LIVE! Mumbai daily Covid cases below 2,000 for 2nd day

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Tue, 25 January 2022

Mumbai daily Covid cases below 2,000 for 2nd day

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23:34 Mumbai daily Covid cases below 2,000 for 2nd day

Mumbai on Tuesday reported 1,815 new coronavirus cases and ten deaths, said a statement by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

The city reported less than 2,000 infections on the second day in a row, while new cases have been declining for the last seven days.

The daily cases had been above the 2,000-mark since December 29.

On Monday, the city had reported 1,857 infections and 11 deaths.

The caseload in the metropolis rose to 10,38,505, while death toll reached 16,556.

With 753 people being discharged from hospitals, the recovery count in the country's financial capital rose to 9,97,042.

The recovery rate is 96 per cent.

The positivity rate, or cases detected per 100 tests, stood at 5.47 per cent on Tuesday.

The active caseload was 22,185. As much as 84 per cent or 1,525 of the 1,815 patients detected on Tuesday were asymptomatic.

Since Monday evening, 293 patients were hospitalised, of which 68 are on oxygen support, while overall 3,474 of the 37,874 hospital beds earmarked for the pandemic are occupied.

With 34,427 samples being examined since Monday evening, the number of coronavirus tests carried out in the metropolis stood at 1,50,45,946.

The caseload doubling time was 161 days and the average growth rate of cases between January 18 and 24 was 0.42 per cent.

There are 34 sealed buildings in the city but no containment zones, as per BMC data. -- PTI

IMAGE: A teacher welcomes a students after schools re-opened, in Mumbai on Monday. Photograph: ANI Photo

23:04 Buddhadeb's family new about Padma award: Govt

Soon after the former West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has refused the Padma Bhushan and said that he had no idea about the award, the government sources on Tuesday clarified that his family was well-informed about it in the morning and at that time no intent of rejection was expressed.

Bhattacharjee is among 17 Padma Bhushan awardees, the government announced on the eve of 73rd Republic Day.

Within a short time of the announcement a statement was released by Communist Party of India-Marxist, 'I don't know anything about Padman Bhusan award, none has said anything about it. If I have been given Padma Bhushan I refuse to accept it.'

Top government sources have told ANI, "It is factually incorrect that the family was not informed about the government's decision to bestow him with this honour."

As per the sources, a very senior official from the Ministry of Home Affairs had called up the Bhattacharjee household and spoken to his wife.

"At that time no intent of rejection was expressed by the wife or anybody else from the family. The government release the list of awards is only late in the night therefore it is being assumed that this could have been a political afterthought," sources said. -- ANI

Police on Tuesday evening registered a first information report (FIR) in Bhopal against unidentified sellers on e-commerce giant Amazon after it emerged that some products, including shoes, featuring images of the Indian flag were being sold on its platform in contravention of rules, an official said.

The action came hours after Madhya Pradesh Home Minister Narottam Mishra said the government has directed the police to register an FIR against officials of Amazon and its owner for allegedly selling products with images or imprint of the tricolour on them.

Amazon faced the ire of a section of Indian social media users over merchandising some products, including apparel and food items, that feature images of the Indian flag, with some saying that using the tricolour in such a way was an insult and a violation of the country's flag code.

'It has come to my notice that our national flag is being used on products being sold by the online e-commerce platform Amazon. It (the national flag) has been used on shoes... this can not be tolerated,' Mishra, who is the state government spokesman, told reporters in Bhopal.

Prima facie, it is a violation of the National Flag Code, he said.

"I have directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to file an FIR against Amazon's officials and owner," Mishra added.

In the evening, Bhopal police's Crime Branch registered a case against unidentified sellers on the Amazon platform on the basis of a compliant filed by a city resident.

Following a complaint, Bhopal's Crime Branch has registered an FIR under section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour (Amendment) Act and section 505 (2) of the Indian Penal Code (related to public mischief) against unidentified sellers on Amazon and taking further steps, Bhopal Police Commissioner Makrand Deuskar told PTI.

The FIR, quoting the 26-year-old complainant, said the unidentified sellers have posted products, including T-shirts, mugs and shoes with the national flag printed on them on Amazon, which has hurt the sentiments of countrymen and insulted the tricolour.

This is not the first time that the MP home minister has directed the police to take legal action against Amazon.

Last November, Mishra had ordered the filing of an FIR against officials of Amazon over the suicide of a youth from MP who allegedly obtained poisonous sulphas (used as an agricultural fumigant and is poisonous) tablets through the e-commerce site.

In another instance, the police in Bhind district had registered an FIR against unnamed officials of Amazon India after busting a gang that allegedly supplied ganja under the guise of selling stevia (a natural sweetener) through the e-commerce portal.

Amazon had on Monday said it remains committed to take necessary action against sellers who may have listed any non-compliant products.

Amazon.in is an online marketplace where third-party sellers offer products for sale directly to customers, and as such is responsible for ensuring compliances associated with the sale of these products, it said.

'We require all products offered on the marketplace to comply with applicable laws and constantly take appropriate action on non-compliance. Amazon remains committed to taking necessary action against sellers who may have listed any non-compliant products,' the company said. -- PTI

Veteran CPI-M leader and former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Tuesday rejected the Padma Bhushan award.

"I know nothing about this award. No one has told me anything about it. If they have decided to offer Padma Bhushan to me, I refuse to accept it," he said in a statement.

According to CPI-M sources, it was a decision of Bhattacharjee and also of the party.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Hindutva poster boy late Kalyan Singh and India's first Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat who died in a helicopter crash recently, were awarded the Padma Vibhushan on Tuesday, while veteran Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and Bhattacharjee were among those conferred with the Padma Bhushan.

India has shared details of a missing Arunachal Pradesh teenager with the Chinese People's Liberation Army to corroborate the identity of the youth in their custody, Law Minister Kiren Rijiju said on Tuesday.

He said the Chinese side had conveyed to the Indian Army on January 20 that they had found a boy on their side and requested for further details to establish the identity.

'To assist Chinese side in corroborating the identity, personal details and photo of the individual has been shared with the Chinese side by the Indian Army. Response from the Chinese side is awaited,' Rijiju said in a the statement put out on Koo app.

Congress leaders had hit out at the Modi government over the missing Arunachal Pradesh teenager. If you are the government, do your duty. Bring back Miram Taron, Rahul Gandhi had said on Twitter.

Rijiju said, 'We are constantly following the case from the day one. I appeal to everyone to be cautious in making statements which are not based on facts because the safety and safe return of our young Arunachal Pradesh youth is the priority.'

According to the statement, 19-year-old Miram Taron of Jido Village in Upper Siang District of Arunachal Pradesh was found missing on January 18.

'Some people reported that Chinese PLA had taken him into their custody,' it said.

Rijiju said that since the individual was missing from an area close to the Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Indian Army immediately approached the Chinese side on January 19, asking for assistance in tracing and return of the individual, in case he had strayed into the Chinese territory or PLA has taken him in their custody.

The Chinese side had assured that they would search for the individual and return him as per established protocol, the minister said. -- PTI

20:57

Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj terminus and BMC headquarters illuminated in tricolor on the eve of Republic Day 2022 celebrations, in Mumbai, on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. Photograph: Shashank Parade/PTI Photo

20:41 Padma for Gen Rawat, Kalyan Singh, Ghulam Nabi

Government announces Padma Awards 2022:

Padma Vibhushan (posthumous) for former Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Kalyan Singh.

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad to be conferred with Padma Bhushan.

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, SII MD Cyrus Poonawalla to be conferred with Padma Bhushan.

Olympians Neeraj Chopra, Pramod Bhagat and Vandana Kataria, and singer Sonu Nigam to be awarded Padma Shri.

Here's the complete list of the Padma Awards 2020

20:37 India yet to see peak in Covid cases: Experts

With India reporting 2,55,874 new COVID cases (50,190 less than yesterday), and 614 deaths in the last 24 hours, health experts cautioned that since most of the population lives in rural India, the country is yet to see the peak in the current wave.

Omicron, the latest Variant of Concern was first detected in South Africa.

It is causing a milder disease but has 70 times more transmissibility leading to a high percentage of the percentage rate.

However, hospitalisation has been far less in the current variant than in the second wave, but patients with comorbidities are still requiring hospital admissions and ICU beds.

Speaking to ANI, Dr Suranjit Chatterjee, senior consultant, Internal Medicine, Apollo Hospitals said, "The metropolitans have already seen a peak and currently the graph is showing a steady downward trend. But the tier-II and tier-III cities and the villages have reported less number of cases. India as a country might see a peak in one or two weeks."

"Omicron in India has been mild so far. People are getting infected fast and are also recovering at a much faster pace. But we should not lower our guards at all," he added.

Another expert Dr D S Rana is of the view that with milder infection and faster recovery, people are getting reluctant for the test. Further, many opt for rapid antigen self-test kits.

These lead to dropping in the daily number of cases.Dr Rana, chairman, Sir Gangaram Hospital, Delhi told ANI, "This happened during delta variant also when cases started decreasing in cities it showed an upward trend in villages. COVID is primarily a respiratory disease and the contagiousness depends on the density of the population."

He added, "Unlike the time of delta wave, many opted to stay back in cities rather than going back to their villages. But despite everything, due to its transmissibility rural population will definitely see a rise in cases in the coming weeks.

"However whether it will be recorded or not, largely depends on how tests are being done."

Many of the top health experts emphasised on accelerating genome sequencing for COVID cases.

According to the ministry of health and family welfare, with 2,55,874 new COVID cases recorded in the last 24 hours in the country, the current positivity rate remained at 15.52 per cent on Tuesday.

India's active caseload stands at 22,36,842 on Tuesday. -- ANI

19:32 Kerala logs highest ever Covid cases in 1 day

Kerala reported 55,475 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, the highest ever reported from the state in a single day since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, taking the total affected to 57,25,086.

On Monday, Kerala recorded 26,514 fresh cases while the previous highest ever in a single day was recorded on January 20- 46,387 cases.

The state Health department said 1,12,281 samples were tested in the last 24 hours and the COVID-19 dashboard in the website of the Kerala government shows the test positivity rate above 44 per cent.

There are 4,42,466 people under observation in the state out of which 10,342 are in isolation wards of various hospitals, the Health department said in a release.

'Currently, there are 2,85,365 active COVID-19 cases in the state out of which only 3.8 per cent are hospitalised,' the release said.

The state registered 154 COVID-19-related deaths on Tuesday taking the death toll to 52,141.

Among the latest fatalities, 70 were recorded over the last few days while 84 were designated as COVID-19 deaths after receiving appeals based on the new guidelines of the Centre and the directions of the Supreme Court.

Among the districts, Ernakulam reported the highest number of cases on Tuesday--9,405, followed by Thiruvananthapuram with 8,606 and Thrissur with 5,520 cases.

'Out of those who were found infected today, 139 reached the state from outside while 51,547 contracted the disease from their contacts. The sources of infection of 3,373 patients are yet to be ascertained. 506 health workers are also among the infected,' the release said.

Meanwhile, 30,226 people recovered from the disease on Tuesday taking the total recoveries in the state to 53,86,868. -- PTI

President Ram Nath Kovind has approved awards of 384 Gallantry for armed forces personnel and others on the eve of the 73rd Republic Day celebrations, said the Ministry of Defence on Tuesday.

These include 12 Shaurya Chakras, three Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry), 81 Sena Medals (Gallantry) and two Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).

President's Medal for Gallantry and President's Medal for Distinguished Services as well as Gallantry Medal and Meritorious Services Medals are awarded to the personnel of armed forces and other services on Republic Day and Independence Day each year. -- ANI

The BJP held a meeting on Tuesday to chalk out plans for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls expected to take place in a few months time.

All MLAs and MPs as well as other leaders from Mumbai took part in the meeting chaired by former chief minister and Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, said city MLA Ashish Shelar.

"All the plans related to campaigning and mobilising of party workers were chalked out in the meeting. The BJP will face the civic polls with fresh vigour. We are all geared up to oust the Shiv Sena from the BMC and get the BJP's lotus to bloom," Shelar told reporters.

The Shiv Sena had won 84 seats in the 227-member BMC body in polls held in 2017, while the BJP was a close second with 82, though the former's tally rose after six MNS corporators joined along with some bypoll wins.

The Sena has been in power in the BMC for nearly three decades.

The number of wards in the civic body are expected to increase from 227 to 236, which in turn may reduce the number of voters per ward from 54,000 now to around 50,000.

The metropolis has 94.55 lakh voters, as per 2019 data, and the redrawing of wards became necessary as the 2011 census showed a decline in the population of the island city and an increase in that of the suburbs.

The home of a Dalit bridegroom was pelted with stones and ransacked allegedly by a section of local residents in a village in Madhya Pradesh's Sagar district after he took out a wedding procession in an act seen as defiance against tradition, police officials said on Tuesday.

Police have arrested six persons in connection with the attack on the house of the groom in village Ganiyari under Banda Police Station limits of the district, some 200-km from the state capital Bhopal, in the Bundelkhand region on Sunday, an official said.

Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) Vikram Singh said some villagers allegedly pelted stones and ransacked the house of the groom.

Following a complaint, 20 persons were booked under provisions of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and six of them were arrested while some others are being interrogated, he said.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Narottam Mishra on Tuesday said in Bhopal the police had received a complaint in which the complainant had expressed apprehension that some villagers may stop the groom from taking out marriage procession.

On getting information, the police reached the spot and a procession (which is called 'rachh' in local language) was taken out. The marriage procession then left for Katni (bride's hometown). Later, some people allegedly pelted stones at the groom's home, he said.

Mishra said police personnel have been posted in the village to maintain law and order and six accused arrested after the complaint.

Dilip Ahirwar, the groom, alleged that members of his community are not allowed to take out a marriage procession in the village.

He broke this tradition and this angered some villagers, Ahirwar claimed.

The bridegroom said the marriage procession was eventually taken out with help of the police and Bhim Army workers.

He said later in the evening his house was vandalised. -- PTI

After the video of the son of Uttar Pradesh minister Anil Sharma, the Bharatiya Janata Party candidate from Shikarpur assembly segment, allegedly distributing money to people went viral, the returning officer for the constituency has sought the minister's explanation within 24 hours.

The viral video purportedly shows Sharma's son Kush distributing Rs 100 notes to people amid the sounds of drum beats near his vehicle.

It has been claimed that people taking money were drummers.

The Shikarpur returning officer has served a notice to minister Sharma.

In the notice to the minister, the RO told him that his party worker or officer is distributing cash to the people of the area.

It prima facie appears to be a clear violation of the model code of conduct, the RO said, seeking the written explanation of the minister within 24 hours. -- PTI

17:28 R-Day: ISI reactivates Kashmir-Khalistan desk

With an aim to carry out terrorist attacks on Republic Day and derail elections in five states, Pakistan's spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has reactivated its Kashmir-Khalistan (K2) desk to bring pro-Khalistan and anti-India supporters in Kashmir at a common platform, said a senior official in Delhi Police.

On Tuesday, the Delhi Police has pasted posters -- with names and pictures -- of suspected terrorists belonging to the Al Qaeda terror group and banned terrorist outfits of pro-Khalistan in central Delhi.

A senior official said that the idea behind the K2 desk is to exploit sentiments in Punjab and Kashmir. Intelligence agencies claimed that around 350 terrorists are ready to infiltrate into India.

The videos released by pro-Khalistan terrorist organisations are pushing the part of the K2 plan and backed by ISI.

In a recent video released by Gurpatwant Singh Pannu of banned Khalistani organisation 'Sikhs For Justice' (SFJ), he had shared the screen with a burqa-clad woman in the video.

The woman, in her message, urged 'Kashmiri Freedom Fighters' to leave the Valley, and reach Delhi on January 26 in order to free Kashmir and Khalistan.

"The purported video of SFJ also featured a picture of terrorist Burhan Wani, who was killed in an encounter in Kashmir. Pannu claimed that the burqa-clad woman is a Muzaffarabad- (Pakistan Occupied Kashmir) based woman 'activist'."

The official added that ISI is pushing morphed videos in Punjab and Kashmir to create unrest. They have been keeping a tap on social media and keep warning people to report such videos and do not propagate it.

He added that December 23 blast at the Ludhiana court complex showed it was the handiwork of ISI in support of pro-Khalistan groups.

On Friday, the government banned 35 YouTube channels and multiple social media accounts for spreading 'anti-India' content.

The blocked social media accounts of Instagram, YouTube, Facebook had a total of 1.2 crore subscribers and over 130 crore views.

The controversial 'toolkit' during the farmers' protest was also connected to K2, claimed Delhi police. -- ANI

17:09 Jyotiraditya Scindia shares a memory

Civil aviation minister Jyotiraditya Scindia shares this picture with his grandmother Vijaya Raje Scindia and his father Madhavrao Scindia, writing, "Meri aaji amma."

Jyotiraditya, now in the same party as his late grandmother, has also contested from the same seat, Guna. His father, who passed away in 2001 was a staunch Congressman.

16:57 At home with the BJP

RPN Singh meets BJP chief JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath at the party headquarters in Delhi.

16:55 'I have never used a teleprompter'

It was an embarrassing moment for Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi at the Davos World Economic Forum last week when he had to stop his speech reportedly because the teleprompter was not working.

Shashi Tharoor, well known as an eloquent orator, discusses the incident, Nehru's speeches and the speakers who have impressed him, in conversation with Rediff.com's Shobha Warrier.

Read it here.

The Centre Tuesday told the Supreme Court that Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) registrations of 11,594 NGOs, which applied within the cut-off date, have already been extended.

Taking note of Solicitor General Tushar Mehta's submission, a bench headed by Justice A M Khanwilkar refused to pass an interim direction that FCRA registrations of all organisations that were valid as on September 30 last year ought to be continued until further orders.

The bench, also comprising Justices Dinesh Maheshwari and C T Ravikumar, said the petitioners are free to make representation to the concerned authorities which may be considered on its merits in accordance with law.

The FCRA registration is mandatory for any association and NGO to receive foreign funding. Mehta told the top court that 11,594 NGOs had applied within the cut-off date and their registrations have been extended for the time being.

The apex court, which is seized of a plea filed by a US-based NGO seeking quashing of the Centre's alleged decision by which 5,789 entities lost their FCRA registration, was dealing with arguments regarding interim relief in the matter.

While referring to Mehta's submission, the top court said that in light of the stand taken by the authorities, it doesn't intend to pass such interim direction as prayed.

The bench said the petition would be listed after the judgement is pronounced on a batch of pleas, including those which have raised issues concerning the Foreign Contribution Regulation (Amendment) Act, 2020. During the arguments, the bench asked Mehta whether the names of those, who have applied for FCRA registration, are displayed online in the public domain.

Mehta said he doesn't have instruction regarding this.

He said the petitioner organisation is based in Houston.

Senior advocate Sanjay Hegde, appearing for the petitioners, said they have the information which is available in public domain as per which there are around 6,000 NGOs whose registrations have not been extended for whatever reasons.

The bench told Hegde that the Solicitor General has submitted that those who have applied, there registration has been extended. If those 6,000 NGOs have chosen not to apply for registration, that means they do not want to continue in the present regime, the bench observed.

Mehta told the bench how a Houston-based association is concerned with this.

"Please forget Houston-based," Hegde said.

When Hegde said the court could make clear that for next two weeks or so, people can apply, the bench said, "We will not grant here."

The bench said the petitioners can make representation before the authorities which may be considered by them.

There were 22,762 FCRA-registered organisations till December 31, 2021. On January 1, the number came down to 16,829. These are considered "live" organisations. The officials had said the FCRA licences of 18,778 organisations were expiring between September 29, 2020 and December 31, 2021.

16:50 Olympics medalist Neeraj Chopra awarded PVSM

Tokyo Olympics Gold medalist Subedar Neeraj Chopra of 4 Rajputana Rifles awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal on Republic Day.

President Ram Nath Kovind has approved awards of 384 Gallantry for armed forces personnel and others on the eve of 73rd Republic Day celebrations. These include 12 Shaurya Chakras, 3 Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry), 81 Sena Medals (Gallantry) & 2 Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry).

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and all 117 party candidates in Punjab will pay obeisance at the Golden Temple and sit down for a langar on Thursday. Later in the day, Gandhi will address a virtual rally of the party from Jalandhar's Mithapur.

The Congress till now has announced 86 candidates and expected to declare other names soon.

According to the party, the former Congress chief will reach Amritsar from Delhi on Thursday morning.

After reaching Amritsar, he will be paying obeisance at the Golden Temple and partook of the langar along with 117 candidates of the party. He will also pay obeisance at the Durgiana temple and Bhagwan Valmiki Tirath Sthal.

In the afternoon, Rahul will reach Jalandhar, over 100 km away from Amritsar. Later in the day at Jalandhar's Mithapur, Rahul Gandhi will address the "Punjab Fateh" virtual rally before returning to Delhi in the evening.

The Election Commission on Saturday extended the ban on physical rallies and roadshows till January 31. Punjab will go to the polls on February 20 and Rahul Gandhi's visit is expected to give a boost to party's poll campaign. -- PTI

Omar Abdullah takes a selfie in Gulmarg

16:19 Gulmarg is -9.2, coldest in J-K

As Chilla-i-Kalan entered its last week on Tuesday, the minimum temperature in most parts of Kashmir stayed several degrees above the normal for this time of the season, except in the tourist resort of Gulmarg, officials said here.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a low of 1.8 degrees Celsius down from 2.8 degrees Celsius the previous night, they said. Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 9.2 degrees Celsius up slightly from minus 9.5 degrees Celsius the previous night. Pahalgam, which also serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius down from the previous night's minus 0.8 degrees Celsius, they said.

The officials said Qazigund recorded the minimum of zero degrees Celsius, while the nearby south Kashmir town of Kokernag recorded a low of minus 0.4 degrees Celsius. The mercury in Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at a low of 0.4 degrees Celsius. The MeT Office said there was fresh light snowfall at isolated places.

16:13 India has more than 95.3 crore voters: CEC

The Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra, during an event on the occasion of National Voter's Day in Delhi, on Tuesday, informed that there are more than 95.3 crore voters in India, out of which 49 crore are male and 46 crore are female voters.

Addressing the event today, CEC Chandra said, "Today there are more than 95.3 crore voters of which 49 crore are male voters and 46 crore are female voters. Among these registered voters, there are 1.92 crore senior citizens."

He added that the right to vote was bestowed upon every adult citizen of India at the same time as India won her freedom.

"For a newly-independent country with a literacy rate of 18 per cent, this was a truly radical move," the Election Commission chief said.

Speaking about the arrangements made in five-poll bound states, he stated that the Election Commission has emphasised increasing the pace of COVID-19 vaccination in Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur and all arrangements will be made to ensure that this election is absolutely safe.

15:53 Congress ideology has changed: RPN Singh

Former Union minister and Congress leader RPN Singh who joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi, ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, said, "I spent 32 years in one political party (Congress). I had clearly said in my press conference that the party is no more the one where I had worked; it is not the same ideology anymore. I would not like to add anything further to it. I will work as a 'Karyakarta' towards fulfilling PM Modi's dreams for India."

Responding to speculations of his wife, NDTV journalist Sonia Singh and him contesting the Uttar Pradesh elections, Singh said, "I am the only one in politics. I will definitely do what the party asks me to."

RPN Singh on Tuesday quit the Congress posted his resignation letter addressed to Sonia Gandhi on Twitter, "Today, at a time, we are celebrating the formation of our great Republic, I begin a new chapter in my political journey. Jai Hind."

Notably, prior to the resignation, Singh had also changed his Twitter Bio from: My motto India, First, Always. AICC in-charge, Jharkhand, Spokesperson Congress party, Former Minister of State for Home Affairs, to "My motto India, First, Always."

15:42 Juhi Chawla 5G lawsuit: HC may reduce fine

The Delhi High Court's Division Bench on Tuesday issued notice to member Secretary of Delhi State Legal Service Authority (DSLSA) on an appeal moved by actor-environmentalist Juhi Chawla, challenging the single bench order which had dismissed a lawsuit filed against setting up of 5G wireless networks in the country.

The Bench of Justice Vipin Sanghi and Justice Jasmeet Singh earlier today said, "What we propose is that we can't waive off the costs but we can reduce it to Rs 2 lakh. But we have a condition. Since your client is a celebrity, we would want her to do some good for society."

The bench also said that a programme may be conducted wherein the DSLSA can get in touch with Juhi Chawla.

The Court added that the said programme may be conducted by featuring her and promoting the cause.

Later, Senior Advocate Salman Khurshid, after taking instructions informed the bench that Juhi Chawla would be honoured to participate and help DSLSA for such a good cause.

The bench after noting down the submission posted the matter for Thursday for further hearing.

14:57 Coward! Congress reacts to RPN Singh's exit

Congress on Tuesday unleashed a veiled attack on RPN Singh over his resignation by saying that the battle Congress is fighting only can be fought with bravery, coward people can't fight it.

"The battle Congress is putting up all across the country, particularly in Uttar Pradesh is a battle against government resources, its agencies. It's a battle of ideology, truth and to fight a battle as strong pitched as this one you have to fight it with courage and a lot of dedication. I don't think this fight is meant for cowards," said Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate while addressing a press conference.

"As Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said, to fight this battle you need to be on your toe, you need to have courage, you cannot be a coward and fight this battle," she added.

Congress leader and former Union minister RPN Singh on Tuesday quit his party, amid speculations that he is set to join the BJP, in a major setback to the party just ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election.

Taking to Twitter, Singh posted his resignation letter addressed to Sonia Gandhi, "Today, at a time, we are celebrating the formation of our great Republic, I begin a new chapter in my political journey. Jai Hind."

RPN Singh's exit from the party would come off as a massive blow for Congress right before the Assembly elections of the term.

For Mumbaikars shivering in a winter where minimum temperatures range from 13C to 17C so far, think of Punjab and Haryana.

Cold weather conditions prevailed in many parts of Haryana and Punjab on Tuesday with Bathinda recording the lowest temperature in the two states at 3.6 degrees Celsius.

In Punjab, Moga recorded a minimum temperature of 4.2 degrees Celsius and Gurdaspur experienced a cold night recording a low of 7.6 degrees while Hoshiarpur recorded a low of 6.7 degrees Celsius, according to the Meteorological Department's weather report here. Ludhiana's minimum settled at 7.1 degrees while Amritsar recorded a low of 6.8 degrees. Faridkot registered a low of 5.2 degrees Celsius.

Fatehabad in Haryana reeled under intense cold, recording a minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius while Hisar recorded a low 4.7 degrees Celsius. Sirsa experienced a cold night recording a low of 5.2 degrees while Gurugram's minimum settled at 7.3 degrees Celsius.

14:28 RPN Singh joins BJP after quitting Congress

Congress leader and former union minister RPN Singh confirms he will be joining the BJP.

"This is a new beginning for me and I look forward to my contribution to nation building under the visionary leadership & guidance of the Honourable Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi, BJP President Shri @JPNadda ji & Honourable Home Minister @AmitShah ji," Singh tweeted.

Hours ago, Singh announced on Twitter that he was starting his new political journey.

In a letter to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, he said, "I hereby tender my resignation from the primary membership of the Congress party with immediate effect. I thank you for providing me an opportunity to serve the nation, the people and the party," he also said.

"Today, at a time, we are celebrating the formation of our great Republic, I begin a new chapter in my political journey. Jai Hind," Singh said on Twitter.

14:19 UK removes restrictions vaccinated travellers

The United Kingdom on Monday said it has removed all COVID-19 testing requirements for fully vaccinated travellers, including those from India, arriving in the UK from next month.

A travel advisory issued by the Department of Transport and the Department of Health and Social Care announced that beginning 4 am on February 11 all testing requirements will be removed for eligible fully vaccinated arrivals, with only a Passenger Locator Form (PLF) now required.

Arrivals who are not recognised as fully vaccinated will only need to take a pre-departure test and a PCR test on or before Day Two after they arrive in the UK, according to the changes announced on January 24.

They will not need to self-isolate on arrival, and will only need to do so on receipt of a positive result. Also, children aged between 12 and 15 years in England will be able to prove their vaccination status or proof of prior infection via a digital NHS COVID Pass from February 3 for outbound travel.

The travel policy changes come in ahead of the February half term, and follow the success of the booster programme in the UK.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said, "We made the right calls at the right time and thanks to our vaccine and booster rollout it's paying off - allowing us to safely remove nearly all COVID-19 travel restrictions for vaccinated travellers."

Shapps said that "this is the final step in our stable and safe full return to international travel is a major boost for UK tourism, setting Britain free ahead of the crucial half term and spring holiday season."Shapps clarified that the country will be connecting with key global markets and will recognise vaccine certificates from 16 more countries and territories including India, bringing the total list to over 180 countries and territories worldwide.

13:50 Future Retail moves SC to restrain lenders

Kishore Biyani-led Future Retail Ltd (FRL) on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court requesting it to pass a direction to restrain its lenders from declaring the company as a non-performing asset (NPA) in case of a default of Rs 3,494.56 crore.

Earlier this month, Future Retail had said it had missed the due date for the payment of Rs 3,494.56 crore to banks and lenders as it could not sell assets due to its ongoing litigation with Amazon, impacting its monetisation plans.

It has till the end of this month to make the payment.

Moving an urgent petition on Tuesday, FRL has requested the apex court to issue a "direction restraining Respondent Nos.2-28 (lenders) from declaring the Petitioner No 1 (FRL) as a Non-Performing Asset."

The Future group firm has also asked for some more time for loan payment and requested the Supreme Court to "extend the timeline stipulated under the Framework Agreement for monetization of the Small Format Stores in line with the minutes of the meeting dated 01.01.2022."

After it missed the due date (December 31, 2021), FRL got a review period of 30 days (from the due date) in terms of the RBI circular dated August 6, 2020, on one-time restructuring (OTR) scheme for COVID-19 hit companies.

FRL had, last year, entered into an OTR scheme for COVID-19 hit companies with a consortium of banks and lenders and was to discharge "an aggregate amount of Rs 3,494.56 crore" on or before December 31, 2021 for that.

In its petition, FRL has also requested the Apex Court to issue an order or direction to its lenders "to extend the "cure period"/ "review period" of 30 days under the Framework Agreement" and relax the time frame. -- PTI

Amid a row, the Madhya Pradesh government has directed the police to register an FIR against officials of e-commerce giant Amazon and its owner for allegedly selling products, including shoes, with the image of the Indian national flag, Home Minister Narottam Mishra said on Tuesday.

"It has come to my notice that our national flag is used on products being sold by the online e-commerce platform Amazon. It is intolerable that even it (the national flag) has been used on shoes," Mishra, who is the state government spokesman, told reporters.

"Prima facie, it is a violation of the National Flag Code," he said.

"I have directed Director General of Police (DGP) to file an FIR against Amazon's officials and owner," Mishra added.

This is not the first time that the MP's home minister has directed the police to file an FIR against Amazon. Last November, Mishra had ordered the filing of an FIR against officials of Amazon over the suicide of a youth from MP who allegedly obtained poisonous sulphas (used as an agricultural fumigant and is poisonous) tablets through the e-commerce site.

The police in the Bhind district had registered an FIR against unnamed officials of Amazon India after busting a gang that allegedly supplied ganja under the guise of selling stevia (a natural sweetener) through the e-commerce portal.

13:34 Economy has recovered handsomely: Panagariya

The Indian economy has recovered 'handsomely' from the pandemic-induced disruptions, former Niti Aayog Vice Chairman Arvind Panagariya said on Tuesday, while expressing hope that the recovery will be sustained and the growth rate of 7 to 8 per cent will be restored.

Panagariya suggested that the government must now signal its intention to wind down fiscal deficit by cutting it by half-to-one percentage point in 2022-23.

"The Indian economy has recovered handsomely, returning to its pre-COVID GDP... Only private consumption is still below its pre-COVID-19 level," the eminent economist told PTI in an interview.

While an advanced estimate by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) places India's GDP growth in 2021-22, at 9.2 per cent, Panagariya said this is higher than any other country this past year and the recovery has also been across-the-board.

The economy, which was significantly hit by the pandemic, had contracted 7.3 per cent in the last fiscal.

Panagariya noted that the dominant view among epidemiologists now is that with a large proportion of the population now having antibodies due to past infections from different variants of the virus or vaccination, there is now a high chance that the epidemic is about to enter the endemic phase.

"If this indeed comes to pass, I expect the recovery to sustain and the 7 to 8 per cent growth to be restored," Panagariya said.

Panagariya suggested that the government must now signal its intention to wind down fiscal deficit by cutting it by half-to-one percentage point in 2022-23. -- PTI

An overwhelming 86 per cent people want voting to be made mandatory in the country, according to a survey released on Tuesday on the occasion of the 12th National Voters' Day.

The pan-India survey, conducted with a sample size of over four lakh people by location-based social network platform Public App, also found that over 80 per cent of respondents trust the current voting process in the country.

Since 2011, National Voters' Day has been celebrated on January 25 and marks the foundation day of the Election Commission in 1950. It aims to encourage enrolment of new and young voters.

The theme of this National Voters' Day is: "Making elections inclusive, accessible, and participative". "Voting as a civic duty is a crucial contribution to social development by the citizens of the nation.

As many as 86 per cent of respondents were in agreement when asked if voting should be made mandatory in the country," the survey stated.

The findings come ahead of next month's assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Goa and Manipur, results of which will be declared on March 10.

The survey, in which 60 per cent of respondents were under the age of 30, said 81 per cent of people trust the transparency of the current voting process.

Firing a fresh salvo at the BJP which had accused the Shiv Sena of paying only lip service to the cause of Hindutva, party MP Sanjay Raut on Tuesday claimed that the Sena was the first party in the country to contest an election on the Hindutva plank.

Talking to reporters, Raut referred to a bypoll held for the Vile Parle Assembly seat in Mumbai, saying Shiv Sena candidate Ramesh Prabhu had contested on the agenda of Hindutva.

"It was for the first time that Hindutva was mentioned in electoral politics in the country," Raut said, adding that Congress and BJP were also in the fray in that byelection.

Prabhu had won the Vile Parle Assembly segment in the byelection held in 1987-88 and retained the seat in the 1990 polls.

"It is after this victory that the BJP approached Shiv Sena for an alliance on Hindutva which Balasaheb (Thackeray) agreed to as he didn't want a division of Hindu votes. Contemporary BJP leaders are unaware of this history," Raut said in a veiled dig at Opposition Leader Devendra Fadnavis.

Raut's comments come amid a war of words between the Shiv Sena and BJP which erupted after Sena president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday accused his former ally of practising "hollow" Hindutva for power.

Hitting back at the Shiv Sena, Fadnavis on Monday said the Sena's Hindutva is merely on paper and finds mention just in speeches, while it was his party men who faced bullets and lathis during the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

Raut alleged that the BJP has neglected family members of its stalwarts like late Pramod Mahajan, Gopinath Munde and Manohar Parrikar who helped build that party in Maharashtra and Goa.

Recently, Parrikar's son Utpal quit BJP and announced to contest the upcoming Assembly election from Panaji constituency, represented by his father for two decades before his death in 2019.

Raut said Shiv Sena's corporators and legislators were elected from Mumbai before the birth of BJP and Devendra Fadnavis.

For more on the war of words: BJP, not Sena, took bullets, lathis during Ram temple stir: Fadnavis

13:05 RPN Singh quits Congress, likely to join BJP

Congress leader and former Union Minister RPN Singh resigns from the party. He has given his resignation to the party president Sonia Gandhi.

This come just weeks ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls.

Reports suggest that Singh will be joining the BJP.

RPN Singh was among the Congress party's biggest leaders in UP.

He tweeted his resignation letter addressed to Sonia Gandhi.

"Today, at a time, we are celebrating the formation of our great Republic, I begin a new chapter in my political journey. Jai Hind," he wrote, sharing the letter.

12:42 Union Budget likely at 11 am, Feb 1

Union Budget 2022 is likely to be presented at 11 am on 1st February, despite staggered timing for Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Parliament will go back to working in shifts, with the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha functioning at different times of the day, and a highly dispersed seating arrangement in place for lawmakers during the Budget session starting on January 31.

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the matter of disputes in the dues by SpiceJet on Friday. The airline said it would fold up if the case is not heard. Chief Justice N V Ramana agreed to hear the matter on January 28.

Spicejet had sought an early hearing in the matter. Senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi appeared for Spicejet and requested an early hearing because the "airline would fold up if the case was not heard".

Gurgaon-based SpiceJet's losses in the second quarter of this financial year grew to more than Rs 561 crore from a year ago.

As election fever grips the temple town, Muslims in this renamed district are focusing on development and employment matters and feel the Ram temple issue is "dead" and political parties should move on and concentrate on people-centric issues.

"In Ayodhya, Hindus and Muslims live together. The district should have better roads, parking facilities and factories also," Iqbal Ansari, who was an independent litigant and son of one of the oldest litigants in the Ram Janambhoomi-Babri mosque dispute case Mohammad Hashim Ansari, told PTI.

"There are thousands of temples here, one more (Ram temple) is being constructed," he said and added, "Now, our youth need employment. There should be development as now Ayodhya is a district".

"The temple-mosque issue is no more here. Muslims did not say anything about the court's judgment and accepted it. Now is the time to talk about employment and development," he said.

Praising Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Ansari said, "He has broken years of record by making the state riot-free. There was no riot in the last five years".

Haji Mehboob, 76, who resides near the Ram Janmabhoomi Police Station and was another prominent litigant in the Ayodhya title suit case, said whatever the government says this time there will be a "change".

"Sarkar jo bhi gana gaye, is bar sarkar paltegi," (The government will change this time), he said.

About the political atmosphere in Ayodhya, he said this time the Samajwadi Party has a good chance and its leader has raised all issues related to the common people, who want better living conditions and jobs for their wards. Hamid Zafar Misam, a resident of Rath Haveli road, said that due to COVID-19 the middle class has suffered a lot and the government did nothing considerable for them.

"They remained entangled in paying their electricity bills, loan installments and no considerable relief was given to them. The doctors with big degrees quarantined themselves and those who helped people were the one called quacks," he said.

"People died not only due to Covid but also due to heart attacks and other health problems as OPDs were closed. For progress, what we need is employment and medical facilities here," Misam said.

About Adityanath not contesting from here after initial activeness shown here, Misam said, "wo bhag khade hue yahan se," (he fled away from here). -- PTI

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday said that his government does not want livelihood of people to be affected and Covid restrictions will be eased as soon as possible.

Restrictions were put in place in view of people's health, Kejriwal said after hoisting the national flag at the Delhi government's Republic Day function.

"Delhiites have suffered the most due to Covid. We don't want that your livelihood is affected but your health is important, so we had to put restrictions," he said.

Recently, the Delhi government's proposal to lift weekend curfew and odd-even scheme of opening shops in view of the improving Covid situation here was turned down by the Lieutenant Governor.

"Last week some traders had come and they said they are facing lots of problems due to the odd-even scheme and weekend curfew. The L-G agreed to some proposals and on some, he differed. We will remove these restrictions as soon as possible," Kejriwal said. -- PTI

10:55 Gautam Gambhir tests positive for Covid

Lok Sabha member from East Delhi Gautam Gambhir on Tuesday said he has tested positive for Covid-19 and has mild symptoms.

"After experiencing mild symptoms, I tested positive for Covid today. Requesting everyone who came into my contact to get themselves tested," the cricketer-turned-politician tweeted.

In November last year, Gambhir had isolated himself at home after a family member tested positive for the virus.

United States President Joe Biden who was caught on live microphone using a vulgar epithet for a reporter during a White House event on Monday called up to apologize for the comment, according to the journalist.

During an event on Monday evening, reporter Peter Doocy attempted to ask Biden whether inflation was a political liability for him to which the President responded by calling him a "stupid son of a bitch," reported Fox News.

Appearing on FOX TV, Doocy said that Biden reached out to him "within about an hour of that exchange."

"He said 'It's nothing personal, pal,'" Doocy said.

"And we went back and forth, and we were talking about just kind of moving forward, and I made sure to tell him that I'm always gonna try to ask something different than what everybody else is asking. And he said, 'You got to.' And that's a quote from the president, so I'll keep doing it," the US media network said.

"I don't need anybody to apologize to me. He can call me whatever he wants as long as it gets him talking!" Doocy said.

At the White House event after Biden finished his prepared remarks, several reporters started shouting questions at the President. It was then that Doocy shouted out his question on whether Biden thought "inflation will be a political liability ahead of the midterms?"

"That's a great asset. More inflation? What a stupid son of a bitch," Biden said into a hot microphone.

The moment was also caught on camera.

The interrogation of actor Dileep and others continued at the Crime Branch office in Kochi for the third consecutive day on Tuesday in a case registered against them for allegedly threatening officials probing the sexual assault of an actress in 2017.

In the last two days, the crime branch officials interrogated Dileep and other four accused for 22 hours.

Meanwhile, Crime Branch sources said the agency was close to making someone an approver in case. It is also learnt that the investigating team will be interrogating the accused with regard to certain contradictions in their yesterday's statements.

The high court, while considering the anticipatory bail plea, on Saturday granted interim protection to Dileep from arrest but directed him and other accused to appear before the investigating officers on January 23, 24 and 25 for interrogation.

The actor and five others were booked under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, including Sections 116 (abetment), 118 (concealing design to commit offence), 120B (criminal conspiracy), 506 (criminal intimidation), and 34 (criminal act done by several people).

Dileep has claimed that this apprehension was borne out of the past conduct of the complainant officer who has been trying to falsely implicate him in the sexual assault case.

09:40 Sensex goes red, slumps 905 points

Sensex slumps 905.16 pts to 56,586.35 in opening session, Nifty tanks 253.80 pts to 16,895.30.

The 30-scrip BSE Sensex was down by 794.86 points or 1.38 per cent at 56696.65 at 9.17 am.

Similarly, 50-scrip NSE Nifty was trading at 16909.30 at 9.17 am, down by 239.80 points or 1.40 per cent.

On the Sensex, the sectors that were trading low included consumer durables, realty, information technology, capital goods, healthcare among others while the metal sector managed to stay afloat and was trading with a positive bias.

Yesterday, as fears about rising inflation stoked rate hike fears across several markets around the world, strong selling by investors on Dalal Street pulled down the Sensex by over 2,000 points in late trades on Monday.

However, some buying at lower levels in the closing hour helped the index to close at 57,492, down 1,546 points on the day.

A rumour about a hike in long term capital gains tax rate in the Budget, which was later denied by the government, also added to investors' nervousness, market players said.

09:35 That's Mumbai, not Delhi

People huddle around a bonfire as temperatures dipped to 17 C yesterday, but felt like 12 C to Mumbaikars. Wind chill factor didn't help.

09:25 BJP MLA's son, others die in car crash

7 students including BJP MLA Vijay Rahangdale's son Avishkar Rahangdale died after their car fell from a bridge near Selsura around 11.30 pm last night. They (deceased) were on their way to Wardha: Prashant Holkar, SP Wardha

09:17 India's Covid tally 2.55L, drops by 50K cases

India's Covid cases drops below 3 lakh. The country registered 2,55,874 new cases (50,190 less than yesterday).

There were 614 deaths and 2,67,753 recoveries in the last 24 hours.

Active cases: 22,36,842

Daily positivity rate: 15.52%

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya will hold a virtual meeting with nine states and United Territories on Tuesday to take stock of the prevailing Covid-19 situation.

A source said that Mandaviya will interact with the health ministers of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Ladakh, Uttar Pradesh and Chandigarh.

This meeting will discuss the prevailing Covid situation and public health preparedness for containment and management of the pandemic in these states, he said.

Earlier on January 10, Mandaviya had held a meeting with the health ministers and senior officials of Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Goa, Dadra and Nagra Haveli and Daman and Diu.

08:32 At Home at Rashtrapati Bhavan cancelled

The 'At Home' function at Rashtrapati Bhavan which is held every year on on Republic Day has been cancelled due to Covid.

The President hosts a lunch at the lawns of Rashtrapati Bhawan with invitees from across political parties, foreign dignitaries, journalists, and prominent personalities across the country.

08:19 Mumbai winter: City wakes up to dense fog

Don't laugh Delhiwallas, but Mumbai is having a good winter. The city slept to a cold 17C with brief spells of chilly winds yesterday. The minimum temperature for today is 15C with a day time temperature of 22C. Enjoy it while it lasts, folks.

As the nation inches closer to celebrating its 73rd Republic Day on Wednesday, Border Security Force IG DK Boora said that the forces have received some input and are on high alert and further assured the population that they should have nothing to fear.

Addressing the media in Jammu, Boora said, "During this period, almost every time, there is stress on the security situation along the border. But we are here to meet all the challenges and preempt the nefarious designs of anti-national elements. We have got some input from the intelligence department. But we are very alert on and along the border including LC. We have heightened our vigil on the border. A maximum number of troops and officers are present on the border."

The IG said that they are "extensively carrying out operations including the anti-drone exercises" and will do everything to ensure the safety of the people.

"We are extensively carrying out operations, anti-drone exercises and I am very confident that the militants will not succeed in whatever plans they have made. I can assure our population that they have nothing to fear. We will do everything that it takes to ensure the safety and security of our people," Boora said. -- ANI

Representational image

01:04 Go First airline's Twitter handle hacked

The Twitter handle of Go First airline was hacked on Monday evening with the person who gained unauthorised access to the account writing posts such as 'Amazing' and 'Great Job.'

In a statement, the Go First spokesperson confirmed that the airline's official twitter account has been compromised.

The airline's handle tweeted lines such as 'Amazing' and 'Great Job' at around 8.25 pm on Monday.

The spokesperson said: "All the concerned teams are investigating the matter to restore and gain control (of the account) at the earliest."

The airline's team is working closely with Twitter to address the issue, the spokesperson noted.

Go First is committed to provide secure, safe and efficient service/ information to it passengers at all times, the spokesperson said.

Go First was previously known as GoAir. -- PTI

Representational image

00:27 Kerala: More curbs as Covid cases continue to rise

As Kerala continues to register a steep rise in COVID-19 cases, the state government on Monday said the educational institutions which have less than 40 per cent attendance for consecutive three days will be closed for two weeks.

The COVID-19 evaluation meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan virtually from the USA where he is undergoing treatment, decided to declare the educational institutions with less than 40 per cent attendance as clusters.

"The meeting has decided to close, for two weeks, the educational institutions with less than 40 per cent attendance for three consecutive days and declare it as a cluster. The categorisation of districts based on the infection and hospitalisation will come to effect from Tuesday," the Chief Minister's Office said in a release.

The meeting noted that the spread was rapid and the hospitalisation has increased in the state.

The state government had earlier decided to impose restrictions at district level on the basis of the number of people admitted to hospitals and authorised the Disaster Management Authority to divide the districts into three groups, A, B and C.

In the districts falling under A category, all social, cultural, religious, political and public events and weddings and funerals can be attended by up to 50 people.

No such gatherings will be allowed in the B and C category districts. In such areas, religious worship should be conducted online only and a maximum of 20 people will be allowed for weddings and funerals.

Movie theaters, swimming pools and gyms are not allowed to function in C category districts.

Thiruvananthapuram district has been included in the 'category C' -- where there will be highest restrictions in Kerala is the only district in that category. Theaters, swimming pools, gyms to be closed there. -- PTI

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