NATIONAL NEWS
PM Modi to lay the foundation stone of hydropower projects in Mandi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Mandi in Himachal Pradesh on December 27, 2021 to lay the foundation stone of hydropower projects worth over Rs 11000 crore. PM Modi will also inaugurate the Sawra Kuddu Hydro Power Project, a 111MW project that has been built at a cost of about Rs 2080 crore.
Delhi imposes night curfew from December 27
The Delhi government has imposed a night curfew from December 27, 2021. The curfew will be enforced from 11 pm to 5 am. The announcement comes as the national capital reported around 290 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours, the highest since June 10. It is for the second consecutive day that Delhi has recorded over 200 new Covid cases.
Senior citizens require comorbidities certificate for precautionary dose
The Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Authority, Dr RS Sharma said that those above 60 years with comorbidities would require a medical certificate to take the precautionary dose. The medical certificate has to be signed by any registered medical practitioner that can be uploaded on the Cowin portal and also carried to the vaccination centre.
Karnataka to establish separate directorate to raise farmers’ income
Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai informed on December 26, 2021 that the state will establish a separate directorate to raise farmers’ income. He stated that agriculture will grow automatically if the economic condition of farmers improves.
Covaxin shows good immune response in children- NTAGI Chairman
The Chairman of Covid Taskforce working group (NTAGI), Dr. NK Arora said on December 26, 2021 that Bharat Biotech’s Covaxin has shown a very good immune response in children during clinical trials. Explaining the decision to roll out vaccination for children between 15-18 years from January 3rd, he said that children in that age group are very much like adults.
Muzaffarpur boiler blast: Ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh announced for kin of deceased
Seven people were killed and seven others were injured in an unfortunate boiler blast in Muzaffarpur in Bihar on December 26, 2021. The blast reportedly took place in a noodle factory. Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar announced ex gratia of Rs 4 lakh each to the families of the deceased. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also approved an ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh each for the next of kin of the deceased. Those injured will get Rs 50,000 each.
PM Modi to inaugurate Kanpur Metro Rail project on December 28
Prime Minister Narendra will be inaugurated the completed section of the Kanpur Metro Rail project in Kanpur on December 26, 2021. During the program in Kanpur, PM will also inaugurate the Bina-Panki Multiproduct Pipeline Project, and before that he will attend the 54th convocation ceremony of IIT Kanpur. The completed section of the Metro project in Kanpur is 9-km long from IIT Kanpur to Moti Jheel. He will inspect the Kanpur Metro Rail Project and will also take a ride from the IIT metro station to Geeta Nagar. The entire length of the Kanpur Metro Rail Project is 32 km and it has been built at a cost of Rs. 11,000 crores.
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman, Indian-Origin Philanthropist, named South African of the year
Dr. Imtiaz Sooliman, an Indian-origin philanthropist and a founder of the Disaster Relief Group ‘Gift of the Givers’, has won the prestigious South African of the Year Award. It is run by the Daily Maverick Newspaper. The South Africans across the board voted for Sooliman and put Deputy Chief Justice Raymond Zondo in second place. In his acceptance speech, Dr. Sooliman called on Muslims worldwide to care for all the communities around the world in order to change the Islamophobic perceptions. ‘Gift of the Givers’ was started by Dr. Sooliman after his religious mentor in Turkey asked him to do so in 1994. Since then, the organization has undertaken relief work in more than 44 nations after natural disasters.
Switzerland government to allow Simple Legal Gender Transition
From January 1, 2022, the people in Switzerland will be able to legally change their gender by a visit to the Civil Registry Office. This has put the country at the forefront of Europe’s gender-identification movement. Switzerland has now joined Portugal, Belgium, Norway, and Ireland as one of the few countries in Europe that will allow the person to legally change gender without any medical diagnosis, hormone therapy. Under the new rules written into the country’s civil code, any individual aged 16 and above who is not under legal guardianship is eligible to adjust their gender and legal name by self-declaration. Earlier in September 2021, Switzerland had legalized civil marriage as well as the right to adopt children for same-sex couples.
