NoRKs happy over priority vaccination drive
The Hindu
Call to resume online passport renewal option as well
Non-Resident Keralites (NoRKs) who are waiting for their return journey to workplaces abroad have expressed joy over the launch of priority vaccination camps by the Health Department in Kozhikode district. The mega vaccination camp, which was officially launched here on Wednesday, is the result of frequent pleas by various expatriates’ welfare organisations to the State and Union governments. “We are happy that two major issues—priority vaccination and the option to enter passport details in the vaccination certificate using the official portal—have been addressed by the government in time. We have thus crossed our first hurdle to resuming work,” said Faisal Kannoth, district president, Indian Cultural and Arts Society, Dubai. He pointed out that the special drive, if completed in time, would help thousands of NoRKs awaiting a trouble-free return to countries like Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.About 7 km before reaching Mysuru’s Outer Ring Road junction on the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway, a structure resembling the silhouette of a giant tyre attracts the attention of passing-by motorists. This landmark spread across 10 acres of land in Naguvinahalli in Srirangapatna taluk, features a vintage car museum that has become the latest attraction for visitors to Mysuru.
“Spider wasp,” says ecologist and nature educator Vena Kapoor, narrating the fascinating but macabre tale of the spider wasp and its victims. While adult spider wasps mostly feed on flower nectar, making them excellent pollinators, they are also what are known as “parasitoids.” Unlike parasites, they kill their host. In the case of spider wasps, females hunt down spiders, inject them with venom and lay eggs on them. Once they hatch, the larvae eat these spiders alive, inevitably killing them, she tells the huddle of women cloistered around this tree.