Breaking News: Punjab govt issues guidelines for release of ex-gratia to kin of Covid victims

Uttarakhand health minister Dhan Singh Rawat said that all eligible beneficiaries in the state would be fully immunised against Covid-19 by December 15, reports ANI.

Punjab Government issued guidelines for the release of ex-gratia amount of ₹50,000 to the families of those who died due to Covid-19, reports ANI.

NCB official Sameer Wankhede's sister Yasmeen Wankhede wrote to the National Commission for Women requesting "to safeguard her constitutional rights as a woman," reports ANI. 

She has also filed a police complaint to register FIR against Maharashtra minister Nawab Malik.

According to the latest serosurvey in Delhi, 90% of people were found to have antibodies against Covid-19 and over 85% seropositivity was found in every district, reports ANI. Around 28,000 samples were collected from 280 wards of Delhi.

India successfully test fired Agni-5 missile, capable of striking targets at ranges up to 5,000 km with very high degree of accuracy, reports PTI.

With 1,485 new Covid-19 cases and 38 deaths, Maharashtra's total caseload reached 6,606,536 and the death toll climbed to 140,098. Mumbai saw 417 new cases and four deaths and so far 755,480 cases and 16,229 deaths have been reported from the city.

Mandaviya also said that during the special vaccination drive, focus would be on 48 districts across the country with less than 50% eligible population vaccinated against Covid-19, reports ANI. 

The government will launch a mega vaccination campaign 'Har Ghar Dastak'. and for the next one month, healthcare workers will go door-to-door to vaccinate people eligible for second dose and also those who have not taken the first dose, Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said, reports ANI.

Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that 77% of the eligible population in the country has been vaccinated against Covid-19 with the first dose while 32% people have been fully vaccinated, reports ANI. 

He also said that over 10 crore people have not received the second dose. “People who are eligible for second dose should take the vaccine,” he said.

The ministry of finance directed all ministries and departments of the central government to clear dues of Air India. The ministry also said that tickets may be purchased in cash till further instructions, reports ANI. 

Uttar Pradesh health minister Jai Pratap Singh said that no new cases of Zika virus infection have been detected in the 4-km radius of the Air Force station in Kanpur where one case was detected earlier, reports ANI. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reaffirmed “India's focus on a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific and the principle of ASEAN Centrality in the region” in the 16th East Asia Summit hosted by Brunei. 

“India remains committed to strengthening respect for shared values of multilateralism, rules-based international order, international law and sovereignty and territorial integrity of all nations. I look forward to participating in the 18th ASEAN-India Summit tomorrow,” he tweeted.

Several officials of the White House and US lawmakers celebrated the Diwali festival with the Indian diaspora at the Capitol Hill, reports ANI. 

Three police personnel were shot dead during a rally in Pakistan, reports AFP. 

Some protesters reportedly tried to break the barricading near Delhi's Singhu border and “mild force” was used by the police at the spot, reports ANI citing sources in Delhi Police.

The Indian embassy in Oman said that Covaxin has been added to the approved list of vaccines for travel without quarantine to the country, reports ANI. 

Kerala reported 9,445 new Covid-19 cases and 93 deaths in the last 24 hours and the active caseload was recorded at 76,554, reports ANI.

Aryan Khan's bail plea hearing in the drugs-on-cruise case has been adjourned to post-lunch tomorrow.

“Three people present when raid took place it's their own case, 5 grams of Charas was found, personal search nothing found from Munmun Dhamecha. Most importantly the drugs which was found was also of very small quantity. The panchanama is silent exactly from whom the drugs was found from, they say it was from the cruise. But who brought it is not mentioned,” says Munmun Dhamecha's counsel Ali Kashif Khan.

“Article 22 of the constitution is more imp than Section 50 of CrPC. It states that no person should be held without being informed about the grounds of arrest and the person shall have the right to consult a lawyer of his choice,” Mukul Rohatgi said.

Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Aryan Khan said that the arrest memo did not give the true and correct grounds for arrest. He also referred to the Section 50 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC).

“When mobile phone was seized it is not mentioned in the panchanama nor arrest memo. They argued it was handed over voluntarily. But in a personal device, it is important to have a memo for the veracity,” Desai said.

“It was their own case there was no conspiracy. At 7 o' clock, for reasons I don't know, they invoke (Section) 29 of NDPS act. There is no connection, no phone calls, no messages nothing. The Special NDPS court rejected our application because of conspiracy. The Whastapp chats don't support the conspiracy theory what so ever,” Amit Desai said.

“If there was an intention to consume then (Section) 27 of NDPS act does not apply. We have been arrested for an offence which was not committed. Consumption is a verb that has not happened and hence even NDPS (Section) 27 should have not been applied,” Amit Desai said.

Arbaaz Merchant's counsel Amit Desai said that the first remand did not mention about conspiracy.

“The magistrate court was told later eight people were arrested for conspiracy though it was not what had happened. Because of this issues we are in custody for last twenty two days. Till today there is no arrest for conspiracy and conspiracy is a separate offence,” he said.