India

Nalbari (Assam), Apr 25 (PTI) Assam Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said that the state government has made arrangements to import oxygen from neighbouring Bhutan.

Speaking to reporters here, Sarma said there will be no shortage of Remdesivir as he requested drug manufacturer Sun Pharma to expedite the production at its Palasbari plant to 80,000 vials per week week.

"Regarding oxygen, we have moved ahead. There is a new oxygen plant being set up in Bhutan. Today, we have made arrangements to procure oxygen from there," he said.

Mumbai, Apr 25 (PTI) Superstar Salman Khan on Sunday sent out five thousand food packets to frontline workers engaged in the fight against coronavirus pandemic.

Khan visited a Bandra-based restaurant, where the food was packed and sent out for delivery, to supervise the process.

Yuva Sena member Rahul Kanal took to Twitter and shared pictures of the actor from the venue.

Lucknow, April 25 (PTI) To ensure availability of adequate doses of COVID-19 vaccine in Uttar Pradesh, the state government has ordered 50 lakhs doses of Covishield and Covaxin each from manufacturing companies.

Covishield is manufactured by Serum Institute of India and Covaxin by Bharat Biotech Limited.

In a statement issued here on Sunday, the UP government said that in pursuance with the Centre's order, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is planning to take the vaccine across the state in an organised manner.

Lucknow, Apr 26 (PTI) Voting for the third phase of the panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh began on Monday with more than 2.72 lakh candidates in the fray in over 2.14 lakh seats across 20 districts of the state.

Polling is underway in Shamli, Meerut, Moradabad, Pilibhit, Kasganj, Firozabad, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Fatehpur, Unnao, Amethi, Barabanki, Balrampur, Siddharthanagar, Deoria, Chandauli, Mirzapur and Ballia.

New Delhi, Apr 26 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Monday said all citizens should get COVID vaccines for free and the country should not be made a "victim of the BJP's system".

India's vaccination campaign is all set to get a major boost from May 1 when everyone above the age of 18 will be eligible for vaccine.

"Enough of discussion. All citizens of the country should get vaccine for free. Don't make India a victim of the BJP's system," he said in a tweet in Hindi.

Kolkata, Apr 26 (PTI) The Election Commission transferred a few police officers as West Bengal voted in the seventh phase of assembly polls on Monday, officials said.

Shantanu Sinha Biswas, an inspector at the Directorate of Economic Offences, was transferred to the office of the DIG Jalpaiguri Range as a crime inspector, they said.

Sinha was accused by the BJP of manipulating postal ballots.

Chennai, Apr 26 (PTI) The Madras High Court on Monday came down hard on the Election Commission and called it the "the most irresponsible institution" for the alleged spread of the second wave of Covid-19 in the country.

In stinging remarks, the court said EC officials may be booked under murder charges too.

(Reuters) --- India set a new global record of the most number of COVID-19 infections in a day, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday urged all citizens to be vaccinated and exercise caution, saying the “storm” of infections had shaken the country.

The United States said it was deeply concerned by the massive surge in coronavirus cases in India and was racing to send aid to India.

Lucknow, Apr 25 (PTI) Voting for the third phase of the panchayat elections in Uttar Pradesh will be held on Monday with more than 3.52 lakh candidates in the fray in over 2.14 lakh seats across 20 districts of the state.

According to the State Election Commission (SEC), voting will be held from 7 am to 6 pm in Shamli, Meerut, Moradabad, Pilibhit, Kasganj, Firozabad, Auraiya, Kanpur Dehat, Jalaun, Hamirpur, Fatehpur, Unnao, Amethi, Barabanki, Balrampur, Siddharthanagar, Deoria, Chandauli, Mirzapur and Ballia.

New Delhi, Apr 25 (PTI) The Indian Space Research Organisation will launch a data relay satellite that will help maintain contact with the Gagangyaan mission throughout after the launch, sources said.

The satellite will be launched before the final leg of the Gaganyaan mission, which will send astronauts to the Lower Earth Orbit (LEO). The first leg -- the unmanned mission -- is to be launched in December.