Interactive comics
To help kids during the lockdown, an IIT-Roorkee startup, TBS Planet Comics Studio, is offering interactive comics free of cost. The comics are available in Hindi, English, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, and Marathi. “Interactive comics enable kids to choose a character and shape adventure according to the choices they make in the story,” IIT-Roorkee director Ajit K Chaturvedi said. Rajeev Tamhankar, founder &CEO, TBS Planet Comics Studio, said the initiative will encourage kids to read during their leisure hours.
Govt ensures wheat flour reaches all
The government will procure wheat from FCI depots for ensuring that there is no shortage of wheat flour during the 21-day lockdown. District supply officers will gather details of requirements of flour mills and the list will be forwarded to the regional food controller. For this purpose, an account will be opened in a nationalised bank. District supply officers were told to immediately prepare the list. On behalf of the flour mills owners, the government, under the ‘Open Market Sale Scheme’, will procure wheat from FCI depots. Food and Civil Supplies Secretary Sushil Kumar directed regional food controller of Kumaon and Garhwal to reach out to flour mills operating in their jurisdiction areas. They have also been named the nodal officer for ensuring that the districts do not run short of flour
Tight rules at Doon markets
For Dehradun, the district administration has regulated the timing of Arhat Bazar, the wholesale grain market, and Niranjpur vegetable market. The move is expected to keep away the general public. The Dehradun Smart City Project Limited has started the online facility of issuing lockdown passes to essential services providers. The wholesale market remained opened on Friday from 2 pm till 4pm for dealers and retail shop owners. Traders were allowed to enter the market only with a valid pass. Similar arrangements were made at Niranjanpur where officials had to close the gates of the market for some time after many residents gathered inside the market. Officials then vacated the market and only traders and buyers with permission were allowed to continue with their activities.
Plastic ban in secretariat removed
The Uttarakhand government has stalled its previous order, which banned the use of plastic products such as plastic water bottles in meeting and workshops inside the secretariat due to the need of personal hygiene in the fight against COVID-19. A letter in this regard written by chief secretary Utpal Kumar Singh was circulated last week. In August last year, additional chief secretary Radha Raturi had passed directions, through a circular, to all senior officials that no plastic products should be used inside the secretariat. But now, the state government decided that the order will be put on hold for the time being.
Vineet Upadhyay
Our correspondent in Dehradun
vineet.upadhyay@newindianexpress.com