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May 30, 2021 ,  8:58PM Labour Ministry announces additional benefits through ESIC & EPFO schemes for dependents of workers passing away due to COVID-19 File Pic Ministry of Labour and Employment has announced additional benefits for workers through ESIC and EPFO schemes to address the fear and anxiety of workers about well-being of their family members due to increase in incidences of death due to COVID -19.    Currently if an Insured Person dies or gets disabled while discharging duties, a life long pension equivalent to 90 per cent of average daily wage drawn by the worker is available to the spouse and widowed mother and for children till they attain the age of 25 years.   For the female child, the benefit is available till her marriage.   To support the families of Insured Persons under the ESIC scheme, it has been decided that, all dependent family members of IPs who have been registered in the online portal of the ESIC prior to th...

May 30, 2021 ,  8:54PM PM Modi lauds role of Corona Warriors in fight against COVID-19 @narendramodi Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed gratitude to Corona warriors who played a major role in the fight against the COVID-19. Addressing the Nation, in his Mann Ki Baat programme on All India Radio, the Prime Minister said India is moving forward with the resolve of 'service and cooperation' in the midst of this pandemic. The Prime Minister urged everyone to follow social distancing, wear masks and get themselves vaccinated. Mr Modi said that even in this pandemic, country's farmers have achieved record production of food grains.   The Prime Minister said in the past ten days, the country faced two major cyclones - Cyclone Taukte on the west coast and Cyclone Yaas on the east coast which affected a number of States. He commended people of cyclone affected States for displaying courage, patience and discipline.

May 30, 2021 ,  7:19PM Nearly 12 Crore doses of COVID vaccine will be available in June this year: Govt Tweeted by @AIR Centre has said that nearly 12 Crore doses of vaccine will be available in June this year for National COVID Vaccination Programme.   Union Health Ministry said, more than six crore nine lakh doses of COVID vaccines will be supplied to the States and UTs for vaccination of priority group of Health Care Workers, Front-Line Workers and person aged 45 years and above as free supply from Government of India.   In addition, more than five crore 86 lakh doses will be available for direct procurement by the state and UTs and Private Hospitals.   Vaccination is an important part of the comprehensive strategy of the central Government for containment and management of the pandemic, along with Test, Track, Treat and COVID Appropriate Behaviour.   As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, Government has been supporting the State...

May 30, 2021 ,  2:20PM Centre expands scope of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme to aid MSME sector amid disruption caused by 2nd wave of COVID-19 AIR Pics The Centre today further expanded the scope of the Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) amid the economic disruption caused by the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic to aid Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) sector. The ministry said, Under ‘ECLGS 4.0’, 100 percent guarantee cover will be extended to loans of up to two crore given to hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, medical colleges for setting up on-site oxygen generation plants.   The finance ministry said, interest rate has been capped at 7.5 percent for the same. It said, Civil Aviation sector to be eligible under ECLGS 3.0. The ministry said, Validity of ECLGS extended to September 30 this year or till guarantees for an amount of 3 lakh crore rupees are issued. Disbursement under the scheme has been permitted up to December 31 ...

May 30, 2021 ,  2:17PM MC Mary Kom to face Kazakhstan's Nazym Kyzaibay in summit clash of Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai today FILE PIC Six-time world champion MC Mary Kom will face Kazakhstan's Nazym Kyzaibay in the summit clash of Asian Boxing Championships in Dubai today. She stormed into the final of the women’s 51 kilogram category with a 4-1 win against Mongolia’s Latsaikhan Altantsetseg.   T here are three more Indian women boxers in contention for gold medal. They include Lalbuatsaihi in 64 kg, Pooja Rani in 75 kg and Anupama in plus 81 kg category.  Indian male boxers Amit Panghal, Shiva Thapa and Sanjeet have also reached the finals of Asian Boxing Championship with resounding victories in the last-four stage.   While Panghal out-punched Saken Bibossinov of Kazakhstan 5-0, Thapa, the first Indian boxer in the tournament history to secure five medals, won over defending champion Bakhodur Usmonov of Tajikistan to make the finals with ...

May 30, 2021 ,  2:01PM COVID-19 recovery rate improves to 91.25 per cent @MoHFW_INDIA Nation continues to march strongly on its path of COVID recovery with gradual decrease in total number of active cases. For the 17th consecutive day today, the number of patients discharged has outnumbered the number of new cases. In the past 24 hours, over 2 lakh 76 thousand COVID patients successfully recovered from the disease whereas in the same time span 1 lakh 65 thousand 553 fresh cases were recorded nationwide.   With this the recovery rate in the country has further improved to stand at 91.25 per cent. With the continuous downfall in the daily reported cases, the number remained to be the lowest in the last 46 days. The cumulative share of active COVID cases in the country continues to witness consistent decline and comprises nearly 7.58 per cent of the total reported cases. The daily positivity rate also remained at around 8 per cent and below the 10 per cent mark ...

May 30, 2021 ,  1:59PM Madhya Pradesh to start unlock from 1st June REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE The unlock process in Madhya Pradesh is beginning from June 1st. For this, the state government has issued a guideline. According to the state government, there will be separate unlock guidelines for the districts with more than 5 percent infection and less than 5 percent infection in the state.   Indore, Bhopal, Sagar and Morena districts of the state have more than 5 percent infection, so there are chemists, ration shops, grocery, fruit-vegetable, dairy, flour mill and animal feed in the urban areas of these districts Shops will not open more than 25 percent. These shops will be open only till 6 pm. At the same time, 50 percent shops will be opened in urban areas with less than five percent positivity rate.   A maximum of 10 people will be allowed to be present at the funeral. The wedding program will be able to have a maximum of 20 people from both sides. Soci...

May 30, 2021 ,  8:30AM Prime Minister announces financial aid for children orphaned by Covid-19 File Pic: PMO In a major relief announcement extending much needed support for the children who have lost their parents due to COVID-19, Prime Minister Narendra Modi yesterday approved slew of measures under PM-CARES for Children scheme, including free education and an amount of 10 lakh rupees on attaining the age of 23, among others.   The Prime Minister chaired an important meeting to discuss and deliberate on steps which need to be taken to support children who have been orphaned due to COVID-19. Mr. Modi emphasized that children represent the future of the country and the country will do everything possible to support and protect the children so that they develop as strong citizens and have a bright future. He stressed that in such trying times, it is our duty as a society, to care for our children and instill hope for a bright future.   All children who...

May 30, 2021 ,  8:25AM India achieves major milestone in Corona Vaccination; Over 21 Crore doses administered @MoHFW_INDIA India has crossed a major landmark in Covid-19 vaccination. More than 21 Crore Cumulative Vaccine Doses have been administered in the country so far. Health Ministry said, vaccination is an integral pillar of the comprehensive strategy of the Government for containment and management of the pandemic, along with Test, Track, Treat and COVID Appropriate Behaviour.   The Ministry said that more than 28 lakh nine thousand beneficiaries were inoculated with Covid-19 vaccine doses yesterday. Out of which more than 25 lakh 11 thousand beneficiaries were vaccinated for 1st dose and around three lakh beneficiaries received 2nd dose of the vaccine. The Ministry said, more than 14 lakh 15 thousand beneficiaries of the age group 18 to 44 years received their first dose of COVID vaccine yesterday and more than nine thousand beneficiaries of the same a...

May 30, 2021 ,  8:23AM Government reconstitutes empowered group on Covid-19 uniindia Centre has reconstituted the six Empowered Groups into ten groups to tackle the COVID situation in the country. The decision is aimed at further improving the efforts in catering the current need of COVID management. NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr VK Paul will head the Emergency Management Plan Group and the ten-member panel on Vaccination.   Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan will be the convener of the Empowered Group on Emergency Response Capabilities. It will look into the issues related to hospitals, equipment and medicines. A separate Empowered Group has been formed under the chairmanship of Road and Transport Secretary, Giridhar Aramane on oxegen production, import and other related issues.   Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Balram Bhargava has been made the convener of the panel on COVID testing, while NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant will head...

May 30, 2021 ,  8:17AM Centre liberalises insurance compensation schemes under ESIC, EPFO File Pic: PMO Centre has enhanced and liberalised the insurance compensation schemes under Employees State Insurance Corporation and Employees Provident Fund Organization with a view to mitigate the financial difficulties faced due to death of single earning member in the family. The decision on the relief measures were taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in an important meeting held in New Delhi yesterday.   Under the relief measures announced, benefit of ESIC pension scheme for employment related death cases has been extended to even those who have died due to COVID. Dependent family members of such persons will be entitled to the benefit of pension equivalent to 90 per cent of average daily wage drawn by the worker as per the existing norms. This benefit will be available retrospectively with effect from 24th of March of last year and for all such cases ti...

May 30, 2021 ,  8:09AM PM Narendra Modi to share his thoughts in 'Mann Ki Baat' programme today AIR PICS Prime Minister Narendra Modi will share his thoughts with the people in the country and abroad in the 'Mann Ki Baat' programme on All India Radio at 11 AM today. It will be the 77th episode of the monthly radio programme. It will be broadcast on the entire network of AIR and Doordarshan and also on AIR News website https://ift.tt/2RUKMRW newsonair Mobile App.   It will also be streamed live on the YouTube channels of AIR, DD News, PMO and Information and Broadcasting Ministry. AIR will broadcast the programme in regional languages immediately after the Hindi broadcast. The regional language versions will be repeated at 8 in the evening.

May 29, 2021 ,  9:07PM UP Govt cancels Class 10th Board exam; reschedules Class 12th Exam @UPGovt Due to COVID pandemic, Uttar Pradesh Government has cancelled the Class 10th Examination of State Education Board.   Exam of Class 12th has also been rescheduled and it will not take place in the month of July and the exam pattern will also be changed.   AIR correspondent reports, Education Minister Dr Dinesh Sharma made the announcement and said that due to COVID pandemic the exam of Class 10th of UP Board stands cancelled.   The decision will affect around 30 lakh students of state. He said that the Education Department has been asked to prepare the guidelines for the promotion of Class 10th students to Class eleventh.   Dr Sharma said that because of the importance of exams of Class 12th and the future of intermediate students of the UP board, it has been decided that the exam will take place in the second week of July.   ...

May 29, 2021 ,  9:06PM Govt constitutes GoM to look into matter of concessions & exemptions from GST for COVID relief materials finmin.nic.in Union Finance Ministry has constituted a Group of Ministers, GoM to look into the matter of concessions and exemptions from GST to COVID relief materials.   Chief Minister of Meghalaya Conrad Sangma has been named as the Convenor of the GoM which is constituted of total eight members including Deputy Chief Minister of Gujarat Nitinbhai Patel, Deputy Chief Minister of Maharashtra Ajit Pawar, Transport Minister of Goa Mauvin Godinho and State Finance Ministers of Kerala, Odisha, Telangana, and Uttar Pradesh.   The 43rd GST Council which met on Friday recommended constitution of a GoM to examine into the needs for further relief to COVID-19 related individual items.   The Council also extended full exemption from Integrated GST on COVID-19 related medical goods for free distribution till the end of August...

May 29, 2021 ,  6:52PM Govt launches ‘PM CARES For Children’ for support & empowerment of Covid affected children File Pic: PMO Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired an important meeting to discuss and deliberate on steps which can be taken to support children who have lost their parents due to COVID-19.   He announced a number of benefits to children impacted by the current COVID Pandemic.   While announcing these measures, the Prime Minister emphasized that children represent the future of the country and the country will do everything possible to support and protect the children so that they develop as strong citizens and have a bright future.   The Prime Minister said that in such trying time, it is our duty as a society, to care for our children and instil hope for a bright future.   All children who have lost both parents or surviving parent or legal guardian or adoptive parents due to COVID-19 will be supported under PM-CARES fo...

May 29, 2021 ,  2:41PM Govt is continuously providing vaccines to States; Over 22 crore 77 lakh Covid vaccine doses given to States, UTs so far FILE PIC The government of India is regularly interacting with national and international vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer and Moderna to make more COVID-19 vaccines available in the country. The Union Health Ministry has said that the concrete actions are a stern indication that the government is making all efforts to increase the vaccine production in the country. It said, as of date, India is using three vaccines against COVID-19 in its immunization drive. It includes two made in India vaccines - Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin who have supplied about 7.92 crore vaccine doses in the month of May 2021. The Russian Sputnik V is the third vaccine to get approval from the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) for restricted use in emergency situations and is being used in a few private ho...

May 29, 2021 ,  1:58PM Country now has surplus quantity of anti-viral drug Remdesivir due to Centre's active intervention, says Govt FILE PIC Union Minister of State of Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh Mandaviya has informed that the country has now a surplus quantity of anti-viral drug Remdesivir due to Centre's active intervention to ramp up its production. Mr. Mandaviya said that production of the vital drug used in medical care of serious COVID patients has been ramped up nearly ten times in a short span of just one month. He said, starting from the production capacity of around 33 thousand vials per day in mid April, the nation today produces around 3 lakh 50 thousand vials of Remdesivir in a single day. The Minister also informed that the number of production plants of the anti-viral drug has been increased from 20 to nearly 60 plants within a month. Mr. Mandaviya asserted that the country has now enough Remdesivir, as the supply is much more than the d...

May 29, 2021 ,  1:52PM Indian Railways distributes more than 20 thousand Metric tonnes of LMO to various states @RailMinIndia Indian Railways has delivered more than 20 thousand Metric tonnes of Liquid Medical Oxygen in more than 300 Oxygen Express trains to various states across the country.                   On Mission Mode, till now Oxygen Expresses offloaded medical oxygen in around 39 cities in 15 states across the country. Oxygen Expresses offloaded Liquid Medical Oxygen(LMO) at 41 stations in these 39 cities and towns. Oxygen relief by Oxygen Expresses reached 15 states namely Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Haryana, Telangana, Punjab, Kerala, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Assam.

May 29, 2021 ,  1:49PM National COVID-19 recovery rate further improves to 90.80 pct; 1.73 lakh new cases reported yesterday FILE PIC The National Covid-19 recovery rate has further improved to 90.80 per cent. At 1.73 lakh daily new cases, the declining trend in new cases is being maintained. The daily new cases are the lowest in the last 45 days. In the last 24 hours, 3 thousand 617 deaths were reported. With this death toll due to the pandemic has reached 3 lakh 22 thousand 512. Under the Nationwide Vaccination Drive, 20.89 Crore Vaccine Doses have been administered so far. In the last 24 hours, over 30 lakh 62 thousand vaccine doses were administered. Indian Council of Medical Research, ICMR said, over 34 crore11 lakh 19 thousand samples were tested till yesterday. It said, over 20 lakh 80 thousand samples were tested yesterday.

May 29, 2021 ,  1:44PM Health Ministry says, daily COVID recoveries continue to outnumber new cases for 16th consecutive day; Over 2 lakh 84 thousand patients recover in last 24 hours @MoHFW_INDIA (FILE PIC) The Health Ministry said, daily recoveries continue to outnumber the daily new cases for the 16th consecutive day. Weekly positivity rate stands currently at 9.84 per cent. Daily positivity rate at 8.36 per cent and it is less than 10 percent for 5 consecutive days. In the last 24 hours, 2 lakh 84 thousand 601 patients recovered. Active Caseload in the country has further declined to 22 lakh 28 thousand 724.  Active Cases decreased by 1 lakh 14 thousand 428 in the last 24 hours. 

May 29, 2021 ,  8:23AM India, US discuss vaccine partnership aimed at expanding access and ensuring supply Tweeted by @SecBlinken External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Washington last night. In a tweet, Dr Jaishankar said, there was productive discussion on various aspects of the bilateral cooperation as well as regional and global issues. Both leaders discussed Indo Pacific and the Quad, Afghanistan, Myanmar, UNSC matters and other international organizations. He said, discussion also focused on Indo-US vaccine partnership aimed at expanding access and ensuring supply. Dr Jaishankar appreciated the strong solidarity expressed by the US at this time. He said, the talks have further solidified our strategic partnership and enlarged our agenda of cooperation. Mr Blinken said, United States and India are working together on so many of the most important challenges of our time and ones that are having a profound impact on t...

May 29, 2021 ,  8:15AM Production capacity of Covaxin to be doubled by next month FILE PIC Centre has said that the current production capacity of indigenously developed Covaxin will be doubled by next month. The Health Ministry said, the production will then be increased to nearly 6-7 fold by July and August. Thus, it's production will be increased  from one crore vaccine doses in April, 2021 to 6 to 7 crore vaccine doses in the month of July and August. The Ministry added that the production of the vaccine is expected to reach nearly 10 crore doses per month by September this year. This capacity augmentation of Covaxin carried out under Atmanirbhar Bharat 3.0 Mission COVID Suraksha was announced by the Government of India and implemented by the Department of Biotechnology Govt of India to accelerate the development and production of Indigenous COVID Vaccines. The Ministry also said that there have been some unfound media reports on unaccounted vaccine doses ...

May 29, 2021 ,  8:13AM Centre in regular touch with national and international manufacturers to augment availability of Corona vaccines REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE The Union Health Ministry has said that the government of India is doing regular interaction with national and international vaccine manufacturers like Pfizer and Moderna to make more COVID-19 vaccines available in the country. The Health Ministry said that the  concrete actions are a stern indication that the Government is making all efforts to increase the vaccine production in the country as well as attracting the foreign vaccine manufacturers to supply the required vaccine doses for the national covid vaccination programme. It said, as of date, India is using three vaccines against COVID-19 in its immunization drive. It includes two made in India vaccines - Serum Institute of India’s Covishield and Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin who have supplied about 7.92 crore vaccine doses in the month of May 2021. The...

May 29, 2021 ,  8:10AM GST Council exempts import duty on COVID-19 related supplies including drug used in treatment of Mucormycosis till Aug 31 @Anurag_Office The GST Council has exempted import of Amphotericin B used for treating black fungus from levy of I-GST. Briefing the media after the meeting, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the Council had a very detailed discussion on Covid related equipment in its meeting yesterday. Several issues relating to it were raised and discussed. The Finance Minister said the GST Council has decided to waive I-GST on free COVID-19 related supplies imported from abroad. So far, the IGST exemption was available only when the relief items were being imported free of cost. This exemption has been extended till 31st August. The Minister said the rates of exemptions were also very clearly discussed and suggestions by the Fitment committee were put before the Council. She said there was a protracted discussion on it with vary...

May 29, 2021 ,  8:07AM Centre invites applications for citizenship from Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who have taken shelter in India REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE Centre has invited Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis and Christians belonging to Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan and residing in 13 districts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Haryana and Punjab to apply for Indian citizenship. The Union Home Ministry issued a notification in this regard yesterday for immediate implementation of the order under the Citizenship Act 1955. People who are eligible to apply for Indian citizenship are those currently living in the districts of Morbi, Rajkot, Patan and Vadodara of Gujarat, Durg and Balodabazar in Chhattisgarh, Jalore, Udaipur, Pali, Barmer and Sirohi in Rajasthan, Faridabad in Haryana and Jalandhar in Punjab.

May 28, 2021 ,  9:12PM Centre approves substantial hike in salary of National Health Mission employees in J&K Representational Pic Union Government has accorded approval for substantial hike in salary of employees who are working under National Health Mission (NHM) in Jammu and Kashmir. AIR Jammu Correspondent reports that the decision in this regard has been conveyed to the Union Territory of J&K. The approval has been received for the Programme Implementation Plan for the Financial Year 2021-22 that was projected by the UT Government to boost the morale of the employees who have been working tirelessly in curbing COVID-19.  As per the approval accorded by the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, in addition to annual increment budget of 5 per cent, for the first time additional increment of about 12 per cent has been approved as hike in salary for NHM employees through restructuring and rationalization. Mission Director NHM, J&K, M...

May 28, 2021 ,  8:56PM DGCA extends suspension of scheduled international passenger flights till 30th June in view of COVID pandemic @DGCAIndia The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, DGCA today said that suspension of scheduled international passenger flights has been extended till 30th June in view of COVID-19 pandemic. In a circular, the aviation regulator said, international scheduled flights may be allowed on selected routes by the competent authority on a case-to-case basis. DGCA said, the suspension does not affect international all-cargo operations and flights specifically approved by it.   Scheduled international passenger services have been suspended in India since 23rd March last year due to the coronavirus pandemic. But special international flights have been operating under the Vande Bharat Mission since May last year. Special international flights have also been operating under bilateral air bubble arrangements with selected countri...

May 28, 2021 ,  2:52PM Centre asks all States, UTs to continue compliance to containment measures AIR Pics Centre has asked all the States and the Union Territories to continue compliance to the containment measures and allow relaxations only in a graded manner after assessing the local situation.   In a letter written to the Chief Secretaries of all States and UTs, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has informed that the containment measures as advised by Union Health Ministry have been extended till 30th of next month.   Mr. Bhalla said that the strict implementation of containment and other measures has led to a declining trend in the number of new and active cases, across States and UTs, barring some areas in the Southern and North-Eastern regions.   He highlighted that in spite of the declining trend, the number of active cases presently is still very high. Stressing on the importance of containment measures, Mr. Bhalla advised the States to ...

May 28, 2021 ,  2:45PM Heavy rainfall in Bihar; Rail, road traffic disrupted at several places due to cyclone Yaas effect FILE PIC Bihar is witnessing heavy rain across the state during the last 36 hours.   A Maximum of 114 mm rain was recorded at Gaya followed by 92 mm in Purnea and 86 mm in Patna.   Rail and road traffic were disrupted at several places due to uprooting of trees.   Air Traffic was also disrupted due to inclement weather.   The Railways has cancelled 15 trains. Electric supply was also disrupted in rural areas of the state.   Met Department said, the Cyclone Yass has now converted into a low pressure area and it enter into eastern Uttar Pradesh today through Rohtash district of Bihar with a wind speed of 30 to 40 km per hour.   Met Department has also ed people of the state to stay away from open spaces and trees.   The department predicts heavy rain with thunderstorm is likely to take place in easte...

May 28, 2021 ,  8:16AM India becomes 2nd country after US to administer over 20 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine uniindia Over 20.54 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered so far in the country.   On Day-132 of the vaccination drive on Thursday, more than 26.58 lakh Vaccine Doses have administered till 7 PM.   Over 11.76 lakh beneficiaries of the age group 18 to 44 years received their first dose of COVID vaccine on Thursday while cumulatively 1.51 crore beneficiaries of this age group across 37 States and UTs since the start of Phase three of the vaccination drive.   Bihar, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh have administered more than 10 lakh beneficiaries of the age group 18-44 years for their first dose of COVID vaccine.

May 28, 2021 ,  8:10AM National Covid recovery rate improves to 90%; steady decline in number of daily new cases: Health Ministry @MoHFW_INDIA (FILE PIC) The Union Health Ministry has said that the country is witnessing a steady decline in number of daily new reported  cases of COVID -19 from the past 20 days after reaching a peak on 7th May.    Addressing the media on Thursday, Joint Secretary in the Health Ministry Lav Aggarwal said that on 7th May over 4 lakh 14 thousand cases were reported which has now come down to about 2 lakh 11 thousand.   Mr Aggarwal said, in the last three weeks, the number of districts reporting more than 100 cases on a daily basis has also come down from 531 to 359 districts.   He also informed that number of Active cases has now come down to 8.84 per cent from the level of 17.13 per cent while the recovery rate has improved to 90 per cent from the level of 81.8 per cent on 3rd May.   He informed tha...

May 28, 2021 ,  8:05AM FM Nirmala Sitharaman to chair 43rd GST Council meeting through video conferencing today @nsitharamanoffc Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will chair the 43rd GST Council meeting through video conferencing in New Delhi today.   Minister of State for Finance, Anurag Thakur will also attend the meeting.   Finance Ministers of all the States and Union Territories and senior officers from Union Government and the States will also participate in the meeting.

May 28, 2021 ,  7:57AM PM Modi to visit Odisha, West Bengal today to take stock of impact of Cyclone Yaas Screen Grab (PMO India) The Prime Minister will visit Odisha and West Bengal today to take stock of the impact of Cyclone Yaas.   Massive relief and rescue operations are underway in the devastated states of Odisha and West Bengal.   Prime Minister will also survey the affected areas of Balasore, Bhadrak and Purba Medinipur, apart from holding a review meeting in Bhubaneswar.   Mr. Modi will also take part in a review meeting at Kalaikunda in Paschim Medinipur district in West Bengal in which the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will also take part.   The West Bengal government has preliminarily estimated that the damage by the cyclone will be around Rs. 15,000 crore.   The Central government has already announced a relief of more than Rs. 400 crore.   Besides, on behalf of the state government, the Chief Minister said tha...

May 27, 2021 ,  2:02PM 43rd GST Council meeting to be held in New Delhi tomorrow @nsitharamanoffc Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will chair the 43rd GST Council meeting through video conferencing at 11 A.M. in New Delhi tomorrow. The meeting will be attended by Minister of State for Finance, Anurag Thakur. Finance Ministers of States & Union Territories and senior officers from Union Government and the States will also participate in the meeting.   The last 42nd GST council meeting was held on 5th October last year. During the meeting several key recommendations were made like releasing of compensation to States and further simplifying the GST return filing system to reduce the compliance burden on taxpayers. 

May 27, 2021 ,  2:01PM Govt issues licenses to 5 more companies for production of Liposomal Amphotericin B injections to deal with Mucormycosis FILE PIC Union Government is doing everything possible to increase availability of Liposomal Amphotericin B injections to deal with Mucormycosis. To augment production, the Government has given licenses to five more companies that can make this drug. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had instructed officials to get this drug from anywhere it is available in the world.   AIR correspondent reports, Indian missions across the world have been involved in securing supplies of this drug. It has been achieved with help of Gilead Sciences in USA. Gilead Sciences is working on expediting the supply of AmBisome to India through Mylan. Over 121,000 vials have so far reached India. Another 85,000 vials are on the way. The company is likely to supply one million doses of AmBisome to India through Mylan. 

May 27, 2021 ,  2:00PM India administers over 20 crore doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the country so far @COVIDNewsByMIB India has administered around 20 crore 27 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccine in the country so far. Union Health Ministry said, more than 18 lakh 85 thousand vaccine doses were administered yesterday. The Ministry said, after the USA, India is the second country to achieve the 20 crore Vaccination doses landmark. India had launched the world’s largest Vaccination drive on 16th of January this year.

May 27, 2021 ,  8:28AM Severe Cyclone Yaas moves towards Saraikela Kharsawan district in Jharkhand with gusty winds @NDRFHQ Cyclone Yaas hit Jharkhand late last night. State Disaster Management Department, local District Administration and NDRF teams are on mode to handle any casualty. Vaccination drive has been put to halt for two days in Ranchi, East Singhbhum and Saraikela Kharsawan district. Seven districts have been put on Orange while four districts on Red by the Weather Department.   AIR correspondent reports that Cyclone Yaas has entered Jharkhand late night yesterday through East Singhbhum district and is currently passing through Saraikela Kharsawan district in Jharkhand and moving ahead with a speed of 10 kilometres per hour. Announcements by the District Administration are being continuously made for people to stay indoors and not move out of their homes.   The direction of the cyclone has changed more westwards after it made an entry in th...

May 27, 2021 ,  8:18AM Antigua, Barbuda PM Gaston Browne assures repatriation of fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi to India @airnewsalerts Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne has said that fugitive businessman Mehul Choksi, who has been found in Dominica, will be repatriated to India. In an exclusive interview with ANI, Mr Browne said, Dominica has agreed Choksi's repatriation and Antigua will not accept him back.   He said, he has requested Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit and law enforcement in Dominica to not return Choksi to Antigua where he has legal and constitutional protection as citizen. Earlier, Antigua media reported that Mehul Choksi has been apprehended in Dominica and is in custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the country.   Choksi is wanted by investigative agencies in India in the 13,000 crore rupees PNB scam on charges of fraud. He went missing on Sunday from Antigua and a manhunt was launc...

May 27, 2021 ,  8:17AM Govt asks social media intermediaries for compliance details over new Information Technology Rules File Pic Electronics and IT Ministry has asked social media intermediaries for compliance details over the new Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. The new rules were notified on 25th of February and came into effect yesterday.   The Ministry has also sought details of Chief Compliance Officer and Resident Grievance Officer appointed by digital platforms under the new IT rules. The Centre had given Significant Social Media Intermediaries, SSMI three months to comply with the request. Any social media platform with more than 50 lakh users will be designated as a Significant Social Media Intermediary. 

May 27, 2021 ,  8:14AM PM Narendra Modi speaks to French Prez Emmanuel Macron; Thanks for medical assistance in fight against Covid-19 File Pic Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the French President Emmanuel Macron over telephone yesterday. Mr. Modi thanked President Macron for the assistance rendered by France to India’s COVID response. The leaders discussed bilateral, regional and global issues of mutual interest and expressed their satisfaction at the positive outcomes of the recently concluded India-EU Leaders’ Meeting.   Both the leaders agreed that the announcements regarding resumption of negotiations for balanced and comprehensive free trade and investment agreements and India-EU Connectivity Partnership were welcome steps.   The two leaders expressed satisfaction at the depth and strength that the India-France Strategic Partnership has acquired in recent years and agreed to continue working closely together in the post-COVID era. Mr. Modi ...

May 27, 2021 ,  8:12AM Relief and restoration operations underway as Cyclone Yaas leaves trail of destruction in Odisha, West Bengal FILE PIC Odisha Government has ordered early restoration of normalcy in the area hit by the Cyclonic storm Yaas yesterday. After reviewing the extent of damage in the North Odisha districts last evening in capital Bhubaneswar, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik ordered restoration of at least 80 per cent electricity supply and road communication in the cyclone hit areas within 24 hours. He has also declared seven days relief to the people of 128 villages marooned by flash floods in the coastal districts like Bhadrak and Balasore.   AIR correspondent reports that Cyclone Yaas after lashing north Odisha with downpour and devastating winds with a speed up to 140 kilometres per hour, rescue relief and restoration teams have swung into action for early resumption of power and road clearance. Though the oceanic disaster did not cause much ...

May 26, 2021 ,  8:50PM Cyclone Yaas moves north-westwards; leaves behind heavy damage to property and life File Pic West Bengal administration is making assessments of the damage caused by the impact of the severe cyclone Yaas which made landfall on Wednesday morning. Extremely high tidal waves and stormy wind along with heavy to very heavy rainfall flooded low lying and coastal areas and also submerged nearby villages and towns in several districts of Bengal. At several places, disaster management teams rescued people who were stranded due to sudden rush of water, either by breaking the embankments or overflowing the guardwalls. Agricultural land has been extensively damaged due to inflow of saline water in the fields.   Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee told reporters in Kolkata today that at least 1 crore people have been affected and three lakh houses damaged due to rough weather conditions arising out of the cyclone. 134 river embankments along the coastal ...

May 26, 2021 ,  8:10PM Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Odisha, West Bengal much-affected places due to Cyclone Yaas: IMD @IMDWeather India Meteorological Department, IMD has said that Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Odisha and West Bengal were much-affected places due to Cyclone Yaas. Briefing media in New Delhi, Director General, IMD Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said, Odisha recorded highest rainfall and sea waves of two to four-meter high were recorded in North Odisha and adjoining districts of West Bengal. He said, due to cyclone Yaas, huge rainfall was recorded. Mr Mohapatra said, the track length of Cyclone Tautae was one thousand 800 kilometre while cyclone the track length of Yaas is one thousand Kilometre.

May 26, 2021 ,  2:32PM Over 20.6 crore Covid vaccine doses administered to beneficiaries in country so far uniindia India has administered over 20 crore six lakh Covid vaccine doses to the beneficiaries so far.   The Health and Family Welfare Ministry has said, over 20 lakh 39 thousand vaccine doses were administered to the beneficiaries within 24 hours.   The liberalised and accelerated phase-3 strategy of COVID-19 vaccination has come into force from the first of this month.   The Central Government has stressed on the need to accelerate the pace of vaccination drive in the country.   The Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry has urged the States and Union Territories to make effective strategies to enhance pace of vaccination.

May 26, 2021 ,  2:23PM Centre allocates over 72 thousand vials of anti-fungal drug Amphotericin-B to all States, UTs @DVSadanandGowda Centre has allocated over 72 thousand vials of anti-fungal drug Amphotericin-B to all States and Union Territories in a span of just 5 days.   Union Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister Sadanand Gowda has informed that the Government is committed towards ramping up the production of anti-fungal drug to meet all requirements.   He said, 29, 250 vials of Amphotericin - B has been allocated today to the States and the UTs looking at the increased demand. Earlier the Central Chemicals Ministry had ensured quick and timely allocation of nearly 1 crore vials of Remdesivir in the country to tackle the COVID surge in last one month.   The Nation has recently witnessed surge in number of Mucormycosis cases and therefore the demand of anti-fungal drug Amphotericin has increased considerably.   Mr. Gowda informed that t...

May 26, 2021 ,  9:16AM Odisha, West Bengal gear up to minimize impact of cyclone ‘Yaas’ Tweeted by @DDNewslive The Odisha government has made arrangements to minimize the impact of the cyclone with several rescue, relief and restoration teams and strategies in place.   More than five lakh people have already been evacuated to cyclone shelters in the vulnerable districts like Bhadrak, Balasore, Jagatsingpur, Kendrapada and Mayurbhanj.   In addition to about 6900 safe shelters where the evacuees are being accommodated, many pucca public buildings in the highly vulnerable areas have also been kept open for people to take shelter if the need arises.   AIR correspondent reports, with the very severe cyclonic storm centred at about 40 kilometres from Dhamra, which is not very far from the Odisha coast, strong winds and heavy rains continue to lash several parts of north Odisha, more so in districts like Bhadrak, Jagatsingpur and Balasore.   Wit...

May 26, 2021 ,  8:48AM EAM Dr S Jaishankar meets UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York @DrSJaishankar External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar met UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres in New York on Tuesday and discussed the COVID challenge, underlining the importance of finding urgent and effective global vaccine solutions.   Dr Jaishankar said, it is critical to ramp up the vaccine supply chain to ensure greater production and fairer distribution.   They also exchanged views on climate action.   The External Affairs Minister said, greater resources are essential for larger ambitions and financing will determine our seriousness and credibility.   Dr Jaishankar highlighted India's constructive role in the UN Security Council and conveyed the priorities of our Presidency in August.   He said, Maritime Security and Technology for Peacekeeping should address the needs of the day.   He welcomed the UN Sec...

May 26, 2021 ,  8:42AM PM Modi to deliver keynote address on Vesak Global Celebrations on Buddha Purnima File Pic: PMO Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver the keynote address on the occasion of Virtual Vesak Global Celebrations on Buddha Purnima Wednesday morning.    The event is being organised by the Culture Ministry in collaboration with the International Buddhist Confederation, IBC.   AIR correspondent reports, the virtual event will witness participation of all the supreme heads of the Buddhist Sanghas from around the world.   Over 50 most prominent Buddhist religious leaders from around the world will address the congregation.   Culture Minister Prahlad Singh Patel and Minister of State for Minority Affairs Kiren Rijiju will also address the event.   Buddha Purnima celebrations are being held through a virtual congregation owing to the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic.   Vesak- Buddha Poornima, is considered ...

May 25, 2021 ,  10:09PM Over 3.26 lakh patients recover from COVID in past 24 hours; National Recovery Rate stands at 89.26 per cent @PIB_India In the past 24 hours, over 3 lakh 26 thousand COVID patients successfully recovered from the disease. In the same time span 1 lakh 96 thousand 427 fresh cases were recorded nationwide. In the same time span 1 lakh 96 thousand 427 fresh cases were recorded nationwide.  The recovery rate in the country has further improved to stand at 89.26 per cent. The number of daily cases have slipped below the 2 lakh mark after nearly 40 days.   The Ministry added that so far, over 2 crore 40 lakh people have recovered from the COVID-19 infection in the country. Ten States including Maharashtra, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Kerala continue to be the major hotspots of the viral pandemic. Nearly 75 per cent of the new cases are reported from these 10 states....

May 25, 2021 ,  8:57PM Cabinet approves opening of new Consulate General of India in Addu City of Maldives AIR Pics The Union Cabinet has approved the opening of a new Consulate General of India in Addu City, Maldives in 2021. India and Maldives share ethnic, linguistic, cultural, religious and commercial links steeped in antiquity. Maldives occupies an important place in the Neighbourhood First Policy and the SAGAR- Security and Growth for All in the Region- vision of the Government of India. The opening of a Consulate General in Addu City will help augment India's diplomatic presence in Maldives and make it commensurate with the existing and aspired level of engagement.