LIVE
Sun, 20 June 2021
'UP govt won't be able to vaccinate all by Diwali'

Timeline  Refresh

image
21:02   'UP govt won't be able to vaccinate all by Diwali'
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday attacked the Uttar Pradesh government over the coronavirus vaccination drive, saying at the current pace it won't be able to achieve the target of vaccinating everyone by Diwali.
 
The former state chief minister blamed "narrow politics" of the BJP for it, according to a statement.  
"There are complaints emanating from different parts of the state regarding laxity in vaccination. Due to the narrow politics of the BJP, the speed of the COVID-19 vaccination has become slow. The BJP government has declared that it has set a target to vaccinate everyone by Diwali. But it seems that this will not be achieved," he said.
  
The policy of the BJP government is not clear, due to which the vaccination drive seems to be marred by controversies, which may put the life of people at risk, Yadav said.  
 
The former UP CM also claimed that the condition of vaccination centres in the state is bad.  
"The online slot booking system is neither practical nor convenient. This should be ended and in the larger public interest, more counters should be opened in government hospitals. The BJP should also pay attention to poor people and villagers," the SP chief demanded.  
Reacting to Yadav's comments, Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma in a statement said, "The Samajwadi Party has done nothing for the welfare of the youth during its tenure but the Yogi Adityanath's government has given jobs to four lakh people in four years."  
"The UP government has also made a record in giving jobs to lakhs of migrant labourers during the COVID-19 pandemic," he claimed. 
Sharma said due to policies of the state government, UP has become the top choice for the investors.

-- PTI
image
20:22   Covid vaccinations in China cross 1bn mark
More than one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines have been administered across China by the weekend, making it a major milestone for a country that continues to roll out the worlds largest inoculation drive against the deadly disease.

Chinas vaccination programme has picked up speed in recent months as it tries to protect itself from new variants of the infection coming from abroad.

The countrys national health commission announced the milestone on Sunday, saying the last 100 million doses were given in just five days. The NHC, however, did not say how many people had been fully vaccinated, with most of the vaccines given in two doses.

China accelerated its pace of free Covid-19 vaccinations for the whole nation since late March. It took China 25 days to climb from 100 million doses to 200 million doses, 16 days to increase from 200 million to 300 million, and six days from 800 million to 900 million, Xinhua news agency reported, quoting updates from the NHC.

Globally, more than 2.59 billion doses have been administered across 180 countries, according to data collected by Bloomberg.
image
20:01   MoS Dhotre to represent India in G20 Education Ministers meet on June 22
Sanjay Dhotre, Minister of State for Education and Electronics and IT, will represent India in the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) Education Ministers meet next week.

MoS Dhotre will also attend the joint meeting of G20 Ministers for Education and Labour and Employment on June 22. The two meetings are being held in a blended mode under the Chairmanship of Italy. India will be participating in a virtual mode. 

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister Jaishankar will also participate in the G20 Foreign Ministers meet later this month. The physical meeting is slated to take place in Matera city.

Italy will be the host of the G20 this year which will later hold the leader's summit in the month of October.

-- ANI
image
19:34   'New Delta plus variant could become a concern'
Delta Plus variant, a mutated version of the more aggressive B.1.617.2 strain that drove the second wave of infections in India, is undergoing additional mutation called K417N which could become a "variant of concern" if unchecked, said AIIMS Chief Dr Randeep Guleria, adding that India needs to learn from the UK where the said variant is causing a surge in cases.

Dr Guleria said India could see a faster surge if aggressive Covid-appropriate behaviour is not followed. He also insisted on aggressive surveillance to guard against any spike in the Covid cases following unlocking in parts of the country.

"Delta plus is a variant which is of same lineage as Delta variant, with a slight change as there is one more mutation found, which could be a cause of concern because this mutation, the K417N, is something which may change the virus to some extent as far as its infectivity is concerned... What we need to do is observe. Currently, the WHO has said that this is a variant of interest but it could become a variant of concern because currently the number of cases is less. Will this Delta plus again become the dominant variant that is something that we need to observe over the next few weeks," said Dr Guleria in an interview to NDTV.
image
19:22   3,293 vials of fake Black Fungus injections found at doctor's house
Two doctors were among ten people arrested by the Delhi Police Crime Branch for manufacturing and selling Liposomal Amphotericin-B injections, used in the treatment of Black Fungus. 3,293 vials of fake injections have also been recovered from the house of one of the doctors, Dr Altamas Hussain, in southeast Delhi, police said.

When the Crime Branch raided the house in Nizamuddin West area, a massive cache of fake injections was found.

"Most of the injections were of the drug used to treat Black Fungus while some were Remdesivir injections. Some of these injections had crossed their expiry dates," said Monika Bhardwaj, DCP, Crime Branch.

Amphotericin-B is used to treat Mucormycosis, also known as Black Fungus, which damages the nose, eyes, sinuses, and sometimes even the brain. It can be life-threatening in diabetic or severely immuno-compromised individuals such as cancer patients or people with HIV/AIDS.

The police will also look into the medical degrees of the doctors involved in the racket.
image
18:53   Amit Shah to visit 3 vaccination centres on Monday
Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be on a two-day visit to his home state Gujarat from Monday, where he is scheduled to visit three COVID-19 vaccination centres, including one in Ahmedabad, officials said.
           
His visit to the vaccination centres on Monday is aimed at encouraging people to become part of the Gujarat government's mega inoculation drive beginning that day, they said. 
         
The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation said in a release on Sunday that it plans to vaccinate one lakh people everyday as part of this mega inoculation drive.
       
Shah is scheduled to visit a vaccination centre at Pandit Deendayal Hall in Ahmedabad's Bodakdev locality in the morning along with city Mayor Kirit Parmar and senior officials of the AMC, the civic body said.
         
The Union minister will also visit two more vaccination centres -- one each at a school in Kolvad and another at a health centre in Rupal -- both in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency that he represents, the state BJP said in a release. 

He will also inaugurate two flyovers, a new railway overbridge, as well as a new APMC building at Kalol in Gandhinagar, the party said. 

-- PTI
image
18:28   Senior BJP leaders in UP again to review party's functioning from Monday
The BJP's national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh and Uttar Pradesh in-charge Radha Mohan Singh will be in Uttar Pradesh on a two-day visit from Monday to review its programmes, their second this month as the party sets in motion preparations for the crucial assembly polls next year.
 
During their earlier visit from May 31 to June 2, Singh had shot down speculation of a leadership change in the state and had defended the Yogi Adityanath government's handling of the COVID situation.
An aide of Radha Mohan Singh said that Santhosh and Singh will be on a two-day visit to Lucknow beginning Monday.
"During his visit to Lucknow, BL Santhosh will review the various works of the organisation including 'seva hee sangathan', vaccination and other ongoing programmes," a senior UP BJP leader said and added that the working committee (Karya Samiti) of the party is likely to meet by June 30.
Another party leader said that a few days before Deepavali (in November), the party will come into "full election mode" for the 2022 UP assembly elections.
Besides a few BJP lawmakers expressing resentment openly on the handling of the second COVID wave, the major opposition parties -- the SP, the BSP and the Congress -- are planning to make it a major issue in the state assembly polls, which are only months away.
The visit by Santhosh to Lucknow comes after the Uttar Pradesh unit of Bharatiya Janata Party appointed its state MLC A K Sharma, a former IAS officer, the party's state vice president.
Sharma, considered a trusted aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was handed over the new assignment amid speculation that he would be inducted into the Yogi Adityanath government in a senior ministerial position ahead of the next year's assembly elections.

-- PTI
image
18:02   PM to address Yoga Day programme tomorrow
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Monday morning address a programme to mark International Yoga Day whose theme this year is 'Yoga For Wellness'.
  
"Tomorrow, June 21, we will mark the seventh Yoga Day. The theme this year is 'Yoga For Wellness', which focuses on practising Yoga for physical and mental wellbeing," Modi tweeted.

"Around 6:30 am tomorrow, will be addressing the Yoga Day programme," he said.

The Ayush ministry, which is the nodal ministry for International Day of Yoga, in a statement has said that in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and the consequent restrictions on congregational activities, the lead event of the day will be a televised programme with Prime Minister Modi's address being the highlight.

Scheduled to start at 6.30 am on all Doordarshan channels on Monday, the event will also include an address by Minister of State for Ayush Kiren Rijiju and a live yoga demonstration by the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, the ministry said in a statement.

-- PTI
image
17:32   Tamil Nadu extends Covid lockdown for a week
Tamil Nadu government on Sunday extended its covid lockdown for another week. 

Based on caseload, some relaxations have been announced for 38 districts in the state. 

Inter and Intra-district public transportation with 50 per cent capacity will be allowed in Chennai, Tiruvallur, Kancheepuram and Chengalpet.
image
17:28   Delhi records 124 COVID-19 cases, 7 deaths; positivity rate 0.17%
The national capital reported 124 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest since February 16, and seven deaths in a day as the positivity rate dipped to 0.17 per cent, according to data shared by the health department here on Sunday.
  
This is the second day in a row that the number of deaths has remained below 10.

On Saturday, Delhi had recorded seven deaths due to the deadly disease, the lowest since April 1, and 135 fresh cases with a positivity rate of 0.18 per cent.

These new fatalities have pushed the death toll in the city to 24,914.

On April 1, the city had recorded nine deaths and 2,790 cases, the data stated.

-- PTI
image
16:58   Cong again alleges scam in land purchase in Ayodhya; says responsibility of SC, PM to find truth
The Congress on Sunday alleged a scam in the purchase of land by the Ram Temple Trust in Ayodhya and urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Supreme Court to "fulfil their responsibility" by ordering a court-monitored probe to find the truth.
 
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala alleged that the "loot" of funds collected in the name of Lord Ram is "continuing" at the hands of BJP leaders in Ayodhya and questioned the "silence" of the prime minister and the Supreme Court.
He alleged that a BJP leader brought 890 metres of land in Ayodhya for Rs 20 lakh in February and sold it to the Temple Trust for a whopping Rs 2.5 crore, making a profit of 1250 percent in only 79 days.
"Lord Ram's temple is being constructed as per the orders of the Supreme Court. Is it not the responsibility of the Supreme Court and its judges and the prime minister who formed the Trust, to find out the truth and investigate this.
"Shouldn't the Supreme Court take cognisance of the matter? The Supreme Court should discharge its duty... hold an audit of the entire transactions under its monitoring and punish the culprits," he told reporters when asked if the party would move the court.
"Now the question is whether the Supreme Court and the prime minister will discharge their duty, we leave it to their discretion," he said.
Surjewala said if it is anyone's responsibility, it is Prime Minister Modi's as he formed this trust.
"It is not only a question of morality, but it is also a question of constitutionality," he said, adding that the ball is now in the prime minister's court on what action he takes.

He said the people will never forgive anyone who loots donations in the name of Lord Ram.

-- PTI
image
16:33   'Covid waves will depend on human behaviour'
Amid the fear of a possible third wave of COVID-19 pandemic as the country gradually eases restrictions, Neeraj Nischal, Assistant Professor Department of Medicine at All India Institute of Medical Sciences on Sunday said that human behaviour is one of the factors which will determine Covid waves.

"COVID-19 waves will depend on two important factors, one is virus-related and the second human-related factors. The mutation of the virus is beyond our control. Through Covid appropriate behaviour one can stop these waves," Nischal said. 

Speaking about the benefits of getting vaccinated Nischal said, "Vaccination will help in preventing you from getting an infection even if you get infected then it will ensure that you do not get a severe form of the disease."

Earlier, Dr M V Padma Srivastava, head of the department of neurology at All India Institute of Medical Sciences  said that everyone is predicting a third wave.

"Everybody is saying not to let your guard down. Otherwise, we will hit the third wave. We have the history of hundred years ago that even the Spanish flu pandemic did have a third wave, so history is repeating itself. This is being said because of the number of variants and inappropriate behaviour among other things," she said.

According to reports, the highly transmissible variant first identified in India is now making 99 per cent of fresh COVID-19 cases in the UK.

-- ANI
image
16:18   Centre to restore J&K statehood
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will discuss restoring Jammu and Kashmir's statehood when he meets mainstream political parties from the region on Thursday a significant milestone that Indias top leadership has set its eyes on after months of strategising by National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, CNN-News18 has reported.

According to the CNN-News18 report, sources, who are privy to the developments, said J&K will be granted statehood soon, as promised in the past by PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, but there will be no talks on restoring the regions special status.

On August 5, 2019, the central government withdrew J&Ks special status under the Article 370 and bifurcated the erstwhile state into two Union Territories -- J-K with a legislative assembly and Ladakh without one.

The historic move led to the imposition of restrictions on several political leaders and activists in the Kashmir Valley. Gradually, authorities lifted the curbs and released politicians under detention.
image
15:49   Free Covid-19 vaccines from tomorrow
The next phase of India's vaccination drive in which the Central government will provide free Covid-19 vaccines to everyone above the age of 18 years will begin from June 21, Monday, marking a significant shift from its earlier 'liberalised and accelerated' vaccination policy. 

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on June 7, the states won't have to procure vaccines from the manufacturers. The Centre will buy 75 per cent of the vaccines and will distribute them among the states and the Union territories free of cost.

The vaccination drive in India began on January 16 From January 16 to April 30, the Centre followed a policy in which it procured 100 per cent vaccine doses from the manufacturers and provided them to states and UTs at no cost. Frontline workers and people above the age of 45 years were the target beneficiaries during this period. 

From May 1, the government introduced the liberalised policy under which the Centre procured 50 per cent of the vaccines while states and private hospitals procured the rest directly from the manufacturers. Explaining the shift from this policy in a month, the health ministry said, "Many states have now communicated that they are facing difficulties in managing the funding, procurement and logistics of vaccines, impacting the pace of the National Covid Vaccination Programme. It has also been noted that smaller and remoter private hospitals are also facing constraints."
image
15:18   MVA alliance for 5 years, not permanent fixture: Congress
The three-party MVA alliance, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, was formed in Maharashtra for five years and is not a permanent fixture, state Congress president Nana Patole has said.

His remarks came after Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said people would "beat with footwear" those who only talk about contesting polls alone without offering solutions to people's problems.

Patole said there was no clarity in Thackeray's speech about who he was referring to.
     
Even the BJP has spoken of contesting elections independently, Patole said, noting that previously all the four parties - Congress, NCP, BJP and Shiv Sena - had contested local bodies and Assembly polls independently.
       
"We formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA-in 2019) for five years to stop the BJP. This is a not a permanent fixture. Every party has the right to strengthen its organisation and the Congress has always given priority to providing relief to COVID-19 affected people by making available blood, oxygen and plasma at various places," Patole said.

The Sena and Congress, adversaries for decades, formed government in Maharashtra along with the NCP after the Uddhav Thackeray-led party fell out with the BJP in 2019.

-- PTI
image
15:02   After MP, green fungus case found in Punjab
Punjab on Saturday reported its first case of green fungus from Jalandhar, becoming the second state after Madhya Pradesh to record the infection.

According to the District Epidemiologist at Civil Hospital, Dr Paramvir Singh, this is the first confirmed case of green fungus or aspergillosis in Punjab. 

"The patient is around 60-years in age and has suffered from the COVID-19 infection. He is under observation. There was another case before, but it was unconfirmed," Dr Singh said.

The epidemiologist further said, "The person diagnosed with green fungus has the same symptoms as the Black fungus."
"We do not need to panic but we should take precautions," he added.

Earlier on June 14, a 34-year-old patient has been airlifted from a private hospital in Indore to Mumbai's Hinduja hospital after being detected with a green fungus infection.

Ahead of this, several cases of black, yellow and white fungus were reported in different parts of the country. An outbreak of black fungus cases was reported in the state after the second wave of Covid swept through the state killing thousands.

-- ANI
image
14:47   Chirag Paswan to lead Bihar roadshow
Locked in battle with uncle Pashupati Paras for control of the Lok Janshakti Party, Chirag Paswan has decided to hit where it would hurt the most -- a display of popular support for him as the political heir of Ramvilas Paswan. 

After a meeting today, Paswan Junior said he would hold a roadshow in Bihar on father's birth anniversary next month, which is expected to make the situation clear to the rebels.

The meeting concluded that they will demand Bharat Ratna -- the country's highest civilian award -- for Ram Vilas Paswan. It also condemned Paswan's uncle and rebel leader Pashupati Paras for his statements and actions, saying he was misleading the people.

After the meeting today, Chirag Paswan sought his mother's blessings, saying the battle ahead is like "Mahabharata" -- referring to the epic battle between Pandavas and the Kauravas.

"Ninety  per cent of the working committee members were with me. Except Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir, the presidents of all other states are with us. There were only 9 people with him. Tell them how many people were in their working committee," he said.

The buzz in Bihar is that despite the coup by Pashupati Paras on Monday, Chirag Paswan is still seen as the real leader of the party by the Paswan community, who comprise six per cent of the voting population in Bihar.
image
14:23   PM Modi holds meeting with Union ministers
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday met Union ministers, including Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, at his official residence, sources said.
  
Earlier this month, Modi held about five meetings with Union ministers in different groups apparently to take stock of the work done by their respective ministries so far.

Besides Shah and Singh, Union ministers Nirmala Sitharaman and Piyush Goyal are also attending today's meeting, the sources said.

While details of the meeting were not known, political observers feel this could be an exercise before an expected cabinet expansion and reshuffle.

-- PTI
image
13:41   Sputnik V roll out delayed in Delhi
The roll out of Russian COVID-19 vaccine Sputnik V at Indraprastha Apollo and Madhukar Rainbow Children's Hospital in Delhi has been delayed for some days, officials said on Sunday.
 
A spokesperson of Apollo Hospitals said the facility in Delhi will tentatively start administering the two-dose vaccine by June 25.
An official had earlier said the hospital would start giving Sputnik V jabs by June 20.
According to an official of Madhukar Rainbow Children's Hospital, there is a delay on the part of the suppliers.

"We are expecting (roll out) next week," he said.
Fortis Healthcare, which had said it would make Sputnik V available at its Gurgaon and Mohali hospitals from Saturday, also has not started administering the Russian vaccine so far.
"The roll out did not happen on Saturday. We expect there will be some clarity on Monday," an official said.
The Centre has fixed the price of the vaccine at Rs 1,145 per dose. The maximum price of Covishield for private COVID-19 Vaccination Centres has been fixed at Rs 780 per dose, while that of Covaxin is Rs 1,410 per dose.
Russia's Gamaleya National Research Institute of Epidemiology and Microbiology has developed Sputnik V and the Russian Direct Investment Fund is marketing it globally.
Hyderabad-based Dr Reddy's Laboratories, the marketing partner for the vaccine in the country, has been importing the shots from Russia. 

-- PTI
image
13:20   Delhi bars, parks to open from tomorrow
The Delhi government has allowed opening of bars from Monday and extended the timing for restaurants by two hours as part of the lifting of anti-Covid restrictions. 

Public parks, gardens, golf clubs and outdoor yoga activities have also been allowed by the Arvind Kejriwal government.

Bars will be able to open from noon to 10 pm with 50 per cent seating capacity, the Delhi government said in a fresh order.

Restaurants can stay open from 8 am to 10 pm, instead of the current 10 am to 8 pm.

The fresh phase of relation comes amid warnings by doctors and public health experts about the risks of a rapid unlock. Despite the ravages of the second wave of the virus in which thousands died and the healthcare system practically collapsed, especially in Delhi, the public disregard for safety norms have not changed, they said.
image
12:55   2.1 earthquake hits Delhi's Punjabi Bagh
An earthquake of magnitude 2.1 on the Richter Scale was recorded at Delhi's Punjabi Bagh on Sunday.

According to the National Center for Seismology, the quake occurred at 12:02 pm. No casualties have been reported from the incident so far. 

-- ANI
image
12:32   Chirag Paswan's show of strength in Delhi
The faction of the Lok Janshakti Party led by Chirag Paswan at the national executive meeting in Delhi, amid a power struggle with his uncle Pashupati Paras over the control of the party. 

Paswan has asserted that more than 90 per cent of the national executive members are with him.

The move is being seen as an opportunity for Chirag Paswan to flex his muscles after all five other MPs of the party joined Paras to divest him of key positions. An LJP leader said Chirag Paswan, the son of LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan, could use proceedings of Sunday's meeting to back up its case before the Election Commission.

A day ahead of the committee meeting in Delhi, the LJP faction led by Paras disbanded all party bodies and state units and announced a new national executive. All other MPs of the Paras faction in the executive while a few of those party office-bearers who switched loyalty to him from Chirag Paswan have also been inducted. In a statement, Paras said that all other party wings have been disbanded.

Paras arrived in Patna from Delhi on Wednesday to participate in the national executive committee meeting of the party held on Thursday. He was later elected as LJP president with the support of five MPs, including himself and his nephew Prince Raj.
image
12:02   COVID 19: Over 29.10 crore vaccine doses provided to States/UTs
More than 29.1 crore vaccine doses have been provided to States ad Union Territories so far by the central government (free of cost channel) and through direct state procurement category, the Union health ministry said.

The total consumption, including wastages is 26,04,19,412 doses, as per data available at 8 am on Sunday. More than 3.06 crore (3,06,34,638) COVID vaccine doses are still available with the states/UTs to be administered.

Furthermore, more than 24,53,080 vaccine doses are in the pipeline and will be received by the States/UTs within the next three days.

As part of its nationwide vaccination drive, the central government has been supporting the states and UTs by providing them COVID vaccines free of cost.

In addition, the central government has also been facilitating direct procurement of vaccines by the states/UTs.

Vaccination is an integral pillar of the comprehensive strategy of government of India for containment and management of the pandemic, along with test, track, treat and COVID appropriate behaviour.

-- ANI
image
11:33   Can't pay Rs 4L to Covid victims: Govt to SC
The Centre has told the Supreme Court that Rs 4 lakh compensation cannot be paid to all those who died due to Covid-19 as it would exhaust the disaster relief funds.

The Centres affidavit came in response to a PIL seeking "minimum standards of relief" and ex-gratia payment to Covid-19 deceased.

The Centre has said that compensation of Rs 4 lakh cannot be paid to victims of Covid-19 as the disaster management law mandating compensation applies only to natural disasters like earthquake, floods etc.

Nearly 4 lakh people have died in India since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the official Covid-19 figures released by the health ministry.

"If ex-gratia of Rs 4 lakh is given for every person who loses life due to Covid-19, the entire amount of SDRF may possibly be spent on this item alone, and indeed the total expenditure may go up further," said the Centre.

If the entire SDRF funds get consumed on ex-gratia for Covid-19 victims, the States may not have sufficient funds for organizing Covid-19 response, for provision of various essential medical and other supplies, or to take care of other disasters like cyclones, floods, etc. Hence, the prayer of the petitioner for payment of ex-gratia to all deceased persons due to Covid-19, is beyond the fiscal affordability of the State governments, said the Centre.

The government has further said that Covid is an ongoing scenario and minimum standards of relief and compensation differ in this case from other types of disasters.
NSA Ajit Doval.
NSA Ajit Doval.
11:09   India-Pak NSAs unlikely to hold meet during SCO
'No possibility' of bilateral meet with Ajit Doval in Dushanbe, says Pak NSA Islamabad [Pakistan], June 20 (ANI):

Pakistani National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf has said that there is 'no possibility' of a bilateral meeting with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meet in Dushanbe.

Doval and Yusuf will be attending the 16th meeting of the Secretaries of the Security Council, SCO in Dushanbe (Tajikistan).

This will be an in-person meet from June 23-24.

Tajikistan is the chair of the grouping.

The participation of both Pakistani and Indian NSAs in the session set off speculation of a likely meeting between the two officials.

However, Yusuf told Pakistan's Dawn: "There is absolutely no possibility of any bilateral meeting with Indian counterpart at SCO."

The SCO has eight member states -- Russia, China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Last year in September, Ajit Doval stormed out of the SCO's virtual meeting of national security advisors after Pakistan showed a 'fictitious' map violating the agenda of the gathering.

However, in recent months, Pakistani political and army leadership seems to have toned down rhetoric against India.

Pakistani Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in April said a stable relationship between India and Pakistan is key to unlocking the potential of South and Central Asia by ensuring connectivity between East and West Asia.

"We feel it is time to bury the past and move forward," he said, adding that the onus for meaningful dialogue rests with India.

In February, India and Pakistan had announced that they had agreed to a ceasefire along the Line of Control (LoC) which was followed by Indus water talks, sporting visas and other measures.

Despite the signs of tensions easing recently, Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar and his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi have in recent months been at the same place twice, but no meeting took place.

First, they attended the Ninth Ministerial Conference of the 'Heart of Asia' on March 30 in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

Later in April, both were in UAE for a bilateral visit. --ANI
image
10:31   Punjab Cong divided over jobs to MLAs' kin
After the Opposition, now Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar and two MLAs of the party have questioned their government's decision of giving jobs to sons of two legislators and urged Chief Minister Amarinder Sigh to roll back the ill-advised move.

Their statements came despite Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh defending the decision of appointing Arjun Pratap Singh Bajwa as an inspector in the Punjab Police and Bhisham Pandey as a naib tehsildar in the Revenue Department on compassionate grounds.

Bajwa and Pandey are sons of Qadian MLA Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa and Ludhiana legislator Rakesh Pandey.

The fact that their grandfathers had been gunned down by terrorists during Punjab militancy days was cited as the ground for compassion to make them gazetted, class B government servants, despite they themselves being sons of the ruling party MLAs.

Besides Jakhar, Congress legislators Kuljit Nagra and Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also expressed displeasure over the move.

In a cabinet meeting on Friday, five minister -- Sukhjinder Randhawa, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Razia Sultana, Charanjit Singh Channi and Sukhbinder Sarkaria -- were learnt to have also opposed this move.

Already, the Opposition parties are criticising the decision. Hours after facing criticism, Amarinder Singh remained unfazed and asserted that there was no question of rescinding the decision.

No question of rescinding #PunjabCabinet decision on jobs for sons of 2 @INCPunjab MLAs. It is just a small token of gratitude & compensation for the sacrifices of their families. It's shameful that some people are giving political colour to this decision, the CM said according to a tweet by his media adviser.

I fail to see any reason for removing any officer in my govt under political pressure. Each one of them is doing excellent work for the state, and I need them to continue helping my govt fulfil all the pending promises we'd made to the people of Punjab, said another tweet.

Earlier, defending the decision, the CM said it was a recognition of the sacrifices made by their grandfathers, who laid down their lives for the country.
image
09:30   India's daily Covid count drops to 81-day low
India reports 58,419 new COVID-19 cases (less than 60,000 after 81 days), 87,619 discharges and 1,576 deaths in last 24 hrs as per the Union health ministry.

Recovery Rate increases to 96.27 per cent, while Weekly Positivity Rate remains below 5 per cent, currently at 3.43 per cent.

Daily positivity rate at 3.22 per cent, the ministry of health and family welfare said.

Total cases: 2,98,81,965
Total discharges: 2,87,66,009
Death toll: 3,86,713
Active cases: 7,29,243
Vaccination: 27,66,93,572
image
08:28   Emirates to resume flights from India to Dubai
As Dubai eases travel curbs for passengers from India, Emirates airline said it will resume flights connecting India, South Africa and Nigeria to the city from June 23.

'Emirates welcomes the latest protocols and measures announced by Dubai's Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management to allow the safe resumption of passenger travel from South Africa, Nigeria and India to Dubai and onwards,' said the airline's spokesperson in a statement.

On Saturday, the Supreme Committee of Crisis and Disaster Management in Dubai said that the passengers from India with a valid residence visa who have received two doses of a UAE-approved vaccine will be allowed to travel to Dubai, Gulf News reported.

'They should also present a negative test certificate from a PCR test taken 48 hours before departure. We will resume carrying passengers from South Africa, Nigeria and India in accordance with these protocols from 23rd June,' said Emirates.

'We thank the Supreme Committee for their continuous efforts in monitoring the development of the situation and announcing the appropriate guidelines and protocols to protect the community and safeguard the travel sector,' it added.

Emirates had suspended passenger flights from India effective until July 6, 2021.

However, UAE nationals, holders of UAE Golden Visas, and members of diplomatic missions who comply with the revised published COVID-19 protocols were exempted from these travel restrictions.  -- ANI
image
08:18   Bengal BJP may challenge narrow defeats in court
The Bharatiya Janata Party is weighing the option of moving the court praying for recounting in assembly seats where the party had conceded defeat by narrow margins in the recent election in West Bengal, state party president Dilip Ghosh said on Saturday.

"We are discussing the issue with our lawyers," Ghosh told reporters in Murshidabad.

Ghosh's statement came after the Trinamool Congress filed petitions in the Calcutta High Court urging recounting in five assembly constituencies, including Nandigram, where the party lost by slender margins.

In the Nandigram seat in Purba Medinipur district, party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee lost to her protege-turned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP by 1956 votes.

Apart from Nandigram, Trinamool Congress candidates of Moyna, Bongaon Dakshin, Goghat and Balarampur assembly constituencies filed election petitions in the high court seeking recounting.  -- PTI

TOP STORIES