New Delhi, June 21 (PTI): India will share the development story of Co-WIN, the digital platform that helped it launch and implement a nationwide COVID-19 vaccination programme, with more than 20 countries that have shown interest in adopting the portal to run their own inoculation drives. In a joint initiative by the Union ministries of health, external affairs and the National Health Authority, a virtual Co-WIN Global Conclave will be organised on June 30, which will see participa

New Delhi, June 21 (PTI): Seeking restoration of statehood for Jammu and Kashmir, Congress leader P Chidambaram on Monday said Parliament should repeal the "offending" laws in the upcoming Monsoon session and restore the status quo ante there. He asserted that it is the only way to draw the starting line for a political resolution of the Kashmir issue. "What was made under the Constitution cannot be unmade by an Act of Parliament, misinterpreting and misusing the p

New Delhi, June 21 (PTI): On the seventh International Yoga Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said the ancient Indian discipline remains a "ray of hope" and a source of strength for the people in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. The prime minister said frontline warriors and doctors have told him that they made yoga their "protective shield" while fighting the pandemic. Addressing a Yoga Day programme, Modi also announced that in collabora

New Delhi, June 21 (PTI): More than 69 lakh vaccine doses were administered across the country till Monday evening on the first day of the revised guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination coming into effect, the Union Health Ministry said. It is the highest number of doses administered in a day since the vaccination drive started on January 16. India's cumulative COVID-19 vaccination coverage is now nearly 28.7 crore. "Central Government is beginning the 'Free Vaccination

New Delhi, June 21 (PTI): Hesitation to vaccination is "coronavirus invitation", Union Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Monday as he launched a campaign for creating awareness in rural areas about the ongoing inoculation drive in the country. While launching the "Jaan Hai To Jahaan Hai" campaign from the Chamraua primary health centre in Rampur in Uttar Pradesh, Naqvi said "some vested interests" are trying to spread rumours and apprehensions regard

New Delhi, June 21 (PTI): With the Central government making free COVID-19 vaccination available to all adults from Monday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to people to get vaccinated to strengthen the fight against the pandemic. The biggest beneficiary of this phase of India's vaccination drive shall be the poor, the middle class and the youth of the country, he said in a message posted on Twitter. India is absolutely committed to strengthening its fight against Covid-

New Delhi, June 21 (PTI): The Supreme Court Monday asked CBSE and ICSE to respond by tomorrow to the concerns raised by some students and parents on the schemes of both the boards formulated to evaluate Class XII students, whose examination was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A parents' association and students flagged several concerns with regard to the CBSE and ICSE schemes for evaluation for Class 12 results and said that many clauses are arbitrary and would be d

New Delhi, June 21 (PTI): The Supreme Court Monday asked the Centre whether NDMA, headed by the Prime Minister, has taken a decision not to pay Rs 4 lakh ex-gratia to families of victims of COVID, and observed that to avoid heart burn among beneficiaries, framing of a uniform compensation scheme may be considered. The Centre, which in its affidavit said that paying ex-gratia compensation was beyond the fiscal affordability and the finances of central and state governments as they we

New Delhi, June 21 (IANS): At a time when the entire world has been fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said people's enthusiasm for Yoga Day has not diminished and Yoga remained a ray of hope amid the crisis. Addressing the nation on the event of 7th International Day of Yoga, the Prime Minister said in this difficult time, even as people are in so much trouble, they could forget Yoga or ignore it. "But on the contrary, people'

New Delhi, June 20 (IANS): In a rejoinder to the UN Special Rapporteurs who had commented that India's new IT Rules do not meet international human rights norms, India has firmly said that these rules were formulated only after wide ranging discussions in 2018. In a letter to the UN Human Rights Council, India's Permanent Mission to UN pointed out that India's Ministry of Information Technology and Information and Broadcasting undertook broad consultations in 2018 with v

New Delhi, June 21 (IANS) The Covid-19 cases in India continued to witness a declining trend with the country recording 53,256 new cases, lowest since March 24. In the same time span, 1,422 fatalities were reported, according to data released by the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Monday. This is the fourth consecutive day in the last two months when the death toll is below the 2,000-mark. It is also the 14th consecutive day when India has reported less than one lakh new

All eyes on J&K all-party meet on June 24 Srinagar, June 20 (PTI): National Conference (NC) president Farooq Abdullah on Sunday started the process of consultations with senior leaders of the party over the invitation for talks from the Centre to mainstream political parties of Jammu and Kashmir. Former chief minister Abdullah met senior leaders of the party, including NC general secretary Ali Mohammad Sagar and provincial president of Kashmir Nasir Aslam Wani, a party leader

New Delhi, June 20 (PTI): Vinod Kumar Chaudhary spends his days punching numbers at Jawaharlal Nehru University but not many know that this unassuming, albeit talented, man has nine Guinness World Records to his credit. Chaudhary, 41, who works as a computer operator at JNU's School of Environmental Sciences (SES), set his latest record during the lockdown last year that was imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. From a record for fastest typing with his nose in 2014 to fastes

New Delhi, June 20 (PTI): The Crime Branch of the Delhi Police has busted a unit manufacturing fake drugs meant for treatment of Covid and black fungus patients and arrested 10 people, including two doctors, officials on Sunday. The medicines were being black marketed through WhatsApp, they said. The police said, "The big crackdown on black-marketing of fake 'injections' used as life-saving drugs in COVID-19 and black fungus led to arrest of 10 people including two d

Hyderabad, June 20 (PTI): In a heartwarming instance of reaching out to help, Mohammed Aqeel, a city-based food delivery executive with Zomato was gifted a motorcycle with crowd funding after one of his clients discovered that he delivers parcels on a bicycle as he could not afford a bike. On June 14 Aqeel went to Rubin Mukesh, a customer, to deliver his order. The customer, who came down from his apartment, noticed that the executive came riding a bicycle instead of the usual mo

New Delhi, June 20 (PTI): Hitting out at the Union government for telling the Supreme Court that it cannot pay Rs 4 lakh ex gratia to COVID-19 victims, the Congress on Sunday alleged the Centre has lost all sense of balance and responsibility towards people. The Centre has told the apex court that a compensation of Rs 4 lakh cannot be paid to the families of those who have died of COVID-19 as it is beyond fiscal affordability and the finances of central and state governments are und

NEW DELHI, JUNE 20 (IANS): The Centre has told the Supreme Court that any death resulting from Covid-19 infection should have to be certified as Covid death, and if not done so, the certifying doctor will face action. The Ministry of Home Affairs, in an affidavit, said: "It is mandated that any death resulting from Covid-19 must have to be so certified that is, as Covid death, failing which everyone responsible, including the certifying doctor, will be responsible for penal con

New Delhi, June 20 (IANS): The World Health Organisation on Sunday called upon countries in WHO South-East Asia Region to scale up and rigorously implement public health and social measures, along with efforts to accelerate vaccination for Covid-19 and prevent another surge. Besides personal protective measures, the public health and social measures include cleaning, disinfection, ventilation, surveillance, Contact tracing, isolation and quarantine. Physical distancing measures incl

New Delhi, June 20 (IANS): The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that the finances of states and Centre are under severe strain, due to the reduction in tax revenues and increase in health expenses on account of the coronavirus pandemic. And Rs 4 lakh compensation can't be paid to all those who died due to Covid-19 as it would exhaust the disaster relief funds, and also impact the Centre and states' preparation to address future waves of COVID-19. In an affidavit, the Mi