India has achieved a remarkable feat yesterday by performing more than seven lakh tests of coronavirus samples in a single day.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today inaugurate and dedicate to the nation submarine Optical Fibre Cable (OFC) connecting Chennai and Port Blair through video conferencing.

Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal has exhorted the traders community to fully contribute towards the Aatmanirbhar Bharat campaign.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today launched one lakh crore rupees Agriculture Infrastructure Fund under PM- Kisan scheme.

The India Meteorological Department has warned of heavy rain across the northwest region during the next two days.

The submarine cable will connect Port Blair to Swaraj Dweep (Havelock), Little Andaman, Car Nicobar, Kamorta, Great Nicobar, Long Island, and Rangat. This connectivity will enable delivery of faster and more reliable mobile and landline telecom services to Andaman & Nicobar Islands, at par with other parts of India. The foundation stone for this project was laid by the Hon’ble Prime Minister on 30th December 2018 at Port Blair.

Once inaugurated, the submarine OFC link will deliver bandwidth of 2 x 200 Gigabits per second (Gbps) between Chennai and Port Blair, and 2 x 100 Gbps between Port Blair and the other islands. Provision of reliable, robust, and high-speed telecom and Broadband facilities in these Islands will be a landmark achievement from the viewpoint of consumers, as well as for strategic and governance reasons. 4G mobile services, which were constrained due to limited backhaul bandwidth provided via satellite will also see a major improvement.

Enhanced telecom and Broadband connectivity will boost tourism and employment generation in the Islands, give an impetus to the economy and raise standards of living. Better connectivity will also facilitate delivery of e-Governance services such as telemedicine and tele-education. Small enterprises will benefit from opportunities in e-commerce, while educational institutions will utilize the enhanced availability of bandwidth for e-learning and knowledge sharing. Business Process Outsourcing services and other medium and large enterprises will also reap the benefits of better connectivity.

The project is funded by the Government of India through the Universal Service Obligation Fund (USOF) under the Department of Telecommunications, Ministry of Communications. Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited (BSNL) executed this project while Telecommunications Consultants India Limited (TCIL) are the Technical Consultants. About 2300 Kms of Submarine OFC cable has been laid at a cost of about Rs 1224 Crore.

Prime Minister Modi in his address to the Nation on May 12, 2020 had given a clarion call for a self-reliant India based on the five pillars, i.e., Economy, Infrastructure, System, Demography & Demand and announced a special economic package for Self-Reliant India named ‘Atmanirbhar Bharat’. Taking cue from that evocation, the Department of Military Affairs (DMA), Ministry of Defence (MoD) has prepared a list of 101 items for which there would be an embargo on the import beyond the timeline indicated against them, as indicated in the attached Annexure.

This is a big step towards self-reliance in defence. It also offers a great opportunity to the Indian defence industry to rise to the occasion to manufacture the items in the negative list by using their own design and development capabilities or adopting the technologies designed and developed by Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) to meet the requirements of the Armed Forces in the coming years.

The list is prepared by MoD after several rounds of consultations with all stakeholders, including Army, Air Force, Navy, DRDO, Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs), Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and private industry to assess current and future capabilities of the Indian industry for manufacturing various ammunition/weapons/platforms/equipment within India.

Almost 260 schemes of such items were contracted by the Tri-Services at an approximate cost of Rs 3.5 lakh crore between April 2015 and August 2020. With latest embargo on import of 101 items, it is estimated that contracts worth almost Rs four lakh crore will be placed upon the domestic industry within the next five to seven years. Of these, items worth almost Rs 1,30,000 crore each are anticipated for the Army and the Air Force while items worth almost Rs 1,40,000 crore are anticipated by the Navy over the same period.

The list of 101 embargoed items comprises of not just simple parts but also some high technology weapon systems like artillery guns, assault rifles, corvettes, sonar systems, transport aircrafts, light combat helicopters (LCHs), radars and many other items to fulfil the needs of our Defence Services. The list also includes, wheeled armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) with indicative import embargo date of December 2021, of which the Army is expected to contract almost 200 at an approximate cost of over Rs 5,000 crore. Similarly, the Navy is likely to place demands for submarines with indicative import embargo date of December 2021, of which it expects to contract about six at an approximate cost of almost Rs 42,000 crore. For the Air Force, it is decided to enlist the light combat aircraft LCA MK 1A with an indicative embargo date of December 2020. Of these, 123 are anticipated at an approximate cost of over Rs 85,000 crore. Hence, there are highly complex platforms that are included in the list of 101 items, of which details of three examples are given above.

The embargo on imports is planned to be progressively implemented between 2020 to 2024. The aim behind promulgation of the list is to apprise the Indian defence industry about the anticipated requirements of the Armed Forces so that they are better prepared to realise the goal of indigenisation.

Northern and Central parts of Bangladesh have been severely affected by the ongoing floods.

According to the latest bulletin issued by the Flood Forecast and Warning Centre (FFWC) at 9 a.m. on Sunday, only five rivers in the country were flowing above danger level. Since the last bulletin on Saturday, out of 101 points monitored by the FFWC, water level has risen at 17 points while it has declined at 80 observation points. 

In the Brahmaputra river basin, all the rivers showed a decline in the water level though some rivers including Gur, Atari, Dhaleswari, Kaliganga and Banshi are still running above the dangler level at several observation points.

In the Ganges river basin water level increased at 5 places but declined at 22 points. Ganga declined at 3 places while Padma water declined at all the four observation points monitored by the FFWC. Padma continues to be above danger level at Bhagyakul, Mawa, Goalundo and Sureswar, though the water level is declining.

In the Meghna river basin also only Meghna was flowing above danger level at one point. Water level in the Meghna basin increased at 8 points while it declined at 23 points. 

The floods have affected more than 54 lakh people in 33 districts of Bangladesh.

The Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief put the figure of death due to floods at 41, though several other reports quoting DGHS put the figure of people dying in flood related incidents at 161.

Prime Minister also released the sixth instalment of funds of Rs. 17,000 crore to 8.5 crore farmers under the PM-KISAN scheme.

The event was witnessed by lakhs of farmers, cooperatives, and citizens across the country. Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare, Narendra Singh Tomar, was present on the occasion.

The Union Cabinet has approved the Central Sector Scheme of financing facility under “Agriculture Infrastructure Fund” of Rs. 1 Lakh Crore. The Fund will catalyze the creation of post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets such as cold storage, collection centres, processing units, etc.

These assets will enable farmers to get greater value for their produce, as they will be able to store and sell at higher prices, reduce wastage, and increase processing and value addition. Rs. 1 Lakh Crore will be sanctioned under the financing facility in partnership with multiple lending institutions; 11 of the 12 Public Sector Banks have already signed MOUs with the DAC&FW. 3% interest subvention and credit guarantee of up to Rs 2 Crore will be provided to the beneficiaries to increase the viability of these projects.

The beneficiaries of the scheme will include farmers, PACS, Marketing Cooperative Societies, FPOs, SHGs, Joint Liability Groups (JLG), Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, Agri-entrepreneurs, Startups, and Central/State agency or Local Body sponsored Public-Private Partnership Projects.

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna (PM-KISAN) scheme, launched on 01 December 2018, has provided a direct cash benefit of over Rs. 75,000 Crore to more than 9.9 Crore farmers. This has enabled them to fulfil their agricultural requirements and support their families.

The rollout and implementation of the PM-KISAN scheme has happened at an unparalleled pace, with funds being directly transferred into the Aadhaar authenticated beneficiaries’ bank account to prevent leakage and increase convenience for farmers. The scheme has also been instrumental in supporting farmers during the Covid-19 pandemic, through the release of nearly Rs 22,000 Crore to aid the farmers during the lockdown period.

Woakes hung on after Buttler’s dismissal throughout the see-saw final proceedings on Day 4. At the end, it was an outside edge off Woakes’ bat off the two-over old second new ball that went between the Pakistani slip cordon to the boundary to bring up the winning runs.

It was Buttler and Woakes’ counter knock that stopped the Pakistani charge in the second session. The visitors looked capable of finishing the match within the first hour of the third session when England captain Joe Root, Dom Sibley, Ben Stokes and Ollie Pope all fell in a short period.

The pair continued their rampage after Tea and both soon raced to their respective half centuries. When Pakistan captain Azhar Ali pulled his field back to restrict the flow of boundaries, the batsmen started taking more singles and kept the pressure on the fielders.

The 100-run stand between the pair came up in 123 balls but then as the required runs went below 50, the run rate also went down. With that, the visitors started getting chances as well with Yasir getting an edge off Woakes that bounced just in front of Babar Azam at second slip.

Azhar then burnt two reviews in consecutive overs against Buttler and Woakes off Yasir and Shadab respectively. Eventually, Mohammad Rizwan’s chatter from behind the stumps indicated that Pakistan were looking to see out the old ball but the steady flow of singles meant that England’s deficit kept reducing with each passing over.

With three overs to go for the second new ball, Buttler gave an impetus to England’s cause with a six off Shadab deep into the stands behind cow corner. England’s deficit went into the 20s and the Pakistani shoulders drooped. But the twist came in the very next over with Buttler missing a reverse sweep off Yasir and the ball hitting his pads. The fielding side went up in appeal and the umpire raised his finger.

Buttler took one of the three reviews England had left. The delay it took for the producers to load up the ball tracker after checking for an edge didn’t help the collective tension at Old Trafford and once it did come up, it upheld the umpire’s call and Buttler had to walk on 75 off 101 balls.

Broad, who came next, lifted some of the pressure that the hosts may have been under with a four off the second ball he faced against Shadab Khan.

Pakistan took the new ball as soon as it was available and it was Shaheen Afridi who took it first up. He came closest when Woakes inside-edged an outswinger onto his pads but that was followed by a no-ball, two runs and then a boundary by Woakes straight down the ground.

In the next over, Yasir’s full delivery hit Broad on the toes plumb in front of the stumps. Dom Bess replaced him and saw out the rest of the over.

Afridi continued down the other end and bowled a ripper of a delivery, searing in at full length and swinging late. Woakes pushed across the line and the ball took his inside edge but it only ended up going between the Pakistani slip cordon for four. Woakes stood unbeaten on 84 as England registered a scintillating win.

Brief Scores: Pakistan: 326 and 169 vs England: 219 & 277/7 (Chris Woakes 84*, Jos Buttler 75; Yasir Shah 4/99)

‘We are witnessing a visionary period in the history of India’s court system. In today’s age of data-driven solutions and machine learning, ODR provides the potential to resolve a substantial percentage of disputes at the site of their occurrence without burdening the courts. Progressive and disruptive changes in justice delivery are critical components that can alter the course of access to justice in an unprecedented way,’ said Amitabh Kant, CEO, NITI Aayog.

Emphasizing that ODR can act as a complement to the court system, former Supreme Court Justice, B.N. Srikrishna said, ‘It will be an auxiliary of the court system, in the sense that it will prevent a large number of litigations that clutter the courts. A litigant does not need to travel from Kerala to Delhi to solve his dispute, he/she can resolve it through the electronic platform. Online Dispute Resolution can help deliver justice to the doorstep of the litigant.’

ODR is the resolution of disputes, particularly small- and medium-value cases, using digital technology and techniques of Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR), such as negotiation, mediation, and arbitration.

‘We must use this opportunity to actually reimagine dispute resolution and conflict resolution for the future, for the 21st century, and post the Covid-19 pandemic,’ stressed Cyril Shroff, Managing Partner, Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas. He went on to say that the opportunity here was not just to use technology to optimize the old way of doing things, but also to use our imagination and create the right alliances, to bring in transformation.

Ease of Doing business has been a priority area of the government for combating deceleration in the growth of GDP and investment. ‘As a part of this, we need to focus on improving the enforcing contracts mechanism in India through innovative methods like Online Dispute Resolution. It has extensive application and can be used to resolve a wide variety of commercial disputes’, said Sanjiv Bajaj, Vice President, CII, and Chairman and Managing Director, Bajaj Finance. He added, ‘Recognising the essence of ODR, CII has been undertaking a plethora of initiatives such as setting up a CII Centre for Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR).’

Through this Centre, CII plans to impart training and undertake analysis through research papers, seminars and conferences, and interact with various national and international arbitration forums and other stakeholders in promoting arbitration, thereby reducing time and cost to litigation, and advocating harmony in the legislature, executive and the judiciary.

The esteemed panellists agreed to adopt and institutionalize ODR, and to ensure efforts are taken to scale online dispute resolution in India. To this end, Ajay Bahl, Chairman Judicial Reforms Committee CII and Founding Partner of AZB & Partners, said, ‘We must promote ODR and if there is anything that is a constraint in law or procedures, that reduces its efficacy, it must be eliminated.’

Speaking on the impact of ODR on business, Shilpa Kumar, Partner, Investments, Omidyar Network India, said: ‘LegalTech in general and ODR, in particular, can be a game-changer for citizens as well as Indian businesses, particularly MSMEs. One, it can help reduce the cost of dispute resolution in the face of rising cases and disputes. Two, it will allow citizens and consumers to raise any grievances they may have at the click of a button and have an independent third-party firm review and address their grievance. This can truly help businesses enhance consumer trust and improve customer retention. Three, in the medium-term, once ODR firms have collected enough data around disputes, it can start feeding back into business decisions regarding the product and service being offered. This will help businesses sharpen their offerings besides improving access to dispute resolution.’

Elaborating on the role conglomerates can play with respect to ODR, Poornima Sampath, Vice President (Legal), Tata Sons, mentioned that they need to facilitate online ombudsperson platforms to resolve disputes at the pre-litigation stage. This may be easier to use in consumer matters but can be adapted for vendors and other business partners. This will protect the brand and result in decongesting the courts.

Manish Sabharwal, Chairman, TeamLease, said, ‘Online dispute resolution can be very substantive for India as it will bring the labor market outsiders back into the labor force. People who prefer flexibility, gig economy and those who can’t commute will be greatly benefitted.’

While courts are becoming digitized through the efforts of the judiciary, more effective, scalable, and collaborative mechanisms of containment and resolution are urgently needed. ODR can help resolve disputes efficiently and affordably.

However, to enable ODR to reach its full potential will require an incredible public-private collaboration, said Sachin Malhan, co-founder, Agami. ‘ODR startups themselves will be a critical stakeholder in this because they are the ones working on the actual solutions to the different use case categories,’ he added.

Covid-19 has instilled an urgent need for ODR that requires decisive action, with the likelihood of a spurt in disputes before the courts—most notably in lending, credit, property, commerce, and retail. In the coming months, ODR could be the mechanism that helps businesses with achieving expedient resolution. ‘If there was ever a solution that was arranged for India, or a technology problem that was ever made for India, then it is ODR. We have the minds, the know-how and the volume of data to make it successful,’ said Deep Kalra, CEO, Make My Trip.

A multi-stakeholder exercise will be undertaken in the coming weeks to enable ODR in India in a sustainable, efficient, and collaborative manner. Desh Gaurav Sekhri, OSD, NITI Aayog, said: ‘We need to enable an ecosystem that is conducive for the entire landscape of stakeholders being active participants to make sure ODR becomes a point of first contact for dispute avoidance, containment and resolution.’

In an online interaction at a CII summit, Jaishankar said there are "problems" between the two countries which are "well laid out".

He was replying to a question on whether India and China will be able to become friends in the next 10-20 years just like the way France and Germany overcame their past to forge a new relationship.

Jaishankar did not give a direct reply, but briefly delved into broader historical aspects of the relationship.

"We are neighbours of China. China is already the second largest economy in the world. We will be one day third. You can argue when. We are demographically two very unique countries. We are the only two countries in the billion plus (population) category," he said.

"The period of our difficulties were similar which really started at least vis-a-vis the Europeans around the same timeframe," he said.

The external affairs minister said the period of re-emergence of the two countries in a very strong way in international politics is also not that far apart.

"We are seeing a sort of parallel but differential rise of the two countries. But all of this is also happening when we are neighbours. To my mind what it does is, it puts a huge premium on reaching some kind of equilibrium or understanding between the two," he said.

"Because not just in my interest, equally in their interests, and how to do that, I think is, one of the big challenges that we face. In their own way, somebody at their end would be saying something," he added.

India and China are currently locked in a bitter border row in eastern Ladakh.

"And I would argue that the world actually has a lot riding on us given our size and given our impact that would be the case. It is not an easy question to answer.There are problems; problems are well laid out. But certainly I feel, you know, (it) is very central to our foreign policy calculations," Jaishankar said.

Referring to evolving geo-politics, the external affairs minister also mentioned how the era of western dominance is diluting in the wake of rebalancing of global power with the rise of countries like India and China.

About the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), a free trade agreement, Jaishankar said trade pacts should serve the national economic growth and suggested that it would be a key condition on India's decision whether to go for such agreements.

Talking about India's foreign policy, the external affairs minister said the country will continue to strive for a just and equitable world as not advocating for international rules and norms could lead to the "law of the jungle".

He also touched upon a range of key geo-political issues like changing character of global alliances, how technology and connectivity are becoming key parameters of global power and India's strategic autonomy in foreign policy and importance it commands for its values and ethical approach.

Highlighting centrality of India's foreign policy, Jaishankar said the country is recognised for moral leadership globally and that it strongly stands for its quest for a more just and equitable world with strong commitment for international laws and norms.

If we do not advocate for a world which is based on law and norms, "then frankly, it will be the law of the jungle," the external affairs minister said adding virtues of Lord Buddha and Mahatma Gandhi are still recognised globally.

"We have an ability to handle, manage and internalise diversity in a very very unique way," said Jaishankar.

Referring to current geo-politics, changing dimension of alliances and diplomacy, he pitched for a less dogmatic and much more open minded and pragmatic approach in dealing with various countries and situations.

Jaishankar said though military and economic powers used to symbolise global clout in the past, technology and connectivity are becoming new parameters of power and influence.

"Technology has never been politically neutral," he said, adding India has to be prepared to deal with new realities of the changing world order.

Gopal Baglay further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is keen on promoting Buddhism ties, and has placed a “specific focus” on initiating related projects, not only in the area of tourism but also other sectors such as archaeology.

Prime Minister Rajapaksa expressed condolences to all those impacted by the Air India crash on Friday. He also said he was happy to receive Prime Minister Modi’s call on Thursday, even before the final results of elections were declared.

In addition to ongoing projects, High Commissioner Baglay said India would also be happy to assist Sri Lanka on areas such as water and sanitation. Prime Minister Rajapaksa said irrigation is another important area on which the two countries can collaborate.

Indian Government has decided to declare the Kushinagar airport an international airport in June. This is particularly significant to Sri Lanka’s Buddhist pilgrims since the airport is located near a number of sites sacred to Buddhists.

Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said, besides the 15 bodies recovered on Friday, 11 more bodies were retrieved on Saturday.

Of these, three are yet to be identified.

He said, besides two teams of the NDRF, police and fire service personnel are also engaged in the operations.

The 74-year-old Sri Lanka People's Party (SLPP) leader, who polled over 500,000 individual preference votes -- the highest ever recorded by a candidate in the history of elections -- will take the oath of office for the ninth Parliament at the sacred Rajamaha Viharaya in Kelaniya, a north Colombo suburb, according to an official statement.

The SLPP, led by Mahinda, registered a landslide victory in the general election, securing two-thirds majority in Parliament needed to amend the Constitution to further consolidate the powerful Rajapaksa family's grip on power.

It won in 145 constituencies, bagging a total of 150 seats with its allies, a two-thirds majority in the 225-member Parliament. It polled 6.8 million votes (59.9 per cent).

The Cabinet of Ministers will be sworn-in on Monday, followed by the swearing-in of the state and deputy ministers, media reported.

The new government has decided to restrict the size of the Cabinet to 26, though it can be increased up to 30 in terms of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

The Rajapaksa family -- including SLPP founder and its National Organiser Basil Rajapaksa, who is the younger brother of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa with the eldest being Mahinda -- has dominated Sri Lankan politics for two decades. Mahinda previously served as the president for nearly a decade from 2005 to 2015.

President Gotabaya had won the November presidential election on the SLPP ticket.

In the parliamentary election, he was seeking 150 seats mandatory to execute constitutional changes, including to repeal the 19th Amendment to the Constitution which had curbed the presidential powers while strengthening the role of Parliament.

Reacting on the prospects of amending the Constitution, SLPP Chairman G L Peiris on Friday said it would only be carried out after much thought and consideration.

Clearly, some amendments are required. It cannot continue in this manner when it comes to governing the country, he told reporters.

After President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was elected, the 19A Amendment prevented him from dissolving Parliament to make way for a government which could support his programme of work while former opposition MPs urged that the dissolved Parliament be re-convened, he said.

From the results of the general election, it is evident that the government, people needed after the new President was elected, was quite different to that of the previous Parliament.

These things should be changed. If needed, the new government has the power to amend the Constitution, Peiris said.

When asked whether the Independent Commissions would be abolished, he said there was no such need.

"The intention of the Independent Commissions is to maintain apolitical institutions with appointments made by the Constitutional Council which should also be independent. Anyone can see that these purposes had not been served. To achieve these targets, some reforms are necessary, Peiris added.

Activists, already alarmed by the diminishing space for dissent and criticism in the island nation, fear such a move could lead to authoritarianism.

The biggest casualty from the election outcome was the United National Party (UNP) of former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe which managed to win only one seat. The country's grand old party failed to win a single seat from any of the 22 districts.

Its leader and four-time prime minister was unseated for the first time since he entered Parliament in 1977.

However the administration is working hard to resettle the flood affected people whose houses may have been damaged or washed away by the devastating flood and erosion. Most houses are full of mud with the flood water receding while drinking water is a big issue as lives returning back to normal. The flood water sunk the existing tube wells and the water becomes smelly making it undrinkable.

During this time the SDRF, NDRF along with the civil bodies main motive is to distribute every possible relief materials including sanitizers, phenyl, bleaching powder as the water dries leaving behind mud and dirt.

As per the ASDMA reports the Brahmaputra river is flowing above danger level mark at Nematighat in Jorhat. While the number of affected districts which are still under water includes Dhemaji, Baksa, Chirang, Kokrajhar, Kamrip(M) and Morigon.

The present population affected by the flood is less than 13 thousand while 201 inmates are still taking shelter in 2 relief camps.

The Union Cabinet has approved the Central Sector Scheme of financing facility under “Agriculture Infrastructure Fund” of Rs. 1 Lakh Crore. The Fund will catalyze the creation of post-harvest management infrastructure and community farming assets such as cold storage, collection centres, processing units, etc.These assets will enable farmers to get greater value for their produce, as they will be able to store and sell at higher prices, reduce wastage, and increase processing and value addition.Rs. 1 Lakh Crore will be sanctioned under the financing facility in partnership with multiple lending institutions; 11 of the 12 Public Sector Banks have already signed MOUs with the DAC&FW. 3% interest subvention and credit guarantee of up to Rs 2 Crore will be provided to the beneficiaries to increase the viability of these projects.The beneficiaries of the scheme will include farmers, PACS, Marketing Cooperative Societies, FPOs, SHGs, Joint Liability Groups (JLG), Multipurpose Cooperative Societies, Agri-entrepreneurs, Startups, and Central/State agency or Local Body sponsored Public-Private Partnership Projects.

The Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna (PM-KISAN) scheme, launched on 01 December 2018, has provided a direct cash benefit of overRs. 75,000 Crore to more than 9.9 Crore farmers.This has enabled them to fulfil their agricultural requirements and support their families. The rollout and implementation of the PM-KISAN scheme has happened at an unparalleled pace, with funds being directly transferred into the Aadhaar authenticated beneficiaries’ bank account to prevent leakage and increase convenience for farmers. The scheme has also been instrumental in supporting farmers during the Covid-19 pandemic, through the release of nearly Rs 22,000 Crore to aid the farmers during the lockdown period.

Additionally, SAI has got on board expert doctors from Manipal Hospital, who have also attended to the players. Dr. Avinash HR, who has been deputed by the state government and diagnosed the players on Saturday, said,

"The vitals of the players like temperature, oxygen levels have been monitored and all five players  have been found to be mild symptomatic cases. Except for one the other four players did not have a fever. They are doing fine and we have put them on immunity boosters and other support medicines." Routine investigations as per protocol will be conducted by doctors till their vitals are normal again.

To ensure that the five athletes have 24-hours access to the SAI authorities on campus, two SAI officers have been earmarked to exclusively monitor the athletes and cater to their requirements. Speaking from Bengaluru, Graham Reid, chief coach of the Indian Men’s Hockey Team said, “I am constantly in touch with all five of them and they are doing fine. SAI has made every arrangement to give them the best care. The chefs are making special dishes for them as per their choice, beyond the mess menu, and the athletes are very happy about it.”

The team of 11 athletes, 4 coaches and 16 support staff have already reported to the camp and are undergoing mandatory quarantine. As a proactive, mandatory step SAI has administered the Covid test to all participants , including athletes, coaches, support staff (sporting and non-sporting such as housekeeping, cooks etc) on arrival. The test reports confirm that all of them are Covid negative. 

As a further precautionary measure all athletes, coaches and support staff will be  given the test before the start of the camp to ensure that everyone attending the on-field training from August 14 and interacting with athletes, including the athletes themselves, are Covid free.

Ayurvedic doctor distributes immunity booster kit to corona warriors in Bengaluru

#AatmaNirbharBharat: Discussion on 'One nation, One ration card' 

Houses in Srinagar of Munshiganj district, about 50 km from the capital Dhaka, were submerged in floodwaters with the nearby Padma River overflowing its banks. Residents were forced to travel by boat and had to move their cattle to higher grounds to avoid the flooding.

The agriculture ministry said that the longest-running floods in over two decades in Bangladesh have submerged nearly 80,000 hectares of paddy fields.

The floods also complicated the efforts to fight the novel coronavirus. Bangladesh has reported 252,502 infections with 3,333 deaths as of Saturday.

The Ministry said, a total of 61,537 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the country in the past 24 hours taking the total number of cases to 20 lakh 88 thousand 612. Presently, the total number of active Corona cases in the country is six lakh 19 thousand 88. In a single day, 933 deaths were reported taking the nationwide toll to 42 thousand 518. 

Foreign currency assets, a major part of the overall reserves, increased by 10.347 billion dollars to 490.829 billion dollars. In the previous week, the reserves had swelled by 4.993 billion dollars to end at 522.630 billion dollars.
 
Reserve Bank of India Governor Shaktikanta Das has said that the reserves are equivalent to 13.4 months of imports. He added that the reserves have risen by 56.8 billion dollars in this fiscal so far. Gold reserves also went up by 1.525 billion dollars to end at 37.625 billion dollars.

India's special drawing rights with the International Monetary Fund inched higher by 12 million dollars to reach 1.475 billion dollars, while the country's reserve position also went up by 54 million dollars to 4.639 billion dollars.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced an ex-gratia of 2 lakh rupees each from PMNRF to the next of kin of those who have lost their lives due to a landslide in Rajamalai, Idukki.
He said in a tweet that 50 thousand rupees each would be given to those injured due to the landslide.
 
As heavy rain continues in Kerala, death toll in the massive landslide that hit Rajamala in Idukki district of Kerala has reached 22. Rescue and search operations restarted this morning for the missing persons, as many are feared to be buried under soil. 43 persons are still missing and efforts are on to retrieve their bodies with the help of NDRF teams. The inquest of 17 persons have been completed and postmortem is underway.
 
Adverse weather is hampering the relief operations. Meanwhile, heavy rain is continuing across the State creating widespread damage. Major rivers are overflowing and low lying regions are flooded in northern and Central Kerala. Met dept predicts very heavy rain in the state during coming days.

Seetamarhi, Darbhanga, Muzaffarpur, East and West Champaran Districts are worst affected. About 4 lakh 95 thousand people have been evacuated to safer places. 33 teams of SDRF and NDRF are carrying out relief and rescue operations in the affected areas.

Around ten and a half lakh people are being provided cooked food from 1,420 community kitchens. Rleief is being provided to the people living on embankments. Medical teams along with anti-rabies kits and snake bite serum are deputed in the flood affected areas to provide medical aid to the flood affected people. Six relief camps are being run in Khagaria and Samstipur districts.

Bagmati, Kamla Balan, Adhwara, Kosi and Gandak rivers are still above the danger mark at many places. On the other hand, the Meteorological Department predicted light to moderate rains in almost all the districts of Bihar during the next 24 hours.

India will host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 as planned. Cricket’s governing body has also decided to postpone the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2021 in New Zealand till February – March 2022 because of the impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on cricket globally.
 
The format of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 will remain as it was for 2020 and all teams that qualified for that event will now participate in India in 2021. A new qualification process will be run for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022. The format of the postponed ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup will remain as it was for 2021. Five teams have already qualified for the event and that will stand for 2022.
 
The original global qualification event to determine the final three teams to contest the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup was scheduled to be held in Sri Lanka in July 2020, but this was postponed due to COVID-19. The qualification event will now be held in 2021.
 
After ICC’s decision to postpone the T20 World Cup, BCCI decided to use the vacant window to announce the dates for the Indian Premier League. The IPL will be held in the UAE from September 19 to November 10. India will be touring Australia after the completion of the IPL.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 26 degrees Celsius and the maximum will be around 35 degrees. Mumbai will experience a generally cloudy sky with moderate rain. The minimum temperature was 25 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature will be around 32 degrees. Chennai will have a generally cloudy sky with light rain or drizzle. The temperature will hover between 27 and 36 degrees Celsius.
 
Kolkata will have Generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers. The minimum temperature in the metropolis was 27 degrees Celsius while the maximum will be around 32 degrees. On to the North, in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, the minimum temperature in Jammu was 28 degrees Celsius while the maximum will be around 35 degrees Celsius. The city may witness rain or thundershowers towards afternoon or evening. In Srinagar, the minimum temperature was 20 degrees while the maximum will be around 32 degrees Celsius. The city will have mainly clear sky becoming partly cloudy towards evening or night.
 
Ladakh will have mainly clear sky becoming partly cloudy towards afternoon or evening. The temperature will hover between 19 and 30 degrees Celsius. In Gilgit, the temperature will hover between 19 and 36 degrees Celsius. It will experience mainly clear sky. In Muzzafarabad, there will be mainly clear sky becoming partly cloudy towards evening or night. The minimum temperature was 21 degrees Celsius while the maximum temperature will be around 36 degrees. Chandigarh will have a generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers. The minimum temperature in the city was 28 degrees Celsius while the maximum will be around 34 degrees.
 
In Dehradun, the temperature will hover between 26 and 32 degrees Celsius. The city may have generally cloudy sky with a few spells of rain or thundershowers. In Hyderabad, the minimum temperature was 23 degrees Celsius while the maximum will be around 32 degrees. Rain or thundershowers would occur in the city towards afternoon or evening. Guwahati will have generally cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers. The minimum temperature in the city was 26 degrees celsius while the maximum will be around 34 degrees.

With active support of Weavers’ Service Centre, Bhubaneswar under office of the Development Commissioner for Handlooms, she participated in several exhibitions of Craft Council, Master Creation, Suraj Kund etc. Her family is marketing Ikat products to CCIC etc., which are highly saleable and has a special fame and name amongst the handloom lovers of Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata and Bangalore. These participations encouraged her to be an entrepreneur. At present, 10 weavers are working with her and earning Rs. 600/- to Rs. 700/- per day. Thus, her journey started from zero to this stage with support of Govt. of India, Ministry of Textiles.

Flight IX 1344 operated by B737 aircraft from Dubai to Calicut skidded off the runway and fell down a valley at the Calicut international airport Friday evening at around 1941 hrs.

Most of the passengers including the cabin crew were seriously injured. The injured have been admitted to various hospitals in  Kozhikode and Malappuram districts.

There was heavy downpour and the visibility was poor when the flight from Dubai landed at the airport.

Reports said there were 190 passengers on board the aircraft.

The cockpit separated from rest of the aircraft's body following the mishap.

President Ram Nath Kovind in a tweet said, "Deeply distressed to hear about the tragic plane crash of Air India Express flight at Kozhikode, Kerala. Spoke to @KeralaGovernor Shri Arif Mohammed Khan and inquired about the situation. Thoughts and prayers with affected passengers, crew members and their families."

Prime Minsiter Narendra Modi in a tweet said, "Pained by the plane accident in Kozhikode. My thoughts are with those who lost their loved ones. May the injured recover at the earliest. Spoke to Kerala CM @vijayanpinarayi  Ji regarding the situation. Authorities are at the spot, providing all assistance to the affected."

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, “Air india Express AXB1344, B737 Dubai to Calicut, person on board 191, visibility 2000 meter, heavy rain, after landing Runway 10, continue running to end of runway and fall down in the valley  and broke down in  two pieces.”

In a tweet, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said, “Distressed to learn about the tragic accident of Air India Express aircraft in Kozhikode, Kerala. Have instructed NDRF to reach the site at the earliest and assist with the rescue operations.”

Minister of External Affairs Dr. S. Jaishankar tweeted, “Deeply distressed to hear about the Air India Express tragedy at Kozhikode. Prayers are with the bereaved families and those injured. We are ascertaining further details.”

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in tweet said, "Devastating news from Kozhikode, Kerala. I am deeply anguished by the loss of lives due to an accident carrying several passengers on Air India flight. In this hour of grief, my thoughts are with the bereaved families. I pray for the speedy recovery of the injured."

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted, "Have instructed Police and Fire Force to take urgent action in the wake of the plane crash at the Kozhikode International airport (CCJ) in Karipur. Have also directed the officials to make necessary arrangements for rescue and medical support."