of Assam Rifles and will be handed over to Assam Police after reaching the state's borders. Ritul Saikia's family thanked ULFA (I) Chief Paresh Baruah and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for releasing their son precisely a month later. It may be mentioned that the ULFA (I) in a release said that Ritul Saikia will be released soon.

02. Assam HS TET 2021 Results Declared Today

In a major development, the Higher Secondary Level TET examination result has been declared on Saturday by the Board of Secondary Education Assam (SEBA). Candidates can check their results on the official website – https://ssa.assam.gov.in/ or https://sebaonline.org/ The Assam TET 2021 examination was conducted in the state on January 10, 2021, amid the spread of the deadly contagion – coronavirus. Earlier this week, state education minister Dr. Ranoj Pegu had informed about announcing the results this week. On Friday Dr. Pegu tweeted that the results would be declared on May 22 at 11 am on the official website. The examination for post graduate teachers was conducted nine years later and the first paper was common for all candidates and had questions from subjects like Pedagogy, General English, Basic Numerical, and Assam and Its People.

03. Assam Rifles Jawan Killed In Arunachal Ambush, 2 Injured

An Assam Rifles soldier was killed, while, two others have been injured on Saturday during an encounter with suspected militants of NSCN (K) in Jairampur of Changlang district in Arunachal Pradesh. As per reports, acting on an intelligence input, the troops launched an extensive search and cordon operation along the Indo-Myanmar border in Longvi village of Jairampur town at 8.30 am when a violent clash broke out between the security forces and the militants. Further, it is has also been suspected that ULFA (I) cadres were involved in the ambush that lasted about 25 minutes. Reportedly, a large contingent of section 19 of the paramilitary troop has currently intensified the operations in the area.

04. Cow Protection Bill To Be Introduced In Next Assembly Session: Assam Guv

Assam Governor Jagdish Mukhi on Saturday said the government is planning to introduce a cow protection bill in the next assembly session to ban transport of the animal outside the state. Addressing the first session of the 15th Assam Legislative Assembly, Mukhi said people revere and worship cows, considering it a sacred animal. "I am happy to inform you that my government plans to introduce the Cow Protection Bill in the next assembly session. The proposed bill envisages imposition of complete ban on transport of cattle outside the state," he said. The government will adopt a zero-tolerance policy for protection of the animal and enforce stringent punishment for those found transporting it outside Assam, the governor said. "Once passed, Assam will join other states which have passed similar bills," he said. Mukhi also said cows nurture people as the animal gives them "life-sustaining milk". PTI

05. HSLC, Madrassa Exams To Be Held After COVID Situation Gets Normal

The High School Leaving Certificate (HSLC) and Assam High Madrassa Examinations 2021 will be held as soon as the COVID situation in the state gets normal. This was decided after a meeting between the Board of Secondary Education Assam (SEBA) and the All Assam Students' Union (AASU) today (Saturday) in Guwahati. The HSLC and AHM exams were postponed due to the worsening COVID-19 situation in the state. During the meeting today, both SEBA and AASU decided that the exams will be conducted after the COVID situation gets normal in the state. The meeting, which was held at SEBA office, was attended by AASU adviser Samujjal Kumar Bhattacharya, president Dipanka Kumar Nath and general secretary Sankar Jyoti Barua. The announcement regarding the decision was informed by AASU president Dipankar Kumar Nath.

06. Assam: 5 Bureaucrats Transferred

The Personnel (Administration) Department of the Assam government on Saturday carried out a reshuffle of administrative officers of the state. According to an official notification, five bureaucrats of Assam were transferred. The reshuffle was carried out on orders from the governor of Assam.

07. Former AMCH Vice-Prez Dies Of COVID, CM Sarma Condoles

Dr Dilip Kumar Patgiri, former vice-president and head of department of pediatrics at Dibrugarh's Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH), has died due to COVID-19. Dr Patgiri was admitted to Sanjivani hospital in Dibrugarh on May 6 after testing positive for the infection. He died earlier today. With his death, the total number of doctors dying to the virus amidst the second wave has risen to 421, including three from Assam. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma condoled the demise of the senior doctor and said Dr Patgiri played a pivotal role in strengthening medical education & healthcare system of Assam.

08. Assam Logs 5,980 COVID Cases, 71 Deaths

Assam on Saturday registered 5,980 new cases of COVID-19, taking the active caseload in the state to 54,058. Today's positivity rate is 5.57 per cent. The new cases were reported out of 1,07,398 tests conducted in the last 24 hours. The state also registered 4,659 discharges and 79 deaths today. Of the new cases, Kamrup metro recorded 902 cases, Cachar (502), Nagaon (422) and Kamrup Rural (389). The total deaths counts district-wise are: Kamrup Metro (19), Kamrup Rural (9), Barpeta (6), Sonitpur (6), Nagaon (5), Cachar (4), Tinsukia (4), Nalbari (3), Darrang (2), Dibrugarh (2), Hojai (2), Sivasagar (2), Udalguri (2), Baksa (1), Biswanath (1), Charaideo (1), Chirang (1), Dhemaji (1), Goalpara (1), Golaghat (1), Jorhat (1), Kokrajhar (1), Lakhimpur (1), Morigaon (1), South Salmara (1), West Karbi Anglong (1).

09. Lockdown In Karnataka Extended Till June 7

In view of the COVID-19 situation in the state, Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday announced that the lockdown in the state has been extended till June 7. "We had a meeting with senior officials and ministers. We have taken a decision on lockdown. We had strict restrictions till May 24. As per the opinion of experts, we are extending the strict restrictions till June 7," Yediyurappa told the media."We had a meeting with senior officials and ministers. We have taken a decision on lockdown. We had strict restrictions till May 24. As per the opinion of experts, we are extending the strict restrictions till June 7," Yediyurappa told the media. Saying that the people roaming after 10 am is creating a lot of problems throughout the state, the CM informed the same set of guidelines will continue to be in force.

10. India Logs Over 2.57 Lakh New Covid Cases

India recorded 257,299 fresh coronavirus cases on Saturday, taking its tally to 26,289,290, according to the data of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The death count rose to 295,525 after 4,194 more patients died in the last 24 hours. After recording over 3 lakh cases for nearly three weeks, India's daily cases dropped below the mark earlier this week. Nearly 30,000 Covid patients have died since May 15. Vaccinations showed a downward graph amid fears of a third wave in the next six to eight months. Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan, assessed the public health response to Covid-19 and the progress of vaccination with nine States and UTs. "Recovery outnumbers new active cases for the last 8 days consistently," the minister said.

11. Canada Extends Flight Ban From India By 1 Month

In a bid to further contain the spread of COVID-19, Canada has extended the ban on direct flights from India by a month until June 21. Ban on flights from Pakistan has also been extended along with India for the same time period. The ban, which was first imposed on April 22, was set to expire on Saturday. This has now been extended by a period of 30 days. However, cargo flights will be permitted as shipments of essentials supplies like vaccines and medical aid need to be maintained. "The minister of transport is of the opinion that it is necessary for aviation safety and the protection of the public," according to a notice to airmen. Passengers from India and Pakistan however can arrive in Canada via a third country but they will need to produce a COVID-19 negative report before being allowed to enter Canada.

12. Mizoram: Lockdown In Aizwal, Other Districts Extended By 1 Week

In a bid to further contain the spread of COVID-19, lockdown in Aizwal and other district headquarters has been extended by another seven days, Mizoram government announced on Saturday. The existing lockdown imposed since May 10 was scheduled to be lifted at 4 am on May 24. This has now been extended by a week till May 31. "In view of the continued surge of COVID-19 positive cases, the competent authority has decided to continue with the current restrictions imposed for curtailing people"s movement and activities, in order to further mitigate probable serious impact on public health," an order issued by the government said.

13. Remove Reference To 'Indian Variant' Of Covid: Centre Tells Social Media Firms

The Electronics & IT Ministry has asked social media giants to remove all contents comprising names or anything that implies an Indian variant of the coronavirus. "This is completely FALSE. There is no such variant of Covid-19 scientifically cited as such by the World Health Organisation (WHO). WHO has not associated the term 'Indian Variant' with the B.1.617 variant of the coronavirus in any of its reports," stated a letter from the IT Ministry issued on Friday which is not yet public, Reuters reported. The Reuters report stated that the senior Indian government sources have said the notice it was issued to send a message loud and clear that such mentions of "Indian variant" spread miscommunication and hurt the country's image.

14. After 56 Years Hiatus, Tripura Wants Its Tea To Be Auctioned In Bangladesh

Amid a grim situation that has surfaced for the tea industry due to the devastating Covid pandemic, the Tripura tea industry wants its teas to be auctioned in Bangladesh. The state had stopped exporting its tea 56 years ago in the aftermath of the 1965 war. The tea exports took place via the Chittagong tea action centre in East Pakistan. As per a report by PTI, tea planters in the state want to sell tea through Sreemangal tea auction centre in Bangladesh, just 10 kilometres from the state's northern border. Tripura has an estimate of 58 tea gardens, of which 42 are individually owned, another 13 are run by cooperative societies, while three are run by the TTDC.

15. 13,319 Tonnes Of Liquid Oxygen Delivered Nationwide: Railways

In an attempt to fight Covid, the Indian Railways has so far delivered 13,319 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen (LMO) in more than 814 tankers nationwide since the Oxygen Express started its service last month. The Ministry of Railways said in a statement, that so far, 208 Oxygen Express trains have completed their journey, while 13 more are on the way with over 1,018 tonnes of liquid medical oxygen. The Oxygen Express trains have delivered nearly 800 MT of liquid medical oxygen daily in the last few days, it said. Oxygen Express trains have transported the life saving supply to 13 states so far Uttarakhand (320 tonnes), Karnataka (714 tonnes), Maharashtra (614 tonnes), Madhya Pradesh (521 tonnes), Andhra Pradesh (292 tonnes), Rajasthan (98 tonnes), Tamil Nadu (649 tonnes), Haryana (1,619 tonnes), Telangana (772 tonnes), Punjab (153 tonnes), Kerala (118 tonnes), Delhi (4,110 tonnes) and Uttar Pradesh (3,338 tonnes).