LIVE! Delhi logs 2,668 new Covid cases, 13 deaths

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Thu, 03 February 2022

Delhi logs 2,668 new Covid cases, 13 deaths

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23:52 Delhi logs 2,668 new Covid cases, 13 deaths

Delhi on Thursday reported 2,668 fresh COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths, while the positivity rate dropped to 4.3 per cent, according to data shared by the city health department.

With this, the national capital's case count increased to 18,38,647 and the death toll climbed to 25,932, the latest health bulletin stated.

The number of COVID-19 tests conducted a day ago stood at 61,992, it said.

Delhi had on Wednesday reported 3,028 new cases with a positivity rate of 4.73 per cent and 27 deaths.

The number of daily cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13.

The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the ongoing wave of the pandemic.

It took just 10 days for daily cases to drop below the 10,000-mark.

Delhi had on January 23 reported 9,197 Covid cases with a positivity rate of 13.32 per cent and 34 deaths. -- PTI

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Thursday hoisted a 104 ft tall monumental National Flag at Ngangpa Natme (Buddha Park) at Tawang, a Buddhist pilgrim town bordering China.

Talking to media later, Khandu while congratulating the people of the state, said that the monumental flag has been hoisted and dedicated to all the patriotic people of Arunachal Pradesh and is the second highest monumental national flag at an altitude of 10,000 feet.

He congratulated the Army, the Sashastra Seema Bal, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Tawang district administration and MLA Tsering Tashi for the feat.

Taking to twitter, Khandu said, "Proud to dedicate to patriotic people of Arunachal a 104 ft national flag, which was hoisted today at Ngangpa Natme (Buddha Park) in Tawang."

"At 10,000ft, this monumental national flag overlooking the Tawang city, is second highest in the country in terms of altitude. #JaiHind,' he said in another tweet. -- PTI

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Thursday asked the state government to file its counter affidavit within four weeks on a plea by Dr Kafeel Ahmad of BRD College, Gorakhpur, challenging his termination from services.

The court also granted two weeks to the petitioner to file his rejoinder, and fixed the matter for hearing thereafter. A bench of Justice Rajan Roy passed the order on the petition of Dr Kafeel.

The petitioner was sacked for services owing to the death of several children in Gorakhpur medical college due to encephalitis in 2017. -- PTI

Courtesy, Akhilesh Yadav on Twitter

22:34 Akhilesh, Priyanka cross paths on campaign trail

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav waved at each other from their vehicles when their roadshows crossed paths in Bulandshahr on Thursday.

Priyanka was travelling in an open vehicle while Akhilesh was travelling in a bus repurposed for campaigning when the encounter took place in the Jahangirabad area.

Akhilesh was accompanied by Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary. Both greeted Priyanka from the roof of their vehicle while Priyanka waved at them from her open car.

Later, she campaigned in Siyana atop a tractor braving the showers.

Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Thursday said radiation technology has been installed in Parliament building to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 virus but urged MPs to continue following social distancing norms.

The Union minister for science and technology said the Ultraviolet-C technology has been installed in Lok Sabha and Central Hall chambers to mitigate the airborne transmission of the coronavirus and thanked Speaker Om Birla for granting permission for it.

Singh, however, said parliamentarians should continue to follow the Covid-appropriate behaviour and maintain social distancing norms.

The technology has been developed by the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research.

The technology is said to be effective to impede the spread of bacteria and is a known disinfectant for air, water, and non-porous surfaces. -- PTI

Amid speculation over the chief ministerial face of Congress for upcoming Punjab polls, Navjot Kaur Sidhu, wife of state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu, has said that her husband is 'a hero' and it does not matter whom the party chooses its face in the state for the polls.

"Navjot Singh Sidhu is a hero, he will remain a hero, it doesn't matter who will be the CM. The only thing that matters is that whoever will be the CM should listen to ministers, sign their files and let them work," Navjot Kaur Sidhu told media persons.

She also targeted former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh who has now floated Punjab Lok Congress.

"Had Capt Amarinder Singh done the same (listened to ministers), nobody would have had a problem with him. He should have worked and respected other ministers," she said.

Amarinder Singh had resigned as Punjab chief minister on September 18 last year after months of a rift with the party's state chief Navjot Singh Sidhu. -- ANI

Uday Narayan Dev, former legislator, royal scion and a noted ornithologist who carved a niche for himself, died in Bhubaneswar, his family said on Thursday.

He was 86 and survived by a son.

Dev was suffering from old-age-related ailments for the last two days and was admitted to a private hospital for treatment.

He breathed his last on Wednesday night. Dev conducted research on the migration pattern of the birds who visit Chilika Lake.

He was fascinated with the study of different aspects of birds, named his residence Bihang House and set up an institute for ornithology in Bhubaneswar.

Dev, who is from the erstwhile Sanakhemundi Estate in Odisha's Ganjam district, was elected to assembly three times from the then Mohana constituency.

He fought as a candidate of the Utkal Congress in 1974, as an Independent in 1977 and for the Lok Dal in 1980.

He authored several books, including Vihanga Samhita -- a book in six volumes about over 2,000 birds and released by Governor Ganeshi Lal on January 21.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik was among the several political leaders who mourned Dev's demise. -- PTI

Mumbai's daily coronavirus count again dropped below the 1,000-mark as it reported 827 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, while seven more patients died due to the infection, the city civic body said.

With these additions, the tally of coronavirus infections rose to 10,49,348, while the death toll increased to 16,647, a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation bulletin said.

Mumbai reported a dip of 301 cases from a day ago and the daily tally again went below 1,000.

On Wednesday, the financial capital had reported 1,128 cases and 10 fatalities after recording 803 infections and seven fatalities on Tuesday.

The daily positivity rate (cases detected per 100 tests), however, increased to 2.29 per cent from 2.44 per cent from a day ago.

In the last 24 hours, 36,082 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the city, nearly 10,000 fewer than the previous day, taking their cumulative count to 1,54,23,088, the bulletin said.

With 1,366 more patients discharged during the day, the number of recovered cases jumped to 10,22,292, it said.

The city's coronavirus recovery rate is 97 per cent.

The case doubling rate of Mumbai jumped to 623 days, while the growth rate of COVID-19 cases between January 27 and February 2 was 0.11 per cent, the civic body said.

Mumbai now has 7,601 active COVID-19 cases. -- PTI

Bharatiya Janata Party's Rajasthan president Satish Poonia on Thursday said he will not wear a safa (turban) or garland, and will skip dinner until his party comes to power in the state in the next assembly election in 2023.

"I will not wear safa and garland, and will have dinner only after ousting the anti-farmer and anti-youth Congress government and formation of the BJP government in Rajasthan in 2023," Poonia said while addressing an election rally in Aligarh city of Uttar Pradesh.

Safa is a traditional headgear in Rajasthan which politicians prefer to wear in public programmes as a cultural symbol.

"We have full faith that the BJP government will be formed in Rajasthan in 2023 with a thumping majority with the efficient and strong leadership and people-friendly policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he was quoted as saying in a press statement.

Poonia is in UP for the last two days to address election rallies.

He also said that the party will retain power in Uttar Pradesh. -- PTI

20:19 Winter Oly: DD to skip opening, closing events

DD Sports channel will not telecast live the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics being held in Beijing, Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati said on Thursday.

The announcement came shortly after the Indian government decided that its envoy will not attend the opening or closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics as China has chosen a military commander involved in the Galwan Valley clashes as its torchbearer for the mega sporting event.

"Consequent to the announcement by @meaindia, @ddsportschannel will not telecast live the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympics being held in Beijing," Vempati tweeted.

External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi described the Chinese action of honouring the Galwan commander as 'regrettable.'

China on Wednesday fielded Qi Fabao, the regimental commander of the People's Liberation Army, who was injured during the June 2020 border skirmish with Indian soldiers in the Galwan Valley in eastern Ladakh, as a torchbearer for the Games Torch Relay.

The eastern Ladakh border row escalated after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15, 2020.

Twenty Indian Army personnel laid down their lives in the clashes that marked the most serious military conflicts between the two sides in decades.

In February last year, China officially acknowledged that five Chinese military officers and soldiers were killed in the clashes with the Indian Army though it is widely believed that the death toll was higher. -- PTI

The Delhi Disaster Management Authority is likely to deliberate on lifting night curfew and reopening of schools during its meeting on February 4 in view of the decline in COVID cases in Delhi, official sources said on Thursday.

The number of daily cases in Delhi has been on the decline after touching the record high of 28,867 on January 13.

The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the ongoing wave of the pandemic.

It took just 10 days for daily cases to drop below the 10,000-mark.

The DDMA, in its meeting on Friday, is likely to discuss lifting of the night curfew, along with other relaxations, including reopening of schools, gyms and spas, sources said.

The DDMA is also likely to review the city government's order which makes it compulsory to wear a mask while driving alone, after the Delhi high court termed it as 'absurd' and asked why the decision was still prevailing.

In the last DDMA meeting, the Delhi government had recommended reopening of schools, saying it was necessary to prevent further damage to the social and economic well-being of children as the COVID-19 situation in the capital had improved.

Asserting that online education can never replace classroom studies, deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had said the government had closed schools when it was not safe for children, but "excessive caution" was harming them. -- PTI

Asaduddin Owaisi

19:00 Owaisi says car was fired upon in poll-bound UP

AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Thursday alleged his car was fired upon by unidentified men while he was returning to Delhi from Hapur district in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh.

Owaisi's car was near the Chhijarsi toll plaza on the Hapur-Ghaziabad stretch of the National Highway 24 when the incident took place at around 6 pm, he said.

'Some time ago my car was fired at near Chhijarsi toll gate. Four rounds of shots were fired. There were 3-4 people, all of them ran away and left the weapons there. My car got punctured, but I shifted to another car and left. We are all safe. Alhamdu'lilah,' Owaisi tweeted.

Further details are awaited.

-- PTI

The government is working to ensure that Indian workers are back to their work and jobs in the Gulf and is pursuing the issue with its counterparts in the region at the highest level, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday.

He also said with the economic recovery in the Gulf and its increasing openness to ease travel restrictions following a receding trend in COVID-19 cases, many Indian workers are now returning back to the region.

As per the government's estimates, as many as 7,16,662 workers returned to India from the six Gulf countries --- the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, and Bahrain -- under the Vande Bharat Mission'.

"I would like to inform...We have engaged with the governments of the Gulf. This engagement is led by the prime minister himself. In the course of the last two years, during the COVID period, the prime minister has had 16 telephonic conversations with his counterparts, the leaders of the Gulf countries," Jaishankar said while replying to supplementary questions in the House during the Question Hour.

He said he has visited the Gulf countries 13 times and Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan four times.

"Our objective is to get as many workers back there as possible, as many of them back to their old jobs," Jaishankar said. -- PTI

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi

18:04 Guv returns bill seeking NEET exemption for TN

Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi has returned to the state government, an assembly Bill seeking exemption to the state from the National Entrance cum Eligibility Test, saying it went against the interests of rural and economically poor students.

The governor has returned the bill and the report of a high level committee constituted by the state government in this connection to the assembly Speaker M Appavu, a Raj Bhavan release said.

The governor 'after detailed study of the L.A.Bill No.43 of 2021 for admission to undergraduate medical courses seeking exemption from NEET, and the report of the high level committee constituted by the state government in this regard, which is the basis for the Bill and also examining the pre-NEET status of social justice in medical admission especially for students coming from socially and economically poor background, is of the opinion that the Bill is against interests of the students specially the rural and economically poor students of the State."

"Hence, the hon'ble governor has returned the Bill to the hon'ble speaker, Tamil Nadu legislative assembly on February 01, 2022, giving detailed reasons, for its re-consideration by the House, " it said. -- PTI

17:38 Concerned about freedom of speech: Govt

The government on Thursday said it was concerned about the freedom of speech and expression and that the country was not in the times of 1975 or the Emergency.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting L Murugan told the Rajya Sabha that the government has initiated action against 160 TV channels and blocked 60 channels on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter pages as their content was against the integrity and safety of the nation.

"Our government is concerned about the freedom of speech and expression... We are not in 1975. We are not in Emergency...," he said in the House during the Question Hour.

Murugan was responding to a question by an opposition member who alleged that the government was misusing penal provisions to curb the freedom of speech and expression.

Replying to supplementaries on action against news channels for anti-national content, he said the Press Council of India and a three-tier mechanism is place to check the content.

This, he said, includes self-regulatory mechanism and self-regulatory bodies and if the grievances are not sorted out, only then does the inter-departmental committee takes up and sorts out the issues.

"We wish to inform you that we have initiated 160 cases against TV channels," the minister told the House. Asked about the action against MediaOne channel, he said, "We are not doing anything on MediaOne. Whatever permissions to channels are being given (are) after the Home Ministry gives security clearance. MediaOne matter is sub-judice also."

"Within two months, our government initiated action against 60 channels whose content was against the nation and against the integrity and safety of the nation. We cannot tolerate it. "We blocked 60 channels, including Youtube and Facebook and Twitter accounts as they disturbed the nation's peace and security. We are concerned about the freedom of speech and freedom of expression," the minister of state told the Rajya Sabha. -- PTI

17:25 India's envoy to skip Beijing Olympics

India on Thursday announced that its charg d'affaires in the Beijing embassy will not attend the opening or closing ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in the Chinese capital over China honouring a military commander involved in the Galwan Valley clashes as its torchbearer for the mega sporting event.

External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi described the Chinese action of honouring the commander as "regrettable".

India's charg d'affaires in the Beijing embassy will not be attending the opening or closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, Bagchi said at a media briefing.

The People's Liberation Army (PLA) regiment commander involved in the June 15, 2020 clash with India in Galwan Valley was chosen by China to carry the Winter Olympic torch in Beijing.

The eastern Ladakh border row escalated after the Galwan Valley clashes on June 15, 2020. Twenty Indian Army personnel laid down their lives in the clashes that marked the most serious military conflicts between the two sides in decades.

A US lawmaker has slammed China for choosing the People's Liberation Army's regimental commander, involved in the Galwan valley clash as a torchbearer for Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Torch Relay.

China's People's Liberation Army's regimental commander, who had suffered severe injuries during the Galwan clash, became the torchbearer at the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Torch Relay on Wednesday.

"It's shameful that Beijing chose a torchbearer for the Olympics2022 who's part of the military command that attacked India in 2020 and is implementing genocide against the Uyghurs. The US will continue to support Uyghur freedoms and the sovereignty of India," said Senator Jim Risch, a Republican who is a Ranking Member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Qi Fabao, the regimental commander who suffered a serious head injury during the Galwan Valley border skirmish on June 15, 2020, took the flame from China's four-time Olympic short track speed skating champion, at Winter Olympic Park, State media outlet Global Times reported on Wednesday.

This came as a report revealed that China is hiding its losses in the Galwan Valley clash with India. The new research has shown that the PLA lost at least nine times more soldiers than its official count of four.

At least 38 PLA troops drowned while crossing a fast-flowing, sub-zero river in darkness, according to an article in the Australian newspaper 'The Klaxon' which cited a report prepared by a group of social media researchers after a year-long investigation.

Of the four soldiers China has confirmed died, only one-- Junior Sergeant Wang Zhuoran-- is reported as having drowned, the investigative newspaper said.

The report cited "several Weibo users" and said, "at least 38 PLA troops along with Wang were washed away and drowned that night...of which only Wang was declared among the four officially dead soldiers."

The report cited a year-long investigation involving discussions with mainland Chinese bloggers, information obtained from mainland-based Chinese citizens and media reports that have since been deleted by Chinese authorities. -- ANI

Offence is the best form of defence, George Washington has said.

And so, the BJP continued to attack Rahul Gandhi on Thursday over his speech in Parliament, with Union minister Kiren Rijiju saying the Congress leader is used to behave like India's "yuvraj" and now thinks that he is its king.

BJP vice president Baijayant Jay Panda mocked him saying that the "king of comedy is increasingly turning out to also be the prince of darkness".

"Yes, of course the Constitution defines India as a union of states. No issue there, but to extrapolate from that to say India is 'not a nation' is not merely ludicrous, but downright sinister," he said.

Gandhi had on Wednesday said the Congress smashed the idea of a king in 1947, but now it has come back and the ruling dispensation had created two Indias -- one for the poor and the other for the rich. Rijiju retorted to it saying that there was indeed two Indias and one of them includes those who go on foreign trips and rave parties.

"Two Indias are: 1. People enjoy high-class society life, attend rave parties, frequent vacation trip to foreign destinations and enjoy very colorful life. 2. People live simple life in India, remain with the needy people all the time, think Indian and follow Indian traditions," he said in a tweet.

The Law Minister added, "Earlier he used to behave like India's Yuvraj' and now he thinks he is the King' of India!" BJP spokesperson and Bihar government minister Shahnawaz Hussain also targetted Gandhi.

"Rahul Gandhi says that we have made huge strategic mistakes in J&K and in our foreign policy. Is he saying that going after terrorists and lifting of article 370 is a wrong policy? Why does he support the propaganda of Pakistan?" he said.

The Union health ministry on Thursday refuted as misleading media reports which claimed that 50 lakh unused Covishield doses may go waste by the end of this month.

It said the Centre had proactively advised all state governments to review the availability of vaccines, right from the start of the vaccination drive against COVID-19, to ensure that the wastage of doses is reduced to a minimum.

The health ministry had in November last year communicated to the states that they should regularly review the status of the vaccines that were expected to cross their shelf life in the coming months, but were available with private hospitals.

The states were also advised to ensure that no vaccine dose gets expired -- both in government and private facilities -- the ministry said in a statement.

It said the states were advised to have a quick video-conference at the level of additional chief secretary (health)/ principal secretary (health) with the private hospitals to look into the utilisation of vaccine doses.

States were also advised that they could try interventions such as administration of vaccine under Corporate Social Responsibility or vaccination at subsidized rates in private hospitals, the ministry stated.

Furthermore, on the request of specific states, the Union health ministry had clarified that it had no objection to the proposed arrangement of transfer of vaccine, on an exceptional basis, from private sector health facilities to state government health facilities to avoid vaccine expiry and to ensure that no vaccine dose goes waste, the statement read.

Also, the provision of vaccine exchange has been made available on Co-WIN, the government's web portal for vaccination-related information, it noted. Additionally, discussions have also been held with states, namely West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Gujarat and Delhi to ensure that the vaccines available at private COVID vaccination centres are used, the statement mentioned. PTI

16:07 Can he do it?

Akhilesh Yadav is leading an ebullient challenge to the Modi-Yogi suzerainty in Uttar Pradesh. The Telegraph assesses whether he can go all the way or will, like Tejashwi in neighbouring Bihar, fall short. Read the report here.

Kerala has the maximum Covid cases in India

16:05 60% fall in active Covid cases in a week in Delhi

The number of active coronavirus cases in the national capital has registered a fall of over 60 per cent in the last one week.

The DDMA authorities are slated to meet on Friday to discuss further relaxations in Covid-19 curbs in view of the improving situation.

While daily cases count, positivity rate, and several other metrics have shown a downtrend in the past several days, the number of deaths reported in Delhi due to Covid, has not abated much in the last few weeks.

On January 26, the daily cases tally had stood at 7,498 with a positivity rate of 10.59 per cent, and 29 deaths were registered.

The active cases tally on that day was 38,315 while the cumulative death cases had stood at 25,710, as per official data.

On February 2, the daily cases tally came down to 3,028 while the positivity rate slipped to 4.73 per cent, and 27 deaths were registered.

The active cases tally on that day had fallen to 14,870 while the cumulative death cases had stood at 25,919. So, 210 fatalities have been reported in the last one week, as per official figures, while the active cases count has reduced by a margin of about 61 per cent.

However, as the overall pandemic situation ok Delhi has shown an improvement, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) is scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss further relaxations in COVID-19 curbs, including reopening of schools, in view of the declining cases in the national capital.

Schools in the city were briefly reopened before being closed again on December 28 last year in view of the third wave of COVID-19 driven by the Omicron variant.

The number of daily cases in Delhi had reached a record high of 28,867 on January 13. The city had recorded a positivity rate of 30.6 per cent on January 14, the highest during the ongoing wave of the pandemic.

But, the number of daily cases has been on the decline lately. It had taken just 10 days for daily cases to drop below the 10,000-mark. -- PTI

Congress's MP Ripun Bora in Rajya Sabha on Thursday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying that he did not create a single Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) while he privatised 23.

Speaking on the Motion of Thanks to President's Address in Rajya Sabha, Bora also compared previous Prime Ministers with PM Modi on the matter and said Rajiv Gandhi created 16 PSUs and no privatisation, Atal Bihari Vajpayee created 17 PSUs; and Manmohan Singh created 23 PSUs and privatised only three.

Noting that the economy was badly devastated during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Congress leader said that nothing was mentioned on how to recover the economic scenario in President's address which is considered as a roadmap.

It was totally contrary to people's expectations as the address neither mentioned ways nor measures on how to recover the losses during Covid-19.

"There was a drastic fall in the income of 84 crore people during a pandemic but President's address did not mention anything."

Meanwhile, the Congress leader mentioned how 27 crore people were pulled out of poverty under the UPA government and that five crore people have been pushed below the poverty line now.

The MP also took a dig at the Modi government on inflation, saying "not a single word to tackle price rise was mentioned in President's address despite individual consumption has hugely declined". -- PTI

TMC MP Mohua Moitra

15:43 Drink gaumutra shots: TMC MP's dare to BJP

The spirited Mahua Moitra, a Trinamool Congress MP, has tweeted a dare telling hecklers to prepare for her speech in the Lok Sabha today by drinking cow urine -- gaumutra -- which has been bandied by rightwingers as the panacea of all evils.

Moitra on Thursday 'gave an early heads up to BJP' ahead of her address in Lok Sabha.

"Am speaking this evening in Lok Sabha on President's Address. Just wanted to give early heads up to BJP to get the heckler team ready and read up on imaginary points of order. Drink some gaumutra shots too," TMC MP said in a tweet.

Moitra's address in the Lok Sabha comes a day after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi lambasted the government over the Pegasus controversy, India-China border row, unemployment, farmers' protest among other issues.

He stated that "institutions of our country are being attacked and captured by one idea" and "the judiciary, the Election Commission, Pegasus, are all instruments of destroying the voice of the union of states".

Participating in the debate on the motion of thanks on the President's Address, Gandhi accused the Centre of having a "flawed vision" and centralising power. He said, "the idea of the king has come back".

Moitra's colleague, TMC MP Saugata Roy yesterday accused the centre of appointing governors who work at odds with state governments.

The West Bengal government is at war with governor Jagdeep Dhankar and has made several requests to the Centre to have him removed.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will form government in Uttar Pradesh with a two-third majority.

While addressing a public meeting in Anupshahar, "I am sure that this time also in Uttar Pradesh, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yogi Adityanath is going to become the Chief Minister with a two-thirds majority."

The Home Minister said that all mafia from Uttar Pradesh is either in jail, have left the state, or are there in the Samajwadi Party's list of candidates.

"We had said that we will free western Uttar Pradesh from the mafia and have done what we told. Today no mafia in the entire Uttar Pradesh has the courage to do anything wrong. Mother and sisters are completely safe. In the last five years, there has been an exodus of mafia under the BJP rule. Mafia of Uttar Pradesh is now only three places. Either out of state or in jail or eager to become MLA in Akhilesh Yadav's list. Our Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has done the work of straightening the mafia by turning it upside down," said Shah.

The BJP leader said that the party has worked for the transformation of Uttar Pradesh and Modi has done the work of securing the country.

"Crores of rupees are being recovered in the raids of their loved ones. That money belonged to SP goons. BJP has worked to transform Uttar Pradesh. PM Modi has done the work of securing the country. If the BJP government is formed in Uttar Pradesh, then the hands of Modi will be strong," he said. -- ANI

Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday hit out at Rahul Gandhi, claiming that the Congress leader earlier used to behave like 'Yuvraj' and now thinks he is the 'King' of India. Continuing the attack on the former Congress President for alleging that the BJP government had created two Indias, Rijiju took a dig at Gandhi's frequent foreign visits.

"Two Indias are: 1. People enjoy high-class society life, attend rave parties, frequent vacation trip to foreign destinations and enjoy very colourful life. 2. People live simple life in India, remain with the needy people all the time, think Indian and follow Indian traditions," the Law Minister said on Twitter.

Participating in the discussion in the Lok Sabha over the Motion of Thanks on President's Address, Gandhi had said the Centre had created two Indias -- one for the rich and other for the poor.

He had also said the BJP government's vision for the country was more of a "king, who uses a stick to rule" and not of "negotiation and conversation". PTI

14:08 UP riot-free since 2017: Yogi

Claiming success in controlling crime in the state, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday accused his predecessors of failing to undertake police reforms and modification as the latter wanted to use the department as their personal tool.

The chief minister also claimed that the state was free of riots and terrorist activities for five years and that Uttar Pradesh had become the preferred destination for investors.

Giving out details on the number of riots in the previous Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Samajwadi Party (SP) governments, Adityanath said, "In BSP regime (2007-2012), there were 364 riots. During the SP tenure (2012-2017), there were over 700 big riots in which hundreds were killed. Since 2017, no riots have taken place in the state. Yet, the government isn't quiet. We are building an Anti-Terrorism Squad Centre at sensitive places in view of national security."

Comparing the SP government in 2016-2017 with his regime in 2020-2021 using the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, the chief minister said cases of dacoity came down by 58 per cent, loot by 64 per cent, murder by 23 per cent, kidnapping by 53 per cent, dowry killing by eight per cent and rape by 43 per cent.

"Despite being a big state, we achieved success in bringing down these cases. We introduced the anti-conversion law and the Uttar Pradesh Recovery of Damages to Public and Private Property law," he said.

Speaking further, Adityanath said 155 hardcore criminals were killed in encounters while another 3,638 were injured in raids among others during his tenure.

Thirteen police personnel were also killed while 1,236 policemen were injured. As many as 48,038 people were arrested under the Gangster Act while the National Security Act was invoked against 694 criminals, he said. According to the chief minister, illegal properties worth Rs 2,046 crore belonging to criminals were seized and demolished.

"Police recruitment could not be held (in previous regime). We recruited 1.5 lakh personnel in a transparent manner and promoted thousands of them. We worked towards modernizing the police force, police lines and stations, he said, adding that the number of women in the department had tripled compared to the previous governments. -- PTI

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin on Thursday hailed Rahul Gandhi for his "rousing" speech in Lok Sabha and said the Congress MP had voiced the long-standing arguments of Tamils in the Parliament.

In a Twitter post, the DMK president thanked Gandhi on behalf of "all Tamils" for his parliament speech.

"Dear Rahul Gandhi, I thank you on behalf of all Tamils for your rousing speech in the Parliament, expressing the idea of Indian Constitution in an emphatic manner. You have voiced the long-standing arguments of Tamils in the Parliament, which rest on the unique cultural and political roots that value self respect," Stalin said.

Launching a full-blown attack on the BJP government at the Centre on Wednesday, among others, Gandhi accused the ruling party of bringing back the idea of a "king of India" that was "smashed in 1947" and targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying that the "idea of a king is back".

"India is described in the Constitution as a union of states and not as a nation. One cannot rule over the people of a state in India. Different languages and cultures cannot be suppressed. It is a partnership, not a kingdom."

"We smashed that idea of a king. Now, that idea of a king has come back, that there is a king, a Shahenshah, a ruler of rulers, a master of masters... What is happening is that the instruments of the conversation between our states. The instruments of the conversation between our peoples, what we call the institutions of our country are being attacked and captured by one idea," he had said. -- PTI

13:41 Sensex slides after 3-day high

Reversing three days of winning run the Indian equities markets key indices fell on Thursday dragged by selling pressure in IT, FMCG and select financial stocks.

The benchmark Sensex was trading at 59,164.76 points at 1.10 am, which is 393.57 points or 0.66 per cent lower from its previous day's close at 59,558.33 points.

Earlier, the Sensex opened marginally down at 59,528.16 points and slumped to a low of 59,021.88 points.

The broader Nifty 50 of the National Stock Exchange was trading at 17,666.75 points, which is 113.25 points or 0.64 per cent down from its previous day's close at 17,780 points. -- ANI

13:27 The Yadavs plant the 'tree of victory'

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav plants a sapling ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls. His daughter, Tina, tweets, "A tree to the name of the 2022 win. Ek pedh 2022 jeet ke naam." The genes show.

13:12 Rahul Gandhi's 'two Indias' speech

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday said that two Indias are being created. "One India is for the extremely rich people, those who have immense wealth, for those who have immense power, for those who control the heartbeat of the country,' he said in Parliament. "Another India is for poor people and the divide between two Indias is widening."

For the full text of his speech in Hindi click here.

India is witnessing trailers of future conflicts and its adversaries will continue with efforts to achieve their strategic aims, Army Chief Gen MM Naravane said on Thursday delving into national security challenges emanating from China and Pakistan.

In an address at an online seminar, he said India is facing "unique, substantial and multi-domain" security challenges and that developments on the northern borders have adequately underscored the requirement of ready and capable forces.

Without naming China and Pakistan, the Chief of Army Staff said that the disputed borders with nuclear-capable neighbours coupled with state-sponsored proxy war were stretching the security apparatus and the resources.

"We are witnessing trailers of future conflicts. These are being enacted daily on the information battlefield, in the networks and cyberspace. They are also being played along unsettled and active borders," he said. "It is for us now to visualise the battlefield contours of tomorrow based on these trailers. If you look around, you will realise the reality of today," he said.

The Army Chief said the developments on the northern borders have adequately underscored the requirement of ready and capable forces with an optimal component of boots on the ground backed by modern technology to preserve the country's sovereignty and integrity.

"Our adversary shall continue with their efforts to achieve their strategic aims...sort of conflict by use of grey zone activities in the political, military and economic domains, and do so in a collusive manner," he said.

"The events of 2020 have been testimony to the diversity of security threats in all domains and this has brought the spotlight towards non-contact and grey zone warfare. We need to augment capabilities in both non-contact and contact modes of warfare," he said referring to the eastern Ladakh face-off.

In an oblique reference to China, he also said that some nations are challenging the globally accepted norms and the rules-based order. This, he said, has manifested in various forms that included aggression and opportunistic actions to change the "status quo" keeping the threshold below all-out war.

Gen Naravane said the developments in Afghanistan have again brought to focus the use of proxies and non-state actors to decisive effect.

"These actors thrive on local conditions, innovatively exploit low-cost options to devastating impact and create conditions that limit the full use of sophisticated capabilities which are available to state," he said.

He also said that the process of integration of three services through theaterisation is already moving ahead under a time-bound plan and the Indian Army is totally committed to this transformation.

Gen Naravane said the Army is focusing on restructuring, rebalancing and reorienting its forces and the process has already been initiated. "We are further consolidating our operational experiences to these changes and this shall remain a work in progress," he added. PTI

12:30 Punish Dharma Sansad speakers: RSS leader

Senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar has condemned the alleged hate speeches against minorities at a recent Dharma Sansad in Haridwar and said all those who make provocative and divisive remarks should be punished as per law without any exception.

In an interview with PTI, he termed the politics of hate as corruption and called all political parties and their leaders should refrain from indulging in hate-mongering and pitting one section of the society against the other.

Instead of making provocative and divisive remarks against any community, caste or group, they should practice politics of brotherhood and development in the best interest of the country and its people, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) national executive member said.

"Any kind of hate speech is condemnable. All hate speeches must be condemned and punished as per law. Nobody should be treated as an exception," he said when asked for his view on the alleged hate speeches delivered at a Dharma Sansad in Uttarakhand's Haridwar and a similar event in Chhattisgarh's capital Raipur recently.

Kumar said there are multiple examples of cruel hate speeches and insisted that it is the need of the hour to take legal action against all such divisive acts as they vitiate the atmosphere of the country.

He slammed the Congress and other opposition parties for blaming the RSS and its ideology for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, saying that they were levelling baseless allegations even as they do not have any proof to substantiate their charge.

For more than 60 years, we have been hearing that the RSS and its ideology were behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi.A ban was also imposed on the Sangh. But the Congress and other parties could not prove it (the allegation) even after they remained in power for so many years, he said.

12:28 No luck for Rita Bahuguna Joshi's son

With Samajwadi Party (SP) fielding Raju Gandhi as their candidate for the Lucknow Cantonment seat, the speculations that the SP would field BJP MP Rita Bahuguna Joshi's son Mayank Joshi from the seat have been put to an end.

Soon after the BJP denied the ticket to Mayank and fielded state Law Minister Brajesh Pathak from the seat, there were speculations that SP would field him from the seat.

As per sources, SP waited till late in the evening for Mayank to make up his mind to join the party after which it gave the ticket to Gandhi.

Gandhi will be filing his nomination today.

Rita Bahuguna Joshi had fought the 2017 elections and defeated Aparna Yadav, the then SP candidate from Lucknow Cantonment.

Earlier, Rita Bahuguna Joshi said she would give up her Lok Sabha membership if her son does not get a ticket from Lucknow Cantt seat. But after he was denied a ticket she said she "respects the decision of the party."

Claims that people are being registered as double vaccinated without receiving both doses. Read the report here.

"The principal focus of the prime minister has been to strengthen the foundations of the national economy and use the disruption to steer economic policies in a particular direction.

"At the heart of the government's efforts has been the Make in India programme that has involved capacity-building in areas ranging from vaccines and healthcare to motor vehicles and defence equipment.

"Coupled with the relentless thrust on building and upgrading infrastructure, the Modi government has tried to ensure that the pre-pandemic approach of the government isn't entirely derailed by the crisis created by the virus. Naturally, as with all national economies, India's steady GDP growth took a hit but since the present financial year has seen a sharp recovery which, barring the unexpected, is likely to persist."

Read BJP MP Swapan Dasgupta's column here.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi

12:00 Channi leads Cong survey on CM face for Punjab

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi might be declared the Congress' chief minister face for the Punjab assembly polls as sources say that he is leading in the survey the party is conducting to choose the CM candidate.

"Opinions of candidates, workers, and party MPs are being recorded to so that any feud over the CM face between Channi and Navjot Singh Siddhu can be avoided," said sources.

"Party is also calling general public through an automated call system to seek their opinion on CM face. The target of the party is to call around 1.5 crore people in the next 3 to 4 days," source added.

Party's coordinators are physically reaching out to the block president, district president and all candidates to collect their opinion and hand over to the party soon. -- ANI

RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, who has been slammed for his Hema Malini remark, clarified that it was a 'sarcastic' comment.

"Attempts were being made to poach our candidate from Maant seat. Yogesh (Nauhwar) had said from the stage that he was offered an MP post. So I said it sarcastically that they are going to make him Hema Malini," said RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary on Wednesday.

Ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, Chaudhary on Tuesday during a campaign in Mathura said, "Aaj mere liye itni meethi meethi baatain. Yogesh ji ko Amit Shah ne baataya. Hum aapko Hema Malini banayenge. Unhe mujse pyaar nahi hai. Unhe mujhe khush karke kya mil jaayega. Mujhe toh nahi banna Hema Malini. (BJP has no love for me. It is surprising to know that they talking 'sweet things' about me'. What will they (BJP) get by pleasing me? I don't want to be Hema Malini)."

Chaudhary's remark came as Union Minister Amit Shah during a meeting with Jat leaders in New Delhi last month had said the BJP's doors are always open for the RLD. Hema Malini is a BJP MP from Mathura who defeated Jayant Chaudhury in the 2014 UP polls in Mathura.

BJP MP Kamlesh Paswan

11:36 BJP MP reacts to Rahul praising him in Parliament

BJP MP Kamlesh Paswan reacts to Rahul Gandhi's praise in Parliament.

"After my speech on Motion of Thanks to the President in Parliament, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi yesterday said: "Mr Paswan, you spoke very well. I think you are in the wrong party". He is trying to woo me. He should focus on himself and his party first."

The Congress leader during the motion of thanks on the President's address yesterday, was seen taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi by saying, "India cannot be ruled as a kingdom...The King does not listen to anybody."

The Wayanad MP also took the name of Kamlesh Paswan and who had spoken just before him and pointed out that BJP MP, who is a Dalit was in the wrong party.

"You do not listen to anybody and even not to my dear brother and sister in the BJP. I saw my Dalit colleague speak today, Paswan ji. He knows the history of Dalit. He knows who has oppressed the Dalits for 3,000 years. But he is speaking with hesitancy. He is speaking without... I am proud of him. I am proud of this gentleman. He has spoken to me what is in his heart. But he is in the wrong party. Don't worry...ghabraiye mat," Gandhi said.

To this there was an uproar and Paswan stood up to speak in protest and motioned to the Speaker to allow him to speak only to be told by the Speaker in Hindi, 'No.. not in between, afterwards'.

This was when Gandhi promptly gestured to Paswan and made the declaration that he gave permission to the BJP leader to speak.

Aap kisi ko ijazaat nahi de sakte, yeh adhikar mera hain (You cannot give permission to anyone, this is my right)," the Speaker lashed out at Gandhi leaving the Congress leader visibly embarrassed.

After a section of students protested demanding to ensure 'uniform norms', girl students in Government Degree College in Karnataka were asked to attend classes without wearing hijab from Thursday.

The girls, who have been entering the campus wearing hijab, were asked to remove it at the waiting rooms before attending the classes.

The principal of the Government Degree College in Bhadravathi town of Shivamogga district, MG Umashankar said he had discussed the issue with the students and their parents.

"The issue has been solved now. They will not wear the Hijab in class," he stated. This comes after students at a Chikkamagaluru college wore saffron shawls to mark their protest against girls wearing hijabs on campus. On Tuesday, many students also staged a dharna over the same. The cops then entered the college premises and brought the situation under control. -- ANI

This article explores the engagements of people and various civic organizations, even from the margins of society, with the making of India's constitution during the early stages of its drafting. Using hitherto unstudied archival materials, it examines constitutional visions, demands, conceptions of inclusion, and constitutional proposals, as these were expressed at the time by people outside of the Constituent Assembly.

Do read

Keeping a tab on the economy

11:18 BJP to begin Budget explainer to masses from Sat

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) its office bearers, MPs and other leaders will reach out to the masses across the country to explain the merits of the Union Budget to the people.

BJP MPs will explain the merits of the budget of self-reliant India to the people of their respective areas on February 5, 6, 12 and 13, sources said. The party has also asked all the states to organise a programme to explain the merits of the budget to the people, sources added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi explained the details of the budget to the BJP leaders of the country through the virtual medium, in which all the party officials participated.

MPs have been asked to hold a press conference in their parliamentary constituency on February 5, 6, 12 and 13 and the party officials in all the districts will promote the key points of the budget.

With the administration of more than 57 lakh doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded the 167.29 crore mark as per provisional reports till 7 am on Wednesday.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in a press release today informed, "With the administration of more than 57 lakh doses (57,42,659) vaccine doses in the last 24 hours, India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has exceeded 167.29 crores (1,67,29,42,707) as per provisional reports till 7 am today. This has been achieved through 1,83,99,537 sessions." The testing capacity across the country continues to be expanded.

10:50 Rijiju reacts to Rahul's 'two Indias' remark

Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Thursday hit back at the Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remark of "idea of the king has come back" in Lok Sabha and said that he thinks he is the "king of India".

The Congress leader on Wednesday had accused the Centre of having a "flawed vision" and centralising power. He said, "the idea of the king has come back".

"Earlier he used to behave like India's 'Yuvraj' and now he thinks he is the 'king' of India!," said Rijiju in a tweet today.

Further taking a dig at Rahul Gandhi's remark of 'two Indias being created', Rijiju compared the 'two Indias' and said, "Two Indias are: 1. People enjoy high-class society life, attend rave parties, frequent vacation trips to foreign destinations and enjoy a very colourful life. 2. People live a simple life in India, remain with the needy people all the time, think Indian and follow Indian traditions," he added.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Union Minister demanded an apology from the Congress leader saying "he has no regard for constitutional authorities".

Taking to Twitter, the Union Minister had said, "Not only as India's Law Minister but also as an ordinary citizen, I condemn what Rahul Gandhi has said about India's judiciary and Election Commission. These are vital institutions of our democracy. Rahul Gandhi should immediately apologize to the people, judiciary and Election Commission."

"We know that Rahul Gandhi does not believe in democracy and he has no regard for constitutional authorities. We do not take his habitual senseless comments seriously but since he has abused constitutional authorities from the Parliament house, he must tender unconditional apology," said Rijiju.

Friends in need

10:44 Top Army leadership carry out ops review of China, Pakistan border

Amid the ongoing military standoff with the Chinese military, the top brass of the Indian Army, led by Army Chief Gen Manoj Mukund Naravane, is carrying out an operational review of the situation along the borders with China and Pakistan on Wednesday in view of the recent changes in the leadership in Northern and Eastern Commands.

"This would be Lt Gen Manoj Pande's first meeting as the Vice Chief of Army Staff while Lt Gen Upendra Dwivedi is the new Northern Army Commander. Lt Gen RP Kalita also took over as the Eastern Army Commander on February 1", Army officials told ANI.

The meeting comes soon after the leadership changes came into effect on February 1.

India and China have been engaged in a military standoff for almost two years now and efforts are being made to resolve the issue amicably.

However, the forces are ready for any eventuality and recently the Army Chief had stated clearly that in case of a war, India will emerge victorious. The top Army brass would also look into issues related to the Military Secretary's branch in the meeting today.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla schooled Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday for not following proper Parliamentary procedure during a debate on the motion of thanks to the President's address in the Lok Sabha.

After Rahul Gandhi gave "permission" to another MP to speak while he was speaking, the Speaker said, "Who are you to give this permission? You can't give permission, that's my right," Om Birla further added, "You have no right to allow anyone, only the chair has the right to allow."

Om Birla chided Gandhi after the Congress leader while delivering his remarks paused and indicated to BJP MP Kamlesh Paswan who was on his feet and wanted to say something.

"I am a democratic person and I will allow the other person to speak," Gandhi said earning a sharp rebuke from a visibly irritated Speaker Birla.

The Congress leader during the motion of thanks on the President's address, was seen taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi by saying, "India cannot be ruled as a kingdom...The King does not listen to anybody."

The Wayanad MP also took the name of Kamlesh Paswan and who had spoken just before him and pointed out that BJP MP, who is a Dalit was in the wrong party.

"You do not listen to anybody and even not to my dear brother and sister in the BJP. I saw my Dalit colleague speak today, Paswanji. He knows the history of Dalit. He knows who has oppressed the Dalits for 3,000 years. But he is speaking with hesitancy. He is speaking without... I am proud of him. I am proud of this gentleman. He has spoken to me what is in his heart. But he is in the wrong party. Don't worry...ghabraiye mat," Gandhi said.

To this there was an uproar and Paswan stood up to speak in protest and motioned to the Speaker to allow him to speak only to be told by the Speaker in Hindi, 'No.. not in between, afterwards."

This was when Gandhi promptly gestured to Paswan and made the declaration that he gave permission to the BJP leader to speak."Aap kisi ko ijazaat nahi de sakte, yeh adhikar mera hain" (You cannot give permission to anyone, this is my right), the Speaker lashed out at Gandhi leaving the Congress leader visibly embarrassed.

In addition, Paswan also hit back at the Congress leader. "Rahul Gandhi said I am in the wrong party. I want to tell him that today I am being able to speak after Rahul Gandhi being the MP of Bansgaon only because of my party. My party made me MP three times. What more do I want?"

10:25 Sensex drops over 100 pts in early trade

Equity benchmark Sensex declined over 100 points in opening trade on Thursday, tracking losses in index majors HDFC, Infosys and Wipro. Unabated foreign fund outflows weighed on domestic equities, traders said.

The BSE gauge was trading 116.47 points or 0.20 per cent lower at 59,441.86 in early trade.

Likewise, the Nifty fell 33.75 points or 0.19 per cent to 17,746.25. HDFC was the top loser in the Sensex pack, shedding 1.10 per cent, followed by Tech Mahindra, Infosys, Wipro, Bajaj Finance, HCL Tech and Kotak Bank. On the other hand, Titan Asian Paints, ITC, Maruti, SBI and NTPC were among the gainers.

HDFC on Wednesday reported a standalone net income of Rs 3,261 crore for the three months to December 2021, logging in an 11 per cent growth over Rs 2,926 crore in the same quarter of the previous year.

In the previous session, the 30-share benchmark climbed 695.76 points or 1.18 per cent to finish at 59,558.33 -- its third straight session of gains. Likewise, the broader NSE Nifty jumped 203.15 points or 1.16 per cent to end at 17,780.00. -- PTI

10:15 India reports over 1.72 lakh new Covid cases

With 1,72,433 people testing positive for coronavirus infection in a day, India's total tally of COVID-19 cases rose to 4,18,03,318, while the active cases decreased to 15,33,921, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Thursday.

The death toll climbed to 4,98,983 with 1,008 daily fatalities, the data updated at 8 am stated.

The active cases constitute 3.67 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate decreased to 95.14 per cent, the health ministry said.

A reduction of 87,682 cases was recorded in the active COVID-19 caseload in a span of 24 hours.

The daily positivity rate was recorded at 10.99 per cent while the weekly positivity rate was 12.98 per cent, according to the health ministry.

The number of recoveries rose to 3,97,70,414, while the case fatality rate was 1.19 per cent.

The cumulative number of doses administered in the country so far under the nationwide vaccination drive against COVID-19 has crossed 167.87 crore.

India surpassed the one-crore mark in the number of cases on December 19, 2020.

The country crossed the grim milestone of two crore cases on May 4 and three crore cases on June 23 last year. -- PTI

Representative image only

10:02 Maha constable collapses during morning parade, dies

A 27-year-old constable attached to the Thane police commissionerate collapsed and died during a routine parade in Thane on Thursday morning, an official said.

The deceased, Mahesh More, was posted in the Quick Response Team (QRT) of the city police.

Around 7.30 am on Thursday, he collapsed when the parade was in progress, he said.

"More was rushed to the Thane civil hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead. The cause of his death is yet to be known and his body has been sent for a post-mortem," the official said.

Personnel of the Thane Nagar police station are carrying out an investigation, he added. -- PTI

United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday (local time) spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron regarding Russia's continued military build-up on Ukraine's borders.

'The two leaders affirmed their support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and reviewed our ongoing coordination on both diplomacy and preparations to impose swift and severe economic costs on Russia should it further invade Ukraine,' said the White House in a press release.

'President Biden and President Macron agreed their teams will stay in close touch, including in consultation with NATO Allies and EU partners, on our coordinated and comprehensive approach to managing these issues,' the release added.

It came as the US Defence Department announced on Wednesday the extra US forces will deploy to Poland, Germany and Romania in the next several days.

The Defence Department is sending 2,000 US troops to Europe in the next several days in response to the Ukraine crisis, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on Wednesday.

Most of the 2,000 troops will be deployed in Poland and the deployment will be temporal, he said. -- ANI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remarks that the Bharatiya Janata Party government's policies have brought 'China and Pakistan together', stating that 'some history lessons are in order' and that Pakistan illegally handed over the Shaksgam Valley to China in 1963, when a Congress government was in office.

He said that China built the Karakoram highway through PoK in the 1970s and China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was started in 2013 when Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was in power at the Centre.

Jaishankar also slammed Gandhi over his remarks in Lok Sabha during debate on the motion of thanks on President's Address that the government could not get a foreign guest for Republic Day.

Taunting Gandhi over his frequent foreign visits, Jaishankar said 'those who live in India know we were in the midst of a corona wave' and added that India held a virtual summit with presidents of five central Asian countries.

'Rahul Gandhi alleged in Lok Sabha that it is this Government which brought Pakistan and China together. Perhaps, some history lessons are in order: -In 1963,Pakistan illegally handed over the Shaksgam valley to China. -China built the Karakoram highway through PoK in the 1970s,' Jaishankar said in a tweet.

Referring to CPEC started in 2013, he asked Gandhi to ask himself if China and Pakistan were distant then.

'From the 1970s, the two countries also had close nuclear collaboration. -In 2013, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor started. So, ask yourself: were China and Pakistan distant then?' he asked.

Jaishankar asked if Rahul Gandhi also missed the India-Central Asia Summit held on January 27.

'In Lok Sabha, @RahulGandhi said we could not get a foreign guest for Republic Day. Those who live in India know we were in the midst of a corona wave. The 5 Central Asian Presidents, who were to come, did hold a virtual summit on Jan 27. Did Rahul Gandhi miss that as well?' he asked.

Gandhi in his speech said the government has brought China and Pakistan together.

'The Chinese have a very clear vision of what they want to do. The single biggest strategic goal of India's foreign policy has been to keep Pakistan and China separate. What you have done is, you have brought them together,' he said.

'Do not be under any illusion, do not underestimate the force that is standing in front of you. You have brought Pakistan and China together. This is the single biggest crime that you could commit against the people of India,' he added. -- ANI

India's COVID-19 vaccination coverage has crossed 167.80 crore with over 48 lakh vaccine doses being administered on Wednesday, the Union health ministry said.

The daily vaccination tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late in the night, it said.

Cumulatively, 54,26,95,642 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered to individuals in the 18-44 age group and 41,02,25,658 second doses have been given in the same age group since the start of phase three of the vaccination drive.

In the 15-18 age group, 4,76,92,349 first doses and 20,93,497 second doses have been administered. As many as 1,34,51,315 'precaution' doses have been given to identified categories of beneficiaries.

The ministry further said that so far 94,48,84,202 first doses 71,97,19,108 second doses of the vaccine have been given.

On Wednesday till 7 pm, 48,73,824 vaccine doses have been administered, it said. -- PTI

Representational image

00:36 Civil services prelims exam on June 5

Civil services preliminary examination 2022 will be held on June 5 to fill 861 posts, the Union Public Service Commission said on Wednesday.

The civil services examination is conducted annually in three stages -- preliminary, main and interview -- to select officers of Indian Administrative Service, Indian Foreign Service and Indian Police Service, among others.

The number of vacancies to be filled through the examination is expected to be approximately 861 which include 34 vacancies reserved for persons with benchmark disability category -- seven for candidates of blindness and low vision, 11 for deaf and hard of hearing, and eight for locomotor disability.

The final number of vacancies may change after getting the exact number of vacancies from cadre controlling authorities, the UPSC said.

In a notification, it said the civil services preliminary examination will be held on June 5, 2022.

"The government strives to have a workforce which reflects gender balance and women candidates are encouraged to apply," it said.

Candidates can apply online at www.upsconline.nic.in.

The last date for sending online applications is Feb 22 till 6 pm.

Online applications can be withdrawn from March 1 to March 7 till 6 pm.

"No request for withdrawal of candidature will be entertained after the expiry of the specified period by the commission under any circumstances," the notification said. -- PTI

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