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Apollo launches Post-COVID Recovery Clinics - The Hindu

‘They will help patients deal with effects of infection’

The Apollo Hospitals Group announced the launch of Post-COVID Recovery Clinics across the hospital network on Monday. These clinics will address the needs of the rising number of patients, who have recovered from COVID, but are suffering from mid and long-term persistent effects of the infection. Over 50% of COVID patients suffer from problems that include breathlessness, chest pain and heart issues, joint pains, vision problems, and memory loss, months after contracting the novel coronavirus. The clinics will be manned by a team of specialists, including neurologists and immunologists, to help patients deal with the aftermath of COVID-19 and restore their health. Sami, Chief Operating Officer, Apollo Hospitals, Visakhapatnam, said that these clinics would help patients to get the specialised care they need. The trained clinicians ensure that the patients get the correct treatment and recover completely. COVID-19 impacts almost all the vital organs in the body. Apart from acute events like stroke and myocardial infarction, chronic conditions like diabetes and hypertension are part of the post-COVID syndrome. A number of sudden deaths in post-COVID patients have been reported and most of these were attributed to acute cardiac events. He explained that while long-term problems were common among patients who have been hospitalised, even patients who had recovered from a mild case could suffer from the prolonged effects of the virus. Some of the long-term effects may be severe and disabling in nature. The specialised clinic would enable monitoring of symptoms on an ongoing basis and deliver timely medical attention. The clinics were being initially launched in Apollo hospitals treating COVID-19 in Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Madurai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mysore, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Delhi, Indore, Lucknow, Mumbai and Ahmedabad. The clinics would be manned by a dedicated team consisting of a family physician, assisted by a nurse. For appointments, one can visit Apollo Hospitals, Visakhapatnam, either at Health City and Ramnagar, or call: 0891-2867777/2727272.

China warns India against ties with Taiwan - The Hindu

Statement comes ahead of trade talks

China on Tuesday asked India to approach ties with Taiwan prudently and properly and said it would firmly oppose any official exchanges between New Delhi and Taipei. Also read:Posters wishing Taiwan taken down after Chinese embassy complaint The statement from Chinas Foreign Ministry came in response to reports that India and Taiwan were considering going forward with talks on a trade deal. India and Taiwan in 2018 already signed a bilateral investment agreement. India-Taiwan trade ties have expanded since and Taiwanese firms are prominent investors in India, although India and Taiwan do not maintain formal diplomatic relations. The 'One-China principle is a universal consensus of the international community, including India, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a daily briefing, when asked about the report on trade talks. It is also the political basis for China to develop ties with other countries. So, we firmly oppose any official exchanges between countries having diplomatic ties with China and Taiwan or signing any official documents. The Indian side should remain committed to the One-China principle and approach Taiwan-related issues prudently and properly, Mr Zhao said. Earlier this month, the Chinese Embassy in Delhi raised with Indias Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) the putting up of posters in New Delhi on October 10, wishing Taiwan Happy National Day, put up by a member of the BJP, including outside the Chinese Embassy. The posters were taken down following the complaint. The posters, along with a social media campaign on October 10, followed a note sent by the Chinese Embassy to around 250 journalists asking them not to refer to Taiwan as a country or a nation while covering an event to be organised by the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre (TECC) in India. Also read:China sends fighters towards Taiwan The MEA responded to the note, saying there is a free media in India, that reports on issues that they see fit. On Tuesday, China reacted guardedly to Indias announcement that Australia will join next months Malabar naval exercise with India, Japan and the United States. In a terse statement, Mr. Zhao said, We have taken note of this development. We always believe that military cooperation between countries should be conducive to regional peace and stability. The Chinese Foreign Ministry said it had lodged a protest with the United States, over a meeting in Washington between Assistant Secretary Robert Destro of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, who has been appointed as a special coordinator for Tibetan issues, with Lobsang Sangay, the head of the Government-in-Exile in Dharamsala. The appointment of the so-called special coordinator for Tibetan issues is a political move to interfere in Chinas internal affairs and sabotage Xizangs [Tibets] stability, Mr. Zhao said. We have lodged stern representations with the U.S. side. The so-called Tibetan government-in-exile is a separatist political organisation chasing a wild dream of Tibetan independence. It violates Chinas Constitution and law and it is not recognised by any nation worldwide. Lobsang Sangay as its head is out and out an anti-China separatist. China firmly opposes him engaging in anti-China separatist activities in whatever status and whatever pretext in any country. We firmly oppose officials of other countries having any kind of contact with him. We urge the U.S. side to stop interfering in Chinas internal affairs and sabotaging Xizangs development and stability, and refrain from offering any support to separatist forces. China will take all measures to safeguard its own interests, the spokesperson said.

‘Flexible’ lockdown helped contain mortality: PM - The Hindu

‘India at forefront of COVID-19 vaccine development’

India was one of the first countries to adopt a flexible lockdown approach and thereby managed to keep death rates from COVID-19 relatively low, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the launch of the Grand Challenges Annual Meeting, organised by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The three-day programme aims to bring together policy makers and scientific leaders, calling for scientific collaboration in solving global health problems, with emphasis on coronavirus (COVID-19) and will feature leaders talks, panel discussions and virtual informal conversations on various topics. Also read: Coronavirus | Vaccine shot painless, say Covishield trial volunteers Around 1,600 people from 40 countries are expected to participate in this meeting. India is now at the forefront of COVID-19 vaccine development. We are working on putting a well established vaccine delivery system in place. This digitised network with a digital health ID will be used for securing the health of our citizens, Mr Modi said in his address as the key note speaker. Also read: Coronavirus | Vaccine supplies likely from early 2021: Health Secretary Indias size, scale and diversity has made the global community curious. Thanks to a people-powered approach we have kept our death rates low. We are seeing a per day decline in growth of cases and we have a high recovery rate of 88% and this was because we adopted a flexible lockdown. We were among the first to encourage use of masks and rapid antigen tests, the Prime Minister said. Indias vaccine delivery system would be used to ensure immunisation of citizens. We are known for our capability of making low cost vaccines, Mr Modi said and added, We want to help other nations enhance their capabilities in vaccine manufacturing and immunisation. Indias experience and research talent would put it at the centre of global healthcare research. Along with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, co-hosts of the meeting include the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, the Indian Council of Medical Research and NITI Aayog.

Touch-and-go: NASA's Osiris-Rex set to collect samples from asteroid Bennu - The Hindu

If the first attempt doesn’t work, Osiris-Rex can try again. Any collected samples won’t reach Earth until 2023.

After almost two years circling an ancient asteroid hundreds of millions of miles away, a NASA spacecraft this week will attempt to descend to the treacherous, boulder-packed surface and snatch a handful of rubble. The drama unfolds Tuesday as the U.S. takes its first crack at collecting asteroid samples for return to Earth, a feat accomplished so far only by Japan. Brimming with names inspired by Egyptian mythology, the Osiris-Rex mission is looking to bring back at least 60 grams worth of asteroid Bennu, the biggest otherworldly haul from beyond the moon. The van-sized spacecraft is aiming for the relatively flat middle of a tennis court-sized crater named Nightingale - a spot comparable to a few parking places here on Earth. Boulders as big as buildings loom over the targeted touchdown zone.  So for some perspective, the next time you park your car in front of your house or in front of a coffee shop and walk inside, think about the challenge of navigating Osiris-Rex into one of these spots from 200 million miles away, said NASAs deputy project manager Mike Moreau. Also read:NASAs Osiris-Rex spacecraft is asteroid Bennus first visitor in billions of years Once it drops out of its 0.75 kilometer-high orbit around Bennu, the spacecraft will take a deliberate four hours to make it all the way down, to just above the surface.  Then the action cranks up when Osiris-Rexs 3.4-meter arm reaches out and touches Bennu. Contact should last five to 10 seconds, just long enough to shoot out pressurized nitrogen gas and suck up the churned dirt and gravel. Programmed in advance, the spacecraft will operate autonomously during the unprecedented touch-and-go maneuver. With an 18-minute lag in radio communication each way, ground controllers for spacecraft builder Lockheed Martin near Denver cant intervene. If the first attempt doesnt work, Osiris-Rex can try again. Any collected samples wont reach Earth until 2023. While NASA has brought back comet dust and solar wind particles, its never attempted to sample one of the nearly 1 million known asteroids lurking in our solar system until now. Japan, meanwhile, expects to get samples from asteroid Ryugu in December in the milligrams at most 10 years after bringing back specks from asteroid Itokawa.  Bennu is an asteroid pickers paradise. The big, black, roundish, carbon-rich space rock taller than New Yorks Empire State Building was around when our solar system was forming 4.5 billion years ago. Scientists consider it a time capsule full of pristine building blocks that could help explain how life formed on Earth and possibly elsewhere. This is all about understanding our origins, said the missions principal scientist, Dante Lauretta of the University of Arizona. When Osiris-Rex blasted off in 2016 on the more than $800 million mission, scientists envisioned sandy stretches at Bennu. So the spacecraft was designed to ingest small pebbles less than an inch (2 centimeters) across.  Scientists were stunned to find massive rocks and chunky gravel all over the place when the spacecraft arrived in 2018. And pebbles were occasionally seen shooting off the asteroid, falling back and sometimes ricocheting off again in a cosmic game of ping-pong. With so much rough terrain, engineers scrambled to aim for a tighter spot than originally anticipated. Nightingale Crater, the prime target, appears to have the biggest abundance of fine grains, but boulders still abound, including one dubbed Mount Doom. Then COVID-19 struck. The team fell behind and bumped the second and final touch-and-go dress rehearsal for the spacecraft to August. That pushed the sample grab to October.  Returning a sample is hard, said NASAs science mission chief, Thomas Zurbuchen. The COVID made it even harder. Osiris-Rex has three bottles of nitrogen gas, which means it can touch down three times - no more. The spacecraft automatically will back away if it encounters unexpected hazards like big rocks that could cause it to tip over. And theres a chance it will touch down safely, but fail to collect enough rubble. In either case, the spacecraft would return to orbit around Bennu and try again in January at another location.

BARC charges Republic TV with misrepresenting private communication - The Hindu

Responding to claims by Republic TV that an email from BARC gives proof of the channel not being involved in any alleged malpractices, the agency said it was “highly disappointed” with the broadcaster’s actions

TV viewership rating agency BARC India has charged Republic TV of misrepresenting its private and confidential communication, saying it has not commented on the ongoing investigation into the alleged manipulation of ratings. In a statement, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) said it was cooperating with the law enforcement agencies in their ongoing investigation in the Television Rating Points (TRP) manipulation case. Also read:Fake TRP case | Republic TV, Arnab Goswamy move Bombay High Court to quash FIR Responding to claims by Republic TV that an email from BARC gives proof of the channel not being involved in any alleged malpractices, the agency said it was highly disappointed with the broadcasters actions. BARC India is highly disappointed with the actions of the Republic Network by disclosing private and confidential communications and misrepresenting the same. Also read:Arnab Goswami gets interim relief from arrest BARC India reiterates that it has not commented on the ongoing investigation and without prejudice to BARC Indias rights, it expresses its dismay at the actions of the Republic Network, it said. Mumbai police, on a BARC complaint, is investigating allegations of manipulation of TRP ratings. Republic TV is one of the four channels being investigated. The BARC statement came after Republic TV disclosed what it said was an email conversation between the agencys CEO Sunil Lulla and Republic Media Network CEO Vikas Khanchandani. As per the TV networks website, Mr. Khanchandani wrote an email to BARC on October 16, to confirm in public domain that the body has found no infringement by Republic. In response to Khanchandanis email, BARC responded on October 17, by thanking the network for their faith in the internal mechanisms of BARC and said that if there was any disciplinary action initiated against ARG Outlier Media (Republics owner), then BARC India would have communicated the same to you along with necessary documents for your response, the website said. Thus, this e-mail proves that BARC did not allege any malpractice against the Republic Media Network, it added. Reacting to BARCs statement, Republic TV owner Arnab Goswami told PTI, that the email of BARC confirms that the police commissioner lied. (Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh) should immediately quit, Mr. Goswami said. BARC did not elaborate on the exact parts of the email which makes it feel that the communication was misrepresented. Six people have been arrested by the police in the scam, which allegedly involves inducing homes which form the sample set whose TV viewing is monitored to ensure that certain channels get higher ratings. The ratings are a key influencer of advertiser preferences while placing commercials. The police claim this is a multi-crore scam.

Narendra Modi tells youth to adapt to changing nature of jobs - The Hindu

Delivering the University of Mysore’s Centenary Convocation address virtually, Mr Modi emphasised in the importance of “skilling, re-skilling and upskilling” in the present day world

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday called upon the youth to be flexible and adaptable to the changing nature of jobs. Delivering the University of Mysores Centenary Convocation address virtually, Mr Modi emphasised in the importance of skilling, re-skilling and upskilling in the present day world and the National Education Policy (NEP) unveiled by his Government recently has paid attention to this aspect. The NEP, Mr Modi said, ensures a multi-dimensional approach towards education and will bring about fundamental changes in the field of education and make the youth more competitive. Expressing happiness over the University of Mysores plans to start multi-disciplinary programmes as envisaged under NEP, the Prime Minister said students can simultaneously study global technology and local culture under these programmes. This, he felt, can be used to promote local businesses through global technology. He said it was incumbent upon the University of Mysore, which was one of the best educational institutions in India, to innovate. Hence, the University should start more incubation centres and technology development centres, besides ensuring industry-academy linkage while focussing more on inter-disciplinary research. Local culture Along with contemporary and global issues, the Prime Minister said the University is also expected to encourage local culture, local art and promote its tradition on research on social issues. Calling upon the student community to strive for excellence based on their individual strength and ability, Mr. Modi said there was no need for them to restrict themselves so that they fit into the box. Probably, the box in which you are trying to fit yourself, may not have been made for you, he remarked. Take time out for yourself, introspect, understand your strength..This will help you choose your future path, he said before adding that India is a land of opportunities. Start-ups Mr Modi referred to the start-ups opened by the youth during COVID-19 pandemic and said these start-ups were the strength of the country. Your progress is also the countrys progress. If you become atmanirbhar (self-reliant), the country will also become atmanirbhar, he said.

Amazon’s Great Indian Festival sale starts with a bang - The Hindu

Over 1.1 lakh sellers receive orders from 98.4% of India’s pincodes on first two days

Amazon on Sunday said the first two days of its annual festival day sale this year turned out to be the biggest ever opening, with over 1.1 lakh sellers receiving orders from about 98.4% of the countrys pincodes. Amazons Great Indian Festival sale, which kicked off for Prime members on Friday and for all customers on Saturday, has so far seen the highest demand for smartphones, large appliances and consumer electronics. Over 1.1 lakh sellers receiving orders; 66% sellers, 91% of new customers, and 66% of new Prime sign-ups from small towns; shopping in five Indian languages; and orders from over 98.4% of Indias pin-codes in just 48 hours its truly Bharats biggest celebration on Amazon ever!, Manish Tiwary, vice-president, Amazon India, said in a statement. The company said about 91% of the new customers came from smaller cities and many opted to access the sale in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. On the EMI trends, it said more than 3.5 lakh phones were sold. Further, three out of four EMI shoppers were from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. ...one out of three ACs and refrigerators was bought on EMI, one out of three OnePlus and OPPO smartphones was bought on EMI, it said. Amazon said smartphones remained a popular category, with many shopping for iPhone 11, Redmi Note Series, Redmi 9A, OnePlus 8T, OnePlus Nord and Samsung Galaxy M31 Prime Edition. Total iPhones sold on Amazon.in on one day were more than the total iPhones sold in the entire festive sale period of last year, it said. Popular appliances included fully automatic top and front load washing machines, direct cool refrigerators, air-conditioners, microwave ovens and dishwashers. Top-selling electronics goods were laptops, headphones, tablets, cameras and smartwatches.

Coronavirus | Government panel claims COVID-19 has peaked in India, can be controlled by February - The Hindu

The 10-member panel, chaired by IIT Hyderabad professor M. Vidyasagar, says no fresh lockdowns should be imposed on district or State level unless there is an imminent danger of healthcare facilities being overwhelmed.

No fresh lockdowns should be imposed on district or State level to contain the spread of COVID-19 unless there is an imminent danger of healthcare facilities being overwhelmed, according to a government-appointed committee chaired by IIT Hyderabad professor M. Vidyasagar. The committee has also claimed that if all protocols are followed, the pandemic can be controlled by early next year with minimal active symptomatic infections by February-end. The 10-member panel which conducted a study on Progression of the COVID-19 Pandemic in India: Prognosis and Lockdown Impacts has pointed out that with no lockdown, the pandemic would have hit India very hard with a peak load of over 1.40 crore cases arriving in June. The committee has developed an evidence based mathematical model for COVID-19 progression. The national level super model is based on various parameters such as timing of the lockdown, alternative lockdown scenarios, impact of migrant workers returning to their homes, and future course of the pandemic including impact of not following safety protocols. Coronavirus India lockdown Day 206 updates If all of us follow these protocols, the pandemic can be controlled by early next year with minimal active symptomatic infections by February-end. We do not yet know the weather-specific perturbations of this pandemic (in general, viruses tend to be more active in colder environment) and the effects of possible future mutations in the virus. Hence, the existing personal safety protocols need to continue in full measure. Otherwise we will see a sharp rise in infections. Fresh lockdowns should not be imposed on a district and State-wide levels, unless there is imminent danger of the healthcare facilities being overwhelmed, Mr Vidyasagar said. Festivals The committee including professors from IITs and IISc besides scientists, said that upcoming festival and winter seasons may increase the susceptibility to the infection but all activities can be resumed provided proper safety protocols are followed. Also read: Possibility of second wave in winter season cannot be ruled out, says V.K. Paul It also noted that the imposition of an early and comprehensive lockdown pushed the peak of cases far into the future and also reduced the peak load on the system. With no lockdown, the pandemic would have hit India very hard, with a peak load of over 140 lakh cases arriving in June. Given our lack of preparedness back then, the healthcare system would have been overwhelmed, leading to many additional deaths. Had India waited until May to impose the lockdown, the peak load of active cases would have been around 50 lakhs by June, the panel report said. Peak In actuality, the peak of active cases came in late September at around 10 lakhs. By this time, we were far better equipped to handle the pandemic in terms of diagnostics and vital equipment inventories. Without a lockdown the number of deaths in India would have overwhelmed the system within a very short timeframe, and would eventually have crossed 26 lakhs fatalities, it added. Based on temporal profiles of analyses done for Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, the committee concluded that the impact of labour migration on the total number of infections in these States was minimal. The committee also asserted that the imposition of various safety protocols such as wearing masks and social distancing, together with a comprehensive lockdown has allowed India to fare better than many other countries. India has one-sixth of the worlds population (one-fifth excluding China), and one-sixth of the reported cases. However, India accounts for only 10 pc of the worlds deaths, and its case fatality rate of less than 2 pc is among the lowest in the world, it said. The committee has recommended that the existing personal safety protocols need to continue in full measure, otherwise the country will see a sharp rise in infections. Avoiding congestion especially in closed spaces and special care of those above 65 years and children is even more significant. Personnel with co-morbidities need to be extra cautious, it said. The Department of Science and Technology had in June constituted a committee comprising eminent scientists and academicians to evolve a national supermodel for COVID-19 progression. The mandate of the committee was to create an evidence-based mathematical model for the pandemic after taking inputs from various groups working in the domain in the country and use it to analyse past events and future trajectories of the pandemic.

Bihar Assembly elections | We will see a BJP-LJP government, says Chirag Paswan - The Hindu

Brushing aside recent comments against him by BJP leaders, the LJP president exudes confidence ahead of poll

In an interview over the phone, LJP president Chirag Paswan speaks to The Hindu about the political turmoil after his father Ram Vilas Paswans death and BJP leaders comments against him. This is the first election where your father Ram Vilas Paswan is not with you and a critical election for the LJP, at that. Your thoughts. The past couple of weeks have been a very difficult time for me. Apart from shuttling between the hospital and party meetings, what made me restless was the fact that I could not talk to my father. For me, it was a matter of routine to share in the evening whatever happened through the day. He was my best friend...I had that kind of comfortable relationship with him, where I could speak my heart out. In fact, I would say, the worst day was when we took the decision to go it alone in the election. My father was already on the ventilator. I wanted to tell him, seek his advice, but he was not in a position to speak to me. My mother told me to go, hold his hand and say whatever I had to say. I spent some 3-4 hours in that ICU cubicle holding his hand, speaking to him and that gave me a lot of comfort. In the past, whenever the LJP and the JD(U) have come face to face, your party has had a dismal performance. Havent you bitten more than you can chew? Not really, my confidence comes from my father, he used to push me and often instigate me. He would say, that if he could go it alone in 2005, then why should I at a young age be averse to taking bold decisions? And you must remember, we have always fought against the JD(U), be it the 2005, 2010 or 2015 Assembly election. In fact, in 2017, overnight, he [Nitish Kumar] became part of the NDA and we were thrown together. He has always worked against us. In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, despite being on the same side of the alliance, the JD(U) made every attempt to sabotage my elections from Jamui. Also read: I have not spoken to Nitish Kumar in almost a year: LJP president Chirag Paswan My confidence also comes from the hard work I have done over the past few years and brought about organisational changes in the party along with my father. It also comes from the vision document Bihar First and Bihari First, that we came up with after my yatra across the State. We spoke to over four lakh persons before drafting this document. My confidence comes from the anger that people have for Nitish Kumar. And I will ensure that Nitish Kumar does not become the Chief Minister of Bihar ever again in the future. Also read: Nitish mistreated my father, Chirag Paswan tells Nadda You have been claiming that your campaign is for installing a BJP-LJP government, but BJP Ministers and leaders in repeated statements have disowned you. Your comments? I have no issues with their comments. I know my Chief Minister, I know his working style. He doesnt speak on his own but makes others talk on his behalf. All these comments are because of Nitishjis pressure on the BJP. If the reports are correct, he did not even come to the NDA press conference till he got a written assurance that the LJP will not be allowed to use Prime Minister Narendra Modis photographs during the campaigning. These words are coming from him. Also read: Bihar Assembly elections | Ive no grudges but a lot of pain inside, says Rajendra Singh And I will give the BJP leaders their due, since, technically, they are in alliance with the JD(U) and not us in the State. I would, in fact, go a step ahead and say I am sure Nitishji will apply pressure on PM Modiji too. I will not have issues if political compulsions force Modiji to make adverse remarks about me during the campaign. He has taken care of me like a father in this difficult time. I wouldnt want to put him in dharam sankat. I have a far deeper and personal relationship with Modiji. Your uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, in remarks made to a television channel, said that he admires Nitish Kumars working style. This is in variance with your own campaign. He has, since then, clarified his comments. There is no difference of opinion among us. So, out of the 143 seats, how many are the LJP projected to win? I am not an astrologer and I would not like to challenge the intelligence of the Bihari voters by making such predictions. All I can say is that the current Chief Minister will not return to power and we will see a BJP-LJP government in Bihar.

NEET 2020 | Topper Soyeb Aftab says he never expected to bag the first rank - The Hindu

Soyeb Aftab, who topped the NEET on Friday with a perfect score of 720, credited his parents for the success, saying he never expected to bag the first rank in the medical entrance exam even though he

Soyeb Aftab, who topped the NEET on Friday with a perfect score of 720, credited his parents for the success, saying he never expected to bag the first rank in the medical entrance exam even though he was optimistic. Also read: NEET 2020 | Two score perfect 100; over 57% qualify from T.N. Mr. Aftab, the son of homemaker Sultan Razia and Sheik Mohammad Abbas who owns a small business, said it was his mother who motivated him to aspire for becoming a doctor. I will like to give all the credit to my mother who motivated me to aspire for being a doctor and stood by me all along, he told PTI. Mr. Aftab, 18, said his father extended all the financial support but it was his mother who spent her maximum time supporting him on his studies. He said that he moved to the coaching hub of Kota in Rajasthan after the class 12 board exam to prepare for the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET). My mother and younger sister accompanied me to Kota and made all the arrangements for the studies there, he said. Also read: NEET 2020 | Topper Akanksha Singh hopes to become neurosurgery researcher The Rourkela boy said most of his time during the day was spent at the coaching class. I studied for only three hours in the night initially, and eventually increased the time as the examination approached, he said. Mr. Aftab, who scored a perfect 720 out of 720 in the exam, said, I am absolutely happy. There is no doctor in my family. I would like to study in AIIMS-New Delhi. All the credit goes to my mother and father, he said, reacting to his score. Mr. Aftab said that he was confident of getting a place in the top 50 after verifying the answer key of all the questions but never expected to top the exam. Mr. Aftab and Delhis Akansha Singh scored 720 out of 720 marks but the Odisha boy was ranked first and Singh second as per the National Testing Agencys tie-breaking policy, officials said. The tie-breaking policy takes into account factors such as age, subject-wise marks and number of incorrect answers, they said.