NEW DELHI: The Delhi high court Monday sought the AAP government's reply on suggestions for setting up a helpline for nurses to complain against private hospitals for failing to providing N-95 masks and PPE kits as also considering ex-gratia to those who die attending to Covid-19 patients. A bench of chiefjustice DN Patel and justice Prateek Jalan asked the Delhi government to also respond to the suggestion that private hospitals and nursing homes must file an undertaking before the concerned authorities for providing PPE kits, N95 masks to the nurses. The high court directed the Delhi government, represented through advocate Anupam Srivastava, to file a precise reply to the 6 points suggested by the counsel for an NGO which has filed a PIL alleging that nurses in private hospitals and nursing homes were not being provided proper personal protection equipment (PPE) kits and masks to guard against Covid19 infection. Besides helpline, ex-gratia and undertaking, the Delhi government will also respond to the suggestions of extending the benefit of Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKP) of insurance protection to nurses working in private hospitals and nursing homes and that the insurance premium be paid by the authorities at least for the limited period during the COVID-19 pandemic situation. Nurses must be provided with a quarantine facility and a nodal officer be appointed so that nurses can ventilate their grievances before and he can take up the issues with the government, the advocate of the NGO, Distress Management Collective, Manoj V George suggested.Sachin Pilot seethes, believes police probe a bid to hound him out Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot’s ‘strike’ against Sachin Pilot has left him seething, who sees being asked to join a police investigation into an alleged BJP plot to topple the govt as a provocative act intended to corner him by insinuating his role in the events. Pilot had set aside his claim for the top post reluctantly on the urging of the Congress leadership last year. New infections top 29,000; over 3 lakh active cases now The number of active Covid-19 cases in India crossed the 3 lakh mark on Sunday even as fresh infections during the day surged to another new peak, crossing 29,000 for the first time. After staying over 500 for the past two days, the daily death toll came down slightly to 492. The number of active cases hit the 1 lakh mark on June 4 and went past 2 lakh 23 days later. As the Delhi government's counsel sought time to file reply to the suggestions, the court listed the matter for July 17. The Centre, represented by its standing counsel Anil Soni, told the court that he will seek instruction on the suggestion of extending the benefit of PMGKP of insurance protection to nurses. The NGO has alleged that nurses in private hospitals and clinics were being given used PPE kits. It sought that all the private sector nurses be covered under the PMGKP of insurance protection and provided proper psycho-social support. On these aspects, the Delhi government had earlier said that it has issued an office order on April 7 which states that any person, including doctors, nurses, para-medical staff, sweeper or any other staff in government or private sector, expires while attending to Covid-19 patients his/ her family shall be provided Rs 1 crore as compensation. It had also said that an office order was issued on June 17 notifying that psychiatric social counselling services are being made available to health care workers under a programme called 'samarthan'.