In Cricket, India will look forward to continue its winning spree as they face England in the third T20 match at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad tomorrow. Powered by a fearless half-century on debut by Ishan Kishan  India made a roaring comeback in the second T20 yesterday and defeated England by seven wickets to level the series. However, India need to iron out some issues at the top of the order as KL Rahul failed to fire in both games so far. Rahul who scored one run in two matches, may get replaced by vice-captain Rohit Sharma at the top of the batting order.  
       
England, meanwhile, batted well chasing a small total in the first game, but could not set a large target for India in the second game. Mark Wood is likely to make a return in the  team and will most probably replace the misfiring Tom Curran. Their batting line-up is a stable one, but England will be hoping that someone apart from Jason Roy, who has gotten out just short of half-centuries in both matches, will put their hand up and play a big knock.

As China is slowly opening its borders for international travel conditionally, it asked WHO approved vaccines to make application to competent Chinese authorities if they want to be considered for inclusion in China’s plans for visa facilitation. China has relaxed visa norms for some countries on the condition of inoculations by Chinese made vaccines at present. China does not consider inoculations by even WHO approved vaccines. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson told media in Beijing that China will work with other countries to promote mutual recognition of vaccination, but did not mention the details of it, neither the countries with which it is negotiating. 

Experts say mutual recognition of vaccines will be important for the ‘vaccine passport’ system, but data transparency related to vaccines could stand in the way of achieving mutual recognition of vaccines before allowing international travel. Experts added, even though China wants to understand about the foreign vaccines and want them to apply for approval, its own vaccines have been repeatedly urged to share more data related to phase three clinical trials and they are still in the process of approval by WHO. Other countries would also like to understand the data about Chinese vaccines. For a mutual recognition of vaccines, two countries would have to “share information on the vaccine and its effects”. It is not yet clear whether Chinese vaccine companies will also apply in other countries to be considered for a vaccine passport.

China is signaling that it will open its borders for international travel ahead of its hosting of the Winter Olympic Games in February 2022. After closing its borders to almost all foreign visitors for over a year, Chinese embassies in few countries including Japan, Israel, Thailand, Pakistan, and Federated States of Micronesia announced visa application procedure for foreigners who have been inoculated with China-produced vaccines starting from Monday. Requirements for Quarantine on arrival, negative NAT results, serum antibody tests are still there. The spokesperson said, China will have different measures in different countries.

As per reports, Israel has already agreed with Greece, Cyprus, and the Seychelles to allow vaccinated citizens to visit, partly because they had all used the same vaccine, developed by Pfizer-BioNTech. Data about other vaccines rolled out elsewhere in the world – by Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech, AstraZeneca and Sputnik – have been published in journals, but only the Pfizer-BioNTech product is going through the approval process in China.

Lok Sabha has taken up discussion on demands for grants of the Ministry of Railways for 2021-2022. Initiating the discussion, BJP MP Ram Kripal Yadav lauded the efforts of Railways during the lockdown period to provide relief to migrant workers. He said, spending on capacity building of rail infrastructure has increased manifold during the NDA regime and the government is continuously working for the modernization of railways’ network and infrastructure. He said, Railways have worked to improve safety and security of the passengers and numbers of accidents have significantly reduced in recent years. He alleged that discrimination have been made by the previous UPA regime with regard to Railways projects. Another party MP Janardhan Singh Sigriwal demanded for the construction of Chapra-Champaran rail corridor. He said that Chapra is the birthplace of Jaiprakash Narayan whereas, Champaran is the ‘karmabhoomi’ of Mahatma Gandhi. Arun Sao of BJP said that Indian Railways has been playing a major role in realizing the dream of Atmanirbhar Bharat.
 
Jasbir Singh Gill of Congress said that present government is doing discrimination in creation of Railways’ infrastructure in Punjab and other regions. Another party MP, Gurjeet Singh Aujla urged the Railways Minister to address the issue of shortage of staff at Amritsar station. Hasnain Masoodi of the National Conference alleged that the government has not made special provision for Jammu and Kashmir in the Rail Budget. AIMIM MP Imitiaz Jaleel said that only less than two per cent was allocated to Nanded division from the total 6 thousand 7 hundred and 98 crore rupees to South-Central Zone Budget. IUML MP from Kerala, E.T. Mohammad Basheer cautioned the Government against the privatization of Railways. Besides, Ranjanaben Dhananjay Bhatt of BJP, Anupriya Patel of Apna Dal, Nama Nageswar Rao of TRS, Shyam Singh Yadav of BSP, Sushil Singh of BJP, Dileshwar Kamat of JDU and others also expressed their views on the demands for grants for Railways 2021-22. Discussion is still underway.

The government today said that there is no proposal right now to bring crude petroleum, petrol, diesel, aviation turbine fuel, natural gas under the Goods and Service Tax. In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said that the GST council has not made any recommendation for inclusion of these goods under GST. She said, the council may consider the issue of inclusion of these petroleum products at an appropriate time keeping in view the relevant factors including revenue implication.

Replying to a supplementaries, Mr. Thakur said, the Centre and States should work together to check the price rise of diesel and petrol. He urged the State Governments to reduce the tax on the petroleum products adding that the Centre will also take decisions following the State governments reduction of price. 

A Delhi court has awarded a death penalty to convict Ariz Khan, who was allegedly associated with Indian Mujahideen, for the murder of inspector Mohan Chand Sharma in the 2008 Batla House encounter case. Calling the matter as “rarest of rare case”, the  Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav said there was “no manner of doubt” that Khan was responsible for the murder of inspector Mohan Chand Sharma.
Apart from awarding him the death penalty, the Delhi court also imposed a fine of 11 lakh rupees also.
  
Ariz Khan, who had fled from the spot during the 2008 Batla House encounter in Jamia Nagar in south Delhi, was arrested by the Delhi Police in 2018. The police had sought a death penalty for Khan, saying it was not just any killing but a murder of a law enforcement officer who was a defender of justice.

Campaigning is gaining momentum in Assam and West Bengal for the first phase of assembly polls.

Speaking at a town hall event – Agragami Assam in Guwahati this evening, senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, only BJP can protect culture and language of the state.  He assured that the party will continue to work with the motto of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas and Sabka Vishwas. Mr. Shah said that if voted to power,the BJP would make the state free from floods. Party’s national President J P Nadda, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal also held several rallies in Upper Assam today. Meanwhile, senior Congress leaders Jitendra Singh, Gaurav Gogoi, Pradyut Bordoloi also addressed election rallies in the State today.  

In West Bengal, 47 Assembly Constituencies in Assam and 30 Assembly seats of West Bengal will go to polls on 27th of this month during the first phase.
Scrutiny of nomination papers is taking place in Assam and West Bengal for the second phase of assembly polls.

In Assam, a total of 408 candidates have filed their nominations for second phase.

In West Bengal, 177 nominations have been filed for 30 seats in this phase.

The last date for withdrawal of candidature in both the states is 17th of this month.

39 seats in Assam and 30 constituencies in West Bengal will go to polls on 1st of April in the Second Phase of assembly elections.

The process of filing of nominations is underway for the Third Phase of assembly elections in both the States.  

Three phase polling will be held in Assam and eight-phase polling in West Bengal.

The Government today said that it has approved financial assistance of 5 lakh rupees each in respect of death cases of journalists due to Covid-19.

In a written reply to an unstarred question in RAJYA SABHA, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister, Prakash Javadekar said that his ministry has carried out a special drive for financial assistance under the Journalist Welfare Scheme.

Mr. Javadekar said his ministry had issued an advisory on 22nd April, 2020 advising all media persons to take due health related precaution and requesting media houses to take necessary care of their field staff as well as office staff.

The Minister asserted that the ministry of labour and employment through its advisory to all chief secretaries of states and union territories and all employers’ association has advised all the employers of public and private establishment to extend their coordination by not terminating their employees, particularly casual or contractual workers from job or reduce their wages.

He further said, the ministry of Home while issuing consolidated guidelines for containment of Covid-19 epidemic in the country from time to time, kept print and electronic media under exceptions from closing down directions issued for commercial and private establishment.

India has administered nearly three crore vaccination doses in the country so far.  Union Health Ministry said that more than one lakh 40 thousand people have been inoculated with Covid-19 doses in the last 24 hours.

The country’s COVID-19 recovery rate reached 96.68 per cent with the total recovery of more than 17 thousand patients in the last 24 hours. The Ministry said that more than one crore ten lakh patients have  recovered from this disease. Presently, the total number of active cases in the country is over two lakh 19 thousand which comprises only 1.93 per cent of the total positive cases.

A total number of 26 thousand 291 new cases have been reported in the country in the last 24 hours taking the cumulative positive cases to over one crore 13 lakh.

 The National Vaccination Day, also called the National Immunization Day, is celebrated every year on March 16 to convey the importance of vaccination to the entire nation. The day was first observed in the year 1995, the year on which India started Pulse Polio Programme. This year, the National Vaccination Day is important as the country has started its biggest Covid-19 immunization programme early this year and has already crossed the 30 million mark.

According to the World Health Organization, immunization is a ‘health and development success story. It is the process through which an individual’s immune system becomes fortified against foreign harm causing agent.

The vaccines train a person’s immune system to create antibodies. The vaccines are killed or weakened form of germs like viruses or bacteria that cannot cause disease but make antibodies that will safeguard the body when an active and strong form of the disease attacks the body.

The National Vaccination day started with the aim of curbing Polio plaguing the world. The day was observed to better awareness about the disease and how it can be eradicated from the planet. About 172 million children are immunized during each National Immunization Day, said the website of the National Health Programme.

Under the Pulse Polio Programme, two drops of the oral vaccine were given to all children younger than five years of age. The programme worked effectively as on 27 March 2014, India was certified as a polio-free country along with 11 other countries of the South-East Asia Region of the World Health Organisation (WHO). These countries were Bangladesh, Bhutan, Indonesia, Maldives, Myanmar, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Timor-Leste, and Thailand. In India, the last case of polio patients was reported on 13 January 2011. Since then, vaccine has become an important preventive mechanism for difficult diseases like Tetanus, TB, DPT, Measles, Rotavirus, Mumps, etc. and even the coronavirus.