Man shot at after he coughs while playing ludo

Noida (UP): Coughing in times of coronavirus is bound to invite fearful stares, but when a 25-year-old man in Greater Noida coughed during a ludo game, he was shot and injured by a fellow villager who accused him of trying to spread the disease on Tuesday. The incident took place in a temple in Dayanagar village. The injured, Prashant Singh, alias Pravesh, was hospitalised, and is now out of danger, while accused Jai Veer Singh, alias Gullu (30), is yet to be arrested. PTI

NDRF launches 24×7 helpline to provide assistance

New Delhi: The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) on Wednesday said it has launched a round-the-clock helpline, over phone and social media, to provide assistance to the needy during the ongoing lockdown to contain the spread of Covid-19 in the country. The helpline, 9711077372, can be contacted by phone or through WhatsApp, it said. The federal force can also be reached for help by tagging its Twitter handle @NDRFHQ and email: ndrf-helpline@gov.in. pti

Rajasthan lad designs innovative sampling unit

Jaipur: An Udaipur-based young architect, Anup Gupte, has designed a sampling unit on the South Korean pattern for health workers. It will ensure medics’ safety while collecting swabs from patients. Neuberg Supratech Lab, accredited for Covid test, has approved it. Manufacturing of a complete unit would cost Rs 2.5 lakh, he estimated. Gupte is an alumnus of National Institute of Design, Ahmedbad. OC