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Bhubaneswar: The ruling BJD and Opposition BJP in Odisha on Saturday entered into a blame game over the recently released report on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) India Index of Niti Aayog for 2020-21. The Index for SDG evaluates progress of states and union territories on social, economic and environmental parameters. BJP MP Aparajita Sarangi alleged that the BJD, which is ruling the state for over two decades, has been misleading the people of Odisha in the name of world class projects as it is among the bottom five states in the list of SDG report, prepared in collaboration with the United Nations. "After 21 years of the BJD government, why are 33 percent of people of Odisha below poverty line while in Andhra Pradesh, BPL is only 9.2 percent?" she asked. This apart, 14.2 percent of 1 crore families in Odisha live in kutcha houses as compared to 3.2 percent in Andhra Pradesh and 6 percent in West Bengal, Sarangi said quoting the SDG report. BJD Rajya Sabha me

Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Saturday hit out at the Congress for opposing the Centra Vista Avenue redevelopment and new Parliament building projects, and accused its government in Rajasthan of constructing 160 "luxurious houses" for MLAs at a cost of Rs 266 crore. The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister alleged that building bylaws have been flouted by the Rajasthan government for constructing the "luxurious houses" for the legislators. Last month, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had attacked the Union government over the central vista redevelopment project, terming it a "criminal wastage" and asked the dispensation to focus on people's lives amid the raging coronavirus pandemic. "Congress opposed ongoing work on Central Vista Avenue & new Parliament but its govt begins work on 160 luxurious houses for Rajasthan MLAs for ?266 cr. Building bylaws flouted. 28 mtr tall building allowed as a special case against a 15 mtr rule. Speci

09:51 (IST) Coronavirus Live News Updates ICMR says 20 lakh samples tested yesterday The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Sunday said that a total of 36,47,46,522 samples have been tested for coronavirus in the country up to 5 June, including 20,36,311 samples tested on Saturday. #COVID19 | As many as 36,47,46,522 samples have been tested in the country up to June 5 including 20,36,311 samples tested yesterday: Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) pic.twitter.com/iGvIDVoWAw — ANI (@ANI) June 6, 2021 09:36 (IST) Coronavirus Live News Updates India reports 1.14 lakh COVID-19 cases today India reported 1,14,460 new COVID-19 cases, 1,89,232 discharges, and 2,677 deaths in the last 24 hours, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday. Total cases: 2,88,09,339 Total discharges: 2,69,84,781 Toll: 3,46,759  Active cases: 14,77,799  Coronavirus Live News Updates:  India reported 1,14,460 new COVID-19 cases, 1,89,232 discharges, and 2,677 deaths in the last 24

New Delhi: Union Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Patel on Saturday thanked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal for "rectifying his mistake" after accusing him of using the National Flag as a "decoration" during televised media addresses. Last week, Patel wrote to the chief minister, alleging that the flag seen behind him during his press briefings appeared to be in violation of the flag code. On Saturday, the minister noted that when Kejriwal addressed a press conference, the flag behind him appeared to have been changed. "If a person commits an error by mistake, he accepts his mistake and then rectifies it. If Arvind Kejriwal ji had admitted his mistake and apologised he would have shown his large heartedness. But his silence gives rise to doubts. You have not accepted your mistake but at least corrected it. Thank you," Patel tweeted tagging BJP president JP Nadda and the PMO. व्यक्ति अगर भूलवश गलती करता है,तो गलती स्वीकारता है फिर उसे सुधारत

A Delhi government hospital Saturday issued a circular asking its nursing staff not to use Malayalam at work as "maximum patients and colleagues do not know this language" which it said causes a lot of inconvenience. The circular issued by the Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (GIPMER), one of the leading facilities in Delhi, has asked its nurses to use only Hindi and English for communication or face "strict action". GB Pant nurses' association president Liladhar Ramchandani claimed it was issued in pursuance of a complaint sent by a patient to a senior officer in the health department, regarding use of Malayalam language at the hospital, while adding that "the union disagrees with the wordings used in the circular". The circular says, "A complaint has been received regarding Malayalam language being used for communication in working places in GIPMER. Whereas maximum patient and colleagues do not know

In a veiled attack on former ally BJP, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said acting with "lust for power" during the coronavirus pandemic will lead to "anarchy". Saving lives was the most important thing now, he said. Participating in an online interaction organised by Marathi daily Loksatta , Thackeray said people wouldn't forgive him if he didn't provide clarity on why he wanted power. "If people who voted for me do not survive the COVID- 19 pandemic, what is the use of power," he said. "Acting with lust for power amid COVID-19 will lead to anarchy," he said, without naming the opposition party. Becoming chief minister was never his goal, and his promise to his father, Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray on making a Sena worker chief minister "is yet to be fulfilled", Thackeray said. "I was never politically inclined. I came into politics to help my father. A pandemic after 100 years happens dur

New Delhi: India has advanced the target date for achieving 20 percent ethanol-blending in petrol by five years to 2025, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday, as the world's third-biggest oil importer looks to cut carbon emissions and reduce reliance on foreign oil. Ethanol extracted from sugarcane as well as damaged food grains such as wheat and broken rice and agriculture waste is less polluting and its use also provides farmers with an alternate source of income. Speaking at the release of ethanol blending road map 2020-25 on the occasion of World Environment Day, Modi said "the target for mixing 20 percent ethanol in petrol has been brought forward from 2030 to 2025". Last year, the government had set a target of reaching 10 percent ethanol blending in petrol (10 percent of ethanol mixed with 90 percent of petrol) by 2022 and 20 percent doping by 2030. Addressing a programme on #WorldEnvironmentDay . #IndiasGreenFuture https://t.co/4S0pEuKcVx — Naren

Tohana (Haryana): Scores of farmers led by Rakesh Tikait, Gurnam Singh Chaduni and Samukta Kisan Morcha leader Yogendra Yadav on Saturday night staged a sit-in at Sadar police station in Fatehabad here demanding the release of fellow farmers They had also sought the registration of a case against local JJP MLA Devender Babli for allegedly hurling abuses at them. Babli later expressed regret for uttering "inappropriate" words against farmers. In a short video clip released on social media, Babli said he forgives those people for whatever they had done with him on June 1. “I uttered some words which were not appropriate. As I am a public representative, I take back all those words and express regret (over it),” said Babli. Earlier, Tikait, Chaduni along with protesters gathered at the police station in Fatehabad, demanding the release of two farmers who were arrested over the gherao of Babli''s residence. They also sought the registration of a case against Babli f

Mumbai: Maharashtra on Saturday reported 13,659 new COVID-19 cases, lowest since 10 March, and 300 deaths. The caseload in the state increased to 58,19,224 and toll to 99,512, the health department said. The state reported less than 20,000 cases on the consecutive sixth day on Saturday. On 10 March, the state had reported exactly the same number of daily cases - 13,659 - which began increasing afterwards. The cumulative death figure has been increasing by over 700 on daily basis for more than a fortnight with past fatalities, not recorded earlier, being added. As many as 21,776 patients were discharged from hospitals during the day, pushing the number of recovered cases to 55,28,834. There are 1,88,027 active COVID-19 cases now. The COVID-19 recovery rate improved to 95.01 percent from 94.86 percent a day ago, while the fatality rate was 1.71 percent. As many as 2,40,088 people were tested for coronavirus in Maharashtra on Saturday, taking the number of samples examined so far t

With the decline of daily COVID-19 cases in India, some states including Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Goa, among others, have begun to ease lockdown-like restrictions. The country Saturday reported 1,20,529 new cases, the lowest single-day spike in nearly two months. This is the twelfth straight day when India, recovering from the deadly second wave, saw a positive rate below 10 percent. The active caseload dropped to 15.55 lakh as active cases decreased by 80,745 in the past 24 hours. Meanwhile, a Times of India report said that the N440K variant has been detected in Gujarat in at least nine COVID-19 samples of the 293 tested between January and 24 April, 2021. The prevalence of the super infective COVID-19 variant has been rising in India, which now accounts for 33% of all known occurrences globally, the report added. This fact was revealed in a research paper published recently by the Academy for Scientific and Innovative Research (AcSIR), headquartered on t

New Delhi: The Southwest Monsoon is likely to advance into Odisha, Jharkhand, parts of West Bengal and Bihar, the India Meteorological Department said on Saturday, hinting at its good progress in the next 10 days. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said the southwest monsoon has further advanced into more parts of the central Arabian Sea, entire coastal Karnataka, Goa, some parts of Maharashtra, most parts north interior Karnataka, some parts of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, more parts of Tamil Nadu and the central Bay of Bengal, and some parts of northeast Bay of Bengal. However, a lull is expected in the rainfall activity on 7-8 June, Rajendra Jenamani of the National Weather Forecasting Centre of the IMD, said. But a low-pressure area is expected to form in the Bay of Bengal by 11 June. This will help in the progress of the monsoon and it is likely to advance into Odisha, Jharkhand, parts of West Bengal and Bihar, he said. The monsoon set over Kerala on 3 June, two days

In March 1959—when the National Museum that he decreed be built by demolishing a smaller one housing Sir Aurel Stein’s central Asian antiquities on what is now Janpath was still incomplete—Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru began his address to the august gathering at New Delhi’s Lalit Kala Akademi’s seminar on architecture with these telling words: “Mr. Chairman and friends, I have come here for a brief while this morning just to wish those people attending this seminar and specially our younger architects, success in their talks here, meaning thereby a new fermentation taking place in the minds of this generation leading to more suitable types of architecture which fit in with conditions today and yet are things of beauty. Mr. Humayun Kabir [then cultural affairs minister] referred to the great temples of the South and the Taj Mahal. Well, they are beautiful. Some of the temples of the South, however, repel me in spite of their beauty. I just can’t stand them. Why? I do not know. I ca

Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati on Saturday hit out at the Congress-led Punjab government for allegedly selling COVID-19 vaccine doses procured under the state quota to private hospitals at a higher rate, saying profiteering during an emergency is "indecent and inhuman". Follow LIVE updates on COVID-19 here Her remarks came a day after the Punjab government asked private hospitals to return all vaccine stock meant for the 18-44 age group and ordered a probe into the allegations. The recalled vaccine doses will be administered free to this age group by the government, state Health Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu said. In a tweet in Hindi, Mayawati said, "The Congress government of Punjab is buying COVID-19 vaccines at Rs 400 (each) from the Centre and selling them to private hospitals at Rs 1,060 instead of passing on the benefits to the people through government hospitals. Profiteering during an emergency is indecent, inhuman, condemnable and extremel

New Delhi:  Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday announced the setting up of a paediatric task force and two genome sequencing labs as well as a plan to ramp up oxygen capacity to prepare for a possible third Covid wave that could peak at 37,000 cases a day. The government will also create a buffer stock of important medicines, Kejriwal said at an online briefing. The two genome sequencing labs to identify variants of the virus attacking the city will come up at the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital and the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), the chief minister said. He said he held a six-hour meeting with officials and experts on Friday to prepare a comprehensive plan for a third wave of the coronavirus. In case the number of daily infections hits 37,000 during the third wave, the government will.be prepared. "At the peak of the second wave, 28,000 cases were reported on one day. On the basis of our consultation with experts, we are assuming that during

AIIMS BSc (H) Nursing 2021: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi, has postponed the AIIMS BSc (H) Nursing entrance examination again due to the surge of the coronavirus cases in the country. As per an official notice from the institute, keeping in mind the COVID-19 break, AIIMS authorities have decided to postpone the entrance exam which was scheduled to take place in June 2021. The Institute further mentioned that the revised dates for the same exam will be notified soon via the official portal i.e. aiimsexams.ac.in . The AIIMS BSc Nursing examination was earlier scheduled to be conducted on 27 June. This exam will be conducted to select candidates who are seeking admission to 571 BSc (H) Nursing seats offered at AIIMS campuses that are located in New Delhi, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur and Rishikesh. Meanwhile, the admit cards for AIIMS BSc (H) Nursing entrance exam were scheduled to be released on 2 July. However, as the exam has been

The government on Saturday issued a notice to Twitter giving it one last chance to "immediately" comply with the new IT rules and warned that failure to adhere to the norms will lead to the platform losing exemption from liability under the IT Act. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) said that Twitter's refusal to comply with the rules demonstrated the microblogging site's "lack of commitment and efforts towards providing a safe experience for the people of India on its platform". "Despite being operational in India for more than a decade, it is beyond belief that Twitter Inc has doggedly refused to create a mechanism that will enable the people of India to resolve their issues on the platform in a timely and transparent manner and through fair processes, by India based, clearly identified resources," the IT ministry said. The ministry said that though with effect from 26 May 2021, "consequences follow" given

Kolkata: A seven-member Central team will arrive in West Bengal on a three-day visit to make an on-spot assessment of the damage caused by Cyclone Yaas , a senior official said on Saturday. The inter-ministerial team headed by SK Shahi, joint secretary in the ministry of home affairs, will take stock of the situation in South 24 Parganas district upon its arrival on Sunday, and Purba Medinipur the day after, he said. It is scheduled to complete its assessment in three days and leave for Delhi on 9 June, the official said. "After reaching Bengal on Sunday morning, the team will head to the affected areas of South 24 Parganas district. There, it will hold a meeting with officials. "On Monday, the central team will be visiting Digha and Mandarmani in Purba Medinipur, where officials will give a presentation on the damage caused by Yaas," he said. According to government sources, the inter-ministerial team is also likely to hold a meeting with finance department officia

The SRM Institute of Science and Technology (SRMIST) has preponed the second round of engineering entrance examination, SRMJEEE Exam 2021. Previously, the examination was scheduled to be conducted on 25 and 26 July, 2021 but now it will be held on 29 and 30 June this year, as reported by Careers 360 . Candidates who are appearing for the exam can check the dates and details on the official site of SRMIST at https://ift.tt/3cCmwsA Also, interested candidates who have still not registered for the exam can apply through the official website till 20 June, 2021. Aspirants should note that the online application form is for admission to BTech programs or courses that are offered in SRM IST Chennai which has campuses in Kattankulathur, Vadapalani and Ramapuram. The same programmes are also offered in SRM Sonepat, Haryana, NCR, Delhi and Andhra Pradesh. Below are the steps on how to apply for SRMJEEE 2021: Step 1: Go to the official website of SRMIST at https://ift.tt/3iwQKn9 Step 2:

New Delhi:  The Delhi Metro will operate at 50 percent capacity and markets and malls in the National Capital will open on an odd-even basis from 7 June, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said on Saturday as he announced further relaxations in lockdown. He also said the Delhi government will set up two genome sequencing labs at the LNJP Hospital and the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences to determine the coronavirus variant that led to a surge in cases in the city. Follow LIVE updates on COVID-19 here The lockdown in Delhi, which was to end at 5 am on Monday, will be extended further but several relaxations will be allowed, Kejriwal said during an online briefing. कोरोना के ख़िलाफ़ दिल्ली ने अपनी लड़ाई पूरी मज़बूती के साथ लड़ी है, अब वक्त अर्थव्यवस्था को धीरे-धीरे फिर से पटरी पर लाने का है | Press Conference | LIVE https://t.co/mXPiI8iALx — Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 5, 2021 Government and private offices will be allowed to reopen with 50 per cent attendance. Ma

This year’s theme for the World Environment Day is Ecosystem Restoration and the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2021-2030 as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration . Several campaigns and restoration projects have called for resorting ecosystems and biodiversity hotspots where large-scale restorations plans are underway through programmes like the National Afforestation Programme and the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). However, systematic approaches towards addressing ecosystem restoration in cities have received little attention in India. Indian cities today are suffering from unsustainable urbanisation, climate change, biodiversity loss and the degradation of ecosystem services, coupled with problems of water scarcity, flooding and pollution. However, policymakers in India are yet to actively look at integrating nature into urban infrastructure. On the other hand, policymakers in Europe are increasingly looking towards nature-based solutions (N

According to the Purnimanta calendar, Sunday, 6 June marks Apara Ekadashi this year. Hindu devotees observe a fast or vrat on this day. The devotees pray to Lord Vishnu and seek his blessings by observing the fast on this day . In order to get countless or Apara blessings from the Lord, devotees observe Apara Ekadashi Vrat. Apara Ekadashi Tithi   On Sunday, 6 June, Apara Ekadashi is going to be observed. The Ekadashi tithi is going to start on 5 June at 04:07 am and end on 6 June at 6:19 am. Finally, on 7 June, Hindu devotees can break the fast between 5:23 am and 8:10 am. Apara Ekadashi Fast/Vrat   Apara Ekadashi vrat is almost two day long and ends after sunrise on 12th day. In order to observe the fast, devotees have to wake up early on the Ekadashi tithi and take a bath. After taking a bath, devotees have to meditate and make a resolution that they are going to observe the Apara Ekadashi vrat with sincerity. Only once throughout the day, devotees can eat food items like sab

India reported 1,20,529 fresh COVID-19 cases, the lowest single-day rise in infections in around two months, taking the infection tally to 2,86,94,879, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Saturday. The death toll from COVID-19 climbed to 3,44,082 with 3,380 new fatalities, while the number of active cases was recorded below 20 lakh for the fifth consecutive day, the data updated at 8 am showed. The daily new cases are the lowest in 58 days, the ministry said. A total of 20,84,421 tests were done on Friday, taking the cumulative tests conducted so far for the detection of COVID-19 in the country to 36,11,74,142. The daily positivity rate further dipped to 5.78 per cent, less than 10 per cent for the 12th consecutive day, the ministry said. The weekly positivity rate has declined to 6.89 per cent, it said. The active case count has reduced to 15,55,248, which comprises 5.73 per cent of the total infections, while the national COVID-19 recovery rate has improved to

New Delhi: The National Human Rights Commission has asked the Assam government and state police chief to inquire into the alleged assault on a doctor at a medical facility in Hojai, and take "needful, preventive and punitive action" in the case, officials said on Friday. The NHRC, after taking cognisance of the case, took action on Thursday, the official said. "Let a copy of the complaint be transmitted to the chief secretary, government of Assam and the director general of police, Assam to have the allegations inquired, take the needful, preventive and punitive action in the matter, and submit an action taken report to the commission within a period of four weeks," according to the NHRC proceedings. A purported video of the attack which had gone viral on social media, showed the man being assaulted by a group of people, including women. "We had received the complaint letter dated 2 June, in connection with the incident, and the NHRC has taken cognisance

Twitter India on Saturday briefly removed the verified blue tick from the personal account of Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. Officials of the Vice President Secretariat said the personal Twitter handle of Naidu @MVenkaiahNaidu was inactive for a long time and the Twitter algorithm removed the blue badge. They said Twitter has restored the verification badge after they were informed about the issue. "The referenced account has been inactive since July 2020. As explained in the Twitter verification policy, Twitter may remove the blue verified badge and verified status if the account becomes inactive. The verified badge has now been restored," Twitter told News18 . The last tweet posted from the personal handle was on 23 July last year. The Vice President uses the official Twitter handle to send out tweets because of which his personal account has largely remained inactive. We have notability criteria for these categories of accounts: 👉 Government 👉 Companies, brand

Private hospitals have been able to procure 1.29 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses in May, out of which they have administered 22 lakh doses, the Union Health Ministry said on Friday adding that comparing data from 16 January with a policy initiated on 1 May is "unfair and misleading". The ministry referred to a few media reports that mentioned "25 percent doses (have been) allocated to private hospitals, but they account for only 7.5 per cent of total jabs". It said the reports are "not accurate and do not match with the available data". "They deliberately compare two non-comparable data points to suggest a mismatch in allocation and administration of doses in the private sector," the ministry said in a statement. In May, 2021, since the liberalised policy was introduced, a total of 7.4 crore doses were available for vaccination. "Out of these, 1.85 crore doses were earmarked for procurement by private hospitals. The private hospitals have b

09:54 (IST) Coronavirus Live News Updates India reports 1.20 lakh new COVID-19 reports today The Union Health Ministry on Saturday said that 1,20,529 new COVID-19 cases were reported in the country in the last 24 hours. This is the lowest daily tally of cases since 7 April, when 1.15 lakh cases were reported. 09:45 (IST) Coronavirus Live News Updates COVID-19 recoveries breach 19-lakh mark in Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu has registered 22,651 new COVID-19 infections and 463 deaths, pushing the total infected so far to 21,95,402 and the fatalities to 26,128, said the Health Department on Friday. Recoveries remained high with 33,646 people walking out of health care institutions totalling 19,00,306 till date, leaving 2,68,968 active infections, a medical bulletin said. The State reported its highest daily infection at 36,184 cases on May 21 and since then it has been reporting downward trend. On 30 May, the state saw its daily cases dropping below the 30,000-mark. 09:27 (IST) Cor