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As the number of Covid cases are on the rise again, we appeal to our listeners not to lower the guard, follow all the precautions and all those above 45 years to get vaccinated without any hesitation.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed on the need to create micro containment zones to effectively contain the rising cases of Covid-19. Interacting with Chief Ministers of states on Covid situation in India, he urged States to intensify their efforts on war-footing. Mr Modi said, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and other states have crossed the peak of first wave and some other states are also moving towards it quickly. He said, it is a worrying and serious concern for all of us.
He said, the country has already crossed the time of peak of the first wave and the growth rate this time is faster than the first wave. Mr Modi expressed disappointment that in some states people have turned casual compared to the last time and the administration too seems to be lazy. The Prime Minister said, a challenging situation is emerging again. He urged the states to focus on Test, Track, Treat, Covid appropriate behaviour and Covid Management. The Prime Minister appealed the States to stress on COVID-19 testing and the target is to do 70 per cent RT-PCR tests. He said, let the number of positive cases come high, but maximum testing must be done. Mr Modi said, proper sample collection is very important and it can be checked through proper governance. He said, despite challenges, we have better experience, resources and COVID Vaccines than ever before. Mr Modi said, Governments have to ensure that contact tracing is done rigorously and everybody follows SOPs released by Health Ministry. He said, along with public participation, our hard working doctors and health-care staff have helped a lot in handling the situation and are still doing it.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today took the second dose of Covid-19 vaccine at AIIMS in New Delhi. After taking the shot, Prime Minister said vaccination is among the few ways available to defeat the virus. Mr Modi urged all the people, who are eligible to take the vaccine to get the shot soon. He also appealed to Register on CoWin.gov.in.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. Harshvardhan today rejected the claims of shortage of vaccines in the country. He said, Central government is continously monitoring and enhancing the supplies of Covid-19 vaccines to the States and Union Territories. In a series of tweets, the Minister said, over nine crore doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered to the beneficiaries in the country so far. He said, around four crore thirty lakh doses of vaccines are in stock and ready to be delivered to the States. Dr. Harshvardhan said that hue and cry made by certain States about partisanship by the Union Government is just a farce and an attempt to hide their own incompetence. He said, Maharashtra and Rajasthan are two of the top three States in allocation of Covid-19 vaccine doses. He said, these two States are non-BJP governed States. He informed that over one crore six lakh Covid-19 vaccine doses have been provided to Maharashtra whereas Rajasthan has been provided over one crore four lakh doses.
"In view of the rise in Corona infection, containment areas are also being made in big cities where necessary. The number of beds in the state is being increased from 36 thousand to one lakh. Covid care centers are being set up in each district. The transport of passenger bus vehicles to and fro from Chhattisgarh state has been banned till 15 April. “Kill Corona-2” campaign will be started in the rural areas of the districts of the state where the Corona infection is increasing. The beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat Scheme will get free treatment in all eligible hospitals. Pooja P. Vardhan, AIR News Bhopal."
The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to impose night curfew in several districts including Lucknow, Varanasi, Kanpur and Prayagraj from tonight amid rise in the COVID-19 cases in the state. The timing of the night curfew differ for every district.
In Lucknow, it will be imposed from 9 pm to 6 am and will continue till April 30. All educational institutes, colleges and coaching institutes except medical and nursing colleges in Lucknow will remain closed till 15th of this month. In Kanpur, the night curfew will be from 10 pm to 6 am. Varanasi will observe a week-long curfew from 9 pm tonight. In Prayagraj, the night curfew will be from 10 pm to 8 am.
High level teams constituted by the Central government for taking review of the COVID situation in Maharashtra visited several districts in the state today. The teams are here to assist the state health department and local authorities in COVID-19 surveillance, control and containment measures. These teams are visiting 30 districts of Maharashtra. More from our Mumbai Correspondent…
"Against the backdrop of increasing number of coronavirus-affected patients in Maharashtra, health teams from the centre today visited various districts in the state to take stock of the situation and also held discussions with the district authorities. The teams inspected facilities available at the vaccination centres. Speaking to AIR, Dr. R.P. Saini, one of the members from the central team who visited Dhule today, said
From experienced politicians and opposition leaders, from singer turned ministers to actors, the fourth phase is set to witness high profile contests. Our Kolkata Correspondent has filed a report:
"Locket Chatterjee, sitting MP from Hooghly has been fielded by the BJP from Chuchura assembly constituency against seating MLA Asit Majumder of the Trinamool Congress. Pranam Kumar Ghosh of the Forward Block is contesting as the Sanyukt Morcha candidate for this seat. In Chanditala constituency, Polit Bureau member of CPIM, Former MP Md. Salim is trying his luck in assembly election against sitting MLA Swati Khandokar of the Trinamool Congress. Actor Debashish Dasgupta, popularly known as Yash is contesting as the BJP candidate. Another key constituency is Jadavpur where Dr. Sujan Chakraborty, leader of the Left-Front Legislative party is seeking re-election as the CPIM candidate. TMC has fielded Debabrata Majumder, while former CPIM Councilor Rinku Naskar is in the fray as the BJP candidate. Madhuparna Dhar Chowdhuri, for AIR News, Kolkata."
"Over 12 lakh 44 thousand voters would decide the political fate of 42 candidates including 3 women in Alipurduar district. BJP and TMC have fielded candidates in all the 5 seats in Alipurduar district. The Congress is contesting in 2 seats while the other members of the Sanjukta Morcha are contesting in the remaining 3 seats. Development of tea workers, granting of ST status , ethnic identity and infrastructure developments are some of the issues that have been raised by political parties. MANAS PRATIM SARMA/AIR NEWS/ ALIPURDUAR"
The BJP has accused the Maharashtra government of promoting corruption in the State with the help of police. The party has said, corruption has become the identity of the Maha Vikas Aghadi led government.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Seychelles President Wavel Ramkalawan jointly inaugurated several Indian projects in Seychelles at a high level virtual event this evening.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said, India and Seychelles share a strong and vital partnership in the Indian ocean neighborhood.
"India and Seychelles share a strong and vital partnership in the Indian Ocean neighborhood. Seychelles is central to India's vision of 'SAGAR' - 'Security and Growth for All in the Region'. India is honoured to be a partner of Seychelles in the development of its security capabilities and in meeting its infrastructural and developmental needs."
Mr Modi said, during times of need, India was able to supply essential medicines and 50 thousand doses of Made in India COVID-19 vaccines to Seychelles. He said, Seychelles was the First African country to receive the Made in India COVID-19 vaccines.
"We are happy to have contributed towards the construction of the New Magistrates’ Court Building in Seychelles. This state of the art building has been completed even during these testing times of Covid-19 pandemic. I am sure that it will be long remembered as a symbol of our deep and abiding friendship."
"India is committed to strengthening the maritime security of Seychelles. Today, we are handing over a new, state of the art, Made in India, Fast Patrol Vessel to the Seychelles Coast Guard. This vessel will help Seychelles to protect its maritime resources. Climate change poses a special threat to island countries. Therefore, I am happy that today we are handing over a One MegaWatt solar power plant in Seychelles built with India's assistance."
The virtual event also saw the handing over of 10 High Impact Community Development Projects, implemented by the High Commission of India in collaboration with local bodies, educational and vocational institutions.
At the invitation of US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will participate in the leader's summit on climate along with other world leaders on 22nd and 23rd of this month. Replying to media queries, MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, US Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry's visit was in the run-up to the summit convened by the US. He said, meetings with Mr Kerry were productive and both sides discussed the global challenge of climate change.
On a query on Vaccine supply to Paraguay, the Spokesperson said, Foreign Minister of Paraguay had made the request for vaccine supply during a phone call with External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and Made in India vaccine was sent to Paraguay. He said, no third party was involved in it. Mr Bagchi said, India is opening an embassy in Paraguay.
India and Maldives have condemned all forms of terrorism including cross-border terrorism. Both the countries have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation to counter terrorism. Spokesperson of External Affairs Ministry, Arindam Bagchi has informed that first India-Maldives Counter Terrorism Dialogue was held today in New Delhi. He said, both sides underlined the need for all the countries to take verifiable and irreversible action to ensure that no territory under their control is used for terrorist attacks on others.
CRPF's CoBRA battalion commando Rakeshwar Singh Manhas hails from Jammu and was part of the CRPF team that was attacked by Maoists in Tarrem area of Bijapur district on the 3rd of this month.
Director General of CRPF, Kuldiep Singh has ruled out any kind of intelligence or operational failure in the Sukma ambush incident in Chhattisgarh. In an exclusive interview with AIR News, Mr Singh said, the forces gave a befitting reply to the Left Wing Extremists and were able to prevent a heavy casualty. Mr. Singh affirmed that the morale of the forces is very high and they are eager to be in the battlefield.
In Jammu and Kashmir, three terrorists were gunned down by security forces in an encounter in Shopian town this evening. The identity of the slain terrorists is being ascertained. The search operation in the area is underway till reports last came in. Further details are awaited.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today attended the Plenary Meeting of the International Monetary and Financial Committee of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) through video conferencing.
The Supreme Court today said that Rohingyas detained in Jammu shall not be deported to Myanmar without following the prescribed process. A bench headed by Chief Justice S A Bobde passed the order on a plea seeking immediate release of detained Rohingya refugees in Jammu and a direction to restrain Centre from deporting them to Myanmar.The Centre had earlier opposed the plea saying that the country cannot be the capital for illegal immigrants.
A local court at Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh has given approval to conduct a survey of the Gyanvapi Mosque compound adjacent to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today launched an initiative SARTHAQ which will help in the implementation of National Education Policy in the country.Students and teachers holistic advancement through quality education, SARTHAQ has been initiated as a part of the Amrit Mahotsav celebrations.
Nethra Kumanan became the first ever Indian woman sailor to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in the laser radial event at the Mussanah Open Championship, which is an Asian Olympic qualifying event. She achieved this by topping the laser radial competition of the Asian qualifiers in Oman.
Vishnu Saravanan qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games in Laser STD Class today. Vishnu finished second in the Asian Qualifier event in Oman. KC Ganapathy-Varun Thakkar also earned their spot in the 49er class event.
Last year, raging concerns over the Covid-19 pandemic led the teams to travel to the United Arab Emirates. This year, the IPL game has returned to the domestic venues while stringent safety protocols have been put in place in all the stadiums. This is the first time an IPL series begins in about six months from its previous edition. More from our Chennai correspondent:
"Chennai being the neutral venue for both the contenders tomorrow, it would be interesting to watch who begins the league matches in style. The past record is that the defenders Mumbai Indians have not won the opening match of their season since 2012 and Rohit Sharma and his men may try to alter the course this time. Meanwhile, the RCB under Virat Kohli’s leadership is expected to try its best to dominate in the game and start with a win tomorrow to gain the initial momentum. Jayasingh, AIR News, Chennai."
The richest and most glamorous tournament in world of Cricket, the IPL is known for non-stop entertainment and everyday celebrations. And no celebrations are complete without the favorite team's colour for fans.
The team jerseys and their dominant colors bring fans closer to the teams and unite them with the stars.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the meeting of the High Level Committee to commemorate 400th Birth Anniversary also known as Prakash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji through video conferencing today.
Speaking on the occasion, the Prime Minister said, the occasion of the 400th Prakash Purab of Sri Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji is a spiritual privilege as well as a national duty.
Elaborating on the discussions in the meeting, the Prime Minister said, to connect more and more people to commemorate the 400th Prakash Purab of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji, various activities will be organized throughout the year.
Home Minister Amit Shah said, collective efforts should be made to ensure that the message of Guru Tegh Bahadur Ji reaches out to all.
We bring you Shabad dedicated to Guru Teg Bahadur Ji.