The Centre has invited the protesting farmer’ unions for talks today to end the impasse over the three farm laws. This will be the sixth round of talk between the government and farmers to end the deadlock. The Centre has written to the 40 protesting farmers’ unions and invited them for talks.

Apart from the farm laws, discussions will be held on MSP and on legislations related to air quality and the electricity. The government has reiterated that it is  committed to finding a logical solution on all relevant issues raised by the farmers with a clear intention and an open mind. The invite for the resumption of talks came following a proposal made by the farmers’ unions to hold discussion on 29th December.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while flagging off the 100th Kisan Rail from Sangola in Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal, said that his government’s policies are clear and intentions transparent in reforming the agriculture sector. He asserted that the NDA government will continue to work to strengthen farmers and agri sector with full force and dedication.

World Health Organization’s senior officials have  warned that the Coronavirus is not necessarily the big one, and that there is a real chance of another, more serious pandemic spreading across the world.
 
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, the UN agency is learning new things about the virus every day, including the ability of new variants to spread, make people sick, or have a potential impact on available tests, treatments or vaccines.
 
Dr. Tedros singled out work taking place in the UK and South Africa, where scientists are carrying out epidemiologic and laboratory studies, which will guide the agency’s next steps.
 
WHO’s head of Emergencies Programme Dr. Mike Ryan said, the next pandemic may be more severe, we need get our act together, because we live on a fragile planet, and in an increasingly complex society.

Minister for Railways Piyush Goyal has said that Railways should gear up to ensure all last mile connectivity as it speeds up the problem progress of Dedicated Freight Corridors, DFCs in the country.

Reviewing the progress of upcoming DFCs, Mr Goyal asked the officials to continue to engage and coordinate with all the stake holders in ensuring that remaining sections of land acquisitions are also completed at earliest.

The Minister also suggested the formation of dedicated management teams, led by a senior official for each project of Railways, for day to day effective monitoring and resolution of the project issues.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the 351 kilometer long ‘New Bhaupur- New Khurja section’ of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor, EDFC today. During the event, Mr Modi will also inaugurate EDFC’s Operation Control Centre at Prayagraj.

Dedicated Freight Corridor Corporation of India is constructing the Western DFC, 1504 Route kilometer and Eastern DFC, 1856 route kilometer including  Sonnagar-Dankuni PPP Section.

In Melbourne Cricket Test, team India trounced Australia by 8 wickets and level the four test series 1-1. 

Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara got out cheaply.

After initial hiccup, Shubman Gill and stand in skipper Ajinkya Rahane kept their cool and reached the target of 70 runs with ease.
For Australia Micheal Starc and Pat cumins claimed one wicket each. 

Earlier the hosts bowled out for 200 in their second innings before lunch.

For  India, Ravichandran Ashwin and Jasprit Bumrah and Jadeja  bagged two wickets each while debutant Mohammad Siraj stood out with three wickets and  Umesh Yadav claimed one.

The country’s COVID-19 recovery rate has reached to 95.83 per cent. During the last 24 hours, more than 21 thousand COVID patients have recovered.

Health Ministry said, the total number of recoveries has gone up to over 97 lakh 82 thousand.

The actual caseload currently comprises only 2.72 per cent of the total positive cases. Presently, the total number of active cases in the country is around two lakh 77 thousand.

During the past 24 hours, 20 thousand 21 new cases were reported taking the total number of positive cases in the country to over one crore two lakh.

The Ministry said, that effective implementation of the strategic and graded Test, Track and Treat approach has led to higher recoveries and lower fatality.

Currently, India’s Case Fatality Rate is at 1.45 per cent, which is one of the lowest globally. During the last 24 hours, 279 deaths were reported taking the toll to one lakh 47 thousand 901.

According to Indian Council of Medical Research, more than seven lakh 15 thousand tests were conducted during the last 24 hours.

The total number of samples tested so far has reached 16 crore 88 lakh.

The Central Government has invited the protesting farmer unions for talks tomorrow to end the impasse over the three farm laws.

This will be the sixth round of talks between the government and farmers to end the deadlock.

The Centre had written to the 40 protesting farmer unions and invited them for talks.

Apart from the farm laws, discussions will be held on MSP and on legislations related to air quality and the electricity.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has flagged off the 100th Kisan Rail from Sangola in Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal through video conferencing on Monday.

In his address, Mr Modi said, Kisan Rail service is a measure to increase the income of the farmers and it will bring a big change in the economy related to farming.

He said, it will also increase the strength of country’s cold supply chain. The Prime Minister said, it shows the commitment of the government to serve the farmers.

He said, it is also proof, how fast our farmers are ready for new possibilities. Mr Modi said, Kisan Rail and Krishi Udan have a big role for farmers so that they can sell their crops in others states. 

He said, new technologies are being incorporated into Indian agriculture. The Prime Minister said, government is giving priority to storage linked infrastructure and processing industries associated with value addition in farming products.

The Prime Minister said, a facility like Kisan Rail has given millions of small farmers of West Bengal a huge facility.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the New Bhaupur-New Khurja section of Eastern Dedicated Freight Corridor, EDFC  at 11 AM today  through video conferencing.

The 351-kilometre New Bhaupur- New Khurja section of EDFC is situated in Uttar Pradesh and is built at a cost of Rs. 5,750 crore.

The section will open new vistas of opportunity for the local industries such as aluminium industry in Kanpur Dehat district, dairy sector in Auraiya, textile production in Etawah, glassware industry in Firozabad and locks and hardware in Aligarh district.

The section will decongest the existing Kanpur-Delhi main line and will enable Indian Railways to run faster trains.

During the event, the Prime Minister will also inaugurate EDFC’s Operation Control Centre (OCC) at Prayagraj.

This will act as the command centre for the entire route length of the EDFC.

The Centre is one of the largest structures of its type globally, with modern interiors, ergonomic design and best-in-class acoustics.

Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has extended the validity of vehicular documents such as driving licenses (DLs), registration certificates (RCs) and Permits till 31st of March 2021 in the light of need to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

The Ministry issued a directive to the States and Union Territory administrations in this regard on Sunday.

The Ministry had earlier issued advisories on 30th March, 9th June and 24th August this year regarding extension of validity of documents related to Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989.

It was advised that the validity of Fitness, Permit (all types), License, Registration or any other concerned documents may be treated to be valid till 31st of December this year.

The advisory said, taking into consideration the need to prevent the spread of COVID-19 , it is further advised that the validity of all of the above referred documents may be treated to be valid till 31st March 2021.

This covers all documents whose validity has expired since 1st Feb, 2020 or would expire by 31st March 2021.

All the States and Union Territories have been requested to implement this advisory in letter and spirit so that the citizens, the transporters and various other organizations which are operating under this difficult time during Covid Pandemic may not get harassed or face difficulties.

India has scaled a significant peak in the fight against the global pandemic.

The daily new caseload of Covid 19 has dropped below 19 thousand after six months.

The Union Health Ministry said, India’s total active caseload has fallen to around two lakh 78 thousand, which is the lowest after 170 days.

The country has reported a trend of sustained decrease in the number of active cases.

India’s present active caseload consists of 2.74 per cent of India’s Total Positive Cases.

During the last 24 hours, more than 21 thousand people recovered and discharged.

The country’s COVID-19 recovery rate has also reached 95.82 per cent.

External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar met business leaders in Qatar and highlighted the investment opportunities in India.
 
Dr. S Jaishankar reached Doha on Sunday on a two-day visit to the Gulf nation.
 
He began his trip with the India-Qatar Business Roundtable.
 
The External Affairs Minister appreciated the commitment for strengthening business partnerships between the two countries.
 
In a tweet, Dr. S Jaishankar said, he briefed them about new opportunities flowing from ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’.
 
He thanked chairperson of Qatar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (QCCI)  Sheikh Khalifa and Chairman of Qatari Businessmen Association (QBA) Sheikh Faisal.
 
Dr. Jaishankar also visited the Qatar National Musuem where he learned about the historical connections between India and Qatar.
 
In a tweet, the Minister said, Gujarat was an important door for commerce and contacts.
 
Later in the day, Dr. Jaishankar virtually interacted with the Indian community in the country and appreciated their contribution to meet the COVID-19 challenge.
 
He also urged their participation in the development of a “New India.
 
During the visit, the External Affairs Minister will hold detailed discussions with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani on strengthening bilateral relationship.
 
He will hold talks with his counterpart on bilateral issues as well as regional and international issues of mutual interest.
 
The Minister will also convey special gratitude to the State of Qatar for taking care of Indians during the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
This is Dr. S Jaishankar’s first visit to the country as External Affairs Minister.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will flag off the 100th Kisan Rail from Sangola in Maharashtra to Shalimar in West Bengal at 4:30 pm today through video conferencing.

The multi-commodity train service will carry vegetables such as cauliflower, capsicum, cabbage, drumsticks, chillies, onion, as well as fruits like grapes, oranges, pomegranate, banana and custard apple.

Loading and unloading of perishable commodities will be permitted at all enroute stoppages with no bar on size of consignment.

The Central Government has extended a subsidy of 50 per cent on transportation of fruits and vegetables.

Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar and Railways Minister Piyush Goyal will also be present on the occasion.

AIR correspondent reports that the first Kisan Rail was introduced from Devlali to Danapur on 7th of August this year, which was further extended upto Muzaffarpur.

As a result of good response from the farmers, its frequency was also increased from weekly to three days in a week.

Kisan Rail has been a game changer in ensuring fast transportation of agriculture produce across the nation.

It provides a seamless supply chain of perishable produce.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate India’s first-ever driverless train operations on Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line at 11 AM today through video conferencing.

These innovations will herald a new era of travelling comfort and enhanced mobility.

The Prime Minister will also inaugurate the fully operational National Common Mobility Card service on the Airport Express Line.

This will enable anyone carrying a RuPay – Debit Card issued from any part of the country to travel on the Airport Express Line using that card.

This facility will become available on the entire Delhi Metro network by 2022.

AIR correspondent reports that the Delhi Metro currently operates on a network of about 390 kilometres with 285 stations.

Delhi Metro has been a pioneer in introducing technology driven solutions for passenger comfort and this is another step in the same direction.

With the commencement of driverless trains, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will enter the elite league of seven percent of world’s Metro networks which can operate without drivers.

The driverless metro trains will be fully automated, which will eliminate the possibility of human error.

After the start of driverless services on the Magenta Line between Janakpuri West to Botanical Garden, the Pink Line of Delhi Metro between Majlis Park and Shiv Vihar is expected to have driverless operations by the mid of next year. 

The World football’s governing body, FIFA has cancelled Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups that were scheduled to be played next year due to a coronavirus pandemic. These World Cups will now be played in 2023, with Indonesia still hosting the Under-20s and Peru the Under-17s.

The Bureau of the FIFA Council said, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present challenges for the hosting of international sporting events and to have a restrictive effect on international travel. The governing body said, it became clear that the global situation has failed to normalize to a sufficient level to address the challenges associated with hosting both tournaments, including the feasibility of the relevant qualification pathways.

In Europe, more cases of the new Covid variant have been found. Spain is the latest European country to confirm four cases of the more contagious coronavirus variant recently identified in the UK. Madrid deputy health chief Antonio Zapatero said, the infections – all in Madrid – were linked to recent UK travel.

Other countries have also reported cases of the new variant. Japan on Friday confirmed five infections in passengers who had all arrived from the UK, while cases in Denmark, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Australia were reported earlier.

The report from Spain came just hours after France confirmed its first patient known to have the new variant.