Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh) [India], March 22 (ANI): Many people are thronging Abdul Karim Market in Aligarh ahead of Holi to buy herbal colours.
Speaking to ANI, a seller, Mohammed Swahili said, “Many customers are purchasing herbal colours from us. Herbal colours are non -toxic, chemical-free and hence, skin-friendly. In view of the COVID pandemic, many customers are buying Gulaal sprays. With these, they can spray colours from a distance. Hence, social distancing can be maintained.”
Another seller, Kanwaljit Singh told ANI: “Many customers wish to celebrate this year’s Holi in a grand manner, unlike last year due to heavy COVID restrictions. The demand for herbal Gulaal is high these days. Also, we are not selling any Chinese pichkaaris this year. We have boycotted the use of Chinese products.”

The festival of colours, Holi will be celebrated on March 28-29 this year.
A customer told ANI, “I am very happy to have come to this market. The market usually sells a variety of products for Holi celebrations. I purchased sprays, pichkaaris, etc for my kids. We will play Holi at home due to the COVID restrictions.”
Holi marks the onset of the spring season and the occasion is symbolic of joy and victory of good over evil. People smear colours on each other, blurring divides and highlighting unity in diversity. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 22 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Mahesh Poddar and Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda on Monday gave Zero Hour Notice in the Rajya Sabha.
While giving the Zero Hour Notice in the Upper House, Poddar has demanded to set up headquarters of Steel Research and Technology Mission of India (SRTMI) in Ranchi, Jharkhand.
Hooda, meanwhile, has given notice over the “demand for compensation to all farmers who lost their lives in ongoing farmer agitation and initiative by the government to end the deadlock”.
During the Zero Hour, parliamentarians can raise issues of urgent public importance. Members usually give expression to their feelings around noon after the Question Hour. This time has been termed as ‘Zero Hour’. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 22 (ANI): Congress MP Manish Tewari on Monday gave an adjournment motion notice in Lok Sabha over the issue of coup-affected Myanmar nationals seeking entry in India.
“I hereby give notice of my intention to ask for leave to move a motion for the adjournment of the business of the house for the purpose of discussing a definite matter of urgent importance, namely:- India has sealed all entry points along the border with Myanmar amidst the ongoing military crackdown following the February coup. The Government is preventing any Myanmar nationals from entering the country,” the Congress leader said in a letter.
“Myanmar area bordering Mizoram is inhabited by Chin communities who are ethnically our brethren and India cannot turn a blind eye to them. India is a signatory to the International Covenant of Civil & Political Rights (ICCPR) encapsulating the principle of non-refoulment and sending back refugees to Myanmar violates ICCPR & UN Convention against Torture. I hereby request the permission to raise the matter,” he added.
The adjournment motion is an extraordinary procedure which, if admitted, leads to setting aside the normal business of the House for discussing a definite matter of urgent public importance.
AAP MP N D Gupta wrote to Rajya Sabha Chairman Venkaiah Naidu on Sunday urging for sine die adjournment of Parliament session. The request comes in the backdrop of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla testing positive for COVID-19.(ANI)

Rajkot (Gujarat) [India], March 22 (ANI): Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) MLA from Rajkot, Govind Patel on Monday retracted from his statement that BJP workers do not get infected with coronavirus as they work hard and said he meant to say that labourers don’t contract the virus.
“I wanted to say that labourers don’t contract coronavirus but mistakenly added ‘BJP’ also in the same sentence. I take my words back,” Patel told ANI.
“I also apologise to all who have been hurt by my statements,” he added.
He also added that everyone must follow the COVID-19 appropriate behaviour, wear masks, maintain social distancing, etc.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Sunday informed that there would not be any lockdown but people need to follow the guidelines of COVID-19.
” Mask, sanitiser and social distancing are must to stop the spread of COVID-19,” Rupani said.(ANI)

Nandigram (West Bengal) [India], March 22 (ANI): To shed the outsider tag levelled by her protege-turned-opponent, Suvendu Adhikari, Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee has rented not one but two houses in Reyapara, Nandigram.
The Chief Minister on Sunday at a public rally asserted her plans to build a permanent residence on the banks of the Haldi river in the constituency so that she can visit more frequently.
Suvendu, in one of his first speeches made soon after filing nomination for BJP, had branded Mamata as an ‘outsider’ in Nandigram.
Those associated with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) stated that Adhikari’s attempts to brand Mamata as an outsider were futile as she was the daughter of Bengal.
While the first house has been rented for a year, according to neighbours, the other house has been rented for six months. Both houses are located at a distance of approximately 100 metres from each other in the Reyapara area.TMC went on house hunting for its chief after she announced that she would contest from Nandigram and zeroed in on these two houses.
According to locals, Mamata earlier had plans to use the first house that has rooms on the first floor — with the ground floor is rented out to shops. However, after the leg injury suffered during campaigning earlier this month, she is now likely to use the second house which has rooms on the ground floor.
“This second house has an open and levelled ground making it easy for the wheelchair. Secondly, we have taken the ground floor and the family which has rented us the house lives on the first floor. Mamata due to the leg injury would prefer to stay on the ground floor,” stated a source.
The work to cover the front and side of the second house with sheets of cloth to block the view is currently in progress. Security has been increased at the house and in its vicinity.
Sudam Chandra Parui, owner of the second rented house and her wife Rani Parui, a retired high school teacher are excited to host the Chief Minister.
“We haven’t had a chance to meet her as she is yet to visit the house. This is taken on rent just 15 days ago. I am happy that she will be here,” said 72 years old Parui who lives with her husband, daughter and grandson. Ask her about rent and she refrained from giving any other detail.
The first house now accommodates security personnel deployed for the Chief Minister’s security.
Nandigram is seeing a fierce contest between Mamata Banerjee and her protege Suvendu Adhikari.
Mamata had earlier represented Bhabanipur in the Assembly and decided to shift to Nandigram Assembly constituency in the forthcoming polls.
Elections to the 294-member state Assembly will be held in eight phases starting from March 27 with the final round of voting taking place on April 29. The counting of votes will take place on May 2. (ANI)

New Delhi [India], March 22 (ANI): In view of the rising COVID-19 cases in the national capital, State Disaster Management Authority (SDMA) will be holding a meeting on Monday to formulate strategies to combat the virus.
The meeting will take place at 12:30 pm.
Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Health Minister Satyendar Jain, Chief Secretary, and other senior officials will be present in the meeting.
On Sunday, Delhi reported 823 new infections, the highest single-day spike which the national capital has registered this year.
According to the figures released by the health department yesterday, the city’s positivity rate stands at 1.03 per cent while the cumulative positivity rate is at 4.69 per cent. (ANI)