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Mon, 21 June 2021
Anti-BJP front not possible without Cong: Patole

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23:52   Anti-BJP front not possible without Cong: Patole
Any anti-Bharatiya Janata Party front is not possible without the Congress, Maharashtra state party president Nana Patole said on Monday even as he extended his 'best' wishes for a likely 'Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party alliance' for the 2024 elections.

"If an alliance between the Shiv Sena and the NCP is in the offing for the 2024 polls, we extend our best wishes. But an anti-BJP front cannot materialize without the Congress," he told reporters.

Patole was responding to a query on the likely tie-up between the Sena and the NCP if Congress decides to go solo in the 2024 elections.

All these three parties are constituents in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) which came to power in November 2019 with Sena president Uddhav Thackeray as the chief minister.

Patole had recently caused a flutter saying the Congress will contest future elections on its own.

In a veiled jibe at the Congress, CM Thackeray on Saturday said that people would 'beat with footwear' those who only talk about contesting elections alone without offering solutions to people's problems.

On Sunday, Patole clarified the Congress will stand strong with the CM with all its might until the government completes its full five-year term.

Earlier on Monday, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said the coordination among the allies of the MVA was a model example of how a coalition government should function.

Meanwhile, reacting to Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik's letter to CM Thackeray suggesting 'reconciliation' with the BJP to save some leaders of the Sena, including him, from 'harassment by central investigating agencies', Patole said the BJP has been using these agencies to target and destabilise governments headed by opposition parties since the last 18 months.

"But this strategy won't work in Maharashtra. We are standing firm with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. This government will not succumb to any pressure," he said.   -- PTI
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23:35   India to have 257cr vaccine jabs by Dec: Nadda
India will have 257 crore Covid vaccine doses by December to take up double dose vaccination of people in full swing, Bharatiya Janata Party national president JP Nadda said on Monday.

Nadda, while visiting a vaccination centre at RML hospital in the national capital, said that 130 crore people in the country have come forward to take vaccines on the call of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, despite the opposition trying to mislead them and create obstructions.

"Some leaders opposed vaccines saying they are not guinea pig or rats. Those who doubted the vaccines are now getting them. I want to ask such leaders whether it was due to change of their mind, heart or soul," the BJP national president said.

He lauded the BJP workers for helping people during the pandemic, saying while other parties went into quarantine and ICU, party workers risked their lives to provide relief to the people on the ground.

Nadda said BJP workers in all booths of the country are reaching out to people to ensure the implementation of the prime minister's call of vaccination.

He said India's ongoing vaccination programme was the 'largest and fastest' in the world and added that two indigenous Covid vaccines were produced in India within 9 months under the leadership of Modi.

Accompanied by Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Delhi BJP president Adesh Gupta, Nadda said that according to the roadmap of vaccine production, there will be 10 crore doses available in June, 17 crore in July, 19 crore in August, 42 crore in September, 46 crore in October, 56 crore in November and 59 crore in December.

"India is ready in full swing for double dose vaccination of people with a roadmap to have 257 crore Covid vaccine doses by December. It is important to understand," the BJP national president said.

The free vaccination campaign has been launched from Monday in the country and each BJP worker is working to make India 'Vaccine Yukt, Corona Mukt', Nadda said.

Highlighting the significance of yoga on the International Yoga Day, he said it was helpful in boosting immunity and tackling post-Covid side-effects in recovered people.

The significance of yoga has been reinstated due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's sustained efforts and people are globally getting inclined towards it, he said.

The BJP president also expressed gratitude towards doctors, health workers and frontline workers of the country for serving the people and saving their lives during Covid pandemic while putting themselves at risk.   -- PTI
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22:47   Will surely return to AIADMK: Sasikala
Ousted All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam leader V K Sasikala has dropped another hint of returning to active politics and has also talked about return to the party, saying the 'cadres are unhappy' and 'worry for party present position'.

In an audio clip of her purported conversation with a party worker doing round on social media, Sasikala said she had distanced herself from the party because the present leadership had claimed it would win Tamil Nadu assembly polls.

"I am fine and surely I will come to the party. The AIADMK cadre is unhappy and worried about the party's present position. What.... may come, my entry is definite. They said they will win, and that's why I had set apart myself. But they didn't win," she said.

She also reacted to the expulsion of 16 party functionaries who interacted with her.

"My heart is pained to see the removal of cadres who were brought in the party by AIADMK chief MGR (M G Ramachandran) and Jayalalithaa. The cadres are the party, and I will be with you all. Don't worry."

The AIADMK Legislature Party had passed a resolution on June 14 calling for actions against those who spoke to Sasikala.

Sasikala has been staying in Chennai's T Nagar area after returning to the city in February following the completion of her four-year prison sentence in a disproportionate assets case.   -- ANI
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22:13   Covid bodies floated to Bengal from UP: Mamata
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday said several bodies have floated to the state downstream river Ganga from Uttar Pradesh and polluted the waters.

She also pointed out that the decomposed bodies were spotted in the river in Malda district, and the state government has 'performed the last rites of some of them'.

"Several bodies have floated downstream to West Bengal from Uttar Pradesh. In Malda, we have spotted quite a few bodies. We performed the last rites of some of them with due respect," Banerjee told reporters at the state secretariat.

River Ganga flows through the states of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal before finally meeting the Bay of Bengal.

A number bloated corpses were found floating in the river in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar amid the raging second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, sparking panic among locals who depend on the Ganga for agricultural purposes and other basic needs.   -- PTI
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21:22   Ghaziabad incident: Twitter withholds 50 tweets
Twitter has 'withheld' 50 tweets related to a communally sensitive video clip of an elderly Muslim man in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh on the microblogging platform, according to sources.

According to information on the Lumen database, Twitter received a legal request from the Indian government on June 17 for actioning 50 tweets.

These tweets have been withheld and the content could not be independently verified.

Upon clicking on the blocked URLs listed on Lumen database, a message saying the tweet has been withheld in India in response to a legal demand is displayed.

According to sources, these tweets contained content related to the said video clip.

When contacted, a Twitter spokesperson said: As explained in our Country Withheld Policy, it may be necessary to withhold access to certain content in response to a valid legal demand or when the content has been found to violate local law(s).

The spokesperson noted that the withholdings are limited to the specific jurisdiction/country where the content is determined to be illegal.

The account holder is notified directly -- by sending a message to the e-mail address associated with the account(s), if available -- so that the user is aware that Twitter has received a legal order pertaining to the account.

The legal requests that we receive are detailed in the biannual Twitter Transparency Report, and requests to withhold content are published on Lumen, the spokesperson added.

Requests received by Twitter for withholding content are published on Lumen database -- an independent research project studying cease and desist letters concerning online content.

The Ghaziabad police have booked Twitter and six people for circulating a video that claimed to have the elderly Muslim man saying he was allegedly thrashed and asked to chant 'Jai Shri Ram'.

Police say this was done to create communal unrest.

The Ghaziabad police have sent a notice to Twitter India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari, asking him to join a probe in connection with the case.

Twitter has drawn flak for failure to fully comply with the new IT rules, which mandates among other requirements, the appointment of three key personnel -- chief compliance officer, nodal officer and grievance officer by social media platforms with over 50 lakh users.

All the three personnel have to be resident in India.

While the rules came into effect on May 26, Twitter is yet to adhere to the social media guidelines, despite repeated reminders from the government.

The government, last week, had slammed Twitter for deliberate defiance and failure to comply with the IT rules, which has led to the United States giant losing its intermediary status in India and becoming liable for users posting any unlawful content.

Twitter and the government have been at loggerheads over multiple instances in the past months, including during the farmers' protest and later when the microblogging platform tagged political posts of several leaders of the ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party as 'manipulated media', triggering a sharp rebuke from the Centre.

Twitter has an estimated 1.75 crore users in India, as per data cited by the government recently.

Earlier this month, Twitter had blocked accounts of Punjabi rapper JazzyB, Sydney-based hip-hop artist L-Fresh the Lion and two others following demands by the Indian government.

Earlier this year, more than 500 accounts were suspended and access to hundreds of others in India blocked after the government ordered the microblogging platform to restrain the spread of misinformation and inflammatory content related to farmers' protests.  -- PTI
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20:59   Today's vaccination numbers gladdening: PM
With a record number of Covid vaccine doses administered on Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauded the feat as 'gladdening' and asserted that vaccine remains our strongest weapon to fight the disease.

Over 75 lakh doses were administered till Monday evening on the first day of the revised vaccination guidelines coming into force. The final tally may still rise.

Modi tweeted, 'Today's record-breaking vaccination numbers are gladdening. The vaccine remains our strongest weapon to fight COVID-19. Congratulations to those who got vaccinated and kudos to all the front-line warriors working hard to ensure so many citizens got the vaccine. Well done India!'

The previous high was of over 48 lakh doses on April 1.  -- PTI
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20:26  
Progress of monsoon in India.
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20:12   Farooq to meet partymen ahead of talks with PM
Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Jammu and Kashmir leaders on Thursday, National Conference leader Nasir Aslam Wani said party chief Farooq Abdullah will meet party leaders tomorrow and the day after for consultations.

Wani told reporters here today, "Dr Farooq Abdullah will meet party leaders from Kargil tomorrow and leaders from Jammu the day after tomorrow. By Wednesday evening, Dr Abdullah will speak to you (media) on this development."

Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Congress president Gulam Ahmad Mir on Sunday chaired a meeting of senior leaders of the party in the region to discuss the invitation of Prime Minister Modi for an all-party meeting involving the leaders of the Union Territory.

"Gulam Ahmad Mir chaired a meeting of senior leaders of Congress of the Jammu region. We discussed the invitation of the Prime Minister for the all-party meeting. Although we have not got a clear agenda for the meeting, the Congress will represent the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir," former MLC and Congress spokesperson Ravinder Sharma told ANI.

Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla has telephonically invited leaders of various political parties in Jammu and Kashmir to participate in a meeting to be held at the prime minister's residence on Thursday, said officials.

Among the top leaders who got the invitation include former chief ministers Farooq Abdullah and Mehbooba Mufti. Home Minister Amit Shah along with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and top security officials had met in the national capital on Friday to discuss various issues regarding Jammu and Kashmir with Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and senior officials.

In August 2019, the Centre abrogated Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu and Kashmir and also bifurcated the erstwhile state into two union territories -- Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reorganisation Act 2019 notified by the government on August 9, 2019, paved the way for the creation of two Union Territories: Jammu and Kashmir, which will have a legislature and Ladakh, without it.

The Act provides that the number of seats in the legislative assembly of Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir shall be increased from 107 to 114, and delimitation of the constituencies will be determined by the Election Commission.  -- ANI
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19:55   Mahesh Manjrekar to return with Bigg Boss Marathi 3
Actor-filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar is set to return as the host for the latest season of the Marathi version of reality television show Bigg Boss

The actor, who has been presenting the Colors Marathi show since its first edition in 2018, took to Twitter to make the announcement. 

Manjrekar shared a 30-second teaser of the show's upcoming chapter on Monday. 

"I'm coming back with him... Be ready. 'Bigg Boss Marathi' 3, coming soon," the 62-year-old actor wrote. 

The show's third season was reportedly set to be launched last year, but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Season one of Bigg Boss Marathi was won by actor Megha Dhade in 2018, while MTV Roadies semi-finalist Shiv Thakare won the second season. 

The show's Hindi version is hosted by Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.
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19:48   14 cops suspended for lapse in Scindia's security
Authorities in Madhya Pradesh on Monday suspended 14 police personnel of two districts for lapse in the security of Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha MP Jyotiraditya Scindia during his visit to the state, a senior official said.

The lapse in Scindia's security occurred on Sunday night when he was on his way to Gwalior after arriving from Delhi.

Gwalior Superintendent of Police Amit Sanghi told PTI that 14 police personnel -- nine of Morena and five of Gwalior district -- have been suspended for negligence in handling Scindia's security.

Sanghi said the former Union minister was to be escorted by the Morena Police on the Madhya Pradesh-Rajasthan border and later this task was to be done by their Gwalior counterparts.

However, the Morena police escorted another vehicle which was similar to the one in which Scindia was travelling, the SP said.

The Rajya Sabha MP entered Gwalior un-escorted as information about his movement was not shared by the Morena police with their Gwalior counterparts, he said.

Following this lapse, action has been taken against the cops from two districts, Sanghi said.  -- PTI
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19:24   Centre may withhold ex-WB chief secy's dues
The Centre has initiated major penalty proceedings against former West Bengal chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay for alleged misconduct and misbehavior, officials said on Monday.
   
Bandyopadhyay, now an adviser to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has been asked to reply to a "memorandum", within 30 days, sent to him by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) mentioning the charges, they said.
 
The former chief secretary has been warned of major penalty proceedings that allows the central government to withhold pension or gratuity, or both, either in full or in part, the officials said. -- PTI 
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18:53   Maha govt not cooperating in probe against Anil Deshmukh: CBI to HC
The Central Bureau of Investigation on Monday told the Bombay high court that the Maharashtra government was not cooperating" with the agency  in its probe against former state home minister Anil Deshmukh, who is facing allegations of corruption and misconduct.
  
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared for the CBI, told the HC that while the probe, initiated following a previous order of the high court, was a chance to clean up the entire state administration, the Maharashtra government was refusing to cooperate with the central agency.

Mehta denied the accusations made by the state government that the CBI was going beyond the high court's order by including issues of the reinstatement of former assistant police inspector Sachin Waze, and Deshmukh's undue interference in the transfers and postings of Mumbai police officers.
 
He denied the allegation made by state's counsel, senior advocate Rafiq Dada, that the CBI was using the Deshmukh probe to gain backdoor entry into  investigation against IPS officer Rashmi Shukla in a case of illegal phone tapping and alleged leaking of sensitive documents related to police postings.

The Solicitor General made the submissions before a bench of Justices SS Shinde and NJ Jamadar that was hearing a plea filed by the Maharashtra government seeking to expunge two paragraphs from the FIR registered by the CBI against Deshmukh earlier this year.

The CBI is probing a case of alleged corruption and misconduct on part of Deshmukh in the aftermath of allegations made against him by former Mumbai police commissioner Pram Bir Singh.
 
The probe was initiated after a high court bench, led by Chief Justice Dipankar Datta, in April directed the CBI to initiate a preliminary inquiry against Deshmukh based on a criminal complaint lodged at a Mumbai police station by lawyer Jaishri Patil.

Deshmukh had resigned from the state cabinet after the HC order.

Patil had filed a PIL in the HC seeking action on the complaint registered by her. 

She had referred to the allegations made by Singh against Deshmukh in her plea, and had also attached a copy of a letter written by Singh to Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray in which he had made the allegations against Deshmukh.

Mehta, therefore, told the HC that since Singh's letter was a part of Patil's complaint on which the CBI's probe was based, and since the letter spoke of Waze's reinstatement and Deshmukh's interference in transfers and postings, the CBI was well within the ambit of the High Court's order in delving into these issues (which state government wants deleted from FIR).

"The issues of Waze's reinstatement and the transfers and postings are linked intrinsically to the allegations of corruption against Anil Deshmukh," Mehta said. 

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18:51   Maratha quota stir: Silent marches postponed by a month
Silent agitations planned over the next few days across Maharashtra seeking quota and other benefits for the Maratha community have been postponed by a month to give the state government time to fulfill these demands, Bharatiya Janata Party Rajya Sabha MP Sambhaji Chhatrapati said in Nashik on Monday. 
          
He had earlier sat on a three-hour protest in Nashik, which was attended by Maharashtra ministers Chhagan Bhujbal and Dada Bhuse, as well as state assembly deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal.
        
"The state government has met most of our demands. It has asked for 21 days to fulfill the rest of the demands. Therefore, we have decided to postpone out silent agitation by one month. The struggle for Maratha reservation will not stop at all," he said.
        
Maratha outfits had announced that they would hold silent marches in Kolhapur, Nashik, Raigad, Amravati and Aurangabad, the first two having been completed.
       
The BJP leader said the state government had agreed to the demand of setting up eight sub-centres of Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaj Research Training and Human Development Institute (SARATHI), including issuing an order to start the Kolhapur sub-centre immediately.
        
It has also agreed to give full autonomy and more funds to SARATHI, build hostels for Maratha students in 23 districts as well as OBC-like benefits to members of the community, he said.
 
On May 5, the Supreme Court had struck down a Maharashtra law that gave reservations in jobs and education to Marathas under the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes category. -- PTI 
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18:19   Good number of terrorists present in Kashmir: JK DGP
Jammu and Kashmir's Director General of Police Dilbag Singh on Monday said a "good number" of foreign terrorists are present in the valley, but they are "lying low" and "keeping a distance".
 
Addressing a press conference at the Polie Control Room in Srinagar, he said only two foreign terrorists have been killed in Kashmir this year in two encounters.
"Both were killed in Sopore (in north Kashmir's Baramulla district), including one on Monday. Both were from the Lashkar-e-Toiba, which clearly indicates that foreign terrorists are present here. They are lying low and keeping a distance. We have their details, according to which our operations are launched," the DGP said.
One of the most wanted terrorists, Mudasir Pandit, and a Pakistani ultra were among the three terrorists killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in Sopore, police said on Monday.
The DGP said a strict check on infiltration and the understanding on the ceasefire agreement between India and Pakistan have had a positive impact on the situation in the valley.
"Infiltration has been strictly kept under check this year. The understanding at a high level on the ceasefire pact between the Indian and Pakistani armies has had a positive impact and we welcome that. But it would be wrong to claim that there are no foreign terrorists. They are here in good numbers and our operations will target them in the coming days," he said.
Asked whether there was any active terrorists in Srinagar, the DGP said there was "no big presence" of ultras in the city.
"We have a couple of people who are moving around the city outskirts and also going to the neighbouring districts. We have been tracking their movements.
"It is a fact that one or two incidents have taken place in Srinagar city. That is possible in the kind of scenario that we have in big cities where a lot of movement takes place. We cannot filter every movement, but I assure you that in the near future, we will launch some more good operations in Srinagar city," he said. -- PTI
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17:45   Central Vista: Regressive Urban Planning and Outmoded Architecture
The Indian Government's Central Vista project, designed by Bimal Patel and his firm HCP, is now being executed at top speed and at a pharaonic expense of approximately $3 billion, involves a massive and destructive rearrangement of this entire area, all in the name of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's supposed aim of signaling a new, "post-colonial'' vision for India and celebrating 75 years of Independence in 2022.

Read more about how a man's mammoth ego unleashed the makings of an architectural horror.  
DGP Dilbag Singh
DGP Dilbag Singh
17:40   Top LeT terrorist among 3 killed in encounter in Baramulla
One of the most wanted militants, Mudasir Pandit, and a Pakistani ultra were among the three militants killed in an overnight encounter with security forces in the Sopore area of Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district, police said on Monday. 

 Director General of Police (DGP) Dilbag Singh said all the three slain militants were top commanders of the Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) outfit. The operation was very important for the police and other security forces as the militants were involved in several attacks and killings, he added.

 These include two major attacks in Sopore -- one on March 29 in which two municipal councillors and a policeman were killed and another on June 12 in which two policemen and an equal number of civilians were killed.

 The encounter broke out late on Sunday night as the security forces launched a cordon-and-search operation following information about the presence of at least three militants, including Pandit, in the area.

 "The operation was very important for the police and security forces. In the encounter, three dreaded terrorist commanders, who were active for a long time and were involved in several terror crimes, were killed," Singh told reporters at a press conference here. 

 He identified one of the slain militants as Mudasir Pandit alias Umer alias Mass Bhai, who was the LeT commander of the area since June 19. "There are 18 FIRs against him and he was involved in the killing of nine security forces' personnel, four civilians, two former militants, three sarpanches and two separatists," the DGP said.
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17:36   Which stock rose, which fell today?
A quick glance at the top gainers and losers in the markets today.
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17:28   Amarnath Yatra cancelled for 2nd year in a row
The 2021 Amarnath Yatra is cancelled due to Covid. Only online aarti will be telecast live for the worshipper. Last year too, the yatra was cancelled amid the raging Covid pandemic.

The Shri Amarnathji Shrine Board had said that the situation is being constantly monitored. 

The 56-day Amarnath Yatra was due to start simultaneously on both routes from June 28 and culminate on Raksha Bandhan, August 22. The annual pilgrimage to Amarnath shrine was discussed at Home Minister Amit Shah's high level meeting on Kashmir on Friday. 
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17:25   Rupee falls 24 paise to close at 74.10 against US dollar
The Indian rupee slumped 24 paise to breach the 74 per US dollar level on Monday as participants turned risk-averse. At the interbank forex market, the domestic unit opened weak at 74.20 against the American currency, pared some initial losses and finally closed at 74.10, showing a fall of 24 paise over its previous close. On Friday, the rupee had settled at 73.86 against the American currency.
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17:19   No local body polls in Maha till 70% vaccinated
Maharashtra Rural Development Minister Hasan Mushrif on Monday said there will be no elections to local bodies in the state till 70 per cent population is vaccinated against COVID-19. Till Sunday, 2,76,99,419 people were inoculated against COVID-19 in Maharashtra, according to the health department. NCP leader Mushrif was talking to reporters in Kolhapur when he was asked about Maharashtra minister and Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar's comment that he would not allow local bodies polls to be held in the state till the OBC quota issue is resolved. 

 "Due to corona, there will be no elections till 70 per cent vaccination is done. So, till then, the quota issue will also be resolved," Mushrif said.

 To a query about Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik's letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray wherein he alleged that the Congress and NCP were weakening the Shiv Sena by creating divisions in its ranks, Mushrif dubbed it as an attempt by the BJP to destablise the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in Maharashtra. 

 The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress share power in the state.

 Mushrif said, "The Congress and NCP are nowhere in the state working to weaken the Shiv Sena. In fact, both the parties are working to strengthen the MVA government and the leadership of Uddhav Thackeray." 

 "Sarnaik has been on the BJP's radar ever since he moved a breach of privilege notice against (actor) Kangana Ranaut and (journalist) Arnab Goswami," Mushrif claimed. 

 He said Sarnaik's claim in the latter of he and his family members being harassed by central investigating agencies was a cause of concern. 

 Mushrif wondered "why the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is not making public who is the mastermind behind placing the explosives-laden vehicle near the residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani" in Mumbai in February. 

Policemen of inspector and assistant inspector rank, including Sachin Waze, have been arrested in connection with the case and dismissed from service. "But, former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh, to whom all these arrested policemen reported, is still moving scot-free," he said.
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17:16   Odisha man gets 2 COVID jabs in 30 mins, has no adverse reaction
A 51-year-old man in Odisha was administered two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine within 30 minutes of each other, prompting the authorities to order an inquiry though he suffered no adverse event, official sources said on Monday. 

 Prasanna Kumar Sahu of Raghupur village in Mayurbhanj district had visited the vaccination camp at Satyasai Government High School at Khuntapur on Saturday for the first dose after booking a slot. 

 After taking the shot, as he was waiting for the 30- minute observation period to get over, a nurse came in and nonchalantly injected a fresh dose even before he could protest, Sahu claimed.

 "I raised an alarm, but by that time the nurse had already administered the vaccine," Sahu insisted. Rajendra Behera, the official observer at the vaccination centre, claimed the gaffe happened as Sahu was present in the vaccination area even after receiving the shot instead of shifting to the observation room. It was by mistake that he was given the second dose, he said.
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17:14   Retail to be next growth engine for Reliance: Goldman Sachs
With a potential for a 10x growth in pre-tax profit from the business over the next decade, retail including e-commerce will be the next growth engine for Reliance Industries Ltd, Goldman Sachs said in a report. 

 After growing 5x over FY16-FY20, RIL's core retail revenue growth has taken a pause in FY21 (April 2020 to March 2021) due to Covid related macro headwinds including lower footfalls. The oil-to-telecom conglomerate run by billionaire Mukesh Ambani used the period to build strong digital capabilities of the retail business while continuing to expand its physical reach.

 "We believe retail business (including e-commerce) is set to be the next growth engine for RIL, with potential for retail EBITDA to grow 10x over the next 10 years," the brokerage said. During the macro downturn, RIL has focused on building strong digital capabilities and the scale-up in omnichannel offering is driving sizeable market share wins. -- PTI
Gautam Adani
Gautam Adani
16:43   Sensex rebounds 230 points; Adani Ports 5% up
Market bulls reversed morning losses as traders engaged in broad-based buying on Monday with frontline equity indices closing 0.4 per cent gap up.

The BSE S&P Sensex ended 230 points or 0.44 per cent higher at 52,574 while the Nifty 50 edged up by 63 points or 0.4 per cent to 15,747. Except for Nifty FMCG and auto, all sectoral indices at the National Stock Exchange were in the green with Nifty PSU bank higher by 4.1 per cent, realty by 2.3 per cent, metal by 1.1 per cent and pharma by 0.5 per cent.

Among stocks, Adani Ports rose by 5.1 per cent to Rs 730 per share while Adani Enterprises moved up by 3.5 per cent to Rs 1,540.70.

NTPC advanced by 3.9 per cent, Titan by 1.8 per cent, State Bank of India by 1.5 per cent, DLF by 2.6 per cent Godrej Properties by 2.4 per cent.

However, UPL dipped by 4.3 per cent. Wipro, Tata Motors, Maruti Suzuki, Hindalco and Tata Consultancy Services closed in the red.
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16:37   Look ma, there's monkey in the metro
A monkey was spotted around 4:45 pm in a metro car and left on its own by the time the DMRC took note. "No harm was caused to anyone and it wasn't spotted thereafter in the metro premises," the DMRC said. 

The Delhi Metro said the monkey sneaked into a train at Akshardham Metro station and remained in the system for 3-4 minutes. "DMRC staff acted swiftly after getting information on the issue and the train was evacuated at the next station," it says.
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16:13   Delhi got 57L vax, needs 2.94 cr: Sisodia
Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia alleged on Monday that the Centre pressured officials in Delhi to publish advertisements in newspapers thanking it for providing free Covid vaccines for all from June 21, while the city has got only 57 lakh doses so far against the 2.94 crore needed. 

 He also said the Centre will supply only 15 lakh Covid vaccine doses to Delhi in July and at this rate, it will take around 16 more months to inoculate the city's entire population. 

 Sisodia said several BJP-ruled states have published advertisements in newspapers, thanking the Centre for providing free Covid vaccines for all aged above 18 years from June 21.

 "They also asked officials in Delhi to publish advertisements in newspapers thanking (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi for the free vaccination. They sent this toolkit to Delhi government officials and pressured them to issue such advertisements," he alleged during a digital press conference. 

 "People do not need advertisements but vaccines. I request the prime minister to supply 2.3 crore more doses in the next two months. I promise that we will do your publicity...publish advertisements in entire Delhi, but you have been asking states to do so without giving them vaccines," the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader alleged. 

 On June 7, the prime minister announced that all citizens aged 18 years and above will be vaccinated against COVID-19 for free from June 21, with the Centre distributing doses to the states. 

 "I got to know that not a single free vaccine has been supplied to Delhi for use beyond June 21," Sisodia said. 

 The Centre will supply only 15 lakh Covid vaccine doses in July and at this rate, it will take 15-16 more months to vaccinate the entire population of Delhi, he said. 

 "You have been saying India has been conducting the largest vaccination drive globally, but it has turned out to be the most mismanaged, derailed and messed up exercise in the world," the deputy chief minister alleged. 

 In the 18-44 age group, around 92 lakh people are eligible for vaccination against COVID-19 in Delhi. The city has 57 lakh people aged above 45. "Delhi needs 2.94 crore doses to fully vaccinate this population. It has got 57 lakh so far. We need 2.3 crore more doses," he said.
UP CM for 2nd term if BJP wins?
UP CM for 2nd term if BJP wins?
15:57   UP CM will be decided after polls: Minister
Senior BJP leader and Uttar Pradesh Labour Minister Swami Prasad Maurya has said that the next chief minister of the state will be decided by the central leadership after the completion of Assembly elections early next year. 

The chief minister will be finalised by the central leadership after the Assembly elections, Maurya told newspersons in reply to a question at the BJP headquarters here on Sunday. 

Conflicting signals have continued to emerge from the ruling BJP over who would lead the party in the 2022 Assembly elections and who will be the chief ministerial candidate. 

 Speaking to newspersons in Etah last week, the BJP's state unit president Swatantra Dev Singh had said that the next Assembly polls will be contested under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

"Corruption and hooliganism have ended and development is taking place. We will fight the 2022 elections under the hardworking and honest Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath," Swatantra Dev had stated.

 Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya had earlier said in Bareilly that the party's national leadership will decide under whom the upcoming elections will be fought. 

 When asked if there was any confusion in the party over who would lead the party in the coming polls and who would be the chief ministerial candidate as seen in the recent statements of party leaders, BJP spokesman Harishchandra Srivastava said, "Swatantra Dev is the state unit president and what he has said is important. What Keshav Prasad Maurya and Swami Prasad Maurya have said is on the basis of the party's norms and traditions.

"Formally, the announcement of chief minister's name is decided by the Parliamentary Board, and so Keshav Maurya and Swami Maurya would have said this, Srivasatava added. PTI 
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15:42   Raghu, Duflo, Dreze on TN economic advisory panel
Outlining the newly elected DMK government's policy, Governor Banwarilal Purohit on Monday said Tamil Nadu is fully committed to achieving greater autonomy for states and at the same time maintain cordial ties with the Centre. 

 The Governor, in his ceremonial address to the 16th Assembly, his first following the formation of the DMK government in May said an Economic Advisory Council to the Chief Minister would be constituted with leading experts including Nobel laureate Prof Esther Duflo. 

 The government would take all necessary measures to counter the "possible third wave" of COVID-19 and urged the Centre to increase allocation of vaccines and reject the Mekedatu dam project proposal of Karnataka. Besides Duflo, former RBI Governor, Raghuram Rajan, former chief economic advisor to the union government Arvind Subramanian, development economist Prof Jean Dreze and former Union Finance Secretary S Narayan would be part of the Economic Advisory Council, he said. 

"This is to reverse slowdown in economic growth, and to chart a rapid growth path. Based on the council's recommendations the government would take steps to revitalise economy and see that the benefits of growth reached all segments of society," he said. 

 The fiscal health of the state is a cause for concern and the government would focus on improving it and bringing down debt burden and a white paper on Tamil Nadu's finances would be released in July. 

"This government stands fully committed to achieving its ultimate goal of greater autonomy for states and establishment of true federalism at the union level through constitutional means. Strong states are needed to create a strong union. This government will staunchly stand in defense of the rights of the states and constitutionally oppose any infringement of such rights."

 At the same time, the state would maintain a cordial relationship with the union government as partners in nation building in line with the policy of "extending our hand in friendship, even as we speak up for our rights." 

 The Tamil Nadu government is guided by the spirit of the Dravidian movement and identified social justice, gender equality, economic equity, opportunity for all through reservations and progress through education and social reforms as its core values. "These values will drive every action, every legislation, every scheme, every initiative of this government," the Governor said.
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15:36   Sonia Gandhi convenes meet on June 24
Congress president Sonia Gandhi has convened a meeting of the party's general secretaries and state in-charges on June 24 to chalk out a strategy to plan protests against the government on issues such as the hike in petrol and diesel prices.

 In the meeting, which will be held virtually, party leaders will also discuss the current Covid and political situations. They will give their suggestions for taking on the government and reaching out to the people to highlight its failures, sources said. Besides the hike in fuel prices, the Congress will also plan protests against the government over high inflation, the pace of Covid vaccination and handling of the pandemic, they said. 

 The economic situation of the country is also likely to figure during the discussions. The meeting comes ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament which is likely to start in July. The Congress has been also attacking the government on issues related to the farmers' agitation against three new agri laws. PTI
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15:15   Pawar calls opposition meet after chat with PK
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Sharad Pawar has called a meeting of opposition parties tomorrow to explore a grouping to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP, reports NDTV.

Invitations have gone to several parties on behalf of Sharad Pawar and former BJP leader Yashwant Sinha, who joined the Trinamool Congress of Mamata Banerjee just before the Bengal election. 

Pawar and Prashant Kishor had met on June 11. 

"Sharad Pawar ji and Shri Yashwant Sinha ji are co-chairing a discussion on the present national scenario. Yashwant Sinha has requested your kind presence and participation in the meeting," says the invite put out by Rashtra Manch, Sinha's outfit.

Details of the meeting emerged after Sharad Pawar's meeting with poll strategist Prashant Kishor in Delhi today. The two met for the second time in two weeks amid speculation about a plan for "Mission 2024" to fight the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the next national election.
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15:10   TMC leader who joined BJP returns
Alipurduar district BJP president Ganga Prasad Sharma joins TMC in the presence of party leaders Sukhendu Sekhar Roy and Mukul Roy in Kolkata.

Mukul Roy was the first BJP leader to return to TMC and interestingly was also the first TMC leader to join BJP way back in 2017.  

Incidentally, BJP won all five seats in Alipurduar. 
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15:09   From one Nobel winner to another
Today is the birthday of Iran's first female judge, Shirin Ebadi. Ebadi was awarded the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to secure democracy and human rights. 

Kailash Satyarthi, the Nobel Peace Prize winner of 2014 tweeted a birthday wish to his 'sister Shirin'.  
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14:47   Ghaizabad tweet case: Rana Ayyub gets transit bail
The Bombay high court on Monday granted 4 weeks transit anticipatory bail to journalist Rana Ayyub in the FIR registered by the Uttar Pradesh police over her tweet on the Ghaziabad incident related to the assault of an elderly Muslim man. 

A single bench of Justice PD Naik ordered that protection can be granted to Ayyub for a period of four weeks to enable her to approach the appropriate court to seek appropriate reliefs. 

Senior Advocate Mihir Desai, who appeared for Ayyub, told the bench that she was a globally renowned journalist who has won several awards for her work and contended that she had only made the tweet based on news reports. 

When conflicting versions emerged about the incident, Desai said, Ayyub deleted the tweet.
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14:36   Tokyo Olympics to allow only 50% of crowds
Japanese organisers have set a limit of 50 per cent of capacity up to a maximum of 10,000 fans for all Tokyo Olympic venues. 
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14:11   Loni case: Twitter MD says available for video call
Twitter India has responded to the legal notice issued by the Ghaziabad Police regarding the viral video of an elderly man being assaulted in Loni, Ghaziabad.

Twitter India Managing Director Manish Maheshwari said he is available on video conferencing to explain the issue to the concerned authorities. While clarifying that he does not deal with the matter at hand, Maheshwari said he is willing to be questioned by the police.

Ghaziabad Police is not satisfied with the social media giants response and is mulling if it should send a second notice. The police are also reportedly seeking legal counsel on whether or not to take up Twitter India on its offer.

If accepted, the video call will be made by an official at the level of Senior Superintendent or Superintendent of Police.

In the legal notice mailed to Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari last Thursday, the police had directed him to come to the Loni Border Police Station and record a statement within seven days. Maheshwari and several others are accused of sharing the video of the elderly man being assaulted in Loni with the alleged intent of "provoking communal unrest".

The Ghaziabad Police has claimed that there is no communal angle to the incident and, in its FIR, accused The Wire, Rana Ayyub, Mohammad Zubair, Dr Shama Mohammed, Saba Naqvi, Maskoor Usmani, Slaman Nizami of giving communal colour to the incident on Twitter.
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13:45   Ex-IG police joins AAP
Former IG police Kunwar Vijay Pratap joins Aam Aadmi Party, in the presence of Delhi CM and party leader Arvind Kejriwal. Also in the picture is AAP leader Raghav Chaddha.
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13:12   NHRC to probe post-poll violence in WB: HC
The Calcutta High Court on Monday dismissed the West Bengal government's plea for recalling its order that directed the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to examine all cases of alleged human rights violations in post-poll violence in the state. 

 A five-judge bench of the high court dismissed the prayer of the West Bengal government for recalling the order passed in respect of a bunch of PILs alleging displacement of people from their residences, physical assault, destruction of property and ransacking of places of business owing to post- poll violence in the state. 

 The bench had passed the order on June 18, taking note of a report submitted by the Member Secretary of West Bengal State Legal Services Authority which said that 3,243 persons were reported to be affected till noon of June 10. The Member Secretary of WBSLSA further mentioned that in a number of cases the complaints were referred to the superintendents of police or the police stations concerned but no response was received. 

 The five-judge bench, comprising Acting Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal and justices IP Mukerji, Harish Tandon, Soumen Sen and Subrata Talukdar, had in its order directed the chairperson of the NHRC to constitute a committee to examine the matter. PTI
The Covid vaccination is nearly painless
The Covid vaccination is nearly painless
12:37   28 crore Indians vaccinated against Covid: Govt
India's cumulative Covid-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded the 28-crores mark, informed the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Monday.

According to the ministry, a total of 28,00,36,898 vaccine doses have been administered through 38,24,408 sessions, as per the provisional report till 7 am today, out of which 30,39,996 vaccine doses were administered in the last 24 hours. 

As per the government data, 13,36,309 beneficiaries of the age group 18-44 years received their first dose and 275 beneficiaries of the same age group received their second dose of COVID vaccine today and cumulatively 1,66,47,122 across states/UTs since the start of Phase-3 of the vaccination drive. -- ANI
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12:35   This is why Rahul can't get vaccinated
The BJP's daily quota of Gandhi bashing continues.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who is in Patna says the country doesn't know if Congress leader Rahul Gandhi has yet vaccinated himself. "If you (Rahul Gandhi) haven't got the COVID19 vaccine yet, my humble appeal is that, please get yourself vaccinated," Prasad says.

The Congress last week said party chief Sonia Gandhi has taken both doses of COVID-19 vaccine while Rahul Gandhi could not take the jabs yet as he had contracted the virus in May.

A senior party functionary said Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to take the vaccine on May 16, but he tested positive for the coronavirus a day before.

Vaccination has to be deferred by three months for a person who tested positive for Covid, which means Rahul cannot be vaccinated before August 16. 


Rangoli practicing yoga
Rangoli practicing yoga
12:28   Yoga helped Rangoli survive acid attack: Kangana
Kangana Ranaut speaks about how yoga helped her sister Rangoli, an acid attack survivor. Posting a picture on Instagram of Rangoli doing yoga Kangana writes, "Rangoli has the most inspiring Yoga story, a road side Romeo threw acid on Rangoli when she was hardly 21, with third degree burns, half of her face burnt, one eye lost its vision, one ear melted away and a breast severely damaged, she had to go through 53 surgeries in 2-3 years but that wasn't all, my biggest concern was her mental health as she had stopped to speak." 

"No matter what happened she would not say a word just stare blankly at every thing, she was engaged to an Air Force officer and when he saw her face after the acid attack he left and never returned, even then she did not shed a tear neither she uttered a word, doctors told me she is in a state of shock, they gave her therapies and put her on medication for psychiatric help but nothing helped," Kangana remembered.

She said that she was 19 at that time and didn't know how to help her sister. "I desperately wanted her to talk to me, so I took her every where with me even to my Yoga classes. 

"She started practising Yoga and I saw dramatic transformation in her. Not only she started to respond to her pain and my lame jokes but also regained her lost vision in one eye," she said.
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12:26   How do these blue chips stack up?
Here's the market capitalisation of 10 top blue chip companies 
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12:23   MVA will complete five years: Shiv Sena
Assuring that the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance stands united and is committed to complete its 5-year term in the Maharashtra government, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday said that the attempts to break the alliance will go in vain.

This comes amid growing discontent in Maha Vikas Aghadi, especially Congress which indicated that it may opt for fighting the elections separately.

 "The parties in MVA - Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP - support the Chief Minister. They are standing together and will remain together. We are committed to run the government for five years," Raut said.

Hitting out at the opposition, the Shiv Sena leader said, "Outsiders who want to form government in the state and are restless after losing power may try but the alliance will continue. People may try to break Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP but they would not succeed," he said.

Earlier in the day, Mumbai Congress chief Bhai Jagtap confirmed that the party will contest the BMC elections alone and not with the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance.

Congress Maharashtra unit chief Nana Patole had on Sunday said that the three-party MVA alliance, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress, was formed in Maharashtra for five years and it is not a permanent fixture.

Patole on June 14, too, indicated that the party will contest the next Assembly polls alone and not as partners of Maha Vikas Aghadi Alliance.

Reacting to the indication, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, on Saturday, said that people would "beat with chappals" those who only talk about contesting polls alone without offering solutions to people's problems.
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12:17   I need dad's strength now: Jeev Milkha Singh
Ace golfer and late Milkha Singh's son Jeev Milkha Singh on Monday paid tribute to the sprint legend, who died of COVID-19 complications last week, saying he would need a lifetime of resilience to deal with the loss of his best friend, guide, and mentor.

 Milkha, one of independent India's biggest sporting icons, died here on Friday after battling the infection for a month. 

 The 49-year-old Jeev said Father's Day on Sunday was "another sad reminder of what I've lost". "Dad was much more than my father - he was my best friend, my guide, my mentor," Jeev, who was in Dubai when Milkha tested positive for COVID-19 and reached Chandigarh in a couple of days to be with him, said in a tweet. 

 "I hope I've the same resilience & inner strength to overcome all odds. I really need it now. And I will need it for the rest of my life," he added.

 Milkha was cremated in Chandigarh on Saturday evening with full state honours with Jeev lighting the pyre. Milkha also had three daughters. Sports Minister Kiren Rijiju, Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator VP Singh Badnore, Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Haryana's Sports Minister Sandeep Singh were among the dignitaries who attended the last rites. 

 The family's tragedy was compounded by the loss of Milkha's wife and former national volleyball captain Nirmal Kaur just five days before the legendary sprinter's death. Nirmal had also been battling COVID-19.

 "Somehow, I don't remember much of Dad's funeral procession, but one sight I will never forget. A military van coming to a stop and these soldiers getting out and giving dad the salute.

 "The Milkha family has always been grateful of the Indian Army, and I want to thank them again," said Jeev. Jeev had had earlier described his mother's death as the "loss of family's backbone." The seasoned golfer thanked people for the outpouring of support. 

 "I lost my mom and dad. But what has been even more emotional is the thousands of messages we have been getting from people as if they have lost someone of their own," he said. "Thank you to all dad's fans and well wishers for supporting us at this time. he added. PTI
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12:09   Modi's Godi
The Narendra Modi regime has dragged India to rank 142 out of 180 in the latest World Press Freedom Index with a crafty mix of overt and covert tactics. Read the column here. 
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12:07   Rahul slams Centre for not paying compensation to kin of Covid victims
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday hit out at the government for not paying ex-gratia compensation to families of those who died of Covid. "It is impossible to valuate life, government's compensation is only a small help, but the Modi government is not ready to even do that," he said. 

"First the lack of treatment during the Covid pandemic and then the false figures and on top of that the government's cruelty," he said in a tweet in Hindi. The Centre has told the Supreme Court that ex-gratia compensation of Rs 4 lakh cannot be paid to the families of those who have died of COVID-19 as it is beyond fiscal affordability and the finances of central and state governments are under severe strain. -- PTI
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12:05   Maruti Suzuki India to hike car prices in Jul-Sep quarter
The country's largest automobile maker Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) on Monday said it will hike prices of its cars in the second quarter of the current fiscal due to increase in the input costs. 

"Over the past year, the cost of the company's vehicles continue to be adversely impacted due to increase in various input costs. Hence, it has become imperative for the company to pass on some impact of the above additional cost to customers through a price rise," Maruti Suzuki India said in a regulatory filing. 

 The company did not reveal the quantum of the proposed price hike. The price rise has been planned in the second quarter (July-September period) of the current financial year and the increase shall vary for different models, the company added. 

 On April 16, Maruti Suzuki announced the weighted average price increase in ex-Showroom Prices (Delhi) across models of 1.6 per cent.
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11:55   Rajapaksa does his yoga
Sri Lankan Prime Minister, Mahinda Rajapaksa practices yoga.
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11:53   Nitish Kumar to meet Modi today
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's visit to New Delhi today has intensified speculation of a Union Cabinet reshuffle. Viewed against the backdrop of Ram Vilas Paswan's five MPs dumping his son Chirag from LJP, Nitish's Delhi visit is significant. 

The Bihar CM will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the evening today. 

Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal-United has 16 MP in the Lok Sabha.
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10:53   Vaccination will be speeded up in July-August: HM
As the centralised free vaccination policy began on Monday under which the Government of India will provide free COVID-19 vaccine to all citizens above 18 years of age, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the Centre has made all arrangements to speed up the vaccination process in July and August.

Stating that it is important to receive both doses of vaccine, Shah urged all the citizens to come forward to get vaccinated to protect themselves from the disease. 

Speaking to reporters during his visit to the COVID care centre at Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Centre in Ahmedabad today, Shah said, "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a new chapter is starting from today in the battle against COVID-19, across the country. The PM had made an important decision that from June 21 people who are 18 years of age and above will be vaccinated free of cost by the Cental Government and the process of vaccination will be sped up."

"In a densely populated country like India, vaccinating all above 18 years of age free of cost is a big decision in itself and it has started on the occasion of Yoga Day. I am hopeful that this will not only help all the citizens but succeed in fighting this battle against COVID-19," said the Union Home Minister.

He further said, "Among all the vaccination drives going on around the world, India was already ranked at the top in vaccination per 10 lakh people. And now, we will nearly reach our aim of vaccinating all the citizens. The Government of India has made arrangements to speed up the process of vaccination in the months of July and August."

"I believe that the Government of India's decision of shielding every citizen against COVID-19 will bring relief to every citizen. I urge all the citizens of the country to get vaccinated," said Shah.

He added, "Those who have already received the first dose of the vaccine and as per government guidelines their time duration between the two doses is over, they should also get their second dose. Only after receiving two doses, we will get complete protection against the virus." -- ANI
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10:48   Baghel does yoga like a pro
Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel performs yoga at his residence in Raipur, on International Day of Yoga.
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10:46   Nadda breathes in
BJP national president Jagat Prakash Nadda performs Yoga at his residence in Delhi, on the International Day of Yoga.
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10:34   Yoga day on board INS Airavat
Naval personnel on board INS Airavat celebrating the International Day Of Yoga today with the theme Yoga For Wellness at Vietnam. The ship is on a deployment to Camranh Bay, Vietnam.
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10:32   BSF strikes a pose
BSF in sync with body and mind while performing yoga at the Attari border in Punjab on International Day of Yoga. 
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10:15   Sensex tanks nearly 600 points in early trade
Equity benchmark Sensex plunged nearly 600 points in early trade on Monday, tracking losses in index-heavyweights ICICI Bank, SBI and L&T amid a steep correction in global equities. 

 The 30-share BSE index was trading 596.78 points or 1.14 per cent lower at 51,747.67 in initial deals. Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty tumbled 175.35 points or 1.12 per cent to 15,508. M&M was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding over 2 per cent, followed by L&T, UltraTech Cement, ICICI Bank, Maruti and SBI. On the other hand, NTPC, HUL, Sun Pharma and Asian Paints were among the gainers. In the previous session, Sensex ended 21.12 points or 0.04 per cent higher at 52,344.45, while Nifty inched 8.05 points or 0.05 per cent lower to 15,683.35.

 Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) were net buyers in the capital market as they purchased shares worth Rs 2,680.57 crore on Friday, as per provisional exchange data. -- PTI
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10:05   Anti-Covid vax propaganda harming poor: Vardhan
Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan on Monday said that rumours and fake information against coronavirus vaccines is harming people belonging to the economically weaker section of society the most. 

Speaking to the media, the Minister said, "People should be protected from those who are spreading rumours and fake information against coronavirus vaccines, it harms the poor people the most."Speaking about the centralised vaccination policy, which begins today, he said that everyone should try to get vaccinated as soon as possible.

"From today all over India, with the blessings of PM Modi and the efforts of the government of India, free vaccines will be provided to every citizen of India above the age of 18 at every government health center. Everyone should try to get vaccinated as soon as possible," he said.

On the occasion of the seventh International Day of Yoga, the Minister said that Yoga has helped people maintain physical and mental health.After performing Yoga at Maharaja Agrasen Park here, he said, "Relevance of Yoga has increased during COVID-19. Yoga has helped us to maintain our physical and mental health. We should make Yoga or other physical activities a part of our daily life. These will help us to increase our immunity against coronavirus."

"I assure you, include yoga in your daily routine, it will increase your body's urgency and inner strength, it will also give you more strength in the fight against Covid," he added.

"In the battle of the second wave of covid, we are slowly moving towards success, we do not have to be careless at all, if we would be careless and relax again, then there can be many more cases of Covid again," the Minister warned. -- ANI

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09:34   India's daily Covid cases further fall to 53,256
India's caseload of the coronavirus disease climbed to 29,935,221 on Monday after 53,256 cases were reported in the last 24 hours, according to the Union health ministry. 

As many as 1,422 succumbed to the viral disease and 78,190 recovered, taking the death toll and total recoveries to 388,135 and 28,844,199 respectively. The daily recoveries continued to outnumber the new cases for the 39th consecutive day.

The active cases further fell to 702,887 and constitute 2.44 per cent of the caseload, the health ministry's update at 8am showed.

Monday's case count in the country is 4,893 less than that of Sunday's when 58,419 people were detected Covid-19 positive, the lowest since March 30 this year. And the toll on Monday is also 154 less than that of Sunday's, when 1,576 deaths were recorded.
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09:17   That's how you do it!
Marilyn Monroe doing Shirshasana in the 1950s.

Photograph: @IndiaHistorypic/Twitter
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08:53   Free COVID-19 vaccinations for adults from today
The new policy of India's inoculation strategy in which the Central Government will provide free vaccines against COVID-19 to adults across states will begin today.

Earlier in June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that the Centre will take over from states, which were supposed to be carrying out about 25 per cent of the countrys vaccination drive, and continue with its ongoing efforts to inoculate the section of the population that is above 45 years of age, healthcare and frontline workers.

The Centre's new policy came days after Supreme Court slammed the ongoing vaccination drive for the 18-44 age group and called it "arbitrary and irrational.
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08:22   Top Lashkar commander killed in J-K encounter
Top Lashkar terrorist Mudasir Pandit and two other terrorists have been killed in north Kashmirs Sopore village in an ongoing encounter with security forces that began Sunday evening at Tantraypora Brath village following a tip off, Jammu and Kashmir Police said.

Pandit was involved in the killing of three policemen, two councillors and two civilians recently apart from several other terror-related crimes, Kashmirs police chief Vijay Kumar confirmed.

From the last few days, joint teams of army, J&K police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) were conducting joint operations in the vicinity of Sopore following the terror attack on police in Sopore on June 12 in which two policemen and two civilians were killed.

Police said Lashkar-e-Tayiba was responsible for the attack, after which, Vijay Kumar met senior army and CRPF officers in Sopore and said that Mudasir Pandit was one of the two local terrorists involved in the attack on policemen on June 12.
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08:05   President performs yoga at Rashtrapati Bhavan
The seventh International Yoga Day is being celebrated in 190 countries across the globe today i.e. on Monday, June 21, 2021. The theme for this year is 'Yoga for wellness'. 

On the special day, President Ram Nath Kovind performed yoga at Rashtrapati Bhavan. 

Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel also performed yoga at the Red Fort, while Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan was seen performing yoga at Maharaja Agrasen Park.
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07:51   Yoga remains ray of hope as world fights Covid: PM
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said yoga remains a "ray of hope" as the world fights the coronavirus pandemic and asserted that in these difficult times it has become a source of inner strength.
  
Addressing the 7th International Yoga Day programme, Modi also said that in collaboration with the World Health Organization, India has taken another important step and now the world is going to get the power of M-Yoga application, which will have many videos of yoga training based on Common Yoga Protocol available in different languages of the world.

This will help us in making the 'One World, One Health' motto successful, he said.

"At a time when the whole world is fighting the coronavirus pandemic, yoga remains a ray of hope," Modi said.

The prime minister noted that there may not have been any major public events in countries around the world and in India for around a year and a half, but the enthusiasm for Yoga Day has not diminished.

For most of the countries of the world, Yoga Day is not their age-old cultural festival and in this difficult time, people could have forgotten about it and ignored it, but on the contrary, people's enthusiasm for yoga has increased, he said.

"When the unseen coronavirus knocked on the doors of the world, no country was prepared for it in terms of resources, capability and mental state. We all have seen that in such difficult times, yoga has become a great source of inner strength," he said.

Yoga shows us the way from stress to strength and from negativity to creativity, he asserted. 

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