MGWire

Feb 26, 2021 ,  5:36PM PM Modi to inaugurate ‘India Toy Fair 2021’ tomorrow File Pic Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the India Toy Fair 2021 tomorrow through video conferencing.   Toys play a significant part in the development of a child’s mind and also help improve psychomotor and cognitive skills in children.   The Fair aims to provide an impetus to the underlying themes of Atmanirbhar Bharat and vocal for local campaigns, launched by the Government to promote indigenous industries.   It also aims to leverage the potential of toys in making learning joyful across all ages in education.   In his Mann ki Baat programme in August last year, the Prime Minister had said that toys not only augment activity, but also give flight to aspirations.   Noting the importance of toys in the holistic development of a child, the Prime Minister has earlier also emphasized boosting toy manufacturing in India.   AIR corresponden...

Feb 24, 2021 ,  8:38PM Union Cabinet recommends imposition of President's Rule in Puducherry Screen Grab Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar today informed that the Union Cabinet has recommended imposition of President's Rule in Puducherry. He said Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayansamy resigned from the post and no party claimed to form the government and therefore the LG has recommended suspension of the UT Assembly.  He added, the Cabinet  decision  will be sent to the President and after his assent the assembly will be dissolved.  

Feb 24, 2021 ,  8:18PM Govt approves PLI Scheme for IT Hardware and Pharmaceuticals File Pic The Union Cabinet has approved Production Linked Incentive (PLI) Scheme for Pharmaceuticals over a period of Financial Year 2020-21 to 2028-29.The Scheme will benefit domestic manufacturers, help in creating employment and is expected to contribute to the availability of a wider range of affordable medicines for consumers.   The scheme is expected to promote the production of high value products in the country and increase the value addition in exports. Under the scheme, a total incremental sales of Rs 2,94,000 crore and total incremental exports of Rs 1,96,000 crore  are estimated during six years from 2022-23 to 2027-28.   The scheme is expected to generate employment for both skilled and unskilled personnel, estimated at 20 thousand direct and 80 thousand indirect jobs as a result of growth in the sector. It is expected to promote innovation for develop...

Feb 24, 2021 ,  8:17PM Govt to administer COVID-19 vaccine to people above 60 yrs from 1st March; People above 45 with comorbidities also to be vaccinated File Pic Government will start administering COVID-19 vaccine to people above 60 years of age from 1st of next month .  Those above 45 years of age with comorbidities will also be vaccinated in this phase. Briefing reporters in New Delhi today after the Union Cabinet meeting, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar said the vaccine will be administered free of cost at ten thousand government hospitals to these groups while the cost of the vaccine at 20 thousand private vaccination centres will be  borne by them.  The Minister said the Union Cabinet also recommended imposition of President's Rule in Puducherry. Mr. Javadekar  said Puducherry Chief Minister Narayansamy resigned from the post and no party claimed to form the government and therefore the LG has recommende...

Feb 24, 2021 ,  8:08PM PM Modi strongly backs privatisation programme saying Government has no business to be in business File Pic Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asserted that the government has no business to be in business and it is committed to privatise all Public Sector Undertakings-PSUs except those in four strategic sectors with bare minimum requirement. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asserted that the government has no business to be in business and it is committed to privatise all Public Sector Undertakings-PSUs except those in four strategic sectors with bare minimum requirement. Addressing a webinar today on various reforms undertaken in this year’s Union Budget, Mr Modi said it is the government's duty to support enterprises and businesses but it is not essential that it should own and run enterprises.  Defending the government's move of disinvestment in PSUs, he said that many public sector enterprises are loss-making and several of them nee...

Feb 23, 2021 ,  8:03AM DRDO conducts two successful launches of Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile @DRDO_India Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has conducted two successful launches of Vertical Launch Short Range Surface to Air Missile (VL-SRSAM). The launches were carried out from a static vertical launcher from Integrated Test Range, Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. Indigenously designed and developed by the DRDO for Indian Navy, VL-SRSAM is meant for neutralizing various aerial threats at close ranges including sea-skimming targets. The current launches were carried out for demonstration of vertical launch capability as part of its maiden launch campaign. On both occasions, the missiles intercepted the simulated targets with pinpoint accuracy. The missiles were tested for minimum and maximum range. VL-SRSAM with Weapon Control System were deployed during the trials. The launches were monitored by senior scientists from vario...

Feb 23, 2021 ,  8:01AM Bharatiya Janata Party wins both Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat unopposed REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE Bharatiya Janata Party has won unopposed both Rajya Sabha seats from Gujarat which had fallen vacant following the demise of the sitting MPs. The seats were wrested by BJP's Dineshchamdra Jemalbhai Ananvadiya and Rambhai Harjibhai Mokariya. The elections to the two seats were necessitated following the demise of Congress leader Ahmed Patel and BJP's Abhay Ganpatray Bhardwaj. The election of the two BJP candidates was confirmed yesterday after the deadline for withdrawal of nominations expired. The election of the BJP candidates unopposed was confirmed after two dummy candidates withdrew their nominations. Returning Officer CB Pandya said, two dummy candidates from the BJP -- Rajnikant Patel and Kirit Solanki -- have withdrawn their nominations. The opposition Congress party had not fielded any candidate for the by-elections, for which voting w...

Feb 23, 2021 ,  7:59AM EC says, advance deployment of Central Police Forces in poll-bound areas during LS, Assembly elections is a routine affair FILE PIC Election Commission has clarified that advance deployment of Central Police Forces in poll-bound areas during Lok Sabha and Assembly elections is a routine affair. Taking note of media reports that Central Police Forces are being sent specifically to West Bengal, the Commission said, this practice has been going on since the late 1980s. It said, Central Police Forces are routinely sent to all the poll bound States and UTs for advance area domination, especially in critical and vulnerable sectors. The Election Commission added that during the last Lok Sabha elections also, Central Forces were sent to all States and UTs and the same has been done in all State Elections which have been taking place. The Commission further added that the Central Police Forces  have been sent to all the five States and Union Terr...

Feb 22, 2021 ,  8:25PM PM Modi to address 66th Convocation of IIT, Kharagpur in West Bengal virtually tomorrow @NarendraModi Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 66th Convocation of Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur in West Bengal tomorrow through video conferencing. The Prime Minister will also inaugurate Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Institute of Medical Science and Research at IIT, Kharagpur.   The super speciality hospital and medical college has been set up by the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur with support from the Union Ministry of Education. It will focus on robust biomedical, clinical and translational research, development of remote diagnosis, telemedicine, teleradiology along with research in drug and delivery. The MBBS programme is expected to start from the academic year 2021-22 in addition to post-graduate and doctoral programmes.   Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank and Mi...

Feb 22, 2021 ,  8:10PM Prime Minister inaugurates various railway projects in West Bengal @NarendraModi Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the extended service of Kolkata Metro Rail between Noapara and Dakshineshwar, this evening. The 4.1-kilometre long stretch of Metro Rail has been constructed at a cost of Rs 464 crore. The much-awaited extension linked the two world-famous Kali temples at Kalighat and Dakshineswar. The Prime Minister also inaugurated and dedicated to the nation new lines of Eastern and South Eastern Railways. Mr Modi said, the common people including students will be benefited from the extension of Metro. Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and Railway Minister Piyush Goyal were also present in the programme. Earlier, the Railway Minister also visited Dakshineswar Metro Station and paid a visit to Kalighat temple also.

Feb 20, 2021 ,  8:43AM India crosses landmark milestone of over one crore vaccine doses administered against COVID-19 @DDNewslive A total of 6 lakh 58 thousand 674 beneficiaries were vaccinated yesterday. It is the highest single day vaccinations during the current COVID19 vaccination drive.   Briefing media in New Delhi last evening, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry Dr Mandeep Bhandari said, one crore 4 lakh 49 thousand 942 beneficiaries have been vaccinated till now. He said, 70 lakh 52 thousand 845 health care workers and 33 lakh 97 thousand 97 front line workers have been vaccinated till now. Dr Bhandari said, in 12 States and Union Territories the first dose coverage of Health Care Workers is more than 75 per cent. In 7 States and Union Territories first dose coverage of Health Care Workers is less than 50 per cent.  In 15 States and Union Territories 40 per cent Front Line Workers have been given first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.   ...

Feb 20, 2021 ,  8:30AM Pharma major Dr Reddy's Laboratories seeks emergency use authorisation of Sputnik V vaccine from DCGI File Pic Pharma major Dr. Reddy's Laboratories announced that it has initiated the process with the Drugs Controller General of India for Emergency Use Authorization of human adenoviral vector-based platform vaccine candidate, Sputnik V. The Hyderabad-based firm yesterday said as part of the review process, it will present the safety profile of the phase 2 study, and interim data of the phase 3 study, which is expected to be complete by February 21st.  Dr. Reddy's partnered with the Russian Direct Investment Fund in September 2020 to conduct the clinical trials of the Sputnik V and for its distribution rights in India.   The vaccine is currently in the phase 3 clinical trial in India. Sputnik V has demonstrated an efficacy rate of 91.6 per cent in the interim analysis of the phase 3 clinical trial, which included data on 19,866 vol...

Feb 20, 2021 ,  8:19AM PM Modi to chair sixth meeting of NITI Aayog Governing Council today @airnewss Prime Minister Narendra Modi will chair the sixth meeting of the Governing Council of NITI Aayog this morning through video conferencing. The agenda of the meeting includes deliberations on agriculture, infrastructure, manufacturing, human resource development, service delivery at grassroots level, health and nutrition.   The Governing Council presents a platform to discuss inter-sectoral, inter-departmental and federal issues. It comprises the Prime Minister, Chief Ministers of States and Union Territories, UTs with Legislatures and Lt Governors of other UTs. The sixth meeting will witness the entry of Ladakh for the first time, in addition to the participation of Jammu and Kashmir as a UT. This time, other UTs headed by administrators have also been invited to join. The meeting will also be attended by the ex-officio members of the Governing Council, Union...

Feb 18, 2021 ,  8:59PM PM says efforts are on to make Assam and NorthEast the hub of cultural and business relations with other East Asian Countries Screen Grab (PMO India) Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that the development of Assam is the priority of the Centre and the government is continuously working on it. He stressed that all should work together to make the North East a strong pillar of the Aatmanirbhar Bharat. He was speaking after launching the Mahabahu-Brahmaputra project in Assam today. The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of Dhubri-Phulbari Bridge and performed Bhoomi Poojan for construction of Majuli Bridge during the function.   Addressing the gathering virtually, the Prime minister said that it is the historic day for the people of Majuli as well as for the North East.  He said that connectivity was a big challenge for the North East, but rapid progress has been made in this direction of late. Mr. Modi said that the lo...

Feb 18, 2021 ,  8:56PM PM Modi suggests special visa scheme for doctors and nurses, within SAARC countries @NarendraModi Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said, India is working towards a healthy and COVID-19 free neighbourhood. Addressing a Workshop on COVID-19 Management-Experience, Good Practices and Way Forward with nearly ten neighboring countries virtually, Mr Modi said all countries have learned from each other from best practices.   Appreciating the spirit of collaboration as the major takeaway, the Prime minister said, India has achieved the lowest fatality rate globally. Mr Modi said all countries should maintain collaborative spirit during the vaccination. Mr Modi suggested that there should be special visas for medical professionals and an arrangement for special Air ambulance. Prime minister said, India's Ayushman Bharat can be a case study for all the regional countries for healthcare. He insisted that a regional platform may be created for stu...

Feb 17, 2021 ,  9:15AM Novak Djokovic enters semifinals of Men's Singles in Australian Open Tennis @DjokerNole In Tennis, Serena Williams will meet Naomi Osaka in the Australian Open women's semifinals tomorrow. Serena defeated Simona Halep, 6-3, 6-3, and Osaka triumphed over Chinese Taipei's Hsieh Su-Wei 6-2, 6-2 in the Australian Open quarterfinals yesterday.         On the men's side, Novak Djokovic edged Alexander Zverev 6-7(6), 6-2, 6-4, 7-6(6) to book his last-four berth, as Russian qualifier Aslan Karatsev continued his dream run with a win over an injured Grigor Dimitrov.  It was was Djokovic’s 300th Grand Slam match victory. This is the ninth time Djokovic has made the Australian Open semifinal. He has gone on to win the title on all eight previous occasions.

Feb 17, 2021 ,  9:08AM Over 88 lakh people administered Covid-19 vaccine in country; recovery rate improves to 97.32 per cent. file pic The COVID-19 vaccination coverage to health care and frontline workers has crossed 88.5 lakh doses yesterday. In all, 88 lakh 57 thousand 341 vaccine doses were administered through one lakh 90 thousand 665 sessions till 6 p.m. yesterday. This includes 61 lakh 29 thousand 745 health care workers who have taken the first dose and two lakh 16 thousand 339 health care workers who have taken the second dose, along with 25 lakh 11 thousand 257 frontline workers. Country's COVID-19 recovery rate improved to 97.32 per cent with the recovery of more than 11 thousand eight hundred people in the last 24 hours.The Union Government has said that the cumulative positivity rate of COVID-19 infection in the country is 5.27 per cent and declining. Briefing media in New Delhi, Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said, the active cases in the country are...

Feb 17, 2021 ,  8:58AM Karnataka govt makes RT-PCR negative certificate mandatory for all passengers arriving from UK, Brazil and South Africa file pic The Karnataka state Government has issued a new protocol for those arriving from the UK, Brazil and South Africa. This measure is taken after four cases of South Africa variant and one case of Brazilian variant was found in India. The state Government has also issued new directions for those coming into the state from Kerala following the detection of 40 Covid positive cases in a nursing college in Bengaluru. AIR correspondent reports that the state Government has made it mandatory for passengers arriving into the state from the UK, Brazil and South Africa to produce RT PCR negative test report at the airport and undergo home quarantine for 14 days. They need to take the RT PCR test again on the seventh day. Those found positive will be taken to institutional quarantine facilities with their samples sent for genomic ...

Feb 17, 2021 ,  8:51AM Kiran Bedi removed as Puducherry Lieutenant Governor; Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan given additional charge @thekiranbedi Dr. Kiran Bedi has been removed from the post of Puducherry Lieutenant Governor. In a press communiqué, Rashtrapati Bhawan said, Telangana Governor Dr. Tamilisai Soundararajan has been given additional charge as Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry. Meanwhile, the V. Narayanasamy led Congress government has been reduced to minority with the resignation of a Congress MLA. Mr. John Kumar elected from Kamaraj Nagar constituency resigned yesterday.

Feb 17, 2021 ,  8:40AM PM Modi to launch several key projects of oil & gas sector in Tamil Nadu today File Pic Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation and lay the foundation of key projects of the oil and gas sector in Tamil Nadu this evening through video conferencing. Mr Modi will dedicate to the nation the Ramanathapuram -Thoothukudi natural gas pipeline and the Gasoline Desulphurisation Unit at Chennai Petroleum Corporation Limited, Manali. He will also lay the foundation stone of Cauvery Basin Refinery at Nagapattinam. These projects will bring in substantial socio-economic benefits and will boost the country’s march towards Urja Aatmanirbharta. Governor of Tamil Nadu Banwarilal Purohit, Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Edappadi K Palaniswamy and Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan will be present on the occasion. AIR correspondent reports that the 700 crore rupees pipeline project extends to a distance of 143 kilometer and begins at Ennore ...

Feb 16, 2021 ,  8:50AM Basant Panchami and Saraswati Puja being celebrated in different parts of country today FILE PIC Basant Panchami and Saraswati Puja are being celebrated in different parts of the country today. People, especially students worship Saraswati, the goddess of wisdom and knowledge on this occasion. In West Bengal, Saraswati Puja is being celebrated with religious fervor and traditional gaiety. In view of the pandemic, this year the participation in puja is less than normal. On Basant Panchami, students across ages worship and seek blessings from Saraswati, the Goddess of knowledge, aesthetics, music and arts. Little children are introduced to alphabets in a ritual known as ‘hatekhori’ in Bengali. But this year the picture is different due to Covid pandemic situation. In many schools and colleges new normal is part of the theme of Saraswati Puja. Some educational institutes have arranged live streaming of puja from the campus so that all students c...

Feb 16, 2021 ,  8:03AM All Degree Colleges across Kashmir division reopen after 11 months; Huge attendance recorded Screen Grab All Degree colleges across Kashmir Division reopened yesterday after a gap of almost 11 months. The colleges reopened in the valley amid a staggered attendance at many institutions. These colleges were closed in March last year following the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic. With the pandemic relatively calming down, the Higher Education Department decided to open the institutions with strict adherence to COVID-19 SOPs, especially social distancing and wearing of masks. Colleges across Kashmir witnessed good attendance of both the students and the staff on the first day yesterday. The students donning uniforms expressed excitement over the resumption of physical academic activities. Students were excited to join the offline mode of education after a hiatus of almost 11 months.

Feb 16, 2021 ,  7:50AM Gujarat govt extends night curfew in four cities of Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot till Feb end AIR Pics (FILE PIC) Gujarat government has extended the night curfew imposed in four metro cities of Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot till the end of this month. The previous notification of night curfew in these four cities expired yesterday. The State Home Department said, the curfew will remain in place from midnight to 6 AM from February 16 to 28. The aim is to bring down the number of coronavirus cases.

Feb 16, 2021 ,  7:47AM PM Modi to address webinar on roadmap for effective implementation of Union Budget 2021-22 PMO India Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the webinar today on a roadmap for effective implementation of Union Budget 2021-22 in the infrastructure sector. The webinar will witness participation of more than 200 panelists including representatives of major financial institutions and funds, concessionaires and contractors, consultants and subject matter experts. The panelists will share their ideas on improving pace and quality of infrastructure development, with focus on advanced technology, and attracting more investments in the sector. This will be followed by two parallel breakout sessions involving discussions between senior officials of groups of ministries and cross-sectional experts to compile a list of implementable projects to fast-track implementation of the budget vision and draft an implementation roadmap. Ongoing consultations hav...

Feb 15, 2021 ,  8:04PM India set a victory target of 482 runs for England in 2nd Test in Chennai; Ravichandran Ashwin scores 106 runs @BCCI In Cricket, England were 53 for the loss of three wickets against India while chasing the victory target of 482 runs at stumps on day three of the second Test being played in Chennai. Dan Lawrence was batting on 19 and Joe Root was on two runs when the stumps were drawn. The visitors need 429 more runs to win the match.   Earlier, India scored 286 runs in the second innings. Ravichandran Ashwin was the highest scorer with 106 runs while Skipper Virat Kohli contributed 62 and Rohit Sharma added 26 runs. For the visitors, Moeen Ali and Jack Leach scalped four wickets each while Olly Stone bagged one wicket.   India bundled out England for 134 runs taking a first-innings lead of 195 runs. For India, ace spinner Ravichandran Ashwin took five wickets whereas Axar Patel and Ishant Sharma claimed two wickets each.  ...

Feb 15, 2021 ,  8:01PM PM Modi says, liberalising policies for acquisition and production of geospatial data will provide huge impetus to Digital India @NarendraModi Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that liberalising policies for acquisition and production of geospatial data will provide huge impetus to Digital India. In his tweet message after the release of the new geospatial guidelines today, Mr. Modi termed it as a massive step towards realisation of the vision of building an Aatmanirbhar Bharat. The Prime Minister added that the reforms will unlock tremendous opportunities for the country's start-ups, private sector, public sector and research institutions to drive innovations and build scalable solutions. He asserted, this will also generate employment and accelerate economic growth in the country.

Feb 15, 2021 ,  7:42PM Govt increases budget of Dept of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences by 30 per cent @drharshvardhan The Union Government has increased the budget of Department of Science and Technology and Ministry of Earth Sciences by 30 per cent as compared to the revised estimate of 2020-21. An allocation of Rs 16,695 crore has been given for the two ministries which will add thrust to India's remarkable, accelerated growth in the fields of Science and Technology.   Briefing the media in New Delhi, Science and Technology Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan said, over Rs 50 thousand crore have been allocated for National Research Foundation. He added that a Deep Ocean Mission will be launched with a budget outlay of over Rs four thousand crore. For better synergies among research and development institutions, umbrella structures will be set up in nine cities.                        ...

Feb 15, 2021 ,  7:42PM Govt to start administering COVID-19 vaccine to 3rd prioritized group of people above 50 yrs from next month @drharshvardhan Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan has said that the government will start administering COVID-19 vaccine to a third prioritized group comprising people above 50 years of age from next month. Interacting with media persons regarding budgetary provision for Union Health Ministry for 2021-22, Dr Harsh Vardhan said that there are 26 crore people in this category. He said, the Centre had launched the vaccination drive against COVID-19 from 16th of January by administering vaccines to health care workers and the second prioritized group of frontline workers from 2nd of February.  He informed that those who have taken the first dose of vaccine are being given the second dose from 13th of this month. Dr Harsh Vardhan said that currently around 18 vaccine candidates are in different stages of trials and will be rolled out in ...

Feb 15, 2021 ,  8:28AM PM Modi inaugurates first full-fledged international cruise terminal at Cochin Port in Kerala Screen Grab (PMO India) Prime Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stone of several developmental projects worth over 8000 crore rupees at Chennai in Tamil Nadu yesterday. Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister asserted, these projects are symbols of Innovation and Indigenous development.   The Prime Minister said, India has the ability to rise to the occasion and contribute to the global good. The Prime Minister also inaugurated the country's first full-fledged international cruise terminal, Sagarika at Cochin Port and Marine Engineering Training Institute of Cochin Shipyard Ltd. Prime Minister said, Thanjavur and Pudukkottai will be specially benefited after the foundation for the extension, renovation and modernization of six hundred and thirty six kilometre long Grand Anicut Canal System was laid yesterday. It will improv...

Feb 15, 2021 ,  8:20AM All Educational Institutions of higher learning in Uttar Pradesh to start normal operations from today REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE In Uttar Pradesh, all degree colleges, state, private universities and other educational institutions of higher learning will start normal operations from today. In a letter, UP Higher Education Department has asked all Vice-Chancellors and Directors of Higher Education of all the private and state universities to resume normal operations from today. State government had allowed all universities, degree colleges, and other educational institutions of higher learning to reopen with restrictions on November 23 last year. State government has asked these institutions to adhere to COVID-19 protocols and it will be mandatory for all teachers and students to wear face masks. Authorities have been asked to take COVID-19 prevention measures while conducting the classes.   Social distancing will be followed by students si...

Feb 15, 2021 ,  8:16AM India's vaccine diplomacy garners praise from global media @DrSJaishankar Around a month after India started sending indigenously developed COVID-19 vaccines to partner countries under grant assistance programme named Vaccine Maitri, the global media has offered lavish praise for India. Eric Bellman of Wall Street Journal said that India has emerged the surprise leader of the global vaccine diplomacy race. Appreciating India's outreach, he pointed out that it has exported three times more doses than it's given its own citizens and can spare even more without hurting its own rollout.   Yaroslav Trofimov and Bellman have written a piece in the WSJ with a headline that reads - 'In Covid-19 Diplomacy, India Emerges as a Vaccine Superpower'. It highlighted that India is a pharmaceutical giant that had manufactured some 60 percent of global vaccines before the pandemic.   India had started its vaccine maitri programme on January ...

Feb 14, 2021 ,  8:05PM FASTag to become mandatory, no cash payments on NH from tomorrow midnight @PIB_India All lanes in the fee plazas on National Highways will be declared as FASTag lane from tomorrow midnight.  Road, Transport and Highways Ministry said, this has been done to further promote fee payment through digital mode, reduce waiting time and fuel consumption, and provide for a seamless passage through the fee plazas. As per NH Fee Rules 2008, any vehicle not fitted with FASTag or vehicle without valid, functional FASTag entering into the FASTag lane of the fee plaza will pay a fee equivalent to two times of the fee applicable to that category.   The Ministry had mandated fitment of FASTag in M and N categories of motor vehicles with effect from 1st January this year. Category - M stands for a motor vehicle with at least four wheels used for carrying passengers. While Category - N stands for a motor vehicle with at least four wheels used for car...

Feb 14, 2021 ,  2:11PM Election Commission team reviews poll preparedness in Kerala FILE PIC The Central Election Commission team which is currently in Thiruvananthapuram to assess the pre-election preparations in the state will have discussions with various enforcement agencies at noon today. This will be followed by interactions with the State's Chief Secretary and other senior officials. Further s will be communicated through a press conference today evening. Yesterday the central team had a series of discussions with various senior government officials, political party representatives and District Collectors. The LDF, UDF had requested the Central Election Commission to conduct the polls before the second week of April. However, the BJP has opined that the polls be conducted only during May. The central team headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora will leave for Delhi tomorrow.

Feb 14, 2021 ,  2:09PM Over 80 lakh 52 thousand people vaccinated for COVID-19 across country so far; Recovery rate improves to 97.31 per cent PIB India The government has said that more than 80 lakh 52 thousand beneficiaries have been vaccinated for COVID-19 till date across the country. Addressing media in New Delhi, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry, Dr Mandeep Bhandari said the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination started from yesterday for beneficiaries who have completed 28 days after the receipt of the first dose. He said, seven thousand 668 healthcare workers, have been vaccinated in the second phase so far. Dr Bhandari said, more than 59 lakh healthcare workers and over 21 lakh frontline workers have been vaccinated till date. The Health Ministry said, a total of 34 persons have been hospitalized after being administered the COVID-19 vaccine, so far. This comprises 0.0004 per cent of the total vaccinations. Of the 34 cases of hospitalization, 21 were ...

Feb 14, 2021 ,  2:05PM Several development projects to be launched by PM in Kerala today Screen Grab (PMO India) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Kerala this afternoon to lay the foundation stone and dedicate various development projects to the nation at Kochi. Elaborate security arrangements and traffic restrictions are made in the city in view of the Prime Minister's visit. AIR Correspondent reports that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to land at INS Garuda Naval Air Station Kochi at 2.45 p.m. The Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone and dedicate to the nation various key projects including the Propylene Derivative Petrochemical Project of Bharat Petroleum Corporation at around 3.30 p.m. He will be accompanied by Kerala Governor Arif Mohammed Khan, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Union Ministers Dharmendra Pradhan, Mansukh Mandaviya and V. Muraleedharan to the event. The Prime Minister will also dedicate to the nation the Ro-Ro Ve...

Feb 14, 2021 ,  7:51AM Myanmar's Military junta suspends laws constraining security forces from detaining suspects or searching private property FILE PIC (DD NEWS) In Myanmar, the military junta has suspended laws constraining security forces from detaining suspects or searching private property without court approval. The military junta also ordered the arrest of well-known backers of mass protests against this month’s coup. A series of announcements came on the eighth day of country-wide demonstrations against the February 1 coup and detention of elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Military ruler General Min Aung Hlaing signed an order yesterday suspending three sections of laws for protecting the privacy and security of the citizens, which had been introduced during the gradual liberalisation. The junta also appealed to civil servants who have been following the civil disobedience campaign to return to work. The coup has prompted the biggest street protests in mo...

Feb 14, 2021 ,  7:46AM US Senate acquits former President Donald Trump for second impeachment trial FILE PIC The US Senate has acquitted former President Donald Trump for a second time blocking the Democrat’s attempt to punish him for the storming of the Capitol by his supporters. After a week of the impeachment trial, only 57 Senators, including seven Republicans voted to convict him last night. The 57-43 tally fell 10 votes short of the two-third majority needed to convict him and to allow the Senate to move to disqualify him from holding future office.   Mr Trump welcomed his second impeachment acquittal and said his movement has only just begun. He slammed the trial as yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of America. The Republican leader of the Senate, Chuck Schumer said that it was a vote of infamy in the history of the United States. Mr Trump was impeached by the House of Representatives in January on the charge that he incite...

Feb 14, 2021 ,  7:44AM Haryana government to bring law for recovery of damages to public property from protesters FILE PIC Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has said that his government will bring a law under which protesters will have to pay the damages caused to public property during an agitation. Referring to a Supreme Court verdict, Mr Khattar said, nobody has the right to vandalise public property. Haryana Chief Minister met Union Home Minister Amit Shah yesterday and discussed the farmers' protest among other issues. Mr Khattar said, the state government has been planning to bring this law even before the farmers' movement started. BJP-ruled Uttar Pradesh was the first state to bring the law to recover compensation from those who damage public and private property during protests and riots. Claims for compensation will be decided by designated ‘Claims Tribunals’ that will be authorised to investigate complaints and assess the damage.

Feb 14, 2021 ,  7:41AM Centre issues guidelines on preventive measures to contain spread of COVID-19 in offices @MoHFW_INDIA (FILE PIC) The Centre has issued Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on preventive measures to contain spread of COVID-19 in offices. In the SOP, Union Health Ministry has said that Offices in containment zones shall remain closed except for medical and essential services and only those outside containment zones will be allowed to open up. It said, the generic preventive measures include simple public health measures that are to be followed to reduce the risk of infection with COVID 19. The Ministry added that these measures need to be observed by all employees and visitors at all times. These include maintaining a minimum distance of 6 feet in common places, use of face covers or masks at all times and practicing frequent hand washing. With regard to specific preventive measures for offices, the Health Ministry said that mandatory hand hygien...

Feb 13, 2021 ,  8:34PM PM Modi to visit Tamil Nadu & Kerala tomorrow to launch several development projects File Pic In Tamil Nadu, Prime Minister will hand over the State-of-the-Art Arjun Main Battle Tank (MK-1A) to the Indian Army at Chennai. He will also inaugurate the Chennai Metro Rail Phase-I extension and commission the passenger services from Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar. He will lay foundation stones for several projects and inaugurate the fourth Railway line between Chennai Beach and Attipattu. In Kerala, Prime Minister Modi will dedicate to the nation the Propylene Derivative Petrochemical Project of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited. He will also dedicate to the nation the Ro-Ro Vessels at Willingdon Islands, Cochin. The Prime Minister will inaugurate the International Cruise Terminal Sagarika at Cochin Port. He will also inaugurate the Marine Engineering Training Institute, at Vigyana Sagar.

Feb 13, 2021 ,  5:03PM Lok Sabha passes Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021 @loksabhatv Lok Sabha has passed the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2021. The Bill seeks to merge the J&K cadre with the AGMUT cadre for All India Services.   Speaking on the Bill, Home Minister Amit Shah said, Panchayati Raj has started in Jammu and Kashmir after NDA Government came to power. He said, many of the J&K residents, who did not receive electricity in the past 70 years, got it in the past seven months. He stated that Jammu and Kashmir has been the top priority of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a lot of development projects have been taken up in the UT. He said, government wants to make Jammu and Kashmir self-reliant and emphasized that development will reach even the remotest areas.   The Home Minister said, the Opposition is asking what the NDA Government has done for Jammu and Kashmir since 2019. He asked what the ...

Feb 13, 2021 ,  1:39PM Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri says, country almost touching pre-COVID numbers in air travel @HardeepSPuri Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today said that the country is almost touching the Pre-COVID numbers in air travel. In a Tweet Mr Puri said over 2 lakh 97 thousand 102 passengers traveled on 2 thousand 3 hundred 49 flights yesterday. He said it is the highest number of travelers since resumption of domestic flights on 25th May. Mr Puri said, with air travel emerging as a preferred mode of travel due to safety, efficiency and time saving, we are almost touching Pre-COVID numbers.  

Feb 13, 2021 ,  1:38PM Govt approves additional amount of over Rs 3 thousand cr to five states affected by floods, cyclones and Pest attack last year @DDNewslive The High Level Committee (HLC) under the Chairmanship of Home Minister Amit Shah has approved additional Central Assistance of over 3 thousand 1 hundred 13 crore rupees under the National Disaster Response Fund to five states, which were affected by floods, cyclones and Pest attack during 2020. The High Level Committee approved over 1 thousand 2 hundred 55 crore rupees for Bihar and 280 crore rupees for Andhra Pradesh which were affected by floods during South West Monsoon 2020. Nearly 287 crore rupees has been approved for Tamil Nadu which was affected by cyclones Burevi and Nivar. Nearly 10 crore rupees has been approved for Union Territory of Puducherry which was affected for Cyclone Nivar. The High Level Committee approved over 1 thousand 2 hundred 80 crore rupees for Madhya Pradesh for Pest Attack du...

Feb 13, 2021 ,  11:27AM Budget will provide necessary impetus to growth of economy affected by Covid-19 situation: Nirmala Sitharaman @nsitharaman Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that Union Budget has set the pace for India to become Aatmanirbhar through the reforms and stimulus. She said the Budget will provide necessary impetus to the growth of the economy affected by the Covid-19 situation. Reforms taken up by Government will lay the path for making India one of the top economies of the world, the Minister added. While replying to the general discussion on the Union Budget for 2021-22 in the Lok Sabha today, the Finance Minister said, the government took the challenge as an opportunity and took the steps for the long term growth of the economy.           Ms. Sitharaman rejected the allegations of the opposition parties about the reduction in the budget allocation for the various schemes. She said, the budget provisions ha...

Feb 13, 2021 ,  8:19AM World Radio Day is being observed today @airnewss World Radio Day (WRD) is  being celebrated  across the Globe  today. The day was proclaimed by the member states of UNESCO in 2011 and subsequently adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2021 as an International Day. According to UNESCO, radio is a powerful medium for celebrating humanity and constitutes a platform for democratic discourse. One of the most widely consumed medium at the global level, radio has the ability to reach out to the widest audience, in the process having the ability to shape a society's experience of diversity and providing a platform for everyone to be represented and heard. According to UNESCO, On the occasion of World Radio Day 2021 (WRD 2021), UNESCO calls on radio stations to celebrate this event’s 10th anniversary and the more than 110 years of radio. The theme of World Radio Day 2021, "New World, New Radio", will highlight the servic...

Feb 13, 2021 ,  7:54AM Earthquake of 6.3 magnitude strikes Tajikistan; Tremors felt in several states of North India @airnewss A high intensity earthquake hit Tajikistan last night, tremors of which were felt in Delhi-NCR and several other parts of North India including Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh.   The tremors created panic amongst people who rushed out of their homes. However, there were no immediate reports of any loss of life or damage to property. The seismology department at first erroneously gave the epicentre as Amritsar and put the quake's depth at 19 km. It later sent a revised statement to confirm the quake was in Tajikistan. It ascribed the error to a software mistake. According to the National Centre for Seismology (NCS), the magnitude of the quake was 6.3.  

Feb 13, 2021 ,  7:52AM Discussion on Budget to resume in Lok Sabha at 10 today File Pic The sitting of the Lok Sabha will be held at 10 AM today instead of 4PM. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will reply to the discussion on Union Budget for 2021-2022 in the House. Besides, the Jammu and Kashmir Reorganization ( Amendment) Bill is also listed in the business of the Lok Sabha. The bill has already been passed by the Rajya Sabha.

Feb 13, 2021 ,  7:51AM Budget is a blend of stimulus package and long term growth model: Nirmala Sitharaman @airnewss Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman reiterated the Centre's commitment towards the development of farmers and workers in the country. Replying to the discussion on the Union Budget in the Rajya Sabha, Ms. Sitharaman hailed the Budget as an important step towards Atmanirbhar Bharat. The Finance Minister yesterday said the budget is a blend of a stimulus package and a long term growth model.  Highlighting the major schemes of the government which she said helped people during the times of the pandemic, the Minister informed that nearly 800 million people in the country were provided free food grains. Taking a sharp jibe at the opposition’s charge of the budget overlooking the needs of the poor, Ms. Sitharaman enumerated a series of schemes by the Centre which she said were all for the benefit of the poor section of society. Rajya Sabha concl...

Feb 13, 2021 ,  7:47AM Second dose of COVID-19 vaccine to be administered to health care workers in country today File Pic The second dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be administered to the Healthcare workers from today. It will be given to those beneficiaries who have taken the first dose on 16th of January, the day when the world's biggest immunization drive was launched.  The second dose is given to the beneficiaries after an interval of 28 days of first dose.  

Feb 12, 2021 ,  9:17PM 2nd Test match between India and England to begin in Chennai tomorrow File Pic The second test cricket between India and England begins at Chepauk in Chennai tomorrow. The MA Chidambaram Stadium that hosted the first test match has been curated for the second test as well. The hosts will try to pull out a victory in the second test, as it conceded victory to the visitors in the first one.  Meanwhile, England is entering the fray with the resolve to maintain its lead and has made four changes in the composition of its team. AIR Correspondent reports, though this is the second test match to be played out in the historic MA Chidambaram stadium at Chepauk in Chennai after a long drought, this is the first one to be watched by the diehard cricket fans in person post COVID-19 pandemic. The organisers are enthused by the reception to the game as the tickets were sold out fully in record time. Incidentally, the last time Chennai hosted a test ...