Amid the ongoing political tussle in the state, the police on Monday increased the security at the residences of Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh as well as former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in Nagpur.

It was a precautionary step, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Zone II Vinita S.

Platoons of Riot Control Police (RCP) were deployed at Deshmukh's residence at GPO Square and Fadnavis' residence near Trikoni Park.

The police has also put up barricades in front of Deshmukh's house for proper monitoring of vehicles.

Sources said that the security was beefed up after the protests held by Bharatiya Janata Party and Nationalist Congress Party workers on Sunday.

The BJP workers demanded resignation of Deshmukh over allegations of corruption leveled by former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh.

On Sunday, Fadnavis had addressed a press conference in Nagpur, targeting Deshmukh.   -- PTI

Gujarat recorded its highest single-day spike of 1,640 coronavirus cases on Monday which took the caseload to 2,88,649, the state health department said.

The previous record of daily increase in the state was of November 27 when 1,607 new cases had come to light.

In February this year daily COVID-19 cases in Gujarat had fallen below the 250-mark, before surging again. Four patients died on Monday, two each in Ahmedabad and Surat, raising the number of COVID-19 fatalities to 4,454.

On the other hand, 1,110 patients recovered, taking the total of recovered cases to 2,76,348.

After recording 1,442 cases on September 25, the highest single-day rise till then, Gujarat witnessed a brief decline in daily new cases, dropping to a three-digit figure of 996 on October 19, and remaining in the same region till the first week of November.

After November 14, however, the daily cases surged, peaking to 1,607 cases on November 27.

The cases again deceased to three digits (960) on December 21, and dropped below the 250-mark in the first week of February, before rising again.

It crossed the 1,000-mark again on March 17, rising sharply to 1,640 on Monday.

Ahmedabad surpassed Surat to record the highest 483 new cases in the state on Monday. Surat recorded 473 cases.

Among other districts, Vadodara recorded 159 new cases, Rajkot 152, Kheda 41, Gandhinagar 34, Bhavnagar 32, Dahod and Panchmahal 23 each, Kutch and Morbi 17 each.

There are now 7,847 active cases in Gujarat, out of which 73 patients are on ventilators, the department said.

A total of 38,78,186 persons have been vaccinated for COVID-19, out of which 32,74,493 have received the first dose and 6,03,693 the second dose.

On Monday, 2,32,831 people received the COVID-19 vaccine shots, including 2,22,186 belonging to those above the age of 60 and those suffering from comorbidities.

The Union Territory of Daman, Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli recorded four new cases and an equal number of recoveries, taking its tally to 3,459 and recoveries to 3,402.

There are 55 active cases in the UT, which has reported two COVID-19 deaths so far, officials said.

Gujarat's COVID-19 figures are as follows: Positive cases 2,88,649, new cases 1,640, death toll 4,454, discharged 2,76,348, active cases 7,847, people tested so far - figures not released.   --  PTI

Responding to claims by former Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh on Monday clarified that he was admitted to hospital during mid-February and could not have met arrested police officer Sachin Waze.

The Bharatiya Janata Party also shared a video showing Deshmukh holding a press conference on February 15.

Taking to Twitter, Deshmukh said, 'A few journalists were waiting for me at the hospital gate after I got discharged on February 15. I was feeling low and weak so I sat on the chair there and responded to their questions. Then I went straight to my car and went home.'

He further added, 'I was in home quarantine from February 15 to 27. I stepped out of my house for the first time on February 28.'

Nationalist Congress Party's chief Sharad Pawar had also today claimed Anil Deshmukh was admitted to hospital due to COVID-19 during the period in which former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh claimed the Home Minister met Waze, who has been arrested by the National Investigation Agency in the Mukesh Ambani bomb scare case.

On the contrary, BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis tweeted, 'It seems Sharad Pawar is not briefed properly on Parambir Singh's letter. In the letter only, the SMS evidence shows that the meeting date was mentioned as the end of February. Now, who is diverting issue?'

The BJP leader further said, 'Sharad Pawar said that from February 15 to 27 Deshmukh was in home-quarantine. But actually along with security guards and media he was seen taking press conference!'   -- ANI

Amid a spurt in coronavirus cases in Tamil Nadu, the Madras high court on Monday directed the Election Commission to advise all political parties contesting the April 6 Assembly election to strictly comply with the COVID-19 protocol.

The first bench, consisting of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, which gave the direction, however, rejected the plea to restrain political outfits from campaigning in view of the recent spurt in Covid cases.

The judges were disposing of a public interest writ petition from A Jalaludeen of Madurai.

Political parties should ensure that the voters and candidates and their associates wore masks and maintain the mandatory distance without any exception.

It is for the EC to send this message to the political parties, the judges added.

After witnessing a declining trend throughout February, COVID-19 infections in the state have been on the rise steadily, with the state adding 1,385 fresh infections on Monday, pushing the active cases to 8,619.

Single phase polling to 234 seats is scheduled on April 6.   -- PTI

The helicopter in which Union  Home Minister Amit Shah was scheduled to travel from Udalgurito Guwahati developed a technical snag forcing him to take theroad on Monday, party sources said in Guwahati.

Shah had addressed an election rally at Udalguri, the third during the day in Assam, and was informed about the snagbefore he boarded the flight.

He later left by road for Guwahati, abround 70 km,where he was scheduled to address party workers in a closeddoor meeting.

An Udalguri district official said that the snag wasdetected during a routine checkup before the VIP boarded thehelicopter.

Shah had arrived in Guwahati in the afternoon and addressedrallies at Jonai, Majuli from where Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal was contesting and Udalguri in Bodoalnd Territorial Region (BTR).   -- PTI

Maharashtra Health Minister Rajesh Tope on Monday said people must follow COVID-19 safety protocols if the state is to avoid another lockdown.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray was of the view that lockdown may become necessary in some cities if the new cases continue to climb, Tope told reporters in Pune.

He met the chief minister two days ago, Tope said.

"He told me that if the number of daily cases in the state remains in the range of 25,000 to 30,000 for the next some days, then we will have to take some stringent steps. He is of the opinion that if the numbers continue to increase, we will have to impose lockdown in some cities," the minister said.

"I appeal people to respond to CM's warning (about possibility of lockdown) positively and follow the COVID-19 protocols such as mask wearing, hand hygiene and physical distancing to avoild lockdown," Tope said.

He also said that the Centre has told the states that the gap between two shots of Covishield vaccine will be 45 to 60 days instead of the present 28 days.

The gap between doses of Covaxin will be same as earlier, that is 28 days.

He has discussed the latest surge in cases with epidemiologists, the health minister said.

"According to their estimate, the graph of COVID-19 cases will remain the same for the next two to three days and after that, it will decline. I think this is a peak and I hope it will go down," said Tope.

He also said that the state was not hiding any cases, and each case is registered with the Indian Coucil of Medical Research.

"The question is if this is being followed in other states or not," he said.

While the Centre wants at least 70 per cent of tests to be RTPCR, in Maharashtra, the proporftion is 73 per cent, Tope said.

"We have over 550 RTPCR labs in the state. So we have told all the civil surgeons that the RT-PCR should be used at its full capacity," he said.

Big rallies are being held in some of the poll-bound states where no social distancing is followed, and in Gujarat, cricket matches were held with thousands in attendance, the minister pointed out.

Tope also denied that vaccines were going to waste.

"It was told (by the centre) that 58 lakh doses were given to the state and now the vaccine doses are still lying unused. There is no such situation," he said.

"Every day, 3 lakh vaccinations are happening and we are trying to increase it by roping in private hospitals and setting up sub-centres in rural areas to make it convenient for the people," he added.

There are 1.77 crore people who are eligible for the vaccine in the current phase and the state will need 2.20 crore doses for them, Tope said, adding that the government was striving to complete this phase in three months. -- PTI

As many as 119 armed forces personnel died of COVID-19 while 44,766 contracted the infection in the three services, according to data provided by the government on Monday.

In response to a question in Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik said the Army reported 81 deaths while the total number of coronavirus infections in the force was 33,003.

Naik said two persons died of the infection in the Navy while the number of positive cases was 3,604.

He further added the number of deaths in the Indian Air Force was reported at 36 and the total infection stood at 8,159.

On a specific query, the minister said as per rules, no special compensation for deaths occurring due to infectious disease is provided to armed forces personnel while they are in service.

"However, all such cases of death while in service are provided terminal benefits," he added.

Replying to a separate question, Naik mentioned allowing increasing the limit of foreign direct investment in the defence sectors upto 74 per cent under automatic route and upto 100 per cent through government route wherever it is likely to result in access to modern technology or for other reasons.

He said opening up of the defence sector for private players has resulted in FDI inflows of about Rs 4,191 crores as reported by the companies so far in defence and aerospace sectors.   -- PTI

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) team carried out searches at the offices and residences of three SEBI officers -- chief general managers Jayanta Jash and Jeevan Sonparote, and Deputy General Manager Prasenjit Dey -- in connection with the case, they said. 

Jash and Dey were posted in Kolkata when the Saradha ponzi scheme was being run in West Bengal and neighbouring states, while Sonparote was posted in Mumbai, they said. 

There are multiple FIRs against Saradha Group in West Bengal, in which it has been alleged that thousands of investors were allegedly duped by the company officials and their associates who swindled their deposits. 

The Supreme Court had handed over the Saradha chit fund scam probe to CBI in 2014 and asked the state governments concerned to provide all logistical help to the probe agency. It emerged, during the probe, that the schemes floated by Saradha group subsidiary were found to be illegal collective investment scheme (CIS) activities and the regulator had passed an order against the company and its promoters. 

This order was passed three years after the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) received a complaint from West Bengal's director, Economic Offences Investigation Cell (EOIC) that Saradha Realty India Limited is collecting money from the public, particularly in rural areas of the state.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday termed the passage of a Bill in Lok Sabha seeking to make it clear that the 'government' in Delhi means the 'Lieutenant Governor' an 'insult' to the people of the national capital.

The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021, was passed by Lok Sabha on Monday amidst strong opposition from the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party which said that the legislation is 'unconstitutional'.

The Bill also makes it mandatory for the Delhi government to take the opinion of the L-G before any executive action. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the Bill effectively takes away power from those who were voted by people and gives powers to run Delhi to those who were defeated.

'The passage of the GNCTD (Amendment) Bill in Lok Sabha today is an insult to the people of Delhi. The Bill effectively takes away powers from those who were voted by people and gives powers to run Delhi to those who were defeated. The BJP has cheated the people,' Kejriwal tweeted.

Earlier, Kejriwal had even urged the Centre to take back the bill and said the AAP dispensation was 'ready to fall at the (Narendra) Modi government's feet' for its withdrawal.   -- PTI

Actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Kolkata recently, has registered himself as a voter in north Kolkata, fuelling speculation that he might be contesting the assembly elections.

The yesteryear 'Disco Dancer', however, has not cleared the air over the possibility of his candidature, and saffron camp sources said that any decision to this effect would be taken by the BJP leadership.

"Dada is now a voter of 22/180 Raja Manindra Road, our address in Belgachia assembly constituency," his cousin Sarmistha Sarkar said.

Asked if the decision has anything to do with Chakraborty's next political move, if any, she said, "We have no idea. He usually puts up at hotels during official visits to the city. He visits us once in a while, but without any fanfare. Dada avoids crowd."

Chakraborty, a former TMC Rajya Sabha MP, was earlier a voter from Maharashtra.

He joined the BJP on March 7 during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally here at Brigade Parade Ground.   -- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kirit Somaiya on Monday said former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh should be dismissed if his allegations are false, but if they are true, then Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh should quit.

"Home Minister Deshmukh says he will file a defamation case against Singh for accusing him of corruption. Instead he should fire Singh," Somaiya told reporters in Mumbai.

"If allegations made by Singh are false, dismiss him. If the allegations are true, Anil Deshmukh should resign immediately," the former MP further said.

Somaiya also said while Deshmukh, an NCP leader, was accusing Singh of lying, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and Shiv Sena mouthpiece `Saamana' praised the police officer.

 

"Uddhav Thackeray and (NCP chief) Sharad Pawar should free people from the clutches of this business of `Vasuli' (extortion)," the BJP leader added.

He also claimed that vaccination against COVID-19 was not going well in Maharashtra.

 

"Though the Centre has given 72 lakh doses, only 40 lakh shots have been administered so far," he claimed. -- PTI

The Gandhi Peace Prize for the year 2020 is being conferred on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the culture ministry said on Monday.

 

The prestigious prize for the year 2019 is being conferred on late Sultan Qaboos bin Said Al Said of Oman in recognition of his vision to strengthen relations with India, and his efforts to promote peace and non-violence in the Gulf region, the ministry said. 

The Gandhi Peace Prize is an annual award instituted by government of India since 1995, the 125th birth anniversary commemoration year of Mahatma Gandhi. The award is open to all people regardless of nationality, race, language, caste, creed or sex.

The jury for Gandhi Peace Prize is chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and comprises of two ex-officio members, namely the chief justice of India and leader of the single largest opposition party in the lok sabha. 

Two eminent members are also part of the jury -- Om Birla, Speaker of the Lok Sabha, and Bindeshwar Pathak, Founder of Sulabh International Social Service Organisation. 

The jury met on March 19, 2021 and after due deliberations, unanimously decided to select Bangladesh's father of the nation, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and Oman's longtime ruler Sultan Qaboos for the prize, an official statement said. -- PTI

Newly-appointed Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale on Monday met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan in Mumbai.

A Raj Bhavan statement said this was Nagrale's first meeting with the governor after taking charge as Mumbai police commissioner.

The Maharashtra government had, on March 17, broughtin Nagrale as police commissioner of the metropolis in place of Param Bir Singh amid the recovery of an explosives-laden vehicle near industrialist Mukesh Ambani's home and the arrest of Crime Branch assistant inspector Sachin Waze. -- PTI  

Parliament on Monday passed the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill which will help create employment opportunities and allow the private sector with enhanced technology in mining activities.

   

Union Minister for Coal and Mines Pralhad Joshi said the bill will not curb the powers of states, as claimed by some opposition parties.

 

The bill was passed by Rajya Sabha through a voice vote amid the opposition's demand that it be sent to a select committee for scrutiny.

 

Lok Sabha passed the bill on March 19.

 

The bill, which amends the Mines and Mineral (Development and Regulation) Act, seeks to create employment opportunities and allow participation of private players in mining activities. -- PTI

The visit is to review poll preparedness just ahead of the first phase that is scheduled to begin in the state on March 27. 

Talking to ANI, sources from ECI stated that, "a full bench Commission along with senior officials are going to West Bengal tomorrow to review poll preparedness. It is simply routine work." 

Meanwhile, central forces have been deployed throughout West Bengal ahead of the polls. 

The ECI has already started issuing several notices to ensure free and fair elections. 

 Elections to the 294-member assembly will be held from March 27 to April 29 in eight phases. Results will be declared on May 2.

The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021 has been passed in the Lok Sabha today.

The Bill gives more powers to the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, who represents the centre, compared to the city's elected government.

The ruling Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi had opposed the Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2021. 

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had even urged the central government to take back the bill and said the AAP dispensation was ready to fall at the Modi government's feet for its withdrawal. 

"The new excise policy was approved by the Cabinet today on basis of the recommendations of the Group of Ministers. It was decided that no new liquor shops will be opened in the national capital and the government will not run any liquor shops. At present, 60 per cent liquor shops in Delhi are run by the government," Sisodia said at a press conference. 

"Government will ensure equitable distribution of liquor shops so that liquor mafia are thrown out of the trade. A revenue growth of 20 per cent is estimated after the reforms in excise department," he added. PTI

Manoj Bajpaypee and Dhanush awarded best actor for Hindi film 'Bhonsle' and Tamil movie 'Asuran', respectively.

 Locals rushed to the spot after hearing the explosion and took the two boys to the Bardhaman Medical College and Hospital where Afroz was declared dead, he said. Ibrahim is at present undergoing treatment, he added. The bomb squad has been informed about the incident and an investigation has been initiated, Saha said. The blast triggered tension in the area ahead of the elections.

Responding to a set of questions in the House, Patel said 73.64 lakh square metres of land needs to be acquired in eight districts for the project, of which 69.99 lakh square metres have already been acquired, leaving 3.65 lakh square metres, or about 5 per cent of total requirement, to be acquired as on December, 2020. 

He said land acquisition has been completed in Valsad and Kheda districts and is in progress in Navsari, Ahmedabad, Anand, Bharuch, Surat and Vadodara. The minister told the Assembly the government has so far received 1,908 applications from farmers objecting to the project's land acquisition. PTI

 He was joined by his upcoming "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2" co-star Kiara Advani. Aaryan took to Twitter and shared a picture of a first aid medical sign, writing, "I am positive. Pray for me." 

 The actor was also shooting for "Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2" with Advani and Tabu, who joined the crew on March 15. Aaryan began his portions for the horror-comedy earlier in March in Manali, Himachal Pradesh. On Sunday, Mumbai reported 3,779 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the overall tally to 3,62,675. The death toll mounted to 11,586. PTI 

The broader NSE Nifty dipped 7.60 points or 0.05 per cent to 14,736.40. IndusInd Bank was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding around 4 per cent, followed by PowerGrid, ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank, Axis Bank and Bajaj Finance. 

 On the other hand, Tech Mahindra, TCS, Sun Pharma, Infosys and HCL Tech were among the gainers.  -- PTI

It has also won many wards in other councils for which counting is underway. The panel was led by newly-inducted Atanasio Monserrate, who joined the BJP in 2019.

"I am just a worker of the BJP party, the party selected me to run this campaign," said Monserrate after the win.

Uday Madkaikar, former Mayor of the Municipal Corporation said the party was assured of winning all the 30 wards but yet, 25 is not a small figure.

The government now says that in view of emerging scientific evidence, interval between two doses of a specific COVID-19 vaccine i.e. Covishield, has been revisited by National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization and subsequently by National Expert Group on Vaccine Administration for COVID-19.

"Consequently, the recommendations has been revised to provide the 2nd dose of Covishield at 4-8 weeks' interval after the 1st dose, instead of the  earlier practiced interval of 4-6 weeks. This decision of revised time interval between two doses is applicable only to Covishield and not to Covaxin."

Covishield is the Covid-19 vaccine manufactured by the Serum Institute of India, while Covaxin is from Bharat Biotech. 

In a video message, Thorat said Congress' Maharashtra in-charge HK Patil held discussions with party leaders in the state over the controversy and tried to understand their views. 

 "HK Patil spoke to us over the issue yesterday from Delhi. He tried to understand our views. He tried to understand the chronology," Thorat added.

Thorat said if any decision is to be taken in connection with this episode it will be taken after Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) constituents Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress hold discussions. 

 In his eight-page letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Singh on Saturday claimed Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels. Deshmukh had dismissed Singh's allegations as baseless. 

 "The matter is being probed properly. We have doubts about the motive behind Singh's letter. It is our view today that Singh might have written the letter out of some pressure," Thorat said. 

 To a question whether Deshmukh should step down following Singh's allegation, Thorat said it will be "wrong" if a minister is made to resign just because some official makes an allegation. 

 "It is important for us to know what was his (Singh's) motive, whether he was under any pressure," Thorat added. In his letter, Singh had also claimed that Deshmukh wanted a case of abetment to suicide registered in Mumbai after the death of Dadra and Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar in a city hotel last month. Thorat wondered what was wrong in registering the FIR if the incident had taken place in Mumbai. PTI

The Jute sector also supports some 35 lakh farmers spread over 18 out of 23 major districts. "We will revamp the jute industry with a SPV (special purpose vehicle) having a corpus of Rs 1500 crore. The amount will be used for financial restructuring of jute mills, modernizing infrastructure of mills, production linked incentives and marketing centers," the manifesto said. The manifesto also promises to continue with rules on compulsorily using jute packaging for foodgrains and sugar. The TMC manifesto on the other hand offers sops for all farmers and not specifically for the jute sector. After the 2019 Lok Sabha elections analysts said there have been noticeable changes in the politics of these jute growing districts and mill areas. 

Around 80 percent of the total 40 percent votes received by BJP candidates came from the jute growing and jute mill areas of North Bengal (9 seats) and North 24 Parganas, Hooghly, Howrah, Nadia, Jangalmahal and Paschimanchal.

The BJP high command realising the importance of the jute sector, seems to have decided to focus on it. Analysts said this is the first time any party has offered a direct corpus led plan for the ailing sector and expects the saffron party to reap dividends from this announcement. PTI

Singh on Saturday claimed that Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh wanted police officers to collect at least Rs 100 crore from city bars and hotels every month, a charge which Deshmukh denied.  

Param Bir Singh, in his petition before Supreme Court, has also demanded a CBI inquiry against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. He has also sought protection from further coercive action from the state against him.

He is scheduled to meet with the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar at Hyderabad House at 6 pm. 

Under the Vaccine Maitri initiative, India had earlier sent Covid-19 vaccine supplies to Afghanistan to aid its fight against the virus.

AstraZeneca says advanced trial data from a US study on its COVID vaccine shows it is 79 per cent effective.

  

Although AstraZeneca's vaccine has been authorised in more than 50 countries, it has not yet been given the green light in the US. The US study comprised 30,000 volunteers, 20,000 of whom were given the vaccine while the rest got dummy shots. The results were announced Monday.

In a statement, AstraZeneca said its COVID-19 vaccine had a 79 per cent efficacy rate at preventing symptomatic COVID and was 100 per cent effective in stopping severe disease and hospitalisation. Investigators said the vaccine was effective across all ages, including older people, which previous studies in other countries had failed to establish.

The early findings from the US study are just one set of information AstraZeneca must submit to the Food and Drug Administration. An FDA advisory committee will publicly debate the evidence behind the shots before the agency decides whether to allow emergency use of the vaccine.

Scientists have been awaiting results of the US study in hopes it will clear up some of the confusion about just how well the shots really work. 

Britain first authorised the vaccine based on partial results from testing in the United Kingdom, Brazil and South Africa that suggested the shots were about 70 per cent effective. But those results were clouded by a manufacturing mistake that led some participants to get just a half dose in their first shot -- an error the researchers didn't immediately acknowledge.

Then came more questions, about how well the vaccine protected older adults and how long to wait before the second dose. Some European countries including Germany, France and Belgium initially withheld the shot from older adults and only reversed their decisions after new data suggested it is offering seniors protection.

Last week, more than a dozen countries, mostly in Europe, temporarily suspended their use of the AstraZeneca shot after reports it was linked to blood clots. On Thursday, the European Medicines Agency concluded after an investigation that the vaccine did not raise the overall risk of blood clots, but could not rule out that it was connected to two very rare types of clots.

France, Germany, Italy and other countries subsequently resumed their use of the shot on Friday, with senior politicians rolling up their sleeves to show the vaccine was safe.

Leaving no areas to attract the attention of the Bengali people, BJP in their manifesto: has given a large space to women, announcing that if the BJP comes to power, 33 per cent job reservation will be provided to the women, along with free travelling for them in public transport. 

It also includes free education from Kindergarten (KG) to Post-Graduation (PG). 

The BJP will implement the Ayushman Bharat Scheme and the Pradhan Mantri Kishan Nidhi Scheme which the Mamata Banerjee government has denied implementing in the state. It has also promised the provision of salt at Rs 3 per kg and sugar at Rs 5 per kg.

The BJP has also promised to implement the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in the very first year of its Cabinet and has said that would make strong efforts to strengthen border fencing to stop infiltrators, while Rs 10,000 every year for the refugees family for five years will be ensured.

On the other hand, TMC's poll manifesto: focuses on the youth, students and farmers. The party has promised five lakh jobs in a year and financial assistance to the female heads of any family for the general category will be given Rs 6000 per year and Rs 12,000 every year for those belonging to the SC/ST community.

For farmers. the party has said that it would increase aid to them from Rs 6,000 to Rs 10,000 per acre. The manifesto of TMC also promised credit cards for students to get loan up to Rs 10 lakhs with 4 per cent of interest and Health Scheme Swasthya Saathi to continue providing expense of Rs five lakh for the treatment of families.

Both TMC and BJP have claimed that their manifesto is a development-oriented manifesto for the people. 

While releasing the 'Sonar Bangla Sankalp Patra', Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the manifesto was completed after taking in the suggestions from the people of the state.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Locket Chatterjee has praised the party manifesto, saying that it is an eye-catching manifesto and all the sectors have been taken care of, while importance has been given to all sectors, considering the budget.

Whereas TMC leader Sougata Roy on Sunday slammed the BJP, saying it is a jumla-based manifesto and lamented that outsiders are releasing the manifesto of Bengal, which is "sad for Gujarat".

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee also slammed the BJP, tweeting that a jumla-laden manifesto for Bengal polls has been released in the hands of a "Gujarati".

"Absurd how the Tourist Gang released their jumla-laden manifesto for Bengal polls in the hands of a Gujarati! A party that cannot find sufficient candidates for all 294 seats in Bengal is now faltering to find local leadership for such key events!" he tweeted.

-- ANI

NCP chief Sharad Pawar holds a presser ahead of his meeting with his alliance partner, the Shiv Sena today on the Param Bir Singh letter bomb and the culpability of home minister Anil Deshmukh.

Referring to the letter the former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh wrote to CM Uddhav Thackeray, Pawar says, "If you see the former Commissioner's letter, he mentions that in mid-February he was informed by certain officers that they got such and such instructions from the Home Minister... From 6th-16th Feb, Mr Deshmuklh was admitted in the hospital because of Corona."

Sharad Pawar says "vague allegations" made by the ex-Mumbai top cop is to divert attention from Mukesh Ambani security scare case probe.

"It is clear that during the period about which the allegations were made, Anil Deshmukh was hospitalised. As this is clear, such demands hold no power."

A crucial political meeting of the Maharashtra government alliance partners scheduled for this afternoon in New Delhi was to decide the future of the 16-month-old state government. It came amid a rift over the crisis involving state Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, with the Shiv Sena earlier viewing him as a liability. Yet, the party today asked why his resignation was being discussed when both the Chief Minister and the NCP chief had agreed that the contents of "letter bomb" must be probed.

Pawar has summoned the top party leadership of the state, including Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and state party chief Jayant Patil to New Delhi today to take a call on Mr Deshmukh. The NCP founder suggested that former police officer Julio Ribeiro probe the allegations against the Home Minster, but the retired cop refused.

 The 64-year-old actor, however, was shifted to the Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital for better medical care. According to a statement released by Kaushik's spokesperson on Monday, the actor is currently "recovering well". 

 "He was planning to get vaccinated for COVID-19. However, when he got tested after experiencing some weakness, he tested positive. Satish ji quarantined at home for two days, but he decided to get admitted at the hospital for proper medical care," the statement read.

 "He is grateful to his family, friends and well-wishers who are praying for his speedy recovery," the spokesperson added. On Sunday, Mumbai reported 3,779 fresh COVID-19 cases, taking the overall tally to 3,62,675. The death toll mounted to 11,586. PTI

Swamy, a Jesuit priest and activist, was arrested from Ranchi in October, 2020, and has since been lodged at the Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai. As per his lawyers, Swamy is suffering from Parkinson's disease and he has lost the ability to hear from both his ears. He also suffers from several other ailments.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had opposed Swamy's bail plea saying probe had revealed that Swamy was a staunch supporter of organisations such as 'Vistapan Virodhi Jan Vikas Andolan' and 'People's Union for Civil Liberties', which were working as "fronts of the CPI (Maoist)". Swamy's lawyer Sharif Shaikh had argued that the NIA had failed to establish Swamy's connection to the Elgar Parishad-Maoists links case. PTI

AICC Maharashtra incharge HK Patil has said that Balasaheb Thorat and Ashok Chavan will meet CM Uddhav Thackeray to discuss the alleged letter of the Mumbai Police Commissioner. The NCP chief has already spoken to the media saying the resignation (of HM Anil Deshmukh) will be discussed. "Whatever alternatives come, we'll see, even resignation is one alternative," the Congress said. 

The Chief Minister on Sunday at a public rally asserted her plans to build a permanent residence on the banks of the Haldi river in the constituency so that she can visit more frequently. 

Suvendu, in one of his first speeches made soon after filing nomination for BJP, had branded Mamata as an 'outsider' in Nandigram.

Those associated with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) stated that Adhikari's attempts to brand Mamata as an outsider were futile as she was the daughter of Bengal.

While the first house has been rented for a year, according to neighbours, the other house has been rented for six months. Both houses are located at a distance of approximately 100 metres from each other in the Reyapara area.

TMC went on house hunting for its chief after she announced that she would contest from Nandigram and zeroed in on these two houses.

According to locals, Mamata earlier had plans to use the first house that has rooms on the first floor -- with the ground floor is rented out to shops.

 However, after the leg injury suffered during campaigning earlier this month, she is now likely to use the second house which has rooms on the ground floor.

"This second house has an open and levelled ground making it easy for the wheelchair. Secondly, we have taken the ground floor and the family which has rented us the house lives on the first floor. Mamata due to the leg injury would prefer to stay on the ground floor," stated a source.

The work to cover the front and side of the second house with sheets of cloth to block the view is currently in progress. Security has been increased at the house and in its vicinity.

Sudam Chandra Parui, owner of the second rented house and her wife Rani Parui, a retired high school teacher are excited to host the Chief Minister.

"We haven't had a chance to meet her as she is yet to visit the house. This is taken on rent just 15 days ago. I am happy that she will be here," said 72 years old Parui who lives with her husband, daughter and grandson. Ask her about rent and she refrained from giving any other detail.

The first house now accommodates security personnel deployed for the Chief Minister's security. -- ANI

"The CMs of UP and MP will sign a pact today to link the Ken and Betwa rivers. This will all but destroy the Panna Tiger Reserve in MP, a success story in translocation and revival. I had suggested alternatives 10 years ago but alas...," he said on Twitter. 

 The pact to link the rivers Ken and Betwa would be done in the presence of the prime minister during the launch of "Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch the Rain" campaign on the World Water Day on Monday. PTI

The Sena also said this issue has now become a "matter of prestige" for the party-led government, a day after Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) ruled out resignation of Deshmukh. In the editorial in the Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana', the party said a fire will erupt if the BJP tries to undermine the majority enjoyed by the MVA government. The MVA comprises the Sena, NCP and Congress. 

 A major political storm erupted in Maharashtra after Singh wrote a letter to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray last week claiming that Deshmukh had asked police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly, including Rs 50-60 crore from bars and hotels in Mumbai. Singh was recently shunted out as Mumbai police commissioner in the midst of a probe by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in the recovery of an explosives- laden SUV from outside the south Mumbai residence of industrialist Mukesh Ambani last month. Deshmukh had said that Singh was transferred in view of "serious and unforgivable mistakes" committed by some colleagues of the top cop. 

The home minister had also denied the allegations of corruption raised against him. The hue and cry being generated by the BJP over Singh's letter seems to be part of a conspiracy, the Sena said, adding the letter came close on heels of Opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi last week. 

"It seems to be the goal of the BJP to impose President's rule in Maharashtra by contending that law and order situation is not right. For this, new pawns are being created. It is clear, Singh is being used in that manner," it said. -- PTI

Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena on Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh: "If NCP chief Sharad Pawar has decided that the allegations should be probed, then what is wrong? Anyone can level any allegation. If people take ministers' resignation just like that then it will be difficult to run the government.  

The HM said that the contents of the 'letter bomb' should be probed and CM should probe it. NCP chief said that it should be investigated. If the government is ready to accept the challenge of probing this, then why is the issue of resignation being raised repeatedly?

"If someone is attempting to get President's Rule imposed in Maharashtra by misusing central agencies, then I am warning them - you yourself will get burnt in that fire."

The allegations have caused tension within the alliance, with NCP leader Sharad Pawar ruling out the resignation of the minister, who belongs to his party, while saying it is Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's prerogative to decide.

India registered 46,951 cases of coronavirus disease and 212 related fatalities, which have taken the country's cumulative tally past 11.6 million and the death toll to 159,967 in the last 24 hours, according to the Union ministry of health and family welfare on Monday. 

According to the health ministry's dashboard updated at 8 am, the active caseload in the country was logged at 334,646.

The Indian Council of Medical Research said 23,44,45,774 samples were tested for Covid-19 up to Sunday and of these, 880,655 samples were tested on the same day.

The health ministry said on Sunday Maharashtra, Kerala, Punjab, Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh account for 83.14 per cent of the new infections. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Karnataka, Gujarat and Haryana are displaying an upward trajectory in daily new cases, according to the ministry.

A Gujarat Bharatiya Janata Party MLA said workers of his party do not get infected with the coronavirus since they "work hard."

Rajkot (South) legislator Govind Patel's take on coronavirus came after reporters asked him if the flouting of guidelines by political leaders and workers during poll campaigning was resulting in a spike in cases.

"Those who work hard do not get coronavirus infection. BJP workers work hard, and therefore, not a single worker has been infected with the virus," Patel claimed.

During campaigning for the local bodies polls last month, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani tested positive for COVID-19, while many other leaders of the ruling party have also been infected during the pandemic, including state unit chief CR Paatil and several MLAs.

Former US President Donald Trump, suspended from Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites after the January 6 attack on the Capitol, plans to launch his own platform in two to three months, one of his senior advisers said.

Jason Miller, a spokesman for Trump's 2020 campaign, told the network that Trump would re-enter the social media space with a new platform of his own that would "completely redefine the game."

Miller provided no further details, and no comment was immediately available from officials with the Trump Organization.

Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty, who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the assembly elections in West Bengal, may be fielded for the polls, sources in the party said. 

Chakraborty shared the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his rally on March 7 at Kolkatas Brigade Parade ground and joined the party the same day. Hours after his induction, the actor said he wont jump any queues for the role of the chief minister. 

If it (CMs post) comes to me via protocol then I will consider it but I will not jump the protocol.

The BJPs journey of making inroads into Tollywood began in 2019 after the party won 18 of Bengals 42 Lok Sabha seats. On July 18 that year, as many as 13 actors joined the BJP in Delhi and Kolkata. While none of them are stars, all are popular faces on television or the big screen. Chakraborty was once known for his radical Left leanings but later he became close to several top Left leaders including late Subhash Chakraborty. He earned fame after he debuted in Mrinal Sens award winning movie Mrigayaa.

In 2014, he was nominated as Rajya Sabha member by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee but after two years he resigned citing health issues. He was the brand ambassador of the now-defunct Saradha group of companies owned by Sudipta Sen (now behind bars). The actor has appeared in more than 350 films, including Bengali, Hindi, Odia, Bhojpuri, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Punjabi.

Two unidentified terrorists were killed in an encounter with security forces in Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday, Police said.

 

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in Manihal area of the district following information about presence of terrorists there, a police official said.

He said a gun battle broke out when the terrorists opened fire on the security forces, who retaliated.

In the exchange of firing, two ultras were killed, the official said, adding further details were awaited.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi will arrive in Kerala on Monday as part of campaigns for the upcoming assembly polls.

"Rahul Gandhi will be in Kerala tomorrow to begin a two-day visit to the State," Congress tweeted on Sunday. He will take part in public meetings organised at several districts.

On February 24, Gandhi had taken a dip into the sea with fishermen in Kerala's Kollam. Later he joined them for fish and experienced their daily lives.

Congress is contesting 91 seats in the Assembly polls. Among the United Democratic Front allies, Indian Union Muslim League will be contesting on 27 seats, Kerala Congress, the splinter group headed by PJ Joseph having prominence in Christian dominated Kottayam-Idukki belt will field its candidates contesting on 10 seats.

Under the UDF banner, the Revolutionary Socialist Party will field its candidates on five seats while the Mani C Kappan-led faction that broke away from the Nationalist Congress Party, ahead of assembly polls has been given two seats.

The election for 140-member Kerala assembly will be held on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2. 

The NCP ruled out resignation of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh even as the demand for his removal grew louder over former Mumbai police chief's allegation that he wanted police officers to collect Rs 100 crore monthly from bars and hotels in the city.

After a three-hour meeting at NCP president Sharad Pawar's residence on Sunday, Jayant Patil, the party's state chief and senior minister in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, said there is no need to divert attention from the main incident of bomb scare outside Mukesh Ambani's residence and the killing of Mansukh Hiran, a Thane-based businessman.

The focus is on these two events and after that appropriate steps will be taken, he said, adding the state Anti-Terrorism Squad has arrested two people in the connection with Hiran's killing. 

"The question of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh resigning does not arise," Patil told reporters. 

During a media briefing earlier in the day, Pawar said Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray will decide the fate of Deshmukh. The allegations levelled by former Mumbai police chief Param Bir Singh against Deshmukh are serious and require an in-depth probe, he said.

Pawar's comments came amid speculation in state political circles that Maharashtra may soon have a new home minister. Pawar held the meeting with senior leaders Supriya Sule and Praful Patel, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Patil.