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Thu, 21 October 2021
No probe against NCB's Wankhede: Maha govt
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23:43 No probe against NCB's Wankhede: Maha govt
Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse-Patil on Thursday said there was "no question" of the state government ordering any investigation against the NCB's zonal director Sameer Wankhede.
He would take information about what his fellow NCP leader and state Minority Affairs Minister Nawab Malik had said about the official, Walse-Patil told reporters at the airport here.
Earlier in the day, Malik, continuing his tirade against Wankhede, had claimed the officer was specifically brought in by the Union government post the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput to target the film industry.
Wankhede, who supervised a raid on a cruise liner off the Mumbai coast earlier this month that led to the alleged recovery of drugs and arrest of Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan and others by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), has refuted Malik's allegations.
ANI Photo/Twitter
23:37 Encounter between terrorists and security forces breaks out in Srinagar's Chanapora
An encounter broke out between terrorists and security forces in the Chanapora area of the city on Thursday, police said.
"Encounter has started at Chanapora area of Srinagar. Police and security forces are on the job. Further details shall follow," the Kashmir Zone police tweeted.
There are no reports of any casualties so far but exchange of fire took place for several minutes, officials said.
They said a search operation is going on to track down the terrorists.
23:09 Pak to remain on terror financing Grey List: FATF
Pakistan will continue to be on the 'Grey List' of the FATF as it needs to "further demonstrate" that action is being taken against UN-designated terrorists like India's most wanted Hafiz Saeed and Masood Azhar, and groups led by them, the global body against terror financing said on Thursday.
Addressing a press conference, Financial Action Task Force (FATF) president Marcus Pleyer said the decision has been taken at the conclusion of the virtual plenary of the organisation.
On the action plan of Pakistan, Paris-based FATF requires it to demonstrate terror financing investigation and prosecution of leaders and commanders of UN-designated terrorist groups and their associates, Pleyer said.
Pakistan continues to remain on "increased monitoring list", he said at a virtual press conference from Paris.
"Increased monitoring list" is another name for the 'Grey List'.
"Pakistan has taken a number of important steps but needs to "further demonstrate that investigations and prosecutions are being pursued against the senior leadership of UN-designated terror groups," the president of the global body against money laundering and terror financing said.
"All these changes are about helping authorities prevent terrorism, stop corruption and prevent organised criminals from profiting from their crimes," he said.
Uttam Ghosh/Rediff.com
22:44 UP minister says 95 pc people don't need petrol, fuel prices don't matter
Dismissing criticism over the rising fuel prices, Uttar Pradesh minister Upendra Tiwari on Thursday said 95 per cent people have no use for petrol.
Tiwari also argued that fuel prices had not really risen in real terms when the per capita income now is compared with that in 2014, referring to the year when a BJP-led government first came to power at the Centre.
"Today, there are just a handful of people who travel in four-wheel vehicles and use petrol. At present, 95 per cent people don't need petrol," Tiwari told reporters in Jalaun.
Higher fuel costs, however, impact virtually every citizen. For example, they lead to an increase in the price of all commodities -- including foodgrain, fruit and vegetables -- that are transported from one part of the country to another.
The minister's remark comes when petrol prices have crossed Rs 100 per litre in most parts of the country, and diesel hovers close to that mark.
He claimed that the opposition doesn't have any real issue to attack the government.
"You see the data before 2014. What is the per capita income after the formation of the Modi and the Yogi governments?" he said, referring to the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh.
"Today, the per capita income is double," he claimed.
He also referred to free schooling and the coronavirus vaccination offered by the government.
22:12 U'khand records five times above-normal rain: IMD
India received 41 per cent more rainfall than normal from October 1-21 with Uttarakhand alone recording more than five times its normal precipitation, IMD data showed on Thursday.
Providing a numerical perspective to the unusually heavy rains ravaging several parts of the country, particularly the hill state of Uttarakhand in the north and coastal Kerala in the south, the India Meteorological Department said the country received 84.8 mm against the normal 60.2 mm this month.
Of the 694 districts in the country, 45 per cent (311 districts in 16 states and union territories) recorded rainfall in large excess and 14 per cent (96 districts in six states and UTs).
Uttarakhand, where rains have claimed the lives of more than 54 people, recorded 192.6 mm against the usual 35.3 mm from October 1-20. The monsoon has wrought huge damage in the state, triggering floods and landslides that have blocked highways and smaller, key roads. Figures for the state were available till Wednesday, October 20.
Kerala received 445.1 mm of rainfall until October 20 as against the usual 303.4 mm. More than 40 people have been killed in Kerala, where videos of a house being swallowed by a swollen stream and landslides give a sense of how brutal the lashing was.
Heavy rains have also hit Sikkim, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, displacing people and damaging property.
Experts attribute the extreme weather events to various causes, including warming of the seas, unabated development and delayed withdrawal of the monsoon.
Balaji Narsimhan, professor at the Civil Engineering department, IIT-Madras, said it was undoubtedly an unusual October and pointed to infrastructural challenges and unabated development.
Many of these extreme weather events have taken place earlier. But now places are more densely populated which amplifies the impact, Narasimhan, who also studied the 2015 Chennai floods, told PTI.
In December 2015, Chennai received its highest rain in 100 years in which more than 250 people were killed.
Discussing the situation in Kerala, Narsimhan said the state gets bountiful rainfall both during the Southwest monsoon and the Northeast monsoon but this year has been different.
Explaining the heavy rainfall, IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said October saw the formation of two low pressure areas (cyclonic circulations that bring in rainfall and strong winds).
In Uttarakhand, he explained, the interaction between western disturbance and the low pressure area resulted in heavy rains this week.
The western disturbance over north India is a phenomenon typically observed in non-monsoon seasons.
The interaction of cold winds of western disturbance and the warm winds of the low pressure area bring in thunderstorms and heavy rainfall, Mohapatra said, adding that such interaction had taken place during the deadly deluge in Uttarakhand in 2013 in which hundreds of people were killed.
M Rajeevan, former Ministry of Earth Sciences secretary who has been studying the Southwest monsoon for more than three decades, said there is a delayed withdrawal of the monsoon.
Since the retreat has been late over the last few years, the IMD in 2020 had revised the withdrawal date from northwest India.
This year, the withdrawal of the Southwest monsoon from northwest India commenced on October 6, the second-most delayed withdrawal since 1975. In 2019, it had started on October 9.
The IMD said its complete withdrawal from the country is expected around October 26.
More importantly, the active conditions of Southwest monsoon which began in September have still not ended. Usually, such an active phase does not last for a month, but this time it has, Rajeevan said.
Warming of seas around India is another factor, Rajeevan pointed out.
He said the warming of the Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea helps in forming a cyclonic circulation. This year, it is aided by La Nina conditions -- the phenomenon is associated with the cooling of the Pacific waters and usually results in good rainfall activity -- and some remnants of cyclonic circulation from the Pacific Ocean.
Once these remnants enter the Bay of Bengal, the warm water aids in formation of cyclonic circulations.
In a paper published earlier this year, Rajeevan along with other meteorologists, said from 1970 to 2019, 7,063 extreme weather events killed 1,41,308 people in the country.
21:38 Rupee ends almost flat at 74.87 vs US dollar
The rupee settled just 1 paisa higher at 74.87 against the US dollar on Thursday amid a bearish trend in domestic equities and a strong greenback overseas.
Forex traders said foreign fund outflows, strengthening of the dollar and firm crude prices in the international market restricted the appreciation bias in the local currency.
At the interbank forex market, the local unit opened at 74.86 against the greenback, and moved in a range of 74.69 to 74.89 during the session.
It finally ended at 74.87, registering a rise of just 1 paisa over its previous close.
The rupee on Wednesday had surged by 47 paise to close at a nearly two-week high of 74.88 against the American currency.
On the domestic equity market front, the BSE Sensex ended 336.46 points or 0.55 per cent lower at 60,923.50, while the broader NSE Nifty fell 88.50 points or 0.48 per cent to 18,178.10.
Meanwhile, the dollar index, which gauges the greenback's strength against a basket of six currencies, advanced 0.09 per cent to 93.64.
Brent crude futures, the global oil benchmark, fell 1.05 per cent to USD 84.92 per barrel.
Foreign institutional investors were net sellers in the capital market on Wednesday as they offloaded shares worth Rs 1,843.09 crore, as per exchange data.
According to Sriram Iyer, Senior Research Analyst at Reliance Securities, dollar sales by foreign banks capped the depreciation, while importers' covering kept the appreciation bias limited.
Asian equities were mostly lower, along with equities in India and concerns of high inflation also kept appreciation bias capped this Thursday.
"Technically, the USD-INR Spot pair holds strong support zones at 74.75-74.63 levels. Resistances are at 75.00 and 75.20," Iyer said.
In the overseas markets, the dollar was flat against a basket of currencies, while the 10-year US Treasury yields eased.
The Indian benchmark yields also eased as traders speculated that the central bank might announce a special debt purchase as early as Thursday, which would aid a fall in yields, Iyer said.
"USD-INR spot closed flat near 74.86 levels, due to push and pull of a weak US Dollar Index and falling Indian stocks," said Anindya Banerjee, DVP, Currency Derivatives & Interest Rate Derivatives at Kotak Securities Ltd.
Banerjee added that with strength in emerging market currencies, the rupee can appreciate towards 74.50/60 levels in the coming days.
21:11 Internet cut in Kashmir ahead of Amit Shah's visit
Authorities have shut down the internet in some areas of Kashmir while police seized a large number of two-wheelers ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's likely visit to the Valley this weekend.
Shah is likely to visit Kashmir on Saturday when the first international flight from Srinagar to Sharjah will take off.
However, police officials said the shutting down of the internet and seizing of two-wheelers has nothing to do with Shah's visit but was part of routine anti-terror measures.
"Seizing some bikes and shutting down of internet of some towers is purely related to #terror #violence. It has nothing to do with visit of the Hon'ble HM," IGP, Kashmir Zone, Vijay Kumar tweeted.
The internet services on a dozen towers -- mostly in the areas where non-local labourers were killed in the last week -- were snapped two days ago while police have started stringent checking of documents of two-wheelers plying on the roads.
Many riders have alleged that their two-wheelers were seized by police without even checking the documents and were asked to collect their vehicles after October 26.
20:43 Investors lose over Rs 8.47 lakh cr in three trading-days as profit booking sets in
Investors' wealth has tumbled by over Rs 8.47 lakh crore in three days of market fall, with equity benchmark Sensex closing below the 61,000-level on Thursday.
The BSE Sensex declined 336.46 points or 0.55 per cent to close at 60,923.50. In three days, the benchmark has lost 842.09 points or 1.36 per cent.
Following the weak sentiment, the market capitalisation of BSE-listed companies has tumbled Rs 8,47,397 crore to stand at Rs 2,66,22,209.99 crore.
Kotak Mahindra Bank was the biggest gainer in the 30-share Sensex pack on Thursday, rising 6.5 per cent, followed by HDFC, ICICI Bank and NTPC.
In contrast, Reliance Industries and Infosys were among the biggest laggards.
In the broader market, the BSE midcap and smallcap indices declined up to 0.69 per cent.
Representational pic
20:27 Delhi cops save man streaming suicide on Facebook
A 43-year-old man live streamed his suicide attempt on Facebook and was saved by the swift intervention of the police here that were alerted by an e-mail from the social media giant Thursday, officials said.
In the video, the man can be heard as saying that he is going to kill himself by taking an overdose of some medicine.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (CyPAD) KPS Malhotra said that an urgent message was received from Facebook that a person posted a live video of a suicide attempt at 1.30 pm.
The e-mail was received around 2 pm from Facebook, following which the cyber cell unit of Delhi Police started investigation. They first managed to get the number, which was linked to the account and traced the person in west Delhi's Rajouri garden, the DCP said.
The information was shared with the west and southwest districts of Delhi Police, and a team of Rajouri Garden police station traced the man at his residence at 3.15 pm. He was found in a semi-conscious condition, police said.
During inquiry, he told police that he consumed about 50 bottles of syrup used in thyroid treatment. It was found that his wife left him around three years ago and that he has lost his job last year, the DCP said.
He was facing many health problems also and was depressed. He went for the treatment of depression earlier, but was not taking medicines for many days, police said.
In the morning, he called his wife, who currently lives in Bhopal, as he wanted to visit her, but she refused.
To mount pressure on his in-laws, he demonstrated live suicide on Facebook. He was immediately shifted to Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital for treatment and is undergoing treatment, police said.
20:04 MAPPED: India's billion-strong vaccination drive
Here's how India achieved the 100-crore vaccination mark through the course of this year
19:38 5 free online sessions on the Bhagvad Gita
Bringing the wisdom from the ancient Bhagvad Gita, a treatise for all time, to you in 5 live online sessions is Sunandaji, daughter-disciple of internationally renowned philosopher Swami A Parthasarathy.
The sessions will be held from October 23 to 27, between 6:30 and 7:45 pm.
The sessions are free, but you need to register from here.
19:11 100 monuments lit up in tricolour for 100 cr vax
The Archaeological Survey of India under the ministry of culture has illuminated 100 monuments in tricolour across the country as India achieved the milestone of administrating 100 crore Covid vaccinations in one of the worlds largest and fastest vaccination drives.
The illumination is taking place as a mark of respect and gratitude to the corona warriors who have contributed relentlessly in the fight against covid pandemic, the ministry of culture said.
The monuments being lit up in tricoluor include UNESCO World Heritage Sites like Red Fort, Humayuns Tomb and Qutb Minar in Delhi, Agra Fort and Fatehpur Sikri in UP, Konark temple in Odisha, Mamallapuram Rath temples in Tamil Nadu, St Francis of Assisi Church in Goa.
The monuments also include Khajuraho, the forts of Chittor and Kumbhalgarh in Rajasthan, the excavated ruins of the ancient Nalanda University in Bihar and Dholavira in Gujarat, the ministry said.
Dholavira was recently accorded world heritage status.
Representational pic
18:41 Security forces defuse IED planted by militants in J-K's Baramulla
A major tragedy was averted as security forces detected and defused an improvised explosive device (IED) in Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday, officials said.
"Security forces detected an IED planted by terrorists from a passenger shed at a bus stop at Saidpora in Rafiabad area of Baramulla," they said.
The officials said a bomb disposal squad was rushed to the spot which took the IED to an isolated place and safely defused it.
18:13 Chunky Panday accompanied Ananya to NCB office
Ananya Panday at the NCB office today. She was accompanied by her father, actor Chunky Panday. Pic: Pradeep Bandekar
17:59 Sidhu: Amarinder architect of Centre's farm laws
Punjab Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu on Thursday called former chief minister Amarinder Singh the "architect" of the Centre's three farm laws against which farmers have been protesting at the Delhi borders.
Sidhu's remark came two days after Amarinder Singh said he would launch his own political party and that he was hopeful of a seat arrangement with the BJP, provided the ongoing farmers' stir against farm laws was resolved in the agriculturists' interest.
Amarinder Singh, who faced an unceremonious exit from the state government last month, had also said that he was looking at an alliance with like-minded parties such as breakaway Akali groups.
"The architect of three black laws Who brought Ambani to Punjab's kisani Who destroyed Punjab's farmers, small traders and labour for benefiting one-two big corporates," Sidhu tweeted in an apparent reference to farmers' allegations that big corporates will dictate terms to agriculturists with the passage of these laws.
Amarinder Singh had resigned as the Punjab chief minister last month amid a bitter power tussle with Sidhu. Charanjit Singh Channi replaced him as the chief minister.
Hundreds of farmers, mostly from Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, have been camping at the Delhi borders since November 26 last year, demanding the repeal of the three farm laws. PTI
17:53 Taliban beat women protestors, journalists in Kabul
The Taliban beat up the protesters, including women and journalists, who were demanding that schools be opened for girls.
Dozens of women and journalists protested in Kabul against the Taliban over economic problems and the closed schools for girls.
The all-women protest which was staged in front of the ministry of education, turned violent when the Taliban started beating journalists and women, Khaama Press reported.
Though the protest was peaceful to begin with and the Taliban allowed the protestors to walk from the ministry of education to the ministry of finance, it turned violent later.
The women asked the Taliban not to politicize education and demanded their rights to work and education, Khaama Press reported.
17:33 The BJP Has Turned Diwali Into a Festival of Hate
Objections to a recent FabIndia ad -- and the company's decision to delete it -- highlight the real pathology India needs to confront. Read Siddharth Varadarajan's column here.
17:20 Aryan Khan to stay in jail till October 30
A Special NDPS Court extends judicial custody of Aryan Khan and others till 30th October.
The accused were not produced in court either physically or through video conference.
Aryan Khan was earlier sent to 14-day judicial custody on October 7.
Shah Rukh Khan on Thursday morning visited Arthur Road jail to visit son Aryan Khan.
Aryans bail plea was rejected Wednesday by a special NDPS court in connection with the cruise ship drug case. The Bombay High Court Thursday said the bail plea of Aryan Khan will be heard next Tuesday. Co-accused Munmun Dhamechas bail plea will also be heard on
October 26.
The NCB team that visited Shah Rukh Khan's residence Mannat today, did not meet the actor or his wife Gauri Khan. The team went to the reception of the house where they met Shah Rukh Khan's manager.
They handed over documents relating to Aryan Khan to her.
16:57 India will become $5-trillion economy by 2025: Puri
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Thursday exuded confidence that India will become a USD five-trillion economy by 2024-25 and USD 10-trillion by 2030.
Speaking at a virtual conference of PAFI India, Puri said, "Economic growth is accelerating. India is poised for growth to become a USD 5 trillion economy by 2024-25 and USD 10-trillion economy by 2030".
On Bharat Petroleum Corporation divestment, he said: "All feedback is proceeding well..."
The petroleum and urban development minister also hailed the recent Air India divestment. There are reports that after the Air India deal, the government intends to close the disinvestment of BPCL this fiscal only.
On economic growth momentum, he said petrol consumption is 16 per cent higher than pre-COVID levels, while diesel consumption is 10-12 per cent higher.
"Even the stock market has registered a growth of 250 per cent since March 2020," he added.
Puri mentioned that the pandemic has led to a different set of growth drivers -- revival of health sector, exports, global manufacturing risk index, increased economic activity, achieving renewable energy target and initiative like Gati Shakti, Foreign exchange reserve.
16:38 Sensex drops 336 pts; Nifty ends below 18,200
Equity benchmark Sensex tumbled 336.46 points on Thursday following losses in index heavyweights Reliance Industries, Infosys and TCS amid a negative trend in global markets.
The 30-share BSE index declined 336.46 points or 0.55 per cent to 60,923.50. Similarly, the NSE Nifty fell 88.50 points or 0.48 per cent to 18,178.10.
Asian Paints was the top loser in the Sensex pack, tanking around 5 per cent, followed by Reliance Industries, Infosys, Tata Steel, TCS and Dr Reddy's. On the other hand, Kotak Bank, HDFC, ICICI Bank and NTPC were among the gainers.
The Chitkul area of Himachal Pradesh
16:13 Uttarakhand: 2 members of missing trekking team found dead
Two members of an 11-member trekking team which had gone missing on a trek to Chitkul in Himachal Pradesh recently were found dead on Thursday.
An SDRF team found the bodies at an altitude of 4,500 metres during an aerial search operation, Uttarkashi Disaster Management Officer Devendra Patwal said.
Two other members of the team have been rescued alive and brought to Harsil while search for the rest of them is on, he said.
The trekking team consisting of eight trekkers, including one from Delhi and the rest from West Bengal and three cooks, went missing on a trek to Chitkul recently.
They had begun the trek from Harsil in Uttarkashi district and were to reach Chitkul via Lamkhaga pass. PTI
16:09 NCB seizes Ananya Panday's laptop, phone
The Narcotics Control Bureau has seizes the laptop and mobile phone of actor Ananya Panday.
Ananya, who is actor Chunky Panday's daughter is at the NCB's office for questioning. She was sent summons earlier today and asked to appear before the anti-drug agency.
The NCB said that her name has been under the scanner for a few days.
15:56 Govt hikes DA by 3% for central employees
The Union Cabinet on Thursday hiked dearness allowance and dearness relief by 3 per cent to 31 per cent to benefit 47.14 lakh central government employees and 68.62 lakh pensioners.
This was informed by Minister of Information & Broadcasting Anurag Singh Thakur.
This decision to hike the allowance will put an annual burden of Rs 9,488 crore on the exchequer.
Earlier in July, the government had restored the dearness allowance (DA) and dearness relief (DR) and increased the rate of allowance from 17 per cent to 28 per cent.
In view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Union Government had frozen the three additional instalments of the DA and DR, which were due from January 1, 2020, July 1, 2020, and January 1, 2021. -- PTI
15:44 1 Covid vax dose for all Indians by Dec: AIIMS
As India achieved the landmark of administring over 100 crore COVID-19 vaccine jabs, Dr Randeep Guleria, Director, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Delhi, said that achievement is something the world did not think India could achieve.
Speaking to ANI, Guleria said, "This is a great achievement every Indian should proud of it. This is something the world didn't think India could achieve. A lot of people were sceptical when we started the vaccination drive in January but in 9 months' time, we have achieved this target of 1 billion doses."
"This is achieved because of multiple factors--- the leadership of the Prime Minister, who monitored this very closely; the industry which made the vaccine and make sure enough doses were available; health care workers who delivered one billion doses to our population of our country both in urban and rural areas even in remote parts.
The IT technology, the CoWIN app which helped in many ways. This is a big achievement for the country and this will go long way in the battle against COVID-19," he added.
AIIMS director said that now the target is to administer at least one vaccine dose to the entire adult population by the end of this year.
15:35 62.2% death row prisoners diagnosed with at least one mental illness: Study
A study on the mental illness and intellectual disability among death row prisoners has shown that over 62 per cent had at least one mental illness, half of them contemplated suicide in jail and experienced adverse childhood and traumatic life experiences.
Project 39A, a criminal justice program at the National Law University Delhi, conducted a study on 88 death row prisoners, three female, and 85 male, and their families across Chhattisgarh, Delhi, Karnataka, Kerala, and Madhya Pradesh.
The findings of the study titled "Deathworthy: A mental Health Perspective of the Death Penalty" presented empirical data on mental illness and intellectual disability among death row prisoners in India and the psychological consequences of living on death row.
The report which was released after five years of research also established correlations between conditions of incarceration and ill-health.
The report stated that it was found that an "overwhelming" majority of death row prisoners interviewed -- 62.2 per cent, had a mental illness and 11 per cent had an intellectual disability.
15:08 AIIMS says it with flowers
AII India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi celebrates the completion of the 100-crore Covid-19 vaccination mark in the country.
15:04 Cong slams Tharoor for praising govt's 100-cr vax
Senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor on Thursday said credit should be given to the government for achieving the 100-crore COVID vaccine dose landmark in the country, drawing a sharp response from party colleague Pawan Khera, who asserted that giving credit is an "insult" to millions of families that "suffered due to the mismanagement" of the pandemic.
India achieved a major milestone in its vaccination programme against COVID-19 as the cumulative vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed the 100-crore mark on Thursday.
Reacting to the development, Tharoor tweeted, "This is a matter of pride for all Indians. Let's give the Government credit."
"After severe mismanagement of the second COVID wave & botching the vaccination orders that might have prevented it, Govt has now partly redeemed itself. It remains accountable for its earlier failures," the Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.
Tagging Tharoor's tweet, Khera, a Congress spokesperson, said giving credit to "the government is an insult to millions of families who suffered and are still suffering from the after-effects and side effects of widespread COVID mismanagement".
"Before seeking credit, PM must apologise to those families. The credit belongs to scientists & medical fraternity," he tweeted. PTI
The Badrinath highway is closed due to a landslide
15:01 Uttarakhand death toll 64, missing 11: Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that the death toll in the rain-battered state of Uttarakhand has mounted to 64 with more than 11 people reported missing.
Shah, who was addressing the media after conducting an aerial survey of the rain-affected areas, said that no tourist has died in the floods and that the Char Dham Yatra has also been resumed.
"I held a high-level review meeting with officials of the State and Centre over the natural calamity in Uttarakhand. Due to timely rainfall alerts, the extent of damage could be controlled. Now, the Char Dham Yatra has resumed," said the Home Minister.
He added that more than 3,500 people were rescued and over 16,000 precautionary evacuations were done so far.
NCB officials at Mannat, SRK's Bandra home
14:57 Collected documents at Mannat, no raid: NCB
A team of Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) visited Shah Rukh Khan's residence 'Mannat' in Mumbai to collect some documents related to his son Aryan Khan, but no raids were conducted, said NCB Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede on Thursday.
Teams of the NCB arrived at 'Mannat' and also at Bollywood actor Ananya Pandey's residence.
Ananya has been summoned to appear before the NCB later in the day.
14:28 Two years on world still scrambling to know origin of virus
It will be two years soon since the first cases of COVID-19 emerged but there are still no clear answers as to how the virus originated in China and spread to the rest of the world wreaking havoc in many countries.
There are apprehensions that the origin of the disease may never be known as days roll by since the first case was reported. The world is keen to know if the virus spread from animals to humans or it leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China.
The Chinese officials have not been forthcoming about giving access to their labs for a thorough scientific investigation.
The WHO, which has faced criticism over its earlier reports, has now established Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins (SAGO) on Novel Pathogens. It is being seen as the last chance to find the origins of COVID-19.
13:58 90% population in Guj get 1st Covid vax dose
Gujarat has vaccinated 90 per cent of its eligible population with the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, while 47 per cent beneficiaries are completely vaccinated against the deadly disease, state Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters in Gandhinagar, Patel congratulated the countrymen, as India achieved the milestone of administered 100 crore vaccine doses "under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi".
As per the official figures, Gujarat has around 4.93 crore people above the age of 18, who are eligible to take the vaccine against coronavirus. Till 10 am, nearly 4.41 crore people, which comes to around 90 per cent, have received their first dose, while 2.35 crore have taken their second dose as well, the minister said.
"At least 90 per cent of the eligible population has been given the first dose till today, while nearly 47 per cent, that is 2.32 crore, have been given the second dose. I urge people to come forward, so that we are able to vaccinate 100 per cent of the population with the first dose," Patel said.
The Surat, Junagadh and Gandhinagar municipal corporations along with Ahmedabad, Junagadh, Mahisagar and Tapi districts have achieved 100 per cent coverage of the first dose, he said. Apart from this, around 15,500 villages have also achieved this milestone in Gujarat so far, he added.
NCB's Sameer Wankhede
13:45 NCB got Wankhede after Sushant's death: Nawab Malik
Training his guns again on Narcotics Control Bureau's (NCB) Zonal Director Sameer Wankhede, Maharashtra minister and NCP leader Nawab Malik on Thursday claimed the officer was specifically brought in to the agency by the central government after the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput last year.
Malik also alleged that Rajput's girlfriend Rhea Chakraborty was implicated in a fake case by the NCB.
Wankhede supervised a raid on a cruise liner off the Mumbai coast earlier this month that led to the alleged recovery of drugs, following which Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan's son Aryan Khan and some other people were arrested by the NCB.
Malik has repeatedly claimed the case related to the alleged recovery of banned drugs from the ship was "fake" and arrests were made just on the basis of WhatsApp chats.
The NCP leader's son-in-law Sameer Khan was also arrested in a drugs case in January this year and he was granted bail last month.
"After Sushant Singh Rajput's suicide, a special officer was brought in to the NCB. The suicide case was handed over the CBI, but the mystery over his suicide or murder remains unresolved. But, after that, the NCB started playing games with the film industry," Malik claimed.
He said dozens of actors were "paraded "before the NCB merely on the basis of WhatsApp chats. Attempts were made to implicate certain people in false cases.
"During the COVID-19 pandemic, the entire film industry was in Maldives. What was the officer and his family doing in Maldives and Dubai? This has to be clarified by Sameer Wankhede," the NCP spokesperson said.
"We demand that he clarify whether he was in Dubai," Malik said. Was his family there in Maldives when the entire film industry was in Maldives? What was the reason behind them going there? he asked. "We are very clear. All this vasuli (extortion) took place in Maldives and Dubai and I will release those photos," Malik said.
13:40 All is well: Modi showers praise on Khattar amid reshuffles in other states
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday praised Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, saying the state has after decades got a government under his leadership which works with absolute honesty and that it will be evaluated as the best in the last five decades.
Noting that he has known Khattar, a RSS pracharak drafted into the BJP like Modi, for many years, the prime minister said his talent has come to the fore as a chief minister and added that he works with dedication and innovation, with even the central government adopting the model of some of the Haryana government's programmes.
Modi's public praise of the low profile chief minister has come at a time when the BJP leadership's decision to remove three chief ministers, two in Uttarakhand and another in Gujarat, has prompted speculation about the fate of the CMs of other party-ruled states.
13:28 Gauri Lankesh murder case: SC restores organised crime charges against accused
The Supreme Court on Thursday set aside the Karnataka High Court order dropping of stringent Karnataka Control of Organised Crimes Act (KCOCA) charges against an accused in the 2017 murder case of journalist turned activist Gauri Lankesh.
A Bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar allowed an appeal filed by Gauri Lankesh's sister Kavitha Lankesh and restored the charges under KCOCA against accused Mohan Nayak.
Kavitha Lankesh, a filmmaker, had appealed to the top court against the State High Court's decision in April to quash charges under organised crime against Nayak.In June the apex court had said the accused should not be granted bail until Lankesh's plea was decided.
12:56 NCB raids Ananya Pandey's home
Actor Ananya Pandey's Mumbai home was also raided by the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) this morning. The NCB has served a notice to the actor to appear before the agency today at 2pm in the cruise ship drugs case.
SRK at Arthur Road Jail this morning
12:52 NCB at SRK's home hours after he visited Aryan
Officers from the Narcotics Control Bureau, an anti-drug agency, arrive at Shah Rukh Khan's home, Mannat, in Bandra.
The raid comes just hours after Shah Rukh met his son Aryan Khan in jail.
Aryan's bail plea was rejected Wednesday by a special NDPS court in connection with the cruise ship drug case. The Bombay High Court Thursday said the bail plea of Aryan Khan will be heard next Tuesday. Co-accused Munmun Dhamecha's bail plea will also be heard on October 26.
The actor on Thursday morning visited Arthur Road jail and met Aryan for around 20 minutes.
Aryan's bail plea was rejected Wednesday by a special NDPS court in connection with the cruise ship drug case. The Bombay High Court Thursday said the bail plea of Aryan Khan will be heard next Tuesday. Co-accused Munmun Dhamecha's bail plea will also be heard on October 26.
12:32 WHO congratulates India on vax target
"Congratulations, PM Narendra Modi, the scientists, healthworkers and people of India, on your efforts to protect the vulnerable populations from COVID19 and achieve vaccine equity targets," tweets Tedros A. Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.
12:17 Can't block roads indefinitely: SC to farmers
The Supreme Court says farmers have the right to protest, but roads can't be blocked indefinitely.
The court asks the farmers' unions to file their response on a petition seeking removal of protesting farmers from roads and posts the matter for hearing on December 7.
Main highways into and out of Delhi have been partially blocked since November 2020 inconveniencing local residents as well as travellers.
In a hearing held earlier this month, the court held that it is the "duty' of the executive to implement the law on ensuring agitations do not block movement on public roads before such protests start being viewed as an incentive by one section of society or another
11:57 100 heritage monuments to be lit in tricolour hues to vax milestone
The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) will light up 100 of its heritage monuments in colours of the national flag to mark 100 crore Covid 19 vaccine doses being administered in the country, officials said on Thursday.
Seventeen UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the Red Fort, Qutub Minar, Humayun Tomb, Tughlaqabad Fort, Purana Qila, Fatehpur Sikri Agra, Ramappa Temple, Hampi, Dholavira, Leh Palace; Currency Building and Metcalf Hall in Kolkata; Khajuraho temples (MP), and Golconda Fort in Hyderabad are among the 100 monuments which will be illuminated in tricolour, the officials said.
This will be a tribute to health professionals, frontline workers, scientists, vaccine manufacturers and the citizens of the country who bravely fought the pandemic, they said.
The debris of the plane
11:55 IAF plane crashes at Bhind in MP; pilot ejects safely
Update: An Indian Air Force (IAF) plane crashed in Madhya Pradesh's Bhind district on Thursday morning, officials said.
"An IAF Mirage 2000 aircraft experienced a technical malfunction during a training sortie in the central sector this morning. The pilot ejected safely. An inquiry has been ordered to ascertain the cause of the accident," the IAF said in a tweet.
The pilot ejected safely before the aircraft crashed in Mankabagh village of the district, Bhind Superintendent of Police Manoj Kumar Singh told PTI.
The plane caught fire after the crash, he said, adding that the pilot was rescued. The aircraft had taken off from the Maharajpura airbase at Gwalior in the morning, the official said.
Bhind district administration and IAF officials reached the spot soon after getting information about the crash. PTI
11:38 Govt sent 103.5 cr Covid vax doses to states
The government has provided more than 103.5 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses to States and union territories (UTs), said the Union Health Ministry on Thursday.
A total of 1,03,53,51,045 vaccine doses have been provided to States and UTs so far through the Government of India (free of cost channel) and through the direct state procurement category, said the ministry in an official statement.
It further stated that more than 10.85 crore (10,85,69,250) balance and unutilized COVID vaccine doses are still available with the States and UTs to be administered.
Meanwhile, India's cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage crossed 100 crore on Thursday at 9.47 am.
Train passengers wait to get tested for Covid
11:26 Pandemic not over yet, say experts
Even as India reached the landmark of 100 crore COVID-19 vaccinations on Thursday, experts urged caution and said that the pandemic is far from over.
Former Director-General of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Nirmal Ganguly said the threat of COVID-19 will exist until most states in India record less than 10 cases in a day.
Speaking to ANI on the phone, Ganguly said, "As per reports, only 25 per cent of the Indian population has received both the doses of COVID-19 vaccines. There is enough data that a single dose does not protect us from the infection. The inoculation of both doses of vaccine prevents hospitalisation and the death rate remains low. So double dose of vaccination is important."
The former ICMR DG stated: "The eight-month follow-up of Pfizer has confirmed that the COVID anti-bodies drop after six months of inoculation. So, many people are still vulnerable to the infection."
"In initial days, China recorded only five cases but eventually it spread around the globe. India is still recording nearly 20,000 cases per day. So the danger of COVID-19 prevails until most places in India record less than 10 cases per day," he said.
Stating that we need to keep wearing masks for at least one more year, the former ICMR DG cautioned about more mutants of COVID-19 which can appear.
11:15 IAF plane crashes, pilot injured
Indian Air Force's trainer aircraft crashes in Bhind, pilot injured: Bhind SP Manoj Kumar Singh. Details awaited.
11:01 Yogi confident of defeating Covid
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said the defeat of the coronavirus is certain on the completion of the administration of 100 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses to the people of the country.
"A record 100 crore COVID vaccines have been provided in the country so far. It is a result of the efficient leadership of @narendramodi, the hard work of committed health workers and the participation of disciplined citizens. Corona's defeat is certain," said Adityanth in a tweet.
The truth however is that India has a long long way to go to 'defeat' Covid-19 if at all, considering we have fully vaccinated only 20 per cent of our humongous population and even fully vaccinated people have been getting Covid.
10:54 HC to hear Aryan Khan's bail plea on 26th October
The Bombay High Court will hear Aryan Khan's bail application on 26th October, Tuesday, says his lawyer.
Aryan Khan has been denied bail twice and had approached the Bombay High Court. His judicial custody ends today.
Shah Rukh Khan today visited Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail to meet with his son Aryan Khan, who was denied bail yesterday and has been in jail since October 8 in the drugs-on-cruise case.
This was the first meeting between the superstar and his 23-year-old son, who was arrested after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided a rave party on a cruise ship off Mumbai on October 2.
SRK, 55, spent around 20 minutes at the jail. His visit followed the Maharashtra government easing restrictions on jail visits amid the pandemic.
10:46 India's Covid numbers rise again; 18K new cases, 160 deaths
A sobering moment after the 100-crore vaccination record, is that the number of Covid cases are rising again.
There has been a single-day rise of 18,454 fresh cases today pushing India's COVID-19 tally to 3,41,27,450.
The number of active infections have risen to 1,78,831, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.
The death toll from the pandemic climbed to 4,52,811 with 160 new fatalities, showed the data updated at 8 am.
The daily rise in new coronavirus infections has been below 30,000 for 27 straight days and less than 50,000 daily new cases have been reported for 116 consecutive days now.
The number of active cases has increased to 1,78,831, comprising 0.52 per cent of the total infections -- the lowest since March 2020 -- while the national COVID-19 recovery rate was recorded at 98.15 per cent, the highest since March 2020, the Health Ministry said.
An increase of 733 cases has been recorded in the active COVID-19 case count in a span of 24 hours. Also, 12,47,506 tests were conducted on Wednesday, taking the cumulative number of tests conducted so far for detection of COVID-19 in the country to 59,57,42,218.
10:25 Class 7 student thrashed to death by school teacher
A class 7 student of a private school died after he was allegedly thrashed by a teacher in Rajasthan's Churu district on Wednesday.
As per information shared by the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Salasar police station, Sandeep Vishnoi, 14-year-old Ganesh was severely thrashed by his teacher for not completing homework.
"A man lodged a complaint alleging that his son was beaten by his teacher after which he fell sick and later died in a hospital. A case has been registered," said Vishnoi.
"Ganesh's teacher called and informed me that he has not done his homework. After some time, I again received a call from school that my child's health is not good. When I reached school, I saw Ganesh was lying on the floor," said Om Prakash, father of the deceased.
The student was rushed to Sujangarh hospital in an unconscious state where doctors declared him brought dead.
The police said that the accused teacher Manoj has been detained and is being interrogated in custody.
Further investigation is underway. -- ANI
10:18 Total jabs in India cross 100-cr milestone
The cumulative COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country surpassed the 100-crore milestone on Thursday.
In a tweet, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated the country on achieving the feat, and said it was the result of the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
According to official sources, around 75 per cent of India's all eligible adult population has been administered at least the first dose and around 31 per cent has received both the doses of the vaccine.
India took 85 days to touch the 10-crore vaccination mark, 45 more days to cross the 20-crore mark and 29 more days to reach the 30-crore mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data.
The country took 24 days to reach the 40-crore mark from 30-crore doses and then 20 more days to surpass the 50-crore vaccination mark on August 6.It then took 76 days to go past the 100-crore mark.
The top five states which have administered the highest number of doses are Uttar Pradesh followed by Maharashtra, West Bengal, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh.
The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with health care workers (HCWs) getting inoculated in the first phase.
The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started from February 2.
The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination commenced from March 1 for people over 60 years of age and those aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions.
The country launched vaccination for all people aged over 45 years from April 1.
The government then decided to expand its vaccination drive by allowing all above 18 to be vaccinated from May 1. -- PTI
09:38 Shah Rukh reaches Arthur Road jail to meet Aryan
Actor Shah Rukh Khan reaches Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail to meet son Aryan who is lodged at the jail, in connection with drugs on cruise ship case.
Aryan's bail plea was rejected by a special court in Mumbai on Wednesday.
He has now moved the high court with his bail plea, which is expected to be heard today.
He has now moved the high court with his bail plea, which is expected to be heard today.
More details awaited. -- ANI
09:10 17 trekkers missing in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur
Seventeen trekkers have gone missing in Himachal Pradesh's Kinnaur district, a senior official said on Wednesday.
The trekkers had left Harshil in adjoining Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi for Chitkul in HP's Kinnaur on October 14, but they reportedly went missing during inclement weather from October 17 to 19 in Lamkhaga pass, he said.
The Lamkhaga Pass is one of the toughest passes which connects Kinnaur district with Harshil in Uttrakhand.
Police and Forest Department teams, and a quick response team have been sent to the spot, Kinnaur Deputy Commissioner Abid Hussain Sadiq said.
The DC said the help of Indo-Tibetan Border Police was also sought for their search.
The search operation will be started in the wee hours on Thursday, he added. -- PTI
08:43 Trump launching his own social media app TRUTH Social
The Trump Media and Technology Group (TMTG) and Digital World Acquisition Corporation entered into a definitive merger agreement and is set to launch a social network named 'TRUTH' Social.
'Trump Media & Technology Group and Digital World Acquisition Corp. (NASDAQ: DWAC) have entered into a definitive merger agreement, providing for a business combination that will result in Trump Media & Technology Group becoming a publicly listed company, subject to regulatory and stockholder approval,' TMTG said in a statement.
Former US President Donald Trump, the company chairman, in the statement said he created TRUTH Social and TMTG 'to stand up to the tyranny of Big Tech'.
'We live in a world where the Taliban has a huge presence on Twitter, yet your favourite American President has been silenced.
'I am excited to send out my first TRUTH on TRUTH Social very soon. TMTG was founded with a mission to give a voice to all,' Trump added.
Trump says the group will form 'a rival to the liberal media consortium'.
Its first step will be launching a new social media platform called TRUTH Social. A beta version will be available to invited guests in November, according to the release. -- ANI
08:22 Largest tricolour at Red Fort to mark 100cr jabs
To mark the completion of administering of 100 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses, the largest khadi tricolour in the country, weighing around 1,400 kg, will be displayed at the Red Fort on Thursday, official sources said.
The same tricolour with dimensions 225 feet by 150 feet was unfurled on October 2 Gandhi Jayanti in Leh, they said.
Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Wednesday appealed to all those who are eligible to get inoculated without delay and contribute to the historic vaccination journey of India.
To mark the milestone on the COVID-19 vaccination exercise, a series of events have been lined up.
Mandaviya will launch a song by singer Kailash Kher and an audio-visual film at the Red Fort.
'The country is close to making a vaccine century. To be a part of this golden opportunity, I appeal to the citizens who are yet to be vaccinated to contribute to this historic golden vaccination journey of India by getting vaccinated immediately,' he said in a tweet in Hindi.
SpiceJet will unveil a special livery at the Delhi airport to celebrate the 100 crore vaccine milestone on Thursday.
The health minister, Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia and SpiceJet CMD Ajay Singh will be present on the occasion.
Speaking about the flag, a source said, The same 1,400-kg handwoven khadi tricolour, the largest in the country, which was unfurled in Leh to mark Mahatma Gandhi's 152nd birth anniversary and the 75th year of Independence will also be displayed at the Red Fort to mark the occasion (100 crore doses).
The flag is the largest handwoven and handspun cotton khadi flag ever manufactured in India and it measures 225 feet by 150 feet, the source said Mandaviya had earlier said that announcements will be made on airplanes, ships, metros and at railway stations when India achieves its target of administering 100 crore doses.
Celebrations will also be held at central government hospitals in New Delhi to mark the occasion.
The total vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 99.7 crore on Wednesday, according to the 10.50 pm data from the Co-WIN portal, with around 75 per cent of all adults having administered the first dose and around 31 per cent having received both doses.
"After 100 crore doses are administered, we will go in mission mode to ensure that those who have taken their first dose take their second dose too to ensure they are protected against COVID-19," Mandaviya had said.
The Centre has also said that all those villages which have completed 100 per cent vaccination should mark the 100 crore-doses administered achievement by putting up posters and banners complimenting health workers for their role in the exercise. -- PTI
00:12 Kedarnath, Yamunotri, Gangotri yatra resumes
Pilgrimage to the Himalayan temples of Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri resumed on Wednesday with the weather clearing up across Uttarakhand.
The pilgrimage to Badrinath, however, could not resume as the Pipalkoti-Joshinath-Badrinath stretch of the national highway remained blocked at several places due to a landslides, Chardham Devasthanam Board Media in charge Harish Gaud said.
As the weather improved, pilgrims waiting at different stopovers on way to Kedarnath began reaching Sonprayag to visit the temple.
Former Uttarakhand chief minister and Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was also among 4,475 devotees who visited Kedarnath on Wednesday.
A total of 1,433 pilgrims visited Gangotri while 2,444 pilgrims visited Yamunotri, Gaud said.
Chardham yatra was temporarily halted on October 18 for pilgrims' safety following the Met department's alerts of heavy rain for Uttarakhand from October 17 to 19.
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