Soumya Pillai covers environment and traffic in Delhi. A journalist for three years, she has grown up in and with Delhi, which is often reflected in the stories she does about life in the city. She also enjoys writing on social innovations.
Articles by Soumya Pillai
Delhi now has full MR vaccine coverage, say officials
According to officials, the month-long drive started with the aim to eliminate the two diseases from Delhi by the end of 2023. However, officials added that the government will continue the sweeping drives till March 29 to ensure that children who were left out are vaccinated
Published on Mar 24, 2023 10:51 PM IST
AIIMS panel for intestinal transplants in Delhi
Senior AIIMS officials said while the programme is still at a nascent stage, the facility will be provided to recipients at a much cheaper rate as compared to their private counterparts
Published on Mar 21, 2023 11:44 PM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Delhi hospitals directed to ramp up testing as Covid, flu see uptick
Health experts, however, said there was no reason to panic as the uptick remained insignificant in terms of the city’s population and majority of patients were not reporting severe symptoms
Updated on Mar 19, 2023 04:06 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi:
Isro plans ‘space tourism’ by 2030 at ₹6 crore per passenger
“Work is in progress around India’s very own space tourism module, which is both safe and reusable," said S Somnath, Isro chairman.
Updated on Mar 16, 2023 11:55 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
NEET-PG topper says she became doctor as she loved studying bio in school
On Tuesday, Dr Aarushi Narwani, 23, became only the second woman ever to top the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Postgraduate) or NEET-PG examination, scoring 725 out of 800
Published on Mar 15, 2023 11:39 PM IST
Govt eyes early alert system to check impact of heatwave
The ministry of earth sciences is working on issuing location-based heatwave warnings with five days lead time this summer through the common alerting protocol of the National Disaster Management Authority, which will provide the alerts to various state and centre level disaster alert disseminating authorities.
Published on Mar 13, 2023 01:57 AM IST
Jayashree NandiSoumya Pillai, New Delhi
Isro carries out controlled re-entry of an aged satellite
MT-1 was launched on October 12, 2011, as a joint venture of Isro and the French space agency, Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), to study tropical weather and climate.
Published on Mar 08, 2023 01:39 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Delhi: 0.9 million children get MR jabs, drive extended by two weeks
Data from the Delhi government shows that till March 4, a total of 993,332 eligible children were administered the MR vaccine. This is nearly 90% of the eligible 1,110,000 children from the target group
Published on Mar 05, 2023 12:13 AM IST
AIIMS to take over two Delhi govt hospitals to resolve bed shortage problem
Internal data from AIIMS shows that the hospital receives an average of 866 emergency patients daily. However, only 50 (5.7%) are admitted to AIIMS every day
Updated on Mar 04, 2023 10:51 AM IST
Warmest February in 122 years: What it means for summers in North India
Even in terms of minimum temperatures, the month was the fifth warmest since 1901 (the warmest was February 2016)
Updated on Mar 01, 2023 07:08 AM IST
Soumya Pillai & Jayashree Nandi
Spring influenza outbreak: Severe symptoms, longer infections this time
The surge in flu cases in the country comes in the context of a similar surge in the West between September and January, according to the World Health Organization, with many regions seeing such infections returning to levels typically seen in pre-pandemic years
Updated on Mar 01, 2023 07:09 AM IST
AIIMS Delhi plans 800-bed extension at NDMC’s Shanti Path hospital
Officials said that this facility will act as an extended campus for AIIMS, where patients who are not critically ill, will be admitted. The terms of staffing and resources are yet to be finalised between AIIMS and NDMC.
Updated on Feb 23, 2023 01:57 AM IST
Pre-term baby declared dead at Delhi hospital, found alive by kin pre-burial
The family said the doctors told them that the baby was still-born, and the body was wrapped in cloth, and placed in a cardboard box before being handed over for final rituals.
Updated on Feb 21, 2023 05:30 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Second batch of OneWeb satellites reaches India; ISRO set for March launch
The communications satellites will be launched by Isro’s Launch Vehicle Mark-III. In October last year, the Indian space agency successfully launched the first batch of 36 satellites by OneWeb from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
Published on Feb 19, 2023 12:30 AM IST
Shifting winters? IMD records show warmer December, colder January
The winter chill has reached Delhi and its surrounding areas late for the last few seasons, even as January has become colder than usual, showed the data.
Updated on Feb 17, 2023 04:27 AM IST
50% of Delhi kids given MR vaccine
Data from the department shows that between February 6—when the MR vaccination drive was started in Delhi—and February 15, 531,828 doses were administered
Published on Feb 17, 2023 12:24 AM IST
New haemodialysis centre launched at Safdarjung Hospital
The new haemodialysis unit was running on pilot for the last few months to test the effectiveness of the machines
Published on Feb 16, 2023 02:08 AM IST
Woman’s death sparks probe by AIIMS after family claims delay
AIIMS medical superintendent Dr Sanjeev Lalwani said the hospital has already launched a probe into the matter
Published on Feb 10, 2023 11:34 PM IST
AIIMS to increase number of ICU beds
AIIMS director Dr M Sriniwas, in an order issued on Wednesday, directed all clinical departments to create small ICUs and HDUs within their wards by February 28
Updated on Feb 09, 2023 12:08 AM IST
Chandrayaan-3’s likely landing sites finalised
The Chandrayaan programme, also known as the Indian lunar exploration programme, is an ongoing series of outer space mission by Isro.
Updated on Feb 08, 2023 04:56 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Fossils a way of life for Narmada’s ‘Dinosaur Man’
Sixteen years have passed since he found a set of 25 soropaud dinosaureggs, and in that time, Vishal Verma has built for himself a unique identity.
Updated on Feb 07, 2023 06:43 PM IST
Soumya Pillai, Bhopal:
59,000 doses of measles vaccine given on day 1 of campaign in Delhi
The government, through this drive, plans to eliminate measles and rubella from Delhi by December this year. Over 1 million children have been identified as eligible for this vaccine in the city
Published on Feb 06, 2023 11:20 PM IST
Patients say facing years-long wait at Delhi govt hospitals for routine tests
Such is the patient load at government hospitals in the Capital that the average waiting time for certain tests can be three to four years
Published on Feb 06, 2023 05:00 PM IST
Tamil Nadu firm told to suspend eye drops’ manufacturing
The manufacturers were directed to “stop the manufacturing activities of all the products under the category of ophthalmic preparations till the completion of investigation”, the report added.
Updated on Feb 05, 2023 09:28 AM IST
Soumya Pillai and Divya Chandrababu, New Delhi/chennai
Delhi to launch MR vaccination drive from Monday
The month-long MR vaccination campaign will commence from February 6, during which an additional dose of the vaccine will be administered to children irrespective of their previous vaccination history
Updated on Feb 04, 2023 02:24 AM IST
Chennai-based firm’s eye drops linked to vision loss and death in US
India’s drugs regulator has opened an inquiry into the products of a Chennai-based pharmaceuticals manufacturer after an eye drop made by it ostensibly led to drug-resistant bacterial infections in the US, where at least one person died and five others developed permanent vision loss.
Published on Feb 03, 2023 11:58 PM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Nasal vaccine at govt centres in Delhi from Feb 15
Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya and science and technology minister Jitendra Singh launched Bharat Biotech’s nasal Covid vaccine, iNCOVACC, on the occasion of Republic Day on Thursday
Updated on Jan 28, 2023 04:52 AM IST
Key payload for mission to sun ready, says Isro
The Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) on Thursday handed over the Visible Emission Line Coronagraph (VELC) -- the largest payload to be carried on board the Aditya-L1 -- the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro)
Published on Jan 27, 2023 12:14 AM IST
Soumya Pillai, New Delhi
Big plans for 2023 after a mixed 2022: Isro chief
Bhopal The landing demonstration of the Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), one of the most challenging endeavors of the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) towards developing essential technologies for a fully reusable launch vehicle to enable low-cost access to space, is scheduled for Saturday, chairman S Somnath told HT in an interview, adding that several major missions are lined up for 2023
Updated on Jan 25, 2023 12:59 PM IST
Bharat Biotech’s nasal vaccine likely to be launched on Jan 26
iNCOVACC will be priced at ₹325 per dose for large procurement by the Centre and state governments, and at ₹800 in private vaccination centres, the company has said.
Updated on Jan 22, 2023 04:47 AM IST
