Breaking News HIGHLIGHTS: Congress' Mallikarjun Kharge Appointed As Leader Of Opposition In Rajya Sabha
Welcome to the ABP News HIGHLIGHTS for February 16, 2021: Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial and development work of Chittaura Lake in Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh today. In the Greta Toolkit case, Delhi Police revealed a new name, Pieter Friedrich who was responsible for planning the hashtags and propagate content. He is a is a companion of Khalistani terrorist Bhajan Singh Bhinder. Hike in prices of petrol and diesel continue as Petrol prices in Delhi stand at Rs 89.29/litre (increase by 30 paise) and diesel prices Rs 79.70/litre (increase by 35 paise).
Consequent upon the expiry of his term of office as a Member of the Rajya Sabha on the 15th February, 2021, Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad has ceased to be the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha w.e.f. the said date.
The Chairman, Rajya Sabha has accorded recognition to Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, Leader of the Indian National Congress Party in the Rajya Sabha, as the Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha, w.e.f. the 16 February, 2021, in terms of Section 2 of the Salary and Allowances of Leaders of Opposition in Parliament Act, 1977 and rules made thereunder
In the meeting with BJP farmer leaders from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, JP Nadda has asked farmer leaders have been asked to reach out to protesting farmers and clarify their doubt over the newly passed agri laws.
The meeting was attended by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and farmers leaders Satpal Singh, Bhupendra Yadav, Sanjeev Baliyaan, Laxmi Narayan Chaudhary, Rajkumar Chahar.
"Uttar Pradesh STF has arrested two persons connected to Popular Front of India (PFI). Explosives, detonators, weapons and incriminating documents seized from them," Prashant Kumar, UP ADG, Law & Order told media. Ansad Badruddin and Firoz Khan from Kerala are the two PFI members who have been arrested by UP STF today. They had been trying to expand their network, Kumar added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has arrived at party headquarters to hold meeting with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) farmer leaders from Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Other leaders including Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar have also arrived. A discussion will be held around the newly passed agri laws and ongoing farmers' protest.
Indian Army teams armed with drones and cameras are monitoring evacuation and dismantlement of military infrastructure by Chinese troops at Pangong Lake in Eastern Ladakh. Further, the disengagement process at both northern and southern banks of the Pangong Lake is expected to be complete by February 20.
The officer further stated that Indian Army teams will use drones and high-resolution cameras to check and record dismantlement of military infrastructure, especially created along Pangong Lake by Chinese troops.
The Central teams deputed by the Union Health Ministry to look for the cause of the sudden spurt of Covid-19 cases in Kerala and Maharashtra as well as assist state authorities to deal with it, have found that both states had substantially reduced the number of RT-PCR tests they conducted, officials said on Tuesday.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the teams found multiple lacunae which led to a rise of daily infections in both Kerala and Maharashtra. "However,one common thing was that over a period of time, the percentage of RT-PCR tests in Maharashtra as well as Kerala have gone down significantly. There is a need to substantially increase the testing numbers through RT-PCR in both the states," he added.
The Central teams deputed by the Union Health Ministry to look for the cause of the sudden spurt of Covid-19 cases in Kerala and Maharashtra as well as assist state authorities to deal with it, have found that both states had substantially reduced the number of RT-PCR tests they conducted, officials said on Tuesday.
Union Health Secretary Rajesh Bhushan said that the teams found multiple lacunae which led to a rise of daily infections in both Kerala and Maharashtra. "However,one common thing was that over a period of time, the percentage of RT-PCR tests in Maharashtra as well as Kerala have gone down significantly. There is a need to substantially increase the testing numbers through RT-PCR in both the states," he added.
Ahead of the Assembly elections in Assam, taking a tough stance on the Citizenship (Amendment) Act, the Congress on Tuesday announced that the party if elected would build a memorial to commemorate the martyrdom of anti-CAA protestors, who sacrificed their lives to save 'Assamese pride'. Congress Legislature Party leader, Debabrata Saikia, said the dark days of BJP's oppression of Assamese people are about to get over.
The number of vaccine doses administered- 87,40,595. Active cases less than 1.40 lakh. Cumulative positivity rate is 5.27%, Health Ministry informed on Tuesday adding that 56 new cases per million population reported in the last 7 days in India.
Ladakh, Jharkhand, Assam, UP, Telangana, Tripura, Gujarat and Goa have administered the second dose to more than 60% of the eligible healthcare workers, the ministry informed. Rajasthan, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Tripura & Bihar. Chhattisgarh, MP, Uttarakhand, Lakshwadeep, Tripura administered the first doses of vaccine to more than 70% of the registered healthcare workers, it said.
As per reports, JP Nadda has called for a meeting with BJP farmers leaders of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh at 6:30 pm today. It is being said that Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Agriculture Minister Narendra Tomar and other MPs and MLAs will also be present in the meeting. The meeting has been called to address the ongoing farmers protest.
Equity benchmarks Sensex and Nifty ended marginally lower on Tuesday as investors booked profits at higher levels amid a mixed trend in global markets. After touching a lifetime high of 52,516.76 in opening session, the 30-share BSE Sensex settled 49.96 points or 0.10 per cent lower at 52,104.17.
Similarly, the broader NSE Nifty inched 1.25 points or 0.01 per cent lower to 15,313.45. Axis Bank was the top laggard in the Sensex pack, shedding around 2 per cent, followed by ICICI Bank, Nestle India, Infosys, SBI and HUL.
The Chinese and Indian armies continued with the disengagement process in the North and South banks of Pangong lake in eastern Ladakh as per plan and the entire pullback exercise is expected to take another six-seven days, sources in the defence and security establishment said on Monday.
It will take at least a week for the disengagement process to be completed in the North and South banks of Pangong Tso, they said, adding both sides are carrying out verification of withdrawal of troops and equipment.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad elaborated how Amazon can help India's new digital initiative as he wrote "Asked Amazon India to help in taking products made by India’s artisans and Ayurvedic products to global markets through eCommerce Platform. Amazon is a global company but Amazon India must evolve as a truly Indian company deeply connected with Indian business community and culture".
"Ministry of IT is setting up several digital villages. Amazon can pick up a few villages in India develop them as truly digital villages. Amazon should also work with small local shops and make them a stakeholder in the larger efforts of Amazon to grow its business," he added in his post on Koo.
Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad announced that Amazon will begin manufacturing electronic products in India. "Held a very good conversation with Amit Agarwal and Chetan Krishnaswamy of Amazon India today. Delighted to share that soon Amazon will commence manufacturing of electronics products like FireTV stick in India," he wrote on Koo.
"Under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, electronics manufacturing in India has recently attracted some of the biggest investments from global giants. Happy to share Amazon India is the latest to join this success story of India," he added.
On Monday, the city of Mumbai recorded 493 COVID-19 cases along with three fatalities. The coronavirus caseload in Mumbai has now reached 3,14,569, while the overall death toll stands at 11,420.
On Sunday, Mumbai had reported 645 fresh infections.
It's a matter of concern. Most people travelling in trains don't wear masks. People must take precautions else we'd head towards another lockdown. Whether lockdown will be implemented again, is in the hands of people: Kishori Pednekar, Mumbai Mayor on surge in COVID cases in city
According to Delhi Cyber Crime sources, both Disha Ravi and Shantanu were in Delhi Till the Kisan tractor rally and they left the national capital on January 27. Delhi Police has also sought information regarding the Zoom call held among Disha, Nikita, Shantanu, and Mo Dhaliwal before the toolkit was released by Greta Thunberg.
This Basant has come with new hopes and new enthusiasm for India that is moving forward, leaving behind the despair of the pandemic: Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the foundation stone laying ceremony of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial and development work of Chittaura Lake in UP
Delhi Police has issued a letter to Zoom, Facetime app to seek information regarding the meeting between Disha Ravi, Nikita Jacob, and Shantanu. Delhi Police is trying to collect the data about who was involved in the meeting and what did they discuss.
A bus, carrying around 54 passengers, fell into a canal in Sidhi after the driver lost control over it. 7 people rescued, search underway for the rest of the passengers. A team is present at spot, operation is underway. The bus was going from Sidhi to Satna when the incident occurred.
Politics has esclated on the age of 21 yr old Disha Ravi, a climate activist who has been arrested in the Greta Thunberg toolkit case. Union Minister Giriaj Singh took to Twitter and said that 'Terrorist Ajmal Kasab was also 21 yr old.'
Former Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy on Monday accused the RSS of marking houses of those who gave donations for Ram Temple in Ayodhya and alleged it was similar to what the Nazis did in Germany.
The RSS dismissed the allegations, saying the comments do not qualify for any response.
A day after Delhi Police issued arrest warrants against activists Nikita Jacob and Shantanu in the case involving an online document, or a "toolkit", shared by teen climate campaigner Greta Thunberg in support of the farmer protests, the Bombay High Court will today hear Jacob's request for protection from arrest for four weeks
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office made an announcement that he will be laying the foundation stone of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial and development work of Chittaura Lake in Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday (February 16).
On the occasion of Maharaja Suheldev’s birth anniversary, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the Memorial at 11 am through a virtual programme. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also be present for the occasion.
Background
Welcome to the ABP News HIGHLIGHTS, Tuesday, 16th February 2021: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office made an announcement that he will be laying the foundation stone of Maharaja Suheldev Memorial and development work of Chittaura Lake in Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday (February 16).
On the occasion of Maharaja Suheldev’s birth anniversary, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation stone for the Memorial at 11 am through a virtual programme. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will also be present for the occasion.
In the Greta Toolkit case, Delhi Police revealed a new name, Pieter Friedrich. Delhi Police said that Pieter Friedrich was responsible for planning the hashtags, which personalities to tag, and how to propagate the contents of the toolkit, they said. Friedrich has been on the radars of Indian security agencies since 2006, they added. "Pieter is an associate of BS Bhinder...Whether Disha and Nikita were in touch with Pieter directly or not is subject to investigation," they said.
In the Uttarakhand disaster, a total of 11 bodies recovered from Tapovan tunnel in the Joshimath of Chamoli district so far; 58 bodies in total. 146 more bodies yet to be found.
In Maharashtra, Five people were killed and at least five injured in a collision between multiple vehicles on Mumbai - Pune Expressway near Khopoli last night. The injured were taken to a hospital.
Hike in prices of petrol and diesel continue as Petrol and diesel prices in Delhi stand at Rs 89.29/litre (increase by 30 paise) and Rs 79.70/litre (increase by 35 paise), respectively
Entertatinment Industry has received another shocking news as actor Sandeep Nahar, who featured in Akshay Kumar's ‘Kesari’ besides sharing screen space with Sushant Singh Rajput in ‘MS Dhoni: The Untold Story’, died by suicide at his residence in Mumbai's Goregaon area on Monday. Mumbai Police have lodged a case in this regard and begun further probe into the matter.
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