Archives for 2021

In the majority verdict, the apex court said prior permission shall be taken from the committee and other relevant authorities before start of construction at new sites. 

NEW DELHI: Next year’s Republic Day will be celebrated on the redeveloped Rajpath under the government’s ambitious Central Vista redevelopment plan — the work for which is likely to begin from the next month, Union Urban Affairs Hardeep Puri said on Monday.  

The Heritage Conservation Committee gave its approval for construction of a new Parliament building days after the Supreme Court asked the government to seek the same from it. Puri said the projects under the Central Vista redevelopment plan will be completed systematically and the entire project is likely to be completed by 2025. “Republic Day parade in 2022 will be at the new central avenue,” the minister said, adding that cost of the project will be absorbed by each of the ministry’s budget.

Puri said construction of the new Parliament building would not affect the existing structure. Speaking on the clearance by the heritage committee, urban affairs secretary Durga Shanker Mishra said the panel discussed the proposal and gave its approval. The additional secretary of the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry is the chairman of the Heritage Conservation Committee.

On January 6, the Supreme Court had cleared the decks for the ambitious Central Vista project, which covers a 3-km stretch from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate in Lutyens’ Delhi, by upholding the environmental clearance and the notification for change in land use. In the majority verdict, the apex court said prior permission shall be taken from the committee and other relevant authorities before start of construction at new sites. 

Husna Rizwan

New Delhi: Air India’s longest direct flight from San Francisco to Bengaluru with an all-woman cockpit crew successfully landed in the southern city on Monday.

The national carrier had said on Saturday that this flight would be the longest commercial flight in the world to be operated by any Indian airline and the total flight time on this route would be of more than 17 hours depending on the wind speed on that day.

The direct distance between the two cities at opposite ends of the world is 13,993 km with a time zone change of around 13.5 hours.

“In a moment to cherish and celebrate, women professionals of Indian civil aviation create history,” Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri said on Twitter.

“Heartiest Congratulations to Capt Zoya Aggarwal, Capt Papagari Thanmai, Capt Akansha Sonaware & Capt Shivani for flying over North Pole to land in Bengaluru from San Francisco, he stated.

Flight AI176 departed from San Francisco in the USA at around 8.30 pm (local time) on Saturday and landed at the Kempegowda International Airport at around 3.45 am (local time) on Monday.

The flight was operated with a Boeing 777-200LR aircraft with a seating capacity of 238 seats, including eight First Class, 35 Business Class,195 Economy class configuration besides four cockpits and 12 cabin crew.

Police said Naik, along with his wife, personal assistant Deepak, his close confidante Sai Kiran, gunman and the driver were heading from Yallapur to Gokarna when the accident happened.

PANAJI: Union minister Shripad Naik was injured, while his wife and an aide died in a road accident in adjoining Karnataka on Monday, an official said.

Naik’s wife Vijaya and the aide were travelling with the minister when their car met with an accident near Ankola in Uttar Kannada district, while he was returning to his home state Goa from Dharmasthala in Karnataka.

Naik (68) was brought to Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) near Panaji around 11.10 pm in a critical condition, sources said.

In Bengaluru, the Karnataka police said Naik, along with his wife, personal assistant Deepak, his close confidante Sai Kiran, gunman and the driver were heading from Yallapur to Gokarna on Monday night.

On the way, the driver lost his control over the car near Hosakambi village in Ankola Taluk of Uttara Kannada and the vehicle overturned, they said.

“It was not a collision between vehicles.Prima facie it appears to be the case of the driver losing control of the car,” a police officer told PTI in Bengaluru.

Naiks wife was brought dead to the hospital in Karnataka, while his personal assistant succumbed to injuries at the medical facility, the sources in Panaji said.

The sources said the Union Minister of State for AYUSH’s car skidded and rammed into a roadside tree.

All the occupants, including the driver, were taken out of the wreckage of the car, which was badly damaged.

Visuals from the site showed Naik being shifted in an ambulance in an unconscious state.

As the ambulance entered Goa, the state police escorted it to the GMCH.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant arrived at the GMCH before the ambulance reached the government-run hospital where medical specialists were ready to treat Naik, who is also the junior defence minister.

After holding preliminary discussions with doctors, including Dean of GMCH Dr Shivanand Bandekar, Sawant took the physicians in his car to the ambulance, which was on the way to the hospital, for providing immediate attention to Naik.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Sawant and asked him to ensure proper medical treatment for the minister, the sources said.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke to Sawant about speedy medical treatment to the BJP MP from North Goa.

Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa condoled the demise of Naik’s wife and conveyed his wishes for Naik’s speedy recovery.

In Panaji, Goa BJP President Sadanand Tanavade, General Secretary Satish Dhond and other party office-bearers gathered at the GMCH to enquire about Naik’s condition.

The Maharashtra government has ordered culling of 80,000 poultry after the state reported its first bird flu case in Parbhani district.

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has ordered culling of 80,000 poultry after the state reported its first bird flu case in Parbhani district.

Over 800 poultry, mainly chicken, had died in Muraba village of the district in recent days. Kupta village in the same district reported 500 poultry deaths. The flu was confirmed when samples from these villages were sent for a lab test.

Instances of birds dying have been reported from other parts of the state also. Maharashtra Animal Husbandry Minister Sunil Kedar on Monday said the district administration of Parbhani has initiated steps to cull over 80,000 birds. 

The priority of vaccination has been decided as per advice of experts and the scientific community after consultation with the states, the Prime Minister said. 

NEW DELHI: The Centre will bear the full expense of vaccinating three crore healthcare and frontline workers in the first phase. This was confirmed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his videoconference call with chief ministers on Monday. 

“Health workers, both government and private, will be vaccinated first. Sanitation workers, other frontline workers, defence forces, police and other paramilitary forces will also be vaccinated in the first phase,” Modi said. 

Thereafter, those above 50 years and younger people with serious co-morbidities will be given the vaccine against Covid-19. During his interaction with the CMs, Modi said that apart from Covishield and Covaxin, four others are in the pipeline. 

The PM also said that politicians should not to try to get the vaccine in the first phase. Vaccine rollout will begin on January 16 with the help of 61,000 managers and 2 lakh vaccinators and 3.7 lakh other vaccination team members, the CMs were informed. 

The priority of vaccination has been decided as per advice of experts and the scientific community after consultation with the states, the Prime Minister said. 

Govt orders 5.1 cr doses
The Centre has ordered 4 cr doses of Covaxin from Bharat Biotech, costing `300 each, and 1.1 cr doses of Covishield, costing `210 each, from SII, sources said

The decision comes after the Tamil Nadu government held a statewide consultation on whether schools should be reopened after Pongal holidays.

CHENNAI: Class 10 and 12 students from Tamil Nadu can go to school from January 19. The state government on Tuesday announced that schools can be reopened for these students who may take up their public exams soon.

However should can accomodate no more than 25 students in any classroom.

Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami, in a statement on Tuesday, said that the government has decided to permit reopening of schools only for students in these two classes and that all other students may continue distance learning. 

He added that 95 percent of schools that participated in the consultation said that parents have given their consent to send their wards to schools.

The decision comes after the government held a statewide consultation on whether schools should be reopened after Pongal holidays. The statement said “the consultation which was held until Friday, showed that parents were comfortable sending their children to school in order to prepare for public exams.”

All schools must strictly enforce the stipulated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) issued by the government. ​This includes protocols on sanitation, physical distancing, transport facilities and attendance procedures among other things.

The Chief Minister has also directed the health department to supply vitamin tablets to boost the immunity of these students.

Though Raje has remained silent on the issue, political observers say it is a show of defiance at her behest since she is upset at being marginalized by the BJP top brass.

JAIPUR: In a direct challenge to the central leadership of the BJP, the supporters of former Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje have openly asked the party high command to declare Raje as the chief ministerial candidate of the BJP in the next elections. Though Raje has remained silent on the issue, political observers say it is a show of defiance at her behest since she is upset at being marginalized by the BJP top brass.

As reported earlier, Raje’s staunch supporters had formed a ‘Vasundhara Raje Samarthak Rajasthan Manch’ just a day after current BJP chief of the state unit, Satish Poonia, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Gulab Chand Kataria and his deputy, Rajendra Rathore had been summoned to Delhi for a meeting with BJP President Nadda.

The announcement of the Manch formed by Raje supporters with a list of state executive committee and presidents of 25 districts on social media has led to major consternation and rift within the Rajasthan BJP.

BJP’s internal feud was today further ignited by a public statement by Raje’s former ministerial colleague and BJP MLA, Pratap Singh Singhvi, who asked the party to announce her as the BJP’s CM candidate for the next assembly elections in Rajasthan.

Singhvi claimed “Raje was the most popular face of BJP in Rajasthan” and “the party stood a winning chance only if it went to the polls by projecting Raje as its supremo.” Rubbing salt into the wounds, Singhvi further advised BJP leaders to consult Raje in all organizational matters. In retort, state BJP president, Satish Poonia, stated none was bigger than the party “which had only one face, that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”

The new developments have stunned party members and most see it as an act of open revolt against the national leadership by the Raje faction as she has been side-lined by the party high command. Though state BJP chief Satish Poonia prefers to downplay the issue by feigning ignorance of the formation of such an organisation, it is clear that the rift is widening. The defiance and launch of the ‘Vasundhara Raje Samarthak Rajasthan Manch’ is an open exhibition of Raje’s irritation at being ignored in the state politics by the party leaders.