New Delhi: Toll booths will be abolished in the country within a year, said Nitin Gadkari, Minister of State for Central Transport. Instead of the toll plaza, collection of toll using the GPS will be introduced, he said in Lok Sabha.
The toll money will be collected through vehicle GPS imaging. Currently, 93 percent of vehicles pay money at toll plazas using Fastag, Gadkari added.
Thiruvananthapuram: The Chief Electoral Officer has taken action on a complaint that a person was given more than one voter identification card. Chief Electoral Officer Tikaram Meena directed the district election officials to conduct inspections in more districts. The report has been directed to be submitted by March 20. Kannur, Wayanad, Malappuram, Palakkad, Thrissur, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kottayam, and Pathanamthitta district election officials have been instructed. Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala has complained.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala today briefed the Election Commission on voter list irregularities in 10 assembly constituencies in nine districts. Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had handed over information on fraudulent votes in five constituencies.
Among the constituencies given today, the highest number of fake voters was found in Tavannur, 4395. The other constituencies are Koothuparamba-2795, Kannur-1743, Kalpetta-1795, Chalakudy-2063, Perumbavoor-2286, Udumbanchola-1168, Vaikom-1605, and Adoor-1283. In most cases, the names and photos of the same voters are repeated several times on the voter list. Some have changed their address and other information.
Kannur: Wheelchairs and vehicles will be provided to those above 80 years of age, persons with disabilities, and Covid victims in need of Assembly elections on election day. District Collector TV Subhash, who is also the District Election Officer, said that for this, one can contact the constituency level helpline number or the helpline number in the district control room.
The district has a total of 28,834 disability voters and 46,818 voters over the age of 80. Postal voting has been introduced for them as it is difficult for them to reach the polling stations and spread the word.
Those who are unable to apply for the postal ballot and those who remain covid positive or quarantine after the application date can go to the polls at the polling booths on election day. The helpline has been set up to help them. Those who have applied for postal voting will not be able to go to the polls later to cast their vote.
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Health has said that there is no need to worry about the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine being manufactured in India under the name Covishield. “The vaccine distribution program will continue to be strong in the country, Dr. VK Paul said. He was responding to the suspension of the vaccine by some European countries due to health problems associated with blood clots in some of those who received the vaccine.
The European Medical Agency (EMA) and the World Health Organization have stated that the vaccine has better side effects. An agency in India, equivalent to EMA, is examining the adverse effects of the vaccine. But so far nothing of concern has been reported in India.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court has stayed the Kerala High Court’s order barring aided school teachers from contesting local body, assembly, and parliamentary elections. A bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde directed the teachers to file the petition. He also directed to send notices to the state government. The decisive intervention was in the petition of the aided school teachers.
The plaintiffs argued that aided teaching was not included in the definition of ‘office of profit’ as it was paid by the government. He explained that the contesting of teachers would not affect the right of children to learn in any way. Senior advocate V Giri pointed out that the deadline for filing nominations in Kerala is Friday and many people will not be able to contest due to the High Court verdict. The apex court then stayed the February verdict and ordered the teachers to contest the elections.
New Delhi: The pilot of a MiG-21 fighter jet has died in an accident, the Air Force has said. Group captain A Gupta was killed in an accident in central India. The Air Force confirmed this on Twitter.
The accident happened while taking off from an airbase as part of a training mission.
“The Air Force lost Group Captain A. Gupta in a tragic accident. The Air Force extends its condolences and shares the grief of the family members. An investigation has been ordered to determine the cause of the accident, “the Air Force said in a tweet.
Bengaluru: Waqf board bans loudspeakers in the mosques in Karnataka. The ban will be in place from 10 pm to 6 pm.
Restrictions on the use of loudspeakers during banking in mosques. Loudspeakers from mosques and dargahs can cause noise pollution. It affects the physical and mental health of the people. The order, therefore, bans the use of loudspeakers in mosques and dargahs from 10 pm to 6 am.
During the day, the loudspeaker can only be used for bank calls, death notifications, and birth announcements. At the same time, the order states that prayers, salat, Friday khutbah, and other religious ceremonies should be conducted using the speakers only inside the mosque.
New Delhi: BJP MP Ram Swaroop Sharma (62) was found dead inside his house. His body was found at his home on Delhi North Avenue on Wednesday morning. The preliminary conclusion is that he committed suicide.
The BJP ‘s parliamentary party meeting scheduled for this morning has been postponed following Sharma’s death.
A case registered and the investigation is started, said police.
New Delhi: India has 22 of the world’s most polluted cities, according to IQAir. IQAir is a Swiss-based organization. According to the World Air Quality Report 2020, India has the highest air pollution in the world. China’s Xinjiang tops the list.
Ghaziabad is the second-largest city in Uttar Pradesh. The major cities are the Indian cities of Bulandshahr, Bisrakh Jalalpur, Noida, Greater Noida, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Bhiwani. In Uttar Pradesh alone, 10 cities have made it to the list. Meerut, Agra, Muzaffarnagar, Faridabad, Jind, Hisar, Fatehabad, Bandwari, Gurugram, Yamuna Nagar, Rohtak, and Dharuhera are the other cities on the list. Delhi is in the last position.
Lucknow: Five people, including children, have died after falling into a septic tank in Fatehabad near Agra in Uttar Pradesh. Ten-year-old Anurag first fell into the tank in September while playing. Police said the others were in an attempt to save Anurag, three of whom were minors.
The deceased have been identified as Sonu (25), Ram Khiladi, Harimohan (16), and Avinash (12). They also drowned while trying to save Anurag. Harimohan, Avinash, and Anurag are brothers. The villagers rushed the victims to the hospital, but they died earlier.
