LIVE: Gen Rawat awarded Padma Vibhushan, Padma Bhushan for Nadella, Pichai

Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, SII MD Cyrus Poonawalla to be conferred with Padma Bhushan

Live news updates: India recorded 255,874 fresh coronavirus cases and 614 fatalities in the last 24 hours, according to data released by the health ministry.

Covid restrictions in Delhi will be lifted soon, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said today. 

The capital will record a 10 per cent infection rate today, he added. The maximum was 30 per cent, on January 15.

The Delhi government had on Friday recommended the lifting of weekend curfews in the national capital in view of declining Covid cases. The file was forwarded to the office of Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal for his approval but was rejected.

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Monday that it was dangerous to assume the Omicron variant would herald the end of Covid-19, exhorting nations to stay focused to beat the pandemic.

"It’s dangerous to assume that Omicron will be the last variant and that we are in the end game," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a WHO executive board meeting of the two-year pandemic that has killed nearly 6 million people.

Swiggy doubled its valuation to $10.7 billion in a funding round that raised $700 million, as booming demand for quick delivery of food and grocery in India drives up investments in the sector. The food delivery firm said on Monday it had raised $700 million in the fundraise that was led by US investment firm Invesco and also included Baron Capital Group, Sumeru Venture, IIFL and Kotak. Existing investors Alpha Wave Global and Qatar Investment Authority also took part in the round.

10:18 PM

Pfizer begins testing omicron-matched Covid shots in adults

Pfizer is enrolling healthy adults to test a reformulated COVID-19 vaccine that matches the hugely contagious omicron variant, to see how it compares with the original shots.

 

Pfizer and its partner BioNTech announced the study on Tuesday.

 

COVID-19 vaccine-makers have been updating their shots to better match omicron in case global health authorities decide the change is needed.

9:42 PM

Security stepped up in Punjab, Haryana ahead of Republic Day

Security has been stepped up across poll-bound Punjab and neighbouring Haryana ahead of Republic Day celebrations on Wednesday, officials said.

 

Bomb disposal squads and sniffer dog units were deployed at vulnerable places and vehicles entering the two states were being checked thoroughly, they said.

 

Punjab Governor and Administrator of Chandigarh Union Territory Banwari Lal Purohit will unfurl the tricolour at a state-level function at Mohali.

 

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi will hoist the national flag at Jalandhar.

9:18 PM

India announces $200,000 relief assistance to tsunami-hit Tonga

India has extended an immediate relief assistance of USD 200,000 for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in tsunami-hit Tonga, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.

 

On January 15, 2022, a tsunami hit the Kingdom of Tonga impacting large sections of the country's population and causing significant infrastructural damage.

 

India extends deep sympathy to the government and the people of the Kingdom of Tonga for the damage and destruction caused by this unprecedented disaster, the MEA said in a statement.

9:08 PM

Tamil Nadu logs 30,055 new Covid cases

Tamil Nadu on Tuesday continued to record a marginal decline in new Covid-19 cases with 30,055 infections, pushing the caseload to 31,94,260, while 48 more fatalities took the death toll to 37,312, the health department said.

 

With 25,221 people getting discharged in the last 24 hours, recoveries climbed to 29,45,678 leaving 2,11,270 active infections, a medical bulletin said.

 

After reporting a high of 30,744 new cases on Saturday, the COVID graph has been on the downward trend with 30,580 added on Sunday, while on Monday it was 30,215.

8:22 PM

Former UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh to be conferred with Padma Vibhushan posthumously

8:13 PM

Gen Rawat awarded Padma Vibhushan, Congress' Azad gets Padma Bhushan

8:02 PM

West Bengal records 4,494 new Covid cases

8:01 PM

Gujarat reports 16,608 new Covid cases

7:37 PM

President Ram Nath Kovind addresses nation on eve of Republic Day

7:03 PM

Karnataka BJP MLA counters Cong's claims, says 16 of its legislators are in touch with him

With the Congress leadership in Karnataka claiming that some legislators and leaders from the ruling BJP are in touch with them, a saffron party MLA on Tuesday claimed that at least 16 legislators from the grand old party are in contact with him and may jump ship, ahead of assembly polls, if the high command approves.

The claims and counter claims between the ruling and the principal opposition party in the state has gained momentum, even as the assembly polls in the state are more than a year away.

As Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah today reiterated his claims that few BJP and JD(S) leaders are in touch with him and he would not reveal their names, BJP MLA and former Minister Ramesh Jarkiholi hit back and claimed that at least 16 legislators from Congress are in contact with him.

6:58 PM

Sikkim reports 237 new COVID-19 cases, one more fatality

Sikkim on Tuesday reported 237 fresh coronavirus infections, 122 more than the previous day, a health department bulletin said.

The fresh infections raised the tally to 37,333.

The death toll rose to 424 as one more person succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours, the bulletin said.

East Sikkim logged 146 new cases, followed by 58 in West Sikkim, 22 in South Sikkim, and 11 in North Sikkim.

6:49 PM

Republic Day: 939 police medals including 189 for gallantry declared

The government on Tuesday announced a total of 939 service medals, including 189 for gallantry, for personnel of various central and state police forces on the eve of Republic Day.

The Union home ministry published a list containing names of personnel who have been decorated with the police medal for gallantry (PMG), president's police medal for distinguished service and police medal for meritorious service.

No one has been given the top category president's police medal for gallantry (PPMG) this time.

Among the 189 gallantry awards, 134 personnel are being awarded for their gallant action in the Jammu and Kashmir region, 47 for their bravery in Left Wing Extremism (LWE) affected areas and one personnel for similar conduct in the north-east region, a home ministry spokesperson said.

6:48 PM

Political condition in Bengal 'horrible and frightening': Governor Dhankhar

Calling the political condition prevailing in West Bengal "horrible and frightening", Goveror Jagdeep Dhankhar alleged on Tuesday that the people of the state do not have the freedom to exercise their franchise fearlessly.

He accused state assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee of transgressing constitutional norms.

The speaker shot back, terming the governor's accusation "uncalled for" and stating that it was "discourteous" of him to have made such remarks.

Dhankhar, after paying floral tributes at the statue of B R Ambedkar on the Assembly premises on National Voters Day, said, "We have seen post-poll violence of unprecedented level. Those who dared to vote according to their own volition had to pay the price with their life... Democracy is in deep peril here.

6:44 PM

Delhi traders launch campaign against weekend curfew, odd-even rule for shops

The Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) on Tuesday launched a campaign pressuring the Delhi government to lift the weekend curfew and the odd-even rule for opening shops here.

They said traders will die of hunger if the Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), the highest decision-making body on COVID-19-related issues, decides to continue with the restrictions and thereby cripple businesses.

Representatives from around 50 markets here participated in the rally, Remove Odd Even and Weekend Curfew, Save Delhi's Business, from the Kashmere Gate Market.

CTI chairman Brijesh Goyal said the campaign will run in more than 100 markets for the next three days and that all market associations have been requested to conduct similar campaigns.

6:44 PM

IMF cuts India's GDP forecast for FY22 to 9% from 9.5%

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has cut India's economic growth forecast to 9 per cent for the current fiscal year ending March 31, joining a host of agencies which have downgraded their projections on concerns over the impact of a spread of new variant of coronavirus on business activity and mobility.

In its latest update of World Economic Outlook on Tuesday, the Washington-based international financial institution, which had in October last year projected a 9.5 per cent GDP growth for India, put the forecast for the next fiscal FY23 (April 2022 to March 2023) at 7.1 per cent.

The Indian economy had contracted by 7.3 per cent in the 2020-21 fiscal year.

The IMF's forecast for the current financial year is less than 9.2 per cent that the government's Central Statistics Office has predicted and 9.5 per cent that the Reserve Bank of India has estimated. Its forecast is lower than the 9.5 per cent projection by S&P and 9.3 per cent by Moody's but more than the 8.3 per cent projection by the World Bank and 8.4 per cent by Fitch.