Dehradun (Uttarakhand) [India], March 17 (ANI): Taking strict action on the matter of substandard road construction, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat has instructed to suspend the two engineers of the Public Works Department (PWD).
According to a statement from the Uttarakhand Chief Minister’s office, orders have been issued by the principal secretary PWD to suspend both the engineers.
The Chief Minister took the matter which went viral on social media and gave instructions to suspend AE Ajit Singh and JE Anil Kumar in the case of ‘poor road construction’ in km 154-155 of Laxmanjhula-Kandi-Dugadda-Rathuvadhab-Dhumakot motorway in Dugadda Public Works Provincial Section.
Rawat has also ordered a further inquiry into the matter. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 17 (ANI): Terror incidents and attempts of infiltration from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir have reduced significantly over the last three years, said the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday.
“During the past three years, there has been a significant decrease in terror incidents and attempts of infiltration from across the border in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the incidents of shelling from across the border have increased during the past three years,” the MHA said in the Rajya Sabha.
According to the Ministry, compared to 2018, which saw 614 incidents of terror, only 244 incidents were reported in 2020.
Similarly, infiltration also reduced from 2018 (328) when compared to last year’s figures (99).
Ceasefire violations, however, increased drastically from 2018 to 2020.
In 2018, 2,140 ceasefire violations took place, which further increased in 2019 (3,479) but saw a massive jump in 2020 where such violations were 5,133.
“The steps taken include proactive operations to seek and arrest/neutralize the terrorists, the identification and arrest of over-ground workers/supporters of terrorism, action against members of banned organisations, intensified night patrolling and checking at Nakas, security arrangements through appropriate deployment, coordination meetings amongst intelligence agencies, high level of alertness maintained by the security forces and legal action in cases of terror funding etc,” the MHA added. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 17 (ANI): Union Minister Prakash Javadekar on Wednesday hit out at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his remark on Indian democracy where he compared India with countries like Iraq and Libya.
“Saddam Hussain and Gaddafi used to have elections. They used to win them. It wasn’t like they weren’t voting but there was no institutional framework to protect that vote,” Gandhi had tweeted on Tuesday.
Speaking to ANI, Javadekar said: “Giving a comment on Rahul Gandhi’s opinion is worthless. Comparing India’s democracy with Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein is an insult to India and its 80 crore voters.”
“Only during the years of emergency, we witnessed a time like that of Gaddafi and Saddam, he added.
Gandhi had made the comment while answering to a question by Professor Ashutosh Varshney of Brown University on reports by Varieties of Democracy (V-Dem), a Sweden-based institute that downgraded India to an “electoral autocracy,” citing a decline in democratic freedoms and Freedom House analysis which shifted India’s status from a ‘free’ country to ‘partly-free.’
The Congress leader had also said, “Bharatiya Janata Party MPs in Parliament tell me that they cannot have an open discussion. They say they are told what to say.”
The Indian government, however, has disproved the report by Freedom House and called it “misleading, incorrect and misplaced”. (ANI)

By Sahil Pandey
New Delhi [India], March 17 (ANI): The Union Health Ministry in its weekly press conference said that there is no concern regarding the Indian version of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine Covishield and inoculation program will continue to run with full rigour.
“There are reports on AstraZeneca vaccine relationship with thrombotic events in people who received the vaccine. 10 countries have paused the AstraZeneca vaccine program. The European medical agency says,’ it’s a precautionary measure and there’s no data assessment being done.’ As far as India’s own group that looks at adverse effect is seized with this issue for the last few days. They are tracking the information that is available to us in a systematic manner and I can assure you that we have no signal of concern in that regard,” NITI Aayog member (Health), Dr V K Paul said.
However, Paul also added that the World Health Organization (WHO) has told categorically that vaccine implementation should not be suspended, while as a precaution, the investigation should go on.
“Our program with Covishield vaccination in the country will go on and with full vigour. At the same time, we are mindful of the fact to address this concern as an ongoing activity based on data available to us. Today there is no concern at all with regard to Covishield. UK Prime minister Boris Johnson himself underlined the same philosophy and the same decision of that government,” Paul said.
NITI Aayog Member said that India will continue with the interval of 4-6 weeks for the administration of the two doses of the Covishield vaccine, despite new evidence suggesting better efficacy when the second booster shot is given after 8-12 weeks.
“Yes this has been said in some published work and many countries have adopted it as well that to keep the gap between two doses from 8 weeks to 12 weeks. Not all countries follow the same gap duration. After this information has surfaced then our national technical group on immunisation which is a standing committee and they have seen the data and their internal advice after the meeting is of no change,” Dr Paul said.
A new study that was published in the medical journal Lancet on March 6 has shown that a longer interval between the doses provided a higher efficacy compared with a six-week gap. Those vaccinated are protected against the symptomatic Covid-19 despite the longer dosing interval. (ANI)

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 17 (ANI): Amid the rising COVID-19 cases across the country, the Karnataka government on Wednesday informed that the daily tests of COVID-19 will be increased to one lakh in the state.
“In order to prevent and mitigate the second wave of COVID-19, the daily target of tests in the state has been increased to one lakh,” read a release by the Department of Health and Family Welfare Services, Government of Karnataka.

State Health Minister Dr Sudhakar K tweeted about the same. He said: “In order to prevent and mitigate the second wave of Covid-19, the daily target of tests in the state has been increased to 1 lakh.”
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a meeting with the chief ministers across the country. He raised concern over the rising number of COVID-19 cases across the country.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how the world can come together to fight a common threat”, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi today and added the lessons from the pandemic must not be forgotten.
As many as 28,903 new COVID-19 cases and 17,741 recoveries were reported in India in the last 24 hours, the union health ministry informed on Wednesday morning.
With the addition of fresh infections, the total cases in the country reached 1,14,38,734, including 2,34,406 active cases and 1,10,45,284 recoveries. The death toll stands at 1,59,044 including 188 fatalities recorded in the last 24 hours. (ANI)

By Ajit K Dubey
New Delhi [India], March 17 (ANI) Indian National security advisor Ajit Doval and American Defence Secretary General Lloyd Austin are likely to discuss China and important regional security issues including Afghanistan during the first visit by a top Biden administration official to India starting this Friday.
Austin is visiting India from March 19 to 21 in which he will be meeting the top political and military leadership of the country.
“The American Defence Secretary and national security advisor Ajit Doval are likely to meet on Friday itself during which they are expected to set the stage for the visit by discussing all important security issues including China,” government sources told ANI.
The discussions between the American Defence Secretary and the NSA would be the first major interaction between the two sides during the visit.
India and America have been working closely with each other after the Chinese attempts to change the status quo in the eastern Ladakh area in April May time frame last year.
The American side also helped by providing timely defence hardware supplies during the conflict apart from sharing important satellite feed and inputs.
The issue of Afghanistan and India’s role there is also likely to be discussed during the talks between both the dignitaries.
NSA Doval played a significant role in the ongoing ceasefire agreements reached between the armies of India and Pakistan through parleys held at different levels.
During the American defence secretary visit, both sides are expected to discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral defence cooperation and exchange views on regional security challenges and common interests in maintaining a free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific region.
Discussions regarding defence cooperation would also focus on how both countries could consolidate military-to-military cooperation and defence trade and industry cooperation.
Secretary Austin’s visit to India as part of his first overseas travel emphasizes the strength of the India-US strategic partnership. (ANI)