The Rajya Sabha was adjourned till 1 PM amid the protest and sloganeering by Congress MPs over the issue of rise in fuel and LPG prices. As the House met after the first adjournment at 11 AM, the Leader of Opposition, Mallikarjun Kharge demanded to discuss the issue which was rejected by the Deputy Chairman of Rajya Sabha Harivansh saying that the matter cannot be discussed. As the pandemonium continued, the Upper House was adjourned till 1 PM.

Earlier, on the first day of the second leg of the Budget Session, Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge raised the issue of rise in fuel and LPG prices saying that people are suffering due to the price rise. He said, petrol prices have reached to 100 rupees per litre and diesel price has touched 80 rupees per litre in the country. He said, LPG prices have also gone up and excise duties have been increased manifold which resulted in collection of more than 21 Lakh crore rupees. 

Afterwards, Congress demanded a discussion on the issue and started a protest. The Congress MPs came into the well and started sloganeering. Chairman of Rajya Sabha, M. Venkaiah Naidu urged the members to return to their seats saying that he does not want to take any drastic step on the first day.

Health Ministry along with NITI Aayog reviews COVID-19 situation of States, UTs  Health and Family Welfare Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and Member Health of NITI Aayog Dr. Vinod K. Paul interacted with Health Secretaries and officials of Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Chandigarh. 

During the interaction, ongoing public health measures and management strategies have been discussed. It was pointed out that Delhi, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Chandigarh pose concern as several districts are witnessing rising cases. States and Union Territories were asked to ramp up the testing, refocus on surveillance and stringent containment mechanism, accelerate vaccination and promotion of COVID Appropriate Behaviour. It has also been asked to collaborate with the private hospitals to open up vaccination time-table for a minimum of 15 days and maximum of 28 days at a time.

In Badminton, Olympic Silver Medallist PV Sindhu will take on top seed and Rio Olympics gold medallist Carolina Marin in the summit clash of the Women’s Singles final at the Swiss Open tournament in Basel today. It will the first meeting between the two in over two years. Sindhu defeated fourth seed Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark 22-20, 21-10 in the semi-final last evening.

In Men’s Singles semi-final, former Champion Kidambi Srikanth lost to top seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 13-21, 19-21.

In Men’s Doubles, World number 10 Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty also bowed out after losing 10-21, 17-21 to sixth-seeded Danish pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the semi-finals.

The cumulative number of COVID19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 2.06 crore. Health Ministry said that so far 2 crore 6 lakh 62 thousand and 73 vaccine doses have been given to the beneficiaries.

These include 69 lakh 72 thousand 859 Healthcare workers who have taken the 1st dose and 35 lakh 22 thousand 671 Healthcare workers who have taken the second dose. Besides, 65 lakh 2 thousand 869 Frontline workers took the first dose and over one lakh 97 thousand received the second dose.  

4 lakh 60 thousand 782 beneficiaries above 60 years of age and over 30 lakh beneficiaries aged 45 and above with specific co-morbidities received the vaccine. Over 11 lakh 64 thousand vaccine doses were given till 7 pm yesterday on the fiftieth day of nationwide COVID19 vaccination.

The countrywide vaccination drive was rolled out on 16th of January and vaccination of the Frontline Workers started from 2nd February 2021.

The next phase of COVID-19 vaccination has commenced from 1st of this month for those who are over 60 years of age and for people aged 45 and above with specified co-morbid conditions.

Campaigning is gaining momentum for Assembly elections in West Bengal, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry. Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a mega rally at Brigade Parade ground in Kolkata at 2 PM today. According to the BJP, Mr Modi’s rally is seen as the culmination of Parivartan yatra which was launched by the party in February.

This will be the first election rally to be addressed by the Prime Minister after poll notification for West Bengal was issued. West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said, Mr Modi will set the tone of the election campaign at the rally, which will be attended by the party workers from across the state.

Prime Minister is scheduled to hold more than 20 rallies in Bengal during Assembly elections. Elections for the West Bengal Assembly will be held in eight phases beginning with polling for 30 seats on March 27.

TMC leader and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will be taking part in a rally at Siliguri. Allies of Sanyukt Morcha- Congress, left parties and Indian Secular Front had their first joint programme since the announcement of the alliance in Kolkata yesterday where senior leaders Biman Basu of the CPIM and Abdul Mannan of the Congress took part.

Door-to-door campaigning is also expected to gain momentum as most parties have announced their candidates of the first two phases.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address the ‘Janaushadhi Diwas’ celebrations at 10 AM today via video conferencing. Prime Minister will dedicate to the nation the seven thousand 500th Janaushadhi Kendra at NEIGRIHMS, Shillong during the event.

Mr Modi will interact with beneficiaries of Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana and also give awards to stakeholders by recognizing their excellent work. Union Minister for Chemicals and Fertilizers will also be present on the occasion.

AIR correspondent reports that Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana endeavours to provide quality medicines at an affordable price. The number of stores under the scheme has grown to 7,499, with all districts of the country covered. Sales in the current financial year has led to total savings of nearly three thousand 600 crore rupees for common citizens.

The cost of medicines sold at Janaushadhi Kendra’s is cheaper by 50 per cent to 90 per cent than their corresponding market rates.

The first week of March is being celebrated as ‘Janaushadhi Week’ across the nation, with the theme of ‘Jan Aushadhi – Seva Bhi, Rozgar Bhi’ with the last day being observed as ‘Janaushadhi Diwas.

All India Radio Delhi will broadcast live the function on its FM Gold and Indraprastha Channels from 10 AM. The broadcast will also be live-streamed on AIR Live News 24×7 and Akashwani AIR YouTube Channels.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has stressed the need to develop Indian military into a future force in the backdrop of fast changing technological landscape. Addressing the valedictory session of the Combined Commanders’ Conference at Kevadia in Gujarat, the Prime Minister asked the three services to get rid of systems and practices that are no longer relevant.

The Prime Minister called for a holistic approach focused on breaking down civil-military silos and emphasised the need to expedite decision-making. Mr Modi also stressed the importance of enhancing indigenisation in the national security system, not just in sourcing equipment and weapons but also in the doctrines, procedures and customs practised in the armed forces.

The Prime Minister also laid stress on optimising manpower planning. Sharing pictures from the conference on social media platform, Mr Modi said there is a need to make India Aatmanirbhar in the defence sector.

The Prime Minister appreciated the resolute dedication shown by the armed forces over the past year, while dealing with the challenging situation on the northern border and also the Covid-19 pandemic. Prime Minister was briefed by the Chief of Defence Staff about the discussions during this year’s conference.

The Prime Minister expressed his appreciation for the structure and agenda of the conference and particularly appreciated the inclusion of Junior Commissioned Officers and Non Commissioned Officers in this year’s meeting.

Prime Minister pointed out that the country will be celebrating 75 years of its independence next year, and called upon the armed forces to use the occasion to undertake activities and initiatives that will inspire the youth of the country.

The three-day conference, a premier brain-storming event of the Military Commanders from the three Services culminated yesterday.

During the three-day conference, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the military commanders and a team of Secretary-level officers from the Ministry of Defence participated in deliberations. 

Health Ministry along with NITI Aayog reviews COVID-19 situation of States, UTs  Health and Family Welfare Secretary Rajesh Bhushan and Member Health of NITI Aayog Dr. Vinod K. Paul interacted with Health Secretaries and officials of Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Chandigarh. 

During the interaction, ongoing public health measures and management strategies have been discussed. It was pointed out that Delhi, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Chandigarh pose concern as several districts are witnessing rising cases. States and Union Territories were asked to ramp up the testing, refocus on surveillance and stringent containment mechanism, accelerate vaccination and promotion of COVID Appropriate Behaviour. It has also been asked to collaborate with the private hospitals to open up vaccination time-table for a minimum of 15 days and maximum of 28 days at a time.

Bharatiya Janata Party has pitted Subhendu Adhikari against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Nandigram seat in the ensuing State Assembly elections.

Mr Adhikari, who used to be the key aide of Ms Banerjee, joined the BJP few months back. Former cricketer Ashok Dinda will be the party candidate from Moyna while former IPS officer Bharati Ghosh will contest from Debra seat.

The Party today released the first list of 56 candidates for the State Assembly elections.

Announcing the names of the candidates in New Delhi, BJP General Secretary Arun Singh said that the party has left Baghmundi Assembly seat to its ally AJSU. The BJP has fielded Sudeep Mukherjee from Purulia, Tapan Bhuiya from Kharagpur and Shamita Dash from Medinipur Assembly Constituency. 

In Madhya Pradesh, President Ram Nath Kovind has said that the objective of the judicial system is not merely to resolve disputes, but also to uphold justice. This could be implemented by removing obstacles like delay in the delivery of justice. He was speaking at the inauguration of the All India State Judicial Academies Directors’ Retreat at Jabalpur today during his two-day visit.

The President further said that to provide speedy delivery of justice, it is essential that besides extensive judicial training, there is need to introduce the use of technology in our judicial processes. Due to the increasing number of cases, it becomes necessary to understand the issues in correct perspectives and take accurate decisions in a short time. 

AIR correspondent reports, the President was happy to note that the use of technology in the judicial system has increased rapidly. More than 18 thousand courts have been computerized in the country and around 76 lakh cases were heard in virtual courts across the country during the lockdown period. For the first time in the country, the Judicial Academies of all the states have been coming on one platform and discussing for improvement in the judicial process. 

The Chief Justice of India Sharad Arvind Bobde also called it an exemplary initiative and emphasized the need for all-round development of his personality along with judicial education to the judges. President also performed the Narmada Aarti at Gwarighat on the banks of the river Narmada and attended a cultural programme organised in the Madhya Pradesh High Court premises. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the Valedictory Session of the Combined Commanders’ Conference at the Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat today.

AIR correspondent reports that during the three-day conference, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the military commanders and a team of Secretary-level officers from the Ministry of Defence participated in deliberations. Official sources said, Jawans and Junior Commissioned Officers also participated in the conference for the first time. 

The Combined Commanders’ Conference, which is a premier brainstorming event of the military officials, is taking place after three years.

According to the sources, the scope of this year’s conference was expanded to make it a multi-layered, interactive, informal and informed event with the added participation of about 30 officers and soldiers of various ranks from the three services.

In Badminton, Olympic Silver Medallist PV Sindhu has entered the Women’s Singles final of the Swiss Open tournament at Basel. She defeated fourth seed Mia Blichfeldt of Denmark 22-20, 21-10 in semi-final this evening.

In Men’s Singles semi-final, former Champion Kidambi Srikanth lost to top seed Viktor Axelsen of Denmark 13-21, 19-21.

In Men’s Doubles, World No 10 pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty will face sixth seeded Danish pair of Kim Astrup and Anders Skaarup Rasmussen in the semi-final today. The Indian pair progressed to the last four after defeating Malaysian combine of Ong Yew Sin and Teo Ee Yi. 

In Cricket, India defeated England by an innings and 25 runs in the fourth and final test played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad this evening.

With this win, India clinched the four-match series 3-1 and sealed a place in the final of the inaugural edition of the World Test Championship. Rishabh Pant with his formidable innings of 101 runs and Washington Sundar who scored unbeaten 96 runs set up the huge win for the hosts after they bowled the visitors for 205 in their first innings. Ravichandran Ashwin and Axar Patel picked up five-wicket hauls in the second innings to help India bundle England out for 135. Dan Lawrence put up a half-century for the visitors.

Earlier, India started day three at 294 for seven and Axar Patel along with Sundar continued to score freely in the first hour. The duo put on 106 runs for the eighth wicket before a mix-up in the middle ended Axar’s stay. He was run out on 43. India made 365 runs in their first innings. While Rishabh Pant was declared Player of the Match, Player of the series award went to Ravichandran Ashwin.

Final scores:
  England   –  205 & 135
  India  –  365

Both teams will now shift their focus to the shortest format of the game as they will play five Twenty20 Internationals at the same venue, starting from 12th of this month.

With a comprehensive 3-1 Test series win over England, Team India has reclaimed the top spot in the latest ICC Test Team Rankings. Virat Kohli and Company jumped to the first position with 122 rating, while New Zealand are at second with 118. 

India’s total vaccine supply under the Vaccine Maitri initiative has reached 461.66 lakh doses. Briefing media this evening, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Anurag Srivastava said, of this, 71.5 lakh doses have been delivered through grant and 288.4 lakh doses on commercial terms. In total, India has delivered vaccines to 47 countries and to UN healthcare workers as well. Mr Srivastava said, Vaccine Maitri initiative has been guided by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement that India’s delivery and production capacity will be used for the benefit of mankind.

The spokesperson also said that Phase 10 of the Vande Bharat Mission is currently operational. Under this phase, more than 1350 international flights are scheduled to be operated from 28 countries. This will facilitate an estimated 2 lakh 60 thousand people. Of these, nearly 920 flights are from GCC countries, around 150 from US and Canada, around 120 from UK and Europe, around 100 from South East Asia and around 50 from India’s neighbourhood.

On multiple reports suggesting personnel from Myanmar police have crossed over to India in Mizoram and are seeking refuge, Mr Srivastava said, the facts are being ascertained as of now.

Defence Research and Development Organisation has successfully carried out a flight demonstration based on Solid Fuel Ducted Ramjet technology from Integrated Test Range Chandipur off the coast of Odisha. Defence Ministry said, all the subsystems, including the booster motor and nozzle-less motor, performed as expected. During the test, many new technologies were proven, including Solid Fuel based Ducted Ramjet technology.

Successful demonstration of Solid Fuel based Ducted Ramjet technology has provided DRDO with a technological advantage which will enable it to develop long range air-to-air missiles. At present, such technology is available only with a handful of countries in the world.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the scientists of DRDO, Indian Air Force and the Industry on the successful flight test of SFDR.