LIVE: Centre to review flight resumption as new Covid variant sparks alert

Latest live news: Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke on his pre-recorded radio show Mann Ki Vaat, will later attend meeting of political parties before Winter Session of Parliament.

Latest live news: After Bharti Airtel and Vodafone Idea, India's largest mobile operator Reliance Jio on Sunday announced up to 21 per cent hike in its prepaid tariffs from next month.

In politics, Opposition parties demanded Parliament discuss the Pegasus snooping scandal, price rise and unemployment, PTI reported on Sunday about a customary meeting held before Winter Session begins tomorrow. 

Opposition leaders at the all-party meeting also raised the issue of extended jurisdiction of the Border Security Force in some states, including West Bengal. The Trinamool Congress raised the issue of bringing giving legal support to minimum support price for crops and disinvestment of profitable state-owned firms.

Indians seeking to be job creators and not job seekers marks a turning point in the country’s economic history, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his Mann Ki Baat radio show on Sunday.
 

India recorded 8,774 new cases of Covid-19 and 621 deaths in 24 hours, said the health ministry on Sunday as the country steps up testing for a new variant of the virus that causes the disease. Active cases fell to their lowest in 543 days.
 

8:58 PM

MSRTC stir continues; 93 staffers suspended, 1,525 daily wage workers dismissed

The stir-hit Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) on Sunday suspended 93 staffers, taking the total number of employees who have faced this action so far to 6,497, while the services of 1,525 daily wage workers were terminated.

An MSRTC spokesperson said operations resumed at 50 out of 250 bus depots in the state, comprising 20 depots in Mumbai, 22 in Pune, three each in Aurangabad and Nashik and two in Nagpur.

8:42 PM

Cumulative Covid-19 vaccine coverage crosses 1.2 billion: Govt

The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country crossed 1.22 billion on Sunday, the Union Health Ministry said.

Of these, more than 36.5 lakh (36,58,756) doses were administered on Sunday till 7 pm, the ministry said, adding this tally is expected to increase with the compilation of the final reports for the day by late night.

The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on January 16 with healthcare workers (HCWs) getting inoculated in the first phase. The vaccination of frontline workers (FLWs) started from February 2.

8:18 PM

Centre to review flight resumption, states begin to reimpose curbs as new variant sparks alert

As concerns mounted over the spread of potentially more contagious coronavirus variant Omicron to many countries, the Centre on Sunday decided to review the resumption of international flights and issued a slew of directions to the states for ramping up testing-surveillance measures and health facilities.

Alert to the looming threat, states began to re-tighten curbs and urgently trace people who arrived from abroad especially 'at risk' nations in the last one month while a demand to not allow flights from the countries affected by the new variant was made by Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

No cases of the variant, which was first reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO) from South Africa on November 24, have been recorded in India.

Two South African returnees to Bengaluru, who tested positive for COVID-19, were found to be infected with the delta variant, a Karnataka official said on Sunday.

8:03 PM

Tripura results testimony to people's unwavering trust in BJP's politics of development: Shah

The BJP on Sunday asserted that its massive win in the Tripura local body polls shows people's trust in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policies and welfare programmes and is also a reflection of their trust in the "double engine" government's commitment to the state's development.

The BJP uses the expression "double engine government" to denote it being in power at the Centre and in a state and claims that this helps in the state's progress.

7:47 PM

Reliance Jio to increase mobile services rates from December 1

Reliance Jio on Sunday announced new unlimited plans which will go live on December 1, 2021.

 

Jio continues to provide the lowest tariffs and the best quality service in the industry, the company said in a statement.

7:35 PM

Congress demands revelation of 'true' figures of Covid deaths, Rs 4 lakh for victims' kin

The Congress on Sunday said credible and true figures of COVID-19 deaths in the country should come out and it will strive to get a compensation of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of those who died of the viral disease, the PTI reported.

As part of the party's campaign for exerting pressure on the Centre to grant compensation to the victims of the coronavirus, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi put out a video of the families that suffered during the second wave of the pandemic.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the Congress would raise the issue in both houses of Parliament and seek the grant of a compensation of Rs 4 lakh to all such families from the government.

7:25 PM

Sec 144 imposed in Mathura after Mahasabha threat to install Lord Krishna idol in mosque

The Mathura district administration has imposed prohibitory orders under CrPC section 144 following an announcement by the Akhil Bharat Hindu Mahasabha that it will install a Lord Krishna idol at the deity's "actual birthplace", which it claims is in a mosque close to a prominent temple here.

"Nobody will be allowed to disturb the peace and tranquillity in Mathura," District Magistrate Navneet Singh Chahal said.

The clampdown comes even as another right wing organisation, the Narayani Sena, has said it will take out a march from Vishram Ghat to Sri Krishna Janmasthan, demanding the "removal" of the mosque.

7:24 PM

Punjab to set up research centre on Hindu epics: Channi; says will do PhD on Mahabharata

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Sunday said he will learn Sanskrit and do a doctorate on the Mahabharata as he announced to set up a research centre on the Hindu texts Ramayana, Mahabharata and Bhagvad Gita.

 

Addressing after laying the foundation stone of a Bhagwan Parshuram Taposthal here, he also compared SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal to Mahabharata's Dhritarashtra, saying the "putra moh" (blind love) for his son has led to the "ruin" of his party.

 

The CM said the research centre will showcase the message of the three Hindu texts.

7:21 PM

Tripura has proved that they prefer politics of good governance: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday thanked the people of Tripura and said the state prefers politics of good governance.

 

These blessings give us greater strength to work for the welfare of each and every person in Tripura, added PM Modi, ANI reported.

6:09 PM

BJP dividing people like British rulers, alleges Baghel

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Sunday accused the BJP of dividing the people of the country on religious lines like the British rulers.

He also slammed the BJP-led central government for "ignoring" Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's warnings on the coronavirus pandemic and said that had it acted on his suggestions, the lives of many people could have been saved.

"Congress has always fought for people's issues. Unlike this (BJP-led) government, Congress gave many rights to people. It gave freedom, Constitution, Panchayat Raj, Right To Information and also gave rights to farmers, labourersThe party also provided 30 per cent reservation to women. Yet, they keep asking what did the Congress do in the last 70 years," he said while addressing the party workers at Congress Bhavan here.

5:08 PM

Congress' Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury urges LS Speaker to bring resolution condoling farmers' death during stir

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has urged Speaker Om Birla to bring a resolution in Parliament condoling the death of farmers during the agitation against the agri laws. He has also written to the Speaker for appointing a Deputy Speaker for the smooth conduct of proceedings in Lok Sabha.

Chowdhury, in another letter, urged Birla to ease the restrictions imposed on media to ensure free and fair coverage of proceedings of parliament during the Winter Session commencing Monday.

"On the eve of the coming parliament session, I would sincerely request you that as a mark of respect towards our 'Annadata', the House may unanimously pass a condolence resolution for the farmers who lost their lives during the farmer agitation. The passing of the resolution in the House will convey our gratitude for the sacrifice that our farmer brethren have given to the nation," he said in his letter to the Speaker.

5:04 PM

Ruling BJP sweeps Tripura civic polls

The ruling BJP on Sunday swept the civic body elections in Tripura, having won all the seats of the 51-member Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) and clinching several other urban local bodies.

The opposition TMC and CPI(M) failed to open their account in the AMC.

The saffron party secured all the wards in the 15-member Khowai Municipal Council, 17-seat Belonia Municipal Council, 15-member Kumarghat Municipal Council and nine-member Sabroom Nagar Panchayat, state election commission officials said.

The party made a clean sweep in the 25-ward Dharmanagar Municipal Council, 15-seat Teliamura Municipal Council and 13-member Amarpur Nagar Panchayat, they said.

Sonamura Nagar Panchayat and Melaghar Nagar Panchayat became opposition less with the BJP having won all the 13 seats each. It also bagged the 11-member Jirania Nagar Panchayat.

5:02 PM

China's mobile phone shipments reach 282 mn units in Jan-Oct

China's mobile phone shipments stood at 282 million units in the first ten months of the year, up 12 per cent year on year, according to data from the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).

In October, the country's mobile phone shipments surged 28.4 percent year on year to nearly 33.58 million units, said the CAICT, a research institute under the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.

A total of 26 new models were released last month, up 4 per cent from a year earlier, the data showed.

The country's domestic brands continued to dominate mobile phone shipments last month. Their shipments topped 22.81 million units, making up 67.9 per cent of the total shipments, reports Xinhua news agency.

4:58 PM

Punjab polls: SAD announces 4 more candidates

The Shiromani Akali Dal on Sunday announced four more candidates for the 2022 Punjab Assembly polls.

So far, the party has declared 88 candidates for the polls, which it is contesting in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) after breaking ties with the BJP over the issue of farm laws.

Nusrat Ali Khan has been given ticket from Malerkotla seat while Rohit Vohra will be fielded from Ferozepur.

Gur Iqbal Singh Mahal will contest from Qadian and Rajanbir Singh is the SAD candidate from Sri Hargobindpur seat.

4:24 PM

Lahore HC calls 'serious legal blunder' as Pak land allotted to Indian nationals

In a baffling case of what the Lahore High Court (LHC) has described as "a serious legal blunder" a civil judge in Lahore allotted Pakistani land to some Indian nationals. And it was not a mistake: The allottees produced their Indian identity documents before him, Samaa TV reported.

The authorities quickly annulled the allotment, and the decree issued by the said civil judge and the Lahore High Court in a recent verdict has upheld their decision. But the case is likely to go down in legal history as one of the rare examples of a court showing kindness to people from an "enemy state", the report said.

There was an evacuee land in Mauza Malku in Lahore left by people who migrated to India in 1947. Mauza Malki is now part of the Lahore Cantonment area.