Breaking News December 19 | Highlights

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami on Saturday announced Pongal bonanza of Rs 2,500 in cash and gift hamper to all the 2.6 crore rice ration cardholders in the state to celebrate the harvest festival.

Pongal is celebrated across the state with much fervour in January to usher in the auspicious Tamil month 'Thai' when marriages are conducted and new business ventures initiated.

The Uttar Pradesh government has approved over 19,000 posts of doctors to ensure availability of specialists in the health services, an official statement said on Saturday. Of the 19,011 approved posts, 10,580 will be for MBBS doctors and 8,431 for specialists, it said.

Half of the specialist doctors will be recruited directly and the remaining posts will be filled up through promotion, the statement said.

The Centre shall invest approximately Rs 1,16,144 crore towards roads projects in Karnataka in coming years,Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari said on Saturday.

The Congress on Saturday appointed Ashok Arjunrao Jagtap as the new president of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee (MRCC), the party said in a statement.

The Gujarat government on Saturday decided to pay incentive allowance of Rs 5,000 per month with effect from April this year to intern doctors
working in hospitals attached to government medical colleges in view of the COVID-19 duty performed by them, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the chief guest at the virtual centenary celebrations of Aligarh Muslim University on Tuesday, the first time in over five decades that a PM will attend an AMU event. A university official on Saturday said Modi will release a special postal stamp to mark the occasion.

Union Education Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank will also join the event via videoconferencing.

Extending gratitude to Modi, AMU Vice Chancellor Tariq Mansoor said the AMU community is thankful to the PM for accepting the invitation to participate in the celebrations marking 100 years of the university.

The last time a PM attended an event at AMU was Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1964.

Before him, prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru had visited AMU four times.

He visited the first time in 1948, when he an honorary doctorate was conferred on him at the annual convocation, followed by visits in 1955, 1960 and 1963.

Honda Cars India Ltd (HCIL) has decided to pull the plug on production at its Greater Noida plant in Uttar Pradesh, sources said on Saturday. The automaker, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japanese Honda Motor Co, had set up the Greater Noida plant in 1997.

A fire broke out Saturday at an intensive care unit treating COVID-19 patients in southern Turkey after an oxygen cylinder exploded, killing nine people, the health minister said.

RSS ideologue MG Vaidya passes away in Nagpur, Maharashtra.

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sithraman holds 10th Pre-Budget consultations with leading economists in connection with the forthcoming Union Budget 2021-22, in New Delhi.

Goa CM Pramod Sawant inspects a guard of honour on the 59th anniversary of the state's liberation from the Portuguese

"My warmest greetings to people of Goa. I also express my gratitude to the people who took part in the liberation process," said Chief Minister Pramod Sawant.

Vivek Doval, son of NSA Ajit Doval accepts apology from Congress leader Jairam Ramesh, in connection with a criminal defamation case filed against Ramesh and Caravan magazine for their alleged defamatory statement and article against Doval. 

Son of NSA Ajit Doval, Vivek Doval said, "Jairam Ramesh has given an apology, and we have accepted it. The criminal defamation case against Caravan magazine will continue."

Meanwhile, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, I gave the statement against Vivek Doval and made several allegations in heat of the moment as it was the time of elections. I must verify it.

The case against Caravan magazine to continue. 

Assam State govt orders closure of all 'Hookah Bars' in Guwahati with immediate effect. No further applications for renewal or issuance of trade licenses for 'Hookah Bars' will be entertained by the Guwahati Municipal Corporation.

Telangana reported 627 new COVID-19 cases, 4 deaths and 721 recoveries on 18th December.

• Total cases: 2,80,822
• Active cases: 6,942
• Total recoveries: 2,72,370
• Death toll: 1,510

Three people dead, six injured in a house roof collapse, in Vishnu Garden area, Delhi. A team of the fire department is present at the spot

Odisha recorded 356 new COVID-19 cases, 363 recoveries and 3 deaths on December 18, as per State Health Department 

• Total cases: 3,25,861
• Total recoveries: 3,20,947
• Active cases: 3,029
• Death toll: 1,832

It appears that the third wave of COVID19 in Delhi is now ending. Around 90,000 daily tests are being conducted in Delhi today. This is the highest number of daily tests in the country, said Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. 

He further said, "When COVID cases started increasing here, some told me that no. of tests should be decreased or commit fraud in testing. Similar fraud was being committed at other places to show lower no. of cases. I instructed doctors/officers that lives of people is most important."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's keynote address at ASSOCHAM Foundation Week. Here are the highlights: 

• In coming years, for Atmanirbhar Bharat, all of you should exert all possible force which can be mustered. World is heading towards another Industrial Revolution. So from today we must plan & act on achieving our nation-building targets.
• Our challenge is not just to become self-reliant but also how soon we can achieve this goal is also equally important.
• The world has confidence in the Indian economy. During the coronavirus pandemic when the world is distraught over channelling investments, we have received a record amount of FDI. We have to increase our domestic investments in order to sustain this confidence.

DRDO-developed indigenous Howitzer Advanced Towed Artillery Gun System test-firing at the Balasore firing range in Odisha. 

"It is the best gun in the world, no other county has been able to develop such a gun system," said Shailendra Gade, ATAGS Project Director, DRDO. 

This gun was designed and put to test within three years. Soon, this gun will be subjected to PSQR trials. We are hoping India will have the biggest achievement in the class of artillery gun system, said Anil Morgaokar, DRDO.

Policeman ASP Thounaojam Brinda returned his Chief Minister's Gallantry Medal through a letter addressed to CM N Biren Singh, in Imphal. The letter stated the reason to be a court observation as 'unsatisfactory' in regard to a drugs probe for which he was given the award.

Combined Graduation Parade at Airforce Academy in Dundigal, goes on in Hyderabad with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in attendance. 

International travel of more than 3.9 million people facilitated ever since we launched Vande Bharat Mission on May 6. Now in Phase-7, the mission with 23 active air bubbles has transformed into the largest repatriation mission of its kind, said Union Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi to deliver keynote address at ASSOCHAM (Associated Chambers of Commerce of India) Foundation Week today, through video conferencing. 

Police rescue an 8-year-old boy who was kidnapped on December 17 in Kolar, four persons arrested

Voting underway for the eighth phase of Jammu and Kashmir District Development Council (DDC) elections.