Heena Sharma Blog

  After the apex court has struck down the Maratha quota in excess of 50 per cent ceiling limit as unconstitutional, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said that he would send a formal request to the Center in this regard and if needed, he will take a delegation also for a follow-up on the same. "The Maratha community is very patiently waiting for steps from the Center. I will send a formal request to the Centre in this regard and if needed, I will take a delegation also for a follow-up on the same," Thackeray said. He also requested the intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Ram Nath Kovind after the Supreme Court struck down the law granting quota to Marathas. "Unfortunate that the Supreme Court rejected the law of reservation to the Maratha community in Maharashtra. We had unanimously passed a law for the sake of life with self-respect to our Maratha community. Now SC says that Maharashtra can not make law on this, onl

  In view of rising Covid-19 cases , the Delhi government of Tuesday imposed a night curfew in the national capital from 10 pm to 5 am. The order will be imposed with immediate effect till April 30. However, the government said, "there will be no restrictions on traffic movement during the night curfew". "People who want to get Covid-19 vaccination will be exempted but will have to get an e-pass. Shopkeepers selling essential goods like groceries, fruits, vegetables, milk, and medicine will be allowed to move after getting an e-pass. Print and electronic media will also be allowed to move only through e-pass," the Delhi government's order stated. It further said that private doctors, nurses, and paramedical staff will also be allowed during curfew hours by showing a valid ID card. Read More

  Delhi will be under curfew from 10 pm to 5 am night till April 30, the city government said on Tuesday as Covid-19 cases rise in the national capital. Delhi recorded 3,548 fresh cases and 15 deaths on Monday. NDTV reports that traffic would not be stopped and those going for vaccinations will be allowed with an e-pass. Essential services and retailers who need to travel after hours for ration, grocery stocks, vegetables, milk and medicines will also be allowed with similar passes. Journalists of the print and electronic media will be allowed to travel, too. Private doctors, nurses and other medical staff would be allowed movement with ID cards. Exceptions will also be made for pregnant women and those needing treatment. The curfew will check the movement of people, not essential services, said the Delhi government in an order. Read More

  To curb the coronavirus surge, a 12-hour night curfew from 6 pm to 6 am will be imposed in Maharashtra's Pune district from tomorrow, said an official on Friday. Situation will be reviewed on next Friday, said Pune Divisional Commissioner Saurabh Rao while announcing Covid-related restrictions. Bars, hotels, restaurants will remain closed for 7 days and only home delivery will be allowed. No public function, except funerals and weddings, will be allowed. Maximum 20 people in funerals and 50 in weddings. Order to come into effect from tomorrow, said Rao Siddharth Shirole, an MLA from Pune's Shivajinagar constituency, said on Twitter that "Bars, Malls, Cinema Halls, #PMPML Buses, Religious Places, Weekly Vegetable Markets will be closed for next 7 days". Read More

  Petrol and diesel prices on Tuesday were cut for the third time within a week on the back of softening international oil prices . Petrol price was cut by 22 paise per litre and diesel by 23 paise per litre, according to a price notification of state-owned fuel retailers. Petrol now costs Rs 90.56 per litre in Delhi and a litre of diesel comes for Rs 80.87. Rates have been reduced across the country and vary from state to state depending on the local incidence of taxation (VAT). In Mumbai, the petrol price was cut to Rs 96.98 a litre on Tuesday from Rs 97.19, while diesel rates were reduced to Rs 87.96 from Rs 88.20, the price notification showed. Read More

  Aviation regulator DGCA on Tuesday told airports to consider imposing spot fines, with the help of police authorities, on passengers who are not wearing masks properly and maintaining social distance as per the COVID-19 rules . On March 13, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had asked airlines to de-board passengers who do not wear masks "properly" despite repeated warnings, and take action against them as per rules. In a circular on Tuesday, the regulator said, "During the surveillance of some airports, it has come to notice that compliance (of COVID-19 protocols) is not satisfactory." "All airport operators, therefore, are requested to ensure that the instructions on COVID-19 protocol from the standpoint of wearing face mask properly, covering nose and mouth, as well as maintaining social distance norms within the airport premises are followed scrupulously," it said. Accordingly, all airport operators can increase surveillance i

  Genome sequencing by INSACOG showed coronavirus variants of concern and a novel variant in India, said government on Wednesday. The Indian SARS-CoV-2 Consortium on Genomics (INSACOG) is a grouping of 10 national laboratories that was established by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt of India on December 25, 2020. INSACOG has since then been carrying out genomic sequencing and analysis of circulating Covid-19 viruses, and correlating epidemiological trends with genomic variants. "Genomic variants of various viruses are a natural phenomenon and are found in almost all countries," said Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in a statement. Since INSACOG initiated its work, 771 variants of concerns (VOCs) have been detected in a total of 10,787 positive samples shared by states/UTs. These include 736 samples positive for viruses of the UK (B.1.1.7) lineage. 34 samples were found positive for viruses of the South African (B.1.351) lineage. 1 sample was found positi

Surveillance samples, which were sent to NIHSAD Bhopal for the tests of Avian Influenza on March 4, has been found negative as per the report received late Wednesday, according to National Zoological Park, Delhi. That was the fourth round of surveillance samples sent to NIHSAD. "Since two consecutive surveillance test reports have come negative, the Zoological Park has come out of epicentre/surveillance zone," the zoo authorities said. The previous negative report had come on March 1, 2021. According to the Union Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, till January 30 outbreaks of avian influenza have been confirmed in 10 States/UTs- Kerala, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir for poultry birds. Read More

  Fuel prices in the country have remained steady for over a fortnight now even though global oil market remains volatile with regular variations in prices. Accordingly, petrol continues to be priced at Rs 91.17 a litre and diesel Rs 81.47 a litre in the capital here on Tuesday. Fuel prices have not been revised now for 17 days. Across the country as well, the petrol and diesel price remain unchanged. However, the pause has not helped in bringing down fuel prices that have crossed Rs 100 per litre (petrol) mark in several parts of the country. Since the beginning of February crude has gained more than $7 per barrel that pushed OMCs to increase fuel prices on 14 occasions raising the prices by Rs 4.22 per litre for petrol and by Rs 4.34 a litre for diesel in Delhi. Crude is now sitting at around $69 a barrel. The petrol and diesel prices have increased 26 times in 2021 with the two auto fuels increasing by Rs 7.46 and Rs 7.60 per litre, respectively so far this year. Read More

  India's leadership in providing the Covid-19 vaccine will be high on the agenda of the first Quad summit on Friday as the leaders of the four countries look for ways to build the group as a benevolent force for the region extending its role beyond the strategic as they confront China's growing hard and soft powers. "The leaders will discuss ongoing efforts to combat Covid-19 pandemic and explore opportunities for collaboration in ensuring safe, equitable and affordable vaccines in the Indo-Pacific region," Modi's office said. Adding a few more details, the Japanese news agency Kyodo in a report from Washington quoting people familiar with the agenda, said: "The leaders plan to announce financial support to boost production capacity for vaccines in India, seen as part of efforts to counter China's growing influence, which has been offering free shots to countries in Southeast Asia and Africa." Prime Ministers Narendra Modi of India, Scott Mor

  Amid rising COVID-19 cases in Maharashtra, the Western Railways collected a total fine of Rs 8.83 lakh from March 1 to 6 from people who were travelling without a face mask. "A sum of Rs 8,83,100 was collected in the form of fine from people not wearing masks from 1st March till 6th March," informed Western Railways in a statement. Earlier, the Western Railways, in a joint effort with the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), collected a total fine of Rs 5.97 lakh during February. As per a statement, 3,819 people were fined after they were caught without face masks in public spaces. With 430 fines, the highest number of cases were reported on February 26, resulting in a collection of Rs 75,200 in fines. Maharashtra continues to report the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the country and registered as many as 11,141 new cases, 6,013 recoveries, and 38 deaths in the last 24 hours, the union health ministry informed on Monday morning. The total number of active c

  As World Wildlife Day is being observed, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday appealed to ensure protection of animals and preserve forest and safe habitats for them. In a tweet, the Vice President said: "On this World Wildlife Day, let us all put in dedicated efforts to save and preserve the wildlife and create greater awareness on the need to maintain a healthy ecological balance on our planet." Prime Minister Modi saluted those working towards wildlife protection on the World Wildlife Day and teeeted: "Be it lions, tigers and leopards, India is seeing a steady rise in the population of various animals. We should do everything possible to ensure protection of our forests and safe habitats for animals." World Wildlife Day is observed annually on March 3 to celebrate and raise awareness of the world's flora and fauna. Read More

  Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha TV channels have been merged into one channel- Sansad television . Retired IAS officer Ravi Capoor has been appointed the Chief Executive Officer of the channel for a period of one year with immediate effect, or until further orders, whichever is earlier, read a order by Sunil Minocha, the under secretary of Sansad Television. Read More

  Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the ' Maritime India Summit 2021 ' on Tuesday. Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the second edition of the summit via video conferencing. Prime Minister also launched e-book of maritime vision 2030, which is aiming to make the Indian maritime insutry at par with the top global benchmark in the next 10 years. Mansukh Mandaviya, Minister of State (MoS) Ports, Shipping and Waterways (Independent Charge) in his opening remark said that the summit is one of the biggest virtual summit in the world with the participation of 1.7 lakhs partipants from more than 100 nations. "In the three day summit, we will have ministers from eight nations, over 50 global CEOs and more than 160 speakers which include 115 international speakers from 24 nations," he said. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart YS Jaganmohan Reddy also joined the event via video conferencing. Read More

  The rise in the petrol and diesel price has paused for the last couple of days as oil marketing companies have decided to wait and watch the developments on the global oil market before finalising their India retail strategy. Accordingly, oil marketing companies kept the pump price of petrol and diesel unchanged on Monday. With this, petrol continues to be priced at Rs 91.17 a litre and diesel Rs 81.47 a litre in the national capital. Across the country as well the petrol and diesel prices remain unchanged. Sources in OMCs said that price pause on Monday followed subdued movement in product price in global markets. The crude oil, which has been on fire for the last couple of weeks has also shown some downward movement lately but staying above $65 a barrel now. Petrol and diesel prices have been rising continuously since February 9. In the 14 increases since then, prices have gone up by Rs 4.22 per litre for petrol while diesel rate has risen by Rs 4.34 a litre in Delhi. Read

  Nirav Modi , once touted as a billionaire designer diamantaire, and now wanted on charges of fraud and money laundering in the $2-billion (Rs 14,000-crore) Punjab National Bank scam case , was on Thursday ordered by a London court to be extradited to India, with the judge ruling that the 49-year-old did have a case to answer before Indian courts. The verdict will, as is the procedure in Britain, be referred to the country’s home secretary, Priti Patel, to authorise deportation at her discretion. But Nirav Modi is permitted to appeal against the ruling to the high court. After nearly two years of proceedings since he was arrested at the British capital’s well-known shopping precinct of Oxford Street, a district judge at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court, Samuel Goozee, ruled: “I am satisfied that there is evidence upon which Mr Modi could be convicted… A prima facie case is established…He has a case to answer for in India.” The Prime Minister’s Office has acknowledged it was ti

  Petrol price on Wednesday remained stable at Rs 90.93 per litre in the national capital and diesel price unchanged at Rs 81.32, according to a price notification from oil marketing companies. In Mumbai, petrol price stood at Rs 97.34 per litre--the same as yesterday. In Chennai, petrol remained unchanged to sell at Rs 92.90. Diesel was retailing at Rs 86.31 in the city. In Bengaluru, petrol and diesel prices stayed at Rs 93.98 and Rs 86.21 respectively. Last week, petrol prices breached the Rs 90-a-litre mark to touch an all-time high of Rs 90.19 in the national capital after the rate was hiked by 31 paise. Petrol and diesel prices are revised on a daily basis in line with benchmark international price and foreign exchange rates. This stability has comes amid an outcry over record high fuel prices. Read More

  Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has finalised a deadline to launch the ' Ayushman CAPF ' scheme across the country in May. The scheme was first launched by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in only Assam on January 23 this year. All Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) officials and serving personnel and their dependents from seven forces--Assam Rifles, Border Security Force ( BSF), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), National Security Guard (NSG), and Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), along with their families, will be covered under the scheme. According to sources, in the last meeting that took place last week, MHA decided to launch the scheme at a national level by May this year. "Last week a meeting was held to discuss the launch of Ayushman CAPF at the national level. Target is to launch this scheme at the national level by May this year. This will be completely cashless and limitless facili

  India will host a health secretary-level meet virtually with other South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation countries on Thursday to discuss the ongoing COVID-19 crisis . Pakistan has also been invited to attend the workshop. It is a virtual workshop on management of Covid-19, response to the pandemic and exchange of best practices amid the pandemic. On March 15, 2020, during a video conference of the SAARC Heads of State, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had proposed a Coronavirus Emergency Fund for the region. This emergency fund was set up in response to the global coronavirus pandemic. The initiative seeks to mitigate the risks associated with the coronavirus pandemic in the South Asian region with India contributing USD10 million to it. Other members of the SAARC expressed their support of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his proposal for the coronavirus emergency fund. Read More

  A Delhi Court on Tuesday extended Punjabi actor-turned-singer Deep Sidhu's police custody by seven more days in the Republic Day violence case . Sidhu, arrested from Karnal bypass in Haryana on February 9, has been touted by Delhi Police as the 'main instigator' of the violence which took place on the Republic Day at the Red Fort. Delhi Police Crime Branch is probing if the violence was part of a larger conspiracy. On February 9, the court had sent him to seven-days custody of the police for interrogation. While in custody, Sidhu along with another accused Iqbal Singh were taken to the Red Fort to recreate the scene of events that unfolded at the historic monument on the Republic Day. The last custody was sought for multitude of reasons, including to visit Mumbai, Punjab and Haryana to explore links, identify and arrest his supporters and recover phones with different SIM cards used by him. On January 26, protesting farmers had clashed with the police during the