Category: NATIONAL NEWS

The Election Commission (EC) on Wednesday imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC in Nandigram assembly constituency in West Bengal’s Purba Medinipur district, a day ahead of the high- stakes elections here, a senior official said. Besides, the EC has also started air surveillance in the area with the help of a helicopter, he said. People who are not voters of Nandigram are not being allowed to enter the constituency in view of the sensitivity, he added. “Nandigram is a sensitive constituency with high- profile candidates like Mamata…

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An estimated 25.88 per cent of the total 81.09 lakh electors exercised their franchise till 11 am in 47 constituencies of Assam where polling is underway with strict adherence to COVID-19 protocols in the first phase of elections on Saturday. While the polling so far has been peaceful, some complaints of EVM glitches were lodged, an Election Commission official said. Long queues were seen outside polling booths with voters and election officials adhering to COVID-19 protocols. Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal exercised his franchise around 11 am at Sahitya Sabha Bhavan,…

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Former Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh’s corruption allegations against Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh pertain to a period when he was hospitalised and hence the question of his resignation does not arise, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said on Monday. “We got information that Deshmukh was hospitalised at that time in Nagpur. The allegation (by Singh) pertains to exactly the same period when he was in hospital. There is a hospital certificate,” Pawar told reporters in Delhi, his second media briefing in as many days over an issue which has…

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India and France are working on their third joint satellite mission, even as the bilateral space collaboration is entering into multiple domains, including human spaceflight programme, ISRO Chairman K Sivan said. Sivan, also Secretary in the Department of Space, said many French companies are keen to tap into opportunities thrown up by recent reforms injected into the space sector by the Government. “France is the biggest partner of India in space”, he said at the DST (Department of Science and Technology) Golden Jubilee Discourse on ‘unlocking India’s space potential –…

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India saw 40,953 new coronavirus infections being reported in a day, the highest single-day rise recorded in 111 days, taking the nationwide COVID-19 tally to 1,15,55,284, according to Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday Registering an increase for the tenth day in a row, the total active caseload has reached 2,88,394, which now comprises 2.49 per cent of the total infections, while the recovery rate has further dropped to 96.12 per cent, the data stated. India registered over one lakh cases in just three days. On Friday, 39,726 new…

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 External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said India is fully cognizant of the employment concerns of people working abroad and expects governments in the Gulf to be helpful in facilitating the early return of those compelled to return home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement in the Lok Sabha on ‘Recent Developments Pertaining to the Welfare Abroad of Indians, NRIs and PIOs’, the minister said the focus of the government’s efforts in the last few months has now shifted to Indians going back to their usual places…

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India on Sunday recorded 25,320 COVID-19 infections, the highest daily rise in 84 days, taking the case tally to 1,13,59,048,?according to Union health ministry data As many as 26,624 new infections were recorded on December 20 The death toll increased to 1,58,607 on Sunday with 161 new fatalities, the highest in 44 days, the data updated at 8 am showed The country’s active caseload increased to 2,10,544 and constitutes?1.85 per cent of the total infections. The recovery rate dropped to 96.75 per cent from 96.82 per cent on Saturday The…

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India on Saturday recorded 24,882 fresh COVID-19 infections, the highest so far this year, which took the caseload to 1,13,33,728, according to Union health ministry data This is also the highest daily rise in the last 83 days. As many as 26,624 new infections were recorded on December 20 The death toll climbed to 1,58,446 with 140 new fatalities, the ministry data updated at 8 am showed The country’s active caseload increased to 2,02,022. It constitutes 1.74 per cent of the total infections. The recovery rate dropped to 96.82 per…

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As many as 170 MLAs left the Congress to join other parties during the elections held between 2016-2020, while only 18 BJP legislators switched parties to contest the polls in this period, according to a report by poll rights group Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). The ADR, in a new report, said between 2016-2020, 182 of the 405 re-contesting MLAs, who switched political parties, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), followed by 38 who joined the Congress and 25 who joined the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS). Five Lok Sabha MPs…

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