India

New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) The Army has created a new wing under a Major General to handle human rights issues with an aim to bring more transparency and probity in the functioning of the 1.3-million strong force, official sources said on Friday.

Major General Gautam Chauhan has taken charge as Additional Director General (Human Rights) in the Army headquarters in Delhi on Thursday, they said.

The new ADG (Human Rights) will function under the Vice Chief of Army Staff.

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 2 (PTI) At least 25 health workers each took part in the dry run, organised in four districts of Kerala on Saturday to asses the preparedness of the state's health sector for the COVID-19 vaccination once the vaccine is received.

The vaccine mock drill was conducted in four districts- Thiruvananthapuram, Idukki, Wayanad and Palakkad from 9 am to 11 am.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India’s federal territory of Jammu and Kashmir plans to attract investments worth up to $4 billion in the next two three years and would provide security to businesses setting up shop in the insurgency-hit region, its chief said on Saturday.

Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) was India’s only Muslim-majority state until August 2019, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi carved out a Buddhist-dominated enclave and designated both as federally-administered territories.

Kanpur: Despite cold but sunny weather the women did not fail to enjoy the arrival of the new year here on Saturday.

Being a limited gathering, they assembled at the terrace of their Block's five-storey high building in Jajmau area. 

What remained special about this special simple event was that nearly all of them brought one or two items. 

NEW DELHI, Jan. 2 (Xinhua) -- Indian Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said on Saturday that COVID-19 vaccines would be free of cost across the country.

"Not just in Delhi, it (vaccine) will be free across the country," Vardhan told reporters.

The health minister was asked if COVID-19 vaccine will be provided free on the lines of Delhi.

Vardhan was at a hospital in Delhi to review the dry run of vaccination that was started Saturday morning across the country.

NEW DELHI (AP) — India tested its COVID-19 vaccine delivery system with a nationwide trial on Saturday as it prepares to roll out an inoculation program to stem the coronavirus pandemic.

The trial included data entry into an online platform for monitoring vaccine delivery, along with testing of cold storage and transportation arrangements for the vaccine, the health ministry said in a statement.

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - India’s drug regulator on Friday approved a coronavirus vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University for emergency use, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

A representative of India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO), whose experts were meeting for the second time this week, declined to comment.

Kanpur: Taking a round of the weekly vegetable market in KDA Colony locality of Jajmau area here, it is fitting to write that the lemon is quite a costly item than other various green vegetables.

If green pea is selling at the rate of Rs 25 per kg at this considerably big wider space, the lemon is three pieces in ten rupees. While it is one for Rs five just outside the market ground.

What the sellers point out at a hefty cost is that, this item is not coming in mandis amply. That's why the rate is not going down, they add with an indication of a grin. 

Alibaug (Maha), Jan 1 (PTI) A special court at Alibaug in Raigad district of Maharashtra sentenced a 49-year-old man to one year of rigorous imprisonment for molesting school girls.

In the order passed recently, special court judge S S Shaikh also slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on the convict Ashwin Arvind Puranik, a local resident.

As per the complaint, Puranik molested the girls a few times while they were going to school.

New Delhi, Jan 1 (PTI) Continuing a 30-year practice, India and Pakistan on Friday exchanged a list of their nuclear installations under a bilateral arrangement that prohibits the two countries from attacking each other's atomic facilities.

The two countries exchanged the list of nuclear installations and facilities covered under the Agreement on the Prohibition of Attack against Nuclear Installations and Facilities between India and Pakistan, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.