The Election Commission has given a green light to the BJP's promise of free vaccines to residents of Bihar, saying it it doesn't violate the model code of conduct. The

BJP's vaccine as poll promise gets clean chit from EC

The Election Commission has given a green light to the BJP's promise of free vaccines to residents of Bihar, saying it it doesn't violate the model code of conduct. The declaration from the EC comes after complaints that the promise was 'a gross violation of the Centre's powers, and an attempt to mislead voters.'
The BJP&rsquo;s promise had triggered a political row with the RJD, Congress, and other Opposition parties accusing it of politicising the pandemic. Defending its announcement, the BJP had said that it had made a pledge on a public health issue. The saffron party has also promised free vaccine in Madhya&nbsp;Pradesh which is headed for bypolls.
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The Election Commission has given a green light to the BJP's promise of free vaccines to residents of Bihar, saying it it doesn't violate the model code of conduct. The declaration from the EC comes after complaints that the promise was 'a gross violation of the Centre's powers, and an attempt to mislead voters.' The BJP’s promise had triggered a political row with the RJD, Congress, and other Opposition parties accusing it of politicising the pandemic. Defending its announcement, the BJP had said that it had made a pledge on a public health issue. The saffron party has also promised free vaccine in Madhya Pradesh which is headed for bypolls.

Home minister Amit Shah on Monday said the central government has decided to increase the pace of Covid-19 vaccination in July and August. Talking to reporters after v

Home minister Amit Shah on Monday said the central government has decided to increase the pace of Covid-19 vaccination in July and August.
Talking to reporters after visiting a vaccination centre in Ahemedabad, Shah said with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's decision to provide free vaccine to people aged 18 and above, "we will fast achieve the goal of inoculating almost everyone".
"The central government has decided to increase the pace of vaccination in July and August," he added.
Shah said from Monday morning, an important journey has started in the fight against Covid-19. In a country having such huge population, providing free vaccination is a big decision, he added.
New Covid vaccination rules have kicked in from Monday under&nbsp;which all adults&nbsp;are eligible for free vaccination. Centre has also done away with the mandatory CoWin registration.

An expert committee set up to suggest measures to tackle the anticipated third Covid wave, headed by renowned cardiac surgeon Dr Devi Shetty, has strongly recommended r

An expert committee set up to suggest measures to tackle the anticipated third Covid wave, headed by renowned cardiac surgeon Dr Devi Shetty, has strongly recommended reopening of &nbsp;all government, aided and unaided schools in rural areas, smaller and bigger towns in Karnataka.
The panel has also suggested health insurance of Rs 2 lakh for each child attending the offline classes to encourage parents to send their wards to school.
Doctors who worked on the report said schools can be reopened with adequate precautions once the case positivity rate in most districts during the second wave falls below 5% for two weeks.
The panel which submitted its interim report on Saturday noted that digital learning has achieved less than expected and also created large gaps in learning and educational inequality
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As the second Covid wave is appearing to ebb, India on Monday recorded it's lowest single-day Covid cases in 88 days. The country logged 53,000 new cases and 1,422 deat

As the second Covid wave is appearing to ebb, India on Monday recorded it's lowest single-day Covid cases in 88 days. The country logged 53,000 new cases and 1,422 deaths in the last 24 hours, according to the health ministry dashboard.
While the total Covid caseload is inching closer to 3 crore, the number of deaths due to virus has gone up to 3.88 lakh.
India's daily test positivity rate, which is positive cases identified for every 100 tests, continues to remain stable. It stands at 3.83 per cent.
Active case has come to down&nbsp;to just over 7 lakh. Daily recoveries continue to outnumber the daily new cases for the 39th consecutive day. Over 78,000 patients recovered over the last 24 hours taking the recovery rate to 96.36 per cent.
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Upping the ante against Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh ahead of the state polls next year, Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu has accused the CM of lying everyday. In a

Upping the ante against Punjab CM Captain Amarinder Singh ahead of the state polls next year, Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu has accused the CM of lying everyday. In an interview to Hindustan Times, Sidhu, who has a long running power struggle with the CM, said that Amarinder Singh keeps talking trash about him. Taking on his own party's government, Sidhu said that he is fighting the system that has ruined Punjab. Asked about the crisis in Congress, Sidhu said that today "nobody is ready to work for people and everybody is prepared to loot". The Congress high command is struggling to contain the dissidence in Punjab led by Navjot Sidhu against the CM ahead of the polls. In direct attack on the CM, Sidhu said that Captain in not the Congress and his leaders are Sonia and Rahul Gandhi.

Delhi's wait for rain just got a little longer. The weather department has said that the progress of the southwest monsoon over parts of Rajasthan, western Uttar Prades

Delhi's wait for rain just got a little longer. The weather department has said that the progress of the southwest monsoon over parts of Rajasthan, western Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Delhi is likely to be slow.
Wind pattern by numerical models does not indicate any favourable condition for sustained rainfall over the region during the forecast period, it said.
The weather department had earlier predicted that the wind system may reach Delhi by June 15, around 12 days early. Normally, the monsoon reaches Delhi by June 27 and covers the entire country by July 8.
According to Skymet Weather, chances are that Delhi will get monsoonal showers only around the usual date of June 27.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced that his government will soon implement a two-child policy for availing benefits under the state govt schemes. &

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced that his government will soon implement a two-child policy for availing benefits under the state govt schemes.
&ldquo;Be it a loan waiver or any other government scheme, we will slowly implement a population policy for these schemes,": the CM said. He, however, added that the population norms will not be applicable to tea garden workers and SC/ST communities. The new policy will be imposed on all others availing benefits from the government in future because the population policy has already started in Assam, Sarma told reporters.
Assam currently has a two-child norm along with requirements of minimum educational qualifications and functional sanitary toilets for contesting in panchayat polls.
The Assam cabinet had also taken a decision that no government jobs will be given to those who have more than two children after January 1, 2021.

The world is celebrating the International Day for Yoga today. Addressing the nation on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that Yoga gave people

The world is celebrating the International Day for Yoga today. Addressing the nation on the occasion, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said that Yoga gave people hope in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic.
"Doctors have used Yoga as armour to treat patients. There are pictures of hospitals, with doctors, nurses teaching Yoga performing breathing exercises like Anulom Vilom, Prāṇāyāma. International experts have said that these exercises strengthen the breathing system," the PM said.
The Prime Minister pointed out that today even medical science lays emphasis on the healing process, besides medical treatment. "Yoga helps in healing process," he said.
On the occasion the PM also announced the M-Yoga app, which will have yoga training videos in different languages for people across the world. The app will be developed by India in collaboration with the WHO. The PM said that the app will help "us in our 'One World, One Health' motto".

Andhra Pradesh has set a new record for the most single-day Covid vaccinations. The state administered over 13 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccines on Sunday in a special dr

Andhra Pradesh has set a new record for the most single-day Covid vaccinations. The state administered over 13 lakh doses of Covid-19 vaccines on Sunday in a special drive. The state has also crossed the one-crore mark in vaccinating people with the first dose.
Calling it a remarkable achievement, the state government said that 13.45 lakh vaccinations on Sunday was almost 50% of the national vaccination drive.IT added that the numbers show that its medical team and other staff can take up over 1 million vaccinations a day "if government of India maintains the supply".
Previously, the state created a record by administering over 6 lakh vaccines in a day.
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Beginning June 21, the Centre will provide free vaccines to everyone above the age of 18. Pre-registration on the government’s CoWin portal will no longer be mand

Beginning June 21, the Centre will provide free vaccines to everyone above the age of 18. Pre-registration on the government&rsquo;s CoWin portal will no longer be mandatory and all vaccination centres will be allowed to provide onsite registration.
After several states communicated the difficulties in managing the funding, procurement and logistics of vaccines which affected the pace of the overall vaccination drive, the Centre has changed gears from its 'liberalised and accelerated'&nbsp; policy to a new system wherein it will buy 75 per cent of the vaccines and distribute them among the states free of cost.
States will have the liberty to prioritise the target groups in the 18+ age category factoring the vaccine supply schedule.
The Centre will distribute doses based on population, caseload, vaccine wastage among other factors.
Private hospitals will be able to procure 25% of the vaccine production, however, this time the states will aggregate the demand so that all hospitals receive equitable share.

Three persons, including a woman, have been booked for creating an objectionable and indecent Facebook post against Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust’s ge

Three persons, including a woman, have been booked for creating an objectionable and indecent Facebook post against Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra trust&rsquo;s general secretary Champat Rai.
An FIR against the trio has been lodged on the complaint of Bijnor resident Sanjay Bansal, who has claimed himself to be&nbsp;Champat Rai&rsquo;s brother.
In his complaint, Bansal said that a man named Vineet has made several objectionable and derogatory remarks against the Rai in his Facebook post.
In his complaint, Bansal said that when he called up the mobile phone linked to the Facebook account, the man receiving the call said the post was written on the instruction of a woman living in Nagina, who was among those arrested.
The SHO said that the complainant also accused the person receiving the call of calling him names and threatening him.

Clashes erupted between policemen and priests at the Vindhyavasini temple in Uttar Pradesh’s Vindhyachal on Sunday morning. According to a report by LiveHindusta

Clashes erupted between policemen and priests at the Vindhyavasini temple in Uttar Pradesh&rsquo;s Vindhyachal on Sunday morning.
According to a report by LiveHindustan, the policemen had escorted the Chandauli district magistrate and his family&nbsp;for prayers despite the weekend lockdown in place.
As the DM was allowed to perform puja, the priests also suggested that they be allowed to do the same. When the policemen did not allow, clashes erupted between the two groups.
Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan&rsquo;s family priest Amit Pandey was also roughed up in the scuffle.
The priests have condemned the incident and blamed the police for deliberate aggression. They have also alleged that the police is implicating them in false cases. However, no cases have been registered in the matter so far. The police have not only denied the allegations but have a completely different narrative. According to the Additional superintendent of police Sanjay Verma, no policeman escorted any official for performing puja. Rather, a priest performed darshan puja and when Amit Pandey started taking other visitors for the same the police opposed.

Pakistan National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf has ruled out the possibility of a meeting with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperat

Pakistan National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf has ruled out the possibility of a meeting with his Indian counterpart Ajit Doval on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation states in Tajikistan this week.
 Doval and Yusuf are set to attend the in-person meeting of the secretaries of the security council of the eight SCO member states in Dushanbe during June 22-23. This had triggered speculation about a meeting between the two officials against the backdrop of back-channel contacts between India and Pakistan.
Yusuf was quoted as saying by Pakistan&rsquo;s Dawn newspaper that there is absolutely no possibility of any bilateral meeting with Doval.&nbsp;

The West Bengal government filed an application seeking a stay on the Calcutta High Court order that has directed the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commissio

The West Bengal government filed an application seeking a stay on the Calcutta High Court order that has directed the chairperson of the National Human Rights Commission to constitute a committee to examine the post-assembly poll violence in the state.
The appeal, which will be heard by a 5-bench court on Monday, also seeks time to respond to a report by the member secretary of the State Legal Services Authority before the next hearing.
The report highlights the complaints of 3,243 persons who have claimed suffering till noon of June 10 and has been tabulated under 6 categories- property vandalised, looted or damaged by miscreants, threat by miscreants as a result of which the applicant(s) are out of their house and requires to be reinstated, assault or sexual assault, grabbing or encroaching of property, shop/business forcefully closed by miscreants, and demand of ransom. The&nbsp;SLSA&nbsp;has also said that the&nbsp;complaints were referred to the superintendent of police or police stations in some cases, but no response was received.
The High Court had directed the chairperson of the NHRC to constituency a panel and examine all cases of alleged human rights violations and present a comprehensive report. The court had also asked the panel to point out persons prima facie responsible for crime and the officers who maintained calculated silence on the issue.
The West Bengal government has requested that the findings in the order against the state or its officers may be expunged and has sought a stay of operations of the order till the disposal of the PILs filed.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 7th Yoga Day programme on the occasion of the International Yoga Day on on Monday at around 6.30am.The theme of

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the 7th Yoga Day programme on the occasion of the&nbsp;International Yoga Day&nbsp;on on Monday at around 6.30am. The theme of this year's Yoga Day is Yoga for wellness, which focuses on practising Yoga for both physical and mental well being. The event will be live telecast on all Doordarshan channels. The main event of the day will be a televised programme as there are restrictions on congregations amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The event will also include an address by the minister of state for Ayush, Kiren Rijiju, and a live Yoga demonstration by the Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga.

A Shiv Sena MLA has suggested that his party could once again join forces with the BJP to protect its leaders from being 'harassed' by the Central government. Legislato

A Shiv Sena MLA has suggested that his party could once again join forces with the BJP to protect its leaders from being 'harassed' by the Central government. Legislator Pratap Sarnaik, who is under the scanner of the Enforcement Directorate for money laundering charges, wrote to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, urging the former allies to reconcile, particularly in light of the numerous upcoming corporation elections, including those in Mumbai and Thane.
Sarnaik, who represents Thane&rsquo;s Ovala-Majiwada constituency in the state Assembly, said that while the BJP and Shiv Sena are no longer allies, their leaders still have strong ties, which &ldquo;we should make use of."
&ldquo;Several central agencies are behind me and other Shiv Sena leaders like Anil Parab and Ravindra Waikar, and they and their families are being harassed," Sarnaik said in his letter, which reached the CMO on June 10.
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India's tech giant, Infosys on Saturday said the company been able to address several technological glitches on the new income tax filing platform and that nearly

India's tech giant,&nbsp;Infosys on Saturday said the company been able to address several technological glitches on the new income tax filing platform and that nearly one lakh income tax returns have been filed through the new portal so far.
Infosys chief operating officer Pravin Rao said the company will work with stakeholders over the next few weeks to resolve all the issues with the new portal. Several technical glitches raised initially in the&nbsp;Infosys' new Income Tax e-filing portal,&nbsp;&nbsp;with many users posting tweets tagging the Finance Minister.&nbsp;Infosys is set to meet with the government on the tax portal issues on June 22.
In 2019, Infosys was awarded a contract to develop the next-generation income tax filing system to reduce processing time for returns from 63 days to one day and expedite refunds.

Lok Janshakti Patry (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan on Sunday announced he would hold a roadshow in Bihar next month, in a defiant show of strength amid a political tussle w

Lok Janshakti Patry&nbsp;leader Chirag Paswan on Sunday announced he would hold a roadshow in Bihar next month, in a defiant show of strength amid a political tussle with his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras over the party&rsquo;s leadership.
Chirag said that he would hold "aashirvaad yatra" from July 5 on his father and party founder Ram Vilas Paswan&rsquo;s birth anniversary, from Hajipur in Bihar, as his faction takes the fight with the Paras-led rebel group to the streets.
the LJP leader said that his faction of the LJP&nbsp;has&nbsp;decided to take out an 'Aashirvaad Yatra' from July 5 from Hajipur&nbsp;and it&nbsp;will pass through all districts of Bihar.&nbsp;

Stating that new IT rules are 'designed to empower ordinary users of social media', India on Sunday rejected apprehensions raised by the United Nation Human Rights Coun

Stating that new IT rules are 'designed to empower ordinary users of social media', India on Sunday rejected apprehensions raised by the United Nation Human Rights Council. The Permanent Mission of India at the United Nations in its reply to the communication of the Special Procedures Branch of the UNHRC&nbsp;said India's democratic credentials are well recognised.
The communication from UNHRC&nbsp;special branch follows a stand-off between the micro-blogging platform Twitter and the government on compliance with new intermediary guidelines and digital media ethics code notified by the government on February 25.

The Employee Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has allowed its members who have been unemployed for one month or more to avail non-refundable advance. EPFO through its

The Employee Provident Fund Organization or&nbsp;EPFO&nbsp;has allowed its members who have been unemployed for one month or more to avail non-refundable advance. The EPFO through its official Twitter handle said, the members can avail an advance of up to 75% of the total amount that is available in their Provident Fund or PF accounts. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the organization had earlier in May authorized its members to get a 2nd non-refundable Covid-19 advance.
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The Centre on Sunday submitted to the Supreme Court that all deaths caused by coronavirus diagnosis, irrespective of co-morbidities, are to be classified as deaths due

The Centre on Sunday submitted to the Supreme Court that all deaths caused by coronavirus diagnosis, irrespective of co-morbidities, are to be classified as deaths due to Covid-19.
Responding to a plea seeking directions for ex-gratia compensation to family members of those diseased due to complications pertaining to Covid-19, the Ministry of Home Affairs in an affidavit stated that the only exception could be where there is a clear alternative cause of death that cannot be attributed to Covid.
Also, so far covid fatalities have been labeled so if the patient has died inside a hospital, not at home or any place else. These factors have contributed in the mass discrepancy in fatality figures. In order to claim compensation, a death certificate is required to establish that the death is due to Covid-19. However, death certificates in India do not include any information related to the cause of death of an individual.
In its 183-page affidavit, the Centre has cleared that all Covid deaths, wherever they take place should be certified as Covid deaths. The MHA further said that the states can continue to use their domicile death audit pro forma as long as long as it broadly takes into account the parameters suggested.

The Election Commission has given a green light to the BJP's promise of free vaccines to residents of Bihar, saying it it doesn't violate the model code of conduct. The declaration from the EC comes after complaints that the promise was 'a gross violation of the Union government&rsquo;s powers, and an attempt to mislead voters.'
BJP&rsquo;s&nbsp;manifesto for the Bihar&nbsp;elections included free Covid-19 vaccines to the people of Bihar.&nbsp;The BJP&rsquo;s promise had triggered a political row with the RJD, Congress, and other Opposition parties accusing it of politicising the pandemic. Defending its announcement, the BJP had said that it had made a pledge on a public health issue.
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National

Covid vaccination to pick pace in July, August: Amit Shah

Reopen schools, expert panel on Covid-19 third wave tells Karnataka govt

53,000 new cases: India sees lowest 1-day Covid spike in 88 days

'Captain lies every day': Sidhu ups the ante against Punjab CM

Delhi's wait for rain gets longer as monsoon pace slows down

Assam to soon implement two-child policy to avail govt schemes: CM

'Yoga gave people hope in fight against Covid': PM Modi on Yoga Day

Andhra sets record with 13 lakh vaccinations in a single day

Free Covid vaccine for all adults from today, CoWin registration not mandatory

3 booked for objectionable Facebook post against Ram Temple Trust's Champat Rai

UP: clash between police and priests at Vindhyachal temple

SCO meet: Pakistan NSA Moeed Yusuf rules out meeting with Indian counterpart Ajit Doval

West Bengal moves HC to stay order on post-poll violence

International Yoga Day: PM Modi to address Yoga event on Monday

Shiv Sena MLA writes to Uddhav: let's reconcile with BJP as Central agencies are harassing us

Infosys: most income tax portal glitches fixed, 1 lakh tax returns filed

Amid on-going tussle with uncle, Chirag Paswan plans mega roadshow in Bihar

New IT rules: 'designed to empower ordinary users of social media', India tells UNHRC

EPFO allows to withdraw non-refundable advance in case of job loss

Deaths due to co-morbidities also to be classified as Covid deaths: MHA tells Supreme Court

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