News18 Afternoon Digest: Sanjay Jha's Caution as RaGa Flies Out on Party's 136th Year, Andhra's Krishna Successfully Conducts Dry Run of Covid Vaccine and Other Top Stories

'Not His 1st, Sporadic Faux Pas Will Cost Cong': Sanjay Jha's Caution as RaGa Flies Out on Party's 136th Year

As Congress celebrated its 136th Foundation Day on Monday, suspended party leader Sanjay Jha claimed that the top leadership in the party “lacks the self-drive needed for transformation”. In an interview to CNN-News18, Jha said that despite having enough political experience, Rahul Gandhi has failed to create a vision map for the party and India and “prolonged periods of hibernation have kept many in the Congress intrigued and worried”.

Among 4 States, Andhra's Krishna Successfully Conducts Dry Run of Covid-19 Vaccine as India Pins Hope on Oxford Shots

From Constant Revamp to Reluctant Hope, What's Changed in Cong in 136 Yrs as its Survival Mantra Fades

One hundred and thirty six years is a long period in contemporary history. Like UK's Conservative Party and Democratic Party of the USA, the Indian National Congress is one of the oldest political parties in the world to have survived. There is a simple reason for its endurance. It goes much beyond the leadership styles of Dababhai Narojee, Pheroze Shah Mehta, Gopal Krishna Gokhale to Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad to Indira-Rajiv, PV Narasimha Rao, Sonia Gandhi-Manmohan Singh-Rahul Gandhi era. The simple mantra has been its tryst of continuity with change.

ICC Awards: Virat Kohli Named ICC ODI Player of the Decade and Cricketer of the Decade

In a move that should come as no surprise to anyone, the ICC on Monday named India captain Virat Kohli as the One-Day International Player of the Decade and the ICC Male Cricketer of the Decade. Meanwhile, Australia's Steve Smith won the ICC Test cricketer of the decade award while Afghanistan legspinner Rashid Khan was named the T20I cricketer of the decade.

FAQ| What is FASTag, Where to Get One and What is the Price; All You Need to Know| Explained

The Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways has mandated the use of FASTag from January 1 for all vehicles to pass through toll plazas. While the government, last year, mandated the use of FASTag, there were provisions provided for travellers to use cash and pay at toll plazas. Now, Nitin Gadkari, Union minister for road transport, highways and MSMEs has confirmed that the FASTags would be mandatory for paying at toll plazas and enable contactless as well as electronic payments for toll payments.