Government revises guidelines for international travels in India due to new COVID variant
The Union Health Ministry has revised the guidelines for international arrivals in India. They will come into effect from December 1, 2021. The guidelines mandate the submission of 14 days of travel details and uploading the negative RT-PCR test report on Air Suvidha Portal before the journey.
Petr Fiala is the new Prime Minister of Czech Republic
The President of the Czech Republic Milos Zeman has appointed Petr Fiala as the Prime Minister of the country. Fiala is the leader of a Centre-Right Alliance. He leads a bloc of five centre and centre-right opposition parties that had won the elections on October 2021. The new Government in the Czech Republic will have to tackle a new wave of Coronavirus.
COVID ‘Omicron’ Variant: India issues revised guidelines for international arrivals
The Union Ministry of Health on November 28, 2021, revised the guidelines for international arrivals in India which will come into effect from December 1, 2021. The decision by the Govt of India comes in the wake of the newly reported COVID-19 variant ‘Omicron’ which has also been designated as the ‘Variant of Concern’ by the World Health Organisation. The Covid variant has been detected to spread more quickly than the previous ‘Delta Variant’. The new Covid variant has an unusually large number of mutations that are more infectious than Delta.
Dollar Seshadri passes away due to cardiac arrest
Dollar Seshadri, officer on special duty (OSD) at Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) passed away on November 29, 2021 after suffering a cardiac arrest in Vishakhapatnam. He was 74.
He was reportedly in the port city of Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh to participate in the Karthika Deepotsavam, which was organised by the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam. He suffered a massive stroke early morning on November 29th and was rushed to a corporate hospital at Ramnagar. He was declared dead on arrival.
‘Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021’ passed in both Houses of Parliament
‘The Farm Laws Repeal Bill, 2021’ was passed by Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha on November 29, 2021, on the very first day of the Winter Session of Parliament. Soon after the Parliament’s Winter session started today, the Lok Sabha was adjourned till 12 noon after the sloganeering by the opposition members. After Lok Sabha resumes, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar tabled the bill to repeal the three farm laws. The Farm Laws Repeal Bill was then passed in the Lower House amid the ruckus by opposition MPs.
57 norovirus cases suspected in Thrissur, Kerala
Norovirus has reportedly infected 57 people including 54 students and three workers in a hostel of St. Mary’s College, Thrissur. The health officials suspect that the virus must have spread through food or drinking water. This is the first time that the norovirus infection has been reported in Thrissur.
A team of health officials led by the district medical officer is examining the hostel, its kitchen and surroundings and the drinking water supply. There are around 240 students and 15 workers in the hostel.
As per college authorities, the students had been complaining about symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and fever from November 8th. Nobody thought that they could have norovirus infection.
Reserve Bank of India imposes monetary penalty on State Bank of India
RBI has announced to impose a monetary penalty of Rs. 1 crore on the State Bank of India for the contravention of Section 19 (2) of the Banking Regulation Act, 1949 (the Act). The irregularities on the SBI part were identified after a Statutory Inspections for Supervisory Evaluation of the bank was conducted by the Central bank.
Parliament Winter Session begins today, 26 bills on agenda
The Winter Session of the Parliament has begun on November 29, 2021, and the BJP-led government has a heavy agenda for the winter session including 26 new bills to be introduced, including a bill to ban Cryptocurrency in India. It has also been indicated that the bill to repeal three farm laws will also be taken up on priority.
Vivek Johri appointed as Chairman of Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs
Senior Vivek Johri has been appointed as the Chairman of the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). The appointment has been made as per an order by the Personnel Ministry.
New COVID Variant in South Africa
The new COVID variant in South Africa is the most heavily mutated version discovered so far. The variant is called B.1.1.529 and is most likely to be given Greek code-name such as Alpha and Delta variants by the World Health Organisation on November 26, 2021. The new COVID variant is an unusual constellation of mutations and it is also very different to the other variants that have circulated.
Pat Cummins announced to be Australia’s new Test captain
Fast bowler Pat Cummins will be the new Test Captain of the Australian Cricket team, with Steve Smith named his deputy. Cummins was selected from several candidates after the former Test Captain Tim Paine stood down following the revelations of a text messaging scandal in 2017.
All govt & Private schools to be opened in Haryana from December 1
The Education Minister of Haryana announced that from December 1, 2021, all the government and private schools will open in full capacity. But, the compliance with COVID-19 protocols will continue as before. If COVID-19 cases rise again, the state government will take immediate action in this regard.
Indian Railways rolls back increased platform ticket prices
Indian Railways has decided to roll back the increased platform ticket prices during the COVID-19 pandemic time. The platform tickets will now be available for Rs. 10 as before. The prices of platform tickets were earlier increased to reduce the crowd at railway stations during the pandemic.
National Milk Day 2021
National Milk Day is celebrated on November 26, to mark the birth anniversary of Dr. Verghese Kurien, who is also known as the father of the white revolution. National Milk Day 2021 commemorates the 100th birth anniversary of Dr. Kurien.
National Milk Day is being celebrated on Dr Verghese Kurien's birth anniversary every year since 2014. Dr Kurien played an instrumental role in 'Operation Flood,' which led to dairy farming becoming the largest self-sustaining industry in the country.
The Indian Dairy Association (IDA) had taken the initiative to celebrate National Milk Day for the first time in 2014.
72nd Constitution Day of India celebrated
India celebrates November 26 every year as ‘Constitution Day’ or ‘Samvidhan Divas’ to commemorate the adoption of the Constitution of India. On November 26, 1949, India had adopted the Constitution which later came into effect on January 26, 1950. Today, the country marks the 72nd anniversary of the historic event that also marked the dawn of a new era back in 1949.
Constitution Day of India, also known as ‘Samvidhan Divas’ or ‘National Constitution day’ or ‘National Law Day’ aims at raising awareness about the Indian Constitution. In 2015, the BJP-led government had announced that November 26 will be observed as the ‘Constitution Day’ to promote the Constitutional values among the Indian Citizens.
India gets elected as member to UNESCO World Heritage Committee
India is elected as a member of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee for the period of 4 years, starting from 2021. The decision came a week after India was re-elected to the Executive Board of UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation). The country got elected to the UN World Heritage Committee with 142 votes.
EU Drug Regulator approves Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5 to 11
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on November 25, 2021, authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty for use in children aged 5 to 11 years old. For the first time, the EMA cleared a COVID-19 vaccine for young children in this age group. The vaccine is authorized for use in people aged 12 and above across 27-nation European Union. The EU’s drug regulator EMA is also evaluating the use of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 6 to 11 years old. The decision is expected to come within two months. Earlier this week, the Health Minister of Germany Jens Spahn said the shipping of COVID-19 vaccines for young children in the European Union would begin on December 20, 2021.
India, ADB sign $300 million loan to improve primary healthcare in the country
The Indian Government and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have signed a $300 million loan to improve primary healthcare in the urban areas of 13 states. It will benefit over 256 billion urban dwellers including the 51 million from the slum areas.
As per the release by the Finance Ministry, Additional secretary of the Department of Economic Affairs, Rajat Kumar Mishra signed for the Govt of India the agreement for ‘Strengthening Comprehensive Primary Health Care and Pandemic Preparedness’ in Urban Areas program. For ADB, Takeo Konishi, Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission signed the agreement.
WHO designates new COVID-19 strain as ‘Variant of Concern’; names it Omicron
The World Health Organisation has named the new COVID-19 strain detected in South Africa as the ‘Variant of Concern’. The global health body has also given it a name- Omicron. B.1.1.529 variant is likely to spread more quickly than other forms of Coronavirus strains. The preliminary evidence has also suggested that there is an increased risk of reinfection.
Bill to repeal three farm laws to be introduced on the first day of Winter Session of Parliament
The Farm Laws Repeal Bill 2022 has been listed for the passing and the introduction in the Lower House of Parliament on the very first day of the Winter session of Parliament. It is scheduled to begin on November 29, 2021. PM Modi, recently, had announced to repeal all three farm laws.
Delhi govt's free pilgrimage scheme for senior citizens to begin on December 3rd
Delhi government's free pilgrimage scheme for senior citizens, 'Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana', will start on December 3, 2021 with the first train leaving for Ayodhya on the day. The senior citizens have the option of visiting 12 places under the scheme. They have been allowed to take one attendant with themself. The scheme has benefitted around 36,000 people till now.
Germany announces development commitments worth EUR 1.2 billion to aid India
Germany has recently announced new development commitments worth over EUR 1.2 billion to aid India's fight against climate change and for cooperation on clean energy. The announcement was made during the visit of a delegation from the German Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development.
UAE hopes to resume regular flight services with India
UAE Ambassador to India Ahmed Albanna expressed hope on November 24, 2021 for the resumption of pre-Covid flight services with India. He said during a press conference that the only thing we are facing a little bit of challenge is on in the flights, is that they are restricted to carrying a certain number of passengers under the bubble arrangement. He stated that their main carriers are carrying only 30 percent of their total capacity and this affects the traffic and the airfare.
Sweden's first female Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson resigns on day 1 after coalition collapses
The first female Prime Minister of Sweden Magdalena Andersson resigned on November 24, 2021, after less than 12 hours as the PM. Andersson's resignation came after the Green Party quit her coalition, sending the nordic country into political uncertainty.
However, leader of the Social Democrats Magdalena Andersson said that she had informed the speaker of the Parliament that she hoped to be appointed Prime Minister of Sweden again as the head of a single-party government.
Sweden’s Parliament on November 24, 2021, had elected Magdalena Andersson, Social Democratic Party leader and Finance Minister, as the first female Prime Minister of Sweden. The decision came after Andersson clinched a last-minute deal securing the key support.
The fertility rate of India drops below replacement level, sex ratio improves
India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has further declined from 2.2 to 2 at the national level. The Total Fertility Rate is the average number of children per woman. As per a survey by the Health Ministry, the total fertility rate in India has ranged from 1.4 in Chandigarh to 2.4 in Uttar Pradesh.
The factsheets of key indicators on nutrition, population, family welfare, reproductive and child health, and others for India and 14 states and UTs were clubbed under Phase 2 of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) (2019-21). They were released by the NITI Aayog’s Member, Health, Dr Vinod Kumar Paul and Family Welfare Secretary Rajesh Bhushan.