IT rules: WhatsApp names grievance officer for India

 Mon, 31 May 2021
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23:41

IT rules: WhatsApp names grievance officer for India

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WhatsApp has named Paresh B Lal as its grievance officer for India on its website.   The move comes in the backdrop of the new IT rules coming into effect last week that require significant social media intermediaries - those with other 50 lakh users - to appoint a grievance officer,...
23:39

Close to commit over $1-b to Moderna for booster vaccine: Cipla to Govt

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Seeking fast-track approvals to bring Moderna's single-dose COVID-19 booster vaccine in India expeditiously, Cipla has requested the government for indemnification and exemptions from price capping, bridging trials and basic customs duty, while stating that it is close to committing over USD...
23:04

Covid strain found in India named 'Delta variant': WHO

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The COVID-19 variant first found in India will henceforth be referred to as the Delta variant, the World Health Organization said today. Earlier, India had objected to it, identified as B.1.617 till now, being labelled the Indian variant. The world health body had earlier said that...
22:54

Probing report of Chinese national held in Dubai for commenting on Galwan clash: China

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China said on Monday that it is probing the case of a 19-year-old Chinese student who was held and later freed in Dubai on his way to the United States after he fled from Beijing after questioning the official media reports about last year's clash between Indian and Chinese troops at the Galwan...
22:34

Amid Punjab feud, Cong panel on Punjab meets MLAs

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The committee, constituted by Congress president Sonia Gandhi to resolve factionalism within the party's Punjab unit, on Monday met around 25 leaders, including state chief Sunil Jakhar, ministers and legislators, sources said.  The panel, chaired by Mallikarjun Kharge, has been tasked with...
21:52

Mumbai sees 676 Covid cases, lowest since Feb 23

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Mumbai on Monday reported 676 COVID-19 cases, the lowest since February 23 this year, taking its tally to 7,06,251, a civic official said.The day also saw 20 deaths, taking the toll to 14,884, he added.On Sunday, the city had reported 1,066 cases and 22 deaths, while on February 23, the addition...
21:25

India seeks review of Panghal's loss in Asian Championshups

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India has sought a review of defending champion Amit Panghal's 2-3 final loss in the 52kg category finals of the Asian Boxing Championships here on Monday.   Panghal lost 2-3 to Uzbekistan's Shakhobidin Zoirov.  The Boxing Federation of India tweeted that it is contesting the...
21:21

Maha logs lowest Covid cases since March 15

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Maharashtra on Monday reported 15,077 new COVID-19 cases, the lowest since March 15, taking the caseload to 57,46,892, while 184 more deaths pushed the toll to 95,344, the state health department said.On March 15, the state had reported 15,051 cases as it hurtled towards a devastating second...
20:53

Smokers face higher risk from Covid: Vardhan

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Smokers face a 40-50 per cent higher risk of severe diseases and death from COVID-19, Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Monday highlighting that over 1.3 million fatalities are attributable to tobacco use every year in India, which is an avoidable socio-economic burden impacting the...
20:50

Overall impact of 2nd wave on economy not likely to be large: CEA

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Chief Economic Adviser K V Subramanian on Monday said the overall impact of the second wave of COVID-19 on the country's economy is not likely to be large but cautioned about an uncertainty surrounding the pandemic going ahead.   He further said that given the circumstances due to the...
20:40

India records over 8.82 lakh Covid cases in May

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India reported more than 88.82 lakh coronavirus infections in May alone during the raging second wave of COVID-19, accounting for 31.67 percent of the over 2.8 crore cases reported in the country so far and making it the worst month of the pandemic.   The month of May also saw 1,17,247...
20:29

CBDT member JB Mohapatra gets additional charge of chairman

The Finance Ministry on Monday said Jagannath Bidyadhar Mohapatra, Member, Central Board of Direct Taxes, has been given the additional charge of chairman of the direct taxes board for three months.          The extended tenure of the incumbent chairman Pramod...
20:20

Delhi likely to witness rain, thunderstorm for 3 days: IMD

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Delhi is expected to witness thunderstorm with rain for the next three days, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday.Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 25 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal, on Monday after a sudden change in the weather on Sunday evening as a dust storm...
20:01

Change name of Akshay's 'Prithviraj': Karni Sena

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The Shree Rajput Karni Sena, which had organised protests over the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Padmaavat claiming distortion of facts, has focused its attention on the upcoming Akshay Kumar starrer Prithviraj and is demanding that the title be changed.The organisation, a fringe group that...
19:29

Maha govt extends EWS quota to Marathas

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The Maharashtra government on Monday extended benefits under the the economically weaker section quota to the Maratha community, days after the Supreme Court scrapped a separate reservation in jobs and education for the dominant social group.A government order to this effect was issued by the...
19:08

Delhi's Covid positivity rate dips below 1%

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Delhi on Monday reported 648 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest in two-and-a-half months, and 86 more deaths, while the positivity rate fell below one per cent, the first time since March 19.This is the second day that the daily deaths in the city remained below 100. On April 12, daily fatalities...
18:43

Karni Sena demands a change in title of Akshay Kumar's 'Prithiviraj'

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The Shree Rajput Karni Sena, which had organised protests over the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali's 'Padmaavat' citing distortion of facts, has focused its attention on the upcoming Akshay Kumar starrer 'Prithviraj' and is demanding that the title be changed.The organisation, a fringe group...
18:29

Rajnath bars import of 108 military weapon systems

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In a major push to promote the domestic defence industry, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday approved imposing restrictions on the import of 108 military weapons and systems such as next-generation corvettes, airborne early warning systems, tank engines and radars. The first negative...
18:01

Economy contracts 7.3% in fiscal 2021

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The Indian economy rose by 1.6 per cent in the January to March quarter (Q4 FY21) from the previous three months but contracted by 7.3 per cent for the entire fiscal year, which was the worst in more than 40 years, data released by the government showed on Monday. The Indian economy...
17:50

What Delhi HC's Central Vista verdict says

On Monday morning the Delhi high court, describing the Central Vista project as 'vital and essential', allowed construction work on the project to continue and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh on the petitioners for their 'motivated' plea.You can read the entire judgment here
17:32

WB chief secretary retires amid row with Centre

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Bengal Chief Secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay retires amid tussle with Centre. He has now been appointed chief adviser to Mamata Banerjee. Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to withdraw the Centre's order...
17:18

'Zero vaccine policy acting like dagger in Mother India's heart', alleges Rahul

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Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday alleged that the central government has a zero vaccine policy which is acting as a dagger in Mother India's heart.  He also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over media reports which claimed that post-COVID the unemployment rate was in double digits...
17:06

India to test feasibility of mixing vaccine doses

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India may soon start testing an immunisation routine that mixes two different types of Covid-19 vaccines, in order to see if it helps enhance immune response to the virus, said Dr NK Arora, chairman of Covid-19 working group under National Technical Advisory Group on Immunization.India may soon...
17:00

Delhi police fines 1080 people for not wearing mask

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The Delhi police on Sunday fined 1,080 people for not wearing face masks, officials said on Monday. According to police data, on March 30, 920 people were fined for not wearing masks and 19 for not maintaining social distancing. On March 31, 1,091 were fined for not wearing masks and 16...
16:12

Uddhav warns of stricter Covid curbs in Mumbai

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Representational image
Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday expressed concern over the heavy vehicular traffic in Mumbai and warned that the lockdown-like curbs will be made stricter if such a situation continues. I myself cross-checked my speech made last night. I did not say that Covid-19...
15:58

SC to examine interpretation of sedition law

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The Supreme Court on Monday said it will examine the interpretation of sedition law, particularly in the light of media rights and free speech, as it gave protection to Telugu news channels -- TV5 and ABN Andhrajyothi -- from any coercive action in a case lodged against them under the colonial...
15:33

Harsh Mandar to deliver 2nd JB DSouza memorial lecture

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As IAS officer JB D'Souza -- JB, or just Bain to all who knew him well -- held a number of fascinating jobs. He was in charge of rehabilitating East Pakistan refugees in Chandrapur; general manager of Bombay's BEST transport undertaking; the city's municipal commissioner; Maharashtra's chief...
15:23

Delhi likely to get Sputnik V in June: Kejriwal

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Delhi is likely to receive the first consignment of Sputnik V, the Russian COVID-19 vaccine, in June, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Monday, while stressing that vaccination is the key to fight against the coronavirus.The city currently has 944 cases of mucormycosis, including 300...
14:51

Juhi Chawla files suit against 5G in India

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Bollywood actor Juhi Chawla, who has been actively creating awareness on harmful effects of radiofrequency radiation(RF), has filed a lawsuit against implementation of 5G mobile technology in India.The actor said that 5G technology exposes people and animals to RF radiation that is 10 to 100...
14:37

Fadnavis calls on Pawar, terms it 'courtesy meeting'

Courtesy: Fadnavis on Twitter
Courtesy: Fadnavis on Twitter
Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra assembly Devendra Fadnavis met NCP chief Sharad Pawar at the latter's residence in Mumbai on Monday morning. It was a courtesy meeting, BJP leader Fadnavis tweeted after his interaction with Pawar (80), who has resumed his activities after recovering...
14:23

Over 1.75 cr jabs available with states: Centre

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As part of the nationwide vaccination drive, the Government of India has so far provided more than 23 crore vaccine doses (23,11,68,480) to States/UTs, both through the free of cost category and through direct state procurement category, informed the Union health ministry on Monday.Of this, the...
14:13

IAF joins fire fighting op as forest blaze rages in Udhampur

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Representative image only
The Indian Air Force (IAF) on Monday joined a fire fighting operation to control a massive forest fire in Ghordi block in Udhampur district of Jammu and Kashmir, officials said.The fire in Daya Dhar forest started on Sunday and engulfed a vast area, damaging hundreds of trees, the officials...
13:58

HC rejects report on how Gambhir got Covid drug

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The Delhi High Court on Monday said it was not satisfied with the status report filed by the Drug Controller of India after conducting an inquiry into the distribution of medicines by BJP member of Parliament Gautam Gambhir and AAP MLA Praveen Kumar. Pulling up the drug controller for not...
13:44

HC forms 3-member panel to rehabilitate WB poll violence victims

Pic: Reuters
Pic: Reuters
The Calcutta high court on Monday formed a three-member committee for rehabilitation of victims of violence that followed the recent assembly polls in West Bengal.The Committee will comprise one representative each from State Human Rights Commission, National Human Rights Commission, and State...
13:26

Bihar, Uttarakhand extend Covid lockdown

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The Bihar government on Monday extended the lockdown by another week, till June 8, but eased some of the restrictions in order to facilitate business activities. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made the announcement on social media after chairing a meeting of the crisis management group that...
13:18

Govt to take decision within 2 days on class 12 board exams

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The government will take a final decision within the next two days on whether to conduct class 12 board exams amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Supreme Court was informed on Monday.Attorney General K K Venugopal told this to a bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari which was...
13:04

Twitter must comply with IT rules, says Delhi HC

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Twitter has to comply with the new Information Technology Rules for digital media if they have not been stayed, the Delhi high court said on Monday. Justice Rekha Palli also issued notice to the Centre and social media platform Twitter seeking their stand on a plea by a lawyer, Amit Acharya,...
12:20

6 more bodies found floating in Ganga in UP

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Six more bodies of suspected COVID-19 victims were found floating in the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh, an official said on Monday.Fatehpur Sadar Tehsil Sub-Collector (SDM) Pramod Jha said he was informed about the bodies floating in the river on Sunday morning, following which a search operation was...
12:02

Everyone eligible to be vaccinated by 2021: Govt

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The Supreme Court of India asked the Centre on Monday about the vaccine procurement policy by referring to the fact that states are in the process of issuing global tenders to procure jabs for coronavirus. A bench, headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud and also comprising Justices S Ravindra...
11:36

2 held for dumping Covid victim's body in UP river

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Two people have been arrested after a video went viral on social media showing a Covid-19 patient's body being dumped from a bridge into the Rapti river in Uttar Pradesh's Balrampur district. In a video statement posted on Twitter, the Balrampur police said the patient, identified as Prem...
11:21

BJP MLA from UP dies of cardiac arrest

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BJP MLA Devendra Pratap Singh died on Monday morning following a cardiac arrest. He was 55. The MLA from Amapur was rushed to a district hospital, where doctors declared him dead, family sources said. Singh was brought to the hospital around 7 am and he was pronounced dead, Chief...
10:50

Delhi HC rejects plea against Central Vista

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The Delhi high court on Monday dismissed a plea seeking direction to suspend all construction activity of the Central Vista Avenue Redevelopment Project in view of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic. The court also imposed Rs 1 lakh fine the on petitioners saying it's a motivated...
10:44

Can't, won't release chief secretary: Mamata

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata has written to Modi to request the Centre rescind its orders recalling the state chief secretary to Delhi. 'West Bengal government can't release and is not releasing its chief secretary at this critical hours,' Banerjee has said.'Shocked and stunned by...
10:35

Kerala passes resolution supporting Lakshadweep

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Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday moved a resolution in the state assembly expressing solidarity with the people of Lakshadweep who are on a path of protest against the recent actions of the island administrator.The resolution to call back the administrator was unanimously passed...
10:18

Petrol continues to soar above Rs 100 in Mumbai

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Fuel prices have touched an all-time high after Monday's fresh hike.Petrol continued to cost more than Rs 100 in parts of Mumbai and Bhopal.Petrol in Mumbai stood at Rs 100.47 per litre and diesel at Rs 92.45 per litre.In Madhya Pradesh's Bhopal, the petrol price stood at Rs 102.34 per litre...
09:39

1.52 lakh Covid cases reported in 24 hrs, lowest in 50 days

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India reports 1,52,734 new COVID-19 cases, lowest in 50 days, 2,38,022 discharges and 3,128 deaths in last 24 hrs, as per health ministry.Active caseload further declines to 20,26,092 after cases decreased by 88,416 in last 24 hours, the ministry said.Recovery rate increases to 91.60 per cent....
09:17

Gadkari right man in wrong party: Ashok Chavan

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Maharashtra Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan on Sunday praised Union Minister Nitin Gadkari saying that he is the right man in the wrong party.Addressing mediapersons via video conferencing, Chavan said, I often talk about Nitin Gadkari. I had praised him the day before yesterday....
08:49

Aligarh nurse booked for throwing vaccine filled syringes in dustbin

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An ANM (auxiliary nurse midwife) of a primary health centre in Aligarh was booked on Sunday for allegedly disposing of 29 syringes filled with COVID vaccine without administrating them to the beneficiaries.The incident has been reported from Jamalpur Primary Health Centre where ANM Neha Khan...
08:28

Covid may have leaked from Chinese lab: UK intel

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British intelligence agencies now believe it is 'feasible' that the COVID-19 pandemic began with a coronavirus leak from a Chinese bio laboratory, a media report said here on Sunday, prompting Vaccines Minister Nadhim Zahawi to demand that the World Health Organisation (WHO) must fully...