New Delhi: Four more Covid vaccines will be made available in India, says NITI AYOG member Dr. VK Paul. Efforts are underway to increase vaccine production in the country. He said the target was to provide one crore vaccines per day.

He dismissed rumors that the vaccine had been discontinued. Such propaganda is untrue. Preparations need to be made to make one crore doses of vaccine per day. With proper preparation, it may be possible in a few weeks.

Pfizer has been in touch with the subject of vaccinating children. The decision will be made soon. Covaxin has also been approved for testing in children, he said.

New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday will visit the states of Bengal and Odisha devastated by Cyclone Yaas. The Prime Minister said he had assessed the situation and discussed rehabilitation plans.

After the review meeting in Bhubaneswar, aerial observations will be made at Balasore, Bhadrak, and Purba Medinipur. The Prime Minister will then attend a review meeting in West Bengal.
Cyclone Yaas caused severe damage in Odisha, West Bengal, and Jharkhand. In Bengal, about three lakh houses were damaged. About 50 coastal villages were inundated. The wind, which was blowing at a speed of 145 kilometers per hour, destroyed several houses. Villages and cities were submerged in the floodwaters.

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has announced a relief package of Rs 1,000 crore. Mamata Banerjee said the cyclone had affected one crore people in Bengal and destroyed three lakh houses. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has announced a seven-day relief operation. It also directed that the roads and electricity in 128 villages affected by the cyclone be restored within 24 hours.

Strong winds and heavy rains lashed the coastal areas of Odisha and Bengal. The waves pounded the shore for miles. In Odisha, 5.8 lakh people were evacuated and in Bengal, 1.5 million people were evacuated.

Thiruvananthapuram: Heavy rains lashed Kerala as a result of Cyclone Yaas which formed in the Bay of Bengal. South and Central Kerala receive heavy rainfall. The Central Meteorological Department has issued yellow alerts in 11 districts except for Wayanad, Malappuram, and Kasaragod.

As the water level increased due to heavy rains, a shutter of Idukki Kallarkutty Dam was opened. The district administration has warned those on the banks of Muthirapuzha and Periyar to be vigilant. Pathanamthitta district receives heavy rainfall Heavy rains continue in the hilly region. It is suspected that the landslide occurred in the forest.

The water level in Pomba and Achan Kovilar has risen. In Malappuram, there was heavy crop damage in the paddy fields. One person died in a landslide in Thiruvananthapuram following heavy rains. The incident took place at Kannammula. Heavy rains are continuing in the capital.

New Delhi: The Center has asked states to reduce vaccine wastage. The recommendation came after a review meeting of the Union Ministry of Health on vaccination. Currently, the national average for vaccine waste is 6.3. The Center has suggested that the states reduce their waste of vaccines to 1 percent.

At present, Jharkhand has 37.3 percent, Chhattisgarh 30.2 percent, Tamil Nadu 15.5 percent, Jammu and Kashmir 10.8 percent, and Madhya Pradesh 10.7 percent. The meeting was chaired by Union Health Ministry Secretary Rajesh Bhushan. The meeting was attended by state health secretaries and senior officials related to vaccination.

The meeting was convened to expedite and evaluate the progress of the corona vaccination program. The Center suggested that states and Union Territories should use all the possibilities of the Cowin application to expedite vaccination. The Center also said that the Cowin platform has been upgraded to include the availability of Russia’s Sputnik vaccine.

The central government said in a meeting that the new stock vaccine would be given to the states in the first week of June. The meeting also assessed the progress of vaccination in different states. Vaccination is currently in progress in the country. So far, 20,06,62,456 people in the country have been vaccinated, according to the Ministry of Health.

Kavaratti: The BJP, including the state vice-president of Yuva Morcha in Lakshadweep, has resigned. Eight people, including Yuva Morcha General Secretary P P Mohammad Hashim, have resigned from the party. The members submitted their resignation to A P Abdullakutty, B.J.P National Vice President in charge of Lakshadweep.  Other leaders include M Muthukoya, B Shukur, M I. Mohammed, P. P Jamhar, Anwar Hussain, N. Afzal, N. Ramis resigned from the primary membership.

Meanwhile, Minister AK Sasindran said in Kochi that he would not back down from the demand to recall Lakshadweep administrator Praful Patel. He added that Kerala would stand with Lakshadweep. The BJP is also raising its voice in protest against the reforms of Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Patel. The BJP leaders in Lakshadweep wrote a letter to the central leadership saying that the unilateral decisions of the administrator were detrimental to the peace of the island and therefore they were not interested in remaining in the party.

New Delhi: Subodh Kumar Jaiswal has been appointed as the new CBI director. The decision to appoint Jaiswal as CBI director was taken at a meeting chaired by the Prime Minister in the evening. The appointment is for two years.
Twelve people, including Kerala Police Chief Loknath Behra, were considered for the post. Out of these, CISF chief Subodh Kumar Jaiswal, Armed Seema Bal DG KR Chandra, and Home Ministry Special Secretary VSK Kaumudi made it to the final list. Jaiswal won the toss and was elected to field.

Supreme Court Chief Justice NV Ramana said the rules should be followed. The Chief Justice had pointed out that those below six months before retirement should not be considered for the post.

Jaiswal is also a former Maharashtra police chief. He has served in the RAW for nine years. He is a 1985 batch IPS officer in the Maharashtra cadre.