8 more die of swine flu in Raj, toll climbs to 117
Jaipur:Eight more persons succumbed to swine flu in Rajasthan, raising the toll of the disease- related deaths to 117, an official of the Medical and Health Directorate (MHD) said on Thursday. Of the eight deceased, three persons were from Barmer, and one each from Jodhpur, Banswara, Jhunjhunu, Jaisalmer, and Sikar, the official said. “Out of 1,404 people tested positive for the virus, 117 have died in the state from January 1 so far,” the official said. Of the 33 districts in Rajasthan, 29 are affected with the contagious swine flu. So far, Jaipur has reported 21 deaths due to the H1N1 virus, maximum in the state, followed by Ajmer 19, Barmer 11, Nagaur 9, Jodhpur 8, Chittorgarh 7, Banswara 6, Kota 5, Bikaner and Tonk 4 each, Sikar and Bhilwara 3 each, Dausa, Jhunjhunu, Pali, Bundi, and Udaipur two each. Bharatpur, Churu, Jaisalmer, Srigangangar, Hanumangarh, Dungarpur and Alwar have recorded one death each. (PTI)
Official suspended for misappropriation of funds
Mathura:A gram panchayat official has been suspended for allegedly embezzling Rs 8.5 lakh alloted for construction of toilets under ‘Swacch Bharat’ scheme in Shernagar village of the district. Village development Officer Bhagat Singh was suspended by Chief Development Officer (CDO) Andre Wamsi after the former claimed that 130 toilets have been constructed under the scheme and embezzled the funds alloted for it. Assistant development officer has been directed to probe the matter, the CDO said. The incident came to fore when the accused submitted a completion report of the project to the CDO in a review meet recently. He was found guilty of withdrawing the amount. He was also accused of misguiding officials by tampering figures in the report, the CDO said. An inquiry has been ordered by the CDO and the matter is being probed. Lance Naik Hemraj, who was killed and beheaded by Pakistani soldiers in 2013 in Poonch sector of Jammu and Kashmir(PTI)
3 killed in tractor-truck collision in Meerut
Meerut (UP):Three people were today killed and four others injured in a head-on collision between a tractor and a mini truck in Inchauli area here, police said. According to police, the incident occurred near Saini village during the wee hours on Thursday when a mini truck hit a tractor coming from the opposite direction. Three people, including the truck driver, died on the way to hospital while four, of them two seriously, were injured, they said. The victims aged between 45-50 years belonged to Hapur district and were returning back from Yamuna Nagar in Haryana. Police have sent the bodies for post mortem and a case has been registered against the tractor’s driver. The Meerut-Mawana road witnessed a traffic jam for nearly two hours before police removed both the vehicles with the help of a crane. (PTI)
