Punjab Chief Minister-elect Bhagwant Mann  announced that his oath-taking ceremony will be held at Khatkarkalan in Nawanshahr district, the ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.

He also announced that government offices will not have the photo of the Chief Minister as is the custom.

“The oath-taking ceremony will not be held at Raj Bhawan, but at Khatkarkalan. The date will be announced later,” he said in his victory speech in Dhuri, where he won by over 58,000 votes.

“No government office will carry a picture of Chief Minister, instead there will be pictures of Bhagat Singh and BR Ambedkar,” Mr Mann announced.

Underlining the scale of the Aam Aadmi Party’s victory by naming the heavyweights who have lost, the AAP leader said, “Bade (Parkash Singh) Badal Sahib has lost, Sukhbir (Badal) has lost from Jalalabad, Captain has lost from Patiala, Sidhu and Majithia are also losing, (Charanjit Singh) Channi has lost on both the seats.”

Mr Mann said his first order of business after taking office will be schools, health, industry, making agriculture profitable, the safety of women and improving sports infrastructure.

“You will start seeing the change in Punjab within one month,” he promised.

Appealing to people to work together, he said those who did not vote for the AAP need not worry as the government will work for all sections of the society.

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The central government had reviewed the security of Mr Vishwas and the threat perception based on intelligence inputs in the wake of his allegations against AAP convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

After the review, it was decided to give Mr Vishwas ‘Y’ category security through the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), the sources said.

Under the ‘Y’ category security, Mr Vishwas will be protected by four personal security officers round the clock.

meanwhile Amid ex-AAP leader and poet Kumar Vishwas’ sensational claim, several poets have written an open letter to Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal alleging that his counter to Vishwas had ‘hurt the sentiments of poets’. Over 40 persons, mostly poets, have signed the letter saying that instead of relying on facts to counter Kumar Vishwas’ statement, Kejriwal had ‘insulted’ poets as a class.

The letter addressed to the Chief Minister in Hindi read, “As poets and people of literature, we are deeply hurt by your disrespectful remarks. As an irresponsible person, you have ridiculed him (Kumar Vishwas) and without any proof, have called him the person who makes unreliable claims. That is why we are writing to you with a heavy heart.”

Breaking his silence on the ‘Khalistani’ allegations levelled against him, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Friday, questioned why no one had arrested him to date if Vishwas’ statement was true. Dismissing both Congress and BJP’s ‘terror’ allegations on him, he jibed that political parties were grateful that a ‘poet caught such a big terrorist’

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In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;

“On the special occasion of the Parkash Purab of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji, I recall his pious thoughts and noble ideals. His vision of a just, compassionate and inclusive society inspires us. Sri Guru Nanak Dev Ji’s emphasis on serving others is also very motivating.”

: Guru Nanak Jayanti is one of the most auspicious festivals in Sikhism that is celebrated all over the globe. This year, it will fall on Friday, November 19. It will mark the 552nd birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the first of the ten Sikh gurus. It is one of the most important festivals in Sikhism, as it is believed that Guru Nanak Dev Ji brought enlightenment to this world. The festival is celebrated fifteen days after Diwali, on the auspicious occasion of Kartik Purnima.

Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism, was born on Puranmashi of Kattak in 1469, according to the Bikrami calendar^[8] in Rai-Bhoi-di Talwandi in the present Shekhupura District of Pakistan, now Nankana Sahib.^[9] It is a Gazetted holiday in India.^[10]

According to the controversial Bhai Bala Janamsakhi, it claims Guru Nanak was born on the Full Moon (Pooranmashi) of the Indian Lunar Month Kartik.The Sikhs have been celebrating Guru Nanak’s Gurpurab around November for this reason and has it been ingrained in Sikh Traditions.

However, some scholars and organizations believe the Birthday should be celebrated on Vaisakhi, which falls on 14 April according to the originalNanakshahi Calendar passed by Sri Akal Takht in 2003. However, many people and organizations would like to keep the traditional date by celebrating on the Full Moon Day (Pooranmashi or Purnima) of the Lunar Month Kartik. The original Nanakshahi Calendar follows the tradition and celebrates it on Kartik Purnima due to demands by various Sikh Saints.

The festival

Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, Pakistan, the birthplace of Guru Nanak

The celebration is generally similar for all Sikhs; only the hymns are different. The celebrations usually commence with Prabhat Pheris. Prabhat Pheris are early morning processions that begin at the Gurudwaras and proceed around the localities singing hymns. Generally, two days before the birthday, Akhand Path (a forty-eight-hour non-stop reading of the Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikhs) is held in the Gurdwaras.

The day prior to the birthday, a procession, referred to as Nagarkirtan, is organised. This procession is led by the Panj Pyaras (Five Beloved Ones).They head the procession carrying the Sikh flag, known as the Nishan Sahib and the Palki (Palanquin) of Guru Granth Sahib.They are followed by teams of singers singing hymns and devotees sing the chorus. There are brass bands playing different tunes and ‘Gatka’ teams display their swordsmanship through various martial arts and as mock battles using traditional weapons. The procession pours into the streets of the town. The passage is covered with banners and gates are decorated flags and flowers, for this special occasion.The leaders spreading the message of Guru Nanak.

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The Agriculture Minister cordially welcomed the representatives of Farmers Organizations of Punjab and emphasized that the Government is fully committed towards the welfare of farmers and agriculture development is always on the top priority for Government of India. During the deliberations, the Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister proposed to constitute an expert committee to put forth the issues of farmers so as to resolve them with mutual consent but the representative of the Farmers Union suggested that all the representatives will attend further round of discussions with the Government to resolve the matter amicably.

During the interaction, it has been suggested by the Government to the representatives of Farmers Union to identify the specific issues related to Farm Reform Acts and share with the Government on 02.12.2020 for consideration. These issues will be discussed during the fourth round of meeting to be held on 03.12.2020.

It was assured that the Government of India is always committed to protect the interest of farmers and is always open for discussions for farmers’ welfare.

meanwhile

In the ongoing Kharif Marketing Season (KMS) 2020-21, Government continues to procure Kharif 2020-21 crops at its MSP from farmers as per its existing MSP Schemes.

Paddy procurement for Kharif 2020-21 is continuing smoothly in the procuring States & UTs of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Uttarakhand, Tamil Nadu, Chandigarh, Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Maharashtra with purchase of over 318.00 LMTs of paddy up to 30.11.2020 against the last year corresponding purchase of 268.15 LMT showing an increase of 18.58 % over last year. Out of the total purchase of 318.00 LMT, Punjab alone has contributed 202.77 LMT which is 63.76 % of total procurement.

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Dr. Harsh Vardhan, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare said The Centre is also working on plans for building capacities in HR, training, supervision etc on a massive scale and roughly estimates to receive and utilise 400-500 million doses covering approximately 20-25 crore people by July 2021.

Dr Harsh Vardhan  responded to questions posed by his social media interactors on the fourth episode of Sunday Samvaad. The COVID Vaccine seems to have been a dominant theme in the mind of those who chose to submit questions for the episode. He also patiently explained related topics like the use of Plasma Therapy in COVID, the eradication of TB by 2025 in light of the COVID pandemic and the opening up of India’s schools.

On the questions of prioritising the distribution of vaccines, Dr. Harsh Vardhan answered that the Health Ministry is currently preparing a format in which States will submit lists of priority population groups to receive vaccine, especially health workers engaged in the management of COVID19. The list of frontline health workers will include both government as well as private sector doctors, nurses, paramedics, sanitary staff, ASHA workers, surveillance officers and many other occupational categories who are involved in tracing, testing and treatment of patients. This exercise is targeted to be completed by the end of this October and the States are being closely guided to also submit details about cold chain facilities and other related infrastructure which will be required down to the block level. The Centre is also working on plans for building capacities in HR, training, supervision etc on a massive scale and roughly estimates to receive and utilise 400-500 million doses covering approximately 20-25 crore people by July 2021. He further informed that the Government is also keeping an eye on immunity data with regard to COVID-19 disease while finalizing these plans.

He stated that there is a high level committee under the chairmanship of Niti Aayog Member (Health)  Shri VK Paul which is drawing up the entire process. Vaccine procurement is being done centrally and each consignment will be tracked real time until delivery to ensure it reaches those who need it most. He added that these Committees are working on understanding the timelines of availability of various vaccines in the country, obtaining commitments from vaccine manufacturers to make available maximum number of doses for India inventory & supply chain management and also on prioritisation of high-risk groups. This is work in progress which will be completed by the time the vaccines are ready to ensure the swift roll-out of the immunisation program.

Clearing glaring misconceptions that seem to have captured the imagination of rumour mongers in pockets of Punjab, Dr. Harsh Vardhan strongly rebutted allegations that the COVID-19 pandemic was a government conspiracy to enable organ harvesting of healthy individuals. He stated that the Government is not tied to fiscal considerations from financing agencies for implementation of the COVID-19 emergency response in light of the recent loan from the World Bank- Asian Infrastructural Investment Bank and the Asian Development Bank to the tune of Rs 15,000 Crores for managing COVID.

The Minister assured another respondent that there would be no diversion or black-marketing, “Vaccines will be distributed as per pre-decided priority and in a programmed manner. To ensure transparency and accountability, details of the entire process will be shared in the coming months.” He stressed the need to prioritize health care workers and adults or those have underlying health conditions.

Answering similar questions, he said that it is not possible to comment on the superiority of one vaccine over the other although he would ensure “that even if we have multiple vaccines available, they will all be safe and will elicit the requisite immune response against novel coronavirus”. He said that all vaccines that have proven to be safe, immunogenic and efficacious in clinical trials outside India need to undergo bridging studies to prove their safety and immunogenicity in the Indian population as well although these studies can be conducted with much smaller sample size and end quickly.

While tackling a question on the level playing field for various clinical trials, Dr Harsh Vardhan shared that all proposed clinical trials in India are designed using set principles and are stringently reviewed by the Subject Expert Committee set up by the Drug Controller General of India. Recently, the DCGI has also formulated draft guidelines on regulatory requirements for licensure of COVID-19 vaccines in India. On a question regarding Phase 3 Clinical Trial of Russia’s “Sputnik-V” vaccine in India, Dr Harsh Vardhan clarified that the matter is still under consideration, and no decision has been taken as yet on the Phase 3 trials.

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Further, as advised by the Prime Minister, The President has directed that Shri Narendra Singh Tomar, Cabinet Minister, be assigned the charge of the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, in addition to his existing portfolios. Union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal resigned from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet on Thursday as AKALI DAL decided to oppose the agriculture bills.

Ms Badal stepped down shortly before the bills were passed by the Lok Sabha, tweeting that she was “Proud to stand with farmers as their daughter & sister”.

Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Badal said for now, they would support the government from outside but oppose “anti-farmer policies”. But amid Congress pressure about the continuation of its alliance with the BJP, he said the matter will be decided later at a party meeting.

The Produce Trade and Commerce and the Price Assurance and Farm Services bills sailed through Lok Sabha as the opposition parties walked out. Most of the opposition parties and some of those that lend issue-based support to the government, including Naveen Patnaik’s Biju Janata Dal and the TRS, were opposed to the bills.

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh said Harsimrat Kaur’s resignation was “too little too late”. Pointing to the Akali Dal’s decision to continue as part of the ruling NDA, he said the resignation was nothing more than a”gimmick” to fool the farmers of Punjab.

Farmers in Punjab will protest against the central government’s three farm-related bills by staging a three-day ‘rail roko’ agitation across the state from September 24-26, a farmers’ body has announced.

“We have decided to hold a rail roko agitation from September 24 to 26 in the state against the farm bills,” Kisan Mazdoor Sangharsh Committee general secretary Sarwan Singh Pandher said.

Already, different farmer organisations in Punjab have given a call for a ‘bandh’ on September 25 in protest against the three farm bills. The farmers argue that the legislations would lead to the dismantling of the minimum support price (MSP) system, leaving them at the ‘mercy’ of big corporates.

The government, however, says that the bills will help farmers across the country get a better market for their price and produce.

Nevertheless, farmers in both Punjab and Haryana have been protesting against the legislation.

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The post Coronavirus cases rise to 4100 in India appeared first on newsmantra.in l Latest news on Politics, World, Bollywood, Sports, Delhi, Jammu & Kashmir, Trending news | News Mantra.

Over 10 fresh cases of novel coronavirus cases have been reported from across the country on Tuesday morning, taking India’s tally to 511. New cases have been reported from Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat and Manipur. India’s tally also includes the death toll which rose to 10 on Monday after three more coronavirus deaths.
A 23-year-old, with a travel history to the UK, tested positive for novel coronavirus on Tuesday the first confirmed case of infection reported from North East India. The 23-year-old from Manipur is stable and is being treated, officials have said.

Maharashtra, which has been the worst hit, reported 23 new cases on Monday, taking the total of positive cases to 97 — the highest number of confirmed coronavirus cases in India so far. At 95, Kerala is close behind.

Karnataka has 37 cases of coronavirus patients after four more persons tested positive for the deadly virus on Tuesday. The number of cases in Telangana have risen to 33, including 10 foreigners.

Uttar Pradesh has 33 positive cases, including a foreign national. Gujarat has reported 30 cases and Delhi has 29 patients, while Rajasthan has 32 positive cases, including two foreign nationals.

In Haryana, there are 26 cases, including 14 foreigners, while Punjab has 23 cases.

Ladakh has 13 cases, while Tamil Nadu has 12 cases, including two foreigners. West Bengal reported seven cases, while Madhya Pradesh has six cases so far.

Chandigarh has six cases, while Andhra Pradesh reported seven cases. Jammu and Kashmir has four cases.
Uttarakhand has reported five positive cases and Himachal Pradesh three, while there are two case each in Bihar and Odisha. Puducherry and Chhattisgarh have reported a case each.

According to Health Ministry data on Tuesday, the total number of Covid-19 cases in India includes at least 41 foreign nationals. Thirty-six people have been cured/discharged/migrated, it added.

As cases of the viral infection surged in the past few days, authorities have put almost the entire country under lockdown, banning gathering of people and suspending road, rail and air traffic till March 31.

At 99 cases on Monday, India saw the highest jump in its Covid-19 tally in a single day. India also reported three coronavirus-related deaths on Monday, taking the death toll to 10 as the number of coronavirus cases climbed to 499.

A total of 32 states and Union Territories have imposed complete lockdown, covering a total of 548 districts in the country, to check the spread of coronavirus, the government said on Monday. On Sunday, 80 districts were under lockdown.

The central government has also asked states to enforce additional restrictions, if necessary, leading to imposition of curfew in Punjab and Maharashtra.

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The states going into lockdown till March 31 include those where coronavirus cases have been reported – Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, West Bengal, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry and Uttarakhand.

People entering Assam from Coronavirus infected states will be stamped and will be kept under Home Isolation for 14 days.

If found in streets or public place before the completion of 14 days quarantined, will be booked immediately by Police.

The states going into lockdown till March 31 include those where coronavirus cases have been reported – Maharashtra, Kerala, Delhi, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka, Telangana, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, West Bengal, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Puducherry and Uttarakhand.

Three new coronavirus positive cases were reported in Rajasthan on Sunday, taking the total number in the state to 28. One positive case each was reported from Bhilwara, Jhunjhunu and Jodhpur, Additional Chief Secretary Rohit Kumar Singh said. He said that out of the total 28 cases, 13 are from Bhilwara and four from Jhunjhunu and rest from other parts of the state including the capital city Jaipur. Singh said that the government is in process if earmarking quarantine facility for 1 lakh people to face any emergency.

Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel announced a lockdown in urban areas of the state till March 31 in view of the novel coronavirus outbreak. “To prevent the spread of virus in Chhattisgarh, we have decided to impose curfew till 31 March in all urban areas. During this period, all offices, institutions,
transport services etc will be closed. However, essential services such as medical shops, grocery shops, vegetable outlets, milk shops and petrol pumps will function,” he said.

Besides, services like electricity supply, water supply, domestic gas supply, municipal sanitation, waste disposal and commercial transport will continue to function as before, he said.

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Meanwhile, the number of deaths in Italy outstripped those in China, where the virus originated late last year. The toll from an outbreak of corona virus in the country rose in the last 24 hours by 427 to 3,405. Thursday’s figure represented a slight improvement from the day before, when Italy recorded 475 deaths.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday urged citizens to face the corona virus pandemic with collective determination and patience, to make sure that “humanity and India prevails”.

COVID-19 has infected more than 244,000 people and killed over 10,000, according to an estimate from John Hopkins University, which is live-tracking cases reported by the World Health Organization and additional sources.

The national helpline number for the corona virus is 011-23978046, and a toll-free number 1075.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal says all malls in Delhi, excluding grocery, pharmacy and vegetable shops, will be closed because of the corona virus outbreak.

The Maharashtra chief minister says citizens should take precautions for the next 15 days.

Thackeray says groceries, milk and other day to day items shall be available. He also urges citizens to reduce unnecessary movement to contain the spread of corona virus.

Uddhav Thackeray announces that all workplaces in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region – Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad and Nagpur will remain closed till March 31. He also says government offices to operate at 25% attendance.

Chhattisgarh government orders all schools to be closed till further notice to prevent the spread of corona virus in the state, reports “In view of the first case of corona virus patient being reported in Raipur on Thursday, the order was amended on the direction of Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel,” a government official says. “Now schools will remain closed till further orders.”

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