Prime Minister Narendra Modi with mother Heeraben

Mother of Prime Minister Narendra Modi Heeraben, who celebrated her 100th birthday this year on June 18, was admitted to UA Patel Hospital on Wednesday in Ahmedabad.  

On Tuesday, PM Modi’s younger brother Prahlad Modi and his family members were injured after the car they were travelling in met with an accident in Mysuru, Karnataka.

Earlier, PM Modi had met his mother during the Gujarat Assembly elections at her residence in Gandhinagar. The Prime Minister, who was seen sitting next to his mother, also touched her feet to seek her blessings.

Also read: Ratan Tata pampers his dogs with boiled chicken from Taj Hotel

Lumpy skin disease has been continuously spreading across the country since August. However, this isn’t the first time the virus has attacked animals. The first reported case of LSD in India was back in September 2020. What makes this worrisome now is that the surge is massive this time. This has put Central and various state governments on alert as the disease is widespread and is known to be fatal.

It is a viral disease that affects cattle and buffalo, caused by the capripox virus. Lack of proper treatment and unavailability of vaccine increases the risk of cattle being infected by the virus.

According to data provided by Central government, 67000 animals have already perished due to the highly contagious disease. As per data released by Maharashtra government, the state accounts for total 21 affected districts, with 43 animals dead till now.

A government vaccination drive is underway. The ‘goat-pox’ vaccine is being administered to animals which is considered to be 100% effective against lumpy skin disease.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has asked Animal Husbandry officials to stay alert and take all necessary measures to contain the spread of the disease. The CMO has also informed about two toll-free numbers 18002330418 and 1962 for the general public to avail immediate assistance and battle the virus.

The disease is mainly confined to the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Andhra Pradesh. Maharashtra is the latest addition in the list of states being affected by this fatal disease.

Also read: Ironed shoelaces to carrying his own toilet seat: The many perks of being King Charles III

Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has started making Covid-19 vaccine booster doses available at Ganesh pandals in Nagpur for its citizens. The NMC team identified and administered the Covid-19 vaccine booster dose to those present at the Navmitra Ganesh Utsav Mandal, Pili Nadi.

In an interaction with Nation Next, NMC Chief B Radhakrishnan said that it is a self-driven initiative to increase the coverage of citizens who will get the Covid-19 booster doses.

A total of 284 big pandals have been identified zone wise for the purpose of setting up the camps, keeping in mind the convenience of the public and the NMC teams executing the drive. Maharashtra state government had recently floated the same idea, in line with the ongoing festivities.   

Till August 19, 2022, around 4.3 lakh booster doses have been given to the citizens of Nagpur. The latest initiative by NMC will certainly be instrumental in reaching out to more citizens from all age groups. 

Also read: Nitin Gadkari welcomes Bappa at his Nagpur residence