Breaking News HIGHLIGHTS: WB CM Mamata Banerjee Cautions On Omicron Variant Ahead Of X-Mas Celebrations
Breaking News HIGHLIGHTS, December 20, 2021: This LIVE Blog brings to you the latest breaking news of upcoming polls, details on Covid variant Omicron & other news around.
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Breaking News HIGHLIGHTS, December 20, 2021: Hello and Welcome to the Daily Live Blog of ABP Live! We bring you the latest breaking news and updates from the day.
India's Omicron Covid count rose to 153 on Sunday after Maharashtra reported six and Gujarat logged four more cases of the new variant of coronavirus, respectively.
According to central and state officials, omicron cases have been detected in 11 states and union territories -- Maharashtra (54), Delhi (22), Rajasthan (17) and Karnataka (14), Telangana (20), Gujarat (11), Kerala (11), Andhra Pradesh (1), Chandigarh (1), Tamil Nadu (1) and West Bengal (1).
Six persons tested positive for the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Maharashtra on Sunday, raising the state's tally of such cases to 54, the health department said.
While two of these patients had a history of travel to Tanzania, two others had returned from England and one from the Middle East. All five of them are fully vaccinated.
The Centre will launch a nationwide campaign today for redressal of public grievances and improvising service delivery especially in rural areas as part of good governance week.
A series of programmes are planned by the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions during the week to be observed during December 20-25.
There will be a launch of a nationwide campaign for redressal of public grievances and improvising service delivery titled prashasan gaon ki aur' on Monday besides the inauguration of an exhibition on good governance practices, said the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) under the ministry.
Minister of State for Personnel Jitendra Singh will inaugurate the campaign on Monday.
Sonia Gandhi reconstitutes Congress Parliamentary Party, DK Suresh appointed treasurer
New Delhi (ANI): Congress president Sonia Gandhi has appointed new office-bearers in Congress Parliamentary Party with Santokh Singh Chaudhary, M K Raghavan and Amee Yajnik made secretaries. DK Suresh, party MP from Bangalore Rural, has been appointed as the treasurer. Sonia Gandhi, who is also the chairperson of the CPP, has appointed 22 executive members.
They include Deepinder Singh Hooda, Gurjeet Singh Aujla, Pradyut Bordoloi, Pratibha Singh, Karti Chidambaram, Jasbir Singh Dimpa and Nakul Nath among others. The appointments have been made with immediate effect. In the recently held meeting of Congress Parliamentary Party in the Central Hall of Parliament, a resolution was passed unanimously by the Congress MPs from Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha in which Sonia Gandhi was authorised to reconstitute the CPP committee.
COVID-positive couple in Dehradun suspected for Omicron infection
Uttarakhand: A COVID-positive couple in Dehradun is #Omicron suspected, after returning from meeting their Omicron positive relatives in Delhi with a travel history to Qatar; couple's apartment declared a micro-containment zone, genome sequencing report awaited: DM R Rajesh Kumar pic.twitter.com/ElR6JWO3cN
— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2021
Mamata Banerjee cautions on Omicron variant, while calling for X-Mas cheer
(PTI) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee cautioned people on the rising graph of Covid infections, underlining that the new Omicron variant spreads faster, while inaugurating Kolkata Christmas Festival at Allen Park here on Monday.
Banerjee also called for unity among people of all faith to forge a strong India, while asking people to spread Christmas cheer and encouraging replication of the festival's celebrations for which Kolkata is well-known, in other towns of the state with historic churches. "We have to be cautious amid (the spread of) this Omicron variant. It spreads faster. I will request all those who have returned to the country and tested positive to keep themselves isolated," the chief minister said.
West Bengal reported 414 new cases on Monday with Kolkata accounting for 145, but has as yet reported only one Omicron positive case. Two more suspected cases who have flown in from Sweden and UK are being tested for the new fast spreading variant.
Banerjee cautioned that "when around 300 people fly in a flight and a few are infected, chain of infections may happen." The state which has a strong Christian population of over 7 lakh, including both Bengali Christians and Anglo-Indians, with members of all communities chipping in for the Christmas and New Year festivities, usually sees large numbers of visitors flying into the city during this period. The chief minister also quoted from the Vedas, Hindu religious texts, to ask people of all faith to remain united. "We have to remain united. We love all religions, castes, community and creeds... We must remember that our country will be strong only if our unity is strong," she said.
Banerjee alluding to the rise of intolerance in parts of the country, also said there were "many tensions" and "political pollution" besetting India.
Allen Park and Park Street as well as many other areas of Kolkata usually sport Christmas decorations, lighting and nativity representations in pubic places, drawing popular participation in the festivities. While encouraging festivities, the state government has also posted police at various places to discourage crowding and to enforce Covid regulations.
Banerjee asked the state tourism department to help replicate such popular festivities in other areas with historic churches such as Chandanagar, a former French colony with Latin architecture, Bandel, which boasts of a 16th century church and Krishnanagar, which has a mid-19th century Roman catholic church which is considered a tourist attraction.
5,601 incidents of ceasefire violations reported along LoC in last two years: Govt
New Delhi, Dec 20 (PTI) As many as 5,601 ceasefire violations by Pakistan were reported along the Line of Control (LoC) in the last two years and Indian troops responded to them by inflicting "substantial damage" on Pakistani posts and personnel, the government said in Rajya Sabha on Monday.
Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt, replying to a question, also said that the Indian troops deployed on forward posts enjoy complete "freedom of action" to respond to Pakistan's ceasefire violations.
"A total of 5,601 instances of ceasefire violations were reported along the LoC under the operational control of Indian Army in Jammu and Kashmir from November 30, 2019, to November 29, 2021," he said.
Bhatt said "substantial damage" was inflicted on Pakistani posts and personnel during retaliation by the Indian Army.
"Troops deployed on forward posts enjoy complete freedom of action in responding to Pakistan ceasefire violations. Substantial damage was inflicted on Pakistan posts and personnel during retaliation by the Indian Army," he added.
To a separate question, Bhatt said a total of 194 industrial licenses have been issued to private companies for manufacturing items like ammunition, artillery guns, howitzers, air defence guns, destroyers, frigates, night-vision devices, ballistic protection items and radars in the last five years.
"License to manufacture defence equipment is granted by the licensing authorities namely, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Ministry of Home Affairs under Industries (Development and Regulation) Act and Arms Act respectively, in consultation with Ministry of Defence," he said.
UK returnee, couple from Tanzania found infected with Omicron variant in Gujarat; tally rises to 14
(PTI) The tally of Omicron cases in Gujarat rose to 14 on Monday after a 27-year-old woman from Vadodara with travel history to the UK and a couple from Tanzania visiting Ahmedabad were found infected with the new variant of coronavirus, officials said.
The woman became the third case of the Omicron variant in Vadodara, while Gujarat's count rose to 14, they said.
A couple from Tanzania in their mid-forties who are on Ahmedabad visit also tested positive for Omicron. They had arrived in India on December 11 via Mumbai. Their samples have confirmed the new variant, according to officials.
The 27-year-old woman had returned to Vadodara from the UK on December 13 via Mumbai. She had tested negative for coronavirus at both the airports, a health department official said.
Later, she complained of fever and gave samples for COVID-19 test, reports of which confirmed the coronavirus infection, the official said.
Her sample was later sent for genome sequencing. The test report on Monday confirmed that she was infected with the Omicron strain, he said.
The only two close contacts of the woman have tested negative for coronavirus.
The woman patient is asymptomatic and currently, in isolation at a private hospital, the official added.
Earlier, a couple, who had returned to Vadodara from Zambia, had tested positive for the Omicron variant.
Apart from Vadodara, Gujarat has reported Omicron cases from Ahmedabad, Surat, Jamnagar, Anand, Gandhinagar, and Mehsana districts.
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